Work Text:
Ada knew that Annabel was a leader. She possessed a natural charm, beauty, and grace that Ada had sniffed out like a royal bloodhound on day one of Nevermore. It was why Ada decided to follow her without question, and it was why she decided she'd even help Annabel create a little kingdom that she could rule over. Ada was more than glad to be her peasant.
And then Lenore came about, and threatened to ruin it all with her dashing looks and stupidly cool demeanor. It was only natural that Lenore would fall into the crowd of bad kids and try to take down Annabel. But Annabel wouldn't go down with a fight, she was a queen who had to protect her crown after all, and she nobly tried to battle Lenore on her own. Even if Ada would be more than glad to take Lenore down a notch or too herself.
“Fret not, love,” Annabel said one evening when Ada saw the bruise on the side of Annabel's neck that she kept trying to hide under her curls. “It's nothing to worry about.”
“You can't let Lenore just keep getting away with punching your neck! Last week you came back with a whole bruised neck!” Ada threw her hands in the air. “It is unladylike of her to keep punching you only there! And not to mention your mouth was red too last time. Who punches another lady in the mouth?!”
Annabel raised her hands to placate Ada. “Do lower your voice dear. It's nothing I cannot handle. And I would appreciate you not telling the others. This battle between me and Lenore is only something I must do,” she said, placing a finger to her lips and winking. “You are my secret keeper.”
Being someone's prized secret keeper? Well, that was an honor no one had ever asked of Ada. She'd be overjoyed to do it!
“I'll keep any secret you ask of me!” Ada nodded her head frantically.
So when Ada saw Annabel and Lenore sneak of to the same closet, giving surreptitiously looks to make sure no one was in the hallway (only Ada was there because she knew all the secret passages in Nevermore) she figured it was because they were trying to keep their fights private. It did often get loud in there, and Ada promised herself she wouldn't run in to help, unless Annabel really couldn't handle herself. But Annabel gave as good as she got for Lenore would often get out of the closet with her jacket hanging off of her upper body, hair mussed up, sometimes with a bite mark on her neck. Sometimes she'd limp out, muttering something about broomsticks.
And then there were the times Ada couldn't sleep at night, too busy fangirling over Prospero, going up to the window for fresh air only to see Annabel and Lenore sitting on the grass outside on a picnic blanket, enjoying some light snacks and a bottle of wine.
Ada simply chucked it up to them needing a moment to regain their strength between fights and could not help but gush how kind and considerate Annabel was to suggest a break to make sure that Lenore was well fed and hydrated even though they were rivals.
And then there was the time Ada came into her dorm room and saw them asleep in the same bed together. She had half a mind to wake up Annabel and tell her there was an intruder in her bed but then she figured that Annabel was too smart to not know Lenore was there and that this might be another tactic in the ever going battle and so Ada simply tucked the blankets in over them and left the room to give them privacy.
When the door closed, both Annabel and Lenore popped open one eye, letting out relieved breaths. “Holy shit, how did we get that over Ada's head?”
“I don't think she knows gay people exist,” Annabel said, before cuddling up to Lenore. “Now cuddle me more, pet. We have to make the most out of this opportunity.”
From then on, Ada found that sometimes Lenore would sleep over in their room. How foolish and weak Lenore was to not see that Annabel was winning the war on them being rivals. Soon, Lenore would fall and Annabel's team would succeed.
All Ada had to do was be patient and keep her mouth shut on this.
On occasion she gave Lenore a glass of warm milk to help her fall asleep faster, and would give Annabel a secret thumbs up, glad to be doing her part in the war.
“You are a dear, in helping me quicken Lenore's demise,” Annabel would say, pinch Ada's cheek, and then immediately turn over to spoon Lenore from behind.
It was why it didn't surprise Ada when she caught Lenore and Annabel spending so much time together now. They left the breakfast hall within five minutes of the other and Ada sighed dreamily. “God, they're such good rivals. I wish I had someone I could be that way with.”
Maybe if she and Prospero became rivals, then they could cuddle in bed together too.
Duke, Pluto, Berenice, Eulalie, Morella, Prospero, Montresor and Will all looked at her, united for once as they glared at her with shock.
“Is anyone going to tell her?” Berenice said. Prospero threw his hands up in the air and left with a sound of disgust.
“Ada,” Morella said with a patient smile. “Everyone knows they're not real rivals.”
Ada stared back at Morella. She was sure Morella was lying to her, but Morella didn't lie. So then either Morella was telling the truth or this wasn't Morella.
“Nice try Will,” she told Morella, causing a confused squeak to come out of her and Will's mouth.
“I'm right here,” he said but like most characters in Nevermore did, Ada's eyes passed over him. He slumped with disappointment and Montresor clapped him on the shoulder.
“Annabel and Lenore pretended to be rivals at the start, but it turns out they're star crossed lovers from their past life and were only pretending to hate each other in order to get out of here,” Eulalie explained. “But we all know, we just haven't had the heart to tell them they're obvious and should stop the whole scheme of it.”
Ada looked at her as if she had two heads. “I'm pretty sure they hate each other,” she said, pointing over to where Lenore was tucking a strand of Annabel's hair behind her ear as they stood badly hidden from public view behind a stone pillar. Annabel giggled and kicked her foot.
“See, absolute hatred for each other,” Ada said, hands on hips.
Duke couldn't take it anymore. He inhaled and then splayed out his hands as the entire realm of Nevermore began to quake with his rage. “They're fucking dating-”