Eva pushed her thumb between her teeth, trying to stop herself from grinning too much.

Well, Rocco had always been a great support and friend to her since he transferred to her school this year, and her whole life had changed with him around. Rocco’s helped her stand up to her backspitting friends, build her confidence outside of her brother Sonny’s shadow, and learn to grow as a person as well as a future heroine.

“You seem to know everything there is to becoming a hero,” Eva remembered telling him one late night on their watch patrol.

“Well— I’ve been training since diapers. My parents are one of those stricter teachers. Used to beat my siblings and I bloody over their so called ‘life lessons.’ My brother— I called him Skippy, it’s our bit— he used to beat the worst bruises.”

Rocco gave a mild shudder. Eva couldn’t help but laugh in agreement.

“Yeah, my aunt’s one of those. She tries to treat me like that sometimes, and she supposedly has it easy on me.”

Rocco scoffed, eyeing her with a face that made Eva shove his arm lightly. He runs a hand through his hair. “Well, the secret to delivering you heroism is the charisma. I am, as you are a victim of, a natural smooth talker. Charm really gets through to civilians.”

“Doesn’t play into the action where you’re supposed to be saving the world, no?” Eva raised an eyebrow.

“No, it doesn’t.” Rocco leaned his chest back. The two of them were dangling their legs off the edge of a tall tower, overlooking the coming dawn of the morning. Eva couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the golden hour amber light hit across Rocco’s face at just the perfect adjacent angle… his entire being like a renaissance painting.

Eh, not the best similie to compare your strictly labeled friend, Evaluna.

Rocco was lost in his own head as he trailed off his own words, almost disqualifying his position in their not-proclaimed debate to the secret of heroism, when suddenly Eva catches his lips quivering.

“Charisma does nothing to save the world, obviously. It just… makes it easier to control.”

Eva raised a skeptical brow. “Control what? The world?”

Rocco tightened his shoulders to his ears, and then drops them.

“Maybe, sorta. It worked here, didn’t it?”

“Huh?”

However Eva interpreted it— as a hint of his intentionional affection towards her, leading her down a rabbit hole of her own growing feelings for her best friend— she could have not felt more shot down at the last fifteen seconds of murmuring dhe had caught herself to eavesdrop.

Present time, it was the night of the Summer Solstice Ball. The celebration of seasons, and an excuse for her class to throw yet another dance. Consider this night to be the final “hurrah” of this school year. Gowns and tuxedos went all out tonight, and of the recent events of Rocco himself asking Evaluna out to the Summer Solstice Ball, her dress was a golden yellow, as regal as the setting sun, to match the golden marguerite Rocco tucked in his blazer pocket.

Eva was just rounding the corner after the many dances her and Rocco had spun that night, before splitting for air and conversation. Eva had heard many talk from her own friends of that potential spark.. the one that any chance of a person could pull aside and recognize between the two.

“Well, you and Rocco have gotten awful close.”

Eva blinked. “Wha— me? Rocco— no, of course not! We’re just—“

“Eve, please, a fool can see the way he looks at you. Never had Rocco cared for any girl, let alone paid attention to any girl in this school since he’s gotten here besides… well, you?”

Eve bashfully declined the spreading rumors, but a part of her couldn’t deny the allegations. Sure, she had noticed Rocco to be a lot more comfortable around her that anyone else at school, which had meant a lot considering his loud entrance his first few days since his enrollment.

Perhaps it was the kinetic energy stored in the six punch refills she had that night, or the boost of certainty upon wearing her over the too ballgown, but she could march right up to Rocco and kiss him on the cheek if he let her! She wanted to confirm if he had heard the words passed around, and she swore she had heard his voice around the corner as she—

“The trap is all set.”

The wall pulled her shoulders to press her full back out of view. That voice was.. no mistake Rocco’s. But what? What was he talking about…?

“And the sister?” a second voice arised.

“She’s never the wiser about it.” Rocco.

Sister?

So he worked for her brother Sonny. Or rather… against him. Her brother was known too well to have allies as common as his enemies.

“As was he when I crossed him those many years ago.” The voice chuckled. Eva’s heart went cold.

The only person that had ever betrayed Sonny so coldly—

His first school friend, Armond. But he was supposed to be dead, or MIA…

“Rocco, you’ve proved your loyalty, you know. I had doubts that our falling out would have costed your dedication to this mission, but you’ve demonstrated true brotherhood, skippy.”

Skippy.

Rocco was Armond Huntler’s brother.

Eva’s lungs felt heavy. She couldn’t bear the weight of it. She had been betrayed by the same blood that had done the very same to her older. Not to mention, she had verbally admitted to falling in love with Rocco.

She couldn’t stomach what she had just discovered, and it had only gotten worse. She could hear Armond’s cackle one last time before his voice lowered, louder into the camera.

“You just keep up this little smooth talker bit, right? Keep the sister happy as I initiate the trap.”

**Ahhh not the best! was sorta half asleep and academically confused!!!!**