The Monsters Inside and Out (Scott Howl x Depressed Reader)

134. To the Merkingdom

At the end of the day, you're gathering your things from school to take home. Once you have everything, you shut your locker, double-checking to make sure you locked it. You turn around to leave, and you run into a hard wall. You gasp a little in surprise and look up, seeing Scott looking down at you with a sad smile. He immediately brings his hands up to cup your face, using his thumb to caress your right cheek. He says, "I'm sorry, I thought you would've noticed me." You giggle and lift your hands as well, putting them over his. You smile back at him, "It's okay. Are you alright? You seem sad." His smile fades and he looks over to the side, avoiding eye contact before taking a deep breath. He looks back at you and explains, "Prom is in just a couple days, so I guess I'm feeling lonely. I've never not had a date to it, so I'll miss that. And then Mawmaw won't be around to see me off either. And then it also sucks that you won't be able to go either because it's so much fun. A-And all I can think about is how nice it would be to share a dance with you in the middle of it all, a-a-and..." A few tears begin falling down his face, almost making you chuckle. You remove your hands from his, using them to cup his face instead. "You are so sweet, and I'm sorry I'm not allowed to go. But someday, I promise we can make it up. We'll be able to dance all night if you want." He sniffles and laughs, "That sounds nice... Okay, it's a promise." You smile at him and pull his face down, planting a loud kiss on his nose. You also add, "You better send me a picture of what you're wearing too." He smiles and nods as his tail starts wagging, and the two of you hold hands as he walks you outside before parting ways.

You greet your mom once you get home, and you immediately head to your bedroom to get some homework done. It's 5 o'clock before you know it. You get a text from Vera, telling you that she has parked down the street and that Valerie is on her way. A few seconds later, there is a light tapping at your window. You go over to it and carefully open it, making sure you don't make too much noise. Valerie climbs through, chuckling as she enters your room. She says, "Oh yeah, you definitely live here." You can't tell whether that's an insult or just an observation, so you just stay quiet about it. You ask, "Sooo... You know the plan?" She sighs, "Yes, I know the plan. Sit in your bathroom and call if your mom comes in." "A-Alright. Thanks, Valerie. I'll see you later." She gives you a quiet 'uh-huh' and goes into your bathroom, looking at her phone. She shuts the door and you hear the soft click of the lock. You escape out the window and jump over the fence in your backyard, in hopes of not being seen by your mother.

When you get to her car she looks extremely annoyed, with an over-excited Zoe leaning over from the passenger side. You get in the back seat, a little surprised to see Miranda back there as well, who greets you warmly. She says, "Hello (Y/N)! Are you excited?" You chuckle and blush a little, "Y-Yeah, I guess. I got a picture of Scott's tux, so I have a pretty good idea of what I can get. You seem excited too." "Well of course I am! This is the first time you are ever visiting the Merkingdom, correct?" "wait... I didn't know we'd be going to the Merkingdom." "Oh? Vera didn't tell you? There's a mall in my kingdom that has the best tailor serfs in the world! It is one of our biggest prides!" She smiles widely as Vera begins driving away, Zoe still bothering her about her feelings. You watch the world outside rush by as Vera drives. It's not long until you've left Monstropolis and Vera continues down the highway. You eventually arrive at a beach, the road still stretching forward as it enters a massive tube, allowing for four lanes of traffic. Vera drives into it, and you watch as you go under the water line, driving further down into the sea. Buildings begin slowly appearing in the water the further you go, and it seems as though those are the houses of the Merfolk. Miranda states, "Welcome to my humble kingdom, (Y/N)!"

You don't know how she does it, but Vera finally makes her way to the mall of the Merkingdom, despite having Zoe fangirling in her ear and Miranda singing Disney songs the entire way. She parks and quickly gets out of her car, slamming the door and suppressing a scream. She clears her throat and begins walking inside, Zoe clinging to her. You walk a little bit behind them, Miranda next to you. As you walk together, you take in the sights of the massive mall. you look around at all the massive shops and notice each store has an above-ground section as well as an underwater section. Miranda asks, "So, dear (Y/N), what do you think of my kingdom?" She smiles widely, excited to hear your answer. "It's beautiful, for sure." She smiles and flops her hair, "I knew you'd be impressed with my superior kingdom." You chuckle a little. You finally stop in front of a store simply called 'Prom'. Miranda claps her hands together, "And welcome to the store! I had it made specifically for prom every year! It used to be a place that raised funds for the impoverished children, but I figured this was a much more important use!" She turns to you happily, her eyes still filled with excitement. All you can do is nod back at her, doing your best to match her energy with your eyes. You suddenly feel a presence on your side, and when you look over, it seems Zoe has turned her attention to you. She clings to your arm with her tentacle and smiles widely. She says, "Let's get you the dreamiest prom outfit in the world!"