#but like i think kaz could have found so many of the qualities that drew him to bb in ocelot lmaooo

[cypheragent]

actually the juiciest thing about ocelhira to me is if bb didn't exist honest to god i think kaz could have been in love with ocelot but ocelot would always fucking hate his guts

[milo-my-beloved]

things we don't say

A continuation of the some other life 'verse.

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Chapter Five: Villains

The party is in full swing, and until Jesper rescues him, all Wylan can do is wait.

Music drifts up through the drafty floorboards. For once in his life, Wylan would love to be downstairs, enjoying the talented musicians his dad hired and the strange combination of a close-up magician and acrobat to go with them.

How Kaz snuck himself and Inej in is beyond him, but judging by the enthusiastic oohs and aahs floating yo the stairs, the guests are loving it.

Wylan quietly zips up his suitcase, praying that the guard doesn't hear. He has no idea which of his father's many servants has been paid to loiter outside his door to ensure he doesn't bother the esteemed guests, but he isn't taking any chances.

The note Kaz passed onto his tutor yesterday made it very clear that if Van Eck is alerted to their heist, their plan will fail before it can begin.

Wylan surveys his room, searching for any important belongings he might have left behind. His suitcase has enough clothes to last him a few days, but he's sacrificing everything but the basics so that he has room for all his sentimental items; art supplies, photos of his mother, and — of course — his flute.

The only thing in there that Kaz would approve of is a stack of kruge he's been squirrelling away for years, in case this moment ever arrived.

He carries the suitcase over to the window, wincing as it thuds against the carpet. The music outside is jollier than the usual classical stuff his father insists on, and the jaunty fiddle fills him with a giddy sense of unease.

The whole party is to celebrate the new Van Eck heir, which he only found out about this afternoon. All of his father's dreams are finally coming true, held safely in tiny, young, pretty Alys. The child will be everything his father ever wanted him to be. He doesn't envy them.

It's a good thing he'll be long gone by the time they're born.

Continue reading under the cut // Continue reading on AO3.

Only two more months.

It became Wylan's mantra over the summer holidays. Only two more months. As soon as they were up, he could finally marry the man he loves and escape the Hell his father puts him through.

He thought no one would notice the ring. From the moment his father realised that his grand heir would never be of any use to him, he hadn't paid Wylan a lick of attention. If the ring was on his finger, and no one cared about the person the hand belonged to, how would anyone ever know about his fiance?

Wylan should have guessed that money would be the thing that finally drew his father's attention back to him.

"What's that?" he'd asked one day when they'd passed on the stairs. He grabbed Wylan's arm, nearly dislocating it as he yanked it up to his face. "A ring?"

Wylan didn't answer, paralysed with fear.

"Where did you get this?" He turned Wylan's hand around, inspecting it further. "Who would marry a fool like you?"

Wylan bit his tongue until he tasted blood. He is well-versed in his father's tempers, and he won't let Jesper be dragged into this.

Jan ripped the ring from his finger. Wylan cried out, reaching out to snatch it back, but missing.

His father held it up to the light, frowning. "It's terrible quality. Tell me, which poor girl did you try to impress with this cheap ring?"

Jesper could have proposed to him with a paper ring, or a hair bobble, or a particularly shiny rock and he still would have gladly accepted. But Jan Van Eck built his empire on chasing money, not love, and after his mother passed away...

Well, the love disappeared entirely.

"I bought it for myself," Wylan stated, channelling his best impression of Kaz.

"And wore it on the same finger as a wedding ring? Either you're even stupider than I thought, or you're lying. It better not be to me, boy."

Wylan tried not to audibly gulp.

"Who are you trying to impress? Those university friends of yours? Did you think they'd have more respect for you if you were engaged?"

Tears pricked at his eyes, but Wylan refused to let them fall. He concentrated on memories of Jesper; the awe on his face when he saw the T-Rex in Ketterdam Museum, his hands on his hips when they went bowling.

"I can tell you one thing, son. If any of your friends discovered you can't even read a simple sentence, they'd lose all respect for you anyway. No amount of sacrilege will save you from that."

He dropped Wylan's arm, and he nearly tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs.

"I won't have you embarrass me any further. You aren't leaving this house until I figure out what to do with you. And you certainly won't be going back to the university."

He dropped the ring. Wylan's heart dropped with it, and he just watched as it bounces down the stairs, belting out a tuneless melody as it ricochets off the polished wood.

*****

Wylan turns the ring over in his hands before sliding it back onto his finger. The only time it has left his person was that day on the stairs, but he'll have to take it off later so he can actually marry Jesper.

He sits on the edge of his bed, wondering what his wedding will be like. Not the grand event that his father would have planned for him, that's for sure.

He looks down at his outfit and considers whether he has time to change again before Jesper gets here. He didn't want to wear a suit, but now his jumper doesn't feel fancy enough—

His question is answered by his bedroom window shattering, followed by a loud thud. Wylan throws his hands up to protect himself from the shards of glass, but he's luckily a safe distance away from the window. He lowers them gently, his heart thudding in his chest, to find that someone has thrown a brick through his window.

"What was that?" the guard asks. It's Adem Bajan, Alys' music teacher. His father's usual security must be helping with the party.

He cautiously approaches the window, glass crunching underneath his feet. Jesper and Matthias are standing on the first floor roof, and Nina reaches the bottom of the ladder and sprints off just as Wylan pokes his head through the new hole.

"O Wylan, Wylan, wherefore art thou Wylan?" Jesper calls up.

Wylan shakes his head. Even when he's not in class, Jesper's theatre genes make themselves known. "What are you doing?"

"He threw a rock through your window because he is an idiot," Matthias says, glaring at Jesper.

"Being subtle is not a Jesper talent!" he hisses back. "Are you going to stand there all night, or can we elope now?"

"Mr. Van Eck, I'm going to have to come in if you don't answer me," Bajan insists.

"One second," Wylan calls towards his door and his friends at the same time. He quickly opens his window, trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation, before lowering his suitcase down to Jesper and Matthias. He picks up his satchel, rummaging through it for a new project that he's been working on while he snatches a glass from his bedside table.

He opens the door a fraction, angling it so Bajan can't see the broken glass on the floor behind him. The Suli man is only a few years older than him and kinder than most of his father's staff, but unfortunately also the perfect height for his plan.

"I'm so sorry," Wylan says, thinking inappropriate thoughts about Jesper so that his cheeks flush. To Bajan, it'll look like embarrassment. "I dropped a glass. Could you fill this cup up for me?"

"I'm not supposed to leave my post..."

"And I'm not supposed to leave my room." Bajan hesitates, so Wylan holds the glass out closer to him, smiling. "You can say hello to Alys while you're downstairs."

Bajan takes the glass. "It's only right to pass on my congratulations. I'll be right back."

He makes it four steps down the hallway before collapsing into Nina's arms.

"What the Hell is going on?" she exclaims, panting for breath. She lowers Bajan to the ground and Wylan picks up his glass by the rim before it can break.

"He heard the window smash," he explains. "Help me carry him into my room."

Between them, they lug Bajan over to Wylan's bed. Nina thoroughly tucks him in, making sure that no identifying features are poking out from beneath the pile of blankets other than the hem of Wylan's pajama pants. Meanwhile, he carefully retrieves the glass and wipes the transparent substance from the bottom, placing it back on his bedside table.

"What did you do to him?" asks a red-faced Nina, her hands on her hips.

Wylan huffs, trying to catch his breath. He's never considered how much effort it is to pick up a dead weight before now. "I've been working on a sleeping tonic that absorbs through your skin." He holds up the vial so Nina can see before shoving it back into his satchel. "He'll wake up in a few hours feeling fully rested and probably rather confused."

"You'll have to let me borrow some of that so I can sleep through Matthias' snoring."

Wylan crosses back over to the window, looking down to see a very impatient Jesper and Matthias still waiting for them.

"Wylan, sunshine of my heart, hurry the fuck up before we get caught," Jesper says.

He rolls his eyes, tossing his satchel down. "Oh, shut up. I'm going to get shredded by broken glass on my wedding night because of you."

He helps Nina out of the window and into Matthias' waiting arms first. It's a tight squeeze and she lets out a very unladylike shriek when her boyfriend nearly drops her, but they start their descent down the ladder safely.

Wylan glances back at his room. He'd love to burn the whole mansion to the ground behind him with his father and all his guests still inside, but he'll have to settle for his getting his revenge another day.

He scrambles out of the window, swinging his legs around so he can land gracefully. Unfortunately, his jumper catches on a piece of broken glass as he leaps. He hangs in midair for a few seconds before the fabric rips and he plummets towards the edge of the rooftop.

Jesper shoots a hand and grabs his flailing wrist before he can topple off the roof to the cobblestone of the courtyard below. He pulls Wylan close to his chest with a grin, wrapping his other arm around his waist as he kisses him, fast and passionate.

Wylan has never thought of the roof of his father's mansion as a particularly romantic spot, but he's going to remember this kiss for the rest of his life.

"Get a room," Nina crows.

"We need to leave," Matthias adds.

Jesper pulls away, his wild grin matching Wylan's. "Let's go get married."

They climb down the ladder, and Matthias quickly picks it up to put it back in the shed where it belongs. Usually, the courtyard would be populated by drunks needing air or a few couples looking to get away from prying eyes, but tonight it's deserted. Kaz and Inej's performance must be working perfectly.

The four of them hurry towards Matthias' car. He's parked around the corner, next to Kaz's free candy minivan. They load Wylan's luggage into the trunk and clamber into their seats; Matthias and Nina in the front, and Jesper and Wylan clutching tightly to each other in the back.

"No making out in my car," Matthias says, and then they're off.

Nina cranks up the radio as Matthias drives them towards the courthouse. They race into the night, whooping out of the open windows and singing along to the music.

Wylan can't picture a better way to start his future.