* BETTER / DAYS )

ilija filipovic. 26. crown prince of croatia.

[vstridb]

" YOU'RE PREGNANT !? " her voice was as high pitched as it would get ! " i mean, i mean, not you but you, the plural. you're having a baby !? " [ @ilijaf ]

[ilijaf]

❝ ACTUALLY, WE'RE NOT. my bad, i should've waited until we were sure to tell you. ❞ not that there was a reality in which he'd do that but it would've been the smart thing to do. ❝ false positive, the doctor had an explanation for it, i just stopped paying attention after i heard the word false. so no baby. ❞

[iretiolowu]

they were both standing in the bathroom, hands clasped together, and embroiled in a serious conversation — if ireti could see this scene from the outside, she might've even laughed! "oh." the sudden heavy burden in her heart immediately lessened, for it took her a mere second to realise that her dread and fear came from the prospect of doing it all alone. suddenly, things did not look quite as bleak as it once was. "i'm— oh thank god." she started to laugh, perhaps in relief, perhaps in elation. "i wasn't even thinking about labour... the pain— and all that. i'm an athlete, that sort of thing would never stop me from doing anything. it was actually... i don't know. a lot of guys would totally fold when a baby is mentioned." ireti, even at 27, felt like a child herself when it came to the prospect of starting a family. "i was scared that you thought it was too soon... or something." she smiled at him, even when stuttering and thoroughly stressed, looking very much like he would be the man she could spend the rest of her life with. "it was fun though, i'm not sorry we did it... i do want this with you, i didn't think that it was going to happen this quickly or out of nowhere like this, but i do want this."

[ilijaf]

❝ IT IS SOON. ❞ he pointed out, because they were being honest and he didn't want her thinking he didn't see any negatives in their predicament. there were some. but those were things they needed to work on and figure out together, not ignore completely. ❝ but it's also happening right now, whether we think it is soon or not. if we both want this, there's no use choosing to wait for the perfect time when it is already in the palms of our hands. ❞ he let out a smile for the first time since entering the bathroom, now with a better grasp of what their lives would change to shortly. realisation that was both scary and exciting. ❝ we'll get a doctor then and, i don't know, enjoy this. ❞ though he started to wonder how easy it would be to enjoy once their families were told the news. he could almost hear his family's words already. ❝ maybe we should wait a bit before telling anyone too. ❞

[ilijaf]

we fucked around a little too hard and found out irilija might be parents so here's the result of that.

choosing a name wasn't so hard: ilija's family already had a tradition of every name starting with i and it just so happened that he had a child with someone whose name also starts with i so passing that on to their daughter didn't take any convincing. they decided to go with a croatian first name and igbo middle to represent both sides of her, then later on decided to add another middle name because why the fuck not ? that's how we end up with iva annuli renata filipović, second in line to the throne of croatia. one thing you need to know about this pregnancy is that they'll halle bailey the shit out of it. close friends and family will know, people will speculate and be almost sure about it but if you think for a second these two are gonna make a pregnancy announcement or anything of the sort you've lost your damn mind. not for shame of not being married yet or only being a couple for a bit over a year but they just don't wanna deal with the stress of it and are thinking of ways to protect the baby at all costs right now so the only confirmation anyone will get will be months after iva is born. maybe on their 2024 ig recap in december. you'll be sliding left and, would you look at that, a baby. both their parents freaked out with the news. ireti's far more than ilija's; although ivana wasn't very happy he was having a kid before getting married, at least someone was making sure the throne now has a direct line to it rather than make curves and circle back to distant relatives. there was still pressure to get them married quick before the world knew of the baby but this once they put their foot down and decided against it for the same reason they didn't tell the world: it was a lot of stress they had no interest in being under at the moment. iva grows up to be a lot more like ireti than ilija. she loves sports, she's a bit more reserved and picky with the people she surrounds herself with, she actually thinks before acting which results in her not being a complete idiot like her father. still, she owns his heart and soul. his biggest fear is that, her being so into sports like her mother (she'll play volleyball her entire life alright), she'll somehow follow in his family's footsteps and abdicate to be an athlete. that won't happen though, iva loves politics. she wants to be part of every meeting, even the ones ilija himself dreads. being a monarch is the main thing on her mind. araya and sol are the godmothers, we don't believe in godfathers in this household (i.e: they don't have any male friends).

a little bit after iva turns two irilija will realise that they actually enjoy this whole parenting thing and decide they want to do it again. and then comes ivan. they're very creative with the names, i know, his mother will be so happy with these istg. his isn't very different from hers: a croatian first name, an igbo middle, a third one just for vibes. ivan akunna paškal filipović. and, you guessed it, they're not about to tell the world about this pregnancy either. mind your business. the light skin energy in this dude is so strong i can hear him calling me babygirl from here, help. if iva is ireti, ivan is ilija entirely. this guy will befriend a door if the knocks are melodic enough and call that a conversation. he's outspoken, an extrovert, a party animal if you will, his main goal is to make sure everyone has a good time when he's around and that he exceeds at. but while his sister grows to have their dad's job, he'll take his mother's title and become the athlete of the family. he's a cycler and boy does he take it seriously. once he makes it there, you'll see him at the grand tour every year, i promise. he might not win but he's there. this kid's level of competitiveness is almost illegal: he's always trying to one-up iva in the stupidest of things. unfortunately for ivan, he always ends up losing and you have no idea how much he hates losing. but his sister's older, wiser, smarter and knows his tricks, he doesn't stand a chance. that doesn't stop him from challenging her every opportunity he finds though, he's annoying like that. mimi and yihwa are the godmothers (i'm telling you, not a male friend in sight).

[iretiolowu]

she shouldn't be so sensitive in fixating upon pauses and silences —  but with every frozen moment, ireti felt her heart sink further and further. "is it?" she didn't even know what to think, how to react, and selfishly she wanted him to be sure and steadfast for the both of them, for once. "the doctor— ... yeah, we should. we should call someone... but before that—" she turned fully from the mirror to face him, eyes unflinchingly looking into his. "we've never talked about this, right? now is not the time for any of us to clam up... if this is actually happening, because—" now it was her turn to stutter slightly in silence, holding both his hands in hers. "i love you," the words were pressed into his palms, allowing him to hold them in his possession to do with them what he will. "i'll understand if you don't want to do this with me, but you need to tell me— it doesn't have to be now!" even from the beginning of their relationship, she had never minded asking all the difficult questions, no matter how much she'd like him to once in a while. ireti came up to her tiptoes to curl both arms around his neck, holding him tight. "it was that fucking new years party, isn't it?"

[ilijaf]

❝ NO, WE HAVEN'T so let's do that now. ❞ he made the choice to ignore her thinking he wouldn't want to do this with her even if the words felt like a spear going through him and hurt as such. the situation was one that required threading through carefully and the last thing he wanted was for them to be hung up on misinterpretations of something the other said. the shock might've shut him up at first but he felt lucid enough now to voice his thoughts. ❝ i love you and i want to do this with you. and i promise i'm not saying this just because it's happening now. i love kids, i've always wanted a kid and i always knew i'd have one but... i don't know, even if it has always been what i want, it's also something that i won't be doing any of the hard work for. carrying and the pains and labour, that's all gonna be on you and i don't want you to feel pressured to do it just because i'm saying i want the baby. ❞ because, as much as he tried, there was too much about pregnancy that he wouldn't be able to help her with at all. ❝ but i- i do. it doesn't really matter if we didn't prepare for it, i really believe we can do this if you want it too. ❞ he moved closer and kissed the top of her head. ❝ yeah. fucking at the new years party specifically... i'm sorry, i shouldn't have- that's not fun- i'm sorry. but that was the only time we weren't careful that i can remember. ❞

[iretiolowu]

she couldn't hear most of the words before he came into the bathroom, eyes fixated on the object in her hands. "no its not exactly cramps— you know how we thought i ate a bad shellfish the other day..." she laid a handful of tests onto the sink with a clatter before looking up at him. "it's not the shellfish."

[ilijaf]

THE COMMENT ABOUT the shellfish died in his parted lips as the objects came to vision. as horrible as that might've been for the moment, ilija took his sweet time overly analyzing each one of them. the results in particular. the second line ( the important one ) of each test was so faint it was hard to even see them yet they were now impossible to miss in all five but one. there was one negative among the rest. which he immediately discarded as the right result. his mouth stayed open, drying up with each passing second, and he attempted to say anything but only incoherent noises came out. plenty of ❝ i, uh, that's, uhm... ❞ and nothing of substance. it was embarrassing really but only because his brain was going too fast for his lips to ever catch up. yes, they were happy and stable and he loved her. of course he did. but a baby required a lot more than that. things he knew nothing about. things they never even discussed. did ireti even want to be a mother ? and asking all of those questions now would be insensitive. it took looking away from the tests to get him out of the trance but it finally happened after what could've felt like both an eternity and a split second at the same time. his hand found hers to give it a reassuring squeeze, even if he had no clue what he was trying to reassure her about. ❝ it's okay, we're okay. we should see a doctor, right ? be sure. ❞ not that it felt like any question marks were hanging in the air but hearing from a doctor would be more decisive than pharmacy tests. ❝ and then we can prepare better. if... that's what you want. do you ? ❞

[iretiolowu]

FEB 2024

"ilija..." she called from the bathroom, after a good 30 seconds of being frozen in front of the sink. "babe can you come here for a sec..." @ilijaf

[ilijaf]

❝ JUST ONE SECOND. ❞ enough for him to send his sister one last message before dropping the phone and making his way to the bathroom. ❝ i've been thinking of visiting iris for her birthday but i'm not— hey, are you okay ? is it cramps ? there's advil somewhere in this house, i know there is. ❞

[iretiolowu]

" it's nowhere near midnight yet . . . people should have a little bit more self-control than that. " she wrapped an arm around his middle and rested her cheek on his shoulder, eyes following the couple. " is this your way of trying to get me out of my dress? " she pressed a short kiss on his jaw, leaving a red mark in its wake.

[ilijaf]

❝ IS IT WORKING ? ❞ the little smirk and raise of eyebrow ilija showed while asking the question should be enough for her to know he wasn't serious unless she was. at least not for now. ❝ how hard is it to take off anyway ? ❞ he analyzed the dress while his hand found it's residence on her hip.

[ilijaf]

❝ THOSE TWO DEFINITELY just had sex in the nearest empty room. ❞ he pointed to a couple doing a poor job hiding a post-sex aura. ❝ should've been us. celebrating. second new year's party together. ❞ / @iretiolowu

[iretiolowu]

she hummed in understanding, regarding him softly . his honesty and ability to be constantly open had always been one of the things she loves most about him . " that doesn't always have to happen, " ireti squeezed at his hand . " sometimes a monarch would retire , instead of going through the gory thing . " they weren't exactly still living in the middle ages after all ! " for what it's worth, i think you'll have a lot of time to get used to it . " she laughed then, wide and open, as fingers came to fiddle with his tie —  a playful kiss placed on the corner of his lips . " i don't know... his crown is huge and look at all those medals ! "

[ilijaf]

HE DIDN'T MEAN for the scoff that came out to sound as sassy as it did, it was just a natural reaction to how absurd it was to imagine ivana filipovic retiring. ❝ i don't know if she's the type. she could prove me wrong but i almost hope she doesn't. more time to prepare and she wouldn't be a constant voice in my ear. i don't really mind waiting however long it might take. ❞ although her next words made him chuckle, for a second ilija wondered if he should have joined the armed forces — then he remembered he wouldn't survive a day of it. ❝ alright, go kiss him then. ❞ but his arm didn't move from it's place around her waist. ❝ does it like, scare you or something that i'm first in line ? i mean, if you had something against it we wouldn't be here right now but what are your thoughts on it ? ❞

[nestito702]

Manu Rios in Cartier and Saint Laurent at the Cannes Film Festival 2023 for the "Monster" red carpet

[iretiolowu]

" is it really weird to be here? i mean—" she shrugged preemptively. it wasn't until a few hours previous did she realise that ireti was actually seriously dating someone that will receive his very own coronation festivities ! theoretically, she knew that her boyfriend is the crown prince of croatia, but it had never felt particularly real until now . " do you ever think about how yours is gonna be? i know it's still a long way off, but... i don't know. one second you're just a prince and the next you're the most important person in the country." ( @ilijaf )

[ilijaf]

❝ IT'S WEIRDER BECAUSE of my family than what the whole thing represents, to be honest. ❞ he tried not to seem uncomfortable talking about it, ilija didn't even think any of them would've gotten an invite, let alone attend. yet here they all were. ❝ my mother has the entire thing planned; which is really awful when you remember what has to happen to her for us to get there. but, i don't know, i try not to think about it too much. i know i always kind of dreamed about being next in line but i also never really thought it would happen so i sometimes just forget about it. maybe because i still have my sisters it's harder to get it through my head that it isn't either of them anymore. ❞ but this party was not the place to have that deep of a conversation when anyone close could hear them. ❝ i'd look greater than giovanni with a crown on for sure. ❞

[experienceandobservation]

Manu Ríos | July 07, 2023 | 📷 IG

[ilijaf]

❝ HAVE YOU EVER been to aruba ? i'm trying to decide what to do for my birthday and google said the weather should be great in the caribbean in october. what do you think ? ❞ / @iretiolowu

[ilijaf]

ireti + fanni.

“So…? Do you have any plans for August? One last thing to do before the summer’s over? Maybe a trip to Nigeria?” ( @ilijaf​ + @iretiolowu​ )

“actually, i have to go to copenhagen for about a week and a bit for a masterclass— for eluctari. i’m trying to get ilija to come with me… but he doesn’t think that it’s a good idea for me to be on ice so soon because of my leg.” ( @ilijaf​ ) 

     - ‘ BECAUSE IT isn’t. ’ he had nothing backing him up on that opinion other than his own worries but those had always been enough for ilija. ‘ please agree with me here. ’ the plea was directed at his cousin. ‘ i mean, i’ll go if you decide to go, i’ll just be worried like... the entire time. what about you, fanni, do you have any plans ? i know you’re going back home but that’s only next month right ? ’ / @fannicroy​

[ilijaf]

ireti.

“look alive, filipovic, we’re going to get me that vineyard in aragon.” she pulled the croatian prince up from his seat and dragged him over to one of the many little informative tables strewn across the courtyard. “i’m gonna do the cherry liqueur first — here take camera — make sure i look cute!”  ( @ilijaf​ ) 

     - ‘ ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT. ’ he let himself be pulled in whatever direction she liked, having no issue with being on photographer duty for the night so she could win the competition. at least they’d have fun doing it. ‘ you’re just gonna shot it ? ’ he asked while trying to get a good angle.

[ilijaf]

posting a pic w a drunk someone to his public grid. it's ireti btw, I'm not gifted enough to make a manip so you'll have to take a not so look alike. also idc if your chara hasn't posted a story in 5 years, they have now.

[ilijaf]

fanni.

“I said ‘what’, it looks quite inappropriate. Versace or not. Actually — Olimpia would have you killed for wearing something Italian too.”

     - ‘ BELIEVE ME, i am saying this with the utmost respect, but you’re showing more skin than i am. my belly button isn’t even out. ’ and it was summer ! ‘ really ? she would care about that ? fine, i’ll wear something french next time. ’