l o v e l e s s

Greer fingered the diamond ring hanging around her neck as she rushed through the various halls - this place was a fucking maze and cozy corners and stone steps of the castles at home. The edge of the stone was sharp, biting into the pad of her thumb like a penance. But Roshan was here now and understood innately, always had. She picked up her pace. 

The door was cracked and she entered without knocking, rushing to hug the duchess who was one of the main reasons she’d survived the last year. Greer pulled back slightly, taking in their face and all the echoes of Aslan. She looked preoccupied, tired even - but then weren’t they all? Pulling back to give them some space, Greer still gripped Roshan’s hand like the lifeline it was. 

(alexa play right where you left me by taylor swift) 

Time, it seemed, had stopped. Even though Aurélie knew it couldn’t have and she had the time stamped texts to prove it; the very air in her lungs had frozen and shattered on the tiles. She couldn’t hear herself gasping for air, only the empty silence of the eternal moment. 

Vaguely she thought, hoped perhaps, that this temporal anomaly meant that she was in fact still asleep, or so fucking high that she was hallucinating (it had happened before) and that the letter was not real. And once this delusion passed and took with it the last shard of optimism, Aurélie supposed she could exist in this moment where it was still not entirely real - a fantasy where things were exactly how they were supposed to be and she would not have to face the consequences of his selfishness, not have reckon with the cruel & messy emotions haunting the corners of this room and her mind and if she just held her breath for another instance it would stay away and she could remain numb and safe.....

Ausra’s blush deepened instantly when he smirked. There was something so attractive about the look and she couldn’t quite place why. Perhaps it had something to do with how vaguely predatory he looked and the sudden desire she had for him to hunt her. That probably wasn’t a great subject to start with though, and biting her lip she glanced away from him for a moment. 

She passed by him heading into the room with a small skip, almost instantly turning back to look at him. She had an answer prepared, but as his finger tilted her chin up, she instead just gasped softly, looking up at him from under her lashes. “I just…didn’t want to leave you waiting.” More like she didn’t want to have to wait any longer than she had to herself. A little disappointed when he removed his hand it went away instantly as he instead found her hair to play with. She liked having her hair played with, especially by Freddie. “You like it?” she asked, glancing down as she smoothed her skirts. “I was worried it might be too much. Though, at least if you like the dress, hopefully you’ll like what’s under it too,” she joked with a soft laugh. Or half joked. That was really the outfit she cared about him liking if she was being honest. “I thought you said we shouldn’t drink? …but I would, yes. And I’ll wait for you to sit before I do.” Grinning, she took his hand, gently placing it back in her hair before leaning up on her toes to gently kiss him on the cheek. “I liked that, you can keep doing it,” she added softly. 

Freddie watched with almost awe as her cheeks flushed deeper pink, he wanted to trace his fingers across her cheekbones to feel the heat that must be there and ask her exactly what it was that had her so flushed. Which, in turn, would only make it worse. Not that he’d ever complain, even after such a short time together he loved to watch the emotions play across her face. 

“It’s not a concern,” he brushed his thumb across her cheek lightly, you’re worth the wait - he wanted to say, but for some reason couldn’t. Everything was too delicate, this moment and perhaps (if he were inclined to such dramatizations) their future balanced on the precipice of something. As much as he resented his father and this choice being taken from him, Freddie was surprised by how much he wanted this to work. How much he wanted to be worthy of the dazzled looks she gave him. 

“It’s perfect,” he was going to say more but she caught him off guard with her comments, so perfectly Ausra second guessing herself and teasing in the same sentence. Freddie laughed lightly, giving the lock of hair between his fingers a little tug. “Little tease, I should have known.” 

“I said we shouldn’t be drunk,” he corrected, doing his best to keep a pedantic edge out of his voice. But the reasons why seemed to vanish as Ausra pulled his hand back to her hair and pressed up on her toes to kiss his cheek. Quickly, Freddie snaked an arm around her waist holding her against him and used the hand she’d wanted in her hair to catch her face, pulling her lips towards his for a quick searing kiss. 

Late nights on the computer doing things none of her family knew about typically left Ophélie feeling proud of her work. It was the one thing she had to herself. Anything else in the Vanderbilt family was shared and compared to her siblings. Eloise, the baby of the family (once her position), and Bertenius, the murderous pride and joy of their father. Fee, on the other hand, was just…Fee. The middle child, too smart for her own good with a knack for pissing people off.

As her name was called, the young woman made her way to the counter to pick up her unexciting cup of plain coffee and make her way back into the bright and sunny world that lie just beyond the four walls of the coffee shop. The yawn and the stretch with a sudden block of her path sent Fee’s steaming hot cup of coffee on both her and the person squealing the word ‘fuck’ in front of her; a squeal Fee had heard before. A squeal from…”You have got to be fucking kidding me…”

Stepping back, she dropped her head and growled Eloise’s name in anger as she felt scalding bean juice scorching her skin through her clothes.

~

Eloise turned around quickly at the sound of her name, the smile from recognition of her sister’s voice quickly disappeared into a wide eyed frown at the tone. Really this whole thing was an accident, surely Fee knew that. And besides, Eloise was her little sister - she couldn’t be too angry with her, right? 

“Oh, Fee I am so sorry!” She grabbed several napkins from the dispenser on the table and offered them to her sister. “I didn’t mean too! Are you ok? See this is why you should drink iced coffee, it’s not gonna betray you like this.” 

@gracelandwritestoo​ (For Delilah)​

Location: Quantico graduate event - Two years ago

It hadn’t even really hit Clarke yet. He was officially an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A dream of his since he made detective five years ago. It was hard to even enjoy himself here at the party Quantico threw for all the graduates. His mind continuing to wander off to all the work he needed to catch up on once he arrived to the organized crime unit on Monday.

The only exception being the beautiful woman he kept bumping in to all night. She had introduced herself as the senator’s daughter and when his mind wasn’t worrying about living up to the high bar he set for himself, it was on her. And what he could possibly say to get her number. 

He was running out of time as the event was dwindling down. Most of the attendees already outside at the valet. “You know I am a detective. I notice when someone is following me.” He joked as they once again found themselves together at the bar. “Can I get you a drink? I’d offer to pay - but it’s an open bar.”

~

Delilah was playing the good daughter tonight, however begrudgingly, and this wasn’t the worst possible event she could have consented to. At least it wasn’t a fucking fundraiser for her father’s frankly impressive war chest or one of his proteges in the party that she’d long ago turned her back on. New FBI agents had the possibility to be entertaining and the open bar never hurt. 

In her efforts to avoid getting sucked into a conversation with her father and his fans, Delilah drifted, never staying in one place for very long. Occasionally she’d catch herself in a reflective surface, a freshly blonde stranger nursing the echo of a guilt-ridden heart and a glass whiskey. Even then, she’d managed to dazzle and along the way fixated on a certain man who she now saw standing at the bar. 

“Detective?” Delilah arched a brow, “and here I thought this whole thing was to celebrate y’all being agents, quite a step up if you ask me.” The blonde smiled sweetly and finished off the last swallow of her drink, setting the glass down and leaning a bit closer. “They always cheap out at these things, I’m fairly certain my father brought his own,” the soft lilt of her voice did not match the flicker of annoyance across her eyes. “And if you’d still like to buy me a drink, Agent, I’m sure there are any number of other, more interesting places nearby we could go...” 

Location: Fight Night at The Kumiho Casino and Resort

Carson had been looking forward to this night for a little while. Mostly because it was an opportunity to make some extra cash. And the man never turned away at the prospects of money. As a kid in the system for most of his life, he knew how to fight and knew how to take a punch. A black eye or a cut up lip was nothing for him. So there wasn’t much of a downside to getting roughened up if it ended in a pay day. 

After fucking up at his congress job, he had a lot to prove to his boss - Daddy Vanderbilt himself. He needed to show his worth and be set free from babysitting duty. And the night was already starting off well. Carson winning his first fight in the ring. He moved to the wall, leaning on it as he counted the stack of cash in his hands. “Got to love America. You lot’s love of violence is so beneficial for me.”

~

In retrospect, Eloise very much regretted coming to Fight Night. Of course she looked fucking incredible, the gratuitous violence provided the perfect excuse to curl up on Andrei’s lap, and the combination of cocaine and champagne had her just fucked up enough to try and ignore the fact that her father, stepmother, and siblings were all here and all clearly very comfortable with and aware of just how fucked up this all was. Nope, that was something to be dealt with at a later time--Eloise had never been any good with anger--for now she needed another drink. And several more bumps. 

Luckily her darling Tillie had more than provided, and after a whispered excuse to Andrei for a quick trip to the ladies - Eloise relished in that cocaine numbness, nails tapping a rapid staccato against a pair of freshly poured champagne flutes. The blonde paused and took a sip, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head lightly to clear any lingering doubts when a familiar voice pierced through the crowd. 

“Frankly I think it’s barbaric,” Eloise stuck her nose in the air, emulating the expression her mother wore in one of the few pictures of the woman that still existed in the main house. “Your face better not be too messed up when you drive me around later this week, what are people at the company going to think?” 

Wes wasn’t sure how long his head had been resting in his hand, only that the pressure of his elbow against the couch’s finely-upholstered arm was beginning to send pins-and-needles up his own. Still, the feeling was preferable to anything and everything else that was weighing on him—the doubt, the unease, the frustration, the hurt…the guilt. And yet, the sensation did little to prevent every message Aur had sent to him from echoing through his mind, as if the scathing words had come straight from her lips. 

Wes had tried—god knows he’d tried—to play his part in the incident of the missing royal with as little an impact on Aurélie as possible. He’d tried not to worry her, to give her no reason to leave the palace grounds while they searched, all in the interest of keeping her calm and safe. He’d even tried to get out ahead of the news when it broke—to let Aur hear the truth from him first. But Bri had beat him to it. She’d had to. Aur’s rising panic hadn’t given her a choice, and somewhere buried beneath his more pressing emotions, Wes was grateful for Bri’s intervention. But from Aur’s very first subsequent message, Wes had felt the crushing weight of failure come to bear on his shoulders—the weight ot Aur’s trust in him fracturing, and the weight of the need to mend the cracks. That weight only pressed down further as he heard the door click open.

He merely watched from his seat as she swept into the room, ebbing and flowing with the tide of whatever was pulsing through her veins as her words bit into him like knives. On a better day, he might’ve had some semblance of armour against them. Today, however, he had none—neither the desire to build it nor the energy left to do so. And so the words slipped between his bones as Aur perched herself on what had likely been the first elevated surface to catch her inebriated eye. Again Wes watched in patient silence as she vanquished her smuggled treat, distantly grateful that she was, in fact, eating something. As the clock ticked down towards her mouth being free to cut at him again, Wes leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees—hands clasped, knuckles white. Then she turned her piercing eyes on him, and he braced for impact.

The words landed. Wes dropped his gaze, shaking his head. 

“I’m not perfect, Aur. I can’t be. But god knows I try, every damn day.” He paused a moment and sighed, then raised his eyes. They couldn’t help but soften towards her, and neither could his voice. “Sometimes I’m going to make choices you disagree with, I’m going to do things you don’t like, but it’s all to keep you safe. That doesn’t mean you can’t trust me. It doesn’t mean you’re losing me.” he said. “You can be as furious as you want. I’m not going anywhere.”

~

Anger is a messy emotion, her mother’s voice echoed through her mind. Even now thousands of miles away from the woman who’d sharpened Aurélie into the finest tool and aimed her at their allies - those lesson still lingered deep in her marrow. Somewhere in that inebriated mind, she was already sorting out how best to handle this - the rational self preservation digging a deeper hole to bury the pain and justifying the actions she’d take to find a sliver of control over her own life again. But under all this armor was just more anger - cold and cruel and icy sharp, aimed to strike out at the first person who shattered the porcelain facade. 

“Stop being so fucking nice to me.” She tried to snap but it came out pleading, which only increased her anger. Aurêlie let out a groan of frustration. “I am not crazy! I am allowed to be angry, stop being nice to me and let me be fucking angry! Fight back, you fucking asshole.” She threw the napkin at him, well more in his direction, and then when it crumpled to the floor pathetically the dauphine screamed in a rage. He was too forgiving, too rational - she knew she’d end up giving in because she’d always gone for the easiest path.

So she did what any self respecting monarch would do and stood on the table. 

“No - don’t you dare give me that shit. This wasn’t making choices I disagree with because in order to disagree with something - I have to know what the fuck it is!” She shouted the last bit. “Fuck you - lying doesn’t keep anyone safe; deliberately withholding important information doesn’t make you a good guard, it just makes you like them. Thinking I’m too stupid and fragile and reckless to do or know anything important.” 

And then she broke - something bone deep shattered and she collapsed into sobs on the table. Because that’s what it really was about - another person she loved tucking her away as a liability, someone who couldn’t be trusted with actual, useful information. Wasn’t that a major part of the reason why she’d spent her day following Zeke down his depraved rabbit hole? Sex and drugs and demanding attention, that was what they’d relegated her too - all that she was deemed ‘good at’. And there he was, Wes - her last little glimmer of hope, doing the exact same thing. 

“It’s fine,” her voice shook and she didn’t move from where her face was pressed against her knees. “I will be fine. I always am. Just leave me be and in the morning it will be like nothing happened. I didn’t even break anything this time.” 

Eren had been pouring over documents and letters, trying to make heads and tails of various manifests and laws. This was impossible. How was he supposed to prepare to be the next king of Turkey while he was miles away. He understood that it was for their safety; however, he couldn’t help but he felt helpless. He wanted to help his country and the people who weren’t as fortunate as him and his family. Unfortunately, his hands were left tied.

He let out a sigh and ran his hand over his face as his wife approached him from behind. “Nothing, aşkım. I promise. I’ll come to bed now. There’s no use in trying to decipher these texts anymore anyways,” Eren assured her as he tilted his head back. “Tell me about your day. Please tell me you had less politics to deal with than I did.”

~

Her eyes quickly scanned the jumble of documents across his desk - nearly all in Turkish but she knew enough to catch the heavy legal jargon that no person who wasn’t a law student should be subjected to after sunset. Pilar had come at the right moment, it seemed, and she almost wished she’d come sooner to coax him into bedtime stories for the twins. He hated being this far from home, she knew that just as she knew him - and it broke her heart to see Eren look this frustrated. 

“Can I help in the morning?” He tilted his head back and she kissed him once more, resisting the urge to sink into his lap. If she did that they wouldn’t make it to the bedroom anytime soon, and as enticing as that idea was Pilar wanted to get him as far from work as she could. “I’ll only tell you if you get up now and come with me, otherwise we will get stuck here.” She smirked, reaching out the grab his hands and pull him up towards the door and their actual bedroom. “Uhm, the political intrigue and complexities of primary school should not be underestimated. But not to fear, our darling children natural born leaders, just like their father.” 

“No, listen to me you mini terrors, your momma gonna kick my as- butt if I let you have more sweets. Ah, now you both know there’s no way that pout is going to work on me.“ He crossed his arms and looked away from the twins, but their stares were creating holes in him as his resolve broke. “Fine…“ he took a couple of Tulumba pieces from a dish that he had specifically put up high from their greedy hands and gave them to the twins. “Now run and hide before your mother catches you with them,“ he instructed watching them run to their room and he smirked, turning to be face to face with Pilar. “….How… long have you been standing there, Sis?“ Busted. @gracelandwritestoo​

Pilar adored Ramesh, there was no one else outside of the family who she trusted implicitly with her children. Still, as she lingered in the doorway watching the six year olds stare down a man who was three times their size and win - Pilar stifled her laughter and winked at her daughter. The smile remained as he turned around, she raised an eyebrow at her friend. 

“What do we say to Tio?” She turned to look at the twins, hands on her hips. They looked up from the candy they were shoving in their mouths and screamed “Thank you!” before promptly running off. Pilar turned to look at Ramesh. “I was just telling Eren they needed to go to the dentist, he we will be so pleased you’ve volunteered to take them. Thank you!” 

@gracelandwritestoo​ | When he’d woken up, Andrei had no idea the day would have spiraled into the mess it was suddenly. A pleasant one, a beautiful one in its own way. Little had occurred outside of the norm, from work to preparing for an assignment, to the random check-in with those who were mildly significant. Then Eloise had decided to text him and, well, the day had changed.

Pulling up to the clinic in his car, he killed the engine and exited, keen eyes finding her and vaguely grateful he knew enough self-control to not entirely look a fool. A small, easy smile appeared as Andrei opened the passenger seat and waited. “The groomer will drop her off at my place later tonight before we go to dinner,” he stated in greeting and didn’t hesitate to let his eyes slowly roam over her, hunger darkening the blue, even when he took the carrier and gently placed Aurora in the backseat. 

“Hold still,” he finally said as he shifted, trapping Eloise between the car and himself. “I can’t wait, so just let me.” With that low grumble, Andrei cupped her face and leaned in to test, try, and enjoy.

~

It started, as most things with her tended to, from boredom. Eloise had been crushing on him for weeks - she had a particular habit of getting attached to people after meeting them once or twice. It concerned her brother, Eloise knew, and would probably concern her father if he knew and of that she was not sure nor did she really want to know. It was better, this way, not knowing. Eloise loved her gossamer bubble and would do nothing to burst it. 

Still, the blonde was rather pleased with how well this had gone for her. Sure she was carrying her very annoyed cat down the block in a skirt that was almost to short for the early afternoon and had more or less lied to her family - fuck she needed to remember to turn her location off, thanks Niobe. But it would be worth it, and it almost was just then - seeing how effortlessly cool he looked pulling up in that car. It really wasn’t as old as he made it seem, Eloise should mention that later, maybe. But now she was too busy trying not to shiver with want - no it was need - under his gaze, nodding obediently as he took her fussy cat and placed the carrier in the backseat. 

“Where are we going to dinner?” Eloise wasn’t actually all that interested in the answer, but it was something to say to make her seem like she still had a grip on her self control while Andrei trapped her against the car. “Let you what -” the question was cut off easily by his hands cupping her face and the crush of his lips into hers. She gasped with want and melted into his body, pressing up on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss and looping her arms around his neck. His lips were surprisingly soft compared to the light scratch of his beard, she tried not to think about how good that would feel between her thighs and failed, letting out a needy little moan. Eloise summoned all of her remaining willpower (it was very little) and pulled away, flushed and panting slightly. 

“You know,” she commented, going for the absolute picture of indifference as if they both didn’t know how badly she wanted him to pick her up or bend her over the hood of his car - nope, getting distracted, focus Eloise. “Maybe don’t tell people how old your car is, I was totally expecting something way worse, this is actually very cute.”