Chapter Text
Chloe wakes up just like she has most days, recently. Which, of course, is in a frenzy.
“Bluey! We need to be quick! The beach is waiting!” Red’s in a flurry, frantically packing a tote bag that seems to be from the Wonderland gift shop. It’s red, with cupcakes all over it. It really does look like the bag version of Bridget.
Although, only now does it really dawn on her that it’s 5:30, as the clock on her dresser says. Also known as much too early to go to the beach, or for Chloe to function like a well and proper human being. The sun is barely peeking out of the horizon, for charm’s sake. And she says so.
“Red, it’s five-thirty. Why would we go to the beach?”
Red grins proudly. “Well, I assumed we were going to the Regional Auradonian Beach. If we do, there’s a special event at seven. Plus, they have a sunrise special, with more ice cream!”
“I really shouldn’t have introduced you to the wonders of ice cream, right? You eat more ice cream than you do food at this point.” Chloe breathes out slowly, centering herself before she goes off on a tangent about taking care of your teeth. Red explained to her in the past that Wonderlandian teeth had evolved to not gain cavities as a result of too much candy-eating, as before the reign of the Queen of Hearts candy was an integral part of their diet.
Pouting, Red tries to make a point. “But ice cream is food!” She crosses her arms and pouts her lip as if trying to mimic a small, sad child. It makes Chloe giggle. Looking up, she notices Red’s face has changed in a matter of seconds. Where she was once pouting, she’s now sporting a soft smile. Chloe thinks she likes it.
“Red? Why are you smiling all of a sudden? Weren’t you just all pouty, and dismal?” Chloe questions.
“Hmm? Because I like hearing the sound of your laugh. It’s nice. You should do it more often.” Red deadpans, and she proceeds to continue packing her bag. “And, princess, it’s 5:34. I know you still need your sleep, so tuck your frizzy head back into bed.”
Chloe turns her head. “Hey, you rhymed! That doesn’t mean anything, just that I thought it was kinda cool.”
Sighing, Red rotates in the chair she was sitting in—when did she even get in there?—and faces Chloe.
“You’re making even less sense than you usually do, silly. I told you to go to bed! I’m almost done packing, so in a second-” Red reaches over to grab a beach mat and place it in a large duffel bag. “We should be ready to go. We can miss the sunrise special. Your rest is more important.” Red finishes.
“Nice gesture, rebel.”
“I’m not a rebel anymore! Don’t call me that!” Red whines.
“You know you love it.” Chloe states matter-of-factly. Red hates that she’s right.
– –
Chloe sees the sun right above the ocean, hitting the waves just right. It looks glittery, like sea glitter. Is it even called that? The waves crash softly, and the sand is soft, in small wave-like dunes. She thinks. She hasn’t touched it yet. Could be grainy. And judging by the looks of it, Red hasn’t either.
“Cards, Chloe, what is that? It looks… disgusting. Disgusting to put your feet on, I mean. Didn’t you say it sneaks between your toes?”
“Verbatim. But if you’re careful, it won’t. I like the way it feels, though. It’s a bit grainy, but you get used to it.” Looking over at the spot her family always took, she heads down, dipping her feet into the sand. However, she stops in her tracks after she realizes her mortal enemy has stolen it from right under her feet. He looks at her, and—-
“Chloe! Hey, I didn’t think I’d see you here! Come on over, it’s just me. And you know I don’t bite.” He thinks for a bit. “Actually, I did, that one- no, a few times. But you can count on me not to do it again!” He flashes that signature Charming smile, and it’s at this moment Red notices him.
“Chad! Hi, I didn’t think we’d run into you! Chloe, isn’t that so nice? I can’t believe we ran into him! Can you?” Red looks like a puppy. One who’s just been thrown a nice, juicy, bone. That’s not very fair, it was supposed to be a Red-Chloe beach day, not a Red-Chad-Chloe beach day (because of course he’d probably sandwich in between them). For all she loved her brother, she really did, it was annoying that he had to show up on the one day that she wanted him to be away, and stay away.
Gritting her teeth, Chloe lets a few choice swears escape her lips, making sure nobody hears her (can’t be ruining the Charming presence) and then squeaks out an ‘I can’t either! Maybe we should go over there instead!” She’s really hoping Red takes the bait, but she’s smarter than that.
Cluelessly, Red denies her request. “But Chad’s already over there! And it looks like his beach setup is better than ours; let’s go!” She runs suddenly, with a revitalized energy. Looks like she doesn’t even mind the sand anymore. She loves that that happened, just… not like this. Definitely not like this.
Looking over at Chad and Red, they seem to be enjoying talking about whatever they’re talking about, so Chloe wanders over to a neat pile of sand, and starts carving a sandcastle with her hands. Red has the bags, so she has to make do with what she can find.
Creating an igloo shape, she finds a stick stuck deep in the sand and uses it to clear out some of the finer details. Rocks covered with sand help provide textural changes. Once she’s done, she walks back, admiring her masterpiece. But as she strides, she bumps into somebody. It’s Chad.
“Hey, Chloe! Are you building a sandcastle?” Chad crouches, inspecting the sandcastle. “Cute. A tiny castle fit for a tiny princess.” He pats Chloe’s head softly, like a pet.
“I’m not tiny! Just because you’re a few inches taller than me doesn’t make me short.” Chloe protests, to no avail.
“If you say so.” Chad shrugs. “You did a good job on this sandcastle, though. Look at these windows! The only other thing you could’ve done was make it hollow.”
Chloe frowns. “That… wouldn’t work. Sand supports would collapse, and the walls would be too thin for it to stay up.”
Chad laughs, belly-up. “I guess there’s a reason I barely passed physics when I was your age.”
“Other than the fact that you’re still a bumbling fool who constantly trips over themself?” Chloe retorts.
Chad backs up. “Hey, hey. No need for the sass. Besides, I don’t have to worry about it because I’m set to become king consort to Audrey. Chad Charming, king consort of the Kingdom of Roses. It’s a bit long, but hey.” He smirks. “I’m a Charming, of course I can make it work.”
“Wait, what do you mean, king consort? Aren’t you the first heir in line to the Cinderellasburg throne?” Chloe says, confused. If he’s forfeited his spot, that means…
“I think you’re a bit out of whack, sis. I forfeited a while ago; you’re the heir to the throne. Is everything alright in that brain of yours?” Chad ruffles Chloe’s hair affectionately. It’s something he always used to do when they were younger, but it has a different meaning now. Chloe just can’t put her finger on what it is.
Suddenly, Chloe hears a phone ring. Chad looks down, and realizes it’s his own. “Oh snap! I’ve got to dash, Audrey won’t be happy if I leave her waiting at the corn dog stand…” He drops his phone as he sprints away.
“Chad! You dropped your…” And he’s gone. She leaves the phone on top of the sandcastle. Chad may be forgetful, but he’d never sacrifice his 50,000 high score on Chunk Collapse, even for his girlfriend.
Chloe sits there for a moment, before seeing Red walk over to her.
“Oh, hey Red. What were you doing over there?” Chloe inquires. It is miraculous Red was able to entertain herself on her own for that long without any outside forces.
“I was watching the water. It’s pretty calming.” Red shrugs. “That’s not the reason I came over here, anyway. I wanted to ask why you left when I was talking to Chad earlier.”
“I didn’t want to disturb. You seemed excited.”
“Yeah, because I wanted to hear all the things we did together in this timeline. Remember, we’re supposed to have been best friends since we were five or something? He’ll remember some of it, so I don’t look like an idiot when one of our parents references an event I have no recollection of.”
“That’s pretty smart, actually. I wish I’d thought of it.” Chloe taps her chin, thoughtfully.
Red sits down beside her in the sand. “What do you mean, it’s pretty smart? You think I’m too dumb to have thought of it myself?” She nudges Chloe playfully, before continuing. “And plus, aren’t we going to go in the water?” Pointing to the slowly increasing tide, Red suddenly yells. “Race you!”
They both shoot up like rockets, and sprint for their lives. All the way back to the beach spot, where it seems like Chad has left. Chloe looks for the duffel bag, and pulls out what look like two sad, deflated balloons.
“Chloe, what are these? We were in the middle of a race?” Red whines, clearly upset at the sudden stop.
“They’re floaties. You don’t know how to swim, and I don’t think you want me to play lifeguard either.”
“Well, yeah, because that’d be embarrassing! But these are even more! You don’t have any red ones?” Red questions, peering into the bag.
“No. These ones are the ones I used to use before my mom made me learn how to swim. That means you get to wear them too.” Chloe blows into the floatie. They’re blue, with yellow crowns. Apparently, her mother got them from the Beast and Belle as an initiative to introduce mandatory swimming lessons for all Auradonian citizens. It never took off, however.
“Red, extend your arm. I won’t be able to put them on if you don’t.” Red begrudgingly obeys, extending her arm so that Chloe can slide on the floaties.
“Now, we can continue the race. 3, 2, 1, let’s go!” Chloe dashes off rapidly.
“No fair, you got a head start!”
– –
As Chloe enters the water, the cool waves envelop her, washing away the heat of the sun. Sunlight hits the water just right, creating shimmering patterns that dance around her. The only thing she regrets is not bringing something to cover her hair, as she knows it’s going to smell like seawater for the next two weeks.
She can see Red right beside her, whipping her head and laughing freely at the droplets falling from her hair. It’s like she’s a kid again, and Chloe doesn’t think she’s ever seen her like that before. Red’s wiped her inhibitions away, and it’s like she’s the purest version of herself. She’s stunning.
“Hey, Chloe! We should have a breath-holding competition! Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“I’m up for it. But the sun is setting. First out of the water has to pay for corn dogs!”
Red instantly agrees, and they dunk their heads underneath the rushing water. Obviously, with formal training even in this timeline, Chloe raises her head to see Red taking deep gulps of air.
“Hey, I forgot my wallet again… guess that means you still have to pay! I’ll race you! And just so you know, sand isn’t that bad after all. You were right about that feeling. It’s nice.”
And with that, Red’s off, Chloe following close behind.
– –
The rest of the day goes almost as you’d expect. Chloe and Red eat corn dogs together, run down the boardwalk, watch the sun set, and make it back to their dorms just in time to beat curfew. It’s a perfect end to a perfect day.
Red’s asleep, lightly snoring. She still doesn’t know she snores, but if she did Chloe knows she’d try to fix it. That’s why she doesn’t say anything. It’s become a melodic lullaby, lulling her to sleep soundly these nights. It’s nice to have a constant.
Besides, she’s learned a lot today. She’s in line for the Cinderellasburg throne, making her crown princess. How did she not know that before? She really needs to talk to her parents. Good thing this Chloe keeps organized, with a calendar. Tomorrow’s Family Day, and they can easily sort things out.
As Chloe drifts to bed, her last fleeting thought is about Red, and how she’ll fare having to see the new Bridget face to face. Darting up, Chloe looks over, where Red is sleeping soundly. She looks peaceful, and Chloe would hate to disturb. So she doesn’t, and slowly tucks herself into sleep. Hopefully, these days will fix the upcoming problems. Even if they don’t, Chloe knows she and Red can overcome them together. Hopefully.