Pairings: Wilbur Soot x Reader
Warnings: None
Pronouns: They/Them
——————————
Wilbur's eyes glazed over the elegant royal, (Y/n), who trailed around the hall, looking for the person they were seeking out. He felt himself sigh as he clutched his suit, which felt ragged and cheap. It was a strange merge with the area around him as the ballroom looked expensive and fancy. The ceiling was held up with heavy pillars and the walls were strung with a golden-like lace that trailed along the variety of paintings that were seen across the room. And above everybody's heads, was a giant chandelier dangling above them all.
Wilbur had attended a ball which was populated with some of the richest people in the village. He saw familiar character strewn across the halls, some wealthy; very little were poor. The reason the ball was being held in place was because the king wanted to hold a greeting for his child and the prince that they'd soon marry.
It was frustrating for him, to say the least. Wilbur had always imagined wedding them. But he guessed it was always some random crush he had on the king's heir. There was no chance that they'd ever marry him because he just wasn't as high up on the social ladder as their fiancé was. The only reason Wilbur was even attending this ball was because he had called in a favour from one of his friends, Ranboo.
He didn't know what was going on in his brain when he even came up with the fantasy that he'd even come close to even being in a relationship with them. It was supposedly just wishful thinking. He was a really wishful thinker. But most of the time, it never really went his way. And this was really evident in times like these.
"Heyy!" A condescending voice, snide and true, was heard across Wilbur's shoulder. He quickly ripped his view away from (Y/n) and turned to where he heard the sound. When he turned his body, his view laid over Sapnap, one of the prince's closest companions and one of the king's guards.
"Oh, hi." He grumbled after realising who it was, a little disappointed to see his face. Wilbur's response was short to emphasise his irritation to see him.
"I'm surprised to see you here."
"You are?" Wil arched a brow at him.
"Yeah..." He murmured. "No offence but... You look sort of out place." He winced whilst also trying to conceal a chuckle.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Wilbur furrowed his eyebrows, feeling a little defensive and dismissive of what Sapnap had to say.
"Nothing, nothing!" Sapnap's arms quickly shot up in his own defence.
Sapnap chuckled lowly as he looked over to (Y/n) and then back at Wilbur. He wore a cocky smile on his face as he folded his arms over his chest. He knew why Wilbur was here. But it was funny to watch him justify himself, scrambling for any excuse as to why he could've showed up at a place like this. Because, not to offend, but he certainly didn't belong there.
"How did you get into this ball here, anyway?" He queried, looking up at the decorations that surrounded them as he waited for a response.
"I asked for an invitation from a friend." He murmured in response, leaning against the wall.
"I see..." Sapnap nodded slowly.
"How did you get in?" Wilbur replied in a condescending tone.
"Are you trying to get under my skin?" Sapnap grinned at the shallow attempt and just leaned back nonchalantly.
"I'm making an attempt. But it's clearly harder to be more irritating than you." Wilbur rolled his eyes.
"Aw don't be that way."
Wilbur didn't respond, causing Sapnap to lean up.
"Do you hate me or something?" He uttered.
When Wilbur didn't speak up a second time, Sapnap decided to line his view with his. He turned his head up to see that Wilbur's eyes had laid on (Y/n), who was calmly chatting with their friends that had also attended the ball. Sapnap's eyes widened and a half-surprised expression was worn on his face. A cheeky smirk appeared on his lips as Sapnap clasped his hand onto Wilbur's shoulder, finally catching his attention.
Wilbur's head snapped over to Sapnap to see him grinning, still looking over to (Y/n).
"So you've got your eye on the heir, huh?" Sapnap teased, narrowing his eyes at Wilbur.
"Eh-" He swatted Sapnap away from his shoulder, stumbling back slightly. "Why should it matter to you?"
"I'm just looking out for the prince here." He smirked, chasing Wilbur to bat an eye. "You know..." Sapnap began slowly. "The heir's fiancé."
"Why would you need to look out for him?" He asked.
"Because he's my closest friend and I'm also the king's most loyal guard. It's already bad enough we have fools like you pining over (Y/n)." Sapnap rolled his eyes back.
"I'm not pining..."
"You are most definitely pining." He replied coolly. "If you're looking to wed them, you're out of luck. Your chances were wrecked as soon as you stepped into this hall."
"Because they're already engaged to the prince?"
"No." Sapnap replied, chuckling. "Because you're you."
"Excuse me?"
"You had no chance. (Y/n)'s a pure-blood. They come from a long line of powerful and wealthy rulers. A lock of their hair is probably worth as much as your house... If you have one, that is." Sapnap added on slyly, a smirk crawling up his lip. "(Y/n) need to wed somebody just as rich and just as strong. Which means you're out of the running, buddy."
"You barely know me, how would you know that?" Wilbur huffed.
"Well, for starters, I can see that you clearly pulled your suit out of the garbage outside of the palace." He snickered. "And second, I don't know nothing about you. I know you made a sorry attempt to break away from the prince's land to win independence."
"...You do?" Wilbur felt the colour drain out of his face when Sapnap brought it up. To be honest, Wilbur was hoping to forget that moment of his life because he had never failed more tragically than he had done on that day. It was embarassing- No, it was further than embarassing.
"Yes! ...Now, what was it called... Like... 'El-Manburg'?"
"It was 'L'Manburg'. 'Luh-Manburg'." He hissed, pronouncing them really confidently as his ego stung at the sound of Sapnap slandering his country's name.
"Yeah," Sapnap smiled, looking down. "I know you failed."
Wilbur cast his view away, wanting to get away from Sapnap, but he continued to talk.
"I'm just saying... If you really wanted to marry (Y/n), then you're gonna have a strong competition."
"Are you encouraging me to try and chase after (Y/n)...?" Wilbur narrowed his eyes at Sapnap, glaring at him.
"Oh, no, friend. I'm discouraging you." He responded in a nonchalant tone, clicking his tongue before he grinned. "Take care." He smiled, turning his back towards him and walking away.
Wilbur's glare shifted from Sapnap and turned into a gaze over to (Y/n). He felt his heart drop when he saw (Y/n)'s gaze turn over to their fiancé, a warming smile appearing on their lips. He guessed he was out of luck. How was Wilbur supposed to compete with him?