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#once you’ve read more you’re more willing to admit that you love a kinda poorly written book
chryzure · 1 month
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whew, people get heated over their fav booktok book.
#memorie.txt#once you’ve read more you’re more willing to admit that you love a kinda poorly written book#by god i love jackaby. the writing style is a solid 3/5 and the plot stuff is cheesy as hell.#you get a better frame of reference for ‘this book requires an award’ style of good#and a ‘god this is so my dumb little niche that scratches all those weird little itches nobody else has’ style of good#one of my fav series is the ghost and the goth!! is it good?? i don’t know if i’d go that far!!#is it fun and does it make me think of trysi / chryzure stuff??? yes :)#i’m beginning to wonder abt ppl rabid abt their fav books. anyway this one person was losing their shit over ppl liking apollo#and aurora and i’m an aurora shooter but i digress#they were foaming at the mouth and im like Well. its a little not that serious .#he is letters on a page. and also mostly irrelevant to the story as a whole so im kinda confused as to why ppl feel so strongly abt him#it’s funny because most of my complaints stem from an outside pov#where i critique the worldbuilding / plot work / character writing and its inconsistencies#whereas ppl assume im encouraging villainy irl. it is quite seriously more that the villainy is unmotivated#or otherwise poorly done. i love to hate a good villain if the proper legwork is put into it#because i like observing how others work their craft!!!#but my irritation with stephanie is that she doesn’t work her craft well. it’s shoddy craftsmanship full of retcons or#convenience required for plot that otherwise hold no reasoning in the story#and i can admit that i find the series unsatisfying because it’s marketed as a romance (the romance had little chemistry that could be#understood by anyone that’s not straight. straight romances are always laziest because it’s the ‘norm’ so that equates to chem)#and also it was marketed as having plot when rlly the ‘plot’ was trying to put these characters in weird chemistry-less situations together#so yeah i’ll complain abt the villains being jealous shallow archetypes when it could’ve had depth.#i’ll complain abt a lot. but in the end it’s a silly basic ya romance series that isn’t anything unique#most unique stories will not be found on booktok. i’m sorry#i can show you the beautiful world of horror novels though!#or weird lil 80s fantasy novels that are actually quite long that my dad likes showing me#truly no romance novel will be better than the darkangel trilogy though.. that is what stephanie wanted to write.#but that’s lightning in a bottle ithink.#okay anyway. good night. i worked a long day and i have appts in the morning
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citronsblog · 3 years
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Hey, could I request some Hifumi, Teruteru, and Ryoma comforting their S/o from a bad break up with a toxic ex which ends in them confessing their love to the reader? I'm kinda going through that right now... It doesn't need to be perfect, I just need some comfort from my boys...
Notes: OF COURSE- im so glad I can help comfort you with my writing right now. If you need to talk I’m always available. I can send you words of encouragement! :) please I hope you feel better soon. (Sorry if any of this is poorly portrayed, I myself have never gone through this but it hurts seeing someone you know go through it)
Warnings: mention of toxic person
Characters: Hifumi Yamada, Teruteru Hanamura, Ryoma Hoshi
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Teruteru Hanamura
Everything felt like hell. You were sobbing, it felt hard to breathe, your heart was hurting. Teruteru pressed his ear against the door. He felt horrible that you were going through so much pain.
He took in a breath and decided to walk, it pained him so much to see you in this state.
“Hey, s/o? D-do you want to talk about it?”
All you could manage was a small nod.
Teruteru sat next to you. He made you lay your head down on his lap as he calmly stoked your hair. Commanding you to take deep a deep breath, he let you start.
You told him all of what happened. The pain of where it started, how it hurt being manipulated, everything you though while the relationship happened.
The only emotions Teruteru felt in those moments were rage and sorrow. The rage was for you ex. He hated them and how they would ever use and hurt someone as amazing and beautiful as you. The sorrow, well the sorrow was for the pain you were going through. He wish he could take it all away, he wishes he can comfort you in this pain you’re feeling.
“S/o…. Sweetie, I am so so sorry all of this happened. If that hick thinks they can ever come near ya’ again oh it won’ be pretty thas fo’sure.”
His accent slipped through, showing the anger he held for the wrongdoings of the person who hurt you. Oh Teruteru was so mad, but he would try to tone it down to comfort you.
Reaching his hand to wipe off some of our tears he manages a gentle smile.
“Don’t cha’ ever worry ‘bout someone like that again ‘k sweets? For now, I’ll be here to comfort ya’. I’ll be by your side and offer a shoulda’ to lean on, it’s ‘cause I love ya’, It pains me to see you hurtin’ I wish I could give ya all my love and make you feel better.”
A comfortable silence fell over the two of you. You took a moment to take in his words. When you did, you felt a nice wave of comfort wash over you.
“Teru- did you….. did you just confess to me?”
“… I suppose I just did, didn’t I?”
He brushed his hand over your cheek and gave you another loving smile. He always loves the fact you were in his life, might as well take this moment to ask the question.
“Will you be mine, s/o?”
Those words brought tears to your eyes once again, but this time for a different reason. This time it was knowing you had someone who would truly love you back.
“Teruteru, I would love that.”
Ryoma Hoshi
It was the fact he hadn’t heard from you that day that led him to your door. Hearing sniffles and the faint whimpers of someone crying that made him knock on the door.
“Hey Kid, you alright in there? Mind if I come in?”
Your door was unlocked already but he wanted to ask just to give you a warning of his arrival. His eyes trailed up to your tearful ones. Seeing you like this made something in him click. He didn’t know what was going on but all he knew was he wanted to comfort you.
“S/o are you alrig- would you like to talk about it?”
He walks to you and sits right next to you. Taking your hand in his he gives you a knowing look.
“Go ahead, I’m right here for you.”
You both talked for awhile. You told him the things you went through and he scolded himself mentally for not helping you before hand. He wishes he would of gotten here sooner to help but he’s glad he is here now.
He starts to draw circles on your back in an effort to calm you down. He stops once you look at him, he takes his free hand and wipes away any tears and/or makeup that held its place on your face.
“Do you need some water? I can also go get some food and give you a few moments alone if you need that.”
“I don’t want to be alone right now… can you stay here, please.”
You voice was barely above a whisper. Ryoma understood and just took in a deep breath.
“I’m here for you when ever you need it s/o. It hurts me to see you in pain, more then I’d like to admit. Maybe it’s because I have strong feelings for you, or maybe it’s because you are the one who’s given me a purpose again. Which ever one it is, I don’t want to see you hurting. Is there anyway I can help?”
“Stay by my side for a little longer please..”
You leaned over to open your water bottle and sip from it. Ryoma moved over to where he was hugging you. It was a comforting embrace.
“… Did you just say you like me, Ryoma?”
“Well, I guess I did. I may still have a long ways to go but what do you think? Are you willing to be with me as well?”
In that moment you felt a wave of relief wash over you. Someone you’ve known, someone you trust and most of all someone you know who will love you. They’re right in front of you. It was a lovely feeling.
“I would love to, ryoma.”
Hifumi Yamada
Hifumi had just finished a story, he always had you proof read it, or give him feed back. He usually brought snacks with him as well, just in case if you were hungry! Today you were late coming to his dorm to read it, maybe you haven’t gotten the text yet? That still didn’t ease his nerves. Deciding he should go ahead and go to your room, he brought the snacks with him.
When he arrive he was met with the sound of muffled sobs and a pain in his heart.
‘Ghk- what is this horrible feeling! First I must check up on Mx. S/o!”
Knocking gently on the door he announced his presence. You let him in, the tears running down your face were noticeable.
The writer felt horrible. He had never seen you in this state and he never wanted to again. Seeing someone you love in pain is hard to bare.
“Mx. S/o?! Please, it is my duty to make sure you are alright. I will lend my ears and listen to your troubles!”
Giving a small nod you both sit down on your bed. Hifumi looks really concentrated as you speak. It’s as if he’s analyzing every small detail.
You tell him the hardships that had happened. The pain and the feeling of everything that had made you feel bad. His eyes scanned over your own. The subtle brush of his hand to your cheek was a feeling you welcomed as you melted into the contact.
“Mx. S/o, it seems this pain is almost far greater then my understanding. I will try my best to make sure you are comforted.”
Handing you the snacks he brought, he put down some water for you as well. The two of you decided to watch a new episode of the show you started. At the end of the episode Hifumi looked down at you, you were laying in his lap.
“I think I’ve concluded what that feeling was!”
You only gave him a confused look. He continued on,
“Earlier, right before coming in to comfort you I felt a pain in my chest. It was my heart aching because I knew you were hurting. I think- no! I know I’m in love with you! You are far greater then 2D. S/o, please be mine.”
You interlocked your hands with his. The nervous look he gave you was adorable.
“Of course I will Hifumi. Why wouldn’t I want to be with such an amazing guy like you?”
The smile that slowly creeped up on his face made you feel better. It felt nice, you had someone to be with. Someone who would finally treat you in the way you deserve.
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sunsetcurbed · 3 years
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you showed me faith is not blind (miracles happen)
Pairing: Alex/Willie  Words: 4,279  Rating: T Chapter Warnings: none  Chapter: 9/11 read on AO3 
Chapter Summary: Alex has the personality of a shut-in, but the mind for bettering the lives of the common people. That's what his country needs.
But… can he?
Princes, kings, rulers… they're born. They're not made. And that's what his grandmother is trying to do. She's trying to make him one. And it's not like she's doing poorly, per se, but… he's Alex. He wasn't born to rule a country.
(*) 
Weeks pass. Time blurs by Alex and he just barely keeps up with it. Julie and the Phantoms plays a large company's winter holiday party, Willie attends more lessons with Alex (this, Alex particularly enjoys as Willie is tied to his chair at dinner for posture like Alex had been at the start of lessons), his dad stops talking to him again once he finds out Alex is dating Willie, and at school they've just finished finals and started on their break today. In the past two weeks Caleb has approached Willie twice more when he's out around Hollywood. They've been brief. Just exchanges of Caleb asking how Willie is, and then asking how Alex is, but Alex knows Willie is put off about it. Alex is too, and becomes even more so when Wednesday the 15th, six days before the Ball, Willie texts him again.
(17:59) Covington just legit sat and had tea with me and started talking with me and flat out asked if you were gonna accept the crown or not
(17:59) "It's killing us all, is he gonna accept or not? Do you know?"
(18:00) So not only does he lack manners and discretion, but also patience lmao
Alex tenses his jaw and clutches his phone tight in his hand. He raises his arm as if he's going to throw it, but then lowers it back down, slowly. He lets out a long breath and texts Willie back quick, telling him to get home safely, and apologizes for Caleb. Then he tosses his phone to the side and looks back to where his band is sitting. He was just about to get up to join them so they could work on some harmonies, but he wanted to check his phone first. Now they are all staring at him and he is frozen to the spot.
"Sorry," he murmurs.
"What's up, buddy?" Reggie asks cautiously.
"You, uh, remember that Covington guy we showed you and warned you to stay away from?"
"Yeah?" Julie asks.
"He's been going after Willie the last few weeks. He had tea with him today."
"What?" Reggie frowns. "Why?"
Alex sighs, not really wanting to get into it but also knowing his friends deserve the explanation. "Caleb is next in line for the throne if I choose to decline. And… he wants it. He's trying to get information out of Willie. About my decision."
There's a minute long pause in the room. No one has anything to say to that. He didn't really expect them to. It's a shitty thing, and it's a shitty thing that can't be changed or stopped. Willie's already being tailed by two security every time he goes out in public for safety, but he's told them not to interfere unless he motions to them. He's yet to feel threatened enough that he's had to. He's been handling it incredibly according to his grandmother and security though—giving enough information to keep Caleb from getting angry, but not enough to give anything away. Still, it makes Alex's blood boil. That Willie is in the situation in the first place to 'handle it incredibly.' God, he fucking hates Caleb Covington.
"You remember what I said last month?" Reggie's voice cuts through Alex's thoughts. Alex looks up. He frowns, shakes his head. Reggie smiles. "Even if you move, become prince of some country, we'll still find a way to make this work. We're a band."
The way Reggie says 'band' doesn't sound like he's saying 'band.' Not even close. No, because the weight behind the way Reggie says 'band' is the weight behind the way many people say 'family.' Alex can hear clear as day in Reggie's tone that Reggie is calling Alex and Luke his brothers and Julie his sister. That Reggie is calling this band his family.
Luke stands up from the couch and swings his guitar onto his back. "Yeah man, look," he says, "I'm sorry for how I reacted that day, but even if you—even if you choose to be prince you're still our drummer, y'know? It might complicate things, but Reg said it. We'll make it work."
Alex blinks the welling tears out of his eyes and clears his throat. "Well—I'm not. I-I can't, you know? That's not… I'm not. It's just not who I am."
"But it kind of is, now," Reggie argues. "I mean aside from the argument that you could redefine their monarchy to fit who you are, you… you've been in those prince lessons for over a month now and you've made serious progress with your social anxiety. You… you don't just have a prince's title anymore. You are a prince."
"He's right," Julie agrees. "You've made so much progress in just over a month, and you'll have so much more time to grow into this role. I think this is your thing, you just haven't accepted it yet. Don't write it off yet. I don't want you to regret it down the line."
"Where is this coming from?" he demands. "I thought you guys knew I wasn't going to accept."
"We knew for like, the first few days," Reggie says, "because you told us. But after that you never mentioned it again, but you talked about Beasiga a lot. So we like, kinda started to doubt it a little."
"I think I know more about Beasiga than the US at this point," Luke grumbles, grabbing at the guitar strap across his chest. "But yeah, dude. You literally just said 'if' not 'when' a minute ago. And if you were serious about giving it up, you could've just told Willie to tell that Caleb guy that you were stepping down and then Caleb would leave him alone."
Oh.
That is a thing Alex could have done.
But Alex really, really isn't sure if he wants to renounce his claim, and now he's even less so.
Alex swallows around the lump in his throat and looks away from his friends. His eyes fall on his hi-hat, and he thinks: they're willing to make it work if he accepts his role as prince. His shoulders feel looser, his head feels clearer, his heart feels lighter. He's not sure how they'll make it work, but he's positive that they can find a way. Which makes his decision a whole lot harder now. In the start, there had been a lot of reasons that he had been ready to reject his role as prince, but over time, more and more of those reasons had fallen away until only a few remained. Today there had been two main reasons remaining: the band and his anxiety. After this talk they're having now, only one of those remains. And even that one has been slowly falling away the better he became at coping.
The further Alex delved into the Beasigan world over the past month and a half, no matter how reluctant he had been at first, the more he loved it. He was fascinated with his country's history, he was eager to theoretically be a part of solutions to problems the country faced, he was in love with their culture. And the more he envisioned being a prince, the closer he stepped towards the role. His etiquette lessons had changed him in small but meaningful ways, he was more confident in himself due to the therapy and coaching both, and, watching his grandmother, he was struck that he could do much, much worse than to aspire to be like her. He is confident that he could be a better ruler than Caleb—policy wise, anyways. Caleb has the personality of a public figure, but the mind of a conqueror. Alex has the personality of a shut-in, but the mind for bettering the lives of the common people. That's what his country needs.
But… can he?
Princes, kings, rulers… they're born. They're not made. And that's what his grandmother is trying to do. She's trying to make him one. And it's not like she's doing poorly, per se, but… he's Alex. He wasn't born to rule a country.
"Do you think I can?" he asks
"Buddy, you definitely can," Reggie says. "You've got this."
"Apart from being cheesy and saying that I think you can do anything," Julie smiles, "I really think you can do this, Alex. I think you think you can do this too; you just don't want to admit it because you're scared."
Alex doesn't know if it's that he's scared, exactly, but he's just… he really doesn't know if he can do this. There's so much to it and Alex wouldn't even know where to begin. No, he wouldn't be all-powerful, so he would be helped along, would be more of a voice than the voice. But even that was daunting. What if he wasn't up to snuff? What if he made a fool of himself? What if he did something that hurt the country? Is he willing to take those risks? Again, he asks himself: can he do this?
"In third grade you were the last of us to make it all the way across the monkey bars," Luke says. He's staring at the notebook that's in front of him but then his eyes flick up to meet Alex's. They're intense and Alex feels himself sitting up straighter under his friend's gaze. "But once you made it across, you could do it faster than me or Reg. And then in fifth grade when we started school band, you got a satisfactory on your report card for drums for the entire first year. Fucking look at you now. When you asked me to teach you guitar, you couldn't get the strumming patterns right for forever. Now there isn't a song you can't play. You got a thirty on the ACT, which was great. And you did it as a sophomore. But you wanted to do better. So you studied, went back, and took it as a junior and got a thirty-four to get your pick of colleges. … And then your grandma shows up. And calls you a prince. And that's the thing you decide you can't do?" he asks. He scoffs and shakes his head. "No. You can. You have been. Dude, you are."
Alex stares at Luke, completely stunned. If he's being completely honest, he didn't expect Luke to support Alex in this—didn't expect Luke to be pushing Alex towards being a prince. Sure, Luke had already agreed with Reggie, had already said that they'd find a way to make Alex being a prince work with him in the band, but Alex wasn't entirely sure if he was serious or not. Apparently he was. Very.
He carries Luke's words home with him that night and thinks on them as his family eats dinner, and as he plays MarioKart with Ava and Austin, and as he gathers up his dirty clothes for his mom to do laundry. As he brings them to her, he draws in a deep breath. When he reaches her, he lets it out.
"Mom?"
"Oh!" She spins around, dropping the laundry basket in the process. "Oh, sweetie, you scared me."
"Sorry," he says.
"It's fine," she shakes her head and leans down to grab the basket. She starts loading the washer back up and twists to look at him. "What's up?"
"I—Beasiga."
She hesitates with her next handful, and then stops loading the washer entirely. "Yeah?"
Alex draws in a deep breath and starts. "I've been—thinking a lot lately. You told me to keep my mind open at the start of this and while I didn't originally, it… I opened it up after a while. And now I've been thinking about… about accepting my role as prince." One of his mom's hands drifts up to her chest and she sucks in a breath. "I haven't made up my mind. I… I really haven't made up my mind. I have no idea how the hell I'm going to make up my mind, and how I'm going to do it in six days. But… but I wanted to ask you. If I do… do you think I can?"
His mom looks off to the side and the hand on her chest presses down and rubs over her heart. She blows out a breath. "Well… that's a heavy question." She looks at him and tilts her head. "I think… I think probably. I… I don't think you could have done it before those lessons your grandma gave you—"
"Oh, not a chance," Alex snorts.
His mom smiles. "Right. But I think now you probably could. I mean, no one really knows if they can until they try. I think you could try."
Alex smiles and thanks her, and turns to go back to his room.
"Alex?"
"Yeah?"
"You don't feel like you… have to do this, do you?" she asks.
"No, Mom. I don't. If I felt like I had to there wouldn't be a chance in hell I would be considering it."
He retreats to his room and opens his laptop to put on Netflix. He barely pays attention to what he puts on, and pays even less attention to the screen while it plays.
Prince lessons the next day start in the morning since there's no school. Alex makes it until lunch before he breaks.
"You… you know I've been considering accepting my role as prince," Alex states. His grandmother nods. "I've not come to a decision. But I wanted to talk to you about it anyways."
"All right," she says, putting her fork down. "We can absolutely do that."
"There are a lot of reasons I am considering taking my place as prince. I'm sure you know most of them. But there are a lot of reasons I'm wary of it as well. My band—they say we'll make it work, but we haven't actually figured out how we'll make it work, and I don't want to give that up. And, well. My anxiety. It's gotten better, I've developed coping mechanisms and I'm sure over time I'll develop more, but as of right now it's… I'm really, well, anxious about it. And… well. The main one, and the thing that has been pestering me all f—freaking night. I-I—" he looks down at his plate, nerves getting the best of him. "I don't know if I can. The band told me I could, and my mom told me I probably could, but… I don't know how I'm supposed to know if I can."
"Alexander," his grandmother says immediately. He looks up at her and finds her smiling at him. "I have… watched you study century old texts, memorize policy after policy, research Beasigan law. I have seen you change the way you hold yourself, develop coping strategies for anxiety, step into who you are in ways that you never thought you could before this last month and a half. And I have seen your ideas for the future of your people, seen your care for your people, seen your heart for your people. I don't think there is anyone who can do this better than you can."
"My people?"
"They've just been waiting for you to arrive," she tells him, and Alex knows that she's speaking of the people of Beasiga.
He bites down on his lip and looks down at his chicken.
His people.
He… really likes the sound of that, actually.
The next few days fly by quickly, too quickly for Alex to really process. It's mainly because he's stressed, like, majorly so. He still hasn't come to a decision by Monday. He's at Willie's at his grandmother's suggestion, trying to decompress and relax, but it's not… it's not really working.
They're lying in Willie's bed watching a movie, but Alex isn't even sure what movie it is. Willie's head is pillowed on Alex's chest and Alex is running his fingers through Willie's hair. Willie's got one hand tucked underneath Alex's shirt, rubbing his side with his thumb, twitching his other fingers every once in a while, brushing against the side of Alex's back. It's nice and quiet and Alex wants to stay here forever but.
But the ball is tomorrow.
The ball is tomorrow and he still hasn't made up his mind.
For days now he's been asking people if they think he can do this. Obviously the band, his grandmother, his mom… but also his limo driver, also Tasha, also Alden and John and the security guards managing the consulate doors and a few of the other staff he'd gotten to know. He'd even emailed Mrs. Harrison and Principal Lessa. He'd texted a few of his friends from school that he mainly talked to in class. The overwhelming majority have been yeses. Alex doesn't know how many of those are genuine yeses, and how many just don't want to hurt his feelings. Not that his feelings would be hurt, because he's the one constantly telling himself that he can't do this. A few people, like his mom, have said 'probably.' They've backed up their reasoning, though. They've said that no one really knows until they do something. They've said that Alex-before-prince lessons wouldn't have been able to but Alex-now probably could. They've said that as long as he keeps his head on straight. There haven't been any nos, but again, people might just not want to hurt his feelings.
He hasn't asked everyone though.
"Willie?" Alex whispers.
"Hm?"
Alex waits for a long moment. He's scared to ask, because he doesn't know what he wants Willie's answer to be. He wants Willie to be honest, but he desperately doesn't want to hear Willie say that Alex can't do this. Also more importantly, he doesn't know what he'll do with Willie's answer. What if Willie thinks he can? Will that influence his choice?
Willie shifts his head on Alex's chest to look up at Alex, and he realizes he's taking too long. He draws in a deep breath, making Willie's head fall with his chest, and asks, "do you think I can do this?"
"The speech at the ball? Yeah, Alex, you'll be fine. You've been doing really great with your anxiety," Willie assures him, squeezing his side.
Alex sighs. "No. I mean, thanks but, I—being a prince. A king. Ruling a country. Do you think I can?"
Willie flips so he's on his stomach, his arm curled around Alex's waist. He shimmies up the bed until he's face to face with Alex and looks him in the eye. "Man, I don't know," he says, and Alex's heart starts to drop. "All I care about is whether or not you're willing. That's the important part. That's the part that's gonna make a difference."
Alex blinks.
So, he has to be willing.
… Well, is he?
The short answer is he doesn't know.
The long answer is that, first, Caleb Covington is next in line for the throne and Alex (and countless others) doesn't want him to take the throne. Alex is the only one who has the opportunity to stop him. By taking his rightful place as prince and eventually king, and then by eventually having a child, Caleb would no longer have his claim. Second, Beasiga is a country with strong ties to many countries around the world. It didn't survive for over three hundred years, over one hundred of those without an army, by being anti-social. Alex would have an opportunity to impact not only Beasiga, but also the world. It wouldn't be anything revolutionary or that would create world peace, but if he can take even a single step towards making even one country a better place for even one group of people… he thinks the entire thing would be worth it. Finally, Beasiga is full of people he cares about, even if he's never met them, and he wants to make their lives better. The people in the country are passionate and full of life and Alex can tell that just from hearing and reading about them, just from news stories, just from social media. He wants to make a difference, wants to leave a mark.
After that though, he has to think of the life he'd be giving up. Even if they managed to make things work, what are the chances he'd ever get to go on tour with the band? Slim to none. Security wouldn't hear of it, and he wouldn't have the time to leave for six months. Willie said he would stick with Alex, but what if things got too hard? What if the pressures of royalty were too much for Willie and he didn't want that anymore? And his future kid—kids? His mom and biological dad had hidden him from the royal world because they wanted him to live a "normal" childhood. What would a royal childhood mean for any children he'd have? One of them would grow up to be ruler of Beasiga one day and would be feeling the same pressure he is right now. They'd also be wondering if they could do it. Or—or maybe not. Maybe he was right when he said that rulers were born. Maybe the fact that he was thrown into this at such a late age is the reason he doubts himself so much.
And then—then he thinks… he can recite many Beasigan policies and when and why they were developed, he can quote multiple Beasigan laws and tell you when and where they were passed, and he can discuss Beasigan history back to before the start of the country. And he's proud that he can do that and he likes that he can do that and he wants to learn even more about Beasiga. Over the last month and a half he's prepared for this. And it's not like he's going to become king next week, just prince. He's still got plenty of time before he becomes king. He'd have time to graduate college before he becomes king, and in that time, he could learn plenty more about Beasiga's policies and laws and history, and even its people and culture and architecture and so much more.
But… he's scared.
There it is, he admits it now. Julie was right again, no one is surprised.
He's absolutely terrified.
Stepping into his role as prince means giving up the life he's known for sixteen years and accepting the life he's known for one month. It means giving up the life he expected and taking on the life he… well, that he couldn't have even dreamt up. And it means accepting something about himself that he really, really didn't want to accept.
That he is, in fact, a prince.
Being a prince, later king, makes him separate from everyone else. It makes him somehow more untouchable to a certain group of people—actually, to most people. It takes away his normalcy. Beyond that, it puts him on a pedestal and in a spotlight and illuminates all of his flaws, all of his mistakes, all of his missteps and setbacks and failures.
A prince. Could he be that?
He technically is, whether he likes it or not, but… if he accepts it, well… There'd be no going back. Is he willing to give up this life for that?
In economics, they learned about opportunity cost. It's the concept of what you miss gaining by opting for a different choice. For example, by going to school, a person is gaining knowledge, but the opportunity cost is that they're giving up a few extra hours of sleep. If they choose to go out with friends rather than study, they gain time with friends, but the opportunity cost is the hours they could have spent studying and the potential grade they could have gotten had they spent those hours studying instead. As Alex thinks on it, he wants to laugh. Those examples are accurate but they seem so insignificant compared to his situation. What's the opportunity cost if he decides to become a prince? What is it if he doesn't? All he knows is that there are two things that Alex can't sacrifice in his choice. There are two things that he will not allow to be his opportunity cost. His band and…
Alex blinks up at Willie, who's suddenly even closer than before, and it doesn't take much at all for Alex to lean up and close the gap between them. Willie kisses him back, opening his mouth under Alex's lips and sighing. Alex presses back into the kiss, and slips a hand into Willie's hair and guides him deeper until they're both lost in each other. Alex feels his heart fluttering, hears their shaky breaths between kisses, and tastes traces of Willie's toothpaste on his breath. Willie has been with him through this all, and has pushed him not to do what he thinks he should do, but what he wants to do. Alex wants Willie, yes, but what he really wants… he wants Willie to be beside him in Beasiga.
He pulls back.
"I'm going to be Prince," he whispers.
Willie smiles. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
There's a long pause in the room, the only noise being the sound of whatever movie is playing in the background. Willie is staring at Alex, flicking his eyes over parts of Alex's face, searching for any sign of hesitation. He settles on Alex's eyes and gives Alex a weighted look.
"Love you, Prince Alex," Willie says, and then they're back to kissing, and Alex feels like these are the two best decisions he's ever made.
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