Forbidden Fruits | ⊗

01 | twenty-first

Her youngest brother was named Cody. He was five years younger than Jasper. His hair was unnaturally dirty blonde, a color neither of their parents had gifted him with. His hair was wild and definitely untamed, but his loyalty couldn't be matched. His interests varied between his love for planting crops and horseback riding out in the fields, to wanting one day to become a part of the law system as a sheriff himself in their small town.

And then there was her. Marinette. The youngest of them all and her father's only daughter. She was named after her great grandmother apparently (that had been her mother's choice), despite the fact that Marinette never even got to meet the woman. Her hair was a dark shade of blue, exactly like their mother's, and her skin was covered in too many freckles to count. As young children, her dim-witted brothers had often childishly teased her for being so spotted.

She used to tease them back by convincing them it was a disease she could pass on to them if they touched her. Imagine the fun she had with that for many years.

But even despite the many times they argued or fought, Marinette loved her brothers, and they all loved her just the same. So much so that even they saw the unfairness their father considered to be so just.

Which is why, they were currently smuggling her out of the Dupain-Cheng estate.

"This is insane." Cody said from the other side of her bedroom door. It creaked open a moment later and he sighed heavily, giving in (despite the fact that he thought her idea was an absolute crazy one) as he squeezed one of his extra ringo hats through the crack.

"Yet you're helping me." Marinette chuckled as she took the offered item and softly shut the door once again.

"Of course, I am. I always will. But that don't make your ideas any less insane."

Insane perhaps, but Marinette was always known to be the craziest out of them all. 

She opened her bedroom door a moment later as soon as her disguise was complete, and a giggle escaped her lips when her youngest brother stumbled back—because apparently, he'd been leaning back against the door after she'd closed it. He shot her a small frown as if to lecture her for not warning him, though she knew he wasn't really angry at her. In return, she bopped his nose. 

"Crazy but genius, yes?"

Her brother scrunched up his nose and swatted her hand away. "Are you sure this is somethin' you really wanna do?"

"Absolutely."

"What if Pops finds out?"

Marinette placed her hands on her hips, lifting her eyes from underneath the hat that was rather too big for her head so that she could raise an unamused brow at him. "Take a good long look at me, Cody. Do I look like I have much to lose?"

He actually gave her a once over, a shrug of his shoulders indicating that yeah... she had a point.

Marinette flashed him a convincing smile. "I won't be gone for long, I promise."

Cody folded his arms over his chest. "I don't know if I feel comfortable with you goin'—and don't get me wrong... not because I don't think women shouldn't go, but only because if your cover gets blown, you'll be in a heap of trouble."

Marinette let out a huff through her nose, the shake of her head indicating that she wasn't too perturbed. "I can handle father—"

"I ain't talkin' 'bout Pops..." Cody interrupted. "Though he'll be really pissed if he catches ya. But nah, I'm more concerned 'bout the danger you're puttin' yourself in."

"You needn't worry." She assured him. "Elias is going with me."

"That don't make me feel any better. Elias hardly steps foot into town for pleasantries."