#royaldescent

Liam grinned as he woke up next to his boyfriend, arms wrapped lazily around him, “Morning babe” he smirked as he rested his head on the man's chest, his blonde locks sprawled out over Henri's chest. He yawned as he placed a single kiss to the man's bare chest, "Can't we just stay in bed today?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

If it had been anyone else, Jon might have been offended by the sudden proclamation of his impending marriage. His sisters had had their pick of the boys in neighboring kingdoms, even his elder brother had had a say to whom he'd been betrothed, but Jon had simply had it thrust upon him. Then the explanation had been given -- that the human kingdom to the north was offering a marriage in exchange for political boons and elven magics. And they were offering the eldest, the one that would be king... which would also make Jon a prince-consort, and their firstborn would be first in line for the throne.

Still, it wasn't until the elven procession had made it to the palace gates, and Jon had laid eyes on his betrothed, that he let go of the resentment he was feeling about the ordeal. Henri was the very thing one pictured when one imagined a prince: tall, golden-haired, radiant in gleaming armor and a sunburst doublet. Well, he thought, maybe this won't be so bad after all...

He didn't get to see Henri at all until they were meeting at the altar due to the whirlwind of preparations. Garbed in silken robes of pastel green, with vines and flowers forming a train and encircling his head, his smile was genuine as he exchanged vows -- he didn't mind that the gods he vowed to weren't his own, the words were still honest. And while the kiss was chaste and polite, he hoped the grip of his hands on Henri's showed he was genuine.

“Can you believe Ruby is running around telling everyone that Drake is based on you?” Kinthos turned on the spot, waiting for Kaelan to give his verdict on his outfit; he loved when Kaelan dressed him, even if his pants were tight and left little to the imagination. “Sure, Drake was a handsome store owner. But he sold bouquets, not clothes! He was totally an original character.” He smiled, “We’re still on for dinner tonight, right?”

~~~

They'd been careful. From the very outset, they'd known that this relationship had to be kept strictly a secret, stolen moments far from prying eyes, and they'd been good. Only meeting when it made sense -- when Rusty came back from patrols, when he needed patching up, or when Castien needed some muscle for one of his many projects. And sure, maybe one or two of Rusty's fellow Paladins had an idea of precisely why the two spent so much time together, but if that was the case they kept their mouths shut. They were careful.

But that didn't end up mattering much. The news from the west was just getting worse. The Enclave was on the move, in spite of their strongholds on the oil platform and at Raven Rock being destroyed. They were tenacious, like radroaches, every time one nest got wiped out another one seemed to pop up. Now it seemed like something big was happening, something that threatened the foothold the Brotherhood had managed to scrape together after the NCR had fallen, and they were getting recalled. The Prydwen would start heading back west, and apart from a token force to hold the airport, every able-bodied soldier was going with it.

He stood at assembly, listening, cold dread turning his insides to liquid, glad he was armored so he could sag in the saddle of his suit, glad for his helmet hiding the anguish on his face. They were leaving, and that meant enacting the information-protection protocol. Anyone who knew too much, who'd seen too much, would be declared a liability and marked for erasure. Only Brotherhood personnel would be left, all information leaks would be stoppered on the spot.

And there would be no warning.

Prison AU Starter Sentences

"Where do I even start?", Alex huffed sarcastically, before letting out a sigh as he started to think about the question. There were so many things he missed, things that would have made life in prison at least more tolerable. His freedom was one, of course, but he figured that was a given. "Privacy, I guess. Being able to get up or take a shower when I want, and not when I'm told to. Being able to walk around naked if I want to. Or simply just walking around without having to constantly peek over my shoulder because someone might try to beat me up, or worse." Shaking his head, he looked at Bastien with a resigned shrug. "Ah, forget that. I guess I miss ordering delicious, unhealthy takeout and watching movies all night. How about you?"

Dean had been crushing on his barber for quite some time. So it was no surprise that he was all smiles as he entered the empty barber shop, “Hey” he called out with a wide grin, taking off his hat, shaggy hair falling in his face. He took a few steps closer to the handsome barber, “I know it’s been awhile, but I wanted to see my favorite barber” he teased before plopping down in the other male’s chair.