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#Liam x OC
ao719 · 2 months
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Best Kept Secrets
Best Kept Secrets - Maybe We’ll Get It Right (Chapter 18)
Characters belong to Pixelberry.
Summary: An unforeseen encounter with the past proves that even the best-kept secrets eventually make their way into the light. 
Title inspiration: Hold On Tight - Forest Blakk
Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x F!OC
A/N: Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading most of this. Please excuse any errors. 
Rating: M • Warning: This series will contain NSFW material. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+
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Standing in her bedroom inside the north wing, Amara stared at her reflection in the floor-length mirror. She scanned over her outfit before meeting her own anxious gaze; she took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to settle her nerves. 
Today would be Amara’s and Liam’s first public outing with Sophia since the statement had been given. It would be the first time the press would not only catch a glimpse of the heir but see the three of them together … as a family. She knew that the purpose behind the outing was to show the public that their King had moved beyond her betrayal and that they were putting the past behind them for the sake of their child. It was all in hopes of shifting the negative attention she was receiving and showing her in a more favorable light. 
Amara was nervous, however. One would think she would find this to be fairly simple; working the press to change public perception was literally her job, but it was much different being the one whose image you’re trying to change their perception of. She wouldn’t be working her PR magic behind the scenes because she was the one under the microscope. She knew her every move was going to be picked apart, questioned, and, at times, manipulated to fit whatever narrative they were attempting to paint of her. Whatever they felt was going to sell a story was what they were going to try and sell, truth or not. 
Despite knowing this was something they needed to try, Amara had second-guessed the decision since Daniel suggested it; they’d given themselves an extra week behind the palace walls to prepare, but she felt anything but because she couldn’t get out of her own head. She didn’t want her presence during these planned outings to make things even more difficult for Liam than she’d already made them. 
However, when Amara subtly brought up the concern, Liam didn’t seem all too phased. They planned to spend the day on the private beach, and he reminded her that while, yes, the press was sure to be camped out nearby, they would still be far enough away so they’d be able to enjoy their day together with Sophia and that he was looking forward to spending the day out … with both of them. He seemed to be treating it as both a casual and normal outing and not one that was planned with a purpose.
Amara wasn’t reading too much into what he’d said, however, seeing his words for exactly what they were. She knew it was nothing more than his way of trying to make her feel more relaxed because he could sense that she was on edge about it. To think he meant anything beyond that was pointless. Despite her feelings for him, she’d forced herself to face reality over the last month and a half, a reality where she knew that any chance she might have had at continuing to rekindle things between them was long gone. After what she’d done, he’d never give her a second chance, and she didn’t deserve one. Her feelings for him didn’t matter and didn’t mean anything to anyone but her, so she shoved them into a box and pushed any notion of them being anything more than co-parents as far down as she could. It hurt, of course, but it was the consequences of her actions. And she’d suffer in silence because she wasn’t going to let those feelings get in the way of his and Sophia’s relationship. 
A knock on the door pulled Amara’s attention, and she gave herself one last glance in the mirror before turning and exiting her bedroom. When she opened the door, she smiled at Sophia, who was giving her signature toothy grin.
“Mama!”
“Hi, baby,” Amara chuckled as she took her from Liam’s arms when she leaned over to her. She kissed her cheek as she ran her hand over her head of blonde hair. 
“Morning,” Liam said. 
Amara offered him a tentative smile. “Morning.” She stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind her. “I have her stuff ready. I’ll just go get her changed real quick.” 
Liam nodded and watched the two of them disappear down the hall, listening to Sophia babble and Amara laugh, smiling as he sat down in the living area to wait. He drummed his fingers against his thighs, wondering what the day was going to bring.
They would be spending the day at the private beach, and while he knew it would be accessible to the press, it would keep them far enough away so they wouldn’t be too overbearing. They couldn’t go out in public and make it obvious that they were putting on a show for the cameras. 
Truthfully … it wasn’t about the cameras for Liam nor was it a show. Yes, he was doing this as a way to hopefully shift the narrative surrounding Amara, and he was looking forward to finally taking Sophia beyond the palace walls, but it was more than that for him. He wanted to spend the day out with Amara, too. 
Over the last month and a half since everything had happened, one of the things he struggled with most was his feelings for Amara. At first, those feelings were suffocated by anger and resentment, but once he forced himself to let go of those emotions for the sake of moving forward, they came back tenfold. Now that he’d been spending every day with her the past two weeks, practically playing house inside the palace with her and Sophia … the three of them, together, as a family … everything he felt before seemed amplified. His feelings began to consume him, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to continue to shove them aside. And maybe he shouldn’t. He’d been trying to do what was best for Sophia, but perhaps what was best for her was the very thing he’d been trying to ignore. 
Liam had a couple of reservations, however, and they seemed to be the one thing holding him back. 
The first reservation was trust. No matter which way Liam looked at the situation, he’d been betrayed. Did he now understand the place in which Amara was coming from? A little. He’d allowed himself to see things from her perspective, and he understood her headspace at the time. It didn’t change the fact that he was still lied to and kept in the dark about something as important as the existence of his child. Were there other secrets she was keeping? He didn’t know. And he didn’t know if he could trust her to not keep more in the future. 
The second reservation was fear. Twice now Liam had tried to make things work between them, and he was left broken both times. They say the third time’s the charm, but this was something that now went beyond just him. If they tried again and they failed a third time, not only would it affect him but Sophia as well. He and Amara had a knack for being unable to get their stars to align. Could he really risk Sophia being collateral damage in a game he wasn’t sure he would ever win?
“Dada!” 
Sophia’s squeal pulled Liam from his thoughts. He glanced over and a laugh bubbled out of him at the sight of her toddling towards him in a white cover-up that concealed her bright pink bathing suit, tiny aviators, and a floppy white sun hat. “Look at you looking like a little beachy princess,” he chuckled as he scooped her into his arms. “Are you ready for our day at the beach?” Sophia nodded with a clap of her hands. “Is mommy ready?”
They both looked at Amara at the same time, and she forced a smile. “I’m ready.”
****
When Bastien pulled into the private parking lot of the beach, Amara turned her face away from the window, shielding her eyes from the flashes of the cameras. The press had been camped outside of the gate when they left the palace and had followed them. Having spent so much time tracking the royal family’s movements, it didn’t take them long to realize where they were headed; they raced ahead so they were there waiting when they arrived. 
When Liam exited the vehicle, the press, who were contained behind another gate where two more guards stood to ensure they didn’t cross, began shouting his name. He turned and tossed his hand up in a wave as they snapped photos before turning back toward the vehicle. 
Liam met Amara’s gaze as she finished unbuckling Sophia from her car seat. “Here we go …” 
Liam lifted Sophia from her seat and into the safety of his arms, and when he pulled her from the vehicle, the frenzy ensued. The press shouted louder as the shutters from their cameras went off. Sophia turned her head toward the clamor as her grip on his shirt tightened. “It’s ok, little love,” he whispered. 
Occupied by their first glimpses of the princess, the press almost missed the moment Amara came into view. Almost. The moment they noticed her, more shouts ensued as their cameras continued to snap photos. 
“Why is she with you, King Liam?”
“Anything to say about your betrayal to the King, Ms. Onasis?”
“Will she be leaving Cordonia soon?”
“Will the Princess be staying?”
Amara turned so her back was toward them and inhaled a deep breath. She felt Liam’s hand on her shoulder a moment later and looked up at him; he gestured toward the path that led to the beach and she nodded before starting toward it. 
Once down on the beach, Amara set the bag she’d packed beside one of the chairs that were set up beneath an umbrella. She glanced around, taking in the silence, feeling a little more at ease, but only for a moment before she saw the press hurrying toward the edge of the barrier. The guards were already in place, ensuring they stayed on the other side, and they were far enough away where they wouldn’t be a bother, but just knowing they were there at all had her right back on edge. 
“Did you hear me?”
Amara snapped her gaze to Liam. “No. I’m sorry … what did you say?”
“Sunscreen?” Liam pointed to Sophia.
“Yeah.” Amara shook her head and crouched down next to the bag, pulling out the sunscreen she’d packed for her.
Liam set Sophia down on the chair, and Amara removed her tiny cover-up before smothering her in sunscreen. Once she was finished, she stood and turned to see a now shirtless Liam setting up the toys he’d brought on the massive beach blanket that was laid out for them; he’d slipped inside the tent just behind their chairs to change. She turned away from him and closed her eyes; between the press and him, her mind was jumbled.
“Ready?” Liam’s voice sounded from behind her, and she turned, but he was speaking to Sophia. He scooped her up and set her on the edge of the blanket so she could reach the sand before laying on his side next to her. 
Amara stood and stared at the two of them as they played. Then her gaze flickered to the edge of the beach where the press remained, continuing to snap photos. She couldn’t help but wonder what story they were going to try and spin from this. 
“Are you going to join us?” Liam asked.
Amara looked back at him. “Uh … yeah.” She kicked off her flip-flops before reaching down and grabbing the hem of her cover-up to remove it but froze as her eyes lifted to the press again. She casually brushed her hand against the fabric of the cover-up as she moved toward the blanket and sat down on the other side of Sophia. 
Liam looked up at her, squinting against the bright sun. “Did you not bring a suit?” he asked, gesturing to her cover-up that was still on. 
“I’m … I’m fine right now,” Amara lied as she looked out at the water. She wasn’t fine. 
Under the heat of the Mediterranean sun and the watchful eyes of the press, Amara was hot and flustered … but she didn’t want to take off the cover-up, afraid of what story the press would spin from it. Would they say she was trying to seduce him into forgiveness by flouncing around in a bikini? Would they criticize her for said bikini because she was the mother of the heir and not setting the example they thought she should? Hell, she was afraid to even look at Liam for a second too long, knowing what type of story one photo of that could paint. 
Liam stared at Amara as she gazed out at the water. He knew something was bothering her and he didn’t have to ask what it was. She’d been on edge the past week since they planned this first outing, and when he saw her this morning, he knew she hadn’t eased up. It was easy for him to ignore the presence of the press because he’d grown up with it and learned to drown them out a long time ago. Amara, however, wasn’t used to being on this side of things. On top of that, she was consumed by how her presence would rub off on him and Sophia and worried what stories would be in the papers the next morning. Because of that, she was being careful. Too careful, considering she wouldn’t even remove her cover-up. 
“Amara,” Liam said, and she glanced at him. “Relax.”
“I am relaxed.”
Liam snorted. “No, you’re not.” She dropped his gaze and bit her lip self-consciously. “Hey, look at me,” he whispered, but she shook her head. “Look at me.” She hesitated another moment before glancing up. “Don’t pay them any mind. It’s just you and me here, ok? Just us.”
Amara held his gaze. He knew exactly what was running through her mind without her having to say a word. And she felt the sincerity behind his words from the way he looked at her. But she needed to defuse the situation before her stupid heart took any of it to mean something more than it really did. “And Soph,” she quipped. 
“Yes,” Liam shook his head with a small smile. “But you know what I meant.” With Sophia occupied with filling her bucket full of sand one small scoop at a time, he laid on his back, tucking his arms under his head as he closed his eyes. “Take off the damn cover-up and enjoy yourself.” 
Liam heard her let out a quiet chuckle, and after another beat of silence, he could hear the quiet shift of the fabric against her skin. He opened one eye and inconspicuously slid it in her direction; his chest tightened at the sight of her body in the navy blue bikini before he quickly snapped the eye shut. 
****
That night, Liam and Amara put Sophia to bed inside her room in the north wing. They’d spent the entire day at the beach, playing in the water and lounging on the shore. Once they returned to the palace, she’d taken a bath, and barely made it through dinner before she passed out in Liam’s arms. 
The press had watched them the entire day, but Amara took Liam’s advice and ignored them as best as she could. She knew she had to come to terms with the fact that they were going to write what they wanted and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it except suck it up and deal with it. 
They quietly shut Sophia’s door behind them before creeping down the hall, stopping in front of the living area. “She racked out,” Liam quietly chuckled. 
Amara smiled as she leaned against the entryway, crossing her arms and tucking her hands beneath them. “She had fun today.”
“Minus the evil wave,” Liam quietly laughed. 
Amara jutted her lip out in a pout before bowing her head and covering her mouth with her hand to contain her laugh at the memory of the wave that washed away the sandcastle they’d helped Sophia build. She was not happy, and her extreme meltdown over the loss was when they knew it was probably time to pack it up and leave. 
“I thought she was going to try and kick that wave’s ass,” Liam chuckled. 
Amara snorted against her palm before looking back up at him, and when she did, a strand of her hair caught on her eyelashes. Instinctively, Liam reached up to brush it away. 
The air suddenly felt very thick as they stared at each other and both their smiles slowly faded. 
Snapping from his momentary daze, Liam quickly dropped his hand. “Uh … sorry. You had — your hair, I mean … it was …” He trailed off and blew out a breath. 
Amara continued to stare at him, feeling a bit bemused as her heart and mind argued over what just happened and what it meant. Nothing, she told herself. It was nothing. “Yeah … uh, thanks.”
“Well … I should probably …” Liam gestured over his shoulder to the door. “I have sand in places where there shouldn’t be sand and need to shower,” he chuckled, earning a laugh from her. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I’ll let you know when she’s up so we can meet for breakfast.” 
“Sounds good.” 
Liam leaned down and kissed her cheek, letting it linger a heartbeat longer than normal before he drew back; he met her gaze for a split second before he turned and opened the door, quickly disappearing into the hall.
*******
Sitting inside his study, Liam read over an article from Trend magazine, detailing his and Amara’s outing over the past weekend in Applewood; he was needed there to go over a proposal to expand the orchids and invited Amara to bring Sophia. The article had several photos printed beside it, each one from a distance; a few of him and Sophia as they walked through the orchids, some of just her, and a few of the three of them together.
It had been nearly a month since that first outing at the beach, and the many they had after seemed to be doing the job they were intended to do. Most of the press — Trend being one — had done exactly what Daniel had said and followed his lead, looking beyond the past and focusing on the here and now. A few remained skeptical, however, questioning Amara’s motives for remaining in Cordonia and her intentions going forward. They didn’t know that she’d already decided to stay because he had yet to make a public statement. He knew he would need to make one soon, though; he’d spoken to Daniel, who told him the next step would be for the people to hear directly from him since they hadn’t at all since Sophia’s existence had been made public nearly two months ago. 
Liam was happy to know that things with the press were starting to settle down. What wasn’t settling down were his feelings for Amara. Each night after they would put Sophia to bed, the length of time they lingered behind got longer. They went from a few moments of simple conversation to now talking over drinks or a late-night snack about their day and making plans for the next. They had gotten closer and had fallen back into a place where things didn’t feel so tense. 
It was comfortable. 
It was familiar. 
Every day they spent together chipped away at those reservations Liam had and drew out his feelings even more. And every day he came closer and closer to throwing caution to the wind and taking that leap. 
Hearing a knock on his study door, Liam called for them to enter; when it opened, he lifted his gaze from the magazine article just as Amara stepped inside with Sophia. 
“Dada!” 
“Hi, little love,” Liam grinned as he stood and walked around his desk; he crouched down as she toddled toward him and he scooped her into his arms, smothering a mix of playful kisses and raspberries against her cheeks as she giggled.
“Hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Amara said.
Liam situated Sophia on his hip. “Not at all,” he replied before leaning forward to kiss her cheek; his hand brushed down the length of her arm as he drew back. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 
“I wanted to come talk to you.”
“About?”
“I’m going to have to make a trip to New York.” 
Liam looked at her. “Oh?”
“My lease is up at the end of the month,” Amara explained. “I’ve been putting it off, hoping to have found a place beforehand, but that hasn’t happened yet.”
Despite the surprise her words gave him, Liam kept his expression impassive. “I hadn’t realized you’d been looking.” 
“Well, I haven’t … not really, I mean. I’ve perused some listings, but I’m still weighing my options between renting or buying and haven’t made a decision yet. But I can’t put off packing up my apartment any longer since I only have a couple of weeks. And I’ll have to clear out my office space as well.” 
Liam nodded. “Ok. Are you thinking this weekend, or …?”
“I wanted to check with you first,” Amara said. “I didn’t know if you had anything going on, and I figured you’d want Soph to stay here with you.” 
Liam thought for a moment as he glanced at Sophia; he scrunched his nose with a smile when she offered him one of her toothy grins. “How about we go together?” 
Amara’s brows rose in surprise. “You … you want to go?”
“Sure,” Liam shrugged as he looked back at her. “Let Imogen know, and we can leave Friday and take the weekend … get it all done in one shot so you don’t have to worry about going back for anything. There’s plenty of room on the jet to store whatever you need to bring back with you.”
Amara stared at him for a moment. “If you’re sure …” 
“I am,” Liam smiled. “I’ll have Bastien make arrangements.” 
*******
A few mornings later, the SUV pulled up on the tarmac, stopping alongside the waiting jet. Liam glanced out the window at the press that were huddled together on the other side of a barrier.
“How did they know we would be here?” Amara asked.
Liam sighed with a shrug. “They always manage to find things out one way or another.” He looked over to where she sat on the other side of Sophia’s car seat. “Get her on the jet. I’ll handle them.” 
Amara nodded and unbuckled Sophia’s straps before lifting her out of the seat. A guard opened the door and she and Imogen slid out; she ignored the volley of shouted questions from the press as she carried Sophia up the stairs and disappeared inside the jet. 
“Sir?” Bastien said from the driver’s seat.
Liam looked up, meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror as the other two guards took their luggage and Sophia’s car seat to the jet. “I’ll talk to them.” 
Bastien nodded before getting out and opening Liam’s door. When the King came into view, the press shouted at him; he was a picture of calm as he buttoned his suit jacket and made his way toward the crowd. 
“King Liam, where are you headed?” Donnie Brine from the CBC asked as Liam neared. 
“I’ll be in New York for a few days,” Liam answered.
Another slew of shouted questions ensued, and they were all asking the same thing in various ways: is Amara leaving with Sophia? Thinking back on his several conversations with Daniel over the past couple of weeks, and knowing he could use this as an opportunity to put any more doubts about her intentions to rest, he decided to be transparent. 
Liam held up his hand to quiet them, and once he had their attention, he cleared his throat. “We’re headed to New York for the weekend to pack up Ms. Onasis’ belongings as she will be staying in Cordonia permanently so that I may continue to maintain a relationship with our daughter.”
More questions were immediately volleyed, but one in particular had caught his attention.
“Are you concerned she’ll try to leave again with the princess?”
Liam sighed, knowing they were referring to what was mentioned in Daniel’s statement. “The circumstances surrounding Ms. Onasis trying to leave in the past were entirely different.”
“Can you elaborate?” a reporter asked, holding their recorder out in front of him.
Transparency, he reminded himself. “Ms. Onasis had been spooked by the betrothal aspect of the alliance that Auvernal had been pushing for. When she learned of the blackmail threat, she became frightened of what that meant for our daughter, and in a moment of panic, yes, she tried to leave. But as a mother, she was trying to protect her child … and that’s not something I can or will fault her for. As for the move … she’s uprooting her entire life to ensure that the princess and I stay together, and I’m extremely grateful that she’s so willing to do that.” 
The reporters stared at Liam in a bout of awed silence, and a heartbeat later, they were shouting more questions.
“Will they be staying with you at the palace?”
“What’s the status of your relationship with Ms. Onasis?” 
“Are you rekindling your romance?” 
They’d changed their tune so fast, it gave Liam whiplash. He let out a breath, feeling a bit lighter, but decided he wasn’t answering any more questions. He didn’t really have the answers at the moment anyway. He threw his hand up in a wave before turning and heading towards the jet. 
****
After the long flight and traffic-jammed ride from the airport, Liam and Amara arrived at their hotel in New York that afternoon; they’d planned to arrive early enough to leave them time for Sophia to hopefully nap off the jet lag. 
Once Sophia was asleep in the guest room of the suite, Liam sent Imogen to her own room that was situated across the hall to rest. He plopped onto the sofa in the living area while Amara stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, taking in the view. 
“Have you missed it?” Liam asked. 
Amara shrugged. “Certain things, like pizza and breakfast bagels, yes,” she chuckled. “But other than that … not particularly, no.” 
Liam stood and came next to her. “Where’s your apartment from here?”
“About 15 minutes that way,” Amara pointed. “It’s in Tribeca.” They were at the Millennium in lower Manhattan. “And my office is only a block from there.” 
“Have you made any decisions regarding your company and what you plan to do?”
“Not yet,” Amara shook her head. “We’re on a bit of a pause at the moment until I figure things out. Daniel hasn’t decided whether he’s staying yet, but with both Riley and I now there and him not having anything tying him down here …” She shrugged. “But I could still run the company from there and set up an office … or I could sell it …”
“You’d really consider selling it?” 
“If that’s what needs to be done … yes,” Amara answered. And I know a couple of competitors that would probably be more than willing to take it off my hands.”
Liam leaned against the window frame as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. “You seem pretty content for someone giving up so much of themself on a whim.” 
Amara looked back out the window. “I wouldn’t say it’s on a whim.” 
Liam’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean …” Amara paused, taking in a breath and slowly letting it out. “I mean that all of this was stuff I’ve thought about from the moment I found out I was pregnant.” She tucked her hands beneath her arms as she fought against the urge to look at him. “I always thought about the what-ifs … and I planned out all these different scenarios in my head for the day I finally drummed up enough courage to … to tell you. And in all of those scenarios, the outcome was the same … I was leaving New York, and either running the company from where I was or selling it. Now that I think about it … it was never really a what-if, but more of a when.” 
Liam remained silent for a moment before speaking. “I just … I don’t want this move to be something you come to regret later on.” 
“It’s for you and Sophia.” Amara looked up at him again. “I would never regret it.” 
Liam stared at her, not having realized until that moment how close they’d shifted to one another, and he saw the moment she realized it, too. Her gaze was both hesitant and questioning, but then she looked away from him and took a step back. 
“Um … I think I’m going to nap while Sophia is.” 
“Yeah.” Liam cleared his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh … I’m actually not that tired, so I can listen for her if you want to go lay down in the master.” He’d already offered for her to take the bigger of the two rooms. 
“Ok,” Amara nodded.
Liam watched Amara turn and heard her let out a breath as she disappeared inside the room. 
*******
The following morning, Liam and Amara headed over to her apartment while Imogen stayed with Sophia at the hotel. Liam had arranged for a moving company to meet them there to take the boxes she would be bringing back and load them on the jet. From what she’d told him, most of it would consist of her and Sophia’s clothes. Anything she didn’t need, she planned to throw out or donate. 
When they pulled up outside of the tall brick building, Liam slid out before turning to help Amara out. They greeted the staff of the moving company that was already there waiting before heading inside. 
After riding the elevator up to the seventh floor, they stepped out, and Liam followed Amara down the hall. She paused in front of a door and unlocked it, and when she pushed it open and stepped inside, he followed. 
Liam glanced around as he moved further inside. He’d never seen her apartment, but it was exactly what he pictured her having. Casual with a touch of modern sophistication. “This is nice.”
Amara looked around fondly; she’d always loved her apartment. “Thanks.” 
“Where should we start, Miss?” a voice spoke from the doorway. 
Amara turned to the movers lingering in the hall. “Uh …” She glanced around. “Living room and kitchen.” She then looked at Liam. “We can get started on Sophia’s room and then mine.”
“Lead the way,” Liam gestured. 
****
Within a couple of hours, most of the apartment had been boxed up. While the movers carried boxes from the kitchen, living room, and Sophia’s room down to the truck, Liam and Amara finished up in her room. 
“I’m going to take this out,” Amara said when she finished taping the last box of her shoes shut. 
Liam nodded. “I’ll bring the nightstand out for you.”
“Thank you,” Amara replied before pushing the box out the door and down the hall.
Turning to the nightstand next to the bed, Liam reached down and hooked his fingers under the lip of the top. He lifted it, and when he realized it was heavier than he anticipated, he tilted it to adjust his hold; the movement caused the drawer to slide out of it and crash to the floor. 
“Shit.” 
Liam set the nightstand back down before kneeling to pick up the contents from the drawer now scattered on the floor. As he scooped up the items, something caught his eye, and he froze as he stared at it. A photo. He reached down and grabbed it, bringing it closer, only to notice another beneath it. And they weren’t just any photos, but ones of him and Amara. He remembered the night the one he held in his hand was taken. They were watching a movie in his quarters and were on the sofa; she was resting back against his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her and his face was playfully nuzzling her neck with a grin as she smiled. He picked up the other from the floor. It was of them in the maze; she was on his back with her arms looped around his neck, both of them laughing. 
At that moment, at the sight of those photos, at the realization that she’d kept them all this time, Liam felt the last of the reservations he’d been holding onto crumble. He wanted to be the two people in those photos again. 
Two people who could make each other laugh and smile.
Two people who were better when they were together. 
Two people who were happy and in love.
“Liam?” Amara’s voice carried down the hall. 
Liam snapped from his daze and cleared his throat. “Coming.” He placed the rest of the items back in the drawer but slipped the photos into his back pocket before standing and carrying the nightstand out. 
****
That night, Amara stood out on the balcony of the hotel suite while Liam put Sophia into bed. She stared out at the view of the city she’d called home all her life, but she couldn’t say she’d miss it all that much. 
“Penny for your thoughts?” Liam said behind her.
Amara glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes followed him as he came to stand beside her. “Nothing,” she said, “just … taking in the view. Did she go down ok?”
“Yeah,” Liam nodded as he leaned against the railing. “Out like a light.” He glanced out at the view, staying quiet for a moment before looking over at her. “Are you going to miss it?”
“No … not really,” Amara answered. “I think … I think I’m ready to start over somewhere else.” 
Liam stared at her for a moment before taking her answer for the opening it was. “Speaking of starting over …” He stood upright and reached back, pulling the two photos from his back pocket. “When we were packing … these fell out of your nightstand drawer.” 
Amara focused on the photos in his hand, fighting against looking at him as she blinked away the sting in her eyes. “Yeah …” 
“I didn’t realize you had them.” 
“I …” Amara let out a soft breath and cast her gaze to the ground.
Liam’s thumb slid under her chin and he lifted her eyes to his. “No more secrets.” 
Amara swallowed. “I would look at them … in hopes I could convince myself to reach out to you … to tell you about Sophia.” She fell quiet for a moment before speaking again, her next words coming out just above a whisper. “And on days when I missed you … which was all the time … I’d look at them to remind myself of what it felt like to be whole … because that’s what being with you made me feel. Whole and complete … and happy.”
Liam searched her eyes for a moment, and in the next, he leaned down, capturing her lips in his. Amara stiffened in surprise, needing to rest her hands against his chest to keep herself upright, but when his arm curled around her waist and pulled her closer, she went more than willingly. When her lips parted against his, she felt his tongue softly curl against hers, so slowly at first it was as if he were trying to savor the moment, but then he deepened the kiss, and she gripped his shirt to steady herself.
Forcing himself not to get too caught up, Liam drew back. It took her a moment to open her eyes, and they stared at each other in silence for a few heartbeats before she looked away from him. He could see the self-consciousness fill her expression and realized it was because she determined that he must have thought what just happened was a mistake … but she was wrong. 
“I want to go back to being the two people in these photos. I want this again.” Liam held up the pictures. When she looked at him again, he saw the surprise in her eyes, like she couldn’t believe what he was saying. “I want this … I want us. But I want to slow down because I want us to be sure when we go in, if not for our sakes, then for Sophia’s.” 
At his words, a tear trickled down Amara’s cheek, and he reached up, brushing it away with his thumb. “I didn’t think … after what I’d done—”
“When I told you I was leaving the past in the past, I meant it, Amara,” Liam interrupted. “I just need to know if you want the same … that you’re willing to try.”
Amara took in a shuddered breath as her tear-filled eyes searched his. And then she nodded. “I want the same,” she whispered. 
Liam dropped his hand from her face and curled his fingers around hers. “Then we take it day by day once we get back home … and we’ll see how things go.” 
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kristinamae093 · 5 months
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Trick or ... Treat?
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Everything else can be found here.
Book/Universe - TRR
Pairing - Liam x OC (Kyla) (not much is going on here though lol).
Summary - Constantine and Kyla enjoy Halloween... at Liam's expense.
Word Count - 2500
Warnings - language, Constantine shenanigains.
A/N 1 - I am participating in @choicesflashfics with prompt number 3, which will appear in bold. I don't think this qualifies for any of the other various Halloween prompts (not the ones I looked at, anyway.)
A/N 2 - Thanks for giving me a little confidence boost about this @ao719! 🥹🫶
Please excuse any errors.
Most characters belong to Pixelberry.
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Liam awoke after a restless night’s sleep, tentatively opening one eye to search the area. Constantine enjoyed messing with Liam any day of the year, but a few held special significance for mischief; April Fool’s Day and Halloween. Much to Liam’s dismay, the date was October 31st. 
He enjoyed the 'holiday'; the royal family spent a few hours where they stood atop the front steps of the palace passing out candy. It was a tradition Liam intended to start alone, but Constantine and Regina both liked the idea and wanted to engage. He didn’t dress up but still enjoyed seeing all the costumes the public wore. 
However, he never knew what the day could hold for him. He could handle most of it, but the part he didn’t enjoy was the jump scares; perhaps it was a bit of PTSD, but it made Liam’s soul vacate his body every single time. Constantine took this with a grain of salt; at least on those two days a year, Liam could expect nothing but chaos. 
With utmost caution, Liam sat up. He patted around the mattress to ensure there wasn’t something hidden in his sheets, but there wasn’t. He got up and made his way to the bathroom to relieve himself, and while he did, a brief flicker of relief shot through him; perhaps this year would be different, given the circumstances had changed. Last year Constantine wasn’t sick, but now he didn’t have nearly as much energy. Liam hoped that just this once — that would work to his advantage. 
Liam groggily made his way into the shower. He turned the water on with a yawn and closed his eyes as the soothing heat cascaded down his chest and legs. He submerged his head and ran his palms through his hair; when he opened his eyes to reach for his shampoo, he realized the water was — red. 
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Liam shouted as he stumbled backward. His back slammed against the wall as he tried to get away. He scrambled out of the shower, leaving the water running behind him. 
When he made it out, Liam was in such a frenzy that he slipped; in a moment of desperation, he grabbed onto a shelf but ended up taking that tumbling down with him. 
A moment later, a frantic knock sounded on the bathroom door. “Sir? Are you alright?” Bastien hollered. 
Liam quickly reached for a towel to cover himself and answered, “NO! Get in here!” 
Bastien came barreling inside; his eyes widened as he saw Liam lying on the floor, surrounded by a pool of crimson liquid. He immediately rushed over and crouched beside him. “What happened? Was someone in here?”
“The shower!” 
“... Pardon?” 
Liam narrowed his eyes. “The fucking shower, Bastien!”
Bastien cautiously approached the glass door with one hand on his holstered weapon. He glanced inside and noticed the colored water coating the floor, but also noted the discoloration of the tub; Bastien knew immediately this substance was not blood. 
He reached in and turned the knobs off; as he did, a sweet aroma filled his senses — fruit punch. Bastien took a wild guess regarding what happened, and as he detached the shower head and popped it open, he realized he was correct. 
Bastien exited the shower, laughing to himself. Liam paced the area but grew irritated at Bastien’s lack of panic. “What did you find? Should we call an exorcist?”
Bastien chuckled. “No, sir. It’s not blood, I assure you.” He held the opened shower head to show Liam the inside. “It would appear as if someone packed this full of a red powder; if I had to take a guess, I would say it’s Kool-Aid.” 
“Kool-Aid?” Liam mimicked in disbelief. “... You’re joking.” 
Bastien nodded, trying to keep his composure as he scanned Liam’s appearance. “I’m afraid not, sir. And unfortunately — it stains.” He motioned to the mirror behind Liam. 
Liam turned around with furrowed brows, but his mouth fell open as he took in his appearance; his face and chest had a noticeable red tint, and his hair a pink hue. “Oh dear God…” 
“It’s not that bad, sir…” 
“What do you mean not that bad?” Liam mocked. “I look like a sick crab! What the hell am I going to do?! I’m supposed to be in a meeting in less than an hour!”
“Perhaps you could tell them it’s a sunburn?” 
Liam narrowed his eyes and let out a huff of air; judging from how his morning started, it was going to be a long day, indeed. 
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Further in the afternoon, Constantine and Kyla were finishing the last touches on their concluding prank. Knowing that everything they did throughout the day was constructed for Liam, Kyla felt a sense of guilt. However, she didn’t have the heart to tell Constantine no; when his eyes lit up, she found it hard to resist his child-like elation. She only hoped Liam would forgive her, and appreciate that she kept things much more minimal than Constantine originally intended.
Constantine encouraged Kyla to dress up; the only requirement was that she couldn’t wear scrubs. She looked online and came across a cute Santa outfit and decided that would be her selection; complete with festive tights and black ankle boots, she was the holliest, jolliest person in Cordonia. 
Constantine opted for something more — unconventional for a former monarch. Since the opportunity presented itself, he wanted to be a cowboy; he wore jeans, a flannel shirt, the wide-brimmed hat, and carried a lasso. He’d never dressed up before, but considering this would be his last Halloween, he wanted to experience the full effect. 
“Perfect! Now, stay there and wait, boy,” Constantine ordered Trent. 
Trent gave Constantine an unsure expression. “Are you sure about this?”
“Is it your job to do as you’re told?” 
“Yes, but–” 
“No more malarky; you’re already in costume, and you will not waste all of Kyla’s hard work. Wait until Liam comes, then—” Constantine paused for dramatic effect. “—you know what to do.”
Trent gave a weak salute, nearly knocking his hat off. Constantine slowly drove his scooter away, Kyla strolling beside him.  “You did a marvelous job today, dear. I have to tell you, this stuff is much easier with you around.”
Kyla dipped into an exaggerated curtsy. “It’s my pleasure to serve.” 
Constantine howled with laughter. “I suppose we should give Liam his treat.” 
Kyla shuddered. “You’re seriously doing this?” 
“What? It’s not poison; he’ll be fine.” Constantine waved her off. “It’s funny, and if I can figure out how to work the camcorder on my cellular device, I intend to videotape everything to show Leo; maybe I’ll upload it on that clock webpage the kids use.” 
Kyla furrowed her brows. “... You mean — Tik-Tok?” 
“Yes! That’s the one! Come along, now; it’s time to begin our last operation of the day.” Given that this would likely be his last Halloween, Constantine wanted to go out with a bang. The dynamic duo concocted the perfect scheme to scare Liam’s socks off. Constantine handled the set-up, Kyla advising the punch-line; together they produced a glorious mix of pandemonium and humor — for Constantine, anyway. 
Constantine and Kyla made their way to Liam’s office with their — treat. Constantine knocked on the door with a smirk; as he did, he handed Kyla the box and whispered, “You should probably be the one to give him these. Tell him you made them yourself and make it believable.” 
Kyla’s eyes widened. “What?! Why me?!“ 
“He will know if it comes from me; you need to do it. Don’t worry! It’s Halloween — we’re exempt from punishment today.” 
“I don’t think that’s how that works–” Kyla was cut off as the door crept open. As it did, neither she nor Constantine could control the shrieks of laughter that escaped them at Liam’s appearance; the evidence of their opening prank shined brightly, contrasted to the natural hue of his skin they were used to. 
“Yeah, yeah,” Liam grumbled. “Laugh it up. Thanks to you, I’ve had three meetings looking like this today.” He spoke to his father. 
“I don’t know what you mean, son.” Constantine feigned innocence. 
Liam grasped Constantine’s hand, flipping it over to look at his palm and noted the tinges of discoloration. “So… you running around red-handed is just a coincidence?” 
Constantine pulled his hand away. “No, it’s a part of the costume; cow people work hard — these are farming hands.” 
“What about the fake mice in my fridge? Or the trash bag stuffed to look like a body? The clown stickers on my mirrors? Or the air horn under my chair?” Liam walked behind his desk and pushed down, a loud honk thundering through the room. 
“Okay, you caught me. But it’s Halloween, Liam.” Constantine gave Liam sad, pleading eyes. 
“You know the expression is trick or treat, not trick or trick–“ 
“I’m aware, William.” Constantine subtly slid his eyes over to Kyla. “If only someone had a treat for you…” 
Kyla realized that was her cue; she presented the box to Liam with the warmest smile she could force, praying he didn’t see her trembling hands. “Actually, I have something for you…” 
“You do?” Liam sought with an arched brow. 
“Yeah,” Kyla returned as she opened the container. “It’s chocolate — balls… I made them myself and even used white chocolate since you prefer vanilla…” 
Liam alternated his gaze between the offered delicacy and Kyla; he couldn’t decide if he could trust her or not at that moment. Any other day he would, hands down; today was different and as much as it pained him to admit, he knew Constantine couldn’t have pulled the day’s shenanigans off on his own. 
He slowly reached into the box and grasped a treat; he experimentally sniffed it first, noting the heavenly aroma invading his nostrils. As he took in Kyla’s innocent smile, Liam shrugged and popped it into his mouth; when he bit down, what he tasted was not sweet as expected, but disgusting. 
“Ugh,” Liam shuddered with a scrunched face. “Wha tha hec is tha?“ He got out as he tried his hardest not to jostle — whatever it was inside his mouth.  
Kyla gave him an apologetic expression. “It’s, uh…” 
“Chocolate-covered brussel sprouts!” Constantine proudly exclaimed as he held up his phone, centered on Liam. “I know how much you’ve always loved your veggies. Oh, and say hello to Leo, son.” 
Liam gagged; he lunged for the trash can and opened his mouth, the mangled ball rolling out with ease. He smacked his lips together, trying to rid himself of the awful taste, but it wouldn’t vacate. When he stood, he used his hands to scrape at his tongue, but that didn’t help either. In a moment of desperation he bolted to the bar cart, only to find it empty. He groaned, but by doing so elevated the horrible sensation. 
Liam rushed out of the room, intent on reaching a bathroom or somewhere with some water. As his thunderous steps made it around the corner, a presence suddenly jumped out at him. It cackled and grasped his arms, sending Liam into an instant state of panic; he only saw their green flesh, the large nose, and glowing red eyes. 
Liam leaned on his body’s natural reaction; with a high-pitched wail, his fist connected with the attacker’s throat, sending them tumbling backward. As the person hit the ground Liam stood over them glaring down, prepared to strike again; they waved one hand, the other cradling the spot of impact. 
“S-sir… Please–” Trent spat out through wheezes. 
“Trent?!” Liam gasped with wide eyes. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t—” The sound of Constantine’s laughter interrupted him. “Dad, this is not funny!”
“Oh, calm down. It’s just Trent; the boy could use some roughing up, anyway.” Constantine answered from behind his phone. 
“Put that down!” 
Constantine rolled his eyes but complied. “Fine; I suppose the good part is over, anyway.” 
Liam released a deep, steadying breath to keep his composure. It’s nearly over, he thought to himself. “Trent, go visit the physician and take the rest of the day off… And tomorrow.” He softly spoke as he helped him stand. Trent nodded, still cradling his jugular, but made his leave. 
An extended period of silence passed, but Constantine finally broke it. “Trick or treat?” Liam growled and opened his mouth to retort, but Constantine quickly added, “Not to put a fine point on it, but this will most likely be my last Halloween…” 
Liam sighed and his eyes softened; all day, he’d fixated on his worries for what was to come, but Constantine was right. He felt guilty for not embracing the day as he should have, instead of wishing the time away. 
Constantine noticed Liam’s expression shift and felt instant remorse. “I apologize, Liam, I didn’t mean to–” 
“I know what you were trying to do, but — you’re right. I hadn’t thought about it like that, and now I feel terrible for not spending the day with you.”
“But if you were with me, who would the target be?” Constantine expressed, earning him a playful eye roll from Liam. “Listen, life must continue. I’m dying; technically, so are you. Every breath you take is one step closer to the grave. Just because I don’t have as far to go changes nothing. I refuse to spend my time fixated on what’s coming, and I surely don’t want you to, either.”
Liam sharply sniffed and nonchalantly cleared his throat. “Right…” 
“But — given that it’s a holiday, perhaps you could end your day early; hang out with Kyla and me until the candy gifting begins.” 
“Does that mean the pranks will stop?”
“Against you, maybe.” 
Liam smiled. “I’d like that.” 
“But you must be in costume to be seen with us; sorry, it’s a rule.” 
Liam furrowed his brow. “You realize I’m the King now, right?”
“You sure like to remind me of that, son.” Constantine laughed. “I’ll go to the boutique and pick out an outfit for you.” 
“The chances of me wearing whatever you’re thinking are–” 
“Aaaand he’s gone,” Kyla spoke as Constantine sped away on his scooter. 
Liam shook his head. “I’m almost afraid to even think about what he’s going to find.” 
“Should’ve come prepared like the rest of us.” Kyla playfully elbowed his side. 
“Trueché…“ The pair shared a laugh, but as it died down Liam added, "You look cute." 
Kyla brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and ducked her head, trying to hide her flushed cheeks. "Thank you." 
"You're welcome." He smiled at her. “I need to thank you…” 
“For?”
“Making my father's time special. I’m figuring out he didn’t act alone today, but I’m glad he’s got someone to be the Thelma to his Louise.” 
“I’m happy to do it; I love it when he gets excited.” 
“I do too.” 
“He’s taught me a lot about how to relax and enjoy the little things; to make every second count.” 
Liam stared at Kyla with a grin, warmth blossoming in his chest. “Me too.” 
They locked eyes but Constantine quickly re-appeared. "Oh, Li-am…"
"I don't like that tone… or that face you're making…"
"I found you a costume." Constantine answered as he held a garment up. 
Liam stared into his basket and saw the remaining pieces of the getup and shook his head. "I'm not wearing that." 
"Oh, come on! A cowboy needs a steed to wrangle, son! Have you not seen a western film?"
"But I don't want to be your horse!" Liam protested. "What if I wanted to be a superhero or something?" 
Constantine pursed his lip with pleading eyes. "Liam…" 
Liam held his stare for merely a moment before he rolled his eyes. "Fine." 
Constantine's face lit like a Christmas tree but he was quick to shove the garments at Liam, insisting he go get dressed. As Liam disappeared, Constantine gave Kyla a knowing look. "... What did I tell you?"
"I can not believe that worked." 
Constantine snickered. "I never planned on being a horseless cowboy."
"He probably would've done it anyway if you asked him…"
Constantine snorted. "Where's the fun in that?"
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HCTS tags - @ao719 @queenrileyrose @angelasscribbles @tessa-liam @kingliam2019 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @bascmve01 @busywoman @belencha77 @mysticalfangirl @nestledonthaveone @lovingchoices14 @lunaseasblog @malblk21 @sfb123 @emersyn-in-cordonia @walkerdrakewalker @tinkie1973 @queenmiarys @choicesflashfics @eadanga
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mysticalfangirl · 16 days
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Second chance love
Part 1
Series summary- Liam stopped entertaining the idea of love and marriage after the death of his first love but everything began changing after a certain New York trip.
Book- TRR AU
Pairing - Liam x F!MC (Riley) ; Liam x F!OC(Nicole)
A/n- Using Prompt 2 — “It wasn’t supposed to end like this/that.” from Week #76 Prompts from @choicesflashfics
Rated M for mature audience
This series will contain NSFW .Not suitable for people below 18 years of age.
Warning- Gunshot;Death of character mentioned
No. of words - 1400+
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No matter how much Liam wanted, he couldn't stop the constant ringing in his ears, everything around him was falling apart, people were running around trying to save themselves, as he kicked the last assassin in front of him, the adrenaline left his body and he fell down with a thud looking at his trembling hands which was covered in blood. He then looked around and when he didn't see Nicole or any of his friends he sighed in relief.
He was glad that they all managed to escape, he knew he should go but it was as if all his strength was gone and he couldn't get up. He then heard someone calling his name, he lifted his head to see Bastien in front of him.
Bastien sat on his knees in front of him, he put his hand on Liam's shoulder, his gaze filled with sympathy "Liam we have to go to the hospital."
"Hospital?" Liam asked confused.
"Yes, if we don't go now, we would be very late." Saying this, Bastien practically dragged him out of the ballroom.
"Bastien, what happened, who is hurt?"
"You'll know when we reach there, please we don't have much time left."
On the way to the hospital Liam kept asking him who was hurt but he refused to answer.
They reached the hospital around 20 minutes later, Liam was escorted to the VIP section, where he found Drake, Maxwell, Olivia and his father who was supposed to be staying somewhere safe after the assassin attempt.
They looked at him, Constantine pulled him in a hug and patted his back "You have to be strong Liam, everything will be fine"
Liam was not sure how to react, he couldn't remember when was the last time his father hugged him, looking around him he saw Maxwell trying to supress his sobs, Drake was completely expressionless, last time he was like this was years ago when Jackson died, even Olivia who would have berated Maxwell for behaving like a child was consoling him, her own eyes were red and filled with tears.
"You guys are scaring me. Please tell me what is wrong, who is hurt."
"I-I am sorry Liam it was my fault." Maxwell said as he hiccuped a bit. "I should have been careful, I should have stopped her."
"Stopped who Max? What are you saying?" When no one answered him Liam lost his patience "WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT IS HAPPENING. Drake? Olivia? Please, you guys are scaring me."
"It's Nicole. She's shot" Drake whispered
"W-what?" Liam was stunned unable to comprehend what he heard"It's not funny Drake. Please tell me you're joking.
"I'm not. She is in the OT, she had lost too much blood Li, doctors asked us to be prepared for the worst."
Before Liam could react, the doctor came out of the OT, Liam left Drake's side and ran to the doctor.
"She's okay right? Please tell me they are joking?"
"I'm sorry your highness, we tried our best but it was already too late." Doctor told him with a downcast expression.
"Can we see her?" Maxwell asked the doctor as he wiped his tears.
After doctor's permission all went to see Nicole but Liam stayed behind in the corridor, he slumped down on the chair in the corridor , he had lost all hope at that moment, thinking of a future without her in it made him so miserable that he couldn't breathe, his leg felt heavy, he didn't even have the courage to go and see her.
As he sat there, Liam felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned to see his father standing there along with everyone. "You should go see her my boy"
"I can't father." Liam said looking at engagement ring in his hand . "I was going to propose today, I wanted to get married to her, have children, to grow old together."
When Liam looked back up his eyes were red filled with unshed tears. Constantine knew how his son felt, he was in the same place almost 20 years ago he knew what he sat there beside him giving his silent support
Later Liam took a deep breath and moved towards the OT. Nicole was laying on the small hospital bed, her black ballgown was exchanged with the loose fitted hospital gown, her hair which immaculately set by the stylist had fell open and was sticking to her forehead. Even then Liam thought she was most beautiful woman ever. He went to her held her palms in his own.
Nicole felt her life slipping away, tears streaked her cheeks, her breathing was turning shallow and even when Liam held her hands in his firm grip she couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel, all she saw was darkness, darkness that was slowly but surely consuming her.
"It wasn’t supposed to end like this. " Nicole sobbed lightly. "I... I don't want to die. Please...." Before she could finish her sentence, the electrocardiogram flatlined. Liam's head snapped to the machine, he frantically pressed the call button. He was pushed away from Nicole, after a while the doctor spoke up"Time of death 00:37"
For few days Liam worked on autopilot, he spent most of his days in either his room or roaming around the wishing well. A week later, during Nicole's funeral, everyone was dressed up in black, her mother was sobbing sitting there, while her father held his wife. They had lost their only child and the feeling was killing them from inside.
Liam arrived later than everyone else, somewhere in his heart he was wishing for everything to be a horrific dream, one that he'll suddenly wake up from and laugh his heart out for having such a ridiculous dream.
He knew nothing like that would happen, Nicole was dead and he had to accept it but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't accept the fact that the love of his life was gone.
At end of the funeral he went to Milton and Genesis Nicole's parents and gave them his condolences, not showing any emotion.
That night when he was wide awake in his room, he felt tears streaming down his cheeks, drenching his pillow, he let out a sob which he muffled through the pillows on his bed, he cried his heart out, slowly his cries turned into sniffle, crying with so much anguish left him exhausted, his eyelids got heavy and sleep consumed him for first time in days.
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3 years later
Liam was standing near Nicole's grave with a bouquet of white lilies in his hand, he put the bouquet on her grave and sat down there. Her death took away a part of him. He was not happy, not after what happened three years ago but tried his best to live the life to the fullest, even with all the responsibilities, he might be dead inside but he wanted to live for her.
"Hey love l am sorry I wasn't here since past few days, being a king is not easy. You were my anchor and I feel that without you everything is falling apart. I don't want this life but Leo's abdication few years ago compelled me to take the role which was never meant for me. Anyways not to delve into boring stuff, I came bearing good news, Maxwell is getting married next month. Can you believe it, I couldn't." He chuckled lightly "Hana is a lovely woman and you would have loved her. Maxwell wants to have his bachelor party in New York and I'll be gone for 4-5 days. See you soon darling." Liam got up and pressed a light kiss to his fingertip before pressing it on her grave.
Late night after packing everything he needed for the trip to New York, Liam took out his sleeping pills, as soon as the medicine took effect dreamless sleep consumed him as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Thank you
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Tags: @kingliam2019 @kristinamae0093 @kristinamae093 @busywoman @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @malblk21 @ao719 @jerzwriter @choicesficwriterscreations @choicesflashfics @emersyn-in-cordonia @angelasscribbles @liamrysandme @busywoman @belencha77 @marietrinmimi @bebepac
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tessa-liam · 8 months
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Marabelle
The Snake in the Garden
Chapter 6  
Choices – The Royal Romance, an alternate universe 
Series Premise – An American teenager from New York City is introduced to the world of a small European country and its society of royalty, nobility, and commoners. How will her life story be transformed? Will this new adventure bring her happiness...or regret? 
Catch Up on previous chapters – Marabelle Masterlist 
Main Pairing – Liam Rys x F!OC Sophia (Sophie) Taylor  
Other Pairings – Maxwell Beaumont x M!OC Daniel (from NYC), Drake Walker x F!OC Melanie Smithson 
Most characters belong to Pixelberry. 
Series Rating – M*🔞Warnings: this series will have NSFW material, crude language & innuendo. 
Not Beta’d - Please excuse all errors. 
Category – Alternate universe/on-going series/angst/fluff. 
Words – 2480
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The Snake in the Garden, Chapter 6 
Chapter Summary – Sophie joins the ladies of the court at the palace for the garden tea party hosted by Madeleine (the Queen in waiting). At the palace, secrets are revealed. 
Music Inspiration - Tongue-Tied, Samantha Gibb, Love Me Like You Do, Jonah Baker, I Surrender, Claire Richards 
A/N1: Bethany Beaumont, Maxwell’s mother, is originally from the U.S. and is Barthelemy Beaumont’s second wife. Annabelle Beaumont (deceased) is Bertrand’s mother. 
A/N2: ‘Social Season’ in this AU series refers to a traditional period in the spring/summer for royalty and members of the court to take part in Balls, dinner parties and charity events. 
A/N3: My submission for Choices Flashfics @choicesflashfics, Week #45, Prompt 2 - “Just leave. You’re good at that.” & Prompt 3 - “I advise you to choose your next words very carefully.” 
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Marabelle trotted at an effortless pace alongside the glistening water of the shoreline as Sophie sang along to a song playing through her ear buds. 
‘I’d surrender everything’ 
‘To feel the chance to live again’ 
‘I reach to you’ 
‘I know you can feel it too’ 
Sophie softly touched her cheek remembering the birthday kiss from Prince Liam on the dance floor at the Beaumont Bash. To say she was delighted would be an understatement. Sophie was smitten. The attention the charming prince showered on her made her ‘weak in the knees’ and wanting more.
 It was a beautiful and warm summer morning. The sun shone brightly, and the water glistened; it was going to be a sweltering day. Starting to feel the heat, she lifted her long hair off her shoulders to clip into a ponytail and decided to return to the estate for a shower. 
As Sophie and Marabelle got closer to the estate, alongside the entrance to the stable, Sophie spotted Drake chatting with Maxwell and Daniel. She knew that Drake was at the estate for his weekly maintenance check on the stable and to set the weekly directions for the stable hands. 
Maxwell and Daniel were enjoying their newfound friendship. Sophie shook her head with a smile knowing that the pair could eventually develop that friendship into something more. She was thrilled for them, knowing that their personalities would complement the others' well. Daniel’s laid-back ways will be a calming presence for Max, who she knew was searching for a life partner of his own. 
The question was whether Daniel would ever plan a move from New York to Cordonia. She knew, like herself, he did not have family in the US and he had no commitments to hold him back. Sophie had felt guilty for leaving her dear friend behind and alone. He just needed a reason to join her. And he found it! 
She was elated to see the relationship between Max and Daniel ignite at the Bash. Daniel, being such a sweet guy, deserved the attention of a well-meaning partner; a partner he could not find in New York. In her opinion, Max would fill that role perfectly. 
Everything was going well with Sophie’s move. Settling into her new home easily, she was looking forward to a future in Cordonia. Her extended family was doing everything possible to make her feel comfortable and secure at the estate. In September, when she begins her studies at the university in the Capital, she will have Maxwell with her to show her around and be a guide as well. 
Now that she was 18 and ‘legal’, Max had promised to take her into the Capital to a nightclub. She knew, however, that while Max’s intentions were well-meaning, his focus is shifted now to her best friend, Daniel. Sophie did not mind though, because in all honesty, her focus was now on a certain prince. 
“Good morning, Squirrel!” Daniel sauntered over to greet her as Marabelle slowed to a stop. 
“Hey Daniel, you are up and about early this morning.” Sophie dismounted and moved to give her best friend a hug. 
Maxwell joined the pair, “’Squirrel’...I wish I would have thought of that nickname. It’s perfect for you!” 
“Hi Max,” Sophie grinned. “Oh no, not you, too!” 
“Beaumont, what is it with you? What is wrong with calling her Sophie?” Drake raised his brow and smirked at the look on Max’s face. 
“Just because you do not have the gift of humor doesn’t mean I have to be silenced.” Maxwell replied back. 
“You do realize you are calling your cousin a ‘bushy-tailed rodent’,” Drake countered. 
“Ookay... this conversation is going sideways.” Sophie shook her head, reaching for Marabelle’s reins. 
“Come on girl, let's get you a snack,” leading her horse towards the stable. 
“That’s my cue. Wait up, Sophie, I will walk with you.” 
Drake followed, first chuckling and mock punching Max’s arm. 
Sophie and Drake walked together towards the stable, an awkward air of uncertainty between them. 
After a few minutes, the chime of Drake’s phone broke the silence.  
“You must be in demand today,” Sophie quipped. 
“Yes, well, I am being called back to the palace.” Drake sighed slipping his phone back into his back pocket. 
Sophie smiled softly, “duty calls.” 
“I wanted to check up on the horses here before it gets too hot out today.” 
Drake patted the side of Marabelle’s face, “how are we feeling, girl?” 
“I am taking her back to her stall to give her some shade and treats,” Sophie grinned at her horse. 
“I have to say that I am impressed. Marabelle settled in here at the estate quickly. I can tell she likes you.” Drake smiled, looking at Marabelle. 
Sophie looked over at Drake, beaming, “awe, thank you.”  
With Marabelle now in her stall, Sophie closed the gate, securing a bucket of apples and watermelon to the inside railing. 
“I wish I could spend more time with you today, girl.” Sophie stroked the horse's nose as Marabelle happily munched on an apple piece. 
Drake took off his hat and wiped his brow with a handkerchief.  
“It is so hot out here. I would love nothing more than to jump in the lake. But I can’t.” 
“Yes, and I need to jump in the shower and get ready. I am expected at the palace at 1 p.m. for the garden party.”  
“A word of advice?” Drake looked at Sophie expectantly. 
“Beware the ladies of the court. Do not trust any of them...they are a den of snakes.” 
Maxwell snickered as he walked up, “Do not mind Drake, my cynical friend. They are not all particularly bad.”  
“Well, what do I know?” Drake said with defiance. 
“What my sister had to tolerate from those women, everything that I was afraid of happening, happened.”  
“Will Savannah be at the garden party, Drake?” Sophie asked. 
Drake laughed sarcastically, “not on your life.” 
“But they are not like you, Squirrel.” Maxwell interjected. 
Sophie looked between the pair. The garden party would be the first time she would be interacting ‘one on one’ with these same women today.  
 “Thank you for the vote of confidence, Max. I think?”  
*** 
Cordonian Royal Palace Courtyard 
Queen-in-waiting Countess Madeleine Amaranth, stood beside Queen mother Regina under the trellis personally greeting the ladies of the Royal court and invited guests to her inaugural garden tea party. Not sparing any expense, Madeleine was in her element, feeling superior in station and was not shy in showing it. 
Sipping lemonade, Sophie sat with her Aunt Bethany, Duchess Adelaide and Princess Beatrice of Belgium.  If anything, it was entertaining watching the interactions between the guests. 
“Sophia, you are a delightful addition to court.” Adelaide was very inquisitive, noticing that Prince Liam had been paying a lot of attention to her the night of the Beaumont Bash. 
Sophie politely smiled but stayed silent as Adelaide continued to drone on about nothing in particular. 
“Well, I can tell you one thing, my dear. When I was young and beautiful, men always wanted me. No matter what. But now? It’s like I’m just invisible to them. And it's so infuriating!” 
“Oh, I understand,” Princess Beatrice said, rolling her eyes. 
“Adelaide, how is your husband, Godfrey? I have not seen him in the Capital for quite some time.” 
Bethany inquired, raising her eyebrow. 
At that, Sophie stood from the table, “please excuse me a moment. Auntie Beth, I am going to stretch my legs.”  
As she travelled towards the terrace outside the palace, Sophie paused when she overheard her name being mentioned on the other side of the tall hedge. 
“Pour qui se prend-elle? Pensant que le prince s’intèresserait à elle.” 
(Who does she think she is? Thinking that the prince would be interested in her.) 
Sophie peered through the branches and noticed Lady Kiara standing beside Lady Penelope next to a dessert table. 
Penelope nodded her head in agreement and whispered loudly, “exactly! The nerve of that American.” 
Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Sophie turned to her left. 
“Lady Sophia, you look lost.” Olivia grinned at Sophie’s expression of surprise. 
“Why are you acting so surprised, Sophie? You should have expected this from Kiara and Penelope.” 
Sophie frowned and responded, “What’s that supposed to mean, Duchess?” 
“Oh, you will learn quickly on how to play their game,” Olivia replied with a mischievous smile. 
Olivia, herself, was in the process of finding out information on the newest member of the court. Especially since she had also noticed that she had caught the eye of Prince Liam. 
Sophie could only sigh in response. Although she had been included into the circle of ladies of the court, she still had to find her place in the court. To do that, she had a lot of information to discover. 
After the awkward conversation, Sophie excused herself to enter the palace to freshen up and to temporarily escape from the hot Mediterranean sun. 
Entering the sitting room, Sophie sat down on a sofa and pulled out her phone. 
*** 
The leggy strawberry blonde opened the large ornate door to the Crown Prince’s private quarters. After spending the previous evening with Leo, she left her lover to leave the palace to return to her apartment in the Capital. 
Veronica was bound by a Cordonian Arrangement, and a non-disclosure agreement, and spent several nights a week with Leo. Madeleine was well aware of his mistress and when she passed the future queen, she made no eye contact but held her head up high and smirked.
Madeleine stalked into the Royal suite in search of her betrothed. When she found him sipping his coffee on the veranda, she did not hold back her rage. 
“Of all days, you must flaunt your trollip while I am hosting my garden party?"
“Oh, it's you? Why are you not at your party?” Leo sneered, daring Madeleine to respond. 
Madeleine did not back down and scowled, “It is your duty to attend the party, as the future King, in the address to the court. Instead, you are fucking your whore! Some King you will make!” 
Immediately standing, Leo slammed his cup against the table, smashing it. 
“I advise you to choose your next words very carefully.” Leo seethed, slowly walking inside. 
“I am Royal by birth, Countess. You do not presume anything!” 
Leo continued to walk past Madeleine to enter his chamber and slammed the door behind him. 
“Just leave. You’re good at that.” Madeleine shouted in response and stormed out of the Royal suite, incensed, to return to the garden party. 
Entering the powder room next to the sitting room by the palace courtyard, Madeleine broke down. “You cannot do this to me Leo! You cannot embarrass me with your whore!” 
“I should have known that you would flaunt your lovers, but I do not have to see it!” 
Sitting down at the vanity, she wiped her tears, cursing herself for forgetting that her make-up bag was up in her room. 
After over-hearing a commotion of angry words, Sophie stood and entered the powder room. She froze in place at the undeniable sound of a woman sobbing and crying out. 
Madeleine stood up, hearing the door open behind her. 
“You heard that?” she says aghast, looking at Sophie. 
“Well, you know now, don’t you. I am the worst of fools.” 
“Did I really just hear you say that?” Sophie asks, blinking. 
“Oh Sophie, do not pretend to be shocked," Madeleine says, brushing back her hair with a trembling hand. 
“To be involved with a Rys, means they hold all the cards. It is their birthright.” 
“I will be Queen. That is what the Cordonian arrangement is for.” 
To say that Sophie was overwhelmed would be an understatement. There was a mix of emotions affecting her in a perfect storm; stunned, terrified, puzzled, and doubt were combining to make her question her place in the court and her self-confidence. 
Planning to rejoin the garden party, Sophie appeared from behind the column and walked swiftly away from the sitting room.
Still in the palace, Sophie turned and feeling flustered, she ran face first into a man’s broad chest. 
"Whoa, whoa ...hey Sophie". Liam chuckled, holding her arms to slow her impact. 
Looking up she was met with his kind, crystal blue eyes, but could not formulate a response. She was truly tongue-tied. 
He released her, his hands lingering before pulling away. Sophie could feel her heartbeats pick up, her throat tighten.
As if he sensed her uneasiness Liam spoke first.
"Sophie, I uh... I wanted to ask if you would have time to meet with me and talk after the garden party. I want to get to know you better, and I can tell you've had a rough day."
He cleared his throat.
Sophie spoke quickly, "I would love to get to know you Liam, yes!"
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46 notes · View notes
noesapphic · 9 months
Text
Worthy
Author’s Notes 
It is unversally accepted that a Spanish woman must be late to everything she proposes herself to do/participe, and I am no less lol. But better late than ever, right? This fic was so cute to make and I took inspo from @lorirwritesfanfic​ ‘s Niceness Test, though the context is a bit different, lol. Also, this is my entry for @hanaleeappreciationweek​ day four: relationships and home 
Summary: Princess Stephanie’s investiture is close by the day, and while she questions her worth as heir, Hana is happy to remind her little blossom of her own worth as future queen. 
Rating: G 
Word Count: 2.6k 
Pairing: Hana Lee x MC (Eclipsa Ice) Liam Rys x OC (mentioned) 
Category: Family fluff 
Book: The Royal Romance 
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May, 2038
“What if I mess up and they end up hating me?” Stephanie asked her godfather, the King, as he explained how the investiture of the Crown Princess would be like.
Liam blinked “Pardon?”
Stephanie sighed “What if I do something wrong and I plunge the country into chaos?”
Liam took her hand and squeezed it “You won’t, sweet blossom. If I’ve learned something from you these past eighteen years is how smart and strong you are. You got that from your mother.”
“Which one?”
Liam smiled “Both. You have Mama Hana’s iron will and Mummy Eclipsa’s fiery strength. You always have. Even as a baby, you were quite opinionated.” He joked.
Stephanie giggled “Was I?”
“Oh, yes. But it is a good thing. A ruler must first rule her own mind so they don’t become puppet kings or are driven by paranoia like…”
“Your father, King Constantine?”
Liam nodded, a nostalgic expression on his face. Stephanie bit her lip, feeling awful about having brought up such a topic. Especially with Dowager Queen Regina’s death so recent.
“Forgive me, I overstepped.”
Liam shook his head “Of course not. It is an elephant in the room that should be addressed from time to time.”
Stephanie thought of something to say, but her Mommy Eclipsa’s imposing figure stepped into the room, accompanied by her Mama Hana and her brother Marcus. Marcus bowed with a smile, and Hana embraced her daughter, kissing her forehead “How is my not-so-little blossom?”
“We were discussing queenly behaviours.” Liam stepped up.
Eclipsa smiled “Discussing how you’ll be queen while the king lives! Treason!”
Everyone laughed as Marcus chided his mother for watching too many times Magnificent Century, the Turkish series about Suleyman the Magnificent, which made the room laugh even harder.
Hana took a better look at her daughter: she had grown into a beautiful woman indeed, with thick, black and long hair, hazel eyes and freckles all over her face and part of her upper body, with her Eclipsa’s lips and questioning and defiant look. Many of their neighbours whispered what a wanted heiress she was, despite only remaining thirteen monarchies in Europe, the Auvernese having been abolished after Reena’s death. Isaac Achilles tried to put on a coup and seized the throne for a hundred days, until the military itself formed a government that overthrew him and kicked the Achilles family, proclaiming Auvernal a republic in 2030.
Cordonia had been growing strong, thankfully, and with the Council’s help. Bartie had joined when he turned eighteen, and he was now a man of twenty-one, taking on more duties as his father aged. Duchess Savannah had long retired and passed her time between Texas and Cordonia.
As Stephanie carried on practising the investiture, she and Eclipsa looked at one another. They had gone through much, perhaps too much, but made it to ‘Happier Ever After’ in the end. To the investiture, it was rumoured that Amalas’ son, Henrik, would start vying for Stephanie’s hand. When Hana asked her daughter about it, she gave it a thought before her wise answer calmed her stormy thoughts “I am aware of what an advantageous match would but, but I also know that I am young and have many years ahead of me. I shall entertain him, but I won’t give him hope or anything like that. My marriage must be a sensible choice, not only for myself, but for Cordonia, for he will be the first Prince Consort in many centuries, if it comes to pass.”
Eclipsa whispered her to talk and both went to a quiet corner “How are the plans going? The investiture is this Friday.”
“Everything goes according to plan. I think we may be more nervous than Missmiss.”
They both chuckled, smiling wide at Stephanie’s adorable childhood nickname. It seemed like yesterday when they decided on that name based on Eclipsa’s deceased mother. Hana saw how much Eclipsa had missed her over Stephanie’s life. Indeed, Sonia Palacios had been fire incarnate, and that fiery temper that could light up all of Europe had passed onto Eclipsa and now Stephanie. Marcus was definitely Hana’s son, with her same reserved but sweet nature, her ability to learn new courtly skills, as well as her not-so-secret competitiveness.
He smiled at his sister and Stephanie smiled back, “Please, carry on. We were just checking in.”
Eclipsa and Hana found a corner and silently watched as Stephanie repeated the speech word by word, and Hana was quick to observe how she secretly fidgeted with the hem of her dress. When she looked at her, she gave her an encouraging smile. Marcus kept doing goofy faces, but Stephanie remained unfazed and composed, which was a great accomplishment.
Stephanie knew this was the turning point in her life. Everyone was counting on her. Despite her mothers being the best and most supportive women on earth, as well as the magic of her therapist, not everybody was as wonderful as her moms. The Council pressed on her being perfect, especially Countess Madeleine, in a rather passive-aggressive way. The woman was the embodiment of ‘forever stressed’, being a countess in Cordonia and a duchess in England by her own right, a personal gift from the king for her loyalty after Mr. Godfrey’s arrest. He had died when Steph was but a child.
The next thing coming up was the dress fitting, and Stephanie hated furs and tight, old clothes. Instead, she had convinced Uncle Liam to use a mantle that was made of environmentally safe material and made by Cordonian local textile commerce, and that she wore a tiara and only used the heavy crown on her coronation day only. And thus, Lady Lorelei, her grandmother, had commissioned the best jeweller in the whole world to make a tiara of a mighty heiress. It’d arrive three days before her investiture.
As she tried her white gown, which had been suggested by Duchess Kiara to signal her marriage and commitment to the country, and which the whole council approved, she looked at herself. Her hair, which she had been growing since she was fifteen and was now 48cm long, above the average woman in Cordonia, she thought to herself that, if she dared blink for too long, she’d soon be dressing for her coronation. And being crowned meant having buried a great man.
He was such a splendid king; she knew she’d never be like him. She had been too afraid to tell him, for she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but a small part of her told her that change was good. He was Liam the Benevolent, the Brave, the People’s King. And she? She was not even a Rys by blood. Her legal name was Ice-Lee. And he had married when Stephanie was 12 to a wonderful woman: the now Queen Wren, a Senegalese self-made billionaire who had stolen Uncle Liam’s heart from her mother. Theirs was a story as beautiful, though lacking the epicness of her mother’s:
Liam had been on a diplomatic trip to Senegal and by then, Wren was a minister and a speech of hers had drawn the heartbroken king. The two of them wouldn’t see one another until she came to a diplomatic visit. They formally had dinner, and, according to Uncle Liam, her striking mind, her wicked wit and her incredible oratory speech had his heart right there, not to mention her striking brown eyes, which had small streaks of violet if one looked closely, an unusual case in a black woman who had been born with the Alexandria Syndrome.
Apparently, before coming to the country, she quitted politics, which, according to her, were not her calling, and invested in a new social media and soon gained incredible wealth overnight, over a million downloads. Right now, it was the second most popular social media, behind Pictagram, though it looks like it will dethrone it any day now.
This time, as Mama Hana had told her a million times, Liam wasted no time in asking her to be his wife and she accepted. She was crowned three months later, the first ever solo coronation of a queen in Europe.
“How’s my little cherub doing?” A familiar voice asked.
Stephanie turned around to look at her mother, Hana. In a way, Steph saw her face in her own. Hana kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand “I hope you like my design.”
“It’s splendid, Mama. You and Aunt Kiara have outdone yourselves.”
Hana smiled “Aunt Penelope helped.”
They both smiled “May I have a moment alone with my mother, please?”
They all left as they curtsied and Stephanie sat on the chair “I have been thinking of something.”
“Tell me, darling.”
She fidgeted with her hair “After the coronation, I’d like to donate my hair to little girls with cancer.”
Hana’s face lightened up “That is amazing, my girl! I am glad that me and your Mummy inspired you into joining the tradition!”
“You did. But…I’d also like to do it for my people, and I don’t want it to be propaganda. I want to earn my subjects’ respect. I don’t want their loyalty just because of Liam’s sake. I want them to trust me to be capable of me doing the job because of who I am.”
Hana’s face worried “Why would you say that?”
Stephanie sighed “I don’t think I deserve it, okay?!” She finally snapped “I feel like I am made heir only because I came out of the womb of the woman a king couldn’t have and wanted to immortalise his love for her! His children, Prince Fabian and Dominic, deserve the crown, not me! I will be the end of the Rys line!” Tears started flowing, and Hana placed her young daughter’s head on her chest.
“Don’t say that, baby! I know that you came here in an unconventional way, but just because you were not born into a dynasty doesn’t make you any less worthy of it. You are strong, capable, smart and qualified enough. And yes, Fabian and Dominic are wonderful boys, but he has recognized you as his legitimate heir many times!” She lifted her chin “When he announced it, I won’t lie: I was scared. To me, duty had been the tomb of life, but the moment I saw Liam with you, I knew it wasn’t entirely true. You’ve proved again and again that you have what it takes.”
Ten years ago
Stephanie had turned eight years old, and Hana observed her as she greeted the guests herself, getting every title right. Hana smiled, and the Dowager Queen leaned on her side “You’ve done an splendid job, my dear. Leo got them wrong on purpose, and Liam was painfully shy, the poor boy. She has Eclipsa’s charisma and your gentle charm.”
Hana smiled wistfully “I hope so. She is everything I wanted to be when I was younger.”
“You’ve outdone yourself. Look at them, they are in love with her! When her Season comes, we might have to draw a list.”
Both women laughed.
“That won’t happen for a long time, hopefully.”
Stephanie chuckled “I remember muttering to myself saying, ‘okay, this one is an earl, so he’d be my lord, and the dukes are graces, like mama’.”
Both chuckled, and Hana’s mind was flooded by yet another memory.
“Or do you remember when, at twelve, you singlehandedly managed your first press questions? I was so proud that day!”
Seven years ago
“Princess Stephanie, here!” The journalist cried.
“Princess Stephanie!” Ana de Luca placed herself between the princess and the door “Everybody saw that outfit you wore with Lord Beaumont! What do you think of people saying you’re too young for tank tops?”
Hana observed in anger and horror as they asked similar vicious questions. She balled her fists and was about to tell them off when Stephanie’s voice surprised her “I think that people should care less of what I wear and more of the true elephant in the room here: that a school burned down and we lost three children to the fire, yet all I see is the fact that I wore once a top. Sort out your priorities.” She lifted her chin and passed her way towards Eclipsa, who had a beaming smile on her face.
Hana hugged her daughter and whispered “Well done, my girl.”
“Look at them, I’ve never been able to make the flashes stop as fast as you, baby!”
Stephanie smiled triumphantly “I am glad to see that the press has changed much ever since. But I just said what everybody was thinking.”
Hana smiled knowingly. She was now legally an adult, but she had much to learn about the world and what people in power really had in their minds.
Four years ago
“I think a tour would be splendid!” Duchess Adelaide cried.
“Wherever should we go then?” Queen Wren inquired.
“Maybe Italy, Spain, New York—,”
“And why not, I don’t know, Senegal, Philippines, Peru, India? Why must we stick to the USA and the Mediterranean countries?”
Madeleine was rendered speechless to say the least. Many muttered, both in agreement and disagreement, and Hana was both impressed and proud, as well as scared for the possible criticism of the Council.
Bartie cleared his throat “Please, explain your point, I’d love to hear it.”
“Yes,” Liam added in support “please, go ahead, Your Highness.”
“Well, these countries have each important relevance, and are rarely visited. They may not be as wealthy in money, but they can still give us an overlooked richness, not to mention it’d make us stronger in other countries. We could have many benefits with these countries, and the more allies we have, the better, right? We certainly could use two or three more.”
Wren gave her a wide smile “I agree with her. Many often look down on these countries, but the other things they have to offer could be truly useful to us, and we could learn a thing or two about them. And a certain percentage of immigrants are from said countries, are they not?”
Madeleine quickly typed on her computer and nodded “Indeed. Over 70% of our immigrants are from those countries.”
As the adults debated on which countries to visit, Hana mouthed her pride to her daughter. Steph smiled.
Hana beamed at the memory. Diplomatic relations changed for the better since then. She took her daughter’s hands in her own and squeezed it “See? You’re not who you are on a whim, my darling. You’re here because you’ve earned it. You’ve proven time again and again that Liam made the right choice, biased or not. You deserve the throne, and everybody else thinks it the same!”
“Indeed,” finished Eclipsa, who had been listening for a while “A strong queen is just what this country needs.”
The three women hugged in a family sandwich. If she had any doubts of deserving the throne, she did not anymore.
It hadn’t been easy for Hana, raised in pressure to be perfect in everything, to raise a future queen, but watching the fruits of years of therapy, honest talks at three in the morning with her wife and encouraging herself that she was doing the right thing had now resulted in what she dreamt of many times: a woman who could speak for herself, unafraid of who she truly was and true to herself and proud of who she was. Everything it took her more than twenty-four years to become.
And having found her people and a great supportive network had helped not only Missmiss, but Hana as well, counting of course with her incredible wife.
And when Stephanie knelt before King Liam as he invested her Crown Princess of Cordonia, she could breathe in peace knowing that years of work had proved worth the tears and suffering of her youth, for raising Stephanie had helped her with herself and the people around her, and the old Hana would be proud and amazed by this new Hana.
And that brought her the greatest feeling of accomplishment.
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queenrileyrose · 2 years
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Wide Awake: With Pa-mesan, You’ll Never Be Provolone-ly
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Summary: Eleanor struggles with the pressures of being the crown princess.
This is my submission for @txemrn’s Father’s Day Challenge. Sorry I’m so late!
Prompt: Just imagine: Your TRR LI is at an important public event. The heir (4-5 years old) throws a tantrum.  MC is COMPLETELY out of the picture.  How would your LI (Liam/Drake/Maxwell/Leo) react?
A/N: This takes place in my Wide Awake AU, fiveish years from the end of that fic that I haven’t finished. Small spoilers about Leo’s sister’s identity.
A/N 2: Thanks so much to my pun sister @burnsoslow for helping come up with a cheesy AF name for this fic and reading the first draft. 😘
TW: Puns, little bit of cursing, and sad Eleanor.
Song Inspo: Sweet Child O’ Mine-Guns N’ Roses.
Word Count: 1680ish
Thank you to everyone who reads, likes, comments, and/or reblogs this. I appreciate it so much. ❤️
The crowd’s cheer is deafening as the vehicle carrying the King, crown princess, and two tiny princes rounds a corner.
The King raises one hand to greet the crowd as he holds Prince Dashiell and Prince Theodore securely in his lap, one arm wrapped around their bellies. The twins just celebrated their first birthdays, and Liam beams as he hears them babbling to each other. 
Crown Princess Eleanor is the picture of a perfect princess. She sits across from her father and brothers in the plush blue carriage, smiling radiantly and waving. 
The procession continues; Liam keeps an eye on his three children, watching for signs of distress. The twins are perfectly content. 
His phone pings and Liam balances his sons against one arm as he retrieves it from his pocket.
Riana: The door is vibrating, Liam!
Liam chuckles. “She thinks she’s a badass but forgot to take the preventative malaria pills.”
Liam sends a quick text to the nurse he hired. Riana has another week or so until she is fully recovered. 
“No, it’s not, sugar. Get some rest. I love you madly.”
Liam slides the phone back into his coat pocket and surreptitiously watches his daughter. 
Eleanor is the one to keep an eye on. 
Since her lessons began, she’s had more tantrums and fits than Liam can remember. Riana and he decided she was adjusting to a new schedule, and she’d be fine once she settled in.
It’s only been a few weeks. It seems like much longer.
The procession finally rolls through the large gilded gates of the palace. Liam lets out a relieved exhale, surprised it all went smoothly.
The relief is short-lived. 
Liam turns his attention back to Eleanor, watching in horror as Eleanor’s bottom lip juts out. He knows the signs. Next is the arm crossing, then the foot-stomping. He has to shut it down before she gets to the wailing. The tears follow, and there’s no coming back from that.
“My little Babybel,” Liam plasters a smile on his face. Ellie can smell fear. “Want to grab an apple snow cone?”
Eleanor crosses her arms over her chest. One foot, clad in a white patent leather Mary Jane raises. 
Liam tries not to gulp. 
“Let’s get out of this carriage and to our seats, hmm?” Liam says in a voice meant to soothe his daughter. “We can watch the parade.”
Eleanor stands and abruptly jumps from the carriage to the dirt path below.
“Ellie!” Liam steps down the stairs as quickly as he can while juggling two babies and finds her fluffing her hair. 
Eleanor fixes a withering glare on her father, as if to ask if he's serious. 
“You could have hurt yourself,” Liam fights to keep the annoyance and worry out of his voice. “Please don’t ever do that again.”
“Fine,” Eleanor shrugs and turns on her heel. “I won’t.”
Liam starts to speak and clamps his mouth shut, deciding to let this one go. He takes her hand before she can get too far and leads her across the courtyard, taking deep breaths.
They settle into their seats on the East lawn as the parade honoring the end of the Great Apple War rolls by. Liam carefully sets the sleepy twins in the large pram beside his chair, wishing he could also take a nap.
Liam spies a cart selling snow cones. It’s within eyesight, but he worries about leaving all three children behind. Liam waves at the vendor, pointing at the snow cones. The man hurries over, and Liam presses a few bills into his hand, accepting the frozen treat with a grateful smile. 
“As promised,” Liam hands Eleanor the snow cone and drops into the seat beside her.  Ellie seems to cheer up, grinning widely as she accepts it. Liam holds his breath, but relaxes as Eleanor takes a dainty bite of the brightly dyed ice. 
A sizeable crimson drop falls from her bottom lip to her lap, a small stain discoloring the light apricot dress she’s wearing. Before Liam can react, Eleanor’s shoulders shake, and tears fill her eyes.
“Oh no!” Eleanor wails, the tears spilling down her rosy cheeks. She covers the small spot with one hand. “I mess everything up!”
“No, you don’t,” Liam is shocked at the outburst. Even the other tantrums weren’t this intense. He kneels quickly in front of his inconsolable daughter. “It’s just a spot; it’ll wash right out.”
“I can’t do anything right!” Eleanor wails. “I can’t be perfect, and I’m s’posed to be!”
Liam has a burst of memory, his mother dusting grass from the knees of his trousers and saying, “If there’s dirt on your clothes, that means you had the best time.”
He’s behaved the same with Eleanor. Why is she having a meltdown over a small spot? Where is this coming from? If Bertrand told her to be perfect, Liam will ban sweater vests.
“Now, who said that?” Liam stands and lifts Ellie, taking her seat and placing her in his lap. “That sounds like a load of halloumi.”
“Madeleine is perfect!” Eleanor’s cries are so loud that people in the crowd have begun to stare. “Daddy, they’re all looking at me!”
A fresh wave of tears falls down Eleanor’s face, and Liam’s heart drops. 
“Turn around!” Liam calls out harshly. “Don’t be rude!”
Liam glares at the crowd. Every head swivels to face forward. 
“Is that why you called her tacky at her engagement party?” Liam has to talk louder to be heard over Eleanor’s noisy sobs, but he doesn’t care. “Did she tell you to be perfect? Did Bertrand?”
“No one told me!” Eleanor hiccups. “I called her tacky so she would stop making me look bad!”
Liam begins to speak, but Eleanor has more to say. “She was supposed to be queen! She told me she was engaged to Uncle Leo! I can’t be like her!”
Liam wonders why Madeleine shared that with his five-year-old. He makes a mental note to have a serious conversation with Madeleine.
“Is Mommy perfect?” Liam brushes a sweaty strand of blonde hair from his daughter’s forehead. 
“Well,” Eleanor is quiet as she thinks. “Yes. She always knows exactly what to say!”
Liam knows he’ll laugh about this conversation later, but he focuses on helping Eleanor first. Riana had a bumpy few years before she mastered public speaking. “She’s had practice, but she’s not perfect. No one is.”
“You are!” Eleanor sobs. “And I’m gonna be queen one day! I can’t be perfect; I rip my tights and spill and slurp my soup!”
“I am not,” Liam tries to understand how his daughter finds him perfect. He’s made enough mistakes in front of her, hasn’t he? “I don’t wear tights, but I’ve ripped clothing, and I’ve definitely slurped soup and spilled things.”
“Everyone’s watching me all the time!” Eleanor shrieks. “I’m tired of it!”
Eleanor’s wails hit an ear-splitting frequency, and Liam’s at a loss. He glances around for Olivia or Kiara, even Maxwell, but no one is in sight. His security guard won’t make eye contact. Liam’s on his own.
Maybe if they’re both messy, that will help?
Liam takes the snow cone and smears it all over his crisp white shirt. Eleanor abruptly stops crying, watching in horror as her father moves the liquid around, bright red trails all over the front of his formerly pristine button-down.
“We are not perfect,” Liam repeats firmly. “Your mother is in bed because she forgot to take a pill to protect herself from malaria, and surprise, she contracted it on her last trip. Your uncle Leo tripped and took out a cake at a princess’ wedding once. Your aunt Casey flunked out of dental school and still became a doctor. I tell bad jokes when I think the press can’t hear me, and they always hear me. We’re all messes, Eleanor.”
Eleanor’s forehead creases as she absorbs this information. “Your jokes aren’t bad. I like them.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Liam smiles sheepishly. 
Eleanor heaves a tiny sigh. “What about the photographers?” She points to the area where the press are gathered across the lawn. “I hate them.”
“I do too,” Liam agrees, “I’ve asked them to leave you alone at all other things, to let you live your life in peace, and they have. But I can’t during these events. I know that’s stressful, and I’m sorry.”
Eleanor looks down at her lap. “Is that why Uncle Leo left?”
Liam wishes Riana were with them. Riana was good at explaining things so Eleanor could understand. Liam struggles with the line between oversimplifying and overexplaining.
“Uncle Leo wasn’t happy as a prince,” Liam says carefully. “Remember when you tried gymnastics and thought you’d love it? A few lessons in, you realized you’d rather learn to be a proper horsewoman?”
“Yes, it’s much more fun,” Eleanor nods. “What if I don’t want to be in charge like Uncle Leo?” 
“You don’t have to be,” Liam shrugs. “You’re five, love. You have so much time to grow and learn, and find what makes you happiest. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself.”
Eleanor nods again, and Liam sees her relax a little.
“You won’t be disappointed in me?” Eleanor whispers.
Liam can’t get over how grown up his daughter is at times. Riana regularly says she’s five going on thirty.
“Never,” Liam soothes. “It doesn’t matter if you want to be Queen or a join a traveling circus. You’re always my Ellie. My favorite daughter.”
“I’m your only daughter,” Eleanor giggles.
“Irrelevant,” Liam remembers what he thought was behind the tantrum earlier. “Is it your lessons?”
“No!” Eleanor squeaks. “I love school! We’re learning about Fabian, and it’s my favorite! I hate leaving.”
Liam realizes all the tantrums happen at the end of the day. He scolds himself for not realizing sooner, but three children are challenging on the best days.
“Can I have another snow cone?” Eleanor asks, twisting her fingers together. “Please?”
“Of course,” Liam rises and sets Eleanor on her feet before grasping the handle of the pram. He holds out his hand for Eleanor, and she slips her small hand into his. “I’m getting one as well.”
“I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Eleanor giggles beside Liam. “I’m the apple!”
“Look at you!” Liam beams proudly. “My little Babybel made a pun. Cheddar days ahead, love.”
———
Tags:
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dcbbw · 6 months
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Sunday Six 9.24.23
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Happy Sunday evening, Tumblrs! I know I have been MIA for the absolute longest, and wanting to give a huge THANK YOU to those who know the dirty deets about what’s been going on this summer, and being the shoulders, ears, support, and encouragement, I need to carry on and carry through one day at a time.
Despite posting two dribbles over the past day or so, not saying I am on the comeback trail, but I have been putting fingers to keyboard, and sharing story ideas. While they are not part of today’s Sunday Six, I am working on Sins of the Father; a part two to Dead in the Water (the How to Get Away with Murder AU), tentatively titled Tell Me When I’m Telling Lies; and a Riam one-shot that may become a casual series titled Happy Family.
What I offer to you tonight dear readers are two new ideas (well one isn’t that new):
Church Folk (the MegaChurch AU) based on Wonder’s worst ever version of Riam; she looks like a cross between Wendy Williams and Dionne Warwick, and has six fingers (five whole ass fingers and a thumb); Asian Liam is a dead ringer for Joel Osteen. They are co-pastors of the First, Last, & Only Cordonian Church of God in Christ where the mottos are:
We’re Alphabet Friendly!
God LOVES a Sinner, and so do we
Jesus Ain’t No Joke!
Think of every megachurch scandal, and give Riley Tammy Faye Baker’s hair …
A Summer Place—The Graduate which is an age-gap romance between Liam and Diana, who is Drake & Riley’s daughter. Except Liam doesn’t know, and Diana knows nothing about Cordonia except it is where her parents’ once-great love story originated.
There will be two versions to this story; Version B is titled A Summer Place—Mrs. Robinson, where Riley has an age-gap romance with Andreas, Liam’s son who visits NYC for the summer before starting University. Again, they have no idea of the other.
I realize others are writing age-gap/forbidden romances, but I am hopeful that my ideas and execution will make mine different from what's out there. And it’s me; by the time I finish writing the stories, it isn’t as if I’ll be glutting the market with the trope.
Okay, enough rambling; sneak peeks are below the cut, and as usual everything is in a state of rough draft and published product may vary.
Church Folk (song inspo: Church Clap, KB/Lecrae):
Their courtship had lasted two years; at Liam’s insistence, it had been chaste as well. At least for one of them.
The couple attended church together: Monday night Praise and Devotionals, Wednesday evening Bible study, couples therapy on Saturday mornings, 11am Sunday Sermon.
Between work and church activities, Liam and Riley dated; meals, museums, hikes, volunteering at soup kitchens. No matter the time or venue, all tended to end with them getting hot and heavy in the back seat of his car: Moans, groans, fogged windows; deep French kisses, groping of breasts and fondling of balls, arching and thrusting of hips. All the while keeping their clothes on.
The son of a preacher man never allowed himself to finger Riley nor for her to stroke his manhood.
Penetration was completely out of the question.
Riley often thought it was because of her 6th finger, and that despite his protests, Liam really could not deal with it. But he assured his bride-to-be between desperate kisses that it didn’t matter. Saving themselves for marriage did.
Liam Osteen Rhys firmly believed Riley had been sent to him; her polydactyl was a sign from God Himself that this woman was to be his wife. In the biblical sense, her extra finger was a sign of both wealth and that she was a messenger of God. Liam needed the former, FLOCC needed the latter. In the scientific sense, persons with polydactyl were proven to be stronger and more dexterous than those without.
Yes, Riley B. Williams was his good thing, and he wasn’t letting lust interfere. So, after every date while Riley sat alone in her bedroom with her battery-operated boyfriend and Pornhub pulled up on her phone, Liam visited Maybelle Nussbaum, his high school sweetheart.
If all had gone according to Liam’s plan, he would be wedded to Maybelle already, but his father absolutely forbade an inter-faith marriage. Only one version of God would be worshipped in the Rhys family, and THEIR God believed in ham, bacon, shrimp, and one day to celebrate the birth of Christ.
With Maybelle, Liam could go all the way, and he did. Every time. Sometimes protection was used, but most times not. The future preacher was convinced God wouldn’t allow anything bad to happen to him because he always sought forgiveness afterwards.
On their wedding day, all of Cordonia’s press outlets were present, as well as most of the town; the Rhys family was practically royalty in the small suburb, and everyone wanted to be in attendance for the wedding of a lifetime. Liam stood at the altar with his father, best man and groomsmen, occasionally looking over the crowd still being seated.
His eyes widened when the doors to the ceremony room opened and Maybelle Nussbaum strode through, wearing baggy sweatpants, a vomit-stained tee shirt, and her hair in a messy blonde bun. A swaddled infant rested in the crook of one arm; her free hand pulled a rolling suitcase behind her.
Liam had broken it off with his lover exactly 13 months earlier; he needed to focus on being a husband and ensure no hint of scandal touched his betrothment. He did it via text message and promptly blocked Maybelle’s number and deleted their chat history. And that was the end of that.
Or so he thought.
“Here ya go, Liam! You left this in my uterus right before you blocked me,” the new mother said loudly and cheerily as she placed the baby in a non-plussed Liam’s arms.
The murmurs and whispers amongst the guests began immediately. Constantine’s complexion turned a vague shade of purple. The groomsmen’s eyes went between Maybelle and Liam, who was sputtering and stammering as he protested.
“YOU CANNOT LEAVE ME WITH THIS CHILD, MAYBELLE!” Liam thundered.
“Why not? You did it to me,” Maybelle retorted as she rolled the suitcase up to the altar. “Everything you need is in there. I’m gonna skedaddle now. Take good care of her.”
The scorned lover slipped out a side door just as the Wedding March began to play.
A Summer Place—The Graduate (Version A, Liam)
Song Inspo: Parallel, Emlie Kahn
The server and the sovereign stood at the balcony’s railing as they awaited their food. The dock surrounding the sea harbor was gaily decorated with colorful streamers and balloons. The intricately painted dragon boats sat in their slips, bobbing against the gently cresting aquamarine sea while crew members worked on last minute inspections and details before the race.  
Diana’s chocolate brown eyes were wide with excitement as they took in the scene before her.  
“This is amazing! I’ve never seen anything like this. Montana is basically bull riding, which is literally flags and cowboy hats. And the ocean … it’s so blue and clear, like something out of a painting!” 
Liam studied her profile, wondering why he had the nagging feeling he had seen her before. Her olive complexion, high cheekbones, the curvature of her full lips. It was as if he had seen her features on another face, but not in this particular order. 
“It’s the Aegan Sea,” he gently corrected her, “and yes, it’s a beautiful sight.” 
Diana felt her cheeks flush crimson, as embarrassment flooded her body. She stared up at Liam contritely. “I’m sorry, you must think I’m a goof!” 
Liam’s arm reached out and his palm gently patted the back of her hand. “Why would I think that? You simply didn’t know. It’s your first time here.” 
Diana’s eyes went between Liam’s hand on hers and his eyes, which were filled with a gentle emotion.  
“You’re fine,” he assured her as his other hand ran fingers through her hair, tucking strands behind her ear.  
She felt a pleasant shiver at his touch, which she quickly dismissed as her imagination. Yes, Liam was manly perfection with his trim physique, head full of hair untouched by gray, and the face of a Greek god. But he was her father’s age and had women across the country and continent ready to do his bidding.  
She was a tourist that would be leaving in a couple of months. A nobody, 24 years his junior who didn’t know an ocean from a sea. Diana slowly pulled her hand away from his.  
“So, what’s for lunch? I’m starving!” she said a little more loudly than intended.  
“Oh, you are in for a treat!” Liam grinned. “Mediterranean seafood pie, scallops in a lemon garlic cream sauce, lobster tails stuffed with crabmeat, crab imperial …" 
“Oh my God! It’s like Red Lobster!” Diana exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.  
Liam looked puzzled. “Red Lobster?” 
“It’s an American surf and turf chain restaurant. It’s delicious!” 
“I can only hope Portavira lives up to such a lofty ideal.” 
Tagging: @jared2612​​​ @ao719​ @marietrinmimi​ @indiacater​​​ @kingliam2019​ @bebepac​​​ @liamxs-world @mom2000aggie​​​ @liamrhysstalker2020​​ @twinkleallnight​​​ @umccall71 @superharriet​​​ @busywoman​​​ @gabesmommie1130 @tessa-liam​​​ @beezm​​​ @gardeningourmet​​​ @lovingchoices14​​​ @mainstreetreader​​​ @angelasscribbles​​​ @lady-calypso @emkay512​​​ @princessleac1​​​ @charlotteg234 @alj4890​ @motorcitymademadame​​​ @queenmiarys​​​ ​​​ @choicesficwriterscreations
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angelasscribbles · 2 years
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Savage Love Chapter 14: Derby
 Series: Savage Love
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings: Riley x Liam, Riley x Drake
Rating: R         
Warnings: Mature themes
Word Count: 2,215 (not counting text messages)
My other stuff: Master List.
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The next morning I slipped from Liam’s room back to mine through the secret passageways. After morning sex and breakfast, of course. He made sure there was coffee and sugar. I could only shake my head. These men. As if one of them was going to win my heart on the basis of getting my coffee to sugar ratio right. I mean, I’m not complaining. All the attention to details, all the catering to my needs. I didn’t hate it.
I was still with Liam when Drake text the first time.
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The second time was right after I got out of the shower.
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Then Liam.
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They both made me smile.
I finished getting dressed just as knock rang out. It was Maxwell Beaumont. “Max, hey! What are you doing here?”
“Ah…I’m here to escort you to the derby. As your sponsor, remember?”
“Ok. Are all the suitors being escorted by someone from their house?”
“Not really, but Liam asked me to make sure you made it there ok and found your way to the royal box by ‘accident’.” He did air quotes with his fingers.
“Alright, then. I’m not complaining, we can get to know each other a little on the way.”                                     
He smiled and it was a wide, open, genuine smile. The kind that makes you smile back without realizing you’re doing it. I returned it and we headed for the Beaumont limo.
In the car, Max was focused, funny, and engaging for the roughly fifteen minutes it took to reach our destination. He escorted me into the derby, stopping for the reporters to ask me questions. They were the standard questions they asked everyone. What did I think of Leo? What did I think of the other suitors? How thrilled was I to be here? Max stood by with his hands in his pockets looking bored.
Once we stepped away from the reporters, he explained how to get to the royal box then sauntered off into the crowd looking vaguely distracted. He did a good job of projecting the image he wanted the world to see. I was sure no one at court had any idea he knew any more about computers than how to update his Instagram. I could see why the crown used his services.
His directions took me right to where I needed to be. I tugged my skirt down and smoothed the top before opening the door and entering the box.
Every head turned in my direction. Leo, Liam, Neville and a couple of other men I didn’t recognize.
“Lady Riley! What are you doing here?” Liam called out.
“Oh! Sorry! I….I must have gotten turned around! I was looking for the box for the suitors, obviously.”
“It’s fine Lady Riley.” Leo responded, “Come on in and let me introduce you to everyone.”
Leo quicky made introductions. The other two men were Lord Tariq Lambros and Lord Rashad Faheem. When he got to Neville, I exclaimed, “We’ve already had the pleasure of meeting at the Masquerade ball!”
A smile the size of a football field crawled across his face, “I’m so gratified you remember me!”
“Of course! You made quiet the impression!” I let him kiss the back of my hand as I fluttered my lashes at him.
I had to make small talk with everyone for two reasons. One, because it couldn’t be obvious that I was sucking up to Neville since I was allegedly there to court Leo and two, because Rashad and Tariq were both tripping over themselves for my attention as well.
When Neville stepped away to take a phone call, Liam pulled me aside. “Excuse me while I borrow her for a moment gentleman.”
“Certainly.”
“Of course.”
“Just make sure you return her the way you found her.” Leo joked. I shot him a look and he laughed.
“What could you possibly need to talk to me about? I just saw you this morning.” I asked him.
“I just wanted to ask if you’d like to get together later-“
“I’m sorry, as you know, there’s a luncheon with the queen after this, a cocktail party for all the suitors later followed by the Derby Gala, then I have plans for a late dinner with-“
“Will you at least save a dance for me at the gala?”
“Oh, I will save you several!”
He started to respond but just then the door opened, and Drake stepped into the room. “Sorry I’m late, I got tied up with some last-minute bullshit.”
“Hey Captain.” I greeted him.
Drake turned to me with a smile then froze as he caught sight of Liam’s neck. His eyes flicked from Liam’s neck to me then back again. When his eyes went to Liam’s chest, I somehow knew what was about to happen a fraction of a second before it did. Drake stepped in closer to Liam and landed a punch on his chest. The right side to be exact, precisely where the bruise I had left with my teeth resided.
He didn’t hit him hard enough to be a real punch, an angry one designed to start a fight, but more of a playful one, the kind guys give when they’re horsing around. It was hard enough to hurt just a little, except for the fact that he was already injured there. Liam flinched and his hand flew up to cover the spot, “Ow! What the hell, man?”
Drake smirked, leaning in close so no one else in the room could hear, “You think I don’t know where the fucking teeth marks go when she cums?”
“What?”
Drake pulled the collar of his shirt down just enough to show the patchwork of bruises on his own chest, quite a few of them, all in varying stages of healing, from almost completely faded to dark and angry.
Liam’s eyes flicked from Drake’s chest to my face then to Drake’s face as he settled back on his heels with a cocky grin in place, “It’s ok to feel threatened by me, Drake. I get it. I am a pretty damn good catch.”
“I’m not threatened by you, Li.”
“Could have fooled me.” Liam leaned in closer to Drake, so I had to strain to hear his response, “Quality over quantity, right?”
I cleared my throat and leaned in to hiss at them, “Stop it, both of you! This is not the time or place for a pissing contest and if your posturing fucks up my case, I’m done with both of you, understand?”
They stepped away from each other immediately, both flushing as they tried to apologize.
“I’m sorry Riley-“
“Brooks, I didn’t mean-“
“Just drop it! I’m literally in the middle of trying to build a rapport with a suspect right now! If my personal life starts interfering with my job, I’ll have no choice but to shut it down!” I was not going to start bungling investigations at this late date. I always got my man, or woman as the case may be. I hadn’t become the agent with the highest clear rate by letting myself get distracted by my personal life and I wasn’t about to start now.
They both opened their mouths but before either one could get a word out, I told them, “Don’t say anything else! Just nod if you understand.”
They both nodded. “Ok. Good. I’m going back to work now. Don’t either of you talk to me for at least an hour!” I spun and walked back to Leo and the rest of the group.
Leo leaned over to whisper in my ear, “Everything ok?”
“It’s fine.” I told him, “Just a bunch of male ego bullshit.”
He stifled a laugh, “What did you expect? They’re both crazy about you. Don’t act like you don’t know that miss reverse harem.”
It was my turn to stifle a smile as I punched his arm playfully, “Shut up, Rys. I’m here for a reason, remember?”
“Right.” His eyes searched the room for a moment then he called out, “Neville, a favor?”
“Certainly, Your Majesty. What can I do for you?” He asked as he hurried over.
“Lady Riley requires an escort to the proper box. As much as I enjoy her company, it would cause quite a scandal if I’m accused of favoring one suitor over the others, so it can’t be me that escorts her.” Just like we’d rehearsed. Leo really would make a good agent. Too bad he’s going to be king. What a waste.
Neville looked hesitant at first, likely not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to suck up to the future king. So, I leaned toward him, placing my hand on his arm with a coy smile, “I requested you.” I shot my eyes over to Tariq and Rashad then back to him to emphasize the point that I had other options.
That did the trick instantly. His face brightened as he offered me his arm, “I would be honored and delighted to escort you, my lady!”
I wrapped my arms around his as we left the room. I made eye contact with both Drake and Liam on my way out. I glared at them to be more specific. They both looked completely chastised but hell if I was letting them off the hook. Let them stew for an hour wondering if I was going to forgive them or not. They deserved it.
I plastered a fake smile on my face and tipped my head up to stare at Neville with a calculated look of adoration as he droned on about his collection of elephant figurines. His collection of ivory elephant figurines.
It was disgusting. Imagine slaughtering an endangered animal then carving its likeness out of its own tusks. Who does that? Who buys that? Do they not see the horrible irony?
“That’s so interesting.” I lied. “I’d much rather spend time with you than go back to the rest of the suitors.”
“How are you getting on with them?” He asked, “Any impressions so far?”
“Well,” I demurred, “I do find Lady Madeleine interesting. We share some similar philosophies and I believe she’d make a fine queen.”
It was a calculated gamble. If I was correct that both Madeleine and Neville were members of the Via Imperii, this should net me both his approval and trust as well as hers. It worked. I could see the wheels turning in his head before he asked me, “Similar philosophies? Such as? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Oh, I don’t mind at all, Neville! I’m sure that you would agree, being the man of great discernment that you are.” I gave him a dazzling smile before leaning in to confide, “I just hope that whoever Leo chooses is one of us, you know what I mean? Someone that understands how to prioritize the interests of the upper classes. I mean, if poor people were so important to society, they wouldn’t be poor, would they?”
The smile that spread across his face told me I’d struck pay dirt. He squeezed my hand as he replied, “My God, yes! It’s so refreshing to meet a woman that gets it! I know that being charitable is all the rage right now, but interest in the lower classes is really just a hobby and should have no place in government.”
I managed to give him a real smile by imagining shoving his face into a pile of steaming dog shit as I responded, “Oh, absolutely! I mean, spend your money on whatever you want. I suppose giving it away to the filthy hoards isn’t any less wasteful than gambling it away. But at least when you gamble, you have a chance of getting a return on your investment!”
He laughed like I’d said something hilarious. “Ah, here we are, this is your box. But before you go, I’m attending a dinner party tomorrow with a group of friends I think you’d fit right in with. Would you care to accompany me?”
I fluttered my lashes and adopted body language that screamed I was shy. One of my best moves considering I am actually the opposite of that. But all those years of community theater while I was at university certainly paid off. “Well, I would love to, Neville, but if it’s not an engagement for all the suitors, I can’t risk my reputation….”
His face fell then I pretended to reconsider, “Unless…”
His head snapped up, “Unless what?”
“I mean…if I could bring one of my sponsors with me, then no one could think anything untoward was going on.” I mentally held my breath as he considered that.
“Do your sponsors share your…philosophy?”
“Oh, yes! I can assure you that they do!”
His smile broadened, “Excellent! Bring them along then! I’ll send a car for you at six.”
I suppressed my glee, not only was I going to a dinner party most likely filled with Via Imperii members, but I’d wrangled an invitation for Max as well. Two sets of eyes was always better than one and if we were exceedingly lucky we might be able to tag team, one of us providing a distraction while the other planted some listening devices.
I practically skipped into the box. Drake’s plan had worked like a dream.
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agentcricket-art · 2 years
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for oc shipping purposes damien is my fav. but as like a person? absolutely love liam, he’s insufferable
so have this meme redraw that i had to comepletely redo because it’d been sitting in my files for over a year and i’m sick of looking at it
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mydearlybeloathed · 2 years
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𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞: 𝐒𝐢𝐱
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In Which Ondine Sorta Gets Drunk
“That was you?”
“Sorry, Odie.”
“I slept in the living room for a week!”
Word Count: 4k
Pairing: Liam Dunbar x Female OC
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Ondine would turn sixteen in two days. The anticipation was close to driving her insane. Olivia said that the change isn’t anything to be scared of, and that she should look forward to it.
“It feels like you’re regaining a part of yourself you never knew you lost,” she’d said wistfully just yesterday. Ondine tried to follow her advice and not worry, but it was futile. What if it didn’t work? And what if she does kill someone?
She hadn’t spoken to Liam or any of the pack since their meeting in Derek’s apartment a few days prior. Ondine no longer sat with Mason and Liam in any of their classes, much to Mason’s confusion. When he asked Liam about it, the boy just shrugged and changed the subject.
Though there seemed to be an unspoken agreement among the siren and the wolves; we are on the same side. It was almost unnoticeable to Ondine aside from the occasional concerned side glances she’d recieve from Scott, Liam, and even Stiles. It would have been weird if she hadn’t been giving them similar glances.
Like now, in the school library, when Ondine was hyper aware of Liam and Mason studying across the room. It wasn’t odd for Ondine to be in the library with her sister during homeroom and lunch. She had nowhere else to be.
“Are you gonna eat that?” Levi’s voice broke through her stupor, and the girl blinked before handing him the apple he’d pointed at. “Thanks, Odie.”
Liam’s head tilted to the side and he looked over, so Ondine assumed he’d been listening in. When he caught her staring, a teasing grin came to his face as he mouthed, ‘Odie?’
Discreetly rolling her eyes, Ondine mouthed back, ‘Shut up. It’s a long story.’
It wasn’t a long story. When she was a baby she couldn't pronounce her name right, so it always came out as “Odie.” The nickname had stuck, as much as she hated it.
Quick as lightning, Ondine averted her gaze back to her lunch before Olivia could see where she was looking. Though soon enough she found herself meeting Liam’s eyes again. And again. And again. It was becoming annoying how magnetic it was, and she was all too glad when the bell rang and she had an excuse to leave.
But then, as she was packing up her bag, Ondine saw Liam standing behind a bookshelf, waving her over with a serious look in his eyes. Conflicted, she shoved the rest of her things into her bag ever so slowly, before finally giving in and telling Olivia and Levi that she wanted to check out a book before class. 
She had a feeling she was going to regret this.
After she was sure the two were far down the hall, Ondine slung her bag on her shoulders and walked down the fiction aisle, finding Liam standing at its shadowy end. He was leaning against the shelf, his hands shoved in his pockets, with a scant smile. “Hey.”
“Hi.” She smiled back at him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “What’s up?”
A shrug was his initial answer. “Well, your birthday is in a few days, right?”
“Yep. It’s on Friday.”
“You nervous?”
“Pfft. Me? Nervous? Please, I don’t know the meaning of ‘nervous.’” The joke fell flat when her face softened a bit and she started gnawing on the inside of her cheek. The disbelieving look Liam gave her didn’t help. “Okay, fine. I’m terrified.”
“Don’t worry,” Liam said, placing a hand on her forearm. “If you go on an angry rampage around town, I’ll come stop you.”
Ondine looked at where his hand rested so casually on her arm, a light blush dusting her cheeks. “I’m sure my mom will love that. While you’re at it, tell her how I snuck out of the house to swing by Derek Hale’s place for a midnight chat.”
Liam chuckled, rolling his eyes as he let his hand drop to his side. “Okay, good point… Besides, I’m in no place to go saving anyone.”
The Beck girl tilted her head at the way his smile faltered when he said it. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t have control on full moons yet, and when I get mad I lose control then too,” he said, ruffling his hair. “I guess I know a thing or two about midnight rampages.”
“You said you don’t have control yet. How do werewolves keep their cool?”
“It’s something about a metaphorical anchor; someone special to you that keeps you anchored to your human side.”
“Do you think that could work for me?” She wondered who her anchor would be. Her mind first went to her mother, but although she loved the woman very much, the trust wasn't all there as of late. Giorgia had mentioned that sirens gain control by focusing on their fear, that being afraid keeps you human. Ondine didn’t like being afraid, so she was open to whatever this anchor thing was.
“Maybe. I don't know anything about sirens…” Liam’s voice trailed off, and Ondine was aware that she could hear his heartbeat hammering in his chest without having to focus on it. She searched his face, seeing his now panicked eyes flickering to something behind her.
Furrowing her brows, Ondine peered over her shoulder. There was nothing there, just an empty library and Liam’s beating heart echoing in her head. She blinked, and suddenly one of the beastly men that had attacked the hospital was standing in the corner, staring right at the two of them.
She whipped back around, reaching for Liam’s hand. “Do you see that?” Her whisper was soft, and she was startled when she looked behind her again to see that the beast was gone.
“You can see it too?” Liam asked, squeezing her hand slightly.
Ondine shook her head slowly, pure confusion written on her features. “I did, for a second. But now it's gone.” She raked her other hand through her hair, still holding onto Liam. “Maybe it has to do with my birthday being so soon. I–I can hear how fast your heart is beating. Maybe this is the calm before the storm.”
“The storm being whatever happens on your birthday? That’s comforting.” He looked over her shoulder again, swallowing hard. “So… what? I know that berserker is just my imagination messing with me. Do sirens read minds?”
“Olivia said that's one of our abilities… She mentioned that our mind reading was mostly used to see what our victim’s are afraid of.”
“Oh.” He looked sheepish all of a sudden, and took his hand from Ondine’s to rub at the back of his neck. The girl just gave him a lopsided grin, hoping it was comforting.
“It’s okay to be afraid, Liam. It doesn't make you any less brave.”
It was then that the bell rang, and the teens’ eyes went wide. “Shit,” they said in unison, scrambling out of the library to reach their respective classes.
****
“Hurry up or I’m leaving without you,” Olivia said kindly on the other end of the phone.
Ondine sighed, trying to maneuver unlocking her locker, holding her backpack, and talking on the phone all at once. “Yeah, yeah. I’m goin’ as fast as I can.”
“You’ve been texting me just that for ten minutes.” She hung up after that, leaving Ondine with one less thing to worry about. She hurried to get the rest of her things from her locker, eager to see her sister and ask the question she'd been pondering ever since lunch ended: how did their power over the mind work?
She froze upon hearing a loud voice echoing down the near empty hall, “What the hell is this?!” It sounded like Coach Finstock, loud and angry per usual.
It drew her curiosity a little more than the question of her powers, and Ondine found herself walking toward the origin of the sound. She raised a brow when she turned the corner and saw a hoard of papers flooding out of Coach’s office. The sound of a printer whirred through the air. From around the other corner, Liam and Scott appeared, also drawn to their teacher’s aggravated yelling.
She made it to the office at the same time the boys did, nodding in greeting. Ondine bent down and took one of the sheets off the ground, her throat going a bit dry when she saw what it was: a copy of the Dead Pool.
Waving Scott and Liam over, she showed them the paper and watched as their shoulders tensed almost simultaneously.
“It’s like what happened to my printer,” said Liam as he peeked into Coach’s office. More copies were still being spit out of the machine. Liam tugged them away from the door so they wouldn’t be seen, sighing as he pointed to the paper. “You see the difference?”
Ondine quirked a brow and leaned over to see what he meant. Her eyes found their way to the bottom of the list, where three Beck names were typed. It took her no more than a second to realize that her price had been upped big time.
“Derek’s not on the list anymore,” Scott pointed out hollowly, looking from his beta to the siren standing at his shoulder.
“And I’m not worth three million. It’s eighteen. Eighteen million dollars.” Liam’s voice broke a little, and it caused Ondine to drag her gaze from the paper to the boy. He looked rightfully nervous.
She noticed her own voice had a quake in it as she spoke up. “Um, not to one up you or anything, but I’m worth twenty-three.”
The two wolves could smell the anxiety coming off her in waves. Liam noticed how she was digging her nails into her skin. So he slipped his hand into hers to keep her from hurting herself.
The action surprised Ondine so much that she couldn’t hide her blush in time, much to her embarrassment and Scott’s amusement. The alpha hid his grin behind his hand, saying he had to go do something that Ondine didn't catch.
Her skin felt hot where he touched her, and her face was burning, but she didn’t want to let go. Not yet anyways. She squeezed his hand tenderly, not seeing the way his smile grew.
****
“Finally!”
Ondine hopped into the truck’s driver seat, which Olivia had forced her into for more practice behind the wheel. She turned the key, backing out of the parking lot with shaky breaths. Whether her nervousness was from finding out that she was now worth more than her own house or from driving, she wasn't sure. “Sorry. I lost one of my books so I had to go to the library to find a spare and–”
“I don’t care,” Olivia snapped, rolling her eyes. “Just drive please.”
Her sister’s bad mood was becoming contagious, so with a huff she turned a little too sharply onto the main road. Olivia was quick to criticize her driving, only worsening the younger girl’s mood.
“So,” Ondine said after a few minutes, her voice snippy. “Remember when you said we can read minds? How does that work exactly?”
The previous bitterness was forgotten immediately at the prospect of sharing what she knew. “I’m so glad you asked. When we read minds, it's like… hearing their thoughts. You find out how to get to their hearts, and whether that be through pride or fear depends on the human. But we don’t go around searching for people to lure to watery depths anymore, so I never have any reason to use it a lot of the time.”
“Uh huh,” Ondine nodded, trying to soak all the information in. “And how do we ‘lure’ people?”
“Illusions, remember? Mom told me that it's possible to craft entire realities in human minds, showing them their ideal life and trapping them with it. I’m only able to cast tiny enchantments though, so they’re almost like really realistic shadows that follow you around.”
“... Hey! Last year I kept seeing a monster in my closet! That was you?”
A near evil cackle was her answer. “Sorry, Odie.”
“I slept in the living room for a week!” Ondine was filled with anger at the sound of her sister’s unsympathetic laughter.
The older girl wiped a tear from her eye, a wide smile spread on her face. “I’m sorry, all right? It was a joke. Sigh. I made it go away after a while, didn’t I? … Okay, I wanna tell you something. But don’t tell Mom, because she doesn't like when I mess with people’s minds. Promise you won’t tell?”
Ondine spared a glance at the girl beside her, feeling uneasy about the sinister smirk she saw. “Sure.”
“You know that boy we saved from the well? The werewolf? I noticed how he kept bothering you, so I pried into his mind a little bit and found out what he's afraid of. Turns out he’s scared shitless of those berserker guys. So I formed a little illusion to follow him around everywhere. You should have seen how petrified he was the first time he saw it! Ha! He had his tail between his legs and everything!”
Unbeknownst to Olivia, Ondine was utterly and completely livid. Liam, sweet Liam, did not deserve to be tormented like that. She wanted to scream at her sister, yell curses until her throat was raw.​ There was a compelling temptation to attack her sister until she swore to do away with the mental manipulation she’d done on Liam.
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, her breath becoming heavy. Right when she had almost made up her mind, Ondine blinked, realizing the thoughts she was having. She hadn’t felt that angry since those men had threatened her father.
“Ondine? You good?”
Sucking in a sharp breath and steeling herself, she grinned tightly. “Yeah, I’m good.”
She wasn’t good. Ondine had to find a way to get rid of Liam’s ‘shadow’ as Olivia had called it. With a grimace, she realized the perfect place to find him would be at the lacrosse team’s annual bonfire to kick off the new season.
****
Ondine couldn’t believe she was doing this. The music was too loud and obnoxious, and the smell of alcohol burned her nostrils, but somewhere in the crowd was Liam Dunbar, and she was determined to find him. Maybe knowing that it wasn’t his own imagination but her sister’s that was making him see that berserker would help him?
Ondine: You at the lacrosse party? I need to find you.
Liam: ...
No reply. Gritting her teeth, Ondine squeezed between two dancing teenagers and tried to find him the old fashioned way. She went up on her tiptoes, trying to see over the many heads. Too bad she was 5’1 and everyone else was a freaking giant.
Someone caught her arm, and she whipped around, hoping it was someone she knew coming to her rescue, only to find a tipsy girl she’d never seen before. “Want a drink?”
“No thanks,” Ondine said, watching the girl shrug and down the drink in her hand. Hastily walking away, Ondine crossed her arms over her chest as she got closer to the bonfire burning brightly at the center of the party.
She wandered around to the other side of the fire, relief washing over her when she caught sight of Malia Tate dancing wildly with a flask to her lips. Ondine hadn’t spoken much with the werecoyote, but she could probably point her in Liam’s direction.
“Malia!” Ondine yelled over the music, catching the girl’s attention immediately. Bless that super canine hearing.
“Hey!” Malia smiled at her, not pausing in her dancing as she took another sip of what was most likely an alcoholic beverage. Her face fell a bit after, and she tossed the flask aside. “Scott said we can’t get drunk. Disappointing, right?”
“Oh yeah,” the Beck girl agreed instantly, wanting to get her question out as fast as possible. The sooner she could leave this party, the better. “Have you–”
“You know, Liam talks about you a lot,” said Malia out of the blue. “He says your smile is nice.”
The bluntness caught Ondine off guard, her jaw falling slack as she took in this unexpected information. Her neck burned red, and she tried to brush it off. “That’s nice. Um, speaking of Liam, where is he?”
She started to point behind her, only to lose her balance and start to fall. Ondine lurched forward and caught her arms before she could hit the ground. Malia’s eyes were slightly out of focus as she stood up straight again. “I thought you can’t get drunk?”
Malia laughed in reply, shrugging like it was no big deal. “I guess Scott was wrong then.”
Ondine latched onto the older girl’s arm, not wanting the drunk coyote to get into trouble. Her eyes scanned the area, and finally she found Liam. He was sitting at a picnic table with Mason and a concerned looking Scott, but something was wrong; Liam was tilting to the side just like Malia had. He was drunk too.
An uncomfortable groan passed Malia’s lips as she leaned onto the siren. “Is this what drunk feels like? It doesn’t feel as good as I hoped.”
“Scott!” The alpha’s attention was caught, his eyes darting to find Ondine dragging a slumped over Malia toward him.
“What’s happening to them?” She sat Malia down gently next to Liam, directing her question at Scott.
All he could do was shrug, panic crossing his face. “I don’t know.”
Ondine met eyes with Mason before kneeling in front of Liam. She snapped in front of his face, seeing his eyes flutter open and closed every few seconds. With pursed lips she asked, “How much has he had to drink?”
“Not enough to get him like this,” Mason replied incredulously, obviously having no explanation either. The three sober ones—Mason, Scott, and Ondine—all shared a perplexed look. And though she knew she hadn’t had a lick of alcohol, Ondine began to feel off.
She reached out for something to support her, leaning onto the table as the world shifted around her. Nausea overwhelmed her senses in an instant, a sharp headache coming on. “What the hell? I never… I never drank anything.” Despite the sureness in her voice, her words slurred together.
“Neither did I,” said Scott, though his voice sounded far away. He was holding his hand in front of his face, almost like he didn’t recognize it.
Wincing, Ondine squeezed herself in between Malia and Liam, her mind getting foggy. “That music is really bad… can’t they play somethin’ like The Beatles?”
Ondine’s rambling gave Scott an idea, and his hazy eyes moved to the DJ. He caught the guy turning up a nob, and as it slid up the sound board the ringing in his ears got worse. “It's not the drinks… it's the music.”
“I have… I have to cut off the music,” he said to Mason. “Don’t let them out of your sight.”
The alpha stumbled away, leaving three seemingly drunk supernaturals with one human who had no idea what was going on.
Ondine rested her head on Liam’s shoulder, having no idea what was going on. Scott said something about the music, though it hadn’t registered in her mind. The ringing in her ears was making her head spin, and she hardly realized it when two security guards started to drag them away from the party. Her hand lazily reached for Liam’s, just barely grazing his skin before she slipped into unconsciousness.
****
When Ondine opened her eyes again, her head felt clear. That awful music from the party was gone, and she was lying on the floor of the school’s hallway. With a groan she sat up, massaging her forehead. “That is the last time I ever go to a party.”
A chuckle to her left drew her attention, and she dragged her dreary eyes over to see Liam sitting beside her. He gave her a lazy grin, and she sent him one back. They helped each other up, standing shoulder to shoulder and slightly leaning onto each other.
Upon seeing Derek Hale, she gave him a tiny wave, to which he grinned in reply.
Scott offered to drive her home, but Ondine didn’t think that would be wise. She’d just ride her bike back home (it was the least noisy option for transport). Right before Liam could leave with his alpha, Ondine caught him by the arm and dragged him a little ways away. She knew every one of them could overhear, but she didn’t really care.
The truth about why he kept ‘imagining’ the berserkers coming after him did seem to put Liam at ease, she could tell by the way his face softened a bit. “Will I keep seeing them until your sister takes the enchantment away?”
“I think so,” Ondine replied, sorry she couldn’t help him. Suddenly lighting up, she had an idea. “Hey, she only created an illusion of the berserkers because you’re afraid of them. So I bet if you get over you fear they’ll go away.”
“Easier said than done,” he murmured, ruffling his hair with his hand. He seemed to do that a lot when he was nervous.
She wasn’t sure why, but his downcast expression made her want to fix it. With a smirk and a brief wave of confidence, she nudged his shoulder. “Malia says you like my smile.”
Liam stumbled over his words, not sure whether to deny it or laugh it off. To his luck, Scott called his name before he could say something that would surely make him even more humiliated.
He looked down at Ondine, taking in her amused grin and mischievous eyes. It wasn’t an expression he saw regularly, and he almost wished he could see it more often. She seemed less cold this way. “I gotta go.”
Ondine flashed him a smile; a full teeth, wide smile that stretched across her face. It nearly took his breath away, before he stuttered a goodbye and raced off so Scott could take him home.
All Ondine could do was laugh at his response, making her way outside and toward her bike that she’d hidden in some bushes. Liam was… something else, that was for sure, and not just because he was a werewolf. The way he made her feel so happy was terrifying, and Ondine wasn’t sure if these feelings were a good thing.
Her mother hated him after all. Besides, she heard from Olivia that crushes come and go all the time. She’d probably wake up in a few days and be weirded out that she ever blushed at the thought of Liam Dunbar liking her smile.
Then again, she’d blushed really hard.
****
Derek furrowed his brows, considering what Scott had just told him. “She was affected by the music the same way you were?”
“Yeah,” Scott said, not sure what his friend was thinking. “What about it?”
“Sirens and werewolves are very different creatures. We aren’t wired the same way. The music shouldn’t have affected her at all if it was meant to disable werewolves.”
A brief silence followed his statement. “What are you saying, Derek?”
The Hale werewolf looked up from the ground, his thoughtful eyes meeting Scott’s. “I think there’s something different about her. She’s not like the other ones.”
“... Is that a bad thing?”
“Not necessarily. Ondine said she wants to trust us. Hopefully, that means she won’t be in the business of attacking us.”
Indeed, attacking them was the last thing Ondine wanted to do. Though she often laid awake thinking about what her mother would do if she found out she’d been speaking to the very people she warned her to stay away from.
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ao719 · 4 months
Text
…Sometimes Not (Part 12)
It’s Always Been You
This is a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt # 1.
Title inspo: It’s Always Been You - Phil Wickham
A/N: This is an au mini series to my Always You story. Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors.  
Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x OC (Reyna)
Rating: M • Warnings: mild nsfw … some lemon zest, if you will.
Word count: 2016
Catch up here
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Reyna wasn’t supposed to arrive in Cordonia until later in the evening, but after days of poking and prodding from her aunt during their week-long trip to the mountains, wanting to know what was going on between her and Liam, she finally caved. She detailed Liam’s confession of how he felt, their last conversation and how she’d tried to tell him she felt the same but how he’d been so convinced she’d fallen out of love with him over the years that he wouldn’t let her say anything, and how she’d given him her journal that was filled with three years worth of letters to him expressing what he refused to let her say out loud.
Next thing Reyna knew, Aunt Elsie — who’d always been the biggest cheerleader when it came to the two of them being together — was on the phone with an old friend of hers, cashing in what she claimed was a long overdue favor to get her on an earlier flight, cutting their trip a bit short. 
When Reyna arrived in Cordonia that morning, she headed straight to the palace. The first person she ran into was Leo; he told her Liam wasn’t there, but that he was set to return that evening. She planned to wait for him, but Leo — who noticed his brother had been acting a bit oddly since his return from New York — knew Liam would probably enjoy the surprise, and insisted that she go to him; he pulled a guard aside and instructed him to take her to Valtoria. 
And now, here she was. 
Hovering in the doorway of the master suite inside the estate, Reyna stared at Liam; he was seated on the bed, hunched over with the palm of one hand pressed against his temple to prop his head up, shielding his face from her view. His other hand gripped the top of her journal to keep it open as he read what appeared to be the last page. 
Hearing his breath hitch, Reyna’s brows rounded in concern. “Liam?”
When he lifted his red-rimmed gaze and Reyna saw his tear-stained face, she felt her chest tighten as she took a tentative step over the threshold. His brows knit and more tears started to fall as he stared at her for a heartbeat, and in the next, he was standing and moving towards her. 
Liam’s arms wrapped tightly around Reyna and she instinctively returned the embrace; his wet cheek pressed against hers as he tightened his hold. His whole body was taut and his shoulders shook as he silently cried. 
“Liam …” 
“I’m sorry,” he choked out. “I should’ve listened. And I’m … I’m so sorry, Rey.” 
Reyna closed her eyes against the sting in them as he held her even tighter. She drew back just enough to look at him, needing to slightly arch because his hold on her wouldn’t loosen. Shifting her arms from around his neck, she cupped his face in her hands, gently brushing away the tears from his cheeks before they were replaced by more. She held his misty blue-eyed gaze for a moment as her own tears started to fall. “Now you understand,” she said, and his chin trembled as he nodded. “I never stopped loving you, Liam. Not for one single day.”
Hearing her words, Liam felt his heart — which was beating so hard in his chest he swore she could both hear and feel it — swell, and every heartachingly, longing-filled word he’d read in that journal filled his head again. All this time … the three years they were apart and even in the last year since they reunited … she had loved him through it all. 
With her hands still cupping his face, she tilted hers toward him. She brushed her thumb against his bottom lip before drawing him to her, closing the scant distance between them when she pressed her lips to his. He sighed into the kiss, tasting the salt from both their tears as an otherworldly force pulsed through him. 
It was like a long-missing piece had finally returned and locked itself into place right where it belonged. It felt like home — she felt like home. 
And for the first time in years, he felt whole. 
“I love you, Liam,” Reyna whispered against his lips; she barely got his name out before he kissed her again.
Hearing her say those three words again after so long awoke something inside Liam that he wasn’t sure he’d ever feel again. “I love you, too.” He kissed her again. “I’ve always loved you.” Another kiss. “And I always will.” 
Liam kissed her again, and when her lips parted against his, a rush of air escaped him and his body shuddered when his tongue met hers. Keeping his one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, his free hand came up, sliding across her cheek and into her hair until it curled around the nape of her neck as he deepened the kiss. It was all-consuming, stealing the very breath from his lungs. 
When Liam heard a whisper of a moan slip from her lips, something inside him snapped at the sound, his usual ability to keep himself controlled shredding at the seams. His hands dropped to the hem of her shirt and he was lifting it a heartbeat later, only breaking the kiss to pull it over her head, and as he did, she was tugging at his. He took the cue, reaching back with one hand to pull it off, and dropping it to the floor as his lips found hers again. 
Wrapping one arm around her, Liam spun her away from the door, swinging his other arm out and closing it before effortlessly lifting her; her legs wrapped around him as he carried her toward the bed.
There was a tangle of arms and hands as they stripped one another of their remaining clothing between passion-filled kisses and their hands exploring each newly exposed area of skin. 
With the rest of their clothes now strewn haphazardly on the floor, Liam finally drew back to take in her bare body beneath him. The years of painful longing — of wishing for just a single kiss, touch … even a mere word — came to a halt. He had no more reasons to wish, to yearn for her. She was there. They were together. And he knew it was going to be different because there was nothing standing in their way this time. 
It was going to last. 
It was going to be forever. 
Liam slowly skimmed a hand along the curve of her body, pausing on her thigh as his gaze shifted back up to hers. “Say it again,” he whispered. 
Reyna softly smiled. “I love you.” 
A breath fell from her lips as they parted when she felt Liam’s hand slip between them and a finger slide against her. When he felt how ready she was, an impatient groan escaped him; he had every intention of savoring every part of her later, but at that moment, he needed to feel all of her. 
In the next moment, Reyna gasped followed by a moan when she felt him filling her; Liam slowly pushed home inch by inch until he was buried to the hilt. He dropped his head to her shoulder as a moan rumbled from deep within his chest at the feeling of being wrapped around her again. 
Another moment later, Liam lifted his head when he felt her fingers lace with his, and his eyes searched hers as he began to move. “You’re mine,” he whispered with a thrust of his hips, the words spoken with a hint of question behind them. 
“I’m yours,” Reyna assured him. “I’ve always been yours, Liam.” 
Another moan escaped him, in part from her words, in part from the way she took him even deeper when her legs wrapped around him. He found her lips again with another thrust as her hands curled around his neck and into his hair. “I’ve only ever been yours,” he whispered. 
Liam drew out each stroke, prolonging the moment as long as he could until they were panting between impassioned kisses and moans, both on the edge of release. 
When he picked up his pace, Reyna clung to him, and Liam didn’t relent until her back arched off the bed and his name dripped from her lips in a mantra of breathy moans. He followed a moment later, a gravelly groan ripping from his throat and his entire body going taut as he dropped his head to the crook of her neck.
After several long moments, as they both still trembled and tried to catch their breath, Liam lifted his gaze to hers; Reyna brushed a few stray locks of his tousled hair away from his forehead before she lifted her head to press a soft kiss to it, then to the bridge of his nose, then to his lips. He returned the kiss, savoring the slow curl of her tongue against his. 
“I love you,” Liam whispered when they parted for a breath. “I love you so damn much, Rey.” 
A sated, heartwarming smile curled on Reyna’s lips. “I love you, too.” 
****
A while later, Liam and Reyna lay curled up in the bed; his arm was wrapped around her as he stroked his fingers idly along the length of her spine and their limbs were tangled beneath the sheets. Neither was in any rush to leave the other’s embrace. 
Liam’s gaze shifted down to where her head rested on his chest; her fingertip traced lazy shapes against his skin as she stared off, seemingly in deep thought. “What are you thinking about?”
“You,” Reyna answered with a sigh before tilting her head back to look at him. “You and this and … us.”
“What about it?” Liam asked as he gently swept a few wisps of hair off her cheek.
“How we’re going to make this work. Because I don’t …” Reyna dropped his gaze, biting her lip somewhat self-consciously. “I don’t want to be without you anymore, Liam. I want to be wherever you are.” 
Liam’s thumb scooped beneath her chin and tilted her gaze back to his. He searched her eyes for a moment before capturing her lips in his as he shifted, guiding her back against the mattress. He wanted that, too. After spending so long apart and knowing what he knew now after reading the letters inside that journal, he didn’t want to be without her. Not ever again. 
And he had but one thought at that moment. 
When he drew back, Liam’s thumb softly stroked her cheek, staring at her with nothing but unadulterated adoration. “Then marry me …” 
“What?” Reyna gasped as her eyes widened. “Liam, we … we just got back on track. Hell, we’ve only been on track for like … an hour.” 
“Rey … had the past gone differently, I have no doubts that I would have already taken that leap with you, but … things didn’t turn out that way. Yet, in all the time we were apart, nothing about our feelings — about the love we have for each other — changed. I don’t want to be without you either because we’ve spent long enough apart.” Liam was silent for a few moments as she took in his words. “You love me?”
“More than anything,” Reyna answered without hesitation.
“And I love you. That’s all that matters.” The pad of Liam’s thumb brushed over her lips. “I told you four years ago in Applewood that you were it for me, and those words are as true today as they were back then. It’s always been you and it will always be you. There is no one else I want to be with … to spend my life with … than you, Rey. And there never will be.” She took in a breath … and then smiled as she held his blue-eyed gaze. He smiled in return as he leaned down, grazing his lips against hers. “Say yes,” he whispered. “Say you’ll marry me …” 
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kristinamae093 · 3 months
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Blame It On The Mistletoe
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Everything else can be found here.
Book/Universe - TRR
Pairing - Liam x F!OC (Kyla)
Summary - A festive rewrite of Liam and Kyla's meeting/HCTS P1 (HCTS AU - AU)
Word Count - 2500
Warnings - language, mature themes, NSFW - 18+ ONLY 🍋
A/N 1 - I am using the following holiday prompts-
12, 31, 48, from @choicesflashfics, which will appear in either red or green
Strangers in a bar from @choicesficwriterscreations
Also submitting this to @choicesholidays because well... Christmas.
A/N 2 - This is happening because I was trying to get @ao719 to write some holiday spice (it's not too late for that, either 😉). But she suggested that this prompt would be perfect for a little holiday rewrite for the first chapter of HCTS, so here we are... PLEASE NOTE - This does not contribute to their story and does not change anything. Consider this an AU of an AU with very little purpose, lol. Also, this is only my second (public) attempt at smut, so... just keep that in mind 😬.
Song Inspiration - Blame It On The Mistletoe - Ella Henderson x AJ Mitchell (Thank you for that @ao719!)
Please excuse any errors, and thank you in advance for reading and sharing!
Most characters belong to Pixelberry.
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Liam walked through the crowded club with his head dejectedly hung. Life wasn’t going at all how he foresaw this time two years ago; he expected to be happily married and thriving but instead, he was alone on Christmas Eve, wallowing in his self-pity. To make matters worse, his father’s recent remission only added to the plethora of emotions Liam was fighting to keep under control. He felt defeated, angry, hopeless, but most frequently lonely.
He hadn’t looked twice at a woman since Riley, yet here he was — out in disguise seeking any kind of companionship. He longed to check out from his grim reality, even if only for a moment. 
He glanced at the dancefloor and all he could focus on was the couples. They didn't have a care in the world, as they held each other close. Envy filled his veins, but it faded as he spotted the only lone woman in a sea of pairs. She wore a sheer black dress that fit her curvaceous figure immaculately, combined with a festive elf hat. Her smile was radiant, reflecting off the lights and nearly blinding him, even from afar. She danced as if nobody was around, and didn’t seem bothered to be the only person without a partner. He grinned for a split second, admiring how she could let loose so easily. 
With a heavy sigh, he went to the bar, plopped down, and ordered a scotch on the rocks. The noisy commotion continued, but everything faded as Liam’s thoughts wandered back to the dark place he’d been trying to escape from; leaving the palace did nothing to halt the spiral. Just when he was about to call this mission a failure and head back to self-isolation, a soft voice spoke beside him. 
“Excuse me?” She politely attempted to get the bartender’s attention. After a moment of being ignored, she tried again. “Sir?”
Liam realized this was the dancing woman; the hat was a dead giveaway. The bartender obviously heard her, as he threw her a side eye, so Liam figured he might as well lend a hand. “HEY!” When the bartender faced them, he calmly stated, “A lady is speaking to you.” 
The man huffed but approached and took her order. As he left, the woman addressed Liam. “Thank you for that — seems like he was avoiding me.” 
“No problem.” 
She extended her hand to him. “I’m Kyla — It’s nice to meet you.” 
As he stared at her outstretched palm, he realized this woman didn’t know who he was; the notion was exciting. “Liam,” He smiled, returning her gesture. He met her gaze and goosebumps erupted on his skin as he peered into the brightest diamond eyes he’d ever seen. 
“Well, Liam — how about I buy you a drink to repay you for getting his attention?” She giggled. “And if you stick around, I’ll let you get it for me next time, too.” 
Liam took in the glint of mischief in her eye, and his heart palpated. “I’ll stay, but it would be impolite of me not to buy you a drink — I am the gentleman here, after all.” 
Kyla grinned from ear to ear. “Then that means it’s time for shots!” 
Liam grimaced. “Perhaps a mixed drink would suffice–” 
Kyla playfully rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me that such a big, muscular man can’t handle his liquor.” 
Liam scoffed, but the color creeping up his neck gave him away. “I can — I just don’t normally consume spirits with such predominant—” 
“Woah,” Kyla held her hands up. “Who are you — freakin’ Shakespeare?” She laughed. 
Liam chuckled. “I apologize. I can get — unusually formal when I’m…” He trailed off with a heavy sigh. 
“Sad? Mad? Stressed?” 
“How about all the above?” Liam shook his head and glanced away. 
Regardless, Kyla still noticed his dejection. “Listen… I know I’m totally a stranger but… It’s Christmas and you’re clearly going through some shit, so… if you want to get it out I’ll listen to all of your problems — or — we could dance or something until you forget about it…” 
As Liam took in her vibrant demeanor, a yearning flourished in the pit of his stomach; he wanted — no, needed — to enjoy her company. However, he was hesitant. “Surely a beautiful woman like you isn’t here alone. Won’t your boyfriend be upset?” 
Kyla flushed at his compliment. “No — no boyfriend. I don’t have anyone, really…” A brief glint of sadness flickered behind her gaze, but it disappeared just as fast as he saw it. 
“Then it sounds like maybe we could help one another… Like you said, it is Christmas Eve, so perhaps we can keep each other company.”
“I did say that, didn’t I?” Kyla giggled as a wide smile spread across her face. “Then we’re going to be needing those mistletoes!”  
Liam nearly choked on his saliva. “I’m sorry — we need — what?”
“Not literally,” Kyla howled with laughter. “It’s a yuletide shot — the kind that’ll make you holly and jolly.” 
“... Must we, though? I’m not entirely sure that I should partake—” 
“I bet those big, fancy words of yours only last two shots, tops…” she smugly replied. “Maybe three.” 
Liam’s brows lifted skyward. “Is that a challenge?” 
“What if it is?” 
Liam smirked. “You’re on — I hope you’re prepared to lose.” 
“Woo!” Kyla exclaimed with a fist bump. “The tree isn’t the only thing getting lit this year!” 
Liam chuckled and shook his head. A moment later, the server delivered their drinks and Kyla downed hers, Liam mindlessly doing the same. What was supposed to be one quickly turned into four until a content silence overcame them. 
Kyla stared at Liam, the silent question prominent in her patient gaze. He couldn’t place it, but there was something about this woman; almost as if an aura of comfort accompanied her presence, and Liam felt drawn to her in multiple manners. 
He smiled, gently grasped her hand, and led her to a secluded corner of the dance floor. Although he wore the disguise of sunglasses, he didn’t want to risk being spotted and swarmed. Bastien lingered somewhere, but regardless, the media circus that would create would be a nightmare. 
As the heavy bass rattled his bones, a sudden wave of nerves hit Liam; he’d never danced this way, and certainly not with a partner. He didn’t know what to do and unfortunately for him, four shots weren’t enough to make him throw away propriety. Kyla sensed his hesitation and gave his shoulders a firm shake, eliciting a loud rumble of laughter from Liam. He instantly relaxed and instead of overthinking what he was doing or his problems, he focused on Kyla and the beat of the music.  
The first few songs they kept their distance, but an invisible force pulled them together; by the third, Liam’s hands securely gripped Kyla’s hips with her back pressed against his chest. The way she moved, the softness of her skin, the fragrance of her hair; everything about her mesmerized Liam, and he didn’t dare look away. He mindlessly swayed along behind her, using all of his willpower to control the stiffening in his pants. Unfortunately for him, it was a losing battle; after being deprived of a woman’s attention for so long, his body reacted without consent. 
Liam flushed and suddenly stepped away, causing Kyla to spin around with worry prominent in her features. “What’s wrong?” She yelled over the music. 
"Nothing," Liam answered, as he tried to cover himself nonchalantly. 
Kyla noticed and heat instantly bloomed in her core; she bit her lip with a soft whimper that wasn’t heard over the loud bass. Liam saw her staring but Kyla slowly approached, holding his gaze with a smirk that intensified with every step closer. Liam stopped breathing as he followed her every move with rapt attention. She pressed her chest directly against his with her face tilted upward, and Liam’s hands fell to her lower back, almost out of muscle memory. Kyla took her time dragging out the anticipation but carefully inched closer until she finally made contact. 
When their lips connected, Liam swore fireworks exploded around them. Everything else faded away in an instant, as he let the electrical current transferring between their lips consume him. Kyla secured her arms around Liam’s shoulders, but as their urgency rose, her fingertips traveled downward, intently headed for the imprint bulging from Liam’s trousers. 
As she reached her quarry, Liam broke away with an elated gasp. He saw Kyla’s bright orbs darken at least two shades, making his cock pulse with every rapid course of blood flow. 
Kyla stared into his lustful eyes through her lashes, her chest rising and falling with every shallow breath. The moisture between her legs amplified and she clutched her knees together, seeking any kind of friction. For a split second, she considered asking if he wanted to leave, but she wasn’t willing to wait even a second longer. 
Kyla grasped Liam by the collar and pulled him away from the crowd, down a long hallway. He eagerly followed behind, not even knowing where this enticing stranger was leading him. She entered a door labeled staff and Liam stepped in behind her. As the structure closed, Kyla flipped on a light and he realized they were in some kind of linen closet; he recognized the dark colors of the hanging shirts from the staff around the establishment. 
“Do you work here?” 
“Nope,” Kyla answered. 
Liam’s brows furrowed. “Then why—” 
Kyla suddenly lunged for Liam, capturing his lips with such intensity that he stumbled backward. After the shock wore off, he returned her energy with enthusiasm, happily swallowing her needy whines. He shamelessly wandered every crevice of her figure as she headed for the buttons of his shirt. 
Clothes flung everywhere within an instant, their lips never straying far from one another. As Liam completed his mission, he used his weight to pin Kyla against the wall, his middle finger eagerly seeking her slick folds. He easily glided through, teasing her clit for a moment before plunging deep inside. Kyla loudly moaned, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as Liam expertly worked her toward release. His lips caressed every inch of her neck and chest as she squirmed against his palm, the sensations from his ministrations forcing her to see stars.  
With a loud wail, Kyla came on his hand; he growled at the sounds of her pleasure, drowning out the music in the distance as he worked her through the high. The next instant he hoisted Kyla up, placing her back flat against the wall. Kyla shrieked, but it turned into a needy whimper as Liam’s swollen manhood circled her entrance; she tightly closed her eyes, anticipating the stretch from his impressive girth. 
“Look at me… I want you to watch as I personally make sure you’re on the naughty list…” Liam rumbled, the deep baritone in his voice vibrating Kyla’s chest. 
Kyla met his gaze. “Joke’s on you. I’m already on the naughty list.” She smirked. 
Her attention shifted to the shelf beside them, and Liam followed her inquisitive gaze. He spotted what gathered her attention and shook his head. “No…” 
“Come on, just wear the Santa hat for a little bit. Please?” Kyla pouted. “You can be Santa and I’ll be your — helper elf…” 
Liam snickered. “Or, you could be my ho ho ho…” 
They erupted with laughter, Kyla still securely held in Liam’s arms with his cock nudging against her abdomen. “This is the only time that joke will be appropriate.” She reached for the hat and placed it on his head, afterward admiring her handiwork. “... There.” 
“Better?” Liam smiled. 
“Mmmhmmm,” Kyla hummed but quickly captured his lips; it was soft and felt natural as if this were a normal occurrence. It rendered both speechless at the intimacy of the moment; nothing was demanding or hasty but gentle, comforting, and warm. They parted and shared a flushed grin, staring into the other’s gleaming eyes with heavy breaths, but they could not resist the burning fire of desire a moment longer.
 Kyla pulled him closer and pleaded, “Take me…” against his lips. 
Liam didn’t need to be told twice; he used the wall to help keep Kyla steady as he lined himself at her tight opening. Never breaking eye contact, he delicately broke the threshold, Kyla’s fingernails sinking in and creating crescents on his shoulder blades. Buried to the hilt, Liam stilled, using every ounce of willpower that he had not to tip over the ledge immediately. 
“Shit,” Liam groaned, as her velvety walls accommodated around him. “You’re so tight… So wet…” 
“Oh — OH God — Yes,” Kyla hissed through clenched teeth as Liam steadily built their pace. 
Sweat coated their bodies as a tidal wave of euphoria appeared on the horizon. Liam tried to control himself but his thrusts turned frenzied as the cliffs of completion neared dangerously close, but he wasn’t willing to jump until Kyla launched over first. 
“You’re a decent elf,” Liam started, as his thumb found her clit and circled with determination. “But I want you to be a good little ho and cum for me.”
Kyla reacted immediately; her back arched off the wall, pressing her pert nipples securely against Liam’s chest. Her legs quivered as a burst of fluid coated his pelvis, adding to the sounds of wet skin relentlessly slapping together. Kyla chanted his name, the intense high hitting like an abrupt wall and forcing all coherent thoughts away; the only thing she understood was Liam. 
As if her contracting around his dick wasn’t enough to do Liam in, hearing his name roll off her tongue did something to him; satisfaction swelled in his chest, creating a whole new rush of endorphins. With a few more labored thrusts he coated every inch of her spasming walls. His balls twitched as he rode wave after wave of pure, unfiltered bliss. 
He held Kyla’s hips as close as possible, but soon slipped his softening member out of her. He gently lowered her to the floor, offering a hand to assist as she got her bearings. They breathed heavy breaths as their pulses returned to a normal rate, but they did not make eye contact or speak as they dressed.  
Finally, it was Kyla who broke the silence as they finished with their garments. “I… I don’t normally do the whole hooking up thing…” 
“Me either,” Liam agreed, but that earned him a snort from Kyla. “What? I’m being serious!” 
“Please — you can’t be that fucking chiseled and not lay it down on the regular.” 
Liam smirked at her boldness. “Really — I never do this… Ever… It’s been quite a while for me, actually…” 
“Me too,” Kyla shyly admitted, but just as their gazes locked, the door abruptly flung open. 
“Hey! What’re you doing here?” A man in uniform suddenly appeared. “The sign was clear — staff only.” 
“Sorry!” Kyla squealed. “I lost my purse, and we were trying to find it.” 
“Well, it’s not in here — so beat it.” 
“Will do,” Kyla quickly answered, tugging on Liam’s sleeve to pull him along. 
Just as Liam made it to the doorway, the man suddenly froze with wide eyes. “Wait… Are — are you–” 
“Let’s go,” Liam grabbed Kyla’s hand and took off, not stopping until they were outside. As they made it he spotted Bastien waiting, and a conveniently placed cab pulled behind the SUV. 
Liam stopped before the vehicles and rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling vulnerable. “Kyla, I — I’d really like to see you again…” 
Kyla sighed heavily. “We’ll have to see what happens these next couple of weeks…” Liam nodded, but as his features fell, her chest constricted. “But I could give you my number… Then maybe if fate allows it, our paths will reconnect.” 
Liam smiled and exchanged devices with her. “Hopefully fate will be on our side, then…” The pair shared a flushed grin, but Liam soon led Kyla over to the waiting cab. He helped her inside but lingered before closing the door. “Hey, Kyla?” 
“Yeah?”
“... Merry Christmas.” 
Kyla fixed the askew hat that Liam forgot was on his head with a vibrant smile. “Merry Christmas, Santa.” 
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medicsmalewife · 3 months
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they're just besties, your honor ☝🏻
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this is the reference
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daisyblog · 1 day
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Birthday Twin
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Our Story Masterlist Summary: YN and Harry welcome their baby girl into the world.
Warning: labour, delivery, child birth, gas and air
11th of April 2024
35 weeks and 5 days pregnant
The Tomlinson family had all travelled to Doncaster for a few days of celebrating YN turning thirty. 
“Your last couple of days of being twenty nine Kiddo!”. Louis gently ruffled YN’s hair as he walked by her in their grandparents kitchen. Both filling their plates with some more food from the buffet spread their Nan had made. 
“Don’t remind me!” YN groaned as she reached over and put some extra sandwiches on her plate. 
“Fookin’ ‘ell, is baby girl hungry tonight?”. Louis joked as he watched his sister continue to fill her plate that was already slightly full of food. 
YN laughed as she looked at her plate compared to Louis. “Your niece is a foodie, what can I say?”. She naturally ran her hand over her large bump. 
“Can I?” Louis gestured towards her tummy, his way of asking if he could touch. When YN nodded, Louis placed his hand over bump. “‘ello little one, are you gonna come and meet us soon?”. 
“You’re going to spoil her rotten aren’t you?”. YN couldn’t help but smile at the small interaction. She had witnessed her brother as a brother, dad and uncle already and she could tell how much love he already had for her little girl. 
“Uh obviously, I just hope she comes before tour starts again.” 
---
12th of April 2024
35 weeks 6 days pregnant 
8:30am
YN suddenly woke from small niggles in her lower stomach, something she had been experiencing for a few weeks. She tried to ignore the dull ache and go back to sleep, but after tossing and turning, she gave in and got up. 
As she entered the kitchen she noticed her grandmother sitting at the table with a cup of tea in her hand. “Morning my love, you’re awake early!”. 
YN began to make herself a cup of tea, as she sat beside Jen. “Morning Nan, yeah braxton hicks again!”. 
“You’ve been having them a lot haven’t you darling?”. Jen had a concerned look on her face as she watched her eldest granddaughter stir her tea. 
YN only shrugged her shoulders. “Apparently it’s normal at this stage, I just didn’t realise how painful they could be”. 
11:00am
As the morning went on YN noticed how the niggles only continued and become a tad more painful. But not wanting to draw attention or to cause everyone to worry, especially Harry, she suggested her and Harry take Teddy for a walk.
They were walking through the quiet field, Teddy running just a bit in front of them, when YN stopped suddenly and held her tummy as a sharp pain caught her off guard.
“What’s wrong babe? Are you alright?” Harry immediately went into panic mode, worry evident all over his face. His hand protectively wrapped around her smaller frame. 
“Yeah, just cramp that’s all”. YN noticed Harry’s worried look, his eyebrows in a tight frown and tried her best to hide how much pain she was really in. “I’m fine, it’s braxton hicks again.”. 
Although Harry wasn’t fully convinced, they continued their walk before heading back to the house. 
2:00pm 
Within a few hours, the pain had gotten worse with YN baring her weight on anyone or anything to try and ease the pain. It was when YN cried out in pain, as she grabbed onto Louis’ hand, that Harry decided to take matters into his own hands. 
“I’m phoning the hospital, this can’t just be braxton hicks!” Harry announced as he began to dial the number on his phone. 
“Harry’s right Tiny, you’re in far too much pain for this not to be real labour”. Louis agreed with Harry, taking note at how much his sister was squeezing his hand. 
After phoning the hospital and explaining everything to the midwife, Harry was told that it sounded like YN was in early labour and they needed to monitor and time how quick she was having contractions. 
At this news Daisy, Phoebe and the other men decided to take Lucky and Olive to Phoebe and Jack’s house to give YN some space before she had to go to hospital. 
“Ahhhh!” YN cried out in pain as she held onto Harry for support. “This hurts so fookin’ much!”.
Harry rubbed circles on YN’s back, trying to comfort her as much as he could. “I know baby…but you’re doing so well.”.
“You’re doing so well YN”. Lottie praised her sister from where she sat next to Louis. “All the pain is worth it in the end, trust me”.
“Lottie’s right Tiny…just think you’ll be holding your baby sooner than you thought”. Louis gave Harry a small smile, knowing how special that moment will be for them both. 
5:30pm
With her contractions lasting around a minute and only being five minutes apart, YN found herself in the hospital with gas and air being her new best friend. 
YN was lying down on the bed, the gas and air attachment in her mouth as she breathed through another contraction. Harry sat on one side of the bed telling her how proud of her he was and saying how it wouldn’t be long until their little one would be here. 
“Harry…baby…I can’t do this!”. YN’s head hit the white plump pillow behind her, as the contraction ended. “I’m so tired already.”.
“You can do it and you are doing it”. Harry brushed some of her away from her face. “You’re making me so proud!”. 
“YN, you’re doing amazing and just remember nothing worth having is easy”. Lottie encouraged her sister, having been through labour and birth herself, she what to say. 
“Listen to your birthing partners YN, you’re doing amazing”. The midwife smiled proudly at how supportive and calm they both were. “How about trying to the birthing pool?”. 
Harry helped YN into the pool and instantly YN’s once tense body was now relaxed. In between contractions she began to make jokes about how she’s glad she had shaved her legs before that day. 
When the next contraction hit, Harry was quick to kneel down beside the pool and hold onto YN’s hand as she took in the gas and air to numb the pain. “That’s it, keep breathing through the pain, you’re doing so well love”. 
8:00pm
“So how did you two meet?”. The midwife began to make conversation with the couple as another contraction ended.
YN was back sitting on the bed, the attachment still in her hand whilst her other one held Harry’s. “He was my brother’s best friend”.
“Oh how interesting!” The midwife leaned forward in her chair, eager to hear more. “How did that go? You know breaking the news to him?”.
“Not well but he came around pretty quickly”. Harry explained as YN worked her way through another sharp pain. 
“I wouldn’t have listened even if he didn’t come around”. YN allowed the gas and air to do a little bit of talking. “Couldn’t resist the charm”. 
Before anyone could respond, a gush of water surrounded YN and turned the blue sheet below a darker shade. “And that’s your water breaking!” The midwife announced before she helps YN to clean herself up. 
11:45pm
The contractions were coming thick and fast, YN was attached to the gas and air more than ever and Harry tried to hide how hard she was squeezing his hand. 
“YN I’m going to exam you, is that alright darling?”. The midwife stood at the bottom on the bed, gloves covering her fingers ready for the examination. With YN’s permission, the midwife began to see how far YN was dilated. “Oh darling, I can feel baby’s head, do you feel like you-“.
Before the midwife finished; YN let out a small groan as she bore down and began to push. Harry was overwhelmed with joy, excitement but also nervousness that any minute now their whole world was about to change. 
“Keep listening to your body YN, you’re doing amazing my darling” the midwife encouraged as she continued to watch the baby’s head begin to crown. 
“Aww I can see her head!”. Lottie’s excited voice could be heard as she took in every moment of watching her niece being born. 
YN took a rest in between contractions before she needed to push again. “I love you  “. Harry placed a peck to YN’s forehead. 
“I love you too!”. 
0:01am
After several more pushes, Harry and Lottie were in awe as the tiny little baby appeared and was placed on YN’s bear chest. The tears streamed down YN and Harry’s cheeks. 
“Hello baby girl!”. YN held her daughter tight, and kissed her head gently. Despite all the pain YN was still in, a large smile covered her face as she looked down at the small version of herself and Harry.
“Baby girl born one minute past midnight on the thirteen of April, weighting six pound exactly”. The midwife announced to the three of them. 
Harry smiled down at his wife and newborn daughter. “Happy birthday baby!”. It was in that moment that YN had realised that their little girl was born on her thirtieth birthday. 
---
13th of April 2024
6 hours old
“Thank you.” Harry spoke into the quiet and calm room as he held their newborn in his bare arms. “You’re a real life superwoman for doing all that and bringing our girl into the world!”.
“I’d do it a thousand times again because she was totally worth it”. YN watched as Harry’s hand held onto the tiny newborn fingers. “I couldn’t have done it without you or Lotts though.”.
“She’s your double”. Harry smiled as he observed the little’s one features, all resembling her mother’s. “She looks like your Mum too!”. He gave YN a sad smile. 
YN didn’t want to get too emotional at the thought that her Mum wasn’t there to meet her daughter, so she tried to remain positive. “I think me Mum sent her as a birthday gift and it’s the best gift I’ve ever had”. 
---
Instagram Reel:
Made by Lottie
The black and white video begins, the sound of Heartbeat by James Arthur playing over it. 
YN is sat on the birthing ball, her hips moving slowly, in her grandparents living room. Harry kneeling down in front of her, holding her gently and whispering how well she’s doing. Louis is sat to her side, holding onto her hand and being a support whilst he can. 
In the hospital corridor, YN has her neck tucked into Harry’s chest as they stop to allow her to breathe through a contraction. Harry places small pecks to the top of her head. 
Sitting crossed leg on the bed, YN takes in the gas and air that she’s holding up to her mouth. Her eyes are closed as she’s breathing through each contraction. 
YN is in the birthing pool, the gas and air still attached to her hand has she takes in another breath, Harry is kneeling down by her side. She holds onto his hand, he looks on with a slight frown on his face as he watches his wife work through another contraction. 
Now lying on the bed, YN cradles her new born daughter to her chest, tears running down her and Harry’s face as they meet their little baby for the first time. Grace Johannah Robyn Styles had stolen their hearts and YN couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift. 
---
ynstyles
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liked by annetwist, lottietomlinson, and 5,634,543 others
ynstyles Grace Johannah Robyn Styles🤍 View all 15,788 comments
niallhoran Aww my little bestie❤️Can’t wait to meet her xx ⌞ ynstyles Little Grace is excited to meet her Uncle Niall!!
gemmastyles I’M AN AUNTIE🥰❤️Thank you both for blessing me with the most beautiful niece xx ⌞ynstyles AUNTIE GEM🩷
annetwist My family grows and my heart is so full❤️Congratulations my darlings! Grace is a beautiful little girl and I love you all very much xxx ⌞ynstyles We love you😘🥰Thank you for being the best Grandma already❤️
lottietomlinson Our beautiful Grace!! What a magical moment watching her come into the world. Love you all ❤️ ⌞ynstyles Thank you for being there every step of the way Lotts!! I’m so glad I got to share that special moment with you. Love you lots🩷
louist91 Can’t wait for more cuddles!! Proud of you both!! Grace is amazing!!xx ⌞ynstyles Grace loved her snuggles with Uncle Lou xxx ⌞harryfan3 Uncle Louis🥹 ⌞louisfan7 I bet Louis is the best uncle!!!!
zayn congrats guys! So happy for you. Big love x ⌞ynstyles Thanks Z! Hope to see you soon xx ⌞1dfan6 OMG!!! WE’RE GETTING A REUNION!
louteasdale 🥹🥹🥹Congratulations babes, can’t wait for a cuddle xx
liampayne Congratulations both. Can’t wait to meet her!
the.daisytomlinson Another precious niece to love🩷 So proud of you sis xx
thephoebetomlinson Olive’s little bestie🩷🩷
marktommo1111 Beyond proud❤️Another chapter begins!xx
mrlewisburton Congratulations to both of you. Welcome to parenthood❤️
sallietommo A precious baby girl! So proud of you beautiful girl❤️❤️❤️
perrieedwards Congratulations babes🩷Welcome to motherhood xx
pillowpersonpp Wow! What a cutie🥹
daniellepeazer Beautiful name🤍Can’t wait to meet her☺️
ryan.viggars ❤️
jefezoff Congrats guys! Very happy for you both!
j_corden A huge congratulations. Can’t wait to meet the little one
jack.varley7 Congrats guys!!
brianasrealaccount Congratulations Auntie YN and Uncle Harry. I can’t wait to meet baby Grace. I love you so much, love from Freddie❤️ ⌞ynstyles We can’t wait to see you Fred! Grace can’t wait for cuddles from her big cousin. Love and miss you soooooo much😘
Tag List:
@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @harrys-flower @platinumbarbie143 @frickin-bats @harrysbbyh0ney @chronicallybubbly @goldensunflowe-r  @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @kaverichauhan @peterholland04 @panicattheuc @or-was-it-just-a-dream @hittiesontour @bunnyharold @fanfictioncafe @lilfreakjez @iamahallucinationnn @theekyliepage @indierockgirrl @buckybarnessimpp @ashleighsss @jerseygirlinca @fake-coolbeans @itsmytimetoodream @treehouse-mouse
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the-offside-rule · 29 days
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Liam Lawson (Red Bull Reserve) - Sappy
Requested: yes
Prompt: 23) "I can't believe you're wearing my jumper."
Warnings: none tbh
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Liam woke up with a content smile, finding himself wrapped in the warmth of his girlfriend Y/n and the soft embrace of the morning sun that had managed to seep through the curtains. Y/n, still half-asleep, looked at him curiously throw just about closed eyes, seeing him smiling softly, his eyes scanning across her face. "Why are you so smiley?" She whispered, catching him off guard.
Liam chuckled, tracing his fingers along the outline of Y/n's face. "Because you're wearing my jumper and I cant believe it." He replied, a grin playing on his lips. Y/n raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the oversized garment she had borrowed for the night. "And that's a reason to be so happy?"
Liam nodded, pulling her closer. "It means you're mine, and there's nothing better than waking up next to you in my clothes." Y/n couldn't help but smile, feeling the warmth of his sentiment. They lingered in the cozy moment, wrapped up in each other. They blabbered endlessly for hours, enjoying the innocence of their newfound relationship. Liam, tracing circles on Y/n's hand, said, "Do you ever wonder what cats dream about?"
Y/n giggled. "Probably world domination and unlimited treats. What about you?" Liam shrugged. "I think dogs dream of endless belly rubs and chasing their tails." He replied, his eyes sparkling. "You are basically a golden retriever." Y/n smiled, ruffling his hair.
They shared a moment of laughter, their connection growing stronger with each shared giggle. Y/n looked at Liam and whispered, "If we were animals, what do you think we'd dream about?" Liam thought for a moment, looking into Y/n's eyes, and then he spoke. "I think we'd dream about mornings like this, where time stands still and it's just us, tangled up in each other. And then the sun makes the whole room look golden."
"You're so sappy as a boyfriend." She joked, before Liam pulled her closer and nuzzled into her. "I don't care to be perfectly honest." He sighed. "I've got you and that is enough for me."
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queenrileyrose · 2 years
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Wide Awake: Challenge Accepted (Happy Birthday @charlotteg234)
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Summary: Pictagram shenanigans with the Wide Awake gang.
A/N: Happiest of birthdays to sweet Char! ❤️❤️ You are amazing, hilarious, beyond brilliant, and I am so lucky to know you and call you a friend. I hope you have the best birthday! 🥳🎂
I was going to do a sequel to the snake in a boot, but @sfb123 found its soulmate and there’s no topping that. 🤣😂 I hope they’re very happy together somewhere.
A/N 2: These are Riana and Liam’s secret accounts, so all of Cordonia is not seeing what’s going down.
TW: puns
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Tags:
@alyssalauren @angelasscribbles @appleone @burnsoslow @charlotteg234 @choiceskatie @cordonian-literature @dcbbw @emkay512 @forallthatitsworth @foreverethereal123 @gabesmommie1130 @gardeningourmet @gkittylove99 @iaminlovewithtrr @kat-tia801 @kingliam2019 @ladyangel70 @lovingchoices14 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @mom2000aggie @originaljudgepiepaper @pixelatedpassion @platapirexy @princessleac1 @queenwalton @royalpest @tessa-liam @texaskitten30 @thegreentwin @trrfanaddict @21-wishes
TRR/TRH: @jared2612 @sfb123
Liam x MC\OC: @cordonia-gothqueen @jared2612 @ofpixelsandscribbles
Wide Awake: @petiteboheme
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