The Archer's Legacy

★彡02|35 - "Awkward...!"彡★

Together, Carlos and Y/n successfully made their way up the stairs, where they managed to rejoin the rest of the group. As the two arrived, Y/n could see the grateful nod Asher gave to Carlos. She smiled, feeling happy that the two got along, for she knew the air had been a little turbulent between them, as Asher was still protective of Y/n and the girl cared a great deal about the son of a villain.

Carlos nodded back to Asher before Evie called out, "Carlos, smoke bomb!"

The white-haired boy immediately threw one to her and the girl slammed it down to the ground from her place on a ladder, thus creating a diversion that allowed all of them to run into the pipe. Mal was the last one and just as the smoke was fading, she pushed the bridge connecting the pirates' bay to the mainland of the Isle of the Lost into the fathoms below.

Breaths and pants bounced off the walls of the pipe, echoing along with the group's footsteps. But despite the adrenaline that made her shake, Y/n was relieved and happy. They'd done it. The mission had been successful. They'd got Ben back and lost nobody in the process.

The princess looked ahead of herself, where Asher and Carlos were talking about something. They were quiet and yet there was nothing hostile in the air.

Y/n allowed herself a smile. Maybe they'd even gained something.

After successfully piling everyone into the car, they were off again. As there were quite a lot of them, even the limousine seemed too small. Lonnie and Jay were at the front; Evie, Y/n and Carlos were on one seat, the princess of the North squished in between her two Auradon friends with Dude on her lap; and Asher, Ben and Mal were sitting across from them. Asher, being at the door, had managed to put some space in between himself and the royal couple who, in fact, were not happy to be so close to each other again.

It's probably the fear of possibly losing each other, Y/n thought, looking at the pair along with everyone else as the two made awkward eye contact, still breathing heavily from the escape.

Ben was the one to break the silence. "I'm really sorry that things didn't go the way you wanted them to."

"I mean, as long as you're safe, that's..." Mal trailed off, shrugging.

"I mean, at least I got to see the Isle," Ben tried to smile. "They're my people, too." His gaze went blank for a second and his smile fell. "Uma helped me see that."

Mal looked at her boyfriend incredulously. "Ben, Uma captured you."

"She's an angry girl with a bad plan," the king of Auradon defended. "She's not so different from you when you came to Auradon."

Y/n buried her fingers into Dude's comforting fur, still trying to slow her pounding heart. Even as they'd got Ben back, it didn't mean all tension was resolved.

Mal huffed, infuriated, twisting to look out the back window before leaning back into her seat and closing her eyes.

"Awkward...!" Dude let out.

Carlos froze, Evie gasped and Y/n stopped petting the dog in surprise.

"Dude, I know you can talk but it doesn't always mean you should," Carlos quickly reprimanded.

Y/n smiled at the way her Cotillion date had phrased that before thoughtfully looking at Asher, whose gaze was nailed at something out the window, his back professionally straight against the seat even as his fingers anxiously twitched. I wonder if happiness will last now.