#emmmahi

I’ve never felt this strong

I’m invincible, how could this go wrong?

No here, here’s where we belong

You screamed in pain, clutching Steve’s hand for support. Contraction after contraction, it never seemed to end. Your forehead was drenched in sweat, plastering your Y/H/C to your face.

With is free hand, Steve pushed your hair out of your face. He was clearly flustered and so unsure of his movements. “It’s going to be okay,” he tried to reassure you.

“You try pushing a damn baby out of your fucking body, Steven Grant Rogers!” you practically screamed at him before grasping his hand as another contraction hit. You finally whimpered as it passed, your head slamming into the back of the raised bed. “I can’t do this...”

“No, no, no, you can do this.” Steve gave your hand a tight squeeze before meeting your Y/E/C eyes. “Come on, Tony wouldn’t want you to give up here. Besides, you’re so strong. You’re almost there. Come on, Y/N, you can do this.”

Gulping, you nodded despite the fact that you felt so much pain and a huge want to just give up. Still, you knew you had to do this, not just for your loving husband clutching your hand. You had to do this for Tony.

Tony...

Your brother was killed after the events of the Infinity Wars, as it would be come to dubbed in mainstream media, had come and passed. After everything had been fixed, everyone brought back from being turned to dust... your brother didn’t make it. And he never did find out about your pregnancy.

The thought of your brother, your last living blood relative, being gone made your heart swell. No, you would make it through this. You would make it through this god damn birth because, dammit, Tony wouldn’t give up... if he could ever have a child.

You laughed at your own thoughts, which seemed to make Steve relax. You looked towards your husband and nodded. “Okay... okay, I can do this.”

His lips pressed against your forehead before Steve smiled at you. “I know you can, doll. You can do this.”

I held you close to me

Felt your heart beat and I thought: I am free

Oh yes, and as one are we

In the now and beyond

Nothing and no one can break this bond

A cry filled the air as you relaxed back into the hospital bed, exhausted. “It’s a boy,” the doctor shouted over the cries of the newborn baby.

A small smile tugged at the corner of your lips as you looked over to Steve. His eyes were lit up, a huge smile tugging at his lips. A boy, your own little boy...

The small baby was placed into your arms, pulling you from your thoughts. Your voice choked on a small sob, looking at the small squirming baby. “Hello, my love.” You smiled brightly at the baby, your fatigue slowly edging away as he silently squirmed in your arms. With the baby pressed against your chest, you could feel his hammering heartbeat. You practically melted from the overwhelming joy that filled your body. “My boy...” you mused.

Steve smiled and kissed the top of your head as all six feet of him leaned down to your height to watch your baby move around in your arms. “He’s amazing,” he responded, almost as dazed as you were by the small infant.

“I want to name him Tony,” you quickly said, not even aware that the words had left your own mouth for a moment.

However, you were aware of Steve’s response to what you had assumed were your thoughts. “I think Tony is a great name,” Steve responded, holding you closely to him. “Tony James.”

Slowly, you nodded, silent tears falling from your cheeks. “Tony James Rogers. Named after his uncle, godfather, and you. It’s perfect,” you finally said to fill the silence, smiling down at the bundle. You held your son close to your chest, a small laugh escaping your throat. “Our parents would be proud, wouldn’t they?”

“Yeah, yeah they would,” he said, kissing the top of your head once more. “As annoying as Howard was, he would be proud of you.”

“Even if he never showed it.” You couldn’t help but sigh at the memory of your father. You had been young when he had gone from the world, and it still hurt. If only you had had more time with your father...

The doctor cleared his throat, once again pulling you from your train of thoughts. “We’re going to have to run some tests on little Tony, but we should be done soon. In the meanwhile, I would suggest you get some rest, Mrs. Rogers. Captain, you’re more than welcome to stay by her side.”

You handed the little bundle over to the doctor before relaxing back into the bed. “Please don’t leave me, Steve,” you murmured to your husband, relaxing into the bed.

In answer, he dragged the chair from the window over to the bed, sitting down and grabbing your hand. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving you, doll.”

You smiled softly to him before finally lulling off into sleep.

Like an image passing by, my love, my life

in the mirror of your eyes, my love, my life

I can see it all so clearly

All I love so dearly

You stirred gently before lifting your head to take in your surroundings. You were no longer in the hospital room in those silly gowns. Instead, you were standing in your childhood home.

“You know what?” your father said, smirking as he leaned against the piano that was in the grand foyer. “I never thought I’d see Steve with anyone but Peg. Even if she got married to someone else. Hell, I figured he was as good as dead, but then he showed up in... 2011, right? Well, rambling aside, I have to say I’m proud that he ended up with you, even if he is some 65 years older than you.” The man who stood before you was hardly the man you grew up with, he was much younger and definitely more relaxed. He was easily in his early 30′s. Still, he was definitely still your father.

“Dad?” you asked, shocked.

“Hiya, Pumpkin.” He pulled you into a quick hug before he took the time to admire you. “You sure have grown since I last saw you. You were 9 the last time I saw you in person. And I probably looked a helluva lot different, didn’t I?” He chuckled to himself before walking over to the small bar, pouring a tumbler of whiskey. “You want a drink? Childbirth isn’t an easy thing, your mother can vouch for that. She did it, twice.”

You shook your head in answer, looking around. “Is mom here? What about Tony?”

Howard only waved his hand in dismissal. “They’ll be here soon enough.” He took a seat on the white couch, patting it for you to sit beside him. “I figured I’d show up here early and get some talk time with my girl before everyone comes to congratulate you.”

“Talk?” you questioned, sitting down where he had motioned. “Talk about what?”

“You. How much you’ve grown. You know, you were a surprise to both your mother and I. You were a last minute surprise and, given both of Maria and I’s ages at the time, a complete and utter shock.” He laughed, taking a swig from his whiskey. “But you know what? I’m damn proud of you.” You scowled in response and he only sighed. “Your brother did the same thing when I told him. I know, I’m terrible at showing it. But I am proud of you. Of both of you.”

“You didn’t have a terrible way of showing it. You had a shitty way of showing it.” You cleared your throat, fully ready to mock some of the things he had said to you as a child, when a voice interrupted both of you from speaking.

“Howard, I better not see you antagonizing the poor thing,” said the soft voice of your mother. “She just gave birth to your grandson.”

Like reflections of your mind, my love, my life

Are the words I try to find, my love, my life

Yes I know I don’t possess you

With all my heart, God bless you

You stood up and turned to see your mother and brother standing there. You wanted to act normal, like you weren’t happy to see them, but the moment your eyes landed on Tony standing there, the same as you had last seen him, your heart broke.

So, instead, you ran up to your brother and wrapped your arms around him tightly, sobbing hysterically. “Tony, you’re here...”

His strong arms wrapped around you, too, holding you tightly. “If by here you mean whatever weird dream thing this is, then yeah, okay, I’m here.”

“Anthony,” said the warning voice of your mother, but you pushed her voice to the side.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled, hiding your face in his chest. “I’m sorry I never told you about my pregnancy and I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I’m sorry, Tony... I’m so sorry.”

Suddenly, your arms were unwound from his torso as your brother held you at arms length. “Hey, none of that sorry crap. You shouldn’t have even been on the battlefield if you were pregnant, Y/N/N. Besides, I’m not sorry, especially since you named the kid after me.” He pointed a finger at your father. “You owe me money. Why the hell did you think she would name the kid after you any way?”

Howard only rolled his eyes, getting up to his feet to refill his tumbler with whiskey. Once it was filled, he turned his attention to the two of you. “I don’t owe you anything, Tony. We’re dead.”

“You made the bet, old man. Can’t pull this shit here.”

A calm hand landed on your shoulder, forcing your attention to your mother. Now she... she looked exactly as you remembered her. Her white hair was pulled back tightly in a bun, but her eyes were just as sweet as the day she left.

“My love, you need to wake up,” she said calmly, her smile soft. “Steve and Tony James are waiting for you.”

You took a step back and examined your family. Tony and Howard had finally stopped bickering and we’re giving you bright smiles. Your mother was leaning into Howard, her head resting on his shoulder. Once again, you felt tears threatening to spill

“Hey,” Tony said, pulling your eyes back to his brown ones. “Don’t cry, got it? And definitely don’t give up on my behalf. This kid needs you. You’ll see me again when you’re ready.”

“But I miss you. Why’d you have to go?” Finally, the waterworks started as tears started to stream down your face.

“Aw geez, come on, Y/N/N. What is it that Steve would say? Uh...” He racked his brain for a moment before snapping his fingers. “‘Every war has its casualties.’ Well, it sucks because it was supposed to be Pepper and I having the kid and all, but.... I suppose my nephew will have to do.” You rolled your eyes, fighting the smile that was threatening to take over your face. “Doesn’t matter. I still love you, kiddo. So go on and make the world a better place, got it?”

You simply nodded, unable to find the words to answer.

But I know I don’t possess

With all my heart, God bless you

You’re my one and only

You woke up in the hospital room and glanced over at Steve, who was on the phone in the corner of the room, talking away to whoever was on the other line.

“... Yeah Sam, I know. A boy... Yes, you can see him once we’re out of the hospital.” His eyes glanced over to you, lying on the bed, and a huge smile took over his features. “Hey, I’ll call you back, Y/N’s awake.”

He hung up the phone and returned to your side. “Hey, how long was I out?”

“Only about thirty minutes.” His hand brushed along your face, pushing your hair back behind your ear. “Doc said he’d be back in a couple minutes with little Tony and your release papers.”

You hummed in response, leaning into his hand. Your mind flashed back to your dream... dream? Was that the right word? Well, whatever it was, you thought of it, and of how your family was there and how much they loved you. And Tony... Your heart broke just a little, remembering your brother.

The doctor entered the room again, your son nestled into the crook of his arm with a stack of papers wedged between his arm and the side of his body.

“This little one is for you,” he responded, handing over the baby, “as are these.” The papers went to Steve. “All of the paperwork is signed for. You’ve given birth to a healthy baby boy. You’re set to leave whenever you’re ready.”

With that, the doctor once again left. You smiled down at your son and his brilliant blue eyes. Just like Steve. “Do you think he knows how much he’s going to be loved? And how many unofficial official aunts and uncles he’ll have?”

A chuckle came from Steve as he leaned down to look at his son. “I’m sure he does. Especially since Sam’s in the waiting room with some of the others, waiting to see the little squirt.”

The two of you laughed quietly to each other before looking back at Tony. You sighed in contentment before nodding your head. “Yeah. He’s going to be loved by everyone, I can feel it.”

Tags:

“Dear, I would not lie to you about this,” your grandmother said, still fazed from your previous outburst. “Your necklace bears the Genovian Crest and has been passed down through many great generations. You are a princess if ever there were one.” Her final decree was said, and silence reigned over the small party of servants and body guards that were outside with the two of you.

You shifted awkwardly in your chair, slender fingers gripping at the edge of your seat as your mind continued to run on the fastest speed possible. You wanted to ask more questions, but it seemed as if your grandmother was done arguing over your lineage at the current moment and you didn’t want to make her upset. So instead you silently stewed, your mind creating new thoughts and questions before you could begin to start processing them.

The sound of approaching feet crunching on grass made your head snap around. Standing a mere twenty feet away was a boy with toffee brown curls, tousled lightly in an oddly perfect kind of way. His chocolate brown eyes beckoned you closer, and you seemed to be at a loss for words at the boy standing before you.

A sudden look of disgust crossed his face, and the trance and illusion that had glued your eyes was long gone with his sour face. “What on Earth is that thing?” he questioned, his heavy British accent very apparent in his voice. The rude question coupled with his disgusted voice caused your jaw to drop open in shock at just how blunt he could possibly be. “Oh do close your mouth, we wouldn’t want you to catch flies.”

“Thomas,” she said, a small warning tone edging her voice, “this is my granddaughter, Y/N. I’m sure your Uncle has mentioned her before.” Although the words she spoke were pleasant, there was an underlying tone of anger and annoyance in the Queen’s voice, and it brought a small smile to your face. Turning to look at her, you saw her gesturing vaguely to the boy who had walked over to join you two, standing off to your side. “This is soon to-be Lord Thomas Stanley Holland. Thomas, this is Y/N Ramona Taylor Rothschild, the crown princess.”

Hesitantly, you lifted a hand out to him, trying to be polite despite his rude introduction. However, he ignored your hand and focused his attention on your grandmother. “Uncle Barnaby has requested that you and Benjamin take over my lessons tomorrow. He says there is a very important meeting with someone from Spain.”

“Yes, of course,” she responded, waving her hand in dismissal as she took the time to take a sip from her cup of tea. “Only if you promise to help me with my lessons with Y/N.”

“What?!” the two of you questioned in unison. Disdain started to build up inside your chest at the thought of having to work with someone so vile and mean for no other purpose than because he wants to be.

“Hold on!” you practically shouted, seeing as how Tom was about to start talking himself.  You wanted to be the first one to have any say, just so that he would be annoyed. Luckily, it worked. “I never agreed to any lessons on anything. I only just found out that I was a princess! You can’t expect me to now want these lessons! I just want to live a normal life! I was happy being invisible! No one saw me and I didn’t have to interact! Plus I have final exams next week! I can’t be a princess!”

“How anyone can be invisible with that hair and those eyebrows, I’ll never know,” Thomas muttered under his breath, but you managed to push his stupid voice and his mean remark to the back of your head.

Your grandmother, however, did not let his remark go unnoticed. She gave him a dirty glare before turning her attention towards yourself. “How about I talk to you and your mother tomorrow about this then, hmm? I’m sure you have a lot to think about.” Glancing down at her watch, she suddenly jumped to her feet. “I am terribly sorry, my dear, but I have a meeting with Greece that I simply must attend to. I’ll have Benjamin show you out. I will stop by early tomorrow morning to discuss things further.”

With that, she left, leaving you alone with Thomas Holland. To make matters worst, he decided to sit opposite of you, casually leaning back in the lawn chair until he was comfortable. He let a few seconds pass by in awkward silence before he decided to open his mouth. “You’re no princess, you know,” he said, taking your half-drank cup of tea from it’s saucer and taking a sip.

“And you’re no lord, either. Yet here you are, taking other peoples things and being a jerk. God, what is your problem?” You stood up at that and turned to walk back to the house. Behind you were accompanying footsteps, though you couldn’t be sure who they belonged to just yet. You didn’t care though. Your mind was focused on grabbing you bag and leaving on your bike.

However, a firm hand grabbed onto your wrist, stopping your forward movement. You turned around, ready to yell at whoever it was until you met the kind eyes of Benjamin. You relaxed slightly, still wary of the fact that the snobbish “soon to-be lord” Thomas could show up at any moment and ruin everything. “Please let go of me,” you whispered, giving your hand a good tug before sighing. “I just want to go home. I’ll get on my bike and leave, but I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“I was asked to see you home,” he replied curtly before releasing your wrist.

“No, you were asked to see me to the door. I have my bike, I can make it home myself, really. I’ll be fine.” Before he could react or say anything to try and stop you, you dashed into the living room, swooping your bag up in one fell-swoop and escaped out the front door. A few shouts from the people at the desk followed you, but you ignored them, grabbing your bike and rushing towards the great black gates that were starting to open as you approached.

Once through those giant gates confining you to the building, you hoped on your bike and took off, pedaling as fast as you could. Your hair was whipped around by the wind created by your fast pace and sharp turns as you hurried to return to your brightly colored house. Several cars swerved to avoid you, their horns blaring throughout the San Francisco Streets, accompanied by the shouts of the angry drivers of those cars.

Your tires screeched as you suddenly slammed on the brakes of your bike, coming to a stop right outside of your house. Anger started to bubble under your skin as you thought about how everything in your life felt as though it had been yanked from your hands without any warning. No one bothered to tell you this major bombshell was flying towards you, ready to explode and obliterate you without a seconds warning. No one bothered to even mention that maybe, just maybe, you were more than just an average girl in the suburbs. That you were a freaking princess.

Clambering off of your bike, you stormed into your house, letting you bike drop to the floor as you slammed the door behind yourself. Your mother, who was currently sitting on a stool in front of a canvas, suddenly jumped up, giving you a weird look. “Y/N? Are you-”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” you shouted, tossing you bag onto the closest couch. “Why didn’t you tell me that my father was a prince and that I’m a princess? Why did you keep this a secret? Shouldn’t I have been given the chance to know this for myself?” Your mother visibly flinched at the tone of your voice, but you weren’t about to stop. “Why was I the only one not informed about this? Why?”

“I’m sorry,” your mother mumbled, and you took a moment to study her face. A deep frown was settled on her face, her brows furrowed together. Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears as her bottom lip ever so slightly jutted out in a pout as the corners of her mouth turned down. “All three of us agreed to tell you when you were 18, but your father’s passing sped up the process. I’m sorry...”

You wanted to feel sorry, you truly did, but you couldn’t help but still feel betrayed by everything that had happened in the past few hours. So, instead, you turned on your heels, pulling your bike up until it was upright, and heading for the door.

“Y/N, where are you going?” your mother called after you as you forcibly opened the door.

“I’m going to the auto shop to check on my baby,” you called back, malice dripping in your voice. Once more, you slammed the door closed and took off down the streets, navigating through the many blocks until you happened upon the shop where Zendaya’s brother, Bobby Coleman, worked. It was because of him that your car was getting any attention at all. It was because of Bobby that the amount of money that it would cost to repair your car would be less than anywhere else.

You pedaled as hard as you could, your mind swarming with intrusive thoughts of anger. You huffed as, pushing yourself harder and harder to try and push those thoughts from your mind. Your grip on the handlebars tightened as you centered your thoughts on the exercise you were putting your body through.

Up ahead, you caught sight of the auto repair shop just a few blocks ahead. Leaning forward, your feet sped up their pedaling until you came cruising to a stop in front of the open garage where, inside, the loud sound of a drums and a screeching guitar filled the air. You jumped off your bike and pushed it into the garage.

Bobby was at the keyboard, his skilled hands moving as m&m’s bounced up in the air as he pressed on the keys to the melody of the music. His curly dark brown hair bounced with every bob of his head, hiding his dark brown eyes momentarily. His white button-up hugged his skinny frame, accenting what little he did have. A few kids were loitering around, listening to the band as they performed. A few of Bobby’s fellow seniors were playing with him, his best friend, Marcus, was currently bobbing his head as he slammed his drumsticks into the drums.

You propped your bike up against the wall, offering Bobby a friendly smile as he saw you. An awkward smile settled on his face as he tossed an m&m into his mouth quickly before returning to playing the keyboard. You shook your head before moving to the office where the owner, Ronnie Lark, was currently sitting at his desk, filling out paperwork.

“Hey,” you said, closing the glass door behind you. Instantly, the office was drowned in silence, the sound of the band washed into the background. “I figured I would stop by and see how my baby is doing.”

Ronnie chuckled, looking up from his paperwork. “Once they’re done playing, I’ll get Bobby and we’ll talk about your car,” he responded. Tilting his head to the side, you followed his gaze to see him staring out the window behind you. “It looks like they’re about done with their rehearsal. Come on.” Standing up, he came over and placed a hand on your back, leading you back into the main part of the garage.

The kids who were listening to the band cheered as the song came to an end. Bobby wasted no time as he jogged over to where the two of you were standing, a wide grin on his chocolate-colored skin tone. “Hey, Y/N, you’re here.” His hand timidly shook as he glanced down at his feet. “So uh, you here to see the Mustang?”

“Yeah, just wanting to see how much money I’m gonna need to pay when she’s finished.” Satisfied with your answer, Bobby lead the way to where your baby blue ‘74 Ford Mustang was resting, the hood of the car propped up while one of the workers was currently working on adjusting something to do with the motor.

“Well,” Ronnie said, slapping the roof of the car as he came to lean against the side of the car, “currently we’re just about wrapped up with all of the repairs. Everything in total was around $1,000 but you’ve already invested $300. So that leaves $700.” He gave you a toothy grin before looking towards the hood. “Hey Davey, you about done there?”

The man jumped, clearly not expecting the voice. “U-Uh, just about another hour of work a-and... it’ll be done,” he mumbled awkwardly before returning to his work.

You let a smile take over your face as you smoothed a hand along the top of your car... your baby.  $700 was a big order, though, and it almost made your smile disappear. “$700...” You couldn’t possibly come up with any ideas of how to come up with that money, especially not before your birthday in 3 weeks.

“Ya know,” Bobby said, pulling you from your thoughts, “I can make it to where the work I did doesn’t account for the total. It’d drop the price by about $100.”

“Bobby! No!” you quickly shouted, causing everyone around you to stare at you in shock. You quickly retracted under their gazes, staring down at your hands. “I-I can’t ask you to use your pay to try and help me. You need that money for college next year.”

“Ya but... I want to.” He gave you big puppy dog eyes, so hopeful that you would take up his offer to try and help.

Shaking your head, you place a friendly hand on his shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. “Thank you. It’s a very sweet offer. Really, it is. But I can’t ask that of you. I’ll find this money myself, okay?”

He sighed in defeat before nodding. “Yeah, okay,” he mumbled, staring down at his feet. “Whatever you say.”

You turned your attention to Ronnie, who was currently giving Bobby a weird look. Something was nagging at the back of your head, telling you that you knew exactly what that look meant, but you didn’t want to deal with it at the moment. “So,” you finally said, turning Ronnie’s attention back towards yourself, “I’ll probably have to break it up into a couple checks but I should have that payment done by the end of this month.” Just in time for you sixteenth birthday.

“I know you will, which is why I’m gonna let you take it home with you when you bring me that first check.” He gave you a knowing wink before leaning against the drivers-side car door. “Just make sure to not wreck it. Don’t wanna have to up that price anymore than it already has been, do you hear me?”

“Y-Yes! Yes, of course! I’ll be extra careful while driving.” Ronnie chuckled at your enthusiasm as you practically tripped over yourself to shake his hand and pull him into a hug. “I swear I’ll be the most cautious driver out there.”

With that, they shooed you out of the garage. All your previously pent up anger was gone as your thoughts focused solely on the car that, providing you got a check to him soon, would be yours before you could even bat an eyelash. Your bike home was so much more relaxing as your mind filled with images of you driving around San Francisco, the hood down on your Mustang as the wind whipped your hair around.

In the back of your mind, you knew you would be upset with your mother the moment you entered the house. However, you let yourself enjoy your bike ride, taking your time as you filled your head with happy thoughts about your baby. Anything to do with being a princess was long forgotten as you leisurely made your way through the streets of San Francisco.

That was the life you wanted.

----

The sound of talking distracted you while you got ready for school the next day. You were standing in front of your mirror, part of your daily ritual, when you heard the front door open and close downstairs. The sound of people talking filled the otherwise quiet air, and you couldn’t help but groan at the thought of dealing with the people downstairs. You were certain that you were aware of who was downstairs with your mother.

Your grandmother.

Sighing, you grabbed your book bag and you phone, throwing a look over to La Chatte Mari, curled up on the corner of your bed, her chest slowly rising and failing with each breath. “I gotta go, kitty,” you murmured, kneeling beside her and brushing a hand along her head. Instantly, her head popped up and followed your hand, begging for more attention. You smiled sadly, running a finger under her chin and scratching gently. She purred, and the sound was a great relief from the muffled voices coming from downstairs.

“Y/N! Please come down here! You’re going to be late for school!” your mother called. Sighing, you stood up, throwing one final look at yourself in the mirror.

“Well, this is as good as it’s ever gonna get,” you mumbled before dragging your feet across the floor as you approached the fireman’s pole located in the back of your room. You gave your cat one last sad look before sliding down the pole.

In front of you was your mother, sitting opposite of your grandmother at the kitchen table. You shook your head before grabbing the trash bag sitting on the edge of the table. “I’m going to school,” you muttered coldly, turning away from the two of them. “Unless you have some new thing to tell me, like how La Chatte Mari is a princess in Wakanda or something like that.”

Your grandmother sighed, her eyes close momentarily as she gathered her thoughts together. Once they reopened, she offered you a smile. “My dear, I have a proposition. There’s a state dinner at the end of this week, and a press conference a week later where we shall announce you as Crown Princess of Genovia. I would like to ask that you attend some classes so that we may work on so that, at the very least, you will be ready for the press conference.”

“What?” you practically shouted, turning your hostility towards your mother now. “I don’t want to be a princess! I’ve told you this! I don’t want these stupid classes!”

“Y/N, relax!” your mother practically shouted, silencing your semi-temper tantrum. “You would just do these classes until the press conference, where you can choose to take the role of princess or not. Okay?” She gave both of you a hard stare, the dark circles under her eyes evident in the fluorescent lights of the kitchen.

Not wanting to continue this problem any further, you shoulders slumped forward in resignation. “Fine,” you grumbled, your grip tightening on the plastic trash bag. “Can I go to school?”

“Yes, about that,” your grandmother said, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes, “I have a driver who will be seeing you to school and to the mansion right after. Just so you know, your... socks and shoes... are not proper attire. I’ll have tights and heels delivered to the mansion in your size so that you may change after school. The driver is Benjamin, the man you met yesterday.”

You groaned, for the hundredth time since this whole fiasco started. “Fine, whatever. He can drive me. But I demand to be dropped off and picked up a block away from school. If anyone sees me in a limo, I’ll be bullied for the next twenty years.”

“As long as Benjamin is okay with this, I see no problems with your request.” Your eyes rolled, and you were sure that both your mother and grandmother had momentarily only seen the whites of your eyes with how far back into your head your eyes seemed to roll. “Well then, you should be off to school, Little Miss. You have a big day ahead, what with your studying for final exams and your first... princess class, as you put it.”

“Whatever. I’m off, bye.” You didn’t wait for them as you stormed out of the brightly colored front door, easily tossing the white bag into the tie-dyed trash can. In front of the house was two jet black limousines where Benjamin, the man from yesterday, was casually leaning against the passenger side door. He was clad in a black leather jacket, black turtleneck, and black slacks. Perched on the edge of his nose was a pair of black shades, barely concealing his had brown eyes as your next door neighbor, Mr. Alkaseltzer, starred at the limos in pure shock as he somehow managed to stutter out questions.

“S-So, are you a spy or sumthin’?” he drawled, trying to reach a hand out to touch Benjamin.

With lightning fast reflexes, Benjamin grabbed Mr. Alkaseltzer’s hand, stopping his hand from moving any closer. “I’m not a spy,” he muttered, his voice cold. His eyes starred down the writer as he scurried away, mumbling something along the lines of, “only a spy would say sumthin’ like that.”

The sounds of heels walking behind you announced that your grandmother had followed you out the door. “Ah, Benjamin, there you are,” she smiled warmly, crossing in front of you to greet him. “Y/N has requested that you drop her off a block from the school, and I see no reason to disagree with her request.”

A smirk tugged at the man’s lips as he removed his sunglasses and placed them in his pocket. He glanced over to you, studying you for a moment before shrugging. “If it’s what she wants then I will gladly oblige. Is there anything else I can do for you?” His question was directed towards yourself, and his need to suddenly encourage you to talk made you want to trip over your feet.

“U-Uh, could we pick up my friend, Z? She lives about two blocks from here, and it’s on the way to the school. Besides, I’m sure she’s probably waiting for me to bike and I don’t want her to bike alone to school.”

“Sounds fine to me. Princess.” His choice of words, calling you princess, made you want to turn right around and go back into your house. You wanted to curl up in a tight ball and basically die on the spot. However, Benjamin seemed to pick up on your unease as he quickly corrected himself. “Apologies. Miss Y/N. If you’d please get inside of the limo. I do believe I will need some help to getting to your friends. These San Francisco roads are still new to me.”

You couldn’t help but smile at his genuine kindness despite the fact that you were clearly acting like a brat to both your grandmother and mother. “I think I can navigate you safely through the streets.”

Pleased with your answer, he opened the back door to the limo, holding it open for you. Your feet shuffled along the cement as you scurried into the backseat of the limo. Your grandmother gave you a smile and, for once, you felt like you could genuinely return it. There was something about Benjamin that just made you want to smile and be sweet. Maybe it was calming presence that seemed to outweigh the scariness of person.

Once you were settled, Benjamin moved around into the front of the limo. “Just so you know,” he said as he buckled up, “you can call me Ben.”

“What about Benny?” you asked, a small giggle escaping your lips at the nickname. In the back of your mind, you tried to imagine associating the man in front of you with the name Benny and it was such a silly idea.

“Haha, no.” His voice deadpanned at the no, giving you a small stern look through the rear view mirror before smiling. “Ben will do. How do we get to your friends house?”

“It’s just down the street. You just go straight. You’ll find a white house with a black iron gate that a girl will most likely be leaning against.” You pulled your phone out of your bag and pulled up a picture of Z, her curly hair up in it’s usual bun. “This is what she looks like.”

He chuckled momentarily, taking in the picture. Once he had it memorized, he handed the phone back to your. “Your directions are very precise, you know. White house, black fence. Very descriptive.”

A smile tugged at the corner of your mouth as the limo started to move. “You’ll know the house. It’s a pristine white. Probably being power washed as we’re speaking. Mr. Coleman prides himself on a clean house.”

He hummed in response. Music filled the silence, a song you had never heard before. You assumed it was a song well known in Genovia and let the gentle melody drift the air as the car pulled up to the Coleman’s house. Sure enough, Z was lounging against the fence, watching in confusion as the limo came to a stop in front of her.

Before Ben could jump out and run around to open your door, you jumped out, surprising the shocked Z with a tight hug.

“Woah!” she shouted in surprise before wrapping her arms around you. “Holy crap, Y/N/N, what’s this?”

“It’s a limo, courtesy of my grandmother for the time being,” you responded, not really wanting to spread the whole princess thing around just yet.

“Y/N!” Ben shouted as he came jogging around. “Y/N, I’m supposed to open the door for you, you know.” He shook his head before holding out a hand to your friend who was clearly shocked. “Benjamin Martinelli. I’ll be seeing the two of you two and from school while the two of you are still in attendance for the next two weeks.”

Zendaya’s mouth dropped open in shock as she took his hand. She looked around for a moment, as if in disbelief. Maybe she was looking for cameras, or maybe she wanted to see if other people were equally as shocked to see a limo. Finally, she returned her focus to Ben. “Wow, yeah, that sounds so cool. I-”

“Zen Garden! Is that a limo?” shouted Bobby, leaning out of the second story window of their house. “Is that Y/N?”

A groan came from Z as she shook her head, turning to look at her brother. “Why should it matter to you, Bongo? You left school a week ago. This is our new ride to school.”

Bobby disappeared from the window and, a minute later, he went slamming out of the front door, a button-up shirt hanging loosely around his shoulders. His hands worked on buckling his black dress pants, and his dress shoes were tied up together, hanging loosely around his shoulders. “I actually promised I would help one of the teachers at school, Zen Garden. Is it cool if I catch a ride?”

“Bongo-” Z started but you interrupted her.

“If you promise not to be your usual annoying self and don’t antagonize Z, then I don’t see a reason. I mean, we’re all going to the same place, right?” You gave Zendaya an apologetic look as the pure look of hostility that seemed to spark in her dark eyes as you welcomed her brother to join the two of you in the car.

Sighing, your best friend slid into the car, and you followed suit. The last person to get into the car was Bobby, and he purposefully tried to lean as close to the door when it was closed. You figured he probably wanted to get out as soon as possible to avoid his sister’s wraith and didn’t bother to ask questions. Instead, you turned your attention to Z, who was silently giving dirty glares to her brother.

“Hey,” you mumbled, grabbing her hand, “I figured it would be easier. I’m sorry. If you don’t want me to let him ride with us after today, I won’t.” You made sure your voice was quiet enough that Bobby, who was now listening to music via earbuds, wouldn’t hear.

“It’s whatever,” she muttered in defeat, leaning back into the seat. “I know why you did it, I do. I guess I just wanted to get to talk to you in the limo and now he’s here so I can’t...”

You gave her a comforting smile, squeezing her hand tightly as the limo purred to life and took off down the streets of San Francisco. Ben skillfully weaved through traffic and arrived at the school.

As the three of you got out of the car, Bobby now thankfully fully dressed, you turned to look at Z. “You ready for hell?”

“As ready as always.”

----

“Y/N, dear, you simply must straighten your shoulders,” your grandmother chided as he walked up behind you. She placed a hand on each shoulder and gently eased them back. However, due to years of horrible posture, you couldn’t help but flinch and instantly curl your shoulders back in on themselves. Your grandmother sighed and once more moved them back. “Really dear, if you can’t balance a stack of books on your head, you will be ridiculed in the media.”

“I’m not used to this,” you whined, stomping your foot on the ground. The awkwardly new angle of your new heels made the stomp hurt even more than normal. You cringed but resisted the urge to curl up in a ball. You forced your shoulders to remain as your grandmother had put them.

Every nerve in your body was on edge, although you were sure it had to do with the fact that Thomas was sitting casually in one of the elegant chairs located in the room. His hair was just as you remembered, and the cruel smirk was poorly hidden on his face as he watched you with amusement glistening in his dark chocolate eyes. “Maybe we could surgically fix her posture,” he teased.

You shot him a dirty look but following your grandmother’s directions on how to walk in a straight line. You did your best to copy her posture and the even footsteps that she made, but the heels, no matter how short they were, made it extremely difficult to do anything other than fall.

“Hmm, maybe she needs new feet, too. And eyebrows, and hair. We could do away with the whole thing if it would be easier.” Tom’s voice set your teeth on edge, and you now felt even more compelled to get this walk right in spite.

“Shut up, Tommy,” you shot back, glaring at him. At your nickname, his eyes started to burn with hostility as he suddenly stood up, walking closer to where you were currently.

The look in his eyes and the threatening way he stalked towards you caused you to stumble back until you were pressed against the wall, his arms encasing you and preventing you from moving. He studied you carefully, his stare calculated yet filled with so much aggression. “Don’t. Call. Me. Tommy,” he hissed before pushing away from you.

You glanced around the room to look at everyone’s reactions. Elenora’s jaw was dropped in pure shock at the boy’s behavior. Ben looked ready to murder the kid right on the spot for both being a jerk and for scaring you like he did. Your grandmother definitely looked the most annoyed of the three, and you couldn’t figure out at who. You wanted to believe it was at Tommy but you couldn’t help but think that she was annoyed at you for something he did.

“If the two of you are done acting like children, I’d very much like to continue.” Just as you had guessed, she was very annoyed. Luckily, it was at the both of you, so you at least knew that Tommy was feeling some kind of remorse for making the Queen of Genovia annoyed. After a few moments of silence passed, she continued on with your lesson.

Once you were able to walk with one book balanced on your head, everyone was clearly becoming hungry. You never meant for your lessons to last so long, but walking was hard. Plus every comment that came out of Tommy’s mouth resulted in a small argument that stopped anything from happening for the next minute. You even threw around his favorite nickname a few times, and it resulted in similar situations from earlier. The only difference was that you held your ground, meeting his fiery eyes with defiant ones.

“Your Highness, the cook has just alerted me that dinner is done and the table is set for four,” Elenora announced as she walked in, her phone in her hand as she read the text that the cook has sent to her. “Should I tell the servers to get ready before we settle in?”

“Yes, thank you,” you grandmother said, throwing a thankful glance to Elenora who quickly left to give out orders. She glanced at both yourself and Thomas and motioned to follow. “Go on, go to the table so that you can eat. I’ll go grab your Uncle, Thomas, and I’ll be back soon.”

And so the two of you were left alone in the large dining room, throwing glares in each others directions. You were instructed to sit at one end of the table by Elenora who stated that, “Your grandmother will sit at the head and she instructed that you sit exactly opposite of her.” This left for Tommy to sit to your left.

Neither one of you spoke until both your grandmother and his uncle, a man with graying hair that framed his balding head and a big midsection that almost bulged out of his suit. In your grandmother’s hands was a scarf. You gave her a confused look until she walked up behind you and used it to tie your shoulders back to the chair. “Um?! What are you doing?” you practically shouted, using your hands to claw at the tight fabric.

“A proper princess never slouches to eat her food,” was her only response as she calmly walked to the other side of the table and gracefully took her seat. You awkwardly patted at the table, trying desperately to grab a fork. You mentally cursed at yourself for not having the chair pushed in fully as it made your job of reaching for you silverware ten times harder than it should have been.

A snicker came from Tommy which earned him an angry glare from both yourself and your grandmother. His uncle only shook his head, a smirk settled on his lips. You wanted to question why he was smirking, but instead were now focused on the food placed in front of you.

“For your soup,” your grandmother commanded from the head of the table, “you’ll want to use the spoon the furthest on the right. You work your way in with your silverware, so the spoon, knife, and fork closest to the plate will be the last that are used.” You nodded your head and were, thankfully, pushed a little bit closer by one of the servants that had just served food. You grabbed the proper spoon and used it to consume the mildly warm soup.

Dinner progressed about as well as you would have guessed. Your grandmother would constantly command you on what to do, correcting the errors you seemed to make without realizing so. By the time the last course was served, you were ready to bolt. Thomas and his constant snickering were starting to get to you, so much so that you even stopped calling him Tommy. Your grandmother’s disapproving looks at the smallest of things made you want to hide, but the stupid scarf made it impossible to do anything.

The moment the scarf was untied, you quickly jumped to your feet. “Please say I can go home,” you almost begged your grandmother. Your feet were killing you from wearing heels for the first time, and everything felt so freaking restricted. You wanted to bolt home yourself and change into the comfiest clothes that you owned.

Frankly, you just wanted to shrink away.

“Yes, of course. I’ll have Benjamin drive you home. I would change back into your shoes, you look as though you’re about to faint on your feet.” You gave her thankful look as you quickly grabbed your bag and ran to the closest bathroom. You flinched as you kicked of the heels. You peeled away the pantyhose that were starting to stick to your skin due to sweat and sat down on the toilet seat to rub your raw ankles that were free from both the heels and the uncomfortable pantyhose.

The door to the bathroom suddenly opened and you screamed as Thomas walked in. Clearly he wasn’t aware of the fact that you were in there until you screamed because his shocked eyes were suddenly looking at you, wide and filled with terror as he took you in. You quickly dropped your legs and crossed them, your face burning from embarrassment. “Get out!”

You didn’t have to tell him twice as the door suddenly slammed shut, followed by a shout of, “Lock the door next time!”

“Knock next time!” you retorted, voice dripping with malice. Shaking your head, you quickly pulled out your shoes and socks, pulling them on as fast as you could.

When you stood up, it felt weird to suddenly be on solid ground. However, it wasn’t an unpleasant weird. You shoved the heels and stockings into your bag before rushing out of the bathroom. Right outside was Ben, who was giving you a weird look.

“What was that shout?” he inquired, leaning against the wall as he examined you. You were currently walking a bit weirdly, still not used to being back on solid ground after having strutted around in heels for the past four or so hours.

“Nothing!” you shouted before pausing to gather your thoughts. “Sorry. It was nothing. Can I go home?”

Ben nodded, but the question was still there, hanging in the air. You sighed and started to leave, but a voice stopped you in your tracks. “Oh, so you’re done with the bathroom and trying to blind people now, are you?” Thomas asked snidely.

Once more, your face started to burn as you pushed past Ben and headed out the door. You hurried out to the waiting limo, bundling yourself into the corner of the backseat of the limo. Ben slid into the front seat, throwing you a look in the rear view mirror.

“So, it was nothing, huh?”

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