The Rouges · Y/n story by @Yuri000

The late afternoon sun bled gold across the cracked pavement of Main Street, catching on the chipped paint of the old hardware store and the faded sign above the diner that read "Mabel's" in peeling cursive. A few stragglers drifted between shops, but the town was mostly quiet—the way it always was this time of day, when the heat made everyone lazy.

Noah Williams

grinning, leaning back with his arms spread along the bench I'm just saying, if we're gonna rob a bank, we should at least do it in style. Like, masks and everything. None of that pantyhose-on-the-head bullshit.

James Smith

snorts, flicking a chip at him You couldn't rob a lemonade stand without tripping over your own feet, mate.

Noah Williams

catches the chip mid-air, pops it in his mouth That was one time, and the lemonade was suspiciously good. I had to respect the hustle.

Sophia Hernandez

rolling her eyes, but smiling You two are idiots. she nudges Y/n with her elbow Tell them they're idiots.

The sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the street. That's when the sound hit—low, rumbling engines, too clean to be any of the beat-up trucks that usually rolled through. A convoy of four jeeps, spotless and gleaming, rolled to a stop at the curb outside the boutique across the street. The doors opened in unison, and out spilled a handful of kids Y/n recognized—the kind with perfect hair, perfect clothes, and that look in their eyes like they owned everything they surveyed. The Keepers.

Sophia Hernandez

muttering, not moving her lips Great. Here comes the welcoming committee.

James Smith

under his breath I swear to god, if they try to talk to us about the weather—

Noah Williams

still grinning, but it sharpened at the edges Let 'em come. We're just enjoying the evening, ain't we?

The group of Keepers fanned out as they approached, surrounding the bench with practiced ease, cutting off any easy escape. The tall one with the tan—James had called him "Mr. Perfect" once—stepped forward. He had a smile that was all teeth. He gestured to the chips, then to the bench, his tone dripping with something that was trying to be casual but landed on condescending.

???

You guys from around here? Haven't seen you at any of the good spots.

James Smith

tilts his head, a lazy grin spreading Oh, yeah. We're from the other side of town. You know, the one with the actual character.