#anyways thank you kel adore this | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 1 year ago

Text

Some Things Are Meant To Be (HeroMari Fic)

"Just as he was taking what appeared to be a souffle out of the oven, he happened to turn at the exact moment she did. Their eyes met. Time stopped. Mari’s heart raced. He smiled, and her heart ached. All of her thoughts disappeared, except one: Oh… He was beautiful.

That was not in her tour script."

Though she would be too embarrassed to admit it, Mari is, without a doubt, completely and totally infatuated with an elusive culinary arts student at her university. Unfortunately, due to alternating schedules, their interactions have never gone beyond a few shared smiles or waves. When she takes a visiting Aubrey to her favorite restaurant in the city, however, Mari's luck just might start to change. Perhaps some things are meant to be after all...

Genre: HeroMari College AU, Slice of Life, Fluff, Dramatic Irony Used For Comedic Effect, a little Humor, Restaurants, Everybody Lives/Nobody Dies, and Lots of Mutual Pining.

Characters: Mari (POV Character), Hero, Aubrey, and Kel.

Relationships: HEROMARI CENTRIC. A little bit of Mari & Aubrey friendship, Mari & Kel's friendship, and Hero & Kel's Brotherly Love. The tiniest bit of Kel & Aubrey platonic friendship (but they're mostly just here to ship HeroMari).

Word Count: 10,385

No Warnings or Spoilers Only Fluff Here

Written for HeroMari Week Day 6: College AU

Link to work on AO3. Full text below the cut.💙💜

Thank you for reading!

“And this is the culinary arts building,” said Mari with a smile. The clip-clopping sound of her shoes stopped as she paused in front of one of the classrooms like she always did when she took prospective students on tours of her university. This particular classroom had a wall of glass windows looking out into the hallway so that passersby could see the rows of industrial cooking equipment and, depending on the time of day, the culinary arts students hard at work. Mari would always be too shy to admit it, but it was her favorite stop on the tour for several reasons—the main one was tall and handsome with a kind smile and warm, dark eyes.

Mari sighed. The truth was she was glad she had to stop at this point on the tour because she likely would have stopped anyway—too stunned by the swooning, swooping sensation in the pit of her stomach whenever a particular culinary arts student smiled. She had never spoken to him before—had never had the opportunity to properly introduce herself, but she supposed that might be for the best. She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d even be able to muddle her way through a coherent introduction if they did have the chance to meet. After all, on the few occasions he had met her eyes through the glass, staring at her with such gentleness that she could have sworn her heart had skipped a beat, her mind had completely emptied and she couldn’t even think of the tour script her roommate often, somewhat playfully, accused her of reciting in her sleep. Knowing herself, she’d probably forget her own name if he so much as said “hello” to her, so they’d both likely graduate before they got to share anything more than a few somewhat shy waves at each other whenever she passed by his class on her tours.

Halfway through her little speech about the state of the art kitchen equipment they had available to students, Mari reached the line she both adored and dreaded which prompted the tour group to look through the window to see the future chefs of the world cooking and baking. When Mari turned to glance into the classroom herself, she somehow always managed to find him immediately in the crowd. Today was no different.

Just as he was taking what appeared to be a souffle out of the oven, he happened to turn at the exact moment she did. Their eyes met. Time stopped. Mari’s heart raced. He smiled, and her heart ached. All of her thoughts disappeared, except one: Oh… He was beautiful.

That was not in her tour script.

Scrambling to regain her composure, she managed to smile back, gave a short wave, then cleared her throat and returned to the tour. She had it down to a science now, and while it was embarrassing and perhaps a little cliché, she had accepted it was unavoidable. The most she could hope for was that it wasn’t too obvious to her tour groups, other students, and especially to him that she was lovestruck every time she looked at him.

Unfortunately, it was seemingly very obvious to Aubrey who was visiting her for the weekend. Her deliberate cough brought Mari back to reality—reminding her to ask if there were any questions before moving on to another part of the tour, and Mari just knew it was only a matter of time before she called her out on it.

After their tour, Mari’s last of the day, had wrapped up, she helped Aubrey find the financial aid office and passed the time waiting for her by practicing how she would dodge, deflect, or otherwise avoid any of Aubrey’s questions about that incident in the culinary arts building. By the time Aubrey’s meeting had finished, however, Mari was sorry to say she had no concrete solutions or ideas—having been yet again distracted by thoughts of her infatuation. He had been making a souffle today. Did he like souffle? Did he like making souffle? What did he like—besides cooking? Mari didn’t know, but she desperately wanted to. Unfortunately, their schedules had never seemed to line up. She couldn’t talk to him while she was leading a tour. He couldn’t talk to her while he was in class, and all of Mari’s attempts to run into him outside of her tours and his classes had been complete failures. She sighed. This was just their destiny: to be so close and yet so far from each other forever. Some things just weren’t meant to be. Mari could accept that, but that didn’t mean she had to be happy about it.

“Mari?” called Aubrey, and Mari shook her head. She had gotten lost in thought again. She supposed that was something she and her brother had in common—though Sunny tended to get lost in his thoughts for much longer than she did.

“Sorry, I was zoning out a little.” She chuckled lightly, then changed the subject. “So how did it go? What do you think?��

Aubrey shrugged. “It was good. Honestly though, I think my favorite thing about it is that I’d get to go to school with you again.”

Mari smiled and patted Aubrey on the head. “I missed you too,” she said in a playful, sing-songy voice. Aubrey frowned, but as her cheeks flushed rose, her mouth twitched up in the corners. “Was there anything you wanted to see again? I can take you back to some of the buildings or maybe somewhere that wasn’t on the tour that you wanted to see?”

“How about the culinary arts building?” Her tone was dry and deadpan, but that quirk of her eyebrows wasn’t lost on Mari.

Still, she somehow managed to fumble her way through a semi-convincing, “Oh are you interested in becoming a chef?”

“You know I burn toast, right?” quipped Aubrey. “I just thought you might want to go back there to get another look at that guy you were gawking at.”

“I was not gawking at him,” Mari insisted—realizing only after she had said it that it wasn’t a complete denial. As her face turned a bright shade of red, she quickly added, “I mean…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Aubrey just blinked at her. Mari fidgeted.

“But uh…” she continued. “If you’re hungry, you might want to go back there. Sometimes they give out free samples.” A fun fact Mari had learned during her attempts to meet up with her mystery chef, but she thought it best not to tell Aubrey that.

“I am kind of hungry…”

Mari could tell this was genuine—not just an attempt to get her back in that building. It was also her way out of having to confess her infatuation with a guy she hadn’t even talked to. “Are you ready for dinner? I really want to take you to one my favorite restaurants while you’re in town.”

Aubrey sighed, seemingly conceding, at least for now. “Well, I’m not going to say no to food.”

*-*-*

“It’s usually not this busy,” said Mari with an apologetic sigh when they were finally seated. During their nearly an hour wait, Mari, thankfully, had been distracted from the sorry state of her love life—or lack there of—by trying her best to console an increasingly hungry Aubrey with a granola bar from her purse and promises that Padilla’s was the best restaurant in the city and was absolutely worth it. Aubrey begrudgingly waited it out with her—though Mari suspected that had more to do with the fact that they had already paid to park and Mari didn’t know of any other good restaurants in this area. All Mari could do was cross her fingers and hope that Aubrey would fall in love with the place just like she had. Not only was it Mari’s favorite place she had ever eaten but the cozy, quaint feeling that could only come from a small, family-owned business had been such a comfort to her whenever she felt homesick for her own family and friends back in Faraway Town.

She had spent many an evening there, but she had never seen the restaurant so busy. Even though it was popular enough to stay open for fifty years and was always bustling with the cheerful prattling of satisfied customers, the clanking of silverware and dishes, and the lively melodies of mariachi music, Mari had never seen it packed to the brim with people like it was now. Mari supposed this was probably because she often treated herself to dinner here on Tuesday nights when all the menu items were half-price and had rarely been to the restaurant during dinner rush on a weekend. She wondered if they were always this much busier then.

“It’s fine—looks like they have a lot of big groups tonight.” Aubrey quirked an eyebrow then tilted her head in the general direction of a large, somewhat chaotic group of loud and rowdy teenage boys smushed together around a long line of tables haphazardly pushed as close to each other as possible.

Mari chuckled thinking of what Sunny would do in a big group like that. If she knew her little brother, he’d probably zone out so much that he wouldn’t even notice he was getting squished or elbowed by his friends. “Wow. I’ve never seen it this packed before.”

“Me neither, and I’ve been running this place for 50 years,” chuckled an older woman with gray hair and kind but weary dark eyes. Mari recognized her, and she wanted to say her name was Alma but wasn’t entirely sure about that. Alma reached into the pocket of her apron, embroidered with orange marigolds, and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen, then smiled at them. “I’m so sorry for your wait. My grandson brought his entire basketball team back here after they won a game tonight, and we were already busy to begin with.”

“That’s alright. We don’t mind the wait at all,” Mari gently reassured her, and Aubrey nodded in agreement.

“That’s very kind of you,” Alma replied, and as her smile reached her eyes, Mari was struck with a strange sense of déjà vu, as if she had seen those same dark eyes, that same bright but gentle smile, and that same expression somewhere before. She blushed, suddenly remembering back to that handsome young man in the culinary arts building, but she pushed the thought away mentally kicking herself for even thinking it. Was she really so lovesick that even little old ladies were going to remind her of him?

She sighed, reminding herself that she was a frequent patron of this restaurant so she was probably just remembering back to one of the other times she had seen this woman around. But still, having thought of that mysterious chef she found she couldn’t stop thinking of him and wondering if perhaps he worked in a restaurant somewhere? If he did, maybe they would one day meet there? Though, Mari supposed, she would have to branch out from her favorite place first, and she wasn’t sure she could pry herself away. This really was the best food she had ever had.

“Can I get you started with something to drink?” Mari half-heard Alma ask, and she was sorry to say it took a gentle kick from Aubrey under the table to completely pull her out of her thoughts.

After she had taken their order for beverages, Alma asked, “Do you know what you’d like to order or do you want a little more time to look at the menu? We do have a few specials running this weekend.” She pointed to a small paper displayed on a picture stand at the end of the table. “We’re testing some new recipes to see if we should permanently add them to the menu.”

“Ooh,” hummed Mari reaching for the picture stand. “That sounds exciting. Which do you recommend?”

Alma tilted her head thoughtfully, but an affectionate smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she pointed to one of the menu items. “It’s my grandson’s recipe. I think you’ll like it.”

“Well, I’ve loved everything I’ve ever ordered here so I’ll take it.”

“Me too,” said Aubrey with a smile—which faded into a pointed glare after Alma disappeared to get their beverages.

“You completely zoned out back there,” she sighed with an affectionate roll of her eyes. “Thinking about your Chef Prince?”

“What? No!” she insisted though the blush on her face certainly said otherwise. “And don’t call him that.”

“What do you want me to call him?”

“I…I dunno,” stumbled Mari. “His name…?” It sounded more like a question than she had been intending. Aubrey just blinked at her.

“Which is?”

“Uh…” Mari swallowed hard—her face growing hot. She tried wracking her brain for all the times she had been in the culinary arts building. Had anyone ever called out for that guy? She couldn’t remember, but thankfully she was saved by a voice calling out for her.

“Hey Mari!”

In both relief and confusion, Mari turned to find Kel, her favorite waiter, excitedly dashing over to her table from that group of rowdy teenagers. “Long time no see.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while. I’ve been busy with midterms. How have you been?”

“Pretty good. I’ve missed seeing you around.” He paused, beaming at her and leaning against his elbows on the table; then, playfully whispered, “Don’t tell anyone but you’re my favorite customer.”

Mari laughed, but teased, “Is that why you always have me put in your section?”

Kel shrugged. “Maybe…but I also know it’s your favorite.”

Kel was right. It was her favorite section of the restaurant with banners of bright colorful papel picado hanging from the ceiling, facades of buildings carefully painted onto the walls, and all the tables positioned around a beautiful stone fountain. Kel had once told her that this part of the restaurant had been added onto the original restaurant building a decade ago and was designed to resemble the plaza of the city where his grandmother had lived as a young girl. It was his favorite section too—which was probably the reason he always waited tables there.

“Oh, I’m so rude,” chuckled Kel sheepishly rubbing his hand across the nape of his neck. “I completely forgot to introduce myself to your friend.” As he turned towards Aubrey, he held up his hand in a bit of a wave. “Hi, I’m Kel.”

As he shot her a bright beaming smile, Aubrey frowned or at least she tried to…but Mari caught that twitch in the corners of her mouth as she replied, “Aubrey.”

Kel’s smile widened. “I like your hair. It’s pink.”

Aubrey bristled, but Mari couldn’t help but giggle behind her hand as the slightest flush of pink filled her cheeks at the unexpected compliment. Aubrey never could take a compliment, even from someone as genuinely friendly and sincere as Kel. Mari supposed she should start complimenting her more but doubted she’d be receptive to it now given the way she was glaring at her.

Twisting her mouth to one side, Aubrey mumbled, “Thanks…” Her voice was curt but not unkind.

“Did you and Mari dye your hair together? She had purple highlights for a while.”

Mari chuckled. Kel was a lot more observant than she had given him credit for—though to be fair he had complimented her hair a couple of times when she had first started coming to the restaurant.

“Kind of,” Aubrey mumbled again before Mari chimed in.

“The summer before I left for college, we dyed our hair together, but that was a while ago. We both kept up with it, but it has never timed out for us to dye it together again.” Mari paused but smiled. “Aubrey lives in Faraway Town where I’m from. She’s thinking about coming to college here after she graduates though, so I’ve been showing her around.”

“Oh so you’re still in high school then? Me too! Not sure what I want to do after graduation though.”

Kel shrugged his shoulders, but Mari reassured him, “You still have time to figure it out. My brother Sunny is your age too, and he isn’t sure what he wants to do either. He’s thinking of coming to visit next month though—I’ll have to bring him by. This is the best restaurant in the city.”

“Eh, it’s okay,” bantered Kel before bursting into raucous laughter.

As Aubrey’s brow furrowed in confusion, Mari explained, “Kel’s family owns the restaurant.”

“Yeah, I was just kidding around,” laughed Kel. “I love this place, and the food is pretty awesome and I’m not just saying that because my brother’s making it. Well…he is tonight anyway. He only works part of the time because he’s still in school.”

“Your brother is a chef?” Aubrey chimed in, surprising Mari. Kel nodded.

“Yeah, I don’t think you’ve ever gotten to meet him before, Mari. He’s usually in the back cooking and he can be kind of shy sometimes, so he doesn’t get to meet the customers too often. But he’s really talented and super nice. Everybody likes him.”

“He sounds just like you, Kel,” teased Mari, and Kel let out a somewhat breathy smile as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Nah, he’s way cooler than me.” He paused, but a wide smile spread across his face. “I think he’s due for a break soon. I can go grab him and introduce you if you want.”

“Oh, that’s—” Mari began hoping she’d figure out her answer on the fly, but she was cut off by a yell from that group of teenagers.

“Kel, Squeaks is about to break a record for taco eating!”

“Be there in a second,” called Kel followed by a cacophony of several voices of teenage boys all yelling over each other. Mari caught several “Let’s Go!!!”s, multiple cheers and whoops, a very loud whistle, and she could have sworn a very impressed “He’s inhaling them!”

When she finally very clearly heard a, “You’re missing it!”, she turned to Kel with a kind, somewhat apologetic smile, but Kel just waved his hand at her.

“Sorry about that. They’re just riled up because we just beat Central.”

“Oh congratulations! I think your grandmother said something about that, but I wasn’t sure if that was your team or one of your cousin’s.”

Kel let out a breathy laugh. “Oh yeah, that was me. And thanks. We’re having a pretty good season so far, so I’m really hoping we’ll make it to the championship this year, but we’ll see.” He paused—seemingly distracted by something off to his left. “Hold on just a second,” he mumbled before taking off to meet his grandmother who was carrying a tray.

“¡Mamá Alma! No te preocupes”—he placed a gentle hand on his grandmother’s shoulder—“I’ve got this.”

Kel’s expression softened as he reached for the tray carrying it with one hand while he patted his grandmother on the back. Alma shook her head with a sigh, but there was an affectionate look in her eyes and a slight twitch in the corners of her mouth as Kel placed their drinks and complementary salsa and tortilla chips on their table.

“Water—classic choice,” he teased Aubrey who smiled slightly, seemingly in spite of herself. Mari stifled a chuckle. It seemed Aubrey’s tendency to be slow to warm up to new people was in a bit of a losing battle with Kel determination to make friends with everyone he met. “And the usual for you, Miss Mari: iced tea with lemon.”

He paused, but his smile widened. “You know that’s my brother’s favorite drink too. Did I ever tell you that? He loves tea—iced tea, hot tea, any kind of tea. You have a lot in common.”

“I think you may have mentioned it before,” Mari replied with a chuckle. Now that she was thinking about it, she realized that Kel had actually mentioned a lot of things about his brother to her. She knew he liked tea, classic rock records, old movies, spending time with his family, and helping others. Kel had once told her he was the kindest and most generous person he knew, and he was very accomplished but humble. What Kel had told her the most was that his brother was so smart that he could probably have chosen any field in the world to work in, but his passion was for cooking. It was all he had wanted to do his whole life.

Her mind drifted once again to that chef in the culinary arts building. She supposed she really was lovesick over him given the fact that she just couldn’t for the life of her seem to get him off her mind, but she couldn’t help but wonder about his story. Had he always wanted to be a chef just like Kel’s brother? How had he come to discover his passion for cooking? She didn’t know his story, but she knew cooking was his passion. She could feel it, palpable and infectious, every time she passed by his classroom—and maybe that was one of the things that attracted her to him: that passion for his craft.

She liked to think she had it too—that people would say the same thing about her whenever she played piano. Like Kel’s brother, Mari had always been academically gifted, and despite her parents encouraging her to choose a more lucrative STEM major, she loved music and wanted to teach. It took a lot of courage for her to choose the path she wanted, and she could admire Kel’s brother for following his dreams as well. Maybe Kel was right and they really did have a lot in common… She probably should try to meet him someday, but she couldn’t help but wonder if he would manage to live up to Kel’s glowing praise of him as essentially a “perfect man” if they actually were to meet.

That was always the fear, wasn’t it? That reality would shatter the fantasy of perfection. Mari certainly thought that way about her “Chef Prince,” as Aubrey called him. He was perfect too—at least in her imagination. She supposed her mental image of him was a bit like Kel’s description of his brother: kind, thoughtful, generous, genuinely likable, and an old soul with a passion for cooking. She could admit, however, that it was far more likely that Kel was accurately describing his brother as the perfect man than it was that Mari had managed to guess the entire personality of someone she had only admired from a distance. She wondered what he was really like, but she often felt she would never be given the opportunity to know. There are some things in life that just aren’t meant to be after all.

“I can’t believe you haven’t met already. I really should introduce you to him,” Kel’s voice pulled her out of her introspection. “I’ll try to bring him out here when I go back to pick up your food for you.”

“I can get it, Kel,” Alma interrupted. When she had his attention, she gave him a long, pointed stare. Kel fidgeted, but he sighed.

“Please let me take care of this table for you. Mari and Aubrey won’t mind”—he paused turning to them with a certain helplessness in his smile—“right?”

“Of course not. We don’t mind at all,” reassured Mari, and even Aubrey nodded in agreement.

Alma took a deep breath, but the lines of her face softened as she met Kel’s eyes. “You have been spending too much time with your brother…” An affectionate smile tugged at her mouth before she insisted, “I’m alright.” When she had Kel’s full attention, she motioned to the rowdy table he had just left before gently patting his cheek. “You have friends here, Conejito.”

“Mari’s my friend too—and Aubrey even though I just met her today.” He chuckled lightly, and Mari nearly snorted a laugh as Aubrey nearly choked on her water. Mari knew that for the sake of Kel’s grandmother she wouldn’t say anything to correct him, no matter how much she wanted to. She did seemingly allow herself an eyeroll at Mari, however, before twisting her mouth to one side, Mari could only imagine, to prevent herself from snapping back with a blunt quip about them being practically strangers not friends.

“Kelsey,” Alma cut him off in that firm but kind tone it seemed only a grandmother could manage.

Kel froze, seemingly unable to overcome the use of his full name and the weight of his grandmother’s pointed stare. “Alright,” he conceded. “Well…if you need anything just call me over.” He sighed, then turned to Mari and Aubrey. “I’ll try to check in with you once my friends head home, but if I don’t catch you, stop by and say goodbye on your way out, okay?”

Mari nodded. “Of course.”

“Good seeing you, Mari, and really nice to meet you, Aubrey.”

As Kel beamed at her, Aubrey mumbled, “Yeah. Nice to meet you too.”

When he had gone, she let out a long sigh but shrugged her shoulders with a slight smile. “Wow. This is some really personalized service. How often do you come in here? They know you by name and your regular drink order and everything.”

Mari hummed. “I guess I come here pretty regularly…and they really do such a great job of making their customers feel welcomed.” She paused—a smile tugged at her lips. “But I think a lot of that was just Kel. He’s very outgoing—could make friends anywhere.”

“I can see that,” quipped Aubrey.

“He’s a pretty nice guy, don’t you think?” When Aubrey finally shrugged and tilted her head in a half-hearted concession, Mari’s smile curved into a bright, teasing grin. “And kinda cute too, huh?”

Despite Mari’s breathy giggling, Aubrey merely blinked at her. “Of course, you would say that.”

“I meant for you, silly.” She playfully swatted her hand, and Aubrey rolled her eyes.

“I know what you meant,” she said, seemingly unamused.

“Then what do you mean, ‘of course I would—’”

“He just looks a lot like that guy you were swooning over earlier.”

Mari choked. Her face grew suddenly hot, but she shook her head and tried her best to laugh it off. “No, he doesn’t. They don’t look anything alike.”

“Seriously?” With a sigh, Aubrey pointedly tilted her head at her. “They look eerily similar to each other. They could be brothers.”

“No…”—Mari dismissively waved at her—“No, they couldn’t…You’re just saying that because Kel said his older brother is a chef, but…” She paused, stumbling over her words. “Do you know how many chefs there are in this city? There’s no way.”

“Oh come on,” huffed Aubrey. “You’re honestly going to tell me you’re not even a little bit curious or didn’t think this was any sort of coincidence?”

“This isn’t Faraway Town, Aubrey. It’s a big place filled with lots and lots of people. You just don’t bump into people you know everywhere you go.”

Aubrey huffed but shrugged her shoulders. “You know, you could always just ask him.”

“Kel?”

“No, the Chef Prince. I’m sure he’d tell you if he had a brother or if his family owned a restaurant. It would be good for you to actually talk to him anyway—instead of just pining after him from a distance.”

Mari’s face flushed again. “I am not pining after him. I just… just…” Her voice hitched, and she cleared her throat. “And we have…talked, before.”

“Really?” questioned Aubrey, twisting her mouth to one side. “Then what’s his name?”

Mari sighed. This again?

“I don’t see how that’s...” She paused, trying to think of the right word before deciding somewhat unsurely on “relevant.” From the way Aubrey was looking at her, however, she knew it wasn’t a very convincing response.

“If you’ve talked to each other, you had to introduce yourselves, right?”

Mari fidgeted under the weight of Aubrey’s stare and bit her lip growing increasingly interested in the wood grain of the table.

“This isn’t a trick question,” Aubrey insisted.

Mari sighed again. It certainly felt like a trick question.

When she glanced up at Aubrey, however, she caught sight of that flush in her cheeks despite the curt, rigidness of her voice as she added, “I’m really only trying to help” and Mari believed her. Still, she was a little too embarrassed to admit she was so lovesick over someone whose name she didn’t even know.

Pursing her lips together, she shut her eyes tightly—trying her best to think back to every time she had been in the culinary arts building. Had she ever heard anyone talk to him? Ever heard his name being called? She scrunched up her face in concentration. Truthfully, she had never even heard him speak before.

Wait.

That wasn’t entirely true.

“It’s okay…” She could hear his gentle reassurances echoing in her head. “These things happen.”

She saw his smile: so warm and so kind as it spread across his face. His tender hand reaching out to pat the shoulder of his classmate who was blinking back tears, standing over the tumbled layers of her crumbling cake.

“There’s still time. I’ll help you make a new one.”

The tone of his voice was so calm, so reassuring. His classmate must have thought so too because she started to dry her eyes. She sniffled and mumbled a tearful, “Thanks, Hero.”

“Hero.”

Mari hadn’t realized she had said that aloud until Aubrey confusedly asked, “Huh?”

“Oh…uh…” Her face flushed. “That’s his name.”

“Creative,” quipped Aubrey with a dry chuckle. “I probably would’ve gone with ‘Prince Charming.’”

Mari stifled a laugh, in spite of herself, but her blush deepened. “No, uh…I’m pretty sure that’s actually his name.”

“Pretty sure?”

Looking away from Aubrey’s questioning expression, Mari fidgeted. “Well um…” The words got caught in her throat, and as she met Aubrey’s eyes, she knew there was really no lying to her. It was just one of the consequences of having such a close friend, she supposed, but truthfully, she didn’t think that was a bad thing.

A smile twitched in the corners of her mouth. She should probably tell Aubrey the truth.

Taking a deep breath, Mari nervously twisted her hands, but she admitted albeit rather sheepishly, “Okay…so…I’m not 100% sure. I think I heard one of his classmates call him that once, but I haven’t actually talked to him myself…before... I mean, we wave at each other and say ‘Hi’ sometimes, but we haven’t gotten to actually meet yet since he’s always in class and I’m always giving tours and…any other times I’ve…um…happened to be in the culinary arts building, he wasn’t there.”

“But you would talk to him, if you had the chance right?” asked Aubrey, and Mari’s face grew warm.

“I’d certainly try,” she chuckled somewhat self-deprecatingly. “Though I can’t promise I’d be able to come up with anything coherent to say. Honestly, I take one look at him and it’s like I forget where I am. My mind just goes totally blank. I couldn’t think of two words to string together, even if I wanted to. I’d probably just make incoherent dolphin noises at him and scare him away.”

She laughed, and Aubrey joined in with a breathy chuckle of her own before Mari sighed, “I mean…have you ever seen someone so beautiful that it just…hurts?”

“Can’t say I relate,” quipped Aubrey, but her expression softened. “But you’re psyching yourself out. I don’t care how handsome or wonderful he is: he is just a guy, and you…” Aubrey paused—her face flushing. She turned away from her, stumbling over her words, “Honestly…if you’re feeling insecure, there really isn’t any hope for the rest of us because…you’re amazing.”

Mari smiled at her friend’s kind words, even as she felt her own cheeks grow warm—surely turning a bright shade of pink as well. She supposed she couldn’t always take a good compliment either.

Before she could offer Aubrey a compliment in return, however, she continued, “He’s gonna know that—if he doesn’t already. You just have to be brave and put yourself out there.”

“That’s all really sweet, Aubrey, and I think you’re really amazing too.”

“Yeah whatever…” she interrupted, shrugging it off though the slight flush in her cheeks wasn’t lost on Mari. “But this isn’t about me. You’re changing the subject. That guy…Hero…you’ve got to talk to him.”

Mari sighed. “I just don’t know when I’ll have the chance. I mean, I only see him when I’m giving tours of the culinary arts building, and I can’t just stop the tour and interrupt his class.” She paused, before admitting with a certain sheepishness, “And before you ask…yes, I have tried to go back there some other times, but I’ve just never been able to catch him. It’s just…not meant to be…” A bittersweet smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Maybe in another world…”

“People always say that, but you know that ‘other world’ would probably just be worse than this one,” huffed Aubrey with a dry but somewhat playful roll of her eyes.

Chuckling breathily, Mari shook her head with a sigh, but before she could say anything in response, Aubrey continued, “It’s better to just make the best of the world we have. And…maybe it’s not meant to be, but isn’t it better to know that than to have to wonder what might have been if you had taken your shot when you had it?”

As she looked into Aubrey’s eyes, Mari’s expression softened. When had she gotten so wise—so grown up? Her heart ached at the thought, but she couldn’t help but smile.

“Aubrey…” she began but stopped abruptly as she noticed the expression on Aubrey’s face change—her brow furrowing and eyes narrowing at something over Mari’s shoulder with a tense frown. “What…?”

“Yes? Do you need something?” Aubrey’s voice cut her off, and Mari was embarrassed to say, it took her far too long to realize that Aubrey hadn’t been talking to her. She turned around to find Kel standing off to the side of their table.

His face was uncharacteristically flushed, but he chuckled—scratching the back of his neck. “Sorry, I uh…Well…I was just walking by, and I couldn’t help but overhear—”

“You were eavesdropping?” huffed Aubrey, and Mari’s face grew hot.

“Not on purpose,” Kel insisted. “But uh…Mari, do you really give tours at school? In the building where they have cooking classes and stuff?”

Mari’s blush deepened, and she stared at her hands. “Yeah…I uh…I do. Why? Do you…want to go on a tour or something?”

“No.” He paused. “I mean, maybe. I dunno. I just…I didn’t know you did that. That’s really cool! And you said you see this guy there, right? Named Hero?”

Aubrey huffed again—even more loudly this time, but Mari was too busy burying her face in her hands in embarrassment to pay much attention. She was mortified that anyone had heard her say that. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, Kel. Honestly, it’s kind of embarrassing…just forget it.”

“No, I’m actually kind of glad that I heard because I think I can help. I—” He stopped abruptly as someone yelled out for him.

“Kel!”

“¡Ya voy!” he yelled back before he sighed with an apologetic smile, turning back to Mari and Aubrey. “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.”

Mari and Aubrey exchanged confused looks but shrugged their shoulders—watching Kel dash across the restaurant so quickly that Mari had barely blinked by the time he had reached a middle-aged woman Mari vaguely recognized, struggling to balance some heavy trays of food. Kel’s aunt, perhaps? With a beaming grin, he balanced a tray in one hand—helping to serve the customers seated at that table, seemingly chattering away with them all the while. Once everyone was served, he seemingly said something to the lady—though Mari couldn’t hear over the hustle and bustle of the busy restaurant—then took off towards the doors into kitchen where he ran into his grandmother. He seemed to converse with her too—though once again Mari couldn’t hear anything they were saying—then took the tray of food she was carrying and practically sprinted back to their table.

It all happened so incredibly fast that Mari’s head spun. Even Aubrey looked a little impressed when he reappeared so quickly.

“Sorry about that,” he said with a bright smile—impressively, not even out of breath after all that dashing around. His words tumbled out of his mouth at an excitedly rapid speed, however, as if they hadn’t yet realized Kel had slowed down.

“My brother made this, you know?” he added swiftly placing their plates of food in front of them. “It’s all really good, but um…oh it looks like you don’t have enough Ranchero Sauce. I’ll go get you some more.”

Mari could only blink at him, struggling to keep up with the speed of his speech. “Oh uh that’s…” She didn’t get to finish that thought, however, as Kel turned seemingly to sprint off again, but he stopped as Alma, having finally caught up to him, wrapped her hand around his arm.

“Ah, Mamá Alma…” he chuckled lightly as she gave him a stern look. Mari’s brow furrowed as she watched them stare at each other—seemingly having a conversation without words as only a tightly-knit family could.

“Would you refill these ladies’ drinks please?” asked Alma at last, and Kel sighed but nodded.

“I’ll be back,” he promised as he took her and Aubrey’s empty cups.

“Please excuse my grandson,” said Alma with an affectionate shake of her head. “He has a lot of enthusiasm—takes after his grandfather.” She chuckled quietly to herself. “If you’d like more ranchero sauce. I would be happy to get you some.”

“Oh no, that’s alright,” Mari gently insisted, and Alma smiled.

“At least let me get you some sugar for your tea,” she said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Mari nodded, then turned to Aubrey who was humming as she chewed her food. “You have got to try this! It’s the best food I’ve ever had.”

“I told you,” chuckled Mari, but she stopped as soon as she took a bite of the dish she had ordered—unable to think of anything else beyond, “Oh my gosh! This is incredible!”

“I know right?” mumbled Aubrey between forkfuls almost frantically shoveled into her mouth.

Mari resisted the urge to do the same—instead trying her best to savor every delicious bite. She sighed, hummed, then practically swooned, “I could marry this food.”

Caught mid-bite, Aubrey nodded in agreement, but before she could say anything in response, Alma’s soft but good-natured laugh caught their attention. “How is everything?” she asked, setting a few packets of sugar on the table.

“Amazing!” sighed Aubrey with a dreamy expression Mari had not thought she would ever see Aubrey make. Alma chuckled again before turning to Mari who flushed a little, having been caught practically inhaling her dish.

“I’ve loved everything I’ve ever had here, but this is my favorite,” she said when she had finally finished that bite. “Honestly, I think this might be my favorite food I’ve ever had. It should definitely be on the menu. Please send my compliments to the chef.”

Alma’s smile widened. “Would you like to thank him yourself? Kel tells me that you haven’t gotten to meet yet, and he worked very hard on this recipe so I know it would mean a lot to him if he got to hear that you had enjoyed it so much.”

After a nod of reassurance from Aubrey, Mari answered on behalf of them, “Sure, but only if it’s not too much trouble.”

“It’s no trouble!” interjected Kel, returning with their drinks. “I’ll go get him right now.”

“Kel,” said his grandmother curtly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. She whispered something to him that Mari couldn’t quite make out, but he nodded, then took off towards the kitchen again.

When Kel returned with his elder brother following closely behind, Mari froze. Her eyes widened, but she could only blink in disbelief at those all-too-familiar dark eyes, that tousled hair, that gentle expression, and that smile—that bright, beautiful smile that made Mari’s heart jump into her throat.

As he stood next to Kel now, Mari realized Aubrey was right—they did look like brothers. They were brothers.

“You wanted to see me?” he asked Alma in that all-too-familiar kind, calm voice.

Mari’s fork dropped from her hand—clanging against her plate before it fell onto the floor.

It caught his attention, and for the first time since he had appeared, he turned towards her. Mari’s heart pounded, but time stood still. There was a flush of pink in his face as he met her eyes. His expression was so kind, so warm, but he turned away quickly with a slight smile in the corners of his mouth. “Here. Let me get you another one of those…”

“I’ll get it!” interjected Kel.

He dashed off in the opposite direction, leaving his brother blinking in confusion before Alma caught his attention, wiping a streak of floury paste off his cheek with her thumb. An endearing blush filled his face as his grandmother said, “Cocinerito, these young ladies have something they’d like to say to the chef.”

His blush deepened, but he turned to look at them with a slight shrug of his shoulders. “Yes, uh…what can I do for you?”

Mari blinked. Unable to think of what to say. Unable to think of anything. It was him—the one she had pined after from afar for so long. He had been right here the whole time. How had she never known?

“Um…is there something wrong with your meal?” he asked with an apologetic tilt of his head. “I’m sorry. That recipe is still pretty experimental, so if you’re unhappy with it, I’m happy to make you something else.”

He paused—twisting his hands nervously. “Or perhaps my grandmother can, if you’d rather I didn’t cook for you again…?”

Mari felt something jab at her from the under table. “Ow!”

“Are you alright?” he asked with genuine concern, as Kel returned with her replacement fork.

“Yes. Um…I’m fine,” stumbled Mari, her face flushing red as she averted her gaze from him—staring up at the beautiful, colorful banners hanging from the wall. Kel had told her once that he and his brother had helped make those. She mentally kicked herself for not making the connection before. How could she have been so stupid…

Her leg throbbed again as Aubrey kicked her in the shin, and she cleared her throat biting her lip and steeling her resolve to continue, “And um…everything is great…with the food too. It’s…actually really amazing—the best food I’ve ever had really. You’re really talented, and uh…I…just wanted to thank you.”

She sighed in relief at having managed something semi-coherent and even found it in herself to turn and smile at him again. His face was red, and he scratched the back of his neck with a shy smile. “Wow, that’s such an incredible compliment. Thank you so much! I’m…I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it.” He chuckled lightly, almost self-deprecatingly. “Honestly I really didn’t think it was that good so…”

“What are you talking about?” interrupted Kel—wrapping his arm around his brother’s shoulders. “You’re an amazing chef! Everything you make is great. You’re gonna take over this whole restaurant someday.”

A blush filled his cheeks as he mumbled, “Thanks, Kel, but that’s a while off. I haven’t even finished school yet.”

Humming, Kel’s brow furrowed, but his face lit up in a bright smile as he said, “Oh that reminds me! Mari goes to your school, and she gives tours of the building with all the cooking classes.”

Mari could have sworn that Kel’s brother’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, and as he turned towards her again, he wouldn’t meet her eyes. “That must be why you look so familiar. I think I’ve seen you around a few times.”

Mari’s cheeks grew hot, but her heart raced. Had he really noticed her? After she caught sight of a pointed look from Aubrey from the corner of her eye, she swallowed hard—hoping he hadn’t noticed her just for staring at him.

“Yeah…I…uh…I think I’ve seen you around too,” Mari paused—letting out a somewhat awkward laugh. “But um…we’ve never been properly introduced…I’m Mari.”

There it was—that smile again. So beautiful and this time—her stomach backflipped—directed at her. Her chest ached from the breath caught there, but she gasped in spite of herself as he replied, “Hero. Nice to meet you.”

“Hero…” she unintentionally repeated. Truthfully, she hadn’t even realized she had said it aloud until the slightest confusion passed over his face and he nodded, as if to reassure her that that was in fact his name. Her heart pounded in her ears as her palms grew sweaty and she added an awkward, “That’s your name.”

Aubrey audibly sighed, and Mari could almost feel her second-hand embarrassment.

Hero, however, didn’t seem to notice or at least didn’t seem to mind it much as he gently explained, “Well, uh…It’s actually a nickname. My real name is Henry…Henry Padilla.”

“Like the restaurant?”

“Yes. It’s my family’s restaurant so…that’s our name…”

As Hero chuckled lightly, Mari resisted the urge to press her palm to her forehead. She bit her lip—mentally kicking herself for what may have been the dumbest question she had ever asked. She sighed. At least it wasn’t dolphin noises.

“Of course. I’m sorry that was…” she stumbled, but he gently cut her off.

“It’s okay. I can understand why you could be confused. It actually comes from a word for frying pan or saucepan, so it’s a good restaurant name on its own…but…uh…yeah it’s actually our family name too so…” His voice trailed, and his face flushed again. When he turned away from her, he seemingly noticed Aubrey and frantically continued, “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry. I haven’t introduced myself to your friend either. Hello. I’m Hero.”

“Aubrey,” she answered with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you I’ve heard a lot about you.” She paused, and Mari sighed in relief as she added, “from Kel.”

“Aubrey is visiting from out of town,” Kel interjected. “Mari was giving her a tour of your college earlier.”

“Oh that’s great,” said Hero. “Do you know what you might want to major in?”

Aubrey shrugged. “I’m not sure yet, but Mari made sure I got to see all the different buildings for the different departments.” Aubrey stopped and shot her a knowing smile. “Mari is a double major—music and education.”

Mari inhaled sharply as Hero turned his attention back to her. She hoped her face wasn’t as red as she feared.

“Really? That’s wonderful,” he said. “What instruments do you play?”

Mari took a long deep breath. The look Aubrey was giving her said, ‘you’re welcome,’ and Mari was certainly grateful she had steered the conversation to her music—her passion. She could talk about it forever and could feel her face lighting up as she answered, “I’m best at the piano, but I’ve played around with a few others. I also sing a little, but I’d say I’m mostly a pianist.”

The expression on his face softened, and his eyes smiled at her. “I love the piano.”

“Do you play?”

He shook his head. “I never learned. I…I just enjoy listening to it. I—I actually can’t play any instruments,” he admitted with a certain sheepishness.

Before Mari could reassure him that that was perfectly alright, Kel chimed in with a, “He’s just being modest. He can play the tambourine, the triangle, and the castanets.”

Hero’s face flushed again. “I—I really can’t…” he explained, stifling a chuckle as the corners of his mouth twitched. “When we were little, our parents got us one of those boxes of musical instruments for kids and we used to play with them, but I…I wouldn’t say that I could actually play any of those.”

Mari laughed—giggling behind her hand, and the expression on Hero’s face brightened. “Well…I still think that counts,” she reassured playfully.

“I think you’d be disappointed.” His tone was sincere and somewhat dry, but his mouth twitched in the corners so she liked to think he was bantering with her. “But…oh…I’m so sorry. Here I am rambling on and your food is probably getting cold. If it is, please just let me know, and I’ll make you another dish.”

“Oh no,” Mari insisted. “I’m sure it’s great and…I’m the one who should be sorry. You’re probably so busy, and we’re keeping you from the kitchen.”

“That’s alright,” reassured Alma, who Mari was sorry to say she had briefly forgotten about. She turned to her grandson with a gentle smile which looked so much like his. “Things are starting to slow down around here, so why don’t you stay with your friends? I can take over in the kitchen.”

“Mamá Alma…” he began to protest but paused. His face flushed. “We just met. I…I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You’re not intruding at all,” interrupted Aubrey. “You can sit right here. Maybe you can tell us about how you made this delicious food.”

As Aubrey motioned to the seat next to her, Mari could only hope her expression conveyed her gratitude despite the embarrassed flush of pink in her face. Hero thoughtfully pursed his lips together, and Mari chimed in with a playful, “I’d like to hear too—but only if it’s not a secret.”

Hero smiled but nodded. “Okay.”

“Awesome! Can I sit too?” exclaimed Kel, though it seemed he hadn’t waited for an answer as he took a seat beside Mari at the table. Mari glanced over at Aubrey, somewhat pleadingly, and she sighed with a look that said, ‘if we have to…’

Mari chuckled, but she turned to Kel with a smile. “Sure, Kel, but what about your basketball team?”

“Oh they left a while ago. They’re all headed out to a party, but honestly, I’d rather stay here with you guys.” He beamed at them. “So it’s really perfect timing.”

Mari chuckled, and as she caught sight of Hero, sitting across from her with that kind smile on his face, she sighed. Kel was right. It really was perfect.

“So are you gonna tell us your secret ingredient or what?” teased Kel poking at his brother from across the table, and all of them, even Aubrey, laughed.

Even though Hero swore he didn’t actually have a secret ingredient, he did tell them all about his dishes and about cooking in general. Somehow that turned into a discussion of their favorite foods, then their favorite movies and books, their favorite vacation spots and favorite childhood memories. Kel and Hero recommended all sorts of places they could visit in the city while Aubrey was visiting or if she ever visited again. Mari shared about all the shenanigans she and her friends had gotten up to every summer in Faraway Town—about her favorite spot by the lake, about making flower crowns, eating popsicles, having picnics, and burying her little brother in the sand at the beach. Even Aubrey chimed in with a story about how they had all helped Basil rescue his vegetable garden from an infestation of caterpillars. As was to be expected, Kel talked the most though he mostly prattled on about his brother who, Mari could tell, preferred to quietly listen. Hero did ask her several questions about herself, however, and told her a few things about himself when she asked him questions back.

In no time at all, they were talking and laughing as if they had known each other their whole lives. It was so cozy and so comfortable that Mari never wanted it to end, and she hadn’t even realized how much time had passed until Alma reappeared with two pieces of cake.

“Tres leches cake? Awesome!” exclaimed Kel, but as he reached for one of the plates, his grandmother gave him a stern but somewhat affectionate look.

“Those are for the young ladies, Kel.”

“Oh right. Of course.” He chuckled grabbing a piece of cake and handing it to Aubrey. “This cake is amazing! You’re gonna love it.”

“Did you make this too?” Mari asked Hero who shyly nodded. “Then, I’m sure it’s wonderful.”

“We should have some coffee too,” said Kel, rising from his seat, but Alma shook her head.

“Not at a quarter ‘til eleven. You’ll be up all night.”

Mari gasped. Was it really so late? She glanced around the restaurant and found it had somehow emptied in the time they had been talking. How had she managed to lose track of the time like this? Her face flushed, and she turned to Alma with her apologies. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea it was so late. I’m sure you’d like to close up. If you’d just get my check, I can pay and we can—”

She stopped as Alma patted her gently on the shoulder. “It’s on the house.”

“Oh no, we couldn’t…” she began to protest, but Alma cut her off with a gentle chuckle.

“You managed to get Hero out of the kitchen, and you’ve kept Kel out of trouble. One meal is barely enough.”

“Besides all that means is that you’ll have to come back again,” said Kel with a triumphant smile.

Mari smiled slightly as she met Hero’s gaze. Her cheeks grew warm as he nodded at her. He looked hopeful.

She averted her eyes from him, but answered determinedly, “I definitely will. Thank you so much.”

“Did you have to park far away?” asked Alma with a concerned tilt of her head. “When you’ve finished your cake, perhaps the boys can walk you out so you’re not walking alone in the dark.”

“Oh we couldn’t ask them to…”

“We’d be happy to,” Hero gently interrupted, and Mari smiled. “But please, take all the time you need to finish your cake.”

Finishing the cake took very little time at all. Aubrey practically inhaled it in three bites which seemed to impress Kel who clapped as she rolled her eyes at him. Mari tried to be a bit more refined and dainty with hers, but even she could admit she practically devoured it. Within about fifteen minutes, they had said their thank yous and goodbyes to Alma and headed out the door.

The sidewalks in the city were tight and narrow, with barely enough room for two people to walk side by side. Aubrey and Kel who took off ahead of them were constantly, inadvertently elbowing and bumping into each other which Mari was sure Aubrey was less than thrilled about. She would have to thank her later, perhaps send her another piece of that delicious cake, but she found she couldn’t think of that much now. She couldn’t think of much of anything now besides how incredibly close Hero was to her—their shoulders almost touching. As he walked, the knuckles of his hand brushed against hers, and he pulled his hand away with quick apologies. Mari almost wished he hadn’t.

“Thank you so much again for the food and for the great conversation,” she managed at last after a long but not uncomfortable pause.

“Thank you for inviting me to sit with you. I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like that. We’re practically strangers after all.” He chuckled lightly but somewhat awkwardly. “Kel means well, but…he can be a little…um…”—he paused—“Well what I mean is…”

Mari could see the redness of his face illuminated by the dim light of the streetlamps. There was a concerned look in his eyes—something stormy, apologetic, perhaps even guilty. Mari’s chest ached. It pained her to see it.

She reached out her hand to give Hero a reassuring, encouraging pat on the shoulder. He took a deep breath.

“There’s something I probably should tell you…I…I had actually told Kel about you before…” he confessed. “Not in a weird way, but just…that there was this tour guide who came through my building sometimes who was so cheerful that every time she walked in, it was like a ray of sunshine came with her. I had been hoping we could meet and become friends. Kel knew that so…I think that’s why he was so…” Hero’s voice trailed. “I’m sorry.”

Mari froze. Could she have really understood him correctly? He had actually noticed her…and wanted to meet her too?

“No way,” she stumbled with a disbelieving laugh, but as she watched his face fall, she quickly added, “I…I mean. I’ve been thinking the exact same thing about you.” Her face grew hot at her confession. She hadn’t been intending on telling him that, possibly ever, but given the circumstances she didn’t feel she had any other choice. “You seemed so nice and had such a passion for cooking, I just…I’ve been really wanting to meet you, and now I have. I’m glad.”

Hero’s expression softened, and as he met her eyes, Mari could have sworn her heart could melt. “Me too.”

“We’ll have to see each other again,” she suggested, staring down at her feet shuffling across the sidewalk. “Maybe we can have a concert?” she teased. “I’ll play piano and you can play the castanets or…the tambourine or…the triangle or…all of them, if you can figure out how to play them all at once like a one man band.”

She giggled, and Hero laughed. “I’ll try my best, but it might take me a while to figure out how to do that.”

“Well, you’ll have to call me when you do because I really want to see that,” she bantered.

Hero nodded. “Of course. But um…I don’t think I have your phone number.”

With shaking hands, Mari started digging through her purse for a pen and something to write on—trying her best not to drop it in all the excitement. “Oh, I’ll give it to you, but um…I don’t think I have anything to write on.”

“Write it on his hand,” interjected Kel turning around. “Or my hand or something.”

With a sigh, Hero disentangled his twisting hands and held one out to her. “Sure. Uh here…”

Mari’s breath caught in her throat as she took his hand. His fingers were callused, a mark of a hard worker, but his touch was gentle. She could tell his palms had been sweating—probably because he had been nervous. Mari chuckled lightly to herself. If she had to guess her hands would probably have been the same way. She tried her best to steady herself though her fingers trembled as she carefully scrawled the numbers across his palm.

“You will call, won’t you?” she asked half-playfully, half-nervous as she put the pen back into her purse.

He nodded. “Definitely.”

As he met her eyes, Mari bit her lip and fidgeted. He smiled at her, and once again she was wonderstruck. Her mind emptied again, and her heart ached. Oh…he was beautiful. And she couldn’t believe he was smiling at her.

With blushing cheeks, she shoved her hands into the pocket of her jacket so he, hopefully, wouldn’t see them trembling. As they bumped into her keys, the headlights of her car blinked with a loud beeping sound.

“Well…uh…this is me,” she stumbled before she said her goodbyes to both Hero and Kel with promises to meet again soon.

Mari dashed into the driver’s seat of her car with Aubrey following close behind after her own ‘goodbyes’ and ‘good nights.’ She could only hope it wasn’t too awkward. She was never good at goodbyes and, honestly, was very afraid that if she spent one moment more with him, she was actually going to explode…or at least was going to embarrass herself more than she already had. She had made it through the night without any incoherent dolphin noises, and she wasn’t about to start now. She was determined to leave with her dignity.

As she started the car, Aubrey gave her a knowing look from the passenger’s side. Mari turned away—focusing instead on pulling out of the parking lot. She knew she’d never hear the end of this from Aubrey and her friendly teasing and triumphant ‘I told you so’s would start as soon as they were out of sight from Hero and Kel.

And sure enough as soon as they were stopped at a traffic light a couple of streets over, Aubrey let out a long sigh before teasing, “I’m only going to say this once…” She paused, seemingly for dramatic effect. “You have to date this guy so we can eat his food again.”

Mari laughed. That wasn’t what she had been expecting. She playfully swatted at her arm. “Aubrey!”

“I’m only sort of joking. That food was amazing. I’m going to have dreams about that cake,” she chuckled dryly. “But seriously, he’s super nice and super into you—he was hanging on every word you said.”

Mari scoffed, though her face flushed. “No…he…”

“Don’t even,” Aubrey interrupted. “He totally was, and when we were walking back to the car Kel told me that he won’t stop talking about this pretty, bubbly tour guide at his school. He’s definitely been pining after you, too.”

Mari shifted in her seat—twisting her hands around the steering wheel as her face grew hot again. “I don’t know if he’s pining…but um…he did say he noticed me…and had been wanting to meet me.”

Aubrey laughed. “It’s funny how things work out sometimes, huh?”

Mari nodded, but she couldn’t hold back the bright smile that tugged at her lips as she said, “I guess some things are meant to be after all.”

#heromari #omori heromari #heromari fic #heromari week 2024 #heromari college au #heromari 💙💜#i love them sm your honor #hero fic #our content #thanks for reading

7 notes · View notes

aria0fgold · 1 year ago

Text

Hi, I'm Aria! Am now 24 years old >:3

'tis me ^ (old art but it's all I got. resized to tiny. as I am.)

'tis me too ^ (new art yay! resized as tiny once again.)

Any pronouns okay! I don't mind really! I use she/her for myself :3

Am writer!!! Aria0fGold in ao3 too, and a beginner artist! I have many interests :D But I'm currently hyperfixated on two, OMORI and Mahoutsukai no Yakusoku (Mahoyaku/mhyk for short). You're gonna see me talk a lot bout em.

──────⊹⊱✧⊰⊹──────

List of My OMORI AUs ehe

──────⊹⊱✧⊰⊹──────

Other interests are:

Detective Conan (Conan my disastrous son...)

Project Sekai (Emu is a sweetheart of a daughter and Akito is a rebellious son whose white knight card never came home)

AI: The Somnium Files (Mizuki and Iris are my daughters now and I will follow Boss to the ends of the world)

Pokemon (My childhood, only played up to B/W2 though and pmd sky? + the time one. It's been years since then)

TWEWY (Neku was a jerk but he was my jerk of a son and you're doing good sweetie)

Honkai Impact 3rd (Rarely play it now but Seele and Veliona are my daughters, Elysia and Eden are my queens)

Genshin Impact (Barely play it now too but Qiqi, Noelle, and Yoimiya are my daughters. And I hate Childe[lovingly])

Honkai Star Rail (Active in it, Asia server ehe. Seele all grown up now, proud of her. I hate Luocha and Kafka[lovingly])

And many more!!! Those are the ones I can list off the top of my head but there's lots more, like other anime, games, manga, manwha, manhua, songs (Mili)!

I love OCs too! I love anyone's OCs! I have a lot of OCs but you'll sometimes see me talking about mainly 5 (Alec, Ray, Water, Sephirah, Mel) + 1, the plus one is my OMORI OC that I've been neglecting for a while, sorry bout that Patch, dear.

──────⊹⊱✧⊰⊹──────

A list of my tags! I need this myself too:

aria rants - for when I talk about nearly anything

aria rbs - for reblogs (aria srb for self reblog)

ariart - for my art! :3

arianswer - for when I answer asks!

ariau - for my AUs! It's mainly OMORI AUs though!

ariawrites - for the very rare writing I put out

ariafic - for posting links of fics that I've written :D

ariaplays: [name of game here] - for when I live blog some of my reactions for a game I'm playing, used it for aistf! (ariaplays: aistf, the tag for it basically)

There's more, I'm sure there's more, but I can't remember them... But those are the main ones I use anyway so that's fine!

──────⊹⊱✧⊰⊹──────

Some more stuff about me:

Can be very talkative, I like rambling in the tags a lot, I put many additional thoughts there ehe.

I adore Omori (character) a lot, he is the bestest ever. And I adore Cain Knightley very much, and Owen, and I am a caiowe/owecai shipper (they make me insane)

There's multiple ships that I like in OMORI. I like photobomb, as well as sunflower, and kel/basil (I failed you both I'm sorry I don't know your shipname), suntan, sunny/aubrey (I failed em too, I'm sorry my brain aint braining well with remembering shipnames). Even the polycule ships are nice too. And heromari, of course :D

Feel free to send me asks! or dms! or tag me! I don't mind really, I like interacting with people. But at the same time I can be an awkward bunny that also doesn't know how to interact with people... unless you're a mutual, you'll be seeing me a lot then >:3

It's a surprise really how I managed to have mutuals, I love yall <3

──────⊹⊱✧⊰⊹──────

Aaannndd that's a wrap! Might edit this in the future to add more or something but I'm satisfied with this for now! Thank you for reading and have a nice day ehe! :3

#aria rants #introduction #this was harder than i thought #but it was fun nonetheless ehe!#aria intro #yea most of my tags consist of my name cuz why not #new pinned

8 notes · View notes

kid-az · 2 years ago

Text

Cactiflower and Sunburn Double Date Hc’s,Cactiflower and Sunburn Double Dates Idea 1

Aubrey demands that they all go to the petting zoo one day, and while Kel complains due to wanting to go to the arcade, he begrudgingly agrees for Bas’s sake. Immediately when they enter, Aubrey takes Sunny’s hand and they go to the bunny exhibits to cuddle with cute bunnies and eachother, meanwhile Basil and Kel just. Randomly walk around, talking, UNTIL…

They see an llama exhibit, and Basil’s all like “Y’know Kel, llamas remind me of you, because their durable, strong willed, yet also soft and cuddly.” :) and while Kel blushes deeply unable to say anything, Aubrey only like hears a small part of the conversation and is all like “Hear that Sunkitty? Basil just compared his boyfriend to a llama hahaha!” while rubbing Sunny’s head, him smiling softly in response. Then he’s all like “Mmm hmm, and your an adorable bunny Cherry Blossom.“ and she just… dies on the spot, her face is completely red in response to that, and Kel and Basil proceed to laugh, much to her chagrin.

Anyways, as the four of them go to the alpaca exhibit and pet their soft fleece, Kel is growing a huge liking to the petting zoo, and is thinking of possibly owning an llama and alpaca farm with Basil, thinking those camelids are cool. Then Sunny silently states “Hmm, want to reconnect with your kind?” ;) and like after that they all chuckle, Kel included, and states “Yeah, you can thank my Little Leo for that!” And he then kisses Basil. Aubrey gets jealous about the nickname, and is all like ”EXCUSE ME!? I’m already calling my little Sunshine a cat!” and as she and Kel argue, their respective boyfriends walk off and go get ice cream for them as they get into a friendly argument, talking about species of cats as well as how cool their lover’s are.

After a nice ice cream session and going on a carriage ride together, Basil and Sunny feel tired due to the two not having the highest energy level, so… Kel and Aubrey look at eachother, the former stating “So… about our boyfriends being just like cats?” And after nodding, they pick their boyfriends up, (Aubrey bridal style with Sunny, while Basil gets a piggyback ride from Kel.) and completely content with this, Basil and Sunny rest. And then they go back to Basil’s house and have a sleepover, cuddling together in their sleep!

Also nickname Hc’s below! 👇

Basil to Kel

“My Dear Cactus/Saguaro.”

“My Wondrous Marigold”

“My Superstar”

Kel to Basil

“Bas”

“My Little Leo”

“My Precious Flower

Sunny to Aubrey

“Bunnygum”

“Cherry Blossom”

“Dear Aubergine”

Aubrey to Sunny

“Sunbun/ny”

“Sunkitty”

“Sunshine”

#omori #omori aubrey #omori sunny #omori kel #omori basil #omori cactiflower #omori sunburn #shipping #shipping hc’s #omori headcanons #headcanons #headcanon #omori fluff #fluff #RAAGH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!

10 notes · View notes

dukeoftheblackstar · 8 months ago

Text

One of my favorite Plo Koon art pieces. Look at how soft he is? Look at that pure adoration and fatherly love. Look at how it's so innate for him to value life and children as a proper Kel Dor does in spite of him not growing up in Dorin because baby boy got sent to the temple so young.

I'd attribute this to his learning the ways of being in his element as a Baran Do Sage when Dorin called to him in his years, but idk. I just genuinely think Plo Koon is made of so much love material.

And every time this beautiful peace graces my dash, I weep a little because (1) I obviously have daddy issues LOL, (2) a tribute to dads who are both dads and not dads (I am a dad enthusiast), and (3) how good it must feel for a youngling to find home in the temple so far away from their own homes.

Jedi Softcore make me cry so fucking much. Sure, their belief system has been so misconstrued to the point of it being primitive to a degree, but you know that deep inside — amidst all that training and teachings of not being attached as seen so shallow in the surface, they're just very, very, very, affectionate.

Plo's hugs are probably so warm, I'd melt and cry decades of trauma without even us exchanging words. He's probably not gonna gaslight the shit out of me like Yoda (LOL, this personaaaal /jk). He's stern and gentle at the same time, not even dismissive. Sassy too.

But oh my goodness, Plo Koon is undeniably oh, so, very warm. I bet he gives really sweet head pats too. Wouldn't sass you out if you fell and would just quietly help you up and let you try again in your own pace — unless you're Kit Fisto, then yes, it's a sass-fest.

I love him so damn much.

The way he's drawn here is just absolute perfection.

Look at the crease on his eyes and how softly squinted he's looking at the little baby. The way his tusks are so relaxed, his untensed shoulder, the lean that just screams 'we're safe here'. That little fist grab from Ahsoka implies there were probably doing something silly prior like idk, probably yeeting her into the skies and back. The way his hand was drawn, the elegant lines on his robes and how fucking regal he always is — oh my god.

The lighting hits just.. Sigh.

Softcore Plo is my jam. I'd die for him.

He's just so beautiful inside and out. But he's also such a shit boy like .. fuuck, he's so perfect he makes me cry ;----;

Anyway, I never properly thanked you @sabellart for blessing the world with Softcore Single Dad Plo Koon ;///////////////; ILY precious being on the internet.

give it up for all the single dads out there

#plo koon #excuse me and my daddy issues #plo koon hours be upon ye #duchii talks #duchii cries #duchii dies probably idk

8K notes · View notes

michu-writes · 2 years ago

Note

🐉 K, so...... I never played Omori, but I wanna give you something to write, so how about just general dating headcanons with Hero and Kel? You can do them separately or as a poly ship, either way, is fine. Hope that satisfies you and you'll have fun writing this. Love you! <3

A/N: I KNOW YOU HAVENT PLAYED OMORI AND HAVE LITTLE TO NO KNOWLEDGE ABT IT BUT THIS MADE ME CACKLE

Kel and Hero are brothers so- no poly headcanons ofc BUT SEPERATELY I WILL DO!!! Thank you for requesting dear anon <3

Hero

Malewife? Manwhore? You're lucky to have him as a boyfriend. He's one of the (only) most respectful cis men out there, no joke /j.

He'll shower you with kisses and bring food to your bed !!!!! Hero loves cuddling with you too after a long day of studying just to clear his mind. You both would also cook or bake something together!!! Doesn't matter if you're good or bad at it, because you'll always succeed as long as Herj is with you el oh el.

You guys met in Faraway town a few weeks before he was gonna leave for college at the park. You noticed he looked lonely and uneasy in a way, so you decided to talk to him. He stated he just needed some fresh air and so did you!! You guys eventually became friends and found out you were both gonna attend in the same college, so that is great!

Unfortunately, you guys didn't end up in the same dorm but you both still visited each other at anytime you could!! You still saw each other all around the campus but still yeyeyeye. Anyways he had a little hard time opening up to you,,, but he did tell you about Mari eventually. You felt really bad and awful for him, that must be a really really hard thing to go through at such a young age. You told him everything was gonna be fine and she's in a much better place now. After that you both pretty much got closer and the story goes on!!!

After like a year or two of being buds to good buds to best buds, you finally confessed and he surprisingly felt the same way!! Kel and his dad pretty much knew the whole time, but his mom kept denying it and saying "they're just best friends……."

But when you and Hero came back home from college, he asked if you wanted to meet his family face to face (because you have only been able to video chat with them whenever you were hanging out with Hero in your dorms) and you gladly said yeah. Everyone welcomed you as family and was happy for both of you. Kel May or may not have been like "Ew romance" but that's just how he is. His mom though was like "Oh!" and just needed a moment to process because she never thought Hero would get a s/o anytime soon. But she greeted you and was very nice so no worries!!!

One time you were visiting Hero and you both had to babysit Sally because everyone else was away. He was just done making lunch and was about to tell you until he saw you on the couch. He couldn't help but shed a tear of how cute and gentle you were with Sally, he instantly knew you'd be an awesome parent if you wanted to!!!

You were a bit worried about why he was crying but he quickly said you were just adorable when you were all cuddled up with his little sister. Sally was all fast asleep beside you while you snuggled her up close to your chest as you were watching TV with a blanket.

10/10 boyfriend, would recommend.

Kel

This kinda depends of how much energy you got because if you're like leaning more into the calm and relaxed type, you'll just watch him being a complete idiot in awe. He likes it because he knows your don't mind his chaotic nature (most of the time). But if you match his energy, oh god. Everything will go down hill. You'll both at least commit 5 crimes in a day. It might be really fun, but you both need someone to stop you. Like Hero perhaps.

You have known each other for a long time ever since the whole gang even formed. You both were best friends and was the only people who didn't close off which you both can agree were greatful for. You would invite him to do something to keep his mind off of things for a bit after Mari's death, and all the stress and worries about Hero. It helped and he just couldn't stop thanking you. His parents adores you for trying your best. Kel also helps you too in many different ways, you guys have each other.

When Sunny finally left his house to hangout with Kel before he moved away, they both invited you to tag along, in which you gladly agreed on. Sunny noticed the tension between you two and pointed it out. Let's just say you were both a red burning mess after that.

Sunny was kinda the one who egged Kel on to confess to confess to you because of the obvious crush, so thanks to him.

Kel usually asks Hero for relationship advices. He would also ask his dad, but they're always so long and dumb in his opinion.

He !!! Loves !!!!! Going out !!!!!! On dates !!!!!! You guys can also stay inside. His favorite dates are maybe going on a stroll at night or a movie night. During the strolls, you guys just just look at the night sky and admire the stars and moon while holding hands and rant about your favorite things ! During the movie nights, you just lay on the sofa with snacks in the table, a blanket covering the two who was all cuddled up, probably watching some horror or action movie.

Kel loves to creep up on you and scare you when you're not looking, he finds your reaction hilarious.

Will always hold your hand or have his arm around your shoulders. He'll also give you random hugs and kisses anywhere at all (unless you don't like pda which is totally fine). He's so sweet and goofy.

#omori #omocat #omori kel #omori hero #kel x reader #hero x reader #x reader #x y/n #reader insert #headcanon #fanfiction #Omori x reader

186 notes · View notes

sunnysviolin · 3 years ago

Note

Can I just say, whenever you write for Hero and Mari, the fact that you have them think of each other as “her boy” and “his girl” is so adorable??? It makes me melt every single time,,, thank you for feeding the Heromari stans

Heromari my lil blorbos……That thought is actually at the crux of everything I write for them. They just always fit together, they were each other’s, and it wasn’t ever even questioned or commented on until suddenly it was ripped away from Hero. It’s like realizing you have two eyes or that you hear from two sides. Anyways nonnie I love you so take some more Heromari

Mari’s love language is really music in every shape. She has always kept little sticky notes around to write down lyrics she hears that remind her of Hero, and she sticks them up for him to find all the time. He never thought to save them, he thought he would just always have them. He regrets that a lot, and he has a notebook now that has some of the lyrics she gave him, but it’s never gonna be all of them

In the last year of her life Mari was always incredibly tired, doing way way too much, so Hero covered for her. He would let her sleep on the bus on the way to school and wake her up before they got there, take notes in Maris super specific color codings if she fell asleep during class, and generally act as a pillow whenever she needed. Most of their time alone was spent with Mari asleep, which she always felt she bad about but Hero didn’t mind. He just loved getting to be around her.

Just like Basil for Sunny, Hero was the one person Mari felt safe confiding in. She told him how stressed she was, and how badly she needed to be perfect. He would always tell her that she was perfect just as she was, that she didn’t need to be better or change. After she dies, he agonizes over saying that because he’s pretty sure it added to her worries, and only made things worse. He’s never gonna know that it was the one thing that actually made things a little easier

Everyone always said they had a favorite dress of Mari’s. Her mother and father loved her pure Snow White concert dress, Sunny liked the red checkered one that reminded him of their picnic basket, Aubrey liked the purple one that was the same color that Mari thought about dying her hair, and Kel liked the mismatched tie dye one that looked like paint was splattered all over.

Hero never had a favorite dress. Heros favorite of Mari’s outfits was the ripped grass stained jean cutoffs and ragged flannels that she wore when they went on secret dates to the spot behind the park. For some reason, it was only at those moments that Mari wore the clothes she “felt most comfortable wearing” but Hero never judged. Still it always felt special

#omori #omori headcanons #omori sunny #omori kel #anon #omori mari #omori hero #heromari #i love the #he miss her #sadddddd #anyways mari had a secret side that Hero was the only one who she showed #and you could see it if you were looking #but no one was looking except him

131 notes · View notes

jj-the-writer · 2 years ago

Text

Day 6 @kelbreyweek:

Omori spoilers.

Valentine's day.

Kel: "Herooooooo... Come on help me out I can't bake on my own!"

Hero: "Kel I can't! I'm busy with college work, and even if I could find the time I haven't baked in years, I fear I've lost my touch..."

Kel: "Come on please! I'll do all the work you just have to guide me through it!"

Hero: "Kel..."

Kel: "I'll do anything, please..."

Hero: "..."

Hero: "Fine! Fine, I'll help you make cookies."

Kel: "AW YEAH! Thanks bro! I owe ya!"

Kel drags Hero from their room, down the stairs to their kitchen. The both of them spend their morning making a fresh batch of cookies. Seems like hero was wrong about losing his touch because the cookies he helped bake smelled so good that even sunny next door could smell them he decided not to disturb though. After they were done with the cookies Kel thinks about his next move.

Kel: "Alright what was it I needed to do after making the cookies... OH RIGHT! Appropriate packaging for the gift!"

Hero: "Do something about that crush Kel, before you turn everyone else's lives upside down."

Kel: "Well I'm clearely doing something about it aren't I?"

Hero: "I suppose you are... Well anyway I'm hoping you can handle the packaging, I'm going back to studying, good luck Kel!"

Kel: "Thanks Hero! She might know I like her already but I'm still fighting to make her accept affection!"

Kel got to work, thinking about how his lover would take the gift. She's had a curious way of expressing appreciation for receiving gifts in the past, it's not like she's not happy for others showing appreciation or love it's more like she doesn't know how to accept it... Like she doesn't think she deserves it... Kel understands Aubrey really well, they've both heard each other talk so much that they know each other like they palm of their hand. Despite Aubrey's conflicted feelings on the matter he still has no plans of stopping his efforts.

Kel managed to prepare the cookies in a heart shaped plate that he had recently bought for this specific occasion, all tied neatly with a red colored plastic wrapper and to top it off he finished it all with a pink bow.

Kel: "Alright that's ready, now for the little letter... "

Meanwhile over on Basil's house...

Basil: "So after painting a flat color as the background you can begin coloring the foreground! Since you haven't tried this before let's pick something simple... What do you say?"

Aubrey: "... Alright... What's considered 'simple' in painting?"

Basil: "Oh, um... Shapes! As well as most broad things as long as you don't add much detail, such as the sea, the sky and so on..." Replied Basil nervously.

Aubrey: "So what do you propose for... A valentine's gift?"

Basil: (That's adorable she can't even say it :3) "How about we go with a heart for now? We can add different shades of pink and sparkles to make it prettier if you want to."

Aubrey: "... It's a little tacky and clichè... But I guess so is this holiday so why not... Do you think he'd like it?"

Basil: "Aubrey listen to yourself, you know Kel, he's gonna absolutely fall in love with whatever you get him, especially if you've put your own effort into making it. I don't think he'll like it, I know he's gonna love it!"

Aubrey let a shy smile show, but Basil decided to not comment on it, for fear of losing his life. Aubrey kept painting. Borrowing basil's supplies for anything was a first for her but she appreciated basil's willingness to help her out. Through basil's guidance she managed to make a pretty painting of a heart with their her and Kel's initials on it. It wasn't as good as Basil's artistic pieces but it was pretty good nonetheless. After Aubrey finished the piece, she took off basil's apron he used for painting, she thanked him and thought of what she should do next...

Aubrey: "I think I should top it off with a quick letter..."

-Valentine's day-

Kel and Aubrey had arranged for their date to start in the afternoon and go on till nighttime. Kel decided to go wait for her outside her house instead of waiting for Aubrey to ring his doorbell, and so he waited for a while until Aubrey came out of the front door wearing a pretty white jacket with black details and a dark red shirt beneath it, pairing it with a pair of jeans and pink converse shoes. A large tote bag in hand. As Aubrey got out of her house she spotted Kel waiting by the sidewalk. He wore a black jacket with an orange button up beneath, he paired it a pair of brown cargo pants and a pair of boots.

Aubrey: "Kel! You're here, weren't we going to stay at your place?"

Kel: "We are, but honestly I couldn't wait till you came over haha..."

Aubrey: "Oh you couldn't wait huh? Missed me that much?" Despite her being flustered, she replied smugly.

Kel: "Well, yeah..."

Aubrey: "Oh... Well I guess I'll let you walk me to your place then." She responded while softly elbowing him to his side.

Kel: "Great! Oh is that my gift?"

Aubrey: "Hey no peeking!"

Kel: "I wasn't trying to!"

Aubrey: "Right... Well yeah, it is your gift."

Kel got a little flustered, he knew she was going to get him something but there's just something special seeing someone like Aubrey who prefers to avoid showing affection get a gift for him...

The both of them walked towards Kel's place. His parents were off to a three-day valentine's holiday trip, and Hero said he'd go study on a library and come home later, so they'd be left alone for the time being. As they eventually reached the place Kel moved forward to open the door and let Aubrey in first, he followed closely behind. Aubrey sat on the couch and Kel sat right next to her.

Aubrey: "So... Do you wanna exchange gifts now or later?"

Kel: "I propose we go at it now, who goes first me or you?"

Aubrey: "You go first." She said after a brief pause.

Kel: "Got it! Wait here."

Kel bolted off to his kitchen and he came back excitedly with something reddish looking in his hands, Aubrey couldn't tell what it was yet. Kel sat his present on the table and it all became clear.

Aubrey: "Oh! Chocolate chip cookies! I can never find them on the candy store at othermart, they're always out of stock! Where did you buy these from?"

Kel: "That's the neat part, they're not bought! I made them! Well Hero helped a lot with guiding me through the steps since this was my first time baking."

Aubrey: "You made these?"

Kel: "I sure did!"

Aubrey went to untie the pink bow and get to the cookies but she noticed a card was attached to it so she took that out first. She opened it and started reading the letter out loud.

Aubrey: "Happy Valentine's day! I want you to know that you mean a lot to me and that you're one of the best people I've ever met. I hope you like these cookies, I dared to try something I never did in the past, because you're honestly worth... Every effort... "

Aubrey paused as if to hold back her tears.

Aubrey: "Love, Kel. Smiley face."

Aubrey, now unable to contain her feelings lets a few tears fall and she starts laughing. She sets the letter down and basically jumps on kel to hug him.

Kel: "WOAH! Easy! You're gonna kill me!"

Aubrey softens her violent hug and lets Kel go.

Aubrey: "Right, sorry... But thank you, thank you so much for that... It was really sweet. You're sweet..."

Kel: "No problem! I simply wrote down the truth, nothing more, nothing less! You are the best after all..."

Kel broke a big smile to his lover reassuring her for his love.

Kel: "Come on you still haven't tried the cookies!"

Aubrey managed to tear away her eyes from the face that had her mesmerized and she untied the pretty pink bow to get to the heart shaped plate with the cookies.

Aubrey: "I must say, your choice for the plate is very charming... And clichè." She said jokingly. "Now for the cookies."

She takes a cookie and takes a bite out of it. Her face instantly lights up in delight. Aubrey attempts to speak with half a cookie in her mouth.

Aubrey: "DAMN! Kel these are really good!"

Kel: "I'm really glad you like them haha. And frankly a little relieved."

After Aubrey finished her second cookie she responded.

Aubrey: "You joking? These are amazing! I don't know if there'll be any left to take home!"

Kel: "I'm very charmed but before you keep going, it's your turn on the gift exchange."

Aubrey: "Oh! Right... Um well it's in this tote bag, take it out, here." She said after handling her boyfriend the tote bag she didn't let anyone close to until this very moment.

Excited, Kel put his hand in the bag and felt a canvas, he took it out carefully and looked at the piece.

Aubrey: "It's my first time attempting to paint, Basil helped out a lot with guiding me through the steps. It's a little silly but I know you like that stuff... And as long as you're a part of something lovey-dovey, like a heart, I like it too... I hope you like the painting..."

Kel: "..."

Aubrey: "Earth to Kel? You okay?"

Kel: "Holy FUCK Aubrey! You made this? It looks insane! And quite pretty might I add... I'm honoured that you made this for me... I'll hang it on my wall it's amazing! Thank you Aubs."

Kel hugged his girlfriend tightly. Aubrey eased at feeling his warmth. But before she let herself be entranced by his hug she spoke.

Aubrey: "I also wrote you a short letter, it's attached to the back of the canvas."

Kel turned the canvas over and took out a letter, and he read it out loud.

Kel: "To my loving boyfriend, who has made my life better by just being in it, who makes me want to bonk him in the head with a bat sometimes, he who is also the reason I've managed to keep going through the hardships that life has presented me. I hope you like this token of my love for this year's valentine's day. You've made me the happiest I've ever been. Yours truly, Aubrey."

Kel looked up from the letter and saw Aubrey hiding her face on a pillow.

Aubrey: "I forgot how cheesy I made it..."

She took her head out and looked at Kel as red as she was.

Aubrey: "All the things written in that letter are true... However I also wanted to add something else but decided against it... Since I wanted to say it to you..."

Kel: "Oh, alright, what did you want to say?"

Aubrey: "... I wanted to say that... I will stay by your side. No matter what happens... I will stand by you and support you on our future... Whatever the world throws at us, you can rest assured that you will never be alone... I will always be by your side."

Kel: "Aubrey..."

Kel moved forward and leaned in to kiss his lover. Aubrey panicked a little bit but she didn't let it show, she closed her eyes and moved her face forward as well until their lips touched. The warmth. The feeling of security. The feeling of embrace. It all felt like...

Freedom.

The both of them were so moved from this passionate and yet tender kiss that their eyes became watery, no tears were shed but it was enough to affect them emotionally. Kel moved one of his hands to Aubrey's waist and the other behind her head. As they drew closer, Aubrey put both her arms on his back, for an embrace that lasted quite a while. A time that the both of them treasured dearly.

Eventually the both of them broke it off, and they started cuddling. They huddled beneath a blanket and they put on a movie on Kel's TV. The movie was Kel's choice, it was a romance movie, something Aubrey would usually be against to, and yet this time she enjoyed it. They both finished the cookies Kel made as they watched the movie.

Meanwhile, Hero never went to the library like he said he would. Instead he went over at FIX-IT to buy some flowers, and after that, he started going down to the church. On his way he saw Basil. They talked and caught up for a few moments. Hero asked what he was up to and he said he was off to a date with sunny at his place. Basil would also ask him... But he felt like he knew the answer. The both of them went their seperate ways after their goodbyes. Hero entered the church and went out to the graveyard, he placed his bouquet at Mari's grave, lit a candle to give them some light and had a talk with her till midnight. It made him feel at peace, talking to his lover. He then left, saying he had to look after his brother and his lover.

Once he got home, he found the two lovebirds passed out on his couch with a thin blanket and the credits if a movie playing. He got them a thicker blanket and put it over them since that's where they'd spend their night.

Hero: "Goodnight sleepyheads."

Aubrey and Kel's grasp on each other's hand gets tighter as their faces tumble closer to each other's while they peacefully sleep...

#book #booklr #writeblr #writer #'ello hello!#omori aubrey #omori kel #kelbrey #omori kelbrey #omori baseball #AAAAND YES #that is day 6 y'all #thank you for reading #any and all feedback is appreciated #as well as reblogs #day 7 has me a little stressed bc the prompt is a little difficult but it'll be here on time don't worry!

7 notes · View notes

there-was-love · 3 years ago

Note

dunno if you still wanna draw ppls star wars ocs but take a look at my blorbos from my head! 😁😁😁 poy and sho are scavengers who rescued rook when he was injured, assumed dead, and left behind by his battalion

Omg hi!! I got so happy when I got this ask :D I love the designs! Rook's poncho is A+ I'd love to know more about them??? Feel free to dm me and tell me everything, haha.

Anyways, I chose Sho, cause I looooove kel dors so much, and wanted to practice drawing them more. I adore Sho's look too! Thanks for sharing :D

#others ocs #ask #request #kel dor #star wars oc #fanart #clip studio paint #digital portrait #ragn does art

5 notes · View notes

eyayah-oya · 4 years ago

Note

So I was wondering like.. ya know that clone that injured casbahs but died? Could you do denal/Rex cause denal was the second most notable 501st clone in the early seasons? Like in a universe denal survived? Idk you don’t have to do it! It was just a request.

I was so excited to get your request!!! Your my first one and I'm so happy! Denal and Rex was a ship that I hadn't considered before, but I adore them now. I hope I did him justice since I've never read the comics and only know him from the two episodes he shows up in during The Clone Wars.

Anyway, I hope this satisfies :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rex watched as Fives and Echo huddled close together after their close call with the shuttle. The mission to free General Piell had been a disaster from the start and they’d lost more men than Rex was happy with, including the General. But at least they had gotten the information the Council needed, so technically, it was a success. Cody had Longshot under one arm and Ahsoka under the other, both fast asleep. Longshot had gotten a bad injury on his leg from the electric walls inside the prison, and Ahsoka had some burns and cuts on her arms from holding back the anoobas that had killed General Piell.

With a weary groan as his muscles viciously protested, Rex pushed himself to his feet and over to check on his ARCs. They’d come so close to losing Echo this mission, and Fives was practically wrapped around them, desperately trying to affirm that they were still alive. They’d only survived because Denal ran out and tackled the ARC away from the explosion. They’d both suffered some injuries from the blast, but nothing like what it could have been if Denal hadn’t been there.

“We’re okay, sir,” Echo whispered as they carded their fingers through Fives’s hair. He was fast asleep, holding onto Echo like he was terrified they’d disappear if he let go.

“You’ll let me know if I can do anything?”

“Yes, sir.” Echo gave a small smirk. “Go check on Denal next. I think he’s talking with the Generals and Tarkin and he could probably use a rescue.”

Tarkin was definitely a nasty piece of work, and Rex almost sat down next to his twins, but Denal really didn’t deserve to be left alone with General Skywalker and Tarkin. Especially not after the kind of mission they’d all just survived.

Rex flashed an all-clear signal at Cody and walked past the rest of the men that were on this particular gunship. Towards the cockpit, Generals Skywalker, Kenobi, and Koon were debriefing quietly, with Tarkin standing beside Skywalker and Denal between Kenobi and Koon. He definitely chose a relatively safe position in the group. That kind of forward-thinking had convinced Rex to send Denal to ARC training in the first place.

“Ah, Captain,” Kenobi said with an exhausted smile. “I trust everyone is doing as well as can be expected?”

“Yes, sir. Just came to take Denal to get his injuries looked over, sir,” Rex answered with a crisp salute.

Kenobi frowned, and Rex was pretty sure Koon was doing the Kel Dor equivalent.

“Denal, you’re injured? Why didn’t you say anything? You should have been getting your wounds treated instead of standing here while we blabbered on,” Kenobi said. “Thank you, Rex.”

Denal saluted and Rex nodded gratefully at General Kenobi. Then he placed a hand on Denal’s elbow and guided him past the Wolfpack troopers to the medkit sitting by Ahsoka.

“I wasn’t injured too badly, Captain,” Denal said, amusement written in his voice and in the tilt of his bucket.

“Yes, but no one should be forced to deal with Tarkin and Skywalker for too long,” Rex said with a grin. “This was a convenient excuse, and you were injured, so it’s a good idea to get those taken care of before an infection sets in. I don’t want to face Kix if that happens.”

“Or Coric,” Denal added with a shudder. He pulled off the top part of his armor, and Rex winced at how badly burnt the back plate was. Both Denal and Echo had come far too close to dying for his comfort. The plastoid had overheated and the blacks below had melted a little to his skin.

“This might be something to leave for Kix to handle,” Rex said hesitantly.

Cody snorted. “Scared, Rex? It’s just some burns.”

“Yeah, with melted blacks in the burns. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to pull the melted bits out without a medic there or something to numb the pain.”

Denal shook his head. “Yeah, let’s leave it for the medics. It doesn’t hurt too badly at this point. And we’re almost to the Venator, anyway.”

Rex sighed and put the medkit back against the wall where it belonged. Once everything was situated, he leaned against the wall on Ahsoka’s other side and just to the right of Fives and Echo. Almost immediately, Denal flopped on top of Rex’s legs on his stomach, careful to keep from pulling at his injuries. He wrapped his arms around Rex’s waist and leaned his head on his cuirass.

“That can’t be comfortable,” Rex snorted.

“Don’t care. If the Commander isn’t going to reprimand me, then I’m going to stay right here until the medics come to pry me off of your lap.”

Cody rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to reprimand you, but I’ll let you know if Tarkin comes back here. I don’t think the Generals will care very much if they find you sprawled across Rex like that. Especially since I’ve got Ahsoka and Longshot.”

Denal hummed an acknowledgment. “Wake me when the medics board, kay?”

Rex ran his fingers through Denal’s long, teal-tipped curls. “I’ll keep watch. Go ahead and rest, ner Kot.”

Another hum trailed off into a soft snore. Rex gave a huff of amusement at his partner. He could have lost him today, but he was still alive and just as snarky and competent as always. Ahsoka was safe. Echo and Fives were alive. Cody was worrying about everyone else. And Denal was safe in his arms. That’s all that really mattered at the moment. That’s all Rex needed.

#clone/clone #cloneshipping #rex/denal #captain rex #clone trooper denal #citadel mission #hurt/comfort #mild injury #request #clone/clone request

31 notes · View notes

cassyapper · 4 years ago

Note

Suntan OMORI,

ship rating: 5/5 REAL THEYRE IN LOVE!!!!!

nothing matters to me the way suntan does. it's such a healthy and sweet relationship like fuck im gonna go CRAZY

kel never gave up on sunny EVER FOR THOSE THREE ENTIRE YEARS and when sunny finally manages to leave his house again (peep how kel knocking every time he was free was a reason as to why he found the strength to leave btw), kel is right there taking him places, talking with him and engaging with him (but not pressuring him to respond verbally!), being supportive, being kind and funny, just generally letting sunny knows he cares about him and he knows he's changed but that doesn't mean he'll stop caring about him bc of those changes

meanwhile sunny is like the only person we canonically can confirm kel feels comfortable talking about his less-than-happy feelings with. biggest example is the graveyard scene in which kel talks about when hero screamed at him. sunny basically reminds kel it's not ike a SIN to have negative feelings and he doesnt need to be happy all the time and he deserves support too. and SUNNY PROVIDES THAT SUPPORT!!! sunny always listens to kel and fuck dude that's all kel wants. sunny is just so good and he's patient with kel and even though kel is very high energy in contrast to sunny's low, sunny never asks him to tone it down he just always accepts kel as his full self and it makes me weep. sunny doesn't call him annoying or loud or Too Much kel is just right for sunny andndnjdjndkjdjdkn AND...NNAD Isnkskj;d;jkndkj;kjK;JSNNK;

please in addition to this theyre also so silly funny they are the fucking guys EVER i love them theyre crazy. couples that dumpster dive together stay together <3

fuck theyre just so supportive of each other in their own ways and it drives me fucking mad. i adore them i adore them i adore them. truly cat boy and dog boy solidarity. im gonna cry literally i lvoe rhem i lvoe them they both have therapy on fridays and they go to get dinner after their individual sessions each time. sunny usually pays but when kel remembers his money he rlly treats sunny. anyway

fandom rating: 5/5! so far at least. i dont trust yall to stay this way

no but i admittedly am not super deep in the omori fandom so i havent seen all the crooks and crannies BUT i can say the majority of suntan shippers seem to be absolute geniuses and i am so happy. this may be bc suntan shippers have to understand kel to get the ship which means they're p literate and can Read and thus are accurate to the characters for the most part. god bless. i am so glad we all can agree sunny and kel. thank you all so very much for the sweetness and the comedy and the dash of angst. the only reason i healed from aftermath of playing omori fr /j

#AHHHH I LVOE THEM I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM THERES NOTHING I CAN SAY #cass cries #omori

36 notes · View notes

michu-writes · 2 years ago

Note

heyoooo can u maybe write hero bf headcanons with a s/o who's love languages are acts of service n words of affirmation? :) 💕

if it's not too much can you write this for kel too? it's fine if not!!!!!!! :D tysm for reading this take care :3

Hero

You guys share the same love language!!!!!! Or almost. I feel like Hero would also have the tiniest bit of physical touch too BUT ANYWAYS!!!!

He thinks it's adorable that you do stuff for him all the time, but can't help but feel a bit guilty as well. He tries to pay you back by also doing the same stuff to you,,,, and just showers you in kisses as a thank you!!!!

He gets so flustered whenever you give him verbal affection even though he has received so many compliments due to being a "perfectionist" his whole life. But coming from you hits different y'know????? That doesn't mean he doesn’t like it though, he actually loves it, he just doesn't know what to do. He finds it very embarrassing because he's the one who always flirts with you, but when you flirt back, he just feels like he's gonna positively explode.

Kel

Either he'd be oblivious af, or he'd say something like "You're just like Hero, ew" BUT HE SECRETLY LIKES IT A LOT!!! Just like Hero, he'd feel a bit guilty as well if u do too much cuz </3 he also offers you favors of anything back.

His love language is physical touch and quality time by the way, just thought I'd point that out <3.

Anywho, unlike his brother, he wouldn't be as flustered or fazed. He'd still have a blush of course, but not to the point he starts stuttering like a madman. He’d be like “No u >:(”. He tries to compliment and flirt with you back, which just ends up turning into a competition lmao.

You guys would cuddle and then just start attacking each other with compliments and shit until someone has to stop u guys from continuing for another 48 hours.

#They’re both dorks #Love it #kel x reader #hero x reader #omori #omori kel #omori Hero #omori game #x reader #x y/n #reader insert #Fanfiction #headcanon

36 notes · View notes

writer1 · 4 years ago

Text

A regretful Wolf and his Beauty

Chapter Six

Beast!Rex x Fem!reader.

Summary: As punishment for his actions, young prince Rex was cursed to become a monster by a witch. The only thing that saved him from his fate was an enchantress, who gave him a condition. He has to find true love in order to redeem himself and he only has until the last petal of the enchanted rose falls. Rex's family helps you by guiding your way into his heart. Rex's fate now lies in your hands.

A/N: Hey, this is a collaborative fic between myself and @ahsokatano-thetogruta.

Warnings: Hurt, hatred of self.

Rex sees everyone around him shuffle as best they can towards him a bit more, but not too close as to make him feel uncomfortable. A small dessert fork hop over towards him. "Rex! I'm glad you're okay." The little fork smiles with relief that his Vod'ika is okay. It takes Rex a second to know who this is, but then he sees patterns along the handle. "Bly?" The small fork nods.

"Yeah, I'm glad you're okay Rex. We were all so worried as soon as you ran away from us." Rex feels guilty that he had run away from everyone, but he was also so scared and hated that everyone transformed because of him.

"I'm sorry this happened. To all of you. I should've just controlled my actions more, then…" Rex's ears press back against his head harshly, trying to avoid eye contact from everyone as much as he possibly can. "Then this wouldn't have happened to you all."

Everyone disagrees, shaking their heads as much as they can, seeming as they are now objects. "It's okay, Rex. This was never your fault." Bly hops over to Rex and leans against him, giving him as much of a hug as he can. Rex feels slightly better with a hug and his ears perk up slightly. His tail starts to wag from the happy feeling. Rex grabs his tail, feeling embarrassed that it's wagging in front of everyone.

“It’s okay Rex, you don’t have to be embarrassed.” Rex nods, hugging his fifteen year old brother with one hand carefully. He acts so much older than he is sometimes. “Everyone's right young one, this isn’t your fault.” Rex looks up to see another suit of armor, this one has a helmet that looks like a Kel Dor’s, Rex realizes that it’s Knight Plo. He’s followed by four little tea cups, one with a scratch through its eye. “Uncle Plo.” Rex whispers, the thirty-five year old Knight walks up to him.

He pets his head, not like he’s a dog but like he’s trying to comfort him. “It’s going to be okay, we’ll all figure this out. Together.” the little teacup with the scratch through his eye hops up. “Yeah Rex, we’ll all figure it out together, like Buir said.” Rex nods, recognizing the little teacup to be Wolffe.

“Thanks Wolffe, what happened to your eye?” Rex asks, and Wolffe flinches a little at the memory. “The witch threw a glass at me, it cut my eye, I can’t see out of it now.” Rex carefully picks Wolffe up, taking a closer look at his eye.

“WHAT!!!” Kix comes flying over to them, getting in between the two, he takes a close look at Wolffe's eye while Rex, Plo, and Wolffe’s brothers watch. Kix sighs. “I can’t fix it, even if we were human. You’re blind in that eye now, Vod’ika.” Rex whines, feeling bad for his Vod’ika. He pulls the teacup up to his face, nuzzling him.

“Thanks Rex, it’s okay. It’s just one eye.” Rex pulls him away, resisting the urge to lick him to comfort the kid, he has no idea why the urge came up and he’d rather not. “I hate that she hurt you, she already transformed us but she had to take your eye too.” A deep growl emanates from Rex’s chest, startling everyone, including himself. "Sorry…"

"It's alright, we have all changed so we are all bound to be different in some way." 99 shuffles over, the bad batch follows close behind him. 99 wishes that the young prince could see his smile, but being an old-looking broom means that he doesn't have a face. Rex nods, he understands that everyone has changed, but he feels bad because some of them don't have faces anymore and most of them don't even have anything that resembles that they were once people.

Ahsoka strokes the fur on Rex's finger, still hugging it. "Yeah, you're just a giant puppy now!" Her little face is too adorable and Rex just chuckles at her. "I guess I am, little Soka." Her smile beams brightly as she nuzzles Rex.

"I love how soft it is." She adds, making some of the others make little aw sounds at the young Togruta, because of how adorable she is.

Rex smiles shyly "It is?" Ahsoka giggles a little, nodding her head. "Yup!" A moment later, Rex's stomach growls loudly, making the little music box jump. He feels embarrassed and his cheeks heat up. 99 chuckles at Rex. “Looks like you're going to have to get the boy some food, Cody. We’ll all talk more tomorrow, it's starting to get late anyway.” Cody nods at the broom as best he can, shuffling over to Rex.

“Yeah, we’re going to bed once we get him something to eat, does anyone want to come to the kitchen with us?” Obi Wan, Kix, Jesse, Anakin, Bly, Fives, Ahsoka and Echo walk up to them. “Kiara and Padme offered to put Stutter to bed for us. He's tired, but Ahsoka isn’t yet, or so she says.” Fives explains, but Cody shakes his head.

“You four should be going to bed too, it's late. You too Anakin.” Obi Wan nods, agreeing with Cody. Fives and Echo have pleading looks on their faces, so does Bly, Anakin would too if he could, but Cody stands firm. “Can they… can they please come Cody. I need you guys around me, even if it isn’t everyone.” Rex pleads, making Cody sigh. He can’t say no with how much his Rex’ika is hurting right now.

Cody turns to Obi Wan, who nods in permission for Anakin to come. “Fine, you can all come, but as soon as Rex is done, everyone is going to bed. Understood!?” they all nod, including Rex, and start heading to the kitchen while everyone who can move head to their rooms, the ones who can’t are camping out in the ballroom for the night.

Rex and the little group make it to the kitchen, Rex is once again walking behind the others. “Rex! Cody! Somebody!” they both turn to see a talking Oven mitt with eyes and a mouth. Rex knows only one cousin that would be turned into an oven mitt. “Gregor?” Rex asks, but the Oven mitt looks at them, more precisely at Rex, with wide eyes.

“What the kriff is that monster!” Rex whimpers, dashing through the kitchen and out of the door, Cody feels absolute anger at his cousin. They just got Rex to feel better about himself, and Gregor might have completely destroyed it.

Obi Wan strokes Cody’s desktop, trying to calm him down, even though Obi Wan is just as angry. “Why the kriff did you say that to Rex, Gregor?!” Gregor raises an eyebrow at them. “What are you talking about? That's not Rex, Rex isn’t a beast! Wait, Cody?!”

Cody feels confusion fill him, then the realization occurs to him. He couldn't see who, but someone leaves the kitchen and the door shuts behind them, but his attention turns back to the situation at hand “Gregor? Where were you when everything happened?” The oven mitt floats over to the desk, not believing what his cousin has become.

“I came to the kitchen shortly after you invited Miss Ventress in because we got a shipment of supplies for waffles and strawberries. I wanted to surprise Rex. Not long after we brought the supplies in, I felt pain as I started to change. Then this happened.” Cody sighs, Gregor wasn’t in the room when the curse happened so he had no way to know that Rex was a werewolf, and no one checked the kitchen, they forgot about it at the time.

“Ventress was a witch, Gregor. She spilled a drink on Rex on purpose, Rex had a stressful and just plain bad day, so he snapped at her. She cursed us to be objects but Rex… His curse was much worse.” Gregor can’t believe it, they invited Ventress in out of the goodness of their hearts, how could she do this! Then Gregor’s heart sinks when he realizes what Cody means.

“You mean… That was Rex!!!” Everyone nods sadly, Gregor can’t believe that he said that. “I… I didn’t… I’m so sorry.” Gregor tears up, thinking about how what he said must have affected Rex.

“It's okay, Gregor. You didn’t know that it was Rex.” Gregor nods, he has to fix this.

xxx

Rex bursts through the kitchen door running away from everyone as fast as he could, but he doesn’t run all the way away this time, he runs down the hall a little ways. Tears run down his face as he still thinks about what Gregor said, this was the first time someone in his family actually called him a monster, and it made his heart ache. Rex sits against the wall, tail wrapped around his legs with tears streaming down his face and into his fur.

He sits like this for a few moments before he hears the kitchen door swing open. He flinches with fear, but then he sees Ahsoka. Seeing her big brother cry makes her feel sad. She hops over to him and presses herself against his leg. Rex puts his face in his knees as the memory of Gregor calling him a monster clouds his thoughts. "Don't cry, Ori'Vod. It's okay, he probably didn't know that it was you." She hears Rex sobbing into his knees.

Ahsoka doesn't know what to do, but then she walks in front of Rex and turns round the little key in the back of the box. Once it stops turning, it goes the other way and starts to play a relaxing song. Rex's sobs soon turn into sniffles and hiccups as he looks up a little bit to see Ahsoka twirling around on the spot and dancing to the tune. Ahsoka's older appearance makes the dance much more elegant and beautiful, allowing Rex's mind to relax and take his mind off of what happened earlier, so he sits contently watching his little sister dance.

Rex wipes the tears away as they start to dry and he smiles. His tail wrapped around his legs wags gently, letting Ahsoka know that she is cheering up her Ori'Vod. She smiles and giggles a little, but the song and dance soon comes to the end as the key has stopped moving. Rex smiles at her. "Thank you, Soka. I feel better now." Rex pats her head gently with one finger.

Ahsoka giggles again and then hugs his finger. "I'm glad, Ori'Vod." A moment later, the kitchen door swings open again, but this time it's Gregor who steps out and floats over to the two of them.

Rex whimpers, looking down at the ground. His ears press tightly against his head and his tail stops wagging, tears filling his eyes again. Gregor's heart breaks, he can't believe that he called his cousin a monster.

"Can you go back into the kitchen, Ahsoka. I need to talk to Rex alone." Ahsoka looks at Gregor nervously, she doesn't want to leave Rex with him after what he said last time.

"Come along Ahsoka, leave these two to talk." Obi Wan walks out of the kitchen, gently picking up the little music box. He carries her into the kitchen, allowing Cody to explain to her what had happened.

Rex stays sitting, looking down at his feet. He doesn't want to see the look of disgust that Gregor must have.

Gregor feels his heart break when he sees the tears in Rex's eyes, The oven mitt floats over to his cousin, landing beside him. "I… Rex, I am so sorry." Rex doesn't look up, and Gregor feels his heart break even more.

"Rex? Can you please look at me?" Rex obliges reluctantly, looking up at his cousin. He has tears in his eyes, and Gregor can see the damp fur under Rex's eyes. He knew that he had messed up. Badly.

"Rex, I'm so sorry. You aren't a monster." Rex just shakes his head. "No. You're right, I am a monster now." Gregor's heart shatters, he absolutely hates hearing Rex talk about himself like that. And knowing he caused this hurts even more.

"Rex, no! I was wrong! You aren't a monster. I shouldn't have said what I said earlier, I regret it so much." Rex doesn't say anything, but his eyes just fall to the ground again. "I…I understand if you hate me now and don't forgive me for what I called you." Gregor floats a little bit down to the ground and the guilt really sinks in for making his cousin, the Prince, feel this way.

Rex looks up a little to see Gregor turning around and slowly floating back towards the kitchen. Seeing the sad oven mitt made Rex's heart feel so somber, that Gregor thinks that he hates him now. Before he could float away any further, Rex gently cups his hands in front of Gregor and carefully pulls him into his fluffy chest. "I don't hate you, Gregor. You didn't know that it was me, but it just hurt me to be called a monster." A wave of regret washes over Gregor again.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I was thinking." Rex holds his cousin closer into him, being careful not to hurt him.

"It's alright, I know now that you didn't mean it towards me so we can put this behind us, yeah?" Gregor pulls away and looks up to see Rex smiling kindly at him. "Yeah." Gregor nods, he's happy that Rex could forgive him. Rex's stomach growls loudly, making the heat rise to his face. Gregor chuckles.

"That reminds me, the reason I came into the kitchen before was because I had a surprise for you, Rex." Rex's ears perk up, he smiles and his tail starts wagging. Rex groans, grabbing his tail. "That's really starting to get annoying." Gregor chuckles. Rex turns back to him, his look of annoyance turning to a smile.

"What's the surprise, Vod?" Gregor smiles at Rex. "Well I left the ballroom because we got a shipment in for Waffles and strawberries." Rex's whole body perks up, and his tail starts wagging faster. But Rex doesn't notice this time.

"Can you maybe make me some, Gregor? Please…?" Gregor smiles, outright laughing. "Of course, I can't let my baby cousin go hungry, now can I?"

"I'm not a baby." Rex grumbles, ears pressing back in anger. Gregor laughs at him happily, this is a normal conversation for them. "You will always be a baby to me!"

"You're only two years older than me!" Rex tells him angrily, but he secretly likes the normalcy of this conversation. "Well come on, let's get you some food." Rex nods, following the floating oven mitt back into the kitchen. Everyone turns to see Rex, they are all happy to see a smile on his face.

"Is everything good now?" Cody asks, shuffling over and pressing himself into Rex. "Yes, it's all good." He says, smiling towards Gregor who collects the ingredients for the waffles and strawberries, including some flour, eggs, butter, milk, baking powder and some sugar because he knows that Rex has a big sweet tooth.

He sets all of the ingredients down on the counter and then turns around to Rex. "Would you like to watch me make the waffles, Rex?"

"Yes please, that would be great to see how they are made." Being a prince meant that Rex didn't go in the kitchen a lot when the chefs were cooking because he would be sat down and ready for the food to be served.

"Great, would you mind grabbing a bowl for me please? It's a bit heavy for me to carry." Rex obliges and gets a large mixing bowl off of the shelf while Gregor grabs a spoon from the utensil pot. Rex places the bowl on the counter, stepping back to watch as Gregor puts all of the ingredients into the bowl and picks up the spoon, mixing everything together into a smooth batter. Rex is very intrigued, it all looks complicated but also very fun.

Gregor grabs a waffle mould placing it next to the bowl and then collects a ladle to make it easier to transfer the batter into the mould. He puts a ladle of mixture into each mould to make sure that they are equal in size. After the mould is full, Gregor heads over to an oven and places the waffles on a shelf. He grabs a sand timer for 15 minutes that'll let him know when they will be ready.

xxx

After the 15 minutes are up, Gregor grabs the waffles out of the oven. He takes them out, pulling the finished products out of the mould. "Can you grab a plate for me, Rex?" The boy nods, walking over and grabbing a plate out, he carries it over to Gregor. Rex is using the counter for support, practicing on two legs. He struggles a bit, but he manages.

Cody stays close by to catch him, just in case. So does Anakin and Obi Wan, Fives, Ahsoka and Echo are all watching along the side. Rex sets the plate beside Gregor, sitting down tiredly. "Great job, Rex'ika!" Cody tells him, making Rex smile. "Yeah, great job, Rex." Anakin walks over, patting Rex's shoulder. Rex smiles at his friend, thankful that both him and his big brother are proud of him.

Everyone who can give Rex a little applause, embarrassing him. Everyone who can't, which is Cody, Bly and Gregor, give him lots of encouragement. They tell him how good he did.

"Okay, enough embarrassing Rex. Are the waffles ready, Gregor?" The oven mitt looks up. "Oh, yeah, I just have to put the syrup on top of the strawberries and waffle." Gregor grabs the syrup, putting a good amount on the large stack. He made more since he figured that Rex is bigger, it makes sense that he'd eat more.

Rex sits down as he licks his lips, seeing one of his favorite meals. Gregor pushes it towards him, letting him eat it. Rex grabs a fork and a knife, fumbling to use them with his larger hands.

"It's fine, Rex. You can just eat off the plate." Rex looks down at Cody, ears drooping in embarrassment. He does not want to eat like an animal, at all. "It's fine little one, no one will judge you. We promise." Obi Wan tells him. "Yeah, Rex, it's okay, Ori'Vod." Fives tells him, trying to comfort his older brother.

Everyone nods in agreement. "Fives is right, we're your family. We aren't going to judge." Rex sighs, nodding at Anakin, he puts the knife and fork down. He leans in and starts taking bites out of the pile of waffles, using nothing but his mouth.

The others say nothing about it, they just talk amongst themselves. Bly, Gregor and Anakin strike up a conversation about what happened. While Echo and Fives have a nice conversation with Rex as he eats, keeping his mind off of how he's eating. They talk about everything from some prank the twins had pulled last week to a new book Rex had read. It was nice, it felt almost normal.

"How's the waffles, Rex?" Rex turns to Gregor, swallowing the bite that was in his mouth. "They are delicious Gregor, I absolutely love them." Gregor laughs. "I'm glad that you like them, I'll be sure to make you more in the morning." Rex nods quickly. "Yes please!" No one notices the way Kix is keeping an eye on Rex as he eats.

Rex finishes eating, but he realizes that he isn't full. He blinks in confusion, wondering why he wouldn't be full after so many waffles and strawberries. "I'm... I'm not full." He feels so nervous, he doesn't want to seem like he is being greedy after eating a lot already. His stomach growls ever so slightly and everyone just feels bad for him.

Kix thinks that he might know why Rex isn't full yet. "You might still be hungry because you are now physically like a wolf, so you can still eat some foods that you used to eat, but it won't be as nutritional as eating lots of meat. Which is the base of a wolf's diet."

Rex understands, but he feels bad that Gregor made all of those waffles but they didn't fill him up. "Sorry, Gregor. I loved them, but I feel like you've wasted your time making them for me and I'm not full." Gregor looks at Rex and shakes his head the best he can "No, it's alright Rex. I enjoyed making them for you and I'm glad you enjoyed eating them too. Would you like some meat now?" Rex feels weird about his mouth watering more than it was. It's almost as if his wolf-like instincts have kicked in. He feels shy but Gregor smiles and heads into the kitchen.

Sometime later, the sweet aroma of meat trails over to Rex as Gregor exits the kitchen carrying a plate of beef. "Here you go. I cooked it for you as well, the way you usually like it." Rex nods as he dives straight into it, feeling his hunger slowly go away as he finishes the plate of meat.

Rex smiles "Thank you, I'm glad you aren't mad at me that the waffles weren't enough." Gregor's expression turns into confusion. "I'm not mad at you in the slightest, Rex. You didn't know that you wouldn't be filled up with only these waffles, so it's not your fault." He smiles promisingly at Rex. "In the morning, I'll make you some more waffles and strawberries, along with some meat?"

"Yes please, that would be great thank you." Gregor nods. Smiling at Rex, who smiles back, Rex feels so lucky to have such a kind family. A moment later, Rex lets out a big yawn.

Cody chuckles "C'mon, Rex'ika. You must be exhausted. And I think we all are too." He looks around and sees everyone nod in agreement. "Let's get you to bed, Little one." Obi Wan places a hand on Rex's back. Rex stands up when Cody shuffles closer to him, so he steadies himself with Cody's help.

He tries to walk but he’s still wobbly, Rex does notice that he’s not as wobbly as before. Rex gets on all fours, he’s too tired to try to walk on two legs anyway. Cody carries Fives, Echo, Ahsoka and Bly.

Ahsoka has fallen asleep already, the three year old being exhausted. Fives and Echo are almost falling asleep to, leaning against each other, Bly is the only one out of them still fully awake. They walk up the stairs, Anakin and Rex are walking slow and sluggish. Rex stops when they get to his room, whimpering, he really doesn’t want to go in and see his destroyed clothes, another reminder of what happened. “It’s fine Rex’ika, we aren’t going to force you. You can sleep in my room.” Cody offers, and Rex sighs in relief.

“Thanks, Bubby.” Cody would have smiled if he could, They arrive at his room. Anakin followed because he wanted to tell Rex goodnight. “Would you all like to sleep together, tonight?” Cody asks, he's pretty sure that none of them want to sleep alone after what happened today. They all nod, especially Rex, everyone shuffles in to see Padmé, Kiara and Stutter already there sleeping, they wake up as soon as everyone walks in.

“Prince Cody, we’re so sorry. We must have fallen asleep with Stutter.” Both girls go to leave but Cody stops them. “It's okay, everyone’s having a sleepover here, would the two of you like to join?” They both nod.” I’m going to go and ask my parents.” Padmé tells them, flying off.

“Would you like to go and ask your parents Kiara?” The little feather duster tears up. “ I… I can’t find them. They went to grab something from town, but never came back.” “Well, don’t worry. We’ll find them, like I said you can stay here tonight.” She nods, wiping some tears out of her eyes, she flies over and presses against the desk. “Thank you, Prince Cody.” Cody does his best to nod.”you're welcome, but just call me Cody, okay?”

Kiara nods before flying over to Fives, who hugs her comfortingly. Rex grabs some extra pillows out of the cupboard, carrying them over and throwing them onto the floor. He lays down. “You guys can have the bed.” Rex suggests, but Kix shakes his head. “No, you are sleeping in the bed, you'll hurt your back otherwise.” Rex sighs, nodding. He lays down in the bed before Stutter, Bly, Fives, Kiara, Echo, and Jesse jump in, cuddling into Rex’s fur. Fives makes sure that he extinguishes his candles this time.

It brings Rex a lot of comfort, they all get comfortable, Obi Wan carries Ahsoka over while Anakin gathers up the blankets that Rex had, he bunches them up. Sitting against the bed near Rex’s face. Rex lays on his side while Stutter and Bly lay against his arm, Fives, Echo and Kiara lay against his stomach while Jesse lays on his shoulder.

Ahsoka sits on the desk beside him while Padme sleeps on Anakin’s shoulder once she returns. Kix sighs, but joins in next to his twin. They all fall asleep, while Obi Wan and Cody leave them be, it warms Cody’s heart that everyone would cuddle with Rex. He’s also thankful that Rex isn’t one to move in his sleep.

Obi Wan and Cody walk down the corridor to a different room to spend some alone time together. They've all had a busy and tiring day, so they are ready for some well needed rest. They find an empty spare room and share a look at each other before they go in. There's a bed, a wardrobe and a desk with a chair, so Obi Wan grabs the chair and sets it by the wall. He sits down in it and Cody shuffles closer in front of him. "How are you feeling, Cyare?" Obi Wan places his hand on Cody's table top.

"I'm alright, just tired is all Sweetheart. Today has been rough." Cody feels sad, playing the events from today over and over in his head. Obi Wan senses Cody's struggling emotionally, so he runs his finger over his scar that's in the form of a scratch on the table top.

Cody sighs, falling into a more relaxed state as Obi Wan continues to stroke his scar. "Would you like to talk about what's bothering you?" Cody wants to cry, feeling stupid about what is upsetting him, but maybe telling someone, especially his lover Obi Wan, will help him get it off of his mind. "I just...I find it so difficult now to get around to places. Now I can't walk anymore. I feel vulnerable and..." Cody begins to sob, unable to cry any tears.

"Oh Cody, it's going to be alright. We'll get through this together." Obi Wan continues to rub Cody's scar. "It's really difficult to feel anything physically, but I still feel things inside, like sensations. It's just strange. I don't feel like myself anymore." Obi Wan’s heart breaks, hearing what Cody is saying. He understands exactly what he means, Obi Wan feels the same way. He leans down, pressing his face against the top of Cody.

“Umm, what are you doing Sweetheart?” Cody asks, confused. Obi Wan pulls away, feeling embarrassed. “I… I was trying to kiss you, Cyare'' Obi Wan whispers, Cody can hear the embarrassment in his voice, but there's also sadness. Cody presses against Obi Wan’s leg. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I don’t mind, can you maybe kiss me again, please?” Obi Wan looks down at Cody, nodding. He leans down, pressing his face against Cody again. It’s the only way he can kiss Cody, he has no mouth. Cody finds the gesture comforting, even if it's not like the kisses they had shared before, it’s still better than nothing. Any kiss from his Obi Wan is amazing.

“I’m sorry, I can’t kiss you back Sweetheart.” Obi Wan strokes Cody’s scar, trying to comfort his boyfriend. “It’s fine, Cody.” The desk feels so bad, he can’t do anything for Obi Wan. He can’t even kriffing hug him!

“Do you still want to be with me, because you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. I’d understand.” Obi Wan’s heart breaks. “No!! Why would I ever leave you?” Cody starts to shake a little. “Because I can’t do anything for you, I’m unable to do anything couples do. I can’t even hug you let alone kiss you.” Cody would be crying if he could, but all that comes out are sniffles and a few sobs, he’s trying to hold them back. Obi Wan stands up out of his chair, kneeling down and wrapping his arms around Cody the best we can.

“You aren’t the only one who’s changed in this relationship, Cody. I can’t kiss you either, I know it’s hard. I… I’m scared too, darling. I am so scared, I don’t even know what’s underneath my armor, is it just emptiness. Would I disappear if it was taken apart, would it even come apart or is this all me. Is there some disgusting mix of organs and metal in there?” Obi Wan shudders slightly at the thought, but Cody is there with him so he feels safe.

Cody presses into Obi Wan the best he can, trying to deepen the hug. "I still love you, Sweetheart. Nothing will ever change that, not even this. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, Obi Wan. I...I really and truly do, Sweetheart. I'm just glad you don't mind me looking like this." Cody can't gesture at his new form, but Obi Wan presses his helmet onto the edge of Cody's table top.

"Of course I don't mind you looking like this now. I've changed too, so you aren't alone in this, I'll be right here with you. Always." Obi Wan traces Cody's scar again, making Cody sigh with contemptment. "Mm, that still feels nice."

Obi Wan chuckles. "I'm glad that you still love it." Cody nods as much as he can, but he just enjoys the moment. "Very much."

Briefly, Obi Wan's yawn travels around the room as his vision goes a little bit bleary. He tries to hide it, but he doesn't want to stop giving Cody love and affection. "You can get some sleep if you'd like, Sweetheart." Hearing Cody's voice makes Obi Wan jump a little as he fights to stay awake. "Yeah, that might be best."

He leans on Cody for support as he stands up and sits back down into the chair. Cody shuffles himself closed to Obi Wan again. Obi Wan yawns again as he tries to figure out what position would be best to sleep now he's sat up. He usually lies in bed with Cody when he sleeps, so it's different not laying down like he's used to. But then he has an idea. "Cody?" He places his hand on Cody's table top. "Yes, Sweetheart?"

"Could… could I rest on you while I sleep, please?" Obi Wan asks shyly, making Cody confused as to why he has to ask. "Of course you can, Sweetheart. There's no need to ask."

"Thank you, Cyare." Obi Wan smiles as he leans down gently as to not make a loud clattering noise of his armour, he folds his arms and rests his head on them. He looks to see Cody's scar, so he traces it with a single finger again. "You're welcome, Sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too, Cyare. I'll always love you, now and forever." And with that, Obi Wan struggles to stay awake much longer, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

xxx

Rex wakes up with a startled gasp, tears threatening to fall, he almost sits up before remembering that his cousin’s, brother’s and friends are on him. He looks around, sighing in relief when he finds everyone still asleep. They are all in the same positions as before, Stutter and Bly by his arm, Fives, Echo and Kiara near his stomach, Ahsoka on the desk and both Jesse and Kix on his shoulder.

Rex feels something on his shoulder move before Jesse and Kix hop down in front of his face, Kix is sporting a worried expression. “Are you okay, Rex?” Kix asks, and Rex can’t hold back the tears. “No.” He whimpers, his nightmare had been about the curse, except nobody else transformed. They were all disgusted by him, his whole family hated him. Even his Bubby. Jesse jumps into action, moving up to Rex’s forehead and wrapping his arms around him the best he could. Kix presses himself against where Rex’s cheek is.

“Hey, it’s okay Rex. we’re here, do you want to talk about it?” Rex shakes his head no, and the twins look at eachother. “Do you want us to get Cody?” Kix asks this time, but Rex shakes his head again. “No, I don’t want to be any more of a burden than I already am.” The twins look at eachother again. “You aren’t a burden Rex, we love you.”

“I love you too, but that doesn’t make me any less of a burden, I’m going back to sleep now.” Rex closes his eyes, but Jesse and Kix already know that they need to tell Cody about this tomorrow.

taglist: @captainrexisboo @ellie1366 @pinkiemme @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life @lightning-wolffe

32 notes · View notes