king lmao

KING: i will willingly pick up horse poop if that's what it takes

KING: i don't think anyone besides you would appreciate it as much as i do

king chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “well, i never did get to go to prom outside of a television show, so that could be a good life experience to replicate.” he took her hand and led her down the carpet a little further, towards the next section of cameras, then turned his body towards hers again -- walk, pose, repeat. king had been walking red carpets since he physically learned how to walk, so it was almost mechanical at this point. riley was making it fun, though, which was definitely helpful, with it being his first red carpet after his tenure in the peace corps. “you ready for the inevitable interview?” he asked, hand falling to the small of her back.

“hey, don’t do that,” he said, giving her a sad smile from behind his tower. “don’t sell yourself short. you’re a great person and you were a good girlfriend; what happened was in no way your fault. i was just... going through some stuff. which is a terrible excuse, but it’s all i got.” he sighed, wishing he could tug a hand through his hair or drum his fingers against his legs or any number of his nervous ticks which all required use of his hands. “i mean, i ran off to guyana shortly after, so impulsive decisions were kinda my thing at the time. so yeah -- not your fault in the slightest. you deserve a lot better than me.”

“what’s that saying? ‘sleep is for the weak’? i think they’re taking it a little too literally, but what can i say? the people at the bottom get the least.” it shouldn’t have bothered him when pip mentioned spencer -- they’d been dating since before he got back, and pip was happy which usually meant king was happy. so why didn’t he feel happy? “greek maybe? i’ve been craving gyros all week,” he said, pushing down whatever it was he was feeling. “i’m actually off after this coffee run, so my hibernation is starting within the hour. nudge me awake when you get home so i can see your face outside of the lot?”

“i don’t think i’ve seen a more adorable back of the head in my life,” king crooned, handing the list of coffee orders to the barista. “riley’s comes pretty close, though,” he added as an afterthought. he felt himself almost lean into her touch -- almost -- before the featherlight touch disappeared again. “i’ll probably head home, actually,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “don’t get me wrong, your trailer’s great and all, but i miss my bed. and this work marathon calls for a sleep, not a nap.” he glanced down at pip, nudging her with his elbow. “you saying this isn’t a real job? sure, it’s not as glamorous as what i used to do, but -- i don’t know, i feel like i’m actually doing something now. sure, i’m exhausted as all hell, but i somehow feel like less of a zombie than i did before.”

balancing a tower of drink trays in his arms, king sent callie another grateful smile. “thanks again, by the way; i think three drink trays is my max.” he started the slow, careful walk back to the lot, he peeked around the tower so he could see where he was walking. “seriously. after the way i treated you before i left, i wouldn’t have blamed you if you ignored my text altogether.” // @calliexheadey

king slipped an arm around riley’s waist, carefully angling his body towards the bright flashes in front of them. the premiere of his dad’s newest movie was their first real event as a couple, and he knew the pressure on them was palpable -- maybe more for her than him. he pressed a kiss to her hair, murmuring into it. “relax; you look beautiful and everyone’s gonna love us.” // @rileygrxy

approaching the coffee cart, king saw the familiar form of his best friend and smiled. once he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and gave her a tight squeeze. “you’re a sight for sore eyes,” he said, resting his chin on top of her head. “thanks for meeting me; i’m pretty sure i’m about to fall over.” // @pvnelopes

“oh, it’s always a good morning when i get to start it ushering you to set,” he drawled, giving her a sickly sweet smile. he made no move to change his pace, shoving a hand deep into his pocket instead. “since one of my steps is about three of yours, i wouldn’t worry so much about my pace.”

king pressed his lips together, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “i have a text message from less than five minutes ago that says otherwise,” he said, taking a few steps in and setting the coffee down on her desk. “it’s already paid for, so you can dump it in your ficus for all i care.” already on his way out, he turned when she spoke again, pursing his lips as his eyebrows raised. “yeah, i can smell the vodka on your breath from all the way over here. i don’t mean to insult your process, but some people higher up than me might not like it so much.”

king: i'm honored

king: but this is my last task before i'm being released and then i'm gonna sleep for three days straight