#liam fic

Money doesn’t stretch far these days. You’ve learned how to make it behave. Bills first. Food next. Everything else is whatever’s left over, if anything is left over.

That “extra” usually becomes something small. A LEGO set. Nothing big. Nothing you have to justify too much. You tell yourself it’s enough. It usually is. It distracts you from the world, helps your mind calm for those 20 minutes or so.

Liam notices things you don’t say out loud. Not in a loud way. Not in a showy way. Just… quietly. Like the way you turn the box over in your hands before opening it when you can afford some Lego. Or how you don’t rush the build. How you slow down when you’re focused, like the rest of the world doesn’t matter for a while.

You’ve caught him watching before.

“You staring?” you asked once.

“Thinking,” he said.

“About what?” He just smiled & walked away. That’s as close as you get to an answer. Liam was you man. Mysterious & dangerous but also would take a bullet for you.

Tonight is late when he comes home. Too late for how tired you are.

You’re on the sofa already, half-finished Lego flowers spread out on the table, small pieces carefully lined up like they matter more than they probably should.

The door clicks open. You look up immediately.

Liam steps in like he always does, calm, controlled, like the night belongs to him.

He shuts the door behind him with his foot.

“Hey,” you say softly.

“Hey, baby.”

His voice is easy. Like he hasn’t just come from whatever world he lives in when he disappears. You sit up slightly.

“You’re late.”

“Job ran long.” Of course it did. But he doesn’t sound in pain or stressed so clearly it went well.

You nod, trying not to read too much into it, but your eyes flick to him anyway.

That’s when you see it. The bag. Big. Heavy. Yellow. Definitely not something he left with.

You frown slightly.

“What’s that?”

He follows your gaze, then looks back at you like he’s already decided how this goes.

“Well paid job,” he says.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“It answers enough.”

You stare at him. He doesn’t move. Just holds your gaze like he’s waiting for you to catch up.

“…Liam.”

“Open it.”

That tone.Simple. Certain.

You hesitate for half a second longer than you mean to, then get up.

The bag is heavier than expected when you pull it closer. You glance at him once more. He just nods. Permission.

You open it & freeze.Because you know that box.

You’ve seen it a hundred times in shops. Online. In passing conversations you never really thought meant anything.

The Millennium Falcon. The big one.

Your breath catches before you can stop it.

“…Liam.”

He doesn’t say anything. Just watches you. Carefully.

You pull it out properly, staring at it like it might disappear if you blink too hard.

“This is…”you laugh under your breath, disbelieving. “This is insane.”

“Yeah,” he says simply.

“You didn’t have to…”

“I did.”

That makes you look up at him. Properly.

“You can’t just bring home something like this.”

“I can.”

“I was fine with the small sets.”

“I know.”

That stops you. You blink.

“…you know?”He shrugs.

“I’ve seen you.” Something shifts in your chest at that. Small but sharp.

“You’ve been watching me build LEGO?”

“I watch you a lot of things,” he says, like it’s nothing at all.

You look back down at the box again, hands still on it, like it anchors you.

“That’s ridiculous,” you say quietly.

“Probably.”

You shake your head, trying to process it.

“This is… so expensive.”

“I know.”

“& you just… what…decided to get it?”

His gaze doesn’t move from you.

“Yeah.”

There’s no explanation after that. No defence. Just certainty. Like that’s all there is to it.

You laugh once, breathless, still holding the box.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Yeah,” he says, stepping closer now. “I’ve heard that.”

You should probably say something else. Something normal. Ask about why not spend the money from this clearly well paid job on something more important. You don’t.

Instead, you set the box down carefully & close the distance between you in one quick step.

Your arms wrap around him before you even think about it. He catches you instantly. Of course he does.

Hands settling at your waist like it’s automatic, like he already knew this was coming.

“You’re insane,” you murmur into his shoulder.

“Mm,” he replies. “You said that already.”

“You bought me the Falcon.”

“I did.”

“The Big Falcon.”

“I’m aware.”

You pull back just enough to look at him. There’s something in your face you don’t bother hiding.

“Why?”

That’s the first time he hesitates. Just slightly.

“I saw you looking at it,” he says. “For months, every time we walk past that shop.”

Simple.

Honest.

“That’s it?” He nods once. That’s it.

Your breath catches again, softer this time.

Then you laugh, small, real & shake your head.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Yeah.”

You don’t overthink it. You just kiss him. Quick at first. Then deeper when he doesn’t pull away.

His hand tightens slightly at your waist, pulling you closer like he’s not interested in letting go anytime soon.

When you break apart, you’re both still too close.

“You’re helping me build it,” you say. He huffs a quiet laugh.

“Am I?”

“Yes.”

“That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“You don’t get to bring home a Millennium Falcon & walk away from consequences.”

That earns you a proper smile this time.

“Guess I’m staying then.” You soften.

“Yeah,” you say.

His hand stays at your waist a second longer than necessary.

np tagging @theotherbuckley @hippolotamus @daffi-990 @bigfootsmom @bidisasterevankinard

@cal-daisies-and-briars @thekristen999 @loucifersbitch @actuallyitsellie @perfectlysunny02

@bucksbignaturals @slightlyobsessedwitheverything @crashthatcopter @bibuckbuckgoose @holidayslinger

@inell @steadfastsaturnsrings @bekkachaos @kitteneddiediaz @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove

@exhuastedpigeon @rainbow-nerdss @jesuisici33 @aroeddiediaz @monsterrae1

~THE ROYAL ROMANCE~

Liam:

Liam and Riley lay comfortably in their lavish bedroom inside the Royal Palace. “We don’t have a name for you just yet, Little Love,” Liam murmured quietly, not to wake Riley after she’d finally managed to drift off to sleep after a war with her pregnancy-induced insomnia. Liam gently laid his large hand over Riley’s protruding stomach. “...But we can’t wait to meet you, Princess, and neither can any of our friends. You are going to be so loved, you already are-”

“Li?”

Liam started to panic, he’d woken her but he hadn’t meant to. When he looked up Riley was grinning widely but sleepily. “Yes, Love?”

“You are so adorable,” Riley laughed as Liam leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips.

“So are you.”

Drake:

He couldn’t stop smiling which was a very welcomed change. The permanent smile only grew when the couple discovered they’re having a little girl.

“It tickles!” Riley squealed as Drake continued peppering kisses on her bare stomach.

“I can’t wait to meet her,” Drake said truthfully, the grin growing if that was even possible. Riley took his hands as he look up at her, both of them smiling wildly.

“Neither can I.”

Maxwell:

“Dancing Shoes, Max?” Riley questioned as she took the teeny tiny shoes out of their box. She side-eyed her husband, “She’s hasn’t even been born yet…What if she doesn’t like dancing?”

Maxwell looked rather offended at his wife’s question. “Of course, she will. I’m her dad.” Maxwell came to stand behind Riley, wrapping her arms around her waist and putting on his hands on her protruding bump. He felt a powerful kick against his hands. “That is unborn baby for ‘I love dancing, dad.’ Isn’t that right Tiny Blossom?” She kicked against him again. “See, she’s agrees with me.”

~OPEN HEART~

Ethan:

Ethan couldn’t sleep. Today had been simply one of the best days of his life. He turned over onto his side to face Casey who was sleeping sounding. Her eyes drifted down to her belly.

“It’s been a really long day,” Ethan whispered, “But one of the best by far. We heard your heartbeat today…” He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. “I never thought I’d have children. It just wasn’t in the cards for me but then your mom came along and everything changed.” Ethan gently laid a hand on her tummy, careful not to wake her. “I can’t wait to meet you.”

“Ethan?” He immediately stopped talking, embarrassed he’d been caught. “What time is it?” She asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

He glanced at the clock, “Nearly midnight.”

“What are you doing?” Casey questioned, noticing his hand on her belly.

Ethan cleared his throat, his cheeks flushing crimson, “I’m having alone time with the baby. Now, go to sleep, Rookie.”  

Bryce:

“You’re gonna be the coolest kid,” Bryce insisted as he leaned over on the couch so he was closer to Casey’s belly. “I mean you already are and  I bet you’re going to be gorgeous. Just like your mom.”

“Are you seriously talking to my belly again?” Casey asked, looking down at Bryce with a raised brow.

“Case, she needs to recognise my voice without hesitation when she pops out,” Bryce explained, “She should hear me and immediately know who I am.”

“Babe, you’ve been talking to her none stop- even before she had ears. She’ll know who you are.”

Bryce grinned and placed his hand on her belly. Both their eyes immediately went wide when their daughter kicked harshly against Bryce’s hand. They both shared excited glances. “Did she just-”

“Yeah,” Casey confirmed, letting out a small giggle  “That felt so weird.”

“The first kick was for me,” Bryce insisted, with a big, smug, excited grin plastered across his face.

“Technically, she kicked both of us.” Casey shifted in her seat, her hand going to her belly when it happened again. “That’s so weird,” She laughed, “Gosh, she’s a rowdy little monkey,” She giggled as it continued.

Bryce leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips.  “I’m her favourite though,” he decided as he pulled away.

“You can keep telling yourself that  buddy but It won’t make it true.”

____________________________________________-

 You closed your eyes and turned your head to nuzzle at his neck. You and took a deep breath, Liam smelled so good and it always made you feel safe to smell him. You knew nothing bad could happen when you were in his arms. You opened your eyes and pressed a soft kiss to the side of his neck before you took another deep breath and sighed loudly. 

One of Liam's hand made its way under your tank top, he rested it on your stomach, his thumb slowly tracing circles on your skin but not moving otherwise. A shiver ran through your body and you let your eyes fall shut again and pressed another open mouth kiss on his neck. Liam sighed and his hand moved higher, it was now right under your left boob. Liam was teasing you, you knew it. You were not in the mood for teasing. You took his hand and moved it up so he was cupping your breast and Liam let out a soft chuckle. He palmed it gently, letting his thumb rubs your nipple until it hardened under it. It felt great. 

Liam turned his head and captured your lips in a soft kiss. You immediately opened your mouth and sucked on his tongue. He moved his hand to your right boob and you moaned into the kiss when he rolled your nipple between his thumb and forefinger. 

“Would it made you feel better if I ate you out?” he whispered against your lips. He knew you too well and knew exactly what would put you in a better mood. You nodded and you suddenly felt hot all over and you needed your pajama pants gone. Liam smiled and removed his hands from under your tank top and he took you by your hips. Gently he laid you down on the couch under him. He pecked your lips gently before he kissed your neck, sucking a mark, making you whimper. His hands pushed your tank top up and you lifted your arms to help Liam get rid of it. The cold air made you shiver and Liam leaned it and kissed your chest, he started at your collarbones, nipping gently at the skin. He kept kissing his way down until he reached your breast. He circled your left nipple with the tip of his tongue before sucking it harshly between his plush lips. His hand was on your other boob, palming it while he kept sucking on your nipple, making your back arch from the couch. He kissed his way between your breast and he replaced his hand by his mouth, giving the same treatment to your right nipple. His left hand was slowly trailing down your ribs making your skin tingle. You sighed when he let go of your nipple but he kept kissing his way lower, peppering kisses all over your stomach. Both of his hands were on your hips and you pushed them up, a subtle hint that you wanted your pants gone already.

“Be patient, love,” he laughed and you glared at him. 

Liam hooked his fingers in the elastic band of your pajama pants and slowly started to lower them down revealing a pair of lacy black knickers. Liam looked up and smirked but he said nothing. You had been feeling like shit all day and you loved wearing thing that made you feel good about yourself in these moments, so you had decided to slip in one of your favourite pair of sexy underwear. It also happened to be Liam's favourite. Liam rapidly place a kiss under your belly button and kept lowering your pants down. Once they reached your ankles, you wiggled your feet and let the pants fall on the ground, leaving you in only your black knickers under Liam. 

Liam sat on his knees between your legs, letting his hands caress your thighs and calves. 

“Fuck, you're gorgeous babe,” he whispered before leaning in and kissing your hips. You sucked in a breath when Liam took your left leg and hooked it over his shoulder. He kissed the inside of your thighs, stopping to suck a mark on the sensitive skin and letting his beard scratching your skin just the way you liked. He let his right hand slide up your thigh until he reached the hem of your panties. He kept kissing your thighs without touching your pussy. You groaned low in your throat and you gripped his hair trying to bring his head where you wanted it. He lifted his head and smirked at you. The little shit. 

“Liam,” you whined and he finally decided to put you out of your misery. He let his fingers trailed up to your pussy. He slowly caressed it through the thin material of your knickers and you could feel yourself getting wet. Your back arched when Liam applied a bit more pressure over your aching clit. 

“Fuck babe, you're so wet for me already,” Liam moaned before he kissed your pussy through the lace. He hooked his thumb under the elastic band and pushed your underwear to the side, he looked up and locked his eyes with your, slowly licking his lips before he leaned in and licked a long stripe from your entrance to your clit. He wrapped his lips around it and sucked gently, never breaking eye contact. Your breath was ragged and small whimpers were escaping your throat. You groaned when Liam pulled back. He pulled down your knickers and dropped them on the floor with your pajama pants. 

Liam put his hands on the inside of your thighs and pushed your legs open wider leaving you even more exposed than before. He looked you up and down before he dived back in, placing open mouth kisses all over your pussy. You felt his fingers slipping through your wet folds, slowly pushing into you as he sucked on your clit. Your back arched from the couch and your hands gripped his hair tightly. Liam moaned around your clit and you clenched around his fingers at the sensation.

 Liam let go of your clit to lap messily around his fingers pumping in and out of you at a steady pace. His fingers were thick and they felt so good inside of you, your eyes were rolling in the back of your head. You pushed your hips up, grinding against his face making a mess of his beard. You couldn't see it but you knew his lips were red and puffy and his bears would be wet from your juice. You ground against Liam again and he increased the pace of his fingers. When he found that spot you let out a scream of pleasure and you could feel him smirk against you. 

You wouldn't last very long, not with Liam's hands and mouth on you. Yours legs were shaking and your body kept convulsing. You tighten your grip on his hair and kept grinding against his face, meeting each thrust of his fingers inside of you. 

“C'mon babe, fuck yourself on my fingers, I want you to come” growled Liam. 

The muscles in your stomach tightened and you could feel your orgasm building inside of you. Your mouth was hanging open and no sounds were coming out. You were feeling dizzy from all the sensation all at once. Your hips were moving against your will and your legs were shaking.

“I'm go-onna come Li-am,” you stuttered and Liam wrapped his lips around your clit again, giving it one last harsh suck and you were coming on his fingers and face. Liam kept his fingers inside of you but he slowed down the pace. His tongue was gently lapping are your juices until you pushed his head away, feeling over sensitive. 

Liam chuckled when you pushed him away and he sat back on the couch between your legs. He slipped his fingers out of you and you whimpered at the loss. He put his hands were on your thighs caressing them gently while you tried to catch your breath. 

“Feeling better now?” Liam asked and you shot him a tired smile. You were actually feeling a lot better. You also felt very tired. Liam got up from the couch and put his arms under your limp body. You wrapped your arms around his neck and you let him carry you to your bedroom. Liam gently deposited you on the bed and he rapidly got undressed. He laid next to you and covered both of your body with the duvet. He put his arms around your waist and kept your body close to his. 

“You're still hard,” you yawned when you felt his hard cock press against your arse. 

“Don't worry about me,” Liam said as he moved his hips away from you.

“But-”

“No ‘but’, love,” interrupted Liam, “you're tired. Now be a good girl, sleep and maybe I'll fuck you when we wake up,” Liam whispered, lips directly against the shell of your ear, sending shivers down your spine. 

Liam and Bastien watched as Drake slowly lifted a spatula and placed it under the pancake. Both he and Ali still had their faces as close to the pan as they could get without getting burned. 

“Careful. Careful! CAREFUL!” Ali repeated the word more intensely each time as Drake slowly lifted the pancake and flipped it over to reveal that it was perfectly browned on the other side. 

“YES!” they both screamed at the same time, jumping up from their spot and pulling each other into a hug. 

Liam held back a smile and cleared his throat. The both pulled away and Ali smiled even wider when she saw him.

“Liam!” she said happily.

She was about to launch herself into his arms when she caught sight of Bastien beside him and straightened her posture. 

“I, uh, mean, Prince Liam,” she said, trying to make her voice sound casual and nodding in his direction. 

“It’s okay. That’s just Bastien,” Drake said. 

“Hi, Bastien. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ali!” she said, smiling happily again.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Bastien said, holding back a confused smile himself as he took in the scene before him.

“What are the two of you doing,” Liam asked.

“I wanted pancakes. This is the first one we haven’t burned yet,” Ali said, pointing at a stack of burnt pancakes on the counter, as Drake hummed along to the music. 

“Are you drunk,” Liam asked, placing his hands on her waist and bringing his face close to hers so he could smell her breath. 

“No,” Ali tried to say with her mouth closed, her eyes going wide to attempt a look of innocence. 

Liam raised his brows, giving her a knowing look. 

“Maybe a little,” she said, bringing her hand up and placing her thumb and forefinger together to symbolize “a little”. “But, it’s all Drake’s fault. He was all sad, and he got me sad, so we played that game to feel better.” 

“Game?” Liam asked.

“Yeah. That game. Drake, what was the name of the game?” she said, her face scrunched up in concentration as she tried to remember the name of it. 

Drake, who had been previously bopping his head to the song and mumbling “Is there a man out there? Someone to hear my prayer” under his breath, jumped out of his reverie. 

“Never Have I Ever,” he said. 

Liam was about to respond when the smell of burnt pancakes filled the air. He immediately turned to shut the burner off and remove the burnt pancake from the stove before looking back over to the two of them. He sighed, realizing that at least this was better than Drake being completely depressed. 

“Why don’t you two go sit on the couch while I finish the pancakes,” Liam said to the two of them. 

Ali looked over at Drake hesitantly.

“Do you want to remind him that he can’t cook or should I?” she dropped her voice into what she thought was a whisper but was actually just her regular voice in a higher octave.

“You do it. He likes you more than me,” Drake responded in the same tone. 

Liam looked over to Bastien, who was now desperately trying to hold in his laughter, and rolled his eyes. 

“I think I can manage. You go,” he said corralling them into the living room. 

He returned to the kitchen to the sound of their giggles coming from the living room and smiled at the thought of the two most important people in his life getting along. 

~~~~~~

Lady Alison Moonessar and Drake Walker’s Hidden Romance

Lady Alison Moonessar of House Beaumont is the newest lady on the social scene vying for Prince Liam’s hand in marriage. We first saw Lady Alison the night of (and the morning after!) Prince Liam’s bachelor party in New York. She claims that she and the Prince are “just two old friends who have managed to find their way back into each other’s lives”, and we’ve all been trying to figure out just how “friendly” they are with each other since. I mean, “old friends” don’t kiss each other like that! But, what we didn’t see coming was her relationship with the Prince’s best friend, the tall, dark, and handsome Drake Walker. You know, the guy in the denim shirt that’s always by his side? 

Remember how we were all wondering why she wasn’t watching The Derby with all of the other suitors? Well, it turns out that she was a little too busy getting up close and personal with Drake Walker to worry about making small talk with the rest of the ladies. (We can’t really blame her. Look at those abs!)

And it seems the two have a thing for horses. Our sources caught them taking a ride across the palace grounds this afternoon before stopping for an impromptu snuggle in the grass. Talk about romantic! Just look at the way she looks up at him, total heart eyes. 

But, what does this mean for her relationship with the Prince?! We assumed she was his favorite suitor (for obvious reasons), and we thought that she was the forerunner in the competition for his hand in marriage. And when did her relationship with his broody best friend start? Did she start seeing them both at the same time? Looks like Ali’s been a bad girl! But, we totally love her for it! And don’t worry, Prince Liam. Even if things don’t work out her, you’ll always have us to keep you warm at night. 

“What did you do?” Bertrand yelled angrily, as he paced back and forth in front of her. 

Ali cringed as she looked at the pictures in the article again. There were photos of her on Drake’s back at the derby and him leaning against her with her arms wrapped around his bare shoulders after he finished his push-ups. The press had conveniently cropped Liam out of the pictures, so no one knew that he was literally standing about two feet away from them. 

They had also somehow managed to get pictures of her and Drake today on the palace grounds. He had his arm around her as they sat in the grass, and she was smiling up at him as he spoke. He was kissing her forehead, and she was relaxing in his embrace. The pictures made the two of them look terrible. There was no way around that fact. 

She wrapped her arms around herself nervously biting her lip as she sat on her bed next to a silent Maxwell. She had screwed up big time, and now she wasn’t sure what was going to happen. 

“I… I didn’t mean to. Liam was with us when the pictures from The Derby were taken, and Drake and I were just taking a break from riding earlier. I didn’t know that anyone was watching us,” she stammered out, shrinking back into herself. 

She didn’t handle arguments or yelling very well. It made her nervous. 

“What is your relationship with Drake Walker?” Bertrand turned to her, his tone accusatory. 

Ali immediately got defensive. She was here because she was in love with Liam, and Bertrand knew that. His accusation only seemed to make the situation worse.

“Drake is a friend! We met five years ago when he and Liam were living in New York,” she said, her jaw clenched. 

“And there are no romantic feelings between the two of you? No indiscretions that could come to light?” Bertrand prompted.

“No! I love Liam. Drake is just a friend!”

“Well, it doesn’t look like that,” Bertrand returned to pacing in front of her. “We need to do damage control. Half of the country is calling you a whore.”

Ali scoffed at his words, a few stray tears falling down her face. 

“Of course they are. Don’t reporters have anything more important to talk about?” she said sarcastically. “Why can’t they just stay out of my love life?” 

“The site that published the article is the biggest gossip blog in Cordonia. It’s job is literally to report stuff like this about nobles,” Maxwell piped up. 

“And, it’s not just your love life anymore. Prince Liam is the future king of this country. His business, and the business of anyone of the suitors, will always be public knowledge,” Bertrand said. 

“Who are their sources?” she asked. 

“The blog has a few reporters, but it relies mostly on tips from ‘anonymous sources’,” Maxwell responded. 

“So, anyone can just send in information?” 

Maxwell nodded.

“What do I do?” she asked, wiping away her tears. 

“I need to make a few calls. We’ll make a statement, and then you need to focus on showing the press and the people that the article hasn’t negatively affected your relationship with the Prince,” Bertrand said, taking out his phone and exiting Ali’s room. 

“I have to talk to Liam. Do you know where he is?” she asked Maxwell, taking out her phone and pulling up his contact information. 

“I haven’t seen him all day,” Maxwell said, as she brought the phone up to her ear. 

“Straight to voicemail. He can’t really believe this can he?” she asked frantically. “I mean he knows what Drake and I are like together. We’re just friends. Give me your phone.”

Maxwell handed it over, a confused look on his face. She dialed Liam’s number and was both relieved and anxious to hear him pick up.

“Liam! It’s me. Please, let me explain!” she practically shouted through the phone.

All she heard was silence on the other end for a moment, before Liam sighed. 

“Meet me in my office,” he responded.

“I’ll be there,” Ali sighed in relief. 

She handed the phone back to Maxwell before asking him to show her where Liam’s office was. She followed him through the palace halls, nervously tugging at her shirt sleeve. Maxwell gave her a quick thumbs up when they stopped in front of his door, and Ali fully prepared herself to have the argument she knew was coming. 

Liam’s office was a massive. There was a large mahogany desk in the middle of the room, and the wall behind it was made up entirely of bookshelves. The large bay window on the wall to the left of the desk was wide open, allowing a light breeze to blow through the room, and Ali looked over to the small sofa on the opposite wall to see Liam and Drake both sitting comfortably, each clutching a glass of whiskey. 

“Um, hi,” she said hesitantly, taking in the sight of the two of them.

They seemed to have been having a serious conversation, but they both smiled at her when she came in. 

“Drake, can you give us a moment?” Liam asked, standing and walking over to his desk. 

Drake patted her shoulder good-naturedly as he walked by, and she could feel Liam’s gaze on the two of them. 

“If you’re here to tell me that I shouldn’t listen to the article then you don’t have to bother,” Liam said, leaning against his desk casually.

“I don’t?” 

“No, Drake already has. He came running in here quite frantically if I’m honest,” he said, his voice laced with amusement.

“So, you’re not mad at me?” she asked, still surprised. 

She knew Liam was a reasonable man, but she still expected some type of argument. His eyes softened as he took in her bloodshot eyes and obvious upset. 

“No, I’m not mad. At least, not anymore,” he said with a sigh. 

He pulled her into a hug, allowing her to relax her body, before guiding her over to the sofa. 

“I wasn’t exactly happy when I first saw the article. The pictures of the two of you together coupled with the insinuations made in the article don’t look very good. I know the two of you were good friends back in New York, and if I’m being honest, I always wondered why it was so easy for Drake to open up to you,” Liam said, an edge of anger in his voice. 

Ali reached over and grabbed his hand in hers, squeezing gently. 

“My first instinct was to find Drake and… well, let’s just say it’s a good thing I didn’t act on it,” he said, his cheeks beginning to turn red from embarrassment. “But, then he spent about twenty minutes rambling about how the article wasn’t true and talking about how much you loved me. It was rather convincing, but…I just have to make sure. Are you sure you have no feelings for him, that there’s nothing between the two of you?” 

There was an edge of hesitation in Liam’s voice as he asked the question. 

“No! Liam, I love you and only you. Drake is a good friend. That’s all,” she said, cupping his cheek in her hand and looking pleadingly into his eyes.

“I love you too.”

Liam placed his hand on top of hers and turned his head to kiss her palm. Ali smiled at him and threw herself into his arms, relieved to hear that he wasn't upset. However, she noticed that he only halfheartedly returned her embrace. 

“What is it?” she asked, pulling herself out of his arms. 

“This isn’t good, Ali. Regardless of my feelings, the way the press views a person has a direct impact on the way people do, and right now they’re not very happy with you.”

“I know. Bertrand said that have of the country is calling me a whore,” she said with a humorless laugh. “I tried not to look at the things they were saying, but I couldn’t help myself.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, wiping away the single tear that fell down her cheek.

“Not really, but I have a feeling that things are only going to get worse.”

“Ali, I-,” Liam trailed off as her phone went off, signaling that she had a text message. 

“It’s Bertrand. He has an interview set up in half an hour. He wants to know if you’d be okay with us telling people that you were with Drake and I at The Derby,” she said, scrolling through his messages. “He says it’s important for people to see that you’re okay with the two of us being friends, and that our relationship hasn’t been affected by the article.”

“Of course. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you, Liam,” she said, hastily wiping away the last of her tears and standing up. “I should get going.” 

“We’ll figure this out,” he reassured her. “Everything will be okay.”

“I know. Now that my meltdown is over I feel like I can handle anything,” she attempted to joke. 

It was true that she felt better now that she had been able to properly get all of her feelings out. She felt stronger than he had just minutes before, but she knew things wouldn’t just magically fix themselves. She would have to do that herself.

“You look like you’ve been crying,” Bertrand said with a scowl as she met him in one of the unused offices in the palace. 

“I have been,” she said with a glare in his direction. 

Bertrand sighed, and began to fiddle with her hair and straighten out her clothes. 

“How did you manage to set this up so fast?”

“The article was published today, and even though there are pictures, so far everything is still speculation. Every reporter wants the true story and a direct statement. It wasn’t very difficult.” 

Ali nodded and grabbed onto Bertrand’s arm to keep him from moving away from her.

“Bertrand, will you stay with me during the interview,” she asked, hating how vulnerable she sounded. 

She knew she could do this. Well, even if she didn’t feel like she could, she would have to anyway. But, it still felt better to have someone who was looking out for her there. Regardless of how pushy or annoying Bertrand could be, she knew that he still had her best interests at heart, and even if he refused to admit it, he did care for her in his own way.

Bertrand looked as if he were about to scold her for asking, but his eyes softened as he took in her broken appearance..

“Of course,” he responded. “Ana de Luca will be here any minute. Just remember that you want to emphasize that you and Drake Walker are just friends, and Prince Liam has no problem with that.” 

Ali nodded, and sure enough, there was a knock on the door about a minute later. Ana de Luca entered the room and shook hands with both Ali and Bertrand before they all took a seat. She pulled her phone, a pen, and notebook out of her bag before turning back to the two of them.

“Do you mind if I record audio of this conversation?” she asked. 

“Of course not,” Ali said, trying to place a convincing smile on her face. 

“So, Lady Alison, what do you have to say in regards to the rumors going around about your relationship with Drake Walker?” she asked. 

Ali took a breath before she began to speak, psyching herself up for what she was about to do.

“I can understand why those photos may be taken out of context, but Drake Walker and I have known each other for years, and the two of us are just good friends.”

“You say that you’ve known each other for years,” she began, clicking her pen, “How did the two of you meet?”

“We actually met through Prince Liam. As most people already know, he and Drake Walker have been friends for most of their lives, and Liam was actually the one to introduce the two of us. In fact, even though the pictures in the article only depict Drake and I, all three of us were together during The Derby,” she said calmly.

So far so good. She was innocent. All she had to do was tell the truth. 

“Just out of curiosity, what was happening in the pictures from that day?” 

“Prince Liam and Drake were placing friendly bets on the horses, and the loser was supposed to do push-ups with me on their back. Drake lost. It was as simple as that.”

“What about today?” 

This was starting to feel more and more like an interrogation, and it was making Ali uneasy. 

“I don’t have much experience riding horses, so Drake offered to spend the afternoon helping me get accustomed to them,” she answered honestly, hoping that she wasn’t making a fool of herself for admitting that she wasn’t good at riding. “After a while, we decided to take a break.”

“And you thought it was appropriate to so physically affectionate with him? To lean on him and let him kiss you?” she asked casually, a hint of something slightly sinister in her voice. 

Ali tensed at the woman’s veiled accusation. 

“I’m an affectionate person, and when I’m comfortable with someone, I don’t hesitate to show that. Drake is like a brother to me and him kissing me on the forehead was completely innocent.”

“What does Prince Liam have to say about all of this?” Ana de Luca asked.

“Prince Liam knows that my relationship with Drake is purely platonic, and he is completely okay with that,” she said, trying to refrain from sounding too defensive.

Bertrand could sense her growing agitation and nodded at Ana de Luca, signalling for her to turn off the recording.

“Thank you for your time, Ms. de Luca, but that is all we will be saying for now,” he said.

“Of course, thank you,” she said, standing up and gathering her things. “This interview should be out by tomorrow.” 

Bertrand and Ali watched with bated breath as she exited the room.

“What do we do now?” Ali asked, finally feeling as if she could relax.

Who he sees on the other side is not who he’s expecting, and he’s really rethinking taking his shirt off, because it’s Louis, standing there looking half confused and half like a starving man would look at a piece of meat. Liam covers as much of his naked torso as he can with his hands, suddenly overwhelmingly self-conscious, and then his brain catches up to what’s going on.

“Aren’t you early?” Liam asks, and Louis shakes his head, mostly because he can’t believe Liam and partly to get the very inappropriate thoughts out of his head. Later, Louis, he tells himself. Later.

“Uhh…no? I’m actually about twenty minutes late.”

Liam is, in a word, mortified. He can’t believe he let time get so far away from him! And on such an important night, too; important for Liam, at least. This could be the night that makes or breaks their relationship, and instead of being ready on time, he spent the last God only knows how long sulking in his bedroom over shirts!

“I…” Liam starts, then closes his mouth, wanting to start over but the only thing that comes out is, “I’m sorry.”

Liam can tell Louis feels bad for starting their date off on the wrong foot, even though literally none of this is his fault, and he wants to fix it.

“Can we start over?” Liam asks, hopeful. He’s still got his arms covering himself, and he knows he probably looks like a child standing like that, but he doesn’t care. He just needs Louis to agree and this part of the night will all be forgotten later.

Louis smiles, that one that takes up his whole face that Liam loves (probably too early for that, but whatever), and looks at the floor and nods. If Liam didn’t know any better, he’d think Louis was being shy.

“Yeah,” Louis says softly, looking back up at Liam. “Let’s start over.”

Relief washes over Liam and he smiles, taking a couple steps back into his flat. “Give me five minutes,” he says, and Louis nods, smile still firmly in place.

Liam closes the door to his flat and takes a deep breath before running back to his bedroom and, after a small bout of indecision, putting on shirt number two, doing up his jeans and grabbing his phone off his nightstand before heading back to his front door. He hears what sounds like an alarm going off maybe 20 seconds after he gets there, and when Louis knocks right after, he realizes Louis must have set a timer. Liam opens the door to Louis standing with his back facing Liam’s flat.

“Uh…Louis?”

Louis turns around looking like he’s going to say something, but Liam sees the words vanish from his mind as he looks Liam up and down.

“I was gonna say something cheeky, but you look…so hot. I can’t think.”

Liam smirks, a look one of his friends used to tell him was almost unbearably sexy. Louis looks like he wants to stomp his foot like a child. “I could take the shirt back off,” he offers, reaching for the bottom hem and lifting it a bit.

“NO!” Louis nearly shouts, reaching out to place his hands over Liam’s, wincing when he realizes how loud he was and at the shocked look on Liam’s face. “Sorry,” he says, thinking about moving his hands from Liam’s but reconsidering quickly after. He’s in this for the long haul if Liam is, and damn it if he’s not gonna at least get some hand-holding tonight. “I know we’re supposed to be forgetting about it but if I have to see you shirtless again we’re not gonna make it to the restaurant.”

Louis is blushing again, because he’s wanted to get his hands on Liam since the first time they met, and he’s not usually this bashful but Liam makes him so nervous that he just doesn’t know what to do sometimes. Liam cocks an eyebrow at Louis’s confession, then lets go of the hem of his shirt, gently guiding Louis’s hands off of his own with a look that he hopes is reassuring. He turns to slide on his shoes and grab his wallet and keys. Liam steps out of his flat and locks the door, then turns to Louis and grabs his hand. Neither of them let go, except for when absolutely necessary, for the rest of the night.

*

“I can’t believe you didn’t see the ending coming!” Louis calls to Liam as Liam gets the two of them beers from his fridge. He opens them both and walks over to where Louis is sitting on his couch, one leg folded underneath himself. Liam can’t help but think that Louis looks so…natural in his flat. Like he belongs there. He hands Louis one of the beers.

“I can’t believe you did see it coming! How did you figure it out so fast?”

“It wasn’t that fast.”

“You said the brother was the killer not even twenty minutes in!”

Louis shrugs and takes a sip of his beer. “Okay, maybe it was that fast.” He looks at Liam, feeling the happiest he has in a long time, and he might be projecting but he’s pretty sure he sees that happiness reflected back at him on Liam’s face.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, Louis looking around Liam’s flat and Liam looking at Louis. Liam thinks that now is as good a time as any to tell Louis the truth about himself, and opens his mouth to do so, but Louis beats him to it.

“Hey, is that your family?” he asks, standing and walking over to the shelves where Liam has all of his framed pictures. Well, not all of them. There’s one of him and his parents and sisters he keeps on his nightstand, and another of him and some of his uni friends he still keeps in touch with on his dresser, but other than that, they’re all on that shelf.

“Uh…yeah,” Liam says, hoping Louis isn’t going to ask about his baby pictures. Louis said on their second date, when they got on the subject of family, that his mum’s house is full of pictures of him and his siblings as kids and babies. You’d think we never grew past the age of five, he’d said. If I get to take you there one day, you’ll see. Liam does have a couple up of himself as an infant, but any pictures where he looked even remotely female were nowhere to be found in his flat, so his pictures jump from infancy to the end of his first year of uni, after his testosterone shots started taking effect and he started to finally start looking masculine.

“Who’s this little lad?” Louis asks, holding up a picture of Liam when he was maybe eighteen, curly hair a mess and a plaid shirt buttoned all the way to his neck. “It can’t be the same handsome man sitting on the couch over there. And this hair! Wow.”

“Hey! Don’t hate on the hair, okay?” Liam playfully replies, getting up to stand next to Louis by the shelf. “My mum loved my hair like that. She cried when I shaved it all off not long after that picture was taken.”

Louis puts the picture back on the shelf and just looks at Liam, arms crossed with a soft but thoughtful expression on his face. “Can’t imagine you with a shaved head,” he says quietly, reaching up to run his fingers through Liam’s current hairdo. Liam tries not to notice the slight shake in Louis’s hand as it moves, or how close Louis is standing to him right now, or how Louis keeps looking from Liam’s eyes to his mouth like they do in the movies, or how Louis is leaning in closer like he’s about to kiss….oh. Oh!

“Louis!” Liam says, probably too loud for their close proximity, putting his hands on Louis’s shoulders to stop him from coming any closer. Louis looks hurt, and Liam tries to think of something to say to fix it, but Louis speaks first, as always.

“Sorry, mate,” he says, cheeks red with embarrassment and arms crossing over his chest again, but defensively this time, not casual like they were a minute ago. “Just thought that’s where the night was going, but I must’ve been wrong.”

“No! No, you’re not wrong,” Liam gets out before Louis has a chance to run out the door and out of Liam’s life for probably forever because there is nothing in the world Liam wants to happen less than that right now.

“I’m not?” Louis asks, softening a bit, but still cautious. Liam shakes his head. “Then why’d you stop me?”

Liam looks at Louis for a second, really looks at him, trying to see what kinds of emotions he could be feeling at the moment. All he finds is confusion and curiosity, which are better than anger, Liam guesses, so he sighs and gestures for Louis to sit back down on the couch.

“Sit. There’s something I need to tell you.” Louis does, and Liam starts.

Liam tells him everything. How he was always sporty, even as a kid, and ran track for years, even went to uni on a scholarship for it. How he started feeling different from his teammates around year seven, but didn’t have the vocabulary to describe it until he got to uni and met some new people. How he figured out this thing about himself that made him lose his scholarship, because it was made out for a member of the women’s track team, one with a different name, not a member of the men’s.

Louis stops him there, where everyone he’s told this version of the story to has stopped him so far. “Liam, I’m confused…what are you telling me?”

Here goes nothing, he thinks, and takes a deep breath before just saying it. “I’m transgender. I was born female and raised as the youngest of three girls until I was seventeen, when my doctor said it was okay to start taking testosterone and start my transition into being a male…person.”

This is always the hard part. Not knowing what the other person is going to say. Sitting in agony until they say something. Anything.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

What? “What?”

Louis sniffles and dear God if Liam’s made him cry he’s going to hate himself. “I just…why didn’t you tell me before? Did you not trust me? Or -”

“No, I did trust you! I do trust you. And I really, really like you, which is part of why I waited to tell you. I’ve only done this once before with someone I was dating, and it ended…badly, so every person I’ve dated since then, I’ve waited until a few dates in to make sure they’re not going to do the same thing he did, because I can’t take that again.”

“How many people have you told since him?”

“Just you.”

“'Cause four dates is the farthest you’ve gotten since then?”

“No. ‘Cause you’re the only one I knew wouldn’t run away.”

Louis smiles, something tiny and soft but there, and Liam leans in to kiss him softly, just once, as a thank-you for listening and staying.

It’s quiet for a few minutes, some sort of uncertain tension hanging in the air between them, before Louis stands and stretches a bit.

“Think I’m gonna go home, if that’s alright with you.”

Liam panics. He wants to say no, it’s not alright, please stay and let me know what you’re thinking and never ever leave me…but he doesn’t.

“Yeah, that’s…that’s fine.”

He’s not even trying to hide the fact that he’s sad and more than a little hurt, and Louis picks up on that. He reaches out for Liam’s hands and pulls him to stand, too, then wraps his arms around Liam in a hug. He feels Liam relax against him and he knows that was the right way to go.