The Deck of Destiny - A Caraval Oneshot Collection

Late Family Dinners

Quick A/N ~ GODS TEETH 1k READS I'M SO HAPPY! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME!!
Setting: post-Finale, in honour of 1k reads this is going to have both LegendxTella & JulianxScarlett & sibling fluff & a very mini rewrite of 'Good Morning, Heir'
(Scarlett is 22 and Tella is 21)
Disclaimer: Minor language

A squeal was heard from the emperor's and empress's balcony. Scarlett rarely squealed, in fact, she does not think she has ever squealed before (other than the time she had found out the good news). But from her balcony, she could see the boat carrying her little sister (whom she had not seen in months).

It was past midnight, and Scarlett couldn't sleep. It wasn't often she got night terrors of Tella and Julian getting hurt by the hands of both her fathers, but when she did, it threw a curveball in her sleep schedule. It always put her at ease when she woke up to see an unharmed Julian sleeping beside her, but Tella wasn't there, and Scarlett had no way of knowing whether she was safe or not.

The baby that was beginning to kick inside her womb didn't help her sleep either, but she didn't mind that part. In fact, she was rather ecstatic about her and Julian's unborn child. Scarlett also couldn't wait to tell Tella about her future niece or nephew that was due in less than six months.

The separation between the two sisters was gradual. They hadn't really been away from each other for any long periods of time before, so Tella and Legend eased their way into longer trips. Starting off with a week, then three weeks, then three months.

It didn't help the ache both of the sisters felt when they were apart; not only were they sisters, but they were best friends too.

"Crimson! Are you okay, what's the matter?" A dishevelled Julian came rushing to the balcony at the sound of Scarlett's squeal, a wave of relief washing over him as he realized his wife was safe. He wrapped his arms around Scarlett's waist, one hand rubbing over her small, enlarging, pregnant stomach. She was already into her first trimester, and her baby bump was getting more noticeable by the day.

"I'm okay. It's just- Tella and Legend are back!" Scarlett grinned, pecking Julian on the lips before he went to the edge of the balcony himself.

His eyes lit up when he saw his brother's boat sailing towards the royal docks.

"How are we going to tell them? About the pregnancy, I mean," Scarlett asked as she gently rubbed her stomach.

"They might notice themselves, but your bump has only begun to grow recently, so it's hard to tell," Julian said, turning away from the balcony before bending down to kiss her stomach. "Whichever path they take, we'll tell them together."

~~~

Greedy hands tugged at Tella's waist, pulling her into a kiss with a heat that spiralled all the way from her head to her toes. She almost swayed from the waves of the ocean if not for Legend's arms encasing her. Legend attempted to continue the kiss, but Tella pulled away with a grin.

"We're back! Do you think Scarlett's sleeping?"

Legend wanted to laugh at his love's excitement to see her sister. Of course, he missed his little brother too, but not nearly as much as Tella ached for Scarlett.

"I'm kinda hungry," Tella mumbled as she looked out of the small window to see how close they were to the palace. "I wonder if I can convince Scar to have a midnight dinner."

"Dante, I'm hungry!" Five-year-old Julian tugged on his older brother's arm as they made their way down the cobbled pathways.

"I'm hungry too, but you don't hear me whining about it." Fifteen-year-old Dante rolled his eyes at his little brother.