FIC: The Royal Engagement
A Luke/Reid fic in which they talk about a royal engagement and an engagement of their own. (As the World Turns, PG)
Title: The Royal Engagement
Author: sleeper6
Characters: Luke/Reid
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1531
Summary: Luke and Reid talk about a royal engagement and an engagement of their own.
Disclaimer: All belongs to As the World Turns, not me.
Author's notes: In honor of the engagement of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton (my non-fictional OTP), who I think are lovely people. Silliness and fluff.
“Squee.”
A slightly startled Reid Oliver looked up from the newspaper article he’d been silently reading for the past five minutes as the shrill squealing at the other end of the sofa he was sitting on infiltrated the quiet living room.
“What is going on?” he asked, both exasperatedly and curiously.
His boyfriend, Luke Snyder, had his usual 1000-watt smile on his face when he turned away from his laptop on the coffee table to look at Reid.
“The Prince is getting married!”
Reid wrinkled his eyebrows. “The Prince? What Prince?”
“The Prince of Wales,” replied Luke matter-of-factly. While Reid stared at him blankly, Luke continued, “Wales. England. The royal family. The monarchy. How do you not know who they are?”
“I barely remember the names of the idiots who run this country; why am I supposed to care about some strangers who fake-rule over a country a whole ocean away?”
Luke rolled his eyes as he turned back to resume reading the news on the Internet.
Reid’s own eyes returned to the old-fashioned newspaper in his hands. “I thought he was already married,” Reid said after a few seconds. “He’s on his second wife, isn’t he?”
Luke’s laptop shut closed as its owner sat back on the brown couch and grinned at Reid. “I thought you didn’t know who they were. And it’s Prince Charles’s son who’s getting married-Prince William.”
“And that’s why you were squealing?”
“I didn’t squeal.”
“I know squealing, Luke-thanks to you, by the way-and that was squealing,” confirmed Reid, loving the pout threatening to appear on his boyfriend’s face. “You’re not related to them, are you?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? Because the way you and your family act all high and mighty sometimes, I don’t think the possibility’s so outrageous.”
Luke shook his head and put his legs up on the couch. “If I was a royal, you know you wouldn’t stand a chance with me, right?”
Reid tossed the paper onto the table and faced Luke. “Why’s that?”
“Because I could never marry a commoner like you,” replied Luke as he smirked at Reid.
“So suddenly a world-renowned, Harvard-trained neurosurgeon wouldn’t be good enough for you?”
“Hey, I don’t make the rules. In Oakdale, you’re like a king. But in a land far, far away, you probably wouldn’t even be able to stand outside the gates of my palace,” Luke explained casually.
“And you wouldn’t make an exception? For me?” asked Reid, trying very hard to match his own pout to Luke’s.
Luke was unaffected as he continued, “Even if I wanted to, my parents wouldn’t let me. If they caught us together, they’d banish you from the kingdom.”
Reid tapped his chin as he thought about this. “Then I guess I’d have to climb the tower and sneak into your room to see you. You’d have to let down your hair, or a really, really long rope, every night so I could climb up.”
Luke shook his head firmly. “I wouldn’t do that, Reid, because the tower would likely be too high. What if you fell and broke your neck? Remember the tree house?”
Reid remembered the tree house. As one part of Holden’s plan to bond with his son’s new boyfriend, Holden asked both Luke and Reid to help him build a tree house for Ethan. Though Luke had firmly told his dad that Reid shouldn’t risk any hand injuries, Reid had eased this concern by informing Luke of his own plan to bond with his boyfriend’s father. That made Luke happy-as Reid knew it would-since Luke loved Reid socializing with the Snyders (“Before you know it, they’ll be adopting me, too,” joked Reid). What didn’t make Luke-or Reid, for that matter-happy was Reid falling nine feet from the oak tree and spraining his foot, thereby prematurely ending any proposed Oliver-Snyder bonding time.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m not good at climbing things.”
“No, you’re not.”
Reid playfully swatted Luke’s head. “So who is this prince marrying? Another blueblood?”
“He’s marrying his college girlfriend.”
“And what does she do?”
Luke half-shrugged. “She does things here and there. With her family’s business-they’re rich. And she does some charitable events-goes to fundraisers and stuff.” Luke looked down at his hands. “She’s been with him for a long time.”
“Ah, a true lady-in-waiting,” remarked Reid sarcastically.
Luke hit Reid’s arm. “Reid, she’s a lovely girl. She’s pretty and seems very smart.”
“I’m sure she’s smart. She landed herself a prince, didn’t she?”
“Oh, brains had nothing to do with that. I think her great looks and irresistible charm won him over.”
Reid snorted. “Looks and charm? You actually think that works?”
“It landed me a neurosurgeon, didn’t it?” Luke grinned cheekily at his boyfriend.
Both Reid and Luke laughed out loud. Reid then reached for Luke’s hand. “Just another commoner.”
Luke squeezed Reid’s hand and slightly leaned toward Reid. “You know I wouldn’t listen to my parents, right, if they didn’t approve of you?”
“I don’t know, Luke. I think you’d have to obey your parents or abdicate your chance at the throne.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Luke nodded thoughtfully before shrugging. “Guess I’d have to frame them for a crime and throw them into the dungeons. Then I’d be king and you could be my queen.”
“So you’re Prince Grimaldi all of a sudden?” teased Reid.
“Hey, I’d be doing it all for you.”
Reid leaned forward and briefly kissed Luke. “Thank you, my prince.”
“You’re welcome, my queen.”
“That’s princess,” corrected Reid. “I wouldn’t want you to get rid of your parents. They’re nice people. They could keep their titles.”
Luke smiled.
“So, how long have the prince and his soon-to-be-princess been together?” inquired Reid.
“Eight years.”
Reid whistled. “Eight years. Well, the man’s smart. If he could stand her for that long and still want to marry her, then she must be the one.”
“Gee, Reid, that’s so romantic.”
“It’s not easy being with someone for that long, you know.”
“No and neither do you.”
“But I’m assuming. It’s hard enough to be with someone for a year; I can’t imagine eight,” said Reid, leaning back against the couch.
Luke released Reid’s hand and crossed his arms. “Are you saying you set expiration dates for your relationships?”
“No,” said Reid cautiously. “I think relationships set the dates themselves.”
“Meaning?”
“A lot of relationships don’t work out, even the royal, fairy-tale ones that are supposed to last happily ever after,” explained Reid. “This Prince William guy knows that, too. Just look at his dad.”
“What about us, Reid? Have you set an end date?”
“Luke, that’s not what I meant.”
Luke firmly nodded. “You just said you can’t be with someone for more than a year.”
“I meant to say that I’ve never been with someone for more than a year. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”
Luke uncrossed his arms and inched closer to Reid. “And do you want to, with me?”
Reid remained silent.
“Reid?”
Reid smiled. “Let’s put it this way, Luke. If we’re still together in eight years and not tearing each other apart, then we should do it.”
Luke wasn’t sure he’d heard Reid correctly. “Do it? Do what?”
Reid opened his mouth but said nothing, so Luke prodded him. “Do what, Reid?”
“Another eight years?” Reid finally said.
Luke knew what Reid meant, but he also knew that Reid was always very careful of what he said and that he would often say something to cover what he really wanted to say. Luke had always understood that.
This time, though, Luke wanted to hear what he wanted to hear and wanted Reid to say what he meant to say. “You’re going to make me wait eight years? Seriously?” Luke, now sitting only inches from Reid, turned on his smile.
Reid, as Luke correctly surmised, couldn’t escape Luke or that smile, so he gave in. “For you, I’ll make it four years. You were willing to get rid of your parents for me so . . .”
Luke rubbed Reid’s arm. “Four years and then . . .?”
“Luke.”
“Four years and then . . .?”
Reid exhaled. “And then I do what Prince William did today. There, I said it.”
Luke, his heart bubbling with emotion, nuzzled his face against Reid’s. “But four years, really?”
Reid was unable to stop himself. “It could be less.”
“I think so, too,” agreed Luke. He sat back. “But no pressure.”
Reid chuckled. “It could also be up to you, you know. You’re the prince, after all.”
“Oh, right. Then I should definitely ask my parents if it’s okay to marry someone outside of my class. To avoid the towers and dungeons and all that.”
“I like to think that they’ll be okay with it,” Reid uttered hopefully.
Luke kissed Reid. “Me too.”
“So . . . in eight or less years, huh?”
Luke nodded, his grin threatening to burst with happiness.
Reid stared into Luke’s eyes. “You’re not going to squeal, are you?”
“I do not-”
But Luke did not finish his protest as his mouth was suddenly captured by Reid’s own.
Title: The Royal Engagement
Author: sleeper6
Characters: Luke/Reid
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1531
Summary: Luke and Reid talk about a royal engagement and an engagement of their own.
Disclaimer: All belongs to As the World Turns, not me.
Author's notes: In honor of the engagement of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton (my non-fictional OTP), who I think are lovely people. Silliness and fluff.
“Squee.”
A slightly startled Reid Oliver looked up from the newspaper article he’d been silently reading for the past five minutes as the shrill squealing at the other end of the sofa he was sitting on infiltrated the quiet living room.
“What is going on?” he asked, both exasperatedly and curiously.
His boyfriend, Luke Snyder, had his usual 1000-watt smile on his face when he turned away from his laptop on the coffee table to look at Reid.
“The Prince is getting married!”
Reid wrinkled his eyebrows. “The Prince? What Prince?”
“The Prince of Wales,” replied Luke matter-of-factly. While Reid stared at him blankly, Luke continued, “Wales. England. The royal family. The monarchy. How do you not know who they are?”
“I barely remember the names of the idiots who run this country; why am I supposed to care about some strangers who fake-rule over a country a whole ocean away?”
Luke rolled his eyes as he turned back to resume reading the news on the Internet.
Reid’s own eyes returned to the old-fashioned newspaper in his hands. “I thought he was already married,” Reid said after a few seconds. “He’s on his second wife, isn’t he?”
Luke’s laptop shut closed as its owner sat back on the brown couch and grinned at Reid. “I thought you didn’t know who they were. And it’s Prince Charles’s son who’s getting married-Prince William.”
“And that’s why you were squealing?”
“I didn’t squeal.”
“I know squealing, Luke-thanks to you, by the way-and that was squealing,” confirmed Reid, loving the pout threatening to appear on his boyfriend’s face. “You’re not related to them, are you?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? Because the way you and your family act all high and mighty sometimes, I don’t think the possibility’s so outrageous.”
Luke shook his head and put his legs up on the couch. “If I was a royal, you know you wouldn’t stand a chance with me, right?”
Reid tossed the paper onto the table and faced Luke. “Why’s that?”
“Because I could never marry a commoner like you,” replied Luke as he smirked at Reid.
“So suddenly a world-renowned, Harvard-trained neurosurgeon wouldn’t be good enough for you?”
“Hey, I don’t make the rules. In Oakdale, you’re like a king. But in a land far, far away, you probably wouldn’t even be able to stand outside the gates of my palace,” Luke explained casually.
“And you wouldn’t make an exception? For me?” asked Reid, trying very hard to match his own pout to Luke’s.
Luke was unaffected as he continued, “Even if I wanted to, my parents wouldn’t let me. If they caught us together, they’d banish you from the kingdom.”
Reid tapped his chin as he thought about this. “Then I guess I’d have to climb the tower and sneak into your room to see you. You’d have to let down your hair, or a really, really long rope, every night so I could climb up.”
Luke shook his head firmly. “I wouldn’t do that, Reid, because the tower would likely be too high. What if you fell and broke your neck? Remember the tree house?”
Reid remembered the tree house. As one part of Holden’s plan to bond with his son’s new boyfriend, Holden asked both Luke and Reid to help him build a tree house for Ethan. Though Luke had firmly told his dad that Reid shouldn’t risk any hand injuries, Reid had eased this concern by informing Luke of his own plan to bond with his boyfriend’s father. That made Luke happy-as Reid knew it would-since Luke loved Reid socializing with the Snyders (“Before you know it, they’ll be adopting me, too,” joked Reid). What didn’t make Luke-or Reid, for that matter-happy was Reid falling nine feet from the oak tree and spraining his foot, thereby prematurely ending any proposed Oliver-Snyder bonding time.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m not good at climbing things.”
“No, you’re not.”
Reid playfully swatted Luke’s head. “So who is this prince marrying? Another blueblood?”
“He’s marrying his college girlfriend.”
“And what does she do?”
Luke half-shrugged. “She does things here and there. With her family’s business-they’re rich. And she does some charitable events-goes to fundraisers and stuff.” Luke looked down at his hands. “She’s been with him for a long time.”
“Ah, a true lady-in-waiting,” remarked Reid sarcastically.
Luke hit Reid’s arm. “Reid, she’s a lovely girl. She’s pretty and seems very smart.”
“I’m sure she’s smart. She landed herself a prince, didn’t she?”
“Oh, brains had nothing to do with that. I think her great looks and irresistible charm won him over.”
Reid snorted. “Looks and charm? You actually think that works?”
“It landed me a neurosurgeon, didn’t it?” Luke grinned cheekily at his boyfriend.
Both Reid and Luke laughed out loud. Reid then reached for Luke’s hand. “Just another commoner.”
Luke squeezed Reid’s hand and slightly leaned toward Reid. “You know I wouldn’t listen to my parents, right, if they didn’t approve of you?”
“I don’t know, Luke. I think you’d have to obey your parents or abdicate your chance at the throne.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Luke nodded thoughtfully before shrugging. “Guess I’d have to frame them for a crime and throw them into the dungeons. Then I’d be king and you could be my queen.”
“So you’re Prince Grimaldi all of a sudden?” teased Reid.
“Hey, I’d be doing it all for you.”
Reid leaned forward and briefly kissed Luke. “Thank you, my prince.”
“You’re welcome, my queen.”
“That’s princess,” corrected Reid. “I wouldn’t want you to get rid of your parents. They’re nice people. They could keep their titles.”
Luke smiled.
“So, how long have the prince and his soon-to-be-princess been together?” inquired Reid.
“Eight years.”
Reid whistled. “Eight years. Well, the man’s smart. If he could stand her for that long and still want to marry her, then she must be the one.”
“Gee, Reid, that’s so romantic.”
“It’s not easy being with someone for that long, you know.”
“No and neither do you.”
“But I’m assuming. It’s hard enough to be with someone for a year; I can’t imagine eight,” said Reid, leaning back against the couch.
Luke released Reid’s hand and crossed his arms. “Are you saying you set expiration dates for your relationships?”
“No,” said Reid cautiously. “I think relationships set the dates themselves.”
“Meaning?”
“A lot of relationships don’t work out, even the royal, fairy-tale ones that are supposed to last happily ever after,” explained Reid. “This Prince William guy knows that, too. Just look at his dad.”
“What about us, Reid? Have you set an end date?”
“Luke, that’s not what I meant.”
Luke firmly nodded. “You just said you can’t be with someone for more than a year.”
“I meant to say that I’ve never been with someone for more than a year. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”
Luke uncrossed his arms and inched closer to Reid. “And do you want to, with me?”
Reid remained silent.
“Reid?”
Reid smiled. “Let’s put it this way, Luke. If we’re still together in eight years and not tearing each other apart, then we should do it.”
Luke wasn’t sure he’d heard Reid correctly. “Do it? Do what?”
Reid opened his mouth but said nothing, so Luke prodded him. “Do what, Reid?”
“Another eight years?” Reid finally said.
Luke knew what Reid meant, but he also knew that Reid was always very careful of what he said and that he would often say something to cover what he really wanted to say. Luke had always understood that.
This time, though, Luke wanted to hear what he wanted to hear and wanted Reid to say what he meant to say. “You’re going to make me wait eight years? Seriously?” Luke, now sitting only inches from Reid, turned on his smile.
Reid, as Luke correctly surmised, couldn’t escape Luke or that smile, so he gave in. “For you, I’ll make it four years. You were willing to get rid of your parents for me so . . .”
Luke rubbed Reid’s arm. “Four years and then . . .?”
“Luke.”
“Four years and then . . .?”
Reid exhaled. “And then I do what Prince William did today. There, I said it.”
Luke, his heart bubbling with emotion, nuzzled his face against Reid’s. “But four years, really?”
Reid was unable to stop himself. “It could be less.”
“I think so, too,” agreed Luke. He sat back. “But no pressure.”
Reid chuckled. “It could also be up to you, you know. You’re the prince, after all.”
“Oh, right. Then I should definitely ask my parents if it’s okay to marry someone outside of my class. To avoid the towers and dungeons and all that.”
“I like to think that they’ll be okay with it,” Reid uttered hopefully.
Luke kissed Reid. “Me too.”
“So . . . in eight or less years, huh?”
Luke nodded, his grin threatening to burst with happiness.
Reid stared into Luke’s eyes. “You’re not going to squeal, are you?”
“I do not-”
But Luke did not finish his protest as his mouth was suddenly captured by Reid’s own.