Building a House part 8: Doors
Title: Building a House part 8: Doors
Universe: Young Avengers House of M AU
Rating: PG-13
Summary: William is NOT a happy prince, and the author remains easily bribed. Now with the Obligatory Anole Cameo!
William stood in his grandfather’s office, drumming his fingers on his thigh. His grandfather had summoned him from his rooms, and had spent the entire time the prince had been in the room staring out the window.
“Sir?” he asked tentatively.
The king’s eyes tore away from his view of the bay. “I met with Emperor Dorrek this morning.”
William’s hands and jaw clenched. He wasn’t about to apologize for defending himself. He’d told Dori ‘no’, and he should have listened. “Yes, sir?”
He found himself taken aback by the confusion he found in his grandfather’s blue eyes. “William, he wants to marry you.”
The prince’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“So, this comes as a surprise to you.”
“Yes, sir,” William nodded. “I - we - he’s - What did you tell him?”
“Nothing, yet.” King Erik’s pen turned in the air in front of him, and his gaze returned to the window.
“You can’t possibly be considering--” William was cut off by his grandfather’s frown. “Sir, you can’t--”
“It would be most advantageous,” Erik said softly, “to be allied with the Skrull Empire. And I would not care to go to war with them because I’ve offended their Emperor.”
“Grandfather… please…”
“You’ve spent rather a lot of time with him lately,” the king said, too lightly.
“It wasn’t like that,” William said, automatically on the defensive. “We were just…” he trailed off miserably.
“Who bit you? I want the truth.”
William put a hand on his neck, over the hickey his collar didn’t cover. He felt his ears getting hot, and knew a flush was creeping across his cheeks. “He did,” he whispered.
“I see.”
William’s eyes locked on the floor.
“Apparently, His Majesty is taking this considerably more seriously than you are. I am going to think on this, and you are going back to your room.”
“Yes, sir.”
***
William didn’t slam the door behind him - that was something Thomas would do. Instead, he closed it softly, strode into the room, and glowered at the wall.
Damn them. Damn the whole lot of them to the deepest pits of hell. How dare they do this to him! He was a prince, and he’d been sent to his room like a child!
A pair of very strong arms wrapped around him and lifted him off his feet, startling William out of his internal tirade. “I don’t know how you got past the guards,” he snarled, “but you picked the wrong prince!”
Electricity crackled around him, exploding outward and sending his attacker flying. He turned, power crackling around his hands, to finish the intruder off. “Did you think a Lehnsherr would go down so easily?”
“I’m going to have to remember you can do that,” Dorrek said in a dazed tone, blinking up at William from his place on the floor.
“You!” William hissed. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Surprising you?” Dorrek suggested, using the wall to support himself as he climbed to his feet.
“Congratulations. You’ve succeeded. Now get out.”
“Wait, please, just hear me out!” Dorrek pleaded. “Billy, please…”
“What part of ‘no’ do you not understand?” William asked coldly. “It’s a simple word, and your command of English is excellent.” He glared at the Emperor. “I am not some twit of a heroine in a silly romance novel, to be swept off my feet by-”
His tirade was cut off when Dorrek surged forward, pressing his lips to William’s and snaking a tongue into his mouth. One hand pressed into the small of the prince’s back while the other gripped his shoulder. William’s knee jerked up sharply, burying itself in Dorrek’s crotch. The Emperor let him go, and the prince shoved him away.
“See? This is the kind of thing I’m talking about,” William said, meeting Dorrek’s confused blue eyes. “I have very little control over my life, and you seem determined to wrest what little I have away from me. That I will not have. Now get out before I call the Crimson Guard.”
***
The Next Day
William swiped the towel over his face and scowled at nothing in particular. His sparring partner, a Crimson Guard trainee named Victor, cleared his throat softly. “Is something wrong, Your Highness?”
“Just feeling a little trapped,” William said with a ghost of a smile.
“Anything I can do to help?”
William shook his head. “Not unless time travel is one of your abilities.”
Victor studied the ceiling a moment, then shrugged. “Maybe you just need to get out.”
William sighed wistfully. “Yeah.”
Neither of them noticed the shape lurking beneath the window.
***
William let loose a bolt of lightning when the balcony door swung open. Dorrek just barely dodged it, smiling brightly. “Good evening! Do you have anything inconspicuous to wear? We’re going out.”
Universe: Young Avengers House of M AU
Rating: PG-13
Summary: William is NOT a happy prince, and the author remains easily bribed. Now with the Obligatory Anole Cameo!
William stood in his grandfather’s office, drumming his fingers on his thigh. His grandfather had summoned him from his rooms, and had spent the entire time the prince had been in the room staring out the window.
“Sir?” he asked tentatively.
The king’s eyes tore away from his view of the bay. “I met with Emperor Dorrek this morning.”
William’s hands and jaw clenched. He wasn’t about to apologize for defending himself. He’d told Dori ‘no’, and he should have listened. “Yes, sir?”
He found himself taken aback by the confusion he found in his grandfather’s blue eyes. “William, he wants to marry you.”
The prince’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“So, this comes as a surprise to you.”
“Yes, sir,” William nodded. “I - we - he’s - What did you tell him?”
“Nothing, yet.” King Erik’s pen turned in the air in front of him, and his gaze returned to the window.
“You can’t possibly be considering--” William was cut off by his grandfather’s frown. “Sir, you can’t--”
“It would be most advantageous,” Erik said softly, “to be allied with the Skrull Empire. And I would not care to go to war with them because I’ve offended their Emperor.”
“Grandfather… please…”
“You’ve spent rather a lot of time with him lately,” the king said, too lightly.
“It wasn’t like that,” William said, automatically on the defensive. “We were just…” he trailed off miserably.
“Who bit you? I want the truth.”
William put a hand on his neck, over the hickey his collar didn’t cover. He felt his ears getting hot, and knew a flush was creeping across his cheeks. “He did,” he whispered.
“I see.”
William’s eyes locked on the floor.
“Apparently, His Majesty is taking this considerably more seriously than you are. I am going to think on this, and you are going back to your room.”
“Yes, sir.”
***
William didn’t slam the door behind him - that was something Thomas would do. Instead, he closed it softly, strode into the room, and glowered at the wall.
Damn them. Damn the whole lot of them to the deepest pits of hell. How dare they do this to him! He was a prince, and he’d been sent to his room like a child!
A pair of very strong arms wrapped around him and lifted him off his feet, startling William out of his internal tirade. “I don’t know how you got past the guards,” he snarled, “but you picked the wrong prince!”
Electricity crackled around him, exploding outward and sending his attacker flying. He turned, power crackling around his hands, to finish the intruder off. “Did you think a Lehnsherr would go down so easily?”
“I’m going to have to remember you can do that,” Dorrek said in a dazed tone, blinking up at William from his place on the floor.
“You!” William hissed. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Surprising you?” Dorrek suggested, using the wall to support himself as he climbed to his feet.
“Congratulations. You’ve succeeded. Now get out.”
“Wait, please, just hear me out!” Dorrek pleaded. “Billy, please…”
“What part of ‘no’ do you not understand?” William asked coldly. “It’s a simple word, and your command of English is excellent.” He glared at the Emperor. “I am not some twit of a heroine in a silly romance novel, to be swept off my feet by-”
His tirade was cut off when Dorrek surged forward, pressing his lips to William’s and snaking a tongue into his mouth. One hand pressed into the small of the prince’s back while the other gripped his shoulder. William’s knee jerked up sharply, burying itself in Dorrek’s crotch. The Emperor let him go, and the prince shoved him away.
“See? This is the kind of thing I’m talking about,” William said, meeting Dorrek’s confused blue eyes. “I have very little control over my life, and you seem determined to wrest what little I have away from me. That I will not have. Now get out before I call the Crimson Guard.”
***
The Next Day
William swiped the towel over his face and scowled at nothing in particular. His sparring partner, a Crimson Guard trainee named Victor, cleared his throat softly. “Is something wrong, Your Highness?”
“Just feeling a little trapped,” William said with a ghost of a smile.
“Anything I can do to help?”
William shook his head. “Not unless time travel is one of your abilities.”
Victor studied the ceiling a moment, then shrugged. “Maybe you just need to get out.”
William sighed wistfully. “Yeah.”
Neither of them noticed the shape lurking beneath the window.
***
William let loose a bolt of lightning when the balcony door swung open. Dorrek just barely dodged it, smiling brightly. “Good evening! Do you have anything inconspicuous to wear? We’re going out.”