Chapter Text
"Then he kicked me out!" Floyd yelled, his mouth full of food. "So, in retaliation, I burnt his shoes and sprinkled the ashes in his car. I feel kinda bad now, though."
"I think he brought it on himself," Jade said the moment he finished eating. "You were justified in your actions, Floyd. Keep that in mind."
Floyd sighed and pushed his lunch tray away. "I've been so sentimental lately. The whole time Azul was gone at that sleepover, I was worrying my head off! It was so frustrating!"
"Can you two not talk about me like I'm not here?" Azul looked between the two of them. They had dragged him to lunch, grabbed him an extra full tray, and then only talked to each other.
This wasn't the first time they had done something like this. Whenever they could tell Azul was spiraling again, they would almost strong-arm him into eating. They did everything short of holding his mouth open and pouring the food in.
"You haven't taken a bite of your steak." Jade pointed at the plate. Lo and behold, Azul hadn't even started to eat anything.
It was intimidating. All of that food would put him far above his calorie limit. If he took one bite, he would want another. Then he would want a couple more. Before he knew it, he would have finished the whole meal.
The idea made him want to throw up anything he had in his stomach.
"At least eat the broccoli!" Floyd picked up a piece of broccoli with his fork. "It's the healthiest thing on here. There's no way it will be bad for you."
"I appreciate the gesture, but…" Azul shook his head. He hated how Floyd and Jade nearly deflated.
Suddenly, a pale hand snatched it. The three of them turned around in shock.
Idia ate the broccoli in one go. He did it with such ease; it almost made Azul want to eat some. Idia quickly stole another piece as he walked to the other side of the table.
"Do you guys mind if I sit here?" Idia asked, cutlery already in his hand. "Give me some. I'm starving."
"Can't you get your own lunch?" Azul pretended to refuse and discreetly pushed the tray forward.
"Nope. Let's share." Idia pushed it back. "I'm not starving or anything like that. Besides, there's way too much food for just you. Let me get some."
"You better hurry!" Floyd patted Azul on the back. "Firefly squid might eat it all. He might be built like a lamppost, but I've seen him down like 5 plates."
"I don't know what part of that sentence to take offense to…" Idia glared at Floyd before giving a welcoming look to Azul.
"I…" Azul looked at the food again. He wouldn't have to eat it all. He could share with Idia and still not upset Jade and Floyd.
It made the idea a lot less terrifying.
"Sure." Azul relented and started to cut his steak. "You look like you need something to eat. You're practically skin and bone."
"Not you too!" Idia frowned and threw Jade a pleading glance. Jade only smirked at him, sending a chill down his spine.
Azul laughed at Idia's pitiful expression. It was easier to eat when he was having fun.
~
When he received a random message from Vil, Azul didn't know what to think. He was almost confused about why Vil had his personal number before he remembered giving it to him as they left the slumber party.
It was a simple invite to Pomefiore—no other information.
Business was slow enough for Azul to take a step out. It probably wouldn't be that long of a trip regardless. Unless it was a party of some kind, those were good opportunities to build business.
Vil had good small gatherings. They weren't the extravagant showings like Kalim's or the garish ones Crowley had thrown before.
"I'm here." Azul walked into Pomefiore's lounge. Nobody was there.
It was a bit surprising. Pomefiore was one of the fullest dorms, so catching it empty was rare. There were always at least two students testing out new concoctions.
"Vil?" Azul called for him. "I've arrived. Are you still here?"
"Roi d'Effort!" Rook suddenly appeared behind him. Azul barely restricted his scream of shock. "Roi du Poison is in his room. He has been awaiting your arrival. I must request you make haste!"
"Thank you, Rook…don't appear like that again." Azul readjusted his glasses, which had tilted when he was spooked. Where had Rook even come from?
Azul tried to remember where exactly Vil's room was. He had only visited it once when Jade was on that rebellious streak and tried to transfer to Pomefiore.
It was one of the farther ones. If it wasn't clear from the door being the most extravagant, it also had his name engraved in it.
Were they going to have to replace the full door when Vil graduated?
"Hello," Azul said as he pushed the door open. Vil was waiting for him on a…tarp? It was a big plastic cover over the carpeting. "Is there a reason you've invited me to your room?"
"I usually have dinner around this time," Vil said, pointing at his nightstand. Two plates of fresh food sat alone.
It wasn't anything too complex: cooked and seasoned chicken breast, white rice, and roasted green beans. A single glass pitcher of water sat on another one of Vil's tables.
"Why are you eating it in your room then?" Azul asked. "I'm assuming you didn't want to risk getting anything on your floors. Also, why do you have—Wait."
It clicked in Azul's mind. Vil invited him here to eat dinner. Nobody else would be able to see them. No prying eyes would stare and judge.
"Come sit." Vil patted the spot next to him. "Do you mind grabbing both plates for me? I think my legs have fallen asleep from sitting down for so long."
"Sorry about that. I didn't know you would be waiting for me like this." Azul didn't head to Pomefiore in a rush. He had assumed a gathering was underway.
Azul wanted to ask Vil why he would do this. He wanted to ask if this was Vil's idea of a funny prank. A way to trick Azul into a false sense of security before pulling the rug out from under him.
But Azul remembered what Vil did at the slumber party.
"This looks nice. You make quite the good chef." Azul carried the two plates and took a seat.
Vil waved off the compliment. "It's a simple recipe. I used plant-based oil as a substitute to lower the calorie count." He began to cut up the meat. "It was actually good practice. We should make a tradition of this."
"Business is slower on Wednesdays and Thursdays." Azul blurted out.
Vil gave him a knowing smile and nodded. They mostly ate in silence with a few side comments here and there.
Even when Azul didn't finish the full meal, Vil made sure to put it away for leftovers.