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Eyes locked on the mirror, Ruggie fidgeted with the tie around his neck for what must have been the third time in the last hour. Even though he was certain he had tied it correctly, it still felt off. The suit wasn’t helping either, the course material pinching his joints and scratching his skin. Every element of his attire seemed to agree: he wasn’t where he belonged.
A knock at the door snapped him out of the daze. He readjusted the tie one last time before rushing over, nearly tumbling into the hallway.
“Sorry, I got back pretty late from my last shift and it took a hot sec to get all banged up-” he rambled, glancing down at his feet.
“You look wonderful,” Jade grinned, a light blush dusting his face which he tried to hide behind his hand. Jade was excellent at feigning emotions, but even someone as suave as him had certain tells. Ruggie had realized early on that the eel’s easiest tell was his blush, something the merman, being naturally cold-blooded, was incapable of in his true form.
“Eh, it’s as dolled-up as I can get,” the hyena chuckled. “Not all of us take as naturally to suits and ties as you Octavinelle folks do.”
“Oh? Am I to assume there’s a compliment buried in such words?” the taller mage leaned down, his grin widening.
“Trust me, you’ll get plenty of compliments tonight in a fit like that,” Ruggie smirked, fingers trailing across his boyfriend’s perfectly tailored outfit.
“Ah,” Jade paused, leaning until their faces were only an inch apart. “But I’d really like to hear one from you~”
Ruggie ducked under his arm, desperately hiding the blush painting his face. “Great Seven, you’re just as bad as your brother sometimes.”
“Are you saying you’d rather date Floyd?” he sniffled, clutching his heart dramatically.
“Oh knock it off,” Ruggie playfully punched his boyfriend’s shoulder. “As if I have the energy for that.”
“Besides,” he added, taking Jade’s hand in his own. “He isn’t half as handsome as you.”
“Eh? Suckerfish is so mean!” a louder voice whined from down the hall.
“Floyd, you were supposed to meet us at the mirror.” The warmth had left Jade’s face in an instant, replaced with its typical state of apathy-bordering-on-annoyance. “Now you’re going to have half the dorm down our throats for bothering them during quiet hours.”
“But you were taking forever and I was suuuuuuper bored in there,” he whined, leaning against his brother’s shoulder dramatically.
“I thought Riddle was with you?”
“Goldfishie went to go yell at the freshmen for breaking one of the rules and left me all alone.”
Jade sighed, patting his twin’s head. “I see. I’m sure he’ll be right back. I’ve never seen him be tardy before. Why don’t you run ahead? We’ll be there in just a second.”
“Okay!” Floyd chirped, as if he hadn’t been nearly to tears moments before. Ruggie inhaled sharply, trying his best to hold back a laugh as Floyd bolted towards the exit. It always surprised him how easily the Tweels took to running, especially compared to Azul.
“I apologize for my brother,” Jade sighed, slicking back his hair with his fingers.
“I don’t mind,” Ruggie replied with a smirk, resting his hands behind his head. “I think it’s adorable. The soft side of the oh-so-terrifying Leech twins.”
“Well, if terrifying is what you prefer,” he grinned widely, showing off his shark-like teeth. “I don’t mind~”
Ruggie shivered, bested again. “Alright, tough guy. Let’s get this over with.”
-
Ruggie had been to many of these sorts of parties before, but never as a guest. Chef, waiter, janitor, valet- he was your guy. But this was completely uncharted territory.
He barely even understood the context, in all honesty. It was some sort of celebration of a business transaction or union under the twins’ parents. Hell, he didn’t even know exactly what their parents even did for a living, just that it made them a ton of cash and connections to powerful people.
Jade was a natural in such an environment. Conversations flowed smoothly around him as he breezed through the ball room, his arm linked with his boyfriend’s. Ruggie was grateful for the contact; it served as a constant reminder not to pickpocket the other guests. It also helped that he naturally tended to blend in. Even dressed up like a rich person, they could all tell what he really was. He knew it.
“Ah, Floyd is causing trouble again. I’ll be right back, then we can raid the buffet table and find a place to hide, hm?” Jade whispered in his ear playfully. Ruggie glanced at the dance floor, where Floyd had been pulling Riddle along for the past hour. The pair had finally taken a break from dancing only for Floyd to immediately get in a fight with another guest.
“Not so fast,” Ruggie grabbed the taller boy by the collar, pulling him down to his level. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Before he could answer, the hyena kissed him on the cheek, as gently as he could manage. Jade’s face turned redder than Riddle’s.
“For luck! And for you not to be angry when I swipe half the catering,” he teased. Jade nodded, too stunned to properly articulate himself. “O-Of course.”
Ruggie smirked as Jade made his way towards his brother. Finally, he’d outmaneuvered his boyfriend’s flirtatious teasing and emerged victorious.
Left to his own devices, he awkwardly crept along the edges of the partygoers. Luckily, passing for a commoner meant most eyes passed over him without a second thought. He glanced over the selection of food, calculating how much he could eat in one go and how much he could store safely in his pockets. A sudden tap on his shoulder broke his focus.
“Excuse me, boy. Can we get our refills over here already? We’ve been waiting for ages,” a posh woman in a dark dress sighed, positively exasperated. Ruggie’s ears twitched with annoyance.
“Get some yourself, chump,” he scoffed, recoiling from her touch. “Do I look like I work here?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed, looking him over. “You’re right. I’d assume any servers here would have some semblance of manners.”
A hand curled around the woman’s shoulder, fingers squeezing tightly around her skin. “I’m so sorry ma’am. Could I help you?” a deep voice cooed. Jade had returned, with a murderous glint in his eyes.
“My, you’re one of Mr.Leech’s sons, aren’t you? You must forgive me, I’m terrible at telling you two apart.”
“Well, you can always tell based on our eyes…and our boyfriends. This dashing young gentleman, who you’ve decided to be so callous to, is mine,” he smiled, wrapping his arms around Ruggie. The lady’s eyes widened.
“Oh! Darling! There you are! I knew I shouldn’t have come. A weak heart like mine was utterly unprepared for such vicious mockery!” Ruggie clutched at his heart, tears welling in his eyes.
“My dearest, do not fret. We can discuss this with Mother and Father later. I’m certain they’ll make sure all future guests treat their peers with the utmost respect.”
“M-my apologies, sir. I had no idea-” the woman scrambled. “It won’t happen again.”
“I know. Next time we’ll make sure the guest list is…refined,” the eel sneered, his head tilting to the side ominously. Two guards quickly emerged from the shadows, ushering the woman out of the room.
“Chilling,” Ruggie snickered. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
“Now, how could you ever do that?” Jade turned his partner around so the two were facing each other. His hands drifted to the boy’s hips, guiding him into a dancing motion.
“I maaaayyyy have swiped her wallet.”
“I assumed so. I don’t know how I was going to find out her name after this is over otherwise.”
The two glided across the dance floor, sending Ruggie’s heart racing.
“Eh? You’re serious about knocking her off the guest list?”
“Something like that…You’re quite an impressive dancer,” Jade quickly changed the subject. Ruggie raised a brow, but decided not to push the issue.
“Oh, a holdover from the Fairy Gala. Lots of dance practice, it was a whole thing. You’re not too bad yourself.”
“So many compliments tonight~”
“I can give you more once you lead me back to the buffet table, as promised.”
“Well, I am a man of my word.”
The two slowed their movements, ending the dance. Ruggie turned to leave, but was quickly dragged back, pressed against his chest. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Jade whispered, before leaning down and kissing him on the lips.
It was a short, awkward attempt, but it did its job well enough, leaving Ruggie speechless and tomato-faced. Jade looked down at him, as smug as he could manage with an equally red blush splattering his face.