✧𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝘿𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙧✧ Stardust Cookie

16. Notoriety

As they headed back that evening, his mind seemed to be on full alert, alarmed and waiting for someone to pounce upon them. His hand tightly gripped theirs; his crystal eyes scanning the area intensely. Once they were back into the safety of his hotel, he swiftly locked the door, picking Y/N up off the ground and carrying them to the bedroom.

"Star?" They softly asked him, glancing up at him with slight worry. His expression softened, placing them down onto the bed as he perched on the edge. "Why did you seem so...protective earlier?"

Stardust lightly shook his head, eyes averting to the corner of the room as a sigh blew past his lips. "There's nothing for you to worry about." He attempted to smile, but it rather appeared as a crooked, unsure one. "Now why don't you get some rest? I've got some unfinished business to deal with." Y/N slowly nodded, lying down on his bed. They yawned gently, stretching like a cat as they shifted into a comfortable position.

Once he was certain they'd fallen asleep, Stardust headed onto the balcony. In the blink of an eye, he'd transformed into his hybrid form, wings expanding as they illuminated an icy glow. His sapphire eyes narrowed as he gazed upon the streets. As his eyes latched down onto an oblivious figure on the streets, Stardust prepared himself to swoop down.

The person glanced up, noticing the familiar bird, and smirked; a taunting laugh escaped their lips. Upon realisation, Stardust jumped down, transforming back into his regular state. He tightly grasped Starlight's hair and yanked him backwards, pinning him against the wall. A small yelp could be heard from the fiery male. "What did I tell you about leaving me and Y/N alone? You fucking creep." Stardust sternly spoke, almost a harsh yell in his brother's ear.

Starlight face contorted from pain into a sinister grin. "Oh please, the more you harm me, the more the public and Y/N will hate you." His sapphire eyes widened suddenly, staring down at the camera recording this moment. As he was about to snatch it, Starlight quickly swooped down and clutched it, darting down the streets. 

A panicked expression crossed Stardust's complexions as he realised that his brother was going to release the footage. "Shit..." He muttered under his breath, cursing himself for letting the male get away with it. Quickly re-transforming, he hurried down the streets as he traced his brother's steps, hoping to find him before it was too late...

~Timeskip

"Stardust?" Y/N called out, searching the hotel room for him. It was early in the morning; the sun could be visible just barely over the buildings. Eventually, they found him sitting on the sofa, head in his hands. His face seemed distraught and stressed, as muffled sounds escaped his lips, just slightly audible for them to hear. As they moved the sit down beside him, they stared at the screen, eyes widened slightly in shock.

There were headlines everywhere, showing images of them two kissing, with absurd captions like: 'Former criminal sexually harassing person' or 'Escaped convict assaulting innocent person'. There was also a released footage of last night, showing Stardust 'harming' his own brother. The disgusting thing was that Starlight went onto multiple news stations, saying that he was spying on them because he was 'worried for Y/N's safety' and that Stardust needs to be jailed once more in a secure prison for his 'crimes'. 

Stardust shakily breathed, sounding stressed. "Y-you believe them... don't you?..." He murmured, staring at the ground blankly, hands clutching his head. A soft gasp came from Y/N, placing a gentle and consoling hand on his shoulder.

"What-...Of course not! This is ridiculous, pure bullshit!" They exclaimed, grip tightening on his shoulder. "You never did anything wrong, Star. I would never, ever believe anything that Starlight, that conniving star, said. You should know that..." Y/N slowly removed his hand from his right side and kissed his cheek, wrapping their arms around his waist. Their head moved to rest in the crook of his neck.

A sigh of relief left his mouth, a tiny smile resting on it. "Thanks...I feel so lucky just to have one person who believes me." Stardust slowly glanced away, eyes narrowing. Despite their kindness, there was something so dark and dangerous he could never tell them, for the beginning of their relationship would surely crumble, which would lead to Starlight tricking them into believing he was a deceitful liar who never cared about of them. But, he turned his head back to face them, slowly stroking their head, closing his eyes in hope to forget about things...