Chapter Text
Cobalt drank his coffee, bouncing his leg as he thought about what he'd have to do this morning. The twenty eight year old was currently on his first day of being in charge of the kingdom for two months while his parents went on an anniversary space trip. He had been to meetings with his father and even been in charge for a week or so every now and then. He'd even gone to meetings in his father's stead, but this was the first time he would be in charge for this long. As well as probably prep for his future coronation. His once baby blue hair had darkened to an ice blue, and reached for his datapad where he went over the list for the third time that minute. He took good care of his hair, and much like the rest of his family kept it long. He however put a hair tie in around the ends as it tended to keep it from getting frizzy. He also had a fairly long beard with prehensile hair, which he was currently using to lift his coffee mug while his fingers poked at the screen.
"Good morning" A voice said, causing the crown prince to jump.
His electric blue eyes looked up to see Nicole making a cup of tea. Had he not seen her hand he would have thought it was his mother, his sister looked almost exactly like their mother, aside from her grey skin with splotches of cream, pointed ears and cloudy baby pink eyes. The other reason he figured that it was Nicole is she had incredible talent for stealth, which their mother couldn't do to save her life.
"You keep doing that I'm going to get you a bell." Cobalt grumbled as he picked up his fallen datapad.
"You've said that for years and you haven't gotten one, also at the moment I could have ridden in on a lawn mower and you would have heard nothing with how much you're freaking out." Nicole said, her back still to him as she used her hair to reach the tea in the cabinet.
"I'm not freaking out."
"Yeah and I have perfect eyesight."
Cobalt huffed, as his sister sat down at the table. He glared a little bit at her, before for letting out a sigh, "okay so maybe I'm a little nervous. But I have reason to be" He stated as he touched his scar under his eye.
Nicole grinned, "You're going to be fine, stop getting in your own way." She placed her hand on top of his and patted it gently.
"Thanks" He smiled softly.
The two sat for a few minutes in comfortable silence. Nicole had popped an earbud in, and pulled out her braille spellbook. The prince relaxed a little bit, knowing his sister's attention was no longer on him and went back to his quiet panic, skimming through the instructions for the millionth time.
"Good morning" Nicole said, causing Cobalt to jump for the second time as he looked to see he wasn't the only one taken off guard.
Copper, the youngest of the ironstone siblings, blinked, "How do you always do that?"
"Magic" Nicole laughed, wiggling her fingers, before going back to her book. If she were being honest though it was mostly because she relied on her hearing and frankly no one in the entire castle but her had an ounce of stealth. She could often hear her family walking through the halls well before they were near her, but decided that it was more fun just to leave it a mystery.
Copper Ironstone was short, only slightly taller than Nicole and Entrapta, which really wasn't saying much. His hair was crimson, his eyes were the same red as their father's. He, like all his siblings, had black pupils. His skin was the same caramel color as their mother, with splotches of cream colored skin. He looked the most like native etherians of his siblings, although his pointed ears were a pretty dead giveaway he was horck. His hair, which was kept in a low bun, slid out to grab his textbook from under his arm.
"How'd your finals go?" Nicole asked, taking a sip of her tea.
"Two of them were group finals." Copper groaned, lifting his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose.
His older siblings grimaced, "Let me guess, two of them did literally nothing" Cobalt said, as he had flashbacks to his school days.
"Yeah and the best part is one of those was a speech."
"Oh fuck that, why do universities even do group projects? You'd think after the first twelve years they'd realize only one or two people are going to do the project and the others are just there to put their names on it." Nicole stated flatly.
"They said it quote teaches us how to cooperate with people in the workplace." Copper mocked.
"Kid, I work in Politics. They don't cooperate. Some of the clans are still complaining about our mom being on the throne and she is directly from the main family line." Cobalt huffed.
"Well that and she's been on the throne informally since she was what 18? And formally since she was like 20." Nicole asked, her head turned towards Cobalt.
"Informally 16, formally 18. A little over 40 years in power and I still never hear the end of it. Let alone what they say about Dad or us for that matter." The eldest sibling grumbled.
"Good morning" Nicole said, her head not even moving to look at the person who entered, her brothers looked.
"Good morning, Nicky, Copper, Capt. Killjoy" Abby, the second youngest of the Ironstone siblings, grinned. She had dark violet hair and eyes to match. She was also the second most native looking of her siblings, having the same caramel skin as Copper and Entrapta. Hers, however, had splotches of light grey instead of cream, which gave her away more so than her eyes or eyes. Her hair was kept in a long ponytail. She adjusted her robe slightly before leaning her chair back, crossing her legs with the table as a food rest.
"Feet off the table, and if you're going to put your feet on the table, at least give us the courtesy of wearing pants." Cobalt grumbled, giving a glare before staring back at his datapad
Abby rolled her eyes with a skill that usually only manifested in fourteen year olds, yet the twenty two year old had managed to preserve that skill for this very reason. She adjusted her nearly see through robe, which deserved an award for managing to cover as much as it did. Abby, much like Nicole and Entrapta, had a large chest and a curvy figure, although unlike the other two, she tended to flaunt it. Which is why her thin silk robe looked like it was about to burst. She got up with a surprising amount of grace for a family known for causing minor explosions, and poured herself a cup of coffee. She walked past her eldest brother, giving him a quick flick in the ear with her hair. He jumped and glared daggers at her, which only caused her more amusement.
"I'm surprised you're still here, would have thought you'd gone off to the crimson wastes by now." Cobalt stated rather flatly, his sister Abby was a bounty hunter, or at least that's what she said she did. The crown prince had a sneaking suspicion she might also be a smuggler, although he doubted it was anything dangerous or deadly. His sister loved making his and their father's hair turn grey but she did it because she loved them. Although she would never betray her family, what frustrated their father and by extension him to no end was her tendency to bring her work home with her. And then having to call the guards to escort said work from her bedroom.
"Even the wicked rest brother dear" Abby smirked as she stirred sugar into her coffee.
"Yes, usually with you." He snipped back.
Nicole and Copper oooh'd as they drank their tea, earning a glare from the other two. Nicole, who was skilled at looking like she was doing something else, merely turned the page of her spell book. Copper, just scratched his neck and looked away.
"Are you implying I'm not good at my job?" Abby huffed, crossing her arms.
"I'm saying most bounty hunters don't arrest people with fluffy pink handcuffs." Cobalt smirked.
"They're pink padded leather handcuffs."
"And that makes a difference?"
"Yes, one is tacky, the other shows I have good taste and know quality."
"Good morning Liam" Nicole said, interrupting her feuding siblings.
Liam Ironstone just groaned, he had the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up over his head, sunglasses were perched on his nose. He was Abby's fraternal twin, and the older of the pair. His hair was the same deep violet, and his eyes also matched. However, where his other siblings either had skin more like one parent, sisters having hints of the other in their splotches, he had so many splotches it was hard to tell what his main skin color would be. Even his face was half caramel etherian skin and the other dark grey horck skin. He was only an inch or so taller than Cobalt but Liam treated it like a foot. At the moment, however, the middlest brother smelled a bit like the floor of a bar with a gentle purfuming of pot added for good measure. His long hair was in it's normal ruffled state, unlike Cobalt who kept a long well groomed full beard, Liam had a very long goatee. The middle brother sat down with a glass of tomato juice, orange juice and a black coffee in front of him before he flopped his aching head on the table.
Cobalt scratched his chin, as he stared at the hungover corpse that was his brother. Marijuana was heavily regulated in Dryl, really only being allowed for medical use. Not that Hordak or Cobalt hadn't tried to get it legalized, the clans however had teamed up to block any such passing. And while it was legal to have weed under a certain amount, it was illegal to sell it, unless you were a medical dispensary. The second biggest pot smuggler was sitting at the table in her thin bathrobe. The first was Liam's best friend Red. Now given from the bathrobe and how much she was laughing at her twin, Cobalt assumed that it wasn't Abby. The crown prince rubbed his temples and turned to glare at Nicole. "You are wearing perfume." He stated rather pointedly.
"I wasn't aware that was a crime." Nicole laughed, as she fiddled with her hands.
He looked at her hoodie and noticed what looked like a whole loaf of bread sticking out, "Your boyfriend Red is here isn't he?"
Nicole scratched at her neck slightly, "maybe..."
Cobalt sighed deeply, "Bring him in for breakfast, gods know you can't sneak him enough food to fill him up." His eyes glanced at the hallway, and made contact with a woman whose hair was a mess, wearing his youngest sister's pants, and immediately hid against the wall, "And Abby go help whoever you brought home with you out of the castle."
----------
Cobalt heard Red before he saw him, his steps thundered down the hall and his deep rumbly voice carried far when he was excited. Cobalt's own voice was about as deep as his father's, but Red made him sound like a tenor in comparison. The smell was the next thing to hit him. Red didn't just grow pot, he was also a very avid gardener. So he smelled like a flower garden, if a flower garden smoked a shit ton of pot.
The giant man ducked as he entered the door, "Morning all." He smiled, rubbing his hands through his messy long wheat colored hair, crumbs from the bread loaf Nicole had snuck him dusted his shaggy beard. His worn sandals squeaked on the floor, his linen shirt was wrinkled. He looked a bit like someone who would ask for change outside a corner store in Plumeria.
"Cedar Brightflower, crown prince of Plumeria, how nice of you to join us." Cobalt grumbled at Red.
The big man blushed, his scorpion tail wiggled slightly, as his plated fingers scratched his neck. Cedar, or as most people called him Red, which was short for Redwood. He stood a little over seven and a half feet tall and was built like a wall. He took after his mama Scorpia, in that despite that he could probably rip a tank in half, he was a very gentle giant. Red was really one of his many nicknames, which included Big Smokey Mountain, Big Smokey, The mountain, the beast and holy fucking shit you're huge. The last one being the most common among those who had just met him. "Hello Cobalt." The big man smiled awkwardly as he sat down in one of the chairs.
"Can you please stop smuggling pot into my country?" Cobalt asked, looking like a headache was forming.
"Well, are you going to make it legal?" The other crown prince shot back, as a surprisingly sharp look formed in his eyes.
"Carry on then" Cobalt sighed, realizing that breakfast was not the time for politics. Especially when the person you wanted to talk politics with could break you like a little grey twig if he truly wanted to, and although his sister would probably not allow her boyfriend to do something like that. That and Red was also known for fostering stray baby animals and had held baby kittens so gently they purred in his hand. Cobalt saw the sharpness in the other man's eyes that he was paying very close attention. Many wrongly assumed the that the big man was stupid, and Red tended to acted the part, given that he was often high it worked fairly well. Red however was incredibly smart and one of the few people outside of the Ironstone family who could keep up with Entrapta in conversations about theoretical physics. Much like Nicole, Red could stand there and listen and know when and who was coming, but unlike his girlfriend, the crown prince of Plumeria could blend in. No one paid any mind to a bumbling oaf, no matter the size. These facts were well known to Cobalt, which is why Red was one of the few people that could intimidate him, not because of his strength, but because there was a possibility that Red may be able to out think him, and that was infuriating.
In truth the large prince had only given Cobalt the keen look to prevent a long winded lecture on ethics, morals, trade deals and other such politics, as those would have delayed his breakfast. The only thing Red liked more than a mental 4d chess match done only with vague expressions was his girlfriend, food and his foster kittens. His large stomach rumbled and the chef, who came out to take their orders, took one look at the royal family's large visitor and let out a deep sigh.
"The usual Prince Cedar?" The chef asked, silently grateful the kitchen was fully stocked.
"Yes please, although I'm feeling a bit more hungry today, add another melon" He smiled warmly.
The Plumerian crown prince's usual was a dozen scrambled eggs made with cheese, butter and cream. A whole loaf of bread which he used to mop up whatever was left of the eggy monstrosity and a whole watermelon sliced with just a little sprinkling of salt. This was also how the prince, for being a fairly staunch vegetarian, could be the size he was.
The chef just nodded and retreated to the kitchen.
Abby finally returned from helping her guest escape the labyrinth of a castle, still clad in her thin tight robe. She leaned a little back in her chair and was about to put her feet up again but thought better of it. As Cobalt's face was quite red for someone whose natural skin tone was dark grey, and looked a bit like he was going to yell, punch something or have a stroke.
Cobalt was fuming, his electric blue eyes glared at the latest news article, "You wouldn't believe the shit they just wrote about our parents in one of the newspapers."
The other siblings just seemed to sigh, more than aware of what certain news organizations thought of their family. Most of Dryl liked them, as Hordak, despite his past, cared about the people he ruled over. However, a very small but vocal minority viewed it as a pollution of the royal bloodline, as well as considered the better funded Healthcare system, school system and free public housing for the homeless as a break from traditional values and using your taxes to benefit criminals and drug addicts. Of course these papers were funded by the two families that were the closest to the throne. The same to families whose path to royalty was made difficult by Cobalt's birth and near impossible by Copper's.
"You let that shit bother you too much" Liam said, seeming somewhat more alive now that he'd had some time to rehydrate.
"I could pay them a visit" Red offered, cracking his knuckles.
"Please if intimidation worked Dad wouldn't have half the issues with them." Cobalt sighed.
"S'not intimidation, s'just a gentle talking to." Red said while chewing an apple.
Cobalt just looked at him with a raised eyebrow, as the memory of the last person Red gave a 'gentle talking to' was at one of the yearly festivals in Plumeria. A guy had been saying less than pleasant things about Nicole to his buddies, unaware that the large man at the other booth behind them was her boyfriend. He also remembered the look on the man's face when he was being held up by his neck with two large fingers followed by a very gentle deep voice saying to apologize, while he cracked a coconut with the same two fingers on his other hand. Cobalt also remembered that as the day Red became Hordak's favorite person of all the people his children dated. That was no small feat as Hordak was overprotective of his children, and had the tendency to be fairly unfriendly towards anyone who dated his children. Cobalt's own boyfriend, who Hordak has known since he was born, still calls him sir.
A knock on the doorframe drew the attention of the room.
"Good morning all, Oh hey Red, fancy seeing you here, brother" Elm smiled, he walked in wearing a pair of oversized pajamas with the letters C.I. embroidered on the lapel. He also left the top half unbutton which only made the shirt look larger on him.
"Elm Stormbringer, Crown Prince of Scorpion." Nicole stated loudly.
Elm, was the older but smaller brother of Red. His hair was also the color of wheat but he took after their mom, as he was lanky and thin like Perfuma. He was much stronger than he looked, and his knuckles and parts of his arms were also plated like Red's. He, however, was clean shaven and his hair was shorter and curly. Elm, despite looking more like Perfuma, definitely took after Scorpia in personality and brain power. He was bubbly and sweet but wasn't always the most aware person on Etheria.
"Why'd she say my name like that, am I in trouble?" Elm asked, looking nervously at Cobalt.
Abby gave her oldest brother a shit eating grin as she saw Elm sit down next him, "I see Nicky and I weren't the only ones with company last night."
"The person wearing a robe and nothing under it doesn't get to judge me." Cobalt growled, as Elm looked between them, still trying to figure out what was happening.
"Cobalt was annoyed that his sisters' had people over and showed up unannounced." Red clarified for his older brother.
"Ohhh, well, they're allowed to do what they want. Besides, it's not like they'd bring anyone bad over." Elm smiled, rubbing his boyfriend's shoulder.
"Abby" Cobalt stated.
"It's not like Nicole brought anyone bad over." Elm corrected.
"Hey! She wasn't a murder. She was just a thief." Abby defended, "and don't worry, I checked her before she left. She didn't steal anything."
"Wonderful." Cobalt groaned, "why can't you be a normal person and sleep with the people you sell pot to."
"I do, I just usually do that at their place." She shot back.
Cobalt just buried his head in his hands.
"Wait, have you slept with murders?" Copper asked, alarmed.
"What no, I have some standards. Just thieves and smugglers. Occasionally counterfeiters. Although usually that's more of a group thing than just one person." Abby smiled, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Good to know.....I guess." Copper said, regretting opening his mouth.
"Also a sea of stoner University students." Liam smirked at his twin.
"Yeah could you please stop that. People in my classes keep asking if I deal. Also I have a list of orders." Copper sighed, pulling a sheet out of his notebook.
Abby took it quickly, and looked it over before stuffing the note in her cleavage. "Just going to text the requests to my supplier." She blinked when she realized she had said that out loud, but looked a little relieved when Cobalt just looked his normal disappointed but not surprised. Although his face quickly turned into a glare when a second later, Red's datapad beeped.
"Of course you two are working together." Cobalt grumbled, "how are you okay with this?" He asked, directing his voice at Nicole.
"What, it's not like you aren't trying to legalize it. And when you do, you will be the one doing trade deals with Plumeria. It's the same thing basically, besides it's not like they're selling something deadly or laced." She stated, rubbing her temples as she prepared for the upcoming rant.
"But it's illegal!" Cobalt yelled.
"Yes and?" Abby stated, raising an eyebrow. "What? You think the guards are going to arrest me? One of the princesses of Dryl. Dad would murder them if they even laid a finger on me."
Cobalt just grumbled, realizing she was right but not wanting to admit it. Elm just rubbed his back reassuringly, well aware he was probably the only one that could prevent his boyfriend from exploding.
"No promises on the not sleeping with the people at your university, but I'll tell them to stop bugging you about the pot." Abby smiled at Copper, who smiled back relieved.
Breakfast continued with more squabbles, but the atmosphere lightened slightly. Mostly because Cobalt gave his youngest sister a little bit of credit for listening to their little brother's request. His boyfriend also helped. Elm's arm on his shoulder calmed him, and also occasionally applied just enough pressure to keep him from getting up to strangle his sister, even if he wanted to. This however was a fairly normal day in the Crypto castle, at least for when the king and queen were gone. When they were here, most of Cobalt and Abby's squabbles about pot were coded, where they said the word cake instead of pot, much to the confusion of Entrapta, who had never even seen their daughter step foot in the kitchen, let alone touch the oven. Hordak just grumbled, having a sneaking suspicion cake was being used as a code word. However despite the fact that his children often squabbled with each other, he knew full well that they would never snitch on each other unless it was something dangerous. Thus the king occasionally offered to sign a sales permit and watched with a surprising amount of glee as Abby made up excuses on why it wasn't necessary. Despite all that arguing, they still had a lot of love.