wonder.

riordan stahlbaum • 20 • son of clara and the nutcracker. and i know i should've held you closer. and i know i should've treated you better in a [PERFECT] world. but we're not always what we p r o m i s e to be.

[thekingofsweets]

CHARITY BEAU:

“Hey, you’re the one driving. You have total control.” She smiled over at him. “But I do think it’s something we both need.” She grinned as he agreed and clapped her hands softly. “Yay!” She laughed along with him and shrugged. “Hey. It gives us the chance to try something new.” She sighed softly. “No. He doesn’t have a bet placed… Well, we do, but it’s about something completely different… I don’t believe that he has an ulterior motive… It did come up kind of suddenly, though.” She admitted now thinking about if something was bothering Otto or not. She slowly nodded her head and giggled as he finished speaking. “Okay. If I start falling for Otto, I’ll come find you, and you can send me to the Land of Sweets.” She teased. “How about that?”

Riordan chuckled slowly, nodding along to show that she was right. His eyes kept glancing to the side, trying to see if any restaurants would pop out to him so that they could eat. Nothing yet. His lips twisted a bit when he heard about Otto. “I don’t think... he came all the way back after what happened with Ursula. I talked to Pompeii a couple times and she’s...” Riordan trailed off before giving a soft sigh. “I just can’t seem to trust anything he says. But, I’m sure you can take care of yourself and your judgement is a lot more structurally sound than most. So I’m not going to try and stop you from doing what you’re doing, you know?” He snapped out of his unease and started laughing, a bright smile donning his lips. “Oh, trust me, you’ll get the best treatment there. It’ll be paradise all in an effort to forget Mr. White. But only if you fall for him— it’s the only way you’ll get special treatment.” He crinkled his nose as he glanced to look at her, signalling that he was just joking around.

[thekingofsweets]

CHARITY BEAU:

She smiled softly glad to know someone else had an idea of what her and Darcy were going through. She nodded her head feeling better about letting out all of her worries. “Thank you, Rio.” She said again. She laughed and nodded her head. “Not unless I tell him first.” She joked. Charity watched Rio as he drove, and her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she noticed his smile change. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” She stated not wanting him to feel uncomfortable. At his words, she frowned and started to feel concern for him. “Rio…” She spoke softly. She looked straight out of the window, thinking before glancing at her watch. “Okay. Screw classes for the day.” She looked back over at Rio. “I think you and I both need to spend the rest of the day doing things that we both like to do. No thinking about our troubles. Just a day of fun. No drinking or smoking, though.” She pointed a finger at him. “You need to spend at least one day completely sober, and we’ll start this no trouble-worrying half day once we step out of this car and eat lunch. Sound like a plan? While we’re driving to… wherever it is we’re going to, though, we will lay everything out that is bothering us.” She paused to think of what else was going on with her. “This is the only thing left I can think of. It’s not bad just… weird. Otto has now decided to flirt with me… and I’m not hating it.”

Charity had a habit of saying that, didn’t she? She thanked him a lot. Part of Riordan wanted to tell her that it was just him being a decent friend, someone that she could trust. Instead, he softly told her, “You’re welcome, Char.” He was a bit surprised that she was the one to suggest skipping classes. Regardless of that, though, he was still grateful for it. “Considering we’re running away in my car, I guess I kinda can’t, now, can I?” he teased softly before nodding. “No, that’s fair. No drinking or smoking.” He took a deep breath at the prospect. He really wasn't sure how well that was going to go but it was always something worth trying. “To be honest, I was just heading to the city’s business district in hopes we see something that we want to try. I didn’t even have a solid lunch idea thought out.” He gave a warm laugh. However, it quickly died out as he listened to Charity's next words. “What stopped him before? ... I don’t mean to assume but he has some ulterior motive, doesn’t he? Does he got a bet placed?” He placed both his hands on the steering wheel and crinkled his nose a bit. “Just remember— Any person who believes that he’s better than other people just because of the privilege he was born into is not a person worth falling for. Otto believes he’s better than... well, most everyone. Flirting’s fun and all, I’d do it too if I was in the same position as you. As soon as you think you’re falling for him, though, take a vacation far, far away from him.”

[thekingofsweets]

CHARITY BEAU:

Charity shrugged and took another deep breath. She tried not to cry in front of anyone. She hated to have people see her cry and worry about her. She wanted everything in her life to appear fine because she knew that it could get a lot worse. Her throat started to clench at the reality of his words, and a few tears started to trail down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away, though, and took in a shaky breath. “Unless it interferes with my family’s wishes.” She whispered and leaned back against the seat. She thought about if she could worry about Robbie anymore. Rio did make a good point, though. It was one thing for Otto to treat her badly, but then again, she did expect it since they talked about it. For Robbie to keep her worried and alone with no contact from him whatsoever… Otto was being a better fiancee than Robbie was at being a boyfriend, and that was certainly saying something. She took another deep breath and looked over at Rio. “Thanks, Rio. That actually helped a lot.” She smiled at him. “Honestly, I think I’m going to wait a little bit longer… like a month or so. If I don’t hear from him, I’m just going to let it go… And I just realized the irony in that line.” She giggled. “Alright. That drop is done. What is your next drop on your roller coaster?”

Riordan gave a dry laugh once he heard her words. Not to mock her, never to mock her. Simply for the reality of her words when it came to the both of them, and all the other royals who had to do as their family wishes. “Something we both know very well,” he muttered in response. His smile turned more genuine as she began to lighten up. He took it as his chance to start the car. As he began driving out of the parking lot (not even with a destination in mind yet, just to get away, even if for only the lunch hour), he nodded along. “You gotta do what you gotta do. It’s never abandoning what happened, it’s making sure you’re still taking care of yourself.” He chuckled at her punch line, shaking his head. “Remind me to tell Mason that one.” Another drop on the roller coaster? Riordan kept his eyes on the road, his smile turning a bit ghost like. It was as if he was in some far off land. Finally, he sighed. “Well, you told me a secret, guess I ought to tell you one of mine.” He adjusted his grip on the steering wheel so that one hand rested at the top. He glanced at Charity, swallowed, then returned his gaze back ahead. “I don’t remember the last day I was completely sober— Don’t get me wrong, I’m sober now. But I don’t plan on staying like that all day. I’ve drunk... every day since Dad passed,” he murmured. Kirsa and Freddie knew that Rio was a messy drinker. They barely bat an eyelash when they smell rum in his coffee or when the prince takes out a flask and starts drinking straight. “And if it’s not the drinking, it’s the cigarettes, and if it’s not the cigarettes, it’s the fact that I haven’t danced— God, I miss dancing. It just feels wrong now, since...” He swallowed a lump in his throat. Thankfully, his voice didn’t crack. “He always encouraged me to dance, you know. My vices didn’t matter as much since I was so good at it; it kind of made the bad parts of me disappear. Now, I’m just made up of bad habits.”

[thekingofsweets]

CHARITY BEAU:

“I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever been to the Land of Sweets. If I did, it must have been years ago when I certainly could not remember anything.” She nodded her head as she paused at the passenger side of his car. “Bella was freaking out when I asked her about it, and apparently, her parents were giving her grief about it. I kept reassuring her that everything was fine, and that Otto was an asshole since he never mentioned the engagement to her at all.” She smiled glad to hear that his ex thought along the same lines as she did. “Eek. Well, best friends can be brutal.” She giggled softly. “That’s a very good point.” She nodded her head and slid into the passenger seat. She took a deep breath before turning to look at him. “This kind of has to deal with the next drop in the roller coaster I guess you could say… I’ve been secretly dating Robbie for months now. Almost a year, actually. Otto knows, of course… but I haven’t seen Robbie in a few months. I don’t know what he’s doing, and he hasn’t texted or called me… I’m starting to think that he’s stopped caring about me, and by not contacting me, it’s his way of telling me that he doesn’t want to be with me anymore.” She shrugged. “I could be throwing all of this out of proportion, but that’s just where my thoughts take me. After all, with my track record…” She shrugged again. “I knew the relationship would have to end, but I didn’t expect for it to end like this if this even is an ending.” She admitted softly. She slowly took in a deep breath trying to stop any possible tears from falling.

Riordan chuckled and nodded along. “Oh yeah, the Land of Sweets is something you’d definitely remember. That doesn’t surprise me one bit.” As he got settled into the car, he listened. At that point, it was all he could really do. His eyes glanced away from her to try and think about what HE would do in the same situation. He knew what he would do but admitting it was a whole other ballgame. He’d drink his face off and pretend it didn’t bother him— what else could you do when it was all secret? He sighed and licked his lips in thought, unsure of what to tell Charity. Finally, he turned to her. “Hey... hey,” he murmured when he noticed her expression. “It’s okay, this stuff’s heavy, you don’t have to stop yourself from crying. You can’t stop how you feel. If it makes you feel bad, then it makes you feel bad. There’s no use in trying to hide it.” He offered a small smile, just barely tugging the corner of his lips. “I can’t speak for Robbie or for anything he’s doing. But, don’t think... that you deserve this. You don’t, Charity, you don’t deserve it one bit. Your track record doesn’t mean anything on how you ought to be treated. If boys mistreat you, then that’s on THEM. You’re an amazing princess and an even better woman. Robbie’s lucky that you still care about him. You got that?” He didn’t start driving, not yet. He felt it was harder to console people when he was driving. He let the car run until he was sure she was ready to start moving. “If it ends or if it doesn’t, that decision is on you. If you don’t want it to end, then don’t let it. If you think everything ran its course and you’re done worrying about whether or not he cares about you, then do it. Let it end. Don’t let other people make that decision for you, though. If anyone says anything— don’t listen to them. In the end, it’s always you and your feelings.”

[thekingofsweets]

MASON ARENDELLE:

❛ I’m like a bad penny, I always turn up. ❜ ( riordan !! ) @thekingofsweets

“Hey! I thought I was the bad penny… Or are we two bad pennies that life threw together to meet and befriend?” Mason started to laugh at the idea. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

“I mean... I was just trying to justify the fact that I have rum in my coffee because I always turn up,” Riordan started, taking a sip out of his coffee mug, before shrugging and smiling. “But I like that better. It makes it sound like we were made to be friends.”

[thekingofsweets]

CHARITY BEAU:

She snorted and laughed at the image of his council. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me, but the image is just too funny.” She took a deep breath to stop herself from laughing further. “Well, there’s an idea for your first ruling. Assemble a new council. Sounds like you may need it.” She teased. She shrugged at his words. “I’m doing fine. I expected this from Otto, and as far as I recall, Bella didn’t know that we were officially engaged yet when it happened. Nothing else has happened further to my knowledge, but then again, Bella has been gone for some reason or another…” She mentally stopped herself from bringing up Robbie’s name just yet. That was a whole other ordeal that she would talk about later. She returned his smile and listened to his next issue. She scoffed as he finished and shook her head a bit. “Well, I understand why you broke up with her in the first place, and I certainly would not blame you for that if I was in her shoes… And your situation actually sounds similar to mine.” She paused and looked around the parking lot. “I’m sure I don’t need to ask this, but can you keep a secret?”

Riordan looked towards Charity and laughed with her. “No, it’s fine. Out of context, a lot of the Land of Sweets is a bit... silly,” he told her with a cheeky smile. He listened to what she had to say. It took him a moment to absorb the information, leading her to his car, a maroon compact car. “That doesn’t make the ordeal... completely awful. Still disappointing, but not as much, you know?” he said as he unlocked the doors with his fob key. Riordan’s smile softened. “She didn’t either. Best believe her friends did, though. I’m pretty sure a good majority of them condemned me. That’s what friends do, though, so I’m not all too worried.” As he followed her gaze around the parking lot, he didn’t see all too much. A few parked cars of the students who stayed during the lunch hour. Most of it was empty, most of them already gone to grab something to eat. He looked back at Charity. His expression was a bit hard to read before he motioned to the car. “Of course I can— But you know some students can talk to animals. Hop in and you can tell me then.” He opened the door to his driver’s seat. Not that he didn’t trust people, but with the way Charity paused, he figured it was best to cover all his bases and make sure it stays a secret. You could never be too careful. With that, he climbed into his car, starting the engine as he did so.

[thekingofsweets]

CHARITY BEAU:

Charity smiled as he agreed to the deal. It slowly started to dim as he talked about the events that happened after his dad died, and she nodded solemnly along. “Well, maybe you can ask your mom for a year off after you graduate. That way you have time to do things that you’d regret if you didn’t do before becoming king.” She shrugged. “Just a suggestion. I’m not sure if your mom would go for it or not, though. I’m sure your people would understand too if you explained it to them.” She took a deep breath. “Uh, I guess we’ll start with the obvious and what appeared in the papers. My mom has once again placed me in an arranged marriage with Otto White, and apparently, him and Bella had some sort of… intimate arrangement. So, when I read the paper, I confronted Bella about it, and it turned out to be true.” She shrugged. “I knew Otto was going to be intimate with other people to be honest since we have a total honesty policy, and he already warned me beforehand. I was not expecting Bella, one of my best friends, to be one of those people, though… And with that, you’re up.” She said as she stepped through the door. “Thank you.”

Riordan followed Charity out the door, humming in thought. “I might. I’m just a little skeptical because Mum kept saying that it was a miracle that they’re letting me go back to school. Of course, half the council is stale gingerbread men and the other half have pink beards from eating so much icing.” He made himself smile with that comment, simply for the fact that none could say that to their faces (but everyone thought it). As he listened, his brow furrowed. Unfortunately, he knew how Otto White could get; how perfectly self-serving the prince was. “I’m sorry that’s had to happen to you. I can’t say that I’m surprised but I’m still a bit disappointed. How have you been holding up? I wouldn’t speak to either my affianced or my friend if the same happened to me so if you can, you’re definitely better than me.” He flashed a half-smile towards her before he started his way to the parking lot, fishing his keys out of his pockets. “Evie, my... ex-girlfriend, I guess... well, I broke up with her when I heard Dad passed. I was scared and in shock... I didn’t want to condemn her to be a young ruler with me, especially since that’s what the people would’ve expected. I came back to Auradon and I thought we had made up— We went on dates, we were holding hands... and then she’s gone. No one’s heard from her, not even her sister. I’m worried. And I know I shouldn’t be because I did the exact same thing to her... but I’m hurt that she’s gone.”

[thekingofsweets]

CHARITY BEAU:

She narrowed her eyes slightly at him and his shrug. She hummed in thought. “How about we see how long it takes for us to catch up and decide from there? Deal?” She asked and stepped through the door. “Thank you, Rio.” She said for keeping the door open for her. “Also, I think I’d feel weird if I spewed out all of my problems first, so either you go first, or we go back and forth on our issues.” She giggled softly and waited for his lead.

Riordan didn’t hesitate to nod along. “You got yourself a deal,” he told her. With that, he started walking down the hall, heading towards the building entrance. “Well, if you REALLY want me to start,” he hummed before letting out a soft sigh. He gave an uneasy smile. “So, as we all know, I’m the heir to the throne. When Dad passed...” He rolled his shoulders, shifting uncomfortably. “Everyone wanted me to be king right then and there. Have the coronation ceremony days after the funeral. I couldn’t do that— Not when... I’m not ready. Mum managed to convince our council to let me continue school and she’ll stay queen with the help of our Sugar Plum fairy. As soon as I graduate and step into my homeland, though, I’ll be King. So that’s been... fun.” He dryly laughed. “I feel like I’ve been condemned before I’ve even got to live. Not to even mention the mess I got myself in with Evie... but that’s one issue for me.” He nudged her shoulder with his arm as they walked, before approaching the building entrance, his hand already on the door handle. “One issue for you?”

[thekingofsweets]

CHARITY BEAU:

Charity pressed her lips together as he called her out on her vagueness. Her eyes widened slightly as he started to move towards the exit. She smiled and started to follow him. It would be nice to hang out with someone she hadn’t seen in a while. “I only have an hour just to let you know… and are you sure you want to hear my problems?” She questioned raising an eyebrow at him.

His smile grew into a grin. A light chuckle even escaped past his lips as she started to follow him. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he told her, giving a noncommittal shrug to show that there were no promises. Riordan backed into the door, pushing it to keep it open. “I mean, how else do people catch up? You share your problems, I share mine, we grab a bite to eat— I attempt to bring you back in time for your next class OR we could live adventurously and skip the rest of classes for today. That’s always an option.”

[thekingofsweets]

CHARITY BEAU:

She looked up at where he was pointing and sighed. “I swear. This happens once a week.” She snorted softly. “Fine. Since we have time. Where should I start?” She smiled at his words. “Good. I’m glad. And sorry I didn’t try to talk to you sooner. I’ve been caught up with school, the engagement… other things.” She said trying to keep certain things vague for now.

Riordan raised an eyebrow as Charity spoke. He gave her a smile before deciding to lean against the cafeteria counter, taking his hands out of his pockets to cross his arms against his chest. He pretended to be in thought. “Well, you could start by not trying to be so vague,” he suggested, his smile turning playful. “I get that you’re trying to save me a story—” He looked back to the worker and the student, still in the midst of whatever they were so passionately talking about. “You know what? Let’s get out of here. No one’s going to be moving for a while. Besides, it’ll give you less of a reason to be vague and actually tell me what’s on your mind.” He got up from where he was leaning, still facing Charity, and started stepping back towards the exit. “Come on.”

[thekingofsweets]

he doesn't need to follow in our dad's footsteps. he can do his own thing, whatever he feels he needs to do, and it'll be the right decision. i've always admired him.

“Always cheesy when you least expect it, hey, Freddie?”

[thekingofsweets]

CHARITY BEAU:

“It has. I honestly don’t remember the last time I saw you.” She smiled and paused at his question. “I’ve been… odd I think is the best word. I won’t trouble you with the details, but it’s definitely been a roller coaster. How have you been?” She asked thinking about his father. She felt awful for not talking to him sooner, but better late than never.

Riordan tilted his head curiously, digging his hands into his jean pockets. “Odd?” he repeated before flashing a soft smile. “Hey now, I happen to like roller coasters. Wouldn’t mind if you took me on one. Besides, it’s not like we haven’t got time,” he said. He then motioned to the cafeteria checkout, where a student started a heated discussion with the worker. At the question, his smile moved from soft to somber. Still, he remained in cheerful spirits. “I’ve been surviving. Definitely surviving long enough to feel normal again.”

[thekingofsweets]

CHARITY BEAU:

Charity sighed as she waited in line to get her drink and snack. Once again, she had a little over an hour break in between classes, so she always headed to the cafe that was located on campus. The line was taking so long, though, she started to hum to herself and look around the room. She stopped humming as she saw a familiar face. “Rio?”

@thekingofsweets​

Riordan often ate out or went back to his dorm to eat in between classes. A habit of his, especially since the school cafeteria back home was run by gingerbread men that whacked you with a candy cane if you acted out of line. When he heard his name being called, his smile brightened. “Charity! It’s definitely been a while, hasn’t it? How’ve you been? It feels like it’s been ages,” he called out. Without hesitating, he stood, waiting in line beside her. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted something to eat yet.

[havenlush]

you see a demon when you are actually an angel

[thekingofsweets]

KIRSA FEE:

“I think we all have a different genre. I, personally, am a romantic-dramatic-comedy, popular enough to be Hollywood but quiet enough to also be an indie. I think you might be a little bit French Arthouse, or independent film. Also bordering the line between drama and comedy.”

“So, the best of both worlds for you then? How quaint,” Riordan mused. “This is the point where I’d want to say something witty in French but alas, jene parle pas français.” He gave a small chuckle. “So, what’s Freddie then? He’d have to be rated R whatever he may be, simply for his oh-so-charming cursing.”

[thekingofsweets]

FREDDIE STAHLBAUM:

“then try not to think what everyone else will think.” it was difficult, he knew, and it would be ten times as difficult for rio, who was next in line. compared to him, freddie’s life was a walk in the park. “there are ways to honour him without completely following what he did.”

Riordan made a small noise. It was somewhere in between a small laugh and a scoff. Not that he thought it was a ludicrous point. Just in the fact that it was so difficult to do such a seemingly simple thing. “I guess I won’t be cursed to become a nutcracker, so there’s that. One step closer to being my own king,” he said in an attempt to keep himself from being too sad. 

[thekingofsweets]

GABRIEL SIEGFRIED:

( @thekingofsweets said “bro, you look so cute right now. dude, you are so fucking adorable.” )

gabriel stared at riordan for a good few seconds before saying, very slowly, “rio… are you drunk?”

“Even if I am,” Riordan hiccuped, though he didn’t stagger or anything of the sort. He took a moment to recompose himself (though, it was quite obvious that he was VERY drunk). “It doesn’t make anything I said less true— it’s very true. I-I can find a sober person to tell you.”