The Selection Series Oneshots

Children (Maxon Schreave)

Requested on Tumblr.

Summary: Y/N's part of the selection, and she and Maxon have a great relationship, but court politics can get a little tiring. The perfect break comes in the form of a pack of children when Queen Amberly's sister comes to visit, and luckily for Y/N, it might lead to more than just the break she'd bargained for.

A/N: As someone who very recently had a pack of children shouting "kill the babysitter" at me as they tried to tackle me and attack me with pillows, this fic hit close to home and was VERY fun to write lol.

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"Rargh! You better watch out, the monster is going to get you!" I raised my arms over my head and waved them exaggeratedly, taking a few big, lumbering steps towards the group of children in front of me. They all giggled and ran away, hiding in the stacks of the library.

I smiled to myself. Being part of the Selection had a lot of ups and downs, especially when visiting royalty came to town. Queen Amberly's family, on the other hand, was the absolute best perk of the competition so far.

Running around in the library with six children who didn't care one bit about court politics was exactly the break I needed from everything else going on around here.

I walked slowly into the stacks, keeping an eye out for any sign of the kids. They ranged in age from twelve to four, which meant some of them were a lot better at sneaking and hiding than the others. I grinned as I heard some giggles from the stack next to me, followed by frantic shushing.

"Let's see... where'd they all go?" I called as I walked through the stacks. I heard another round of giggles, and as soon as I cleared the last row of stacks going towards the door and the tables, I got rushed by a crowd of children coming at me from both sides.

"GET HER!" called one of the boys. Next thing I knew, I had children hanging from both of my arms and legs, and a few grabbing me around the waist, all of them trying to bring me down to the ground. I laughed as I struggled to keep walking, despite the children's best efforts at a group tackle. I was wearing a dress, which was a serious hinderance, but thankfully I was still stronger than a pack of rabid children.

"Rahhhh! I can never be stopped!" I yelled, managing another step forward towards the door. I had no idea where I was going, but I knew if I gave up my momentum, it wouldn't be long before I hit the ground.

"Come on! Don't let her escape!" called the twelve year old. The little ones attacked me with renewed vigor, and I got so caught up laughing that I couldn't stay up any longer. The kids took me to the ground, and I cackled with laughter as they jumped on top of me to pin me down.

"What's going on in here?"

I looked up at the sound of an amused voice to find none other than Prince Maxon Schreave standing in the doorway, looking at me with a smile. I grinned right back at him, then spoke.

"Guys, GET MAXON! He's the monster, we have to get him!" I cried, pointing an accusing finger towards the prince. The kids, absolutely delighted to have a target painted on their cousin, wasted no time before hopping off me and launching themselves at him.

"Nooooo!" shouted Maxon, throwing his arms up in the air dramatically with a smile still on his face. A few of the younger ones latched on around his biceps, and he lifted them into the air like he was doing an overhead press. They giggled maniacally, and I just watched for a few beats with a smile before standing up myself.

"Alright, I've got my breath back," I said. "I'm coming to help my fellow monster!"

I rushed over and grabbed one of the kids around the waist, lifting her up and spinning her around as I pulled her off Maxon. A few of the kids broke off their attack on him to refocus on me, and Maxon and I laughed as we fended them off in packs. We carried on, lifting them up in the air and spinning them around, only to throw them onto a bench full of cushions, all of us cackling with laughter the entire time.

Eventually, just as I was truly getting too tired to keep up with six kids, the door to the library swung open again. Adele, Queen Amberly's sister, came through, smiling at all of us when she caught sight of the scene in front of her.

"It looks like you've all been having fun," she said with a grin. A few kids were still hanging off Maxon, and the others were still wrapped around me.

"We have," I replied, taking a few lumbering steps towards Adele with the kids still hanging from my skirts. "Your kids are very good monster-hunters."

Adele smiled, and the kids giggled as they finally let go of me and ran to their mother. The two hanging from Maxon's biceps didn't let go, and he swung them over to her before coming to stand beside me.

"Well, I'm glad they found someone they could play with," she said with a smile. "But now it's time for bed! Come on kids, you can keep attacking Maxon and Y/N in the morning."

The kids followed with minimal grumbling, which I thought was actually pretty impressive. Adele shot Maxon and I a last grin before shutting the door behind her and the last of her kids. I still had a smile on my face, and I turned to Maxon to share it only to find him already looking at me.

He had a slightly dreamy expression on his face, and he didn't look away from me even as a slight blush rose to his cheeks.

"What?" I asked. He just smiled and shook his head.

"Just... you. The way you are with all the kids. It's... well, it's wonderful to see."

"I could say the same thing about you! I don't know many princes, but I can't imagine many of them would respond well to someone sicking a pack of children on them," I teased, leaning in to give his shoulder a nudge. He just kept smiling at me, his eyes never once leaving my face.

"I... apologize, if this isn't the most tactful way to say this, but... I think I'm in love with you."

My heart stopped, and my mouth dropped open as I tried to process Maxon's declaration. Sure, the idea behind the Selection was for the prince to find love, and we'd had plenty of good interactions before this one, but to think I was the one he'd fallen for, out of all the people here...

"Maxon... are you serious?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I didn't quite dare to believe it, but as Maxon stepped closer and took my hands in his I felt a spark run through my whole body.

"Y/N, I swear to you, I am completely serious. I didn't know what to expect going into this competition, but I hoped desperately to find love. I've never... well, I've never experienced something like this before, but since the first night I met you, you've become my best friend. And after spending so much time with you, and seeing you today... I can't imagine anything better than being in love with your best friend."

I absolutely melted as his words sunk in. I smiled sheepishly at him, and although he looked nervous, he smiled back at me.

"Maxon, maybe it's not obvious, but I love you too. So, so much. I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

Maxon's face broke out in a massive grin. He gently pulled me closer to him, wrapping one arm around my waist. I rested my hand on his cheek, and I could see the nerves written clearly all over his face.

"You are everything I hoped you'd be and more, Maxon," I said quietly, meeting his eyes to make sure he understood I meant every word. "My heart is yours, and if you decide you feel the same, I will gladly walk every step of the rest of my life with you."

"I feel like that was supposed to be my line," said Maxon, his voice coming out in a breathy laugh. He leaned closer to rest his forehead against mine, still looking into my eyes as he continued. "I truly could not think of another person I'd want to have as a constant in the rest of my life, my dear."

I was absolutely beaming, especially as Maxon glanced down at my lips. I ran my hand up into his hair, and his arm tightened around me as we slowly brought our lips together.  It was soft, and sweet, and everything I'd dreamed it might be from the first day I met him.

When we eventually broke apart, Maxon and I were both a little breathless. We grinned at each other like fools, and after we caught our breath a bit, I couldn't stop myself from leaning back in and kissing him again.

Overall, we were going to be doing a lot more kissing now that I knew exactly how Maxon felt. Against all odds, I'd really managed to find love in the middle of the Selection.

Thank goodness for that pack of maniac kids.