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I will walk the path I believe is right, even if I must tread over thorns and through the mud. But I will also allow you to walk your own path, Lycaon.—Hugo, to Lycaon, after they reconcile.
CrownWolf is the slash ship between Von Lycaon and Hugo Vlad from the Zenless Zone Zero fandom.
Canon[]
Hugo and Lycaon first met when they were young kids, after Jack and Lycaon found Hugo and took him in. They were both members of Mockingbird, and dreamed of finding a better life for themselves. The two seemed to be close, though they already did constantly bicker all the way back then.
In Hugo's EP video, there are moments of the two seen such as Lycaon attempting to force Hugo into eating broccoli, most likely for his own good, as well as the two enjoying games of cards together, and generally being around one another a lot. Jack also once while talking to Lycaon mentions the two are very close and always tell eachother everything and don't keep any secrets from one another.
At the end of Lycaon's Agent Story, there is a dialogue between the two when they were young, when Lycaon was reciting some lines, while Hugo made fun of him for messing up, to which Lycaon kicked him off his feet and accusingly asks Hugo why's he the only one reciting the lines. Hugo proceeds to call his own performance impeccable, and mention that Lycaon has already messed up thrice, and Lycaon carelessly responded by saying that it didn't matter since they got the job done either way. Hugo starts telling him about the future he wants the two to hold together as the founders of Mockingbird, saying "Imagine it, Lycaon. One day, we will be like those who stand at the top, under the spotlight of praise and defamation, admiration and loathing, faith or betrayal. So, doesn't that sound super entertaining?". Lycaon looks at him with wide eyes for a few moments before chuckling softly with a smile, then kicking Hugo off the chair again, and calling him out for ''daydreaming''.
One day, their mentor, Jack, calls Lycaon aside, to speak to him alone. He warns him that he believes Hugo has inherited a "seed of evil", and tells Lycaon he may one day have to kill Hugo to stop it from taking root. Young Lycaon seems scared at the thought of Hugo ending up being a bad person. Hugo overhears this conversation, and it hurts him to know that Lycaon has suspicions about his morality. Lycaon eventually chooses to leave Mockingbird after he mistakenly believes that Hugo killed his own father. In reality, Hugo had attacked him with the intent of killing him, but didn't do so after all. Due to Lycaon leaving Mockingbird and leaving Hugo, the latter views him as a traitor and has a sour attitude towards him.
In Lycaon's Agent Story, when he finds some Hollow Raiders impersonating Mockingbird, after beating them up, he growls and says to never mention that name again, presumably because of his bitter past with Hugo when he was apart of Mockingbird.
The two Bangboo, Butler and Robin, assigned to Lycaon and Hugo's factions, mirror their masters: Lycaon's calm, disciplined nature and Hugo's passionate, impulsive one. Robin is shown to be head over heels for Butler, often making romantic gestures that are met with polite confusion. While their interactions are mostly comedic due to Butler’s obliviousness and Robin’s one-sided affection, their dynamic serves as a light parallel to the more serious and complex relationship between Lycaon and Hugo.
In the ''The Day of Brilliant Wishes'' Event, when the Proxy describes Robin's owner as ''a blonde, elegant man who refuses to share his name'' Lycaon seems thoughtful, implying he could've connected the simple, vague description to Hugo.
The first confrontation between the two after their seperation is when the two Proxies and Lycaon go to an auction that Hugo previously had recommended to the Proxy, after Hugo showed up and stole the auctioned item right before Hartman could take it. Lycaon seems to immedietaly recognize him but doesn't speak up. After Hugo's escapade, when the Proxy speaks with Lycaon, he's about to say ''that man and I have history'', but hesitates and switches his wording to ''Mockingbird and I'', and tells the Proxy some things about his past with Hugo. The Proxy and Lycaon proceed to chase after Hugo through a Hollow, and after running into him, the two almost immedietaly begin fighting, after Hugo provocates Lycaon by calling him a traitor, which causes things to escalate and turn physical quickly, Lycaon, enraged, growls, ''It was you who broke the oath, not me.", to which Hugo only laughs and calls him pompeus and self rightous and the fight continues until the Proxy breaks it up. The two share a few insults afterwards, and after some Hollow Raiders show up and provoke Hugo into attacking them, Lycaon attempts to stop him from killing them, to which Hugo seems enraged, firstly at how Lycaon thinks he has the right to tell him what to do, and secondly, that Lycaon is willing to protect their lives despite how they were going to kill him on the spot. Lycaon claims he has always stopped Hugo, and he always will, and Hugo responds by saying he has, and will always defeat Lycaon.
Before their joint mission begins, Hugo is seen performing his usual pre-mission preparations, a tradition for him. His first stop is a convenience store to buy rations, bottled water, and most importantly, chocolate coins. While he's nearly done shopping, Lycaon runs into him. Hugo remarks at the coincidence. Lycaon replies that he too didn’t expect to run into him, to which Hugo says he would've picked a different store had he known he’d run into him. Lycaon changes the topic, thanking Hugo for joining the operation and lending his combat prowess. Hugo doesn’t dwell on it but says he’d appreciate it if Lycaon kept their secrets and didn’t let Proxy in on them. Lycaon assures him that as long as Hugo means no harm, he will keep his word. Hugo replies, how awfully kind of him that would be. They seem to part ways, but Hugo later heads to a pharmacy—only to find Lycaon appearing there again. At a loss for words, Hugo says that if he were in Lycaon’s shoes and foresaw an awkward encounter with a former partner, he’d walk away, to that Lycaon replies that time is short, that it’s the nearby pharmacy, and besides, he doesn’t see any reason to avoid Hugo. They part again but cross paths once more at a weapon gear shop. When they bump into each other, they both exchange strained sighs before Hugo breaks the silence, saying these encounters are starting to feel like more than coincidence, expressing his suspicion that Lycaon might be stalking him. Lycaon says that if he were really stalking Hugo, he would never know. Hugo mocks him for his overconfidence. Lycaon admits he didn’t expect Hugo to let him join the operation. Hugo replies that it was inevitable now that Proxy was involved. A moment passes before they start to reminisce about when they first established Mockingbird, Hugo saying he never expected the two of them would one day enjoy a peaceful conversation like this without their weapons drawn.
Later, the two are forced to work together for the said mission, alongside the Proxy, Vivian and Anby. The two are paired up together for a part of the mission which forces them to split up, mainly because Vivian insisted on going with the Proxy. When the two are forced to cooperate to fix a circuit together, Hugo expresses his distaste for having to complete even such a simple task with Lycaon, while Lycaon doesn't share that feeling, saying he doesn't want to argue with Hugo, atleast at the given moment. Hugo then comments, saying he knows Lycaon doesn't completely trust him, and never did, even before things fell apart between them. After they're done, Hugo mentions that Lycaon has become slower, and suggests that maybe his rivalry with him and having to cooperate was the reasoning for it. The two, as usual began the same argument about who between them, was the traitor. Hugo mentions that breaking their oath was the path he chose, and he wants to stick to it, and Lycaon tells him he believes any path that puts him in pain is the wrong one, and Hugo says that Lycaon being sympathetic towards him is disgusting and makes him feel sick.
Once the two return to the others, Hugo seems ashamed of the fact that they were the last ones to complete their task, and immedietaly pins the blame on Lycaon, to which Anby calls out the two for constantly bickering, and says that they could've been faster if they focused on the task at hand rather than pointlessly arguing. Later during the mission, during Hugo's ''betrayal'', Hugo takes the Proxy hostage, and encourages Lycaon to kill him to save them, using the words ''drop your foolish facade'' which Lycaon recognizes, as we later learn it was a code the two had made in their youth for this specific trick. Lycaon seemingly ''kills'' Hugo, punching him through his heart and then throwing him off of a building into the Hollow, then proceeds to lie to the Proxy and Vivian and says that it isn't possible for Hugo to be alive. It is later revealed that Lycaon helped Hugo fake his death, utilizing their old code to understand Hugo's true plan.
When Hugo "returns from the dead", he and Lycaon have a chat. While walking to Lycaon, Hugo talks to himself about apologizing to the Proxy in the future for tricking them, and mentions that he'll bring Lycaon along with him, because he's his partner in crime. The two talk for a while, and Hugo teasingly compliments Lycaon, saying that his acting skills have improved now that they were able to successfully trick the others. Lycaon says he sometimes really doesn't understand Hugo and his logic, how he was willing to bet his marbles on Lycaon during that time, even when they were rivals at the time, how he wasn't worried that Lycaon wouldn't understand his code, or that he would refuse to follow through with his plan, to which Hugo simply responds that Lycaon would understand it, and says that he did have an alternative plan if the situation got extreme, that he was surprised Lycaon thought he'd really bet all his marbles on him. Lycaon proceeds to calls him insane, which Hugo seemingly takes as a compliment and says he's flattered.
The two encounter one another again after Hugo's fight with his Inner Demon. When Lycaon opens the door to the storage room, he seems immediately concerned at Hugo's disheveled appearance and rushes over to his side, to which Hugo teases him by asking for praise and calling him his ''dearest partner''. Afterwards the two talk, and upon seeing Lycaon waiting for him, Hugo praises him for being punctual as always. Lycaon seems to be concerned about Hugo's health, and Hugo doesn't share that, joking about fighting Lycaon to show him that he has recovered, which Lycaon refuses, because Hugo, in his opinion, needs medical attention at the given moment. Lycaon then offers Hugo a chocolate, seemingly the same kind as one that he has fed him years earlier, as he says he's pretty sure it's ''the same kind as before''. Hugo says he's flattered by the gift, then suggests that perhaps it wasn't personal, only courtesy from Victoria Housekeeping. Upon eating the chocolate Hugo doesn't seem to enjoy the taste, though he thanks Lycaon for it either way. Lycaon also seems ever so slightly upset that Hugo wasn't resting after the fight, and Hugo says he wishes he was, but doesn't have the time to relax, but saying that he does actually feel good at the moment, so good that he would be willing to argue over every petty detail about their past to determine who really was in the wrong, and this seemingly proves to Lycaon that Hugo really has recovered. The two later are able to finally reconcile with each other, nearby Port Elpis. They note that they have each changed a great deal since they were in Mockingbird together. Lycaon apologizes to Hugo, saying that he has misjudged him. While he once saw him as selfish and power-hungry, he now sees that Hugo is trying to be a good person. Hugo says he's going to live following his own path, but he's going to let Lycaon do the same.
It is shown that, despite their many years apart, Hugo and Lycaon know each other incredibly well. In the ''Say It With Flowers'' Event, when Hugo shows up at the Flower Shop, speaking with the Proxy about a Nineveh, Hugo is able to accurately guess Lycaon's description of the flower, reciting his sentence word for word. The Proxy is incredibly impressed by this, though says that it is ''expected of Hugo'', though Hugo plays it off and says it's simply because he was stating facts both him and Lycaon knew, and that the identical wording was coincidental. Later, at the Starloop Tower, Hugo asks the Proxy if they had given the Nineveh he gave them to Lycaon, though says that he doesn't mind. After Hugo gives the Proxy some information about the banquet, Lycaon shows up, and explains that the client didn't favor the Nineveh for it's rarity or beauty, but because his friend sacrificed himself to save him in a Hollow, and there happened to be a Nineveh growing nearby the area he escaped to. Hugo proceeds to make an insensitive joke about the situation, which causes Lycaon to call him out, and Hugo reluctantly lets him continue his speech, baby-talking Lycaon to mock him in the process and earning a glare from the latter, though Lycaon got back to explaining. After Lycaon is done talking, Hugo seems pleased by how the story comes in full circle, but then calls out Lycaon for adding lots of exaggerations to the story and making it cliche and less enjoyable to listen to. Lycaon seems displeased with Hugo's insensitivity, though Hugo calls him out to pull himself together from his sob story and reminds him of some plans the two made together, Lycaon quickly remembers, and the two hurry off together. When Vivian shows up a moment later, the Proxy asks her if she was going to follow after the two since she wanted to give them the pot of flowers, to which Vivian quickly refused, saying ''she's good'', implying the two are most likely doing something private.
When the Proxy invites Hugo to watch a werewolf movie, Hugo immediately assumes they're suggesting something, though lets it go. After watching this movie, Hugo complains about the fact the werewolf's actor's costume was bad, and that the zipper on the back was visible. It just so happens, that when watching this movie with Lycaon, he comments on the same exact thing. Though, when told by the Proxy that he has the same concerns as ''someone they know'', Hugo responds that he doesn't really care, and didn't really want to know that fact.
In a chance encounter at the playground in Lumina Square, the two seem to be together infront of the sandpit, talking, Hugo beginning off by teasing Lycaon by mentioning that Victoria Housekeeping must be lenient if he was doing this instead of working, to which Lycaon emotionlessly responds that it was his day off, which baffles Hugo, as to why he was visiting a sandpit on his day off, then suggesting that Lycaon was about to start digging through the sand, which Lycaon refuses, and Hugo mocks him by reminding him of How Lycaon liked to roll around and cover himself in the sand when he was little. The Proxy then shows up, and talks to the two, Hugo responding to them by saying he was about to witness ''the horrors of of their dear friend digging through the sand'', which Lycaon, annoyed, quickly refuses once again. The two remind one another of what they would build out of the sand and call each other insane because of it, Lycaon calling Hugo out for making a sand crown, and Hugo him for making a wolf out of the sand. The Proxy proceeds to stop them from bickering as usual. If suggesting that the two could build something together for fun, the two simultaneously refuse. If telling them to stop arguing, Lycaon retorts that Hugo started it, and Hugo says that all he did was ''open his mouth''. Lycaon then reminisces to how Hugo would often climb onto his back, to which Hugo admits that at those moments, he would sometimes imagine that Lycaon would turn into a real werewolf and run off with him on his back on all fours.
In Hugo's Trust Event at the JC Pharmacy, while Hugo tells the Proxy about medication he's been taking recently, Lycaon shows up and greets the two. Hugo seems slightly displeased by his unexpected presence, though Lycaon remains indifferent. When Hugo says that he was simply recommending some meds to the Proxy, Lycaon seems suspicious. Hugo gives the Proxy a look, seemingly wanting them to keep the truth away from Lycaon. This could be because he doesn't want Lycaon worrying about his health, which is a tendency Lycaon has previously shown to have. After Lycaon leaves, Hugo claims that he doesn't mind telling Lycaon the truth, but apparently it just makes things more complicated.
In one of Hugo's Trust Events, after some suspicious Inter-Knot post is created by an unknown individual, Hugo and Lycaon are seen talking nearby the Ballet Twins Road, seemingly having encountered one another by surprise, and talking about how they both coincidentally came up with the same idea of finding the location using the coordinates on the poster. When told by the Proxy that they really do get along, Hugo retorts and claims its a coincidence, and Lycaon stays silent. After a while, the two cross-reference the traits they both made and figure out the complete coordinates together. Robin, Hugo's Bangboo, says it's only natural considering Hugo and Lycaon were partners for many years. Although later, they figure out the said threat post was actually made by Vivian for the Proxy without a malicious intent, and everyone goes back to the Random Play Video Store, where there are also Lycaon's coworkers from Victoria Housekeeping. Rina seems to recognize Hugo, saying that this must be the famous Mr. Hugo, and saying that Lycaon mentions him a lot, which Lycaon seems to have a displeased reaction to. Vivian responds to her, saying that Hugo does the same with Lycaon, though before she finishes her sentence Hugo interrupts her, saying that theres no need to talk anymore.
In Hugo's chance encounter nearby the newsstand at Lumina Square, he reminisces about the past while observing a pigeon. He explains the symbolism of the name 'Mockingbird' to the Proxy, and says that there's a saying that it's a sin to kill a mockingbird, which matches to the oath he and Lycaon made about never taking another person's life, however, he says that him and Lycaon didn't actually know of the saying at the time, they just chose the name because they thought it was funny, considering the original name was made by Hugo to symbolise their deceit as phantom thieves, but he originally thought the name wouldn't work since Lycaon was a bad actor, yet the two agreed on the name either way.
In a chance encounter with Hugo and Vivian, she seems to be reading a romance novel that she's very interested in, though, as it later slips out, it appears that said novel is actually fanfiction. Vivian is seemingly trying to decode the meaning of the title ''Lies Embraces Hues''. Hugo suggests a metaphorical meaning of a tragic story, but Vivian disagrees, saying the novel has a happy ending, then realizes the name comes from the fact the main lead character's name has ''Hue'' in it, and the supporting lead character's name has ''Lie'' in it, which is when Hugo suspiciously asks to see the novel, which Vivian quickly refuses, and ends up making an excuse to run off. Hugo is later complementing whether the fanfiction could've been about him, and before he says Lycaon, the Proxy deflates the conversation, claiming it's a coincidence, which Hugo reluctantly agrees with, saying that it's most likely true since the public doesn't know about the two. Afterwards, Hugo is seen wondering if the novel is available online. When spoken to by the Proxy, he quickly claims that he isn't interested in it, only curious.
In a chance encounter at the Lumina Square sandpit, Robin, which later is shown to be Hugo using a disguise to infiltrate some banquet, is seen talking to an unknown man. Later, Butler, Lycaon's Bangboo, shows up and gives the man a letter ''his master'' wanted to deliver to him. Hugo then realizes Lycaon was at the banquet, and assumes he was hiding from him. He proceeds to tell Butler that he's an old acquaintance of Lycaon's, and ask him if Lycaon mentioned anything about him, to which Butler says he only heard Lycaon muttering to himself about how Hugo changed his fragrance, which causes Hugo to scoff. Robin suggests that Lycaon is concerned about Hugo, which Hugo claims he doesn't need. After Hugo sheds his disguise, he tells the Proxy that the letter Lycaon wanted to give the man was actually a warning letter rather than an invitation, and says that Lycaon beat him to the punch that time, and that he would return the favor sometime.
In one of Hugo's Trust Events that includes all of the playable male characters except for Anton and Ben, after Hugo shares a short conversation with Lighter, Harumasa suggests that him, Lighter and Lycaon would make a good team, however, Hugo doesn't give a response and quickly changes the topic. If interacting with Hugo after the event is over, Lycaon and Hugo share a short dialogue, where Hugo accusingly asks Lycaon if he has something to say to him, to which Lycaon refuses, claiming he has nothing to say at all. Hugo only scoffs to that.
In Hugo's Solo Trust Event at the Video Store, the player can ask him his opinion on Lycaon. Hugo responds, saying Lycaon is complicated, and that he wants to be Lycaon's nemesis and friend at the same time. Also, when asked about his hobbies, he mentions is that one of his favorite things to do is taunting Lycaon.
Hugo tends to put the word dear infront of his terms for Lycaon, for example indirectly addressing him as ''dear traitor'' when preparing to reunite with him, at the end of Lycaon's Agent Story. He also does this when jokingly asking for praise after Lycaon comes to check up on him after Hugo's encounter with his Inner Demon, calling Lycaon his ''dearest partner''.
In the Season 1 Recap Web Event, when given a choice to display a favorite memory, if the one chosen is a picture of Lycaon jumping infront of the moon, the scene described with the word romantic, Hugo writes a blunt comment laughing at the mere thought of anything Lycaon-related being 'romantic', and Lycaon only responds with a simple question mark. In this web event, Seth also comments on how quickly Hugo and Lycaon went from being at eachother's throats to talking casually, then saying that the two make quite a pair. Hugo quickly denies this, and Lycaon claims he's overthinking it. In this event, there are also a few occasions where Hugo is making intentional jabs at Lycaon, possible enjoying publicly teasing or humiliating Lycaon, and Lycaon only responding with 'Hmph.' to each of his comments.
When Hugo was speaking to who seemingly is an old friend of Lycaon and Hugo’s, after asking Hugo how Lycaon was doing, the man says ‘I know you two split up, but it’s been years, are you still not over it?’, and Hugo ignores him, saying he doesn’t know, nor care about how Lycaon is.
Trivia[]
- Hugo and Lycaon are one of the only characters who have special combat voicelines for one another despite being from different factions, the others being Trigger/Soldier 11 with Anby as well as Billy and Lighter.
- Hugo is introduced for the first time in the game during a section of Lycaon’s Agent Story titled “Heart’s True Desire.”
Gallery[]
Quotes[]
I won't leave your side.
It's about time for a reunion, dear traitor.
Fanon[]
CrownWolf is an incredibly popular ship in the fandom. Despite being introduced later due to Hugo being the last character released during Season 1, the unique dynamic and interactions between the two quickly garnered popularity and it shot up to become the second most popular ship in the fandom on AO3. Many fans joke that when Lycaon left Mockingbird the two "got divorced", or "broke up" with each other. This idea of exes carries through their stories, and their reconciliation at the port is seen as some as them getting back together.
There are currently over 200 works on AO3 for this ship. It is both Hugo and Lycaon's most popular ship.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Hugo/Lycaon tag on AO3
- Hugo & Lycaon tag on AO3