Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If Chloe Charming took the time to list every lesson of etiquette she had encountered and internalised in her life, she’d have to spend hours chained to her desk with a scroll of parchment that spilled to the floor, with post-it notes between sentences to add the details she had initially forgotten. Overall, it would be a strenuous task that she would rather avoid, alas, it’s a task she undertakes every single time she’s in the same room as her infuriatingly whip-smart roommate.

The new semester at Auradon Prep had started a little over a month ago, and Chloe and her begrudging roommate had yet to find any common ground. In the first week at the academy both girls had actively avoided each other after their disaster of a first meeting. In the weeks following, both were teetering on the border of being called acquaintances, and yet that was enough to inform them that their routines, study habits (or lack thereof), and hobbies were entirely contrasting.

It’s logical to conclude that they didn’t like one another. 

Chloe paused, criticising herself for such a stern judgement, even if it was within her own head. It would be more proper to say that they weren’t the best match, or even that they were just slow to warm up to one another. She smiles to herself, accepting the rephrase in stride, though the moment didn’t last long before she was snapped out of her thoughts by a scratch of chalk on blackboard.

She looked around, the realisation that she had spaced out during her Alchemy class slowly sinking in. She let out a small breath as she got up from her chair, noting that all the students around her already seemed invested in the practical task of the lesson with their professor writing additional instructions at the front of the class, all while she had remained with her head in the clouds. Quickly tying her hair back and ignoring the irritating tickle of blue strands against her neck, Chloe flipped to the bookmarked page of her Beginners Tincture Guide. Running her finger against a stark white page as she muttered the starting instructions to the draught the class was supposed to be creating, she barely registered someone placing their bags down and sitting next to her until they started talking.

“I wouldn’t have taken you for someone who slacked off in class, given your perfect record that is,” they said with a teasing lilt. Chloe blinked a few times before turning her head to see none other than her roommate and the object of her grievances, “Red.”

The Wonderland girl flashed a smirk before going to rummage through her satchel; a white denim bag that was littered with patches, pins and weaving embroidery. Red let out a hum of approval as she pulls out the same textbook Chloe had been looking through, though Chloe notes the difference in conditions; her own edition had been kept in a displayable condition with a few slips notes paperclipped to some chapters, whilst Red’s book had a multitude cracks up its spine, a scratched dust jacket on it’s covers and as she flipped through the pages onto the eighth chapter, Chloe could spot multiple paragraphs highlighted with little annotations and and doodles.

“You’re late to alchemy, again ,” Chloe spoke up. Red looked at her through her lashes as she remained silent to Chloe’s statement, “and why are you sitting next to me?”.

“It’s a paired experiment, princess. All our other classmates have started already, too.” Red responds, reaching across their shared workbench to switch on the heating mantle underneath a miniature tin cauldron, “And if you’re going to complain about my tardiness, I get to point out how you should have completed instructions one through five instead of having your head in the clouds.”

Chloe took a deep breath, plastering on a smile. “Let’s call it even and try to get our drought done then.” Red responds with a half-hearted thumbs up, “I’ll measure out the powdered copper whilst you stew the holly sprigs in rosehip oil then.”

Chloe hums, diligently carrying out her tasks in silence alongside the other girl. She would have even argued that it was a comfortable silence, so long as you ignored the occasional murmurings and an awkward squeak of a chair as they tried to manoeuvre past each other and the exponentially increasing clutter of ingredients on the counter. Though, of course with their track record, the two would eventually splinter the peaceful reverie they were in.

“What are you doing?” Chloe asked, brows furrowed as her attention centres on the glistening cichlid scales in Red’s palm.

“Adding more ingredients to the cauldron?” Red answers, placing her free hand on her hip.

“That seems like too many…”

“I’m sure an extra scale or three wouldn’t hurt.”

The blue-haired girl shakes her head, going to stand next to Red as she flips to the next page of her textbook. Chloe grins once she finds the instruction she was searching for, tapping her ring against it for emphasis, “ Hah! See?”. Red leans forward, causing a few crimson strands of her hair to fall across her cheekbones.

“We’re supposed to add one scale, and gradually increase the amount to seven”

Red shrugged, looking at her palm and removing two of the delicate scales to place back into the ingredients jar. “I’ve got seven in my palm - we’re all good to put them in now.”

“But you’re supposed to add them gradually!”

“I think we’ll live, this is beginner's alchemy. What’s the worst that could happen?” Red proceeded to drop her voice into a hushed whisper, “Besides , we’re literally the last two left with anything to do in this class, everyone else has left.”

Chloe looked around, slightly shocked to find that Red was right. How had she not noticed all their other classmates leaving? Sighing, she looked to the corner of the classroom to see that their alchemy professor was passing the additional time by grading a pile of essays. “Still… Shouldn’t we just follow the guide? We’re already here after the class’s hour ended, so might as-”

“Oops.”

Chloe snapped her attention to Red and their cauldron, which had just received all seven cichlid scales at once. “Red!” she hissed under her breath.

“What? My hand slipped,” Red responded with an exaggerated pout, “Anyway, the draught looks exactly like it should.” She does a sweeping motion with her arms, and Chloe looks into the cauldron to see the murky reddish-brown liquid inside start to bubble and golden as per the textbook illustrated.

“You can start praising me for saving us thirty minutes now.”

“I hardly think that praise-” Chloe stops herself at the sight of Red; the girl is leaning back against the workbench with her arms crossed, her eyes are squinted in amusement and she has this smirk plastered on her face that irks Chloe enough that she wants to find a way to wipe it off. “Oh, you’re joking.”

“Obviously, princess.”

The Wonderland girl lets out a laugh, and walks past Chloe to pick up her bag. “See how bending the rules doesn’t lead to havoc all the time?”. 

Chloe shrugs, reaching to take down her hair, “Just don’t make a habit of it, please.”

“No promises,” Red chuckles before murmuring to herself, “Besides, oh what was that saying… There’s so much more here than in Wonderland... Ah, no harm, no foul. Right?” She grins wildly.

Though what the two girls failed to notice during their conversation was the morphing and excessive bubbling of what was supposed to be their draught to counteract common poisons. A violent whistle sounded out, followed by the contents of the cauldron shooting upwards. Both Chloe and Red had stumbled back, hands protectively placed over their own heads as they took in the new scene; their cauldron had now become discoloured and fractured, their workbench slightly scorched and spoiled by the spillage of ingredients, and the ceiling had been stained with their coursework, which was crystallising at an alarmingly fast rate.

“Do you think Professor Arnault noticed..?” Chloe whispers, wide-eyed and staring up at the purple liquid dripping from the ceiling. 

She grimaces a moment later when said professor's voice rang out from the other side of the room, “Miss Charming! Miss Hearts! What in Merlin's name have you two done? To the principal's office, now!”

“I’d say so, yeah,” Red whispers back.

- ⚔ -

Both the girls had been escorted to sit inside principal Uma’s office and were told to wait until they were able to be seen. Chloe had a sour expression on her face as she sat up straight. Red looked more bored than distressed, and had sprawled herself across the mahogany chair next to Chloe’s. Both were now in an awkward silence once Red’s amused expression was met with Chloe’s apprehensive frown.

Chloe tapped her glass heel against the floor, making a repetitive noise a few paces faster than the grandfather clock in the corner. She’d never been in much trouble in the past, let alone being sent to the principal's office, and that fact was slowly working its way back and forth through her mind. She chewed on the inside of her cheek anxiously. Would her parents be notified? How will this reflect on her report cards? Is Chad going to tease her every time he comes home to visit? That last possibility is the worst outcome in her mind.

Various questions kept popping up, and it took a moderate amount of willpower for Chloe to distract herself from her thoughts. She inhaled slowly, noting the thick fragrance of tulips that were surely growing outside the stained glass windows of the office. Chloe kept herself occupied by studying the details of the office she was in for quite a while, but as minutes stretched on, she grew bored of refocusing on the gold detailing of the tallest bookcase for the third time. She blinked, before tentatively looking over to look at Red. The other princess had her eyes closed and head leant back on the back of the chair she lounged on.

Was she seriously relaxed enough to nap? 

Chloe frowned and rolled her eyes, she was tempted to wake the other girl up as a form of petty revenge. Though that train of thought didn’t go far before the loud swing of the office doors snapped her out of her plotting, and Red out of her light slumber.

“With the amount of time I have to spend in meetings, I’m surprised I get to interact with any of my students at all,” the powerful voice of their principal announced. The ex-pirate rounded the corner to sit across from the two students, leaning back on her chair and putting her boots up on the ornate desk. “Though it would be nice to meet more of my students under more positive circumstances,” principal Uma pauses, taking a look at the two girls. “So, can one of you explain to me why I received a note during my school board meeting about sudden property damage?”

“It was minor property damage-” Red started, before being cut off by Chloe. “We’re so sorry!”.

Uma raised her brows, slightly amused. “Still, Miss Hearts. Property damage is typically something you’d get written up for, no matter how tiny it is.” The older woman looked to Chloe, noting her anxious expression. “Though , I suppose I could let it slide as long as you tell me what happened and promise to be more careful next time.” There was a beat of silence. “Well? Don’t leave me hanging, I want to know how you both blew up a cauldron in a beginners alchemy class.”

“We were trying to make an antidote to common poisons…” Chloe answered, feeling her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. “It was going well but then… There was a little issue with the ingredients.”

Uma hummed, leaning forward to take out a quill and note down the details on a form she had pulled from the top drawer of her desk. “Anything more specific?”

Chloe blinked, looking to her side to see Red playing with the tips of her own hair. She cleared her throat, and Red met her gaze. A moment later, the Wonderland princess gave a small sigh. “I was the one who may have… Been a bit generous with the dosage.”

“‘Generous’ is the term we’re going with?” Chloe frowned. She could think of a million other descriptors that were more accurate.

“Would you like me to list some synonyms for you?” Red retorted, shooting a scathing glare to the blue-haired girl.

Chloe opened her mouth to reply, though Uma had beaten her to it with two firm clicks of her finger. “Okay, you two, calm it.” The principal sighed, scratching on a signature to a second piece of paper that she paperclipped to the form she had been working on. “Luckily for you both, the damage will be taken care of as this academy isn’t exactly worried about its funds, and, I won’t be writing a letter home to your parents given that what happened seemed enough like an accident.”

Principal Uma rose from her chair, “You both are dismissed. But I promise you I won’t be as lenient if I see you both in my office next time. Now head back to your dorms, and I better not hear you two arguing in the hallway as soon as I close my office doors.”

The two girls rose up after their dismissal, heading to the door. “Oh, Miss Hearts and Miss Charming?” Both paused. “I’m hoping you’ll get along better in the future, I’ve had a few complaints about your disruptive interactions, which I may feel more compelled to write to home about if they continue.”

“We’ll make more of an effort to be friendly,” Chloe answered, nodding quickly. Meanwhile, Red crossed her arms and gave a noncommittal shrug, “Yeah, what she says.”

Uma looked between the both of them and shook her head before giving a flicking hand gesture to signal to the two that they were allowed to leave.

- ⚔ -

As the doors to principal Uma’s office closed behind them, Chloe and Red made it past the main stairwell and the corridor towards their shared dorm before one of them decided to speak.

“I can’t believe you got us in trouble,” Chloe huffed. Red snorted in amusement at the other girl's snippy tone. “I’d hardly classify that as actual trouble.”

“I had half a mind to ask for a new roommate!”

Red paused her search for her keys in her bag in order to put her hand to her chest and let out a theatrical gasp, “Well we can't have that. How could I go on in life if I’m unable to trip over all your sports gear by our desks?”

“Hey! At least I don’t leave spray cans across the floor!”

“That was one time! How was I supposed to know they’d roll out of my bag?”

“Because you flung the bag across the room maybe?”

The two girls grumbled, still facing each other but looking everywhere but forwards. “Listen,” Chloe starts, “I’d rather not get sent back to principal Uma’s office and have my parents get notified about whatever issue we’re going to crash into next.”

“That’s something we can agree on. I’d rather attend my Remedial Goodness classes than get a scathing letter from my mom.”

“Which means we’ve got to find a solution to avoid our disagreements.”

“Like ignoring each other's existence?”

“What? No! We literally live together, that would never work.”

Red huffs, pausing her search for her keys in her bag to face Chloe. She has one arm bent to support her leaning frame against their door and a bored expression, “Well we could always switch dorms then?”

“That would require parental permission.”

“You’ve looked into the fine print of the forms then?” 

There’s an awkward pause before Chloe sighs, changing the topic, “Look, we can’t keep hating each other all year.”

“Oh, don’t sell yourself short, princess , I’m sure we can if we put the effort in,” Red replies, a cheshire smirk plasters itself onto her face to reveal perfectly white teeth.

Chloe ignores the other girl's remark and carries on, “So, I suggest we allocate a few hours every week to get to know each other more, and maybe, we’ll find some common ground.”

Red scrunches her nose a little as she thinks. Chloe offers up her hand as she adds to her previous point, “It’s either that or we try to tell our parents about all the small arguments, and minor property damage, that led to us requesting a room change.”

Not a second later, Red grabs her hand and shakes it, “Fine”. Chloe smiles, feeling slightly triumphant whilst mentally preparing herself for what’s to come.

Chapter Text

As per their agreement, the two girls had met after classes, exactly a week after being sent to the principal's office.

Chloe hummed to herself, waiting outside of their dorm as Red got ready with her given instruction to dress comfortably. The two had agreed Chloe would be the one to plan their first hangout (based on the fact that Red had attempted, on multiple occasions, to convince Chloe that thirty minutes of small talk between classes was sufficient enough to get to know one another).

Chloe huffed, placing the cold water bottle in her hand against her cheek. A small heatwave had run its way through Auradon, and given the humidity, Chloe had resigned to painstakingly trying to tie all her hair up to avoid the creeping effects of heat.

A few more minutes of waiting occurred before Red exited their dorm, and to Chloe’s surprise, she had abandoned her usual leather outfits. Instead of her combat boots, Red wore a pair of well-loved Converse. The rest of her outfit consisted of denim shorts, a red tank top with decorative zips and sewn on hearts across the fabric, and black mesh gloves that went up to her elbows. Reaching to lock the door behind her, Red met Chloe with an exasperated expression, “If I pass away from this heat, I’m blaming you.”

“What a level-headed reaction,” Chloe replied, trying to prevent the corners of her lips from tugging upwards. “Anyway, if I survived Swords and Shields practice today, you can handle the short journey to where we’re going.”

Red wrinkled her nose, going to follow Chloe as she started walking down the corridor towards the main doors of the building, “You’ve had all your life to get used to Auradon weather, whilst I’ve had two months to acclimate. Give me some mercy here princess.”

Chloe tilted her head slightly, curiosity peeking, “What’s Wonderland’s climate like then?”. 

Red was silent for a moment before replying, “Different.”

“How descriptive, ” Chloe comments, keeping a steady pace as they exited the building they were in. As the pair crossed the front courtyard of their academy, Chloe made sure to give a little wave to a few people she recognised from her classes. Behind her, Red had plucked a rose from one of the flowerbeds they had passed and kept her head down as she started to twist the petals. Eventually, the two stopped by the school's driveway. Chloe glanced at her watch to check the time, “Our ride should be here soon.”

“Thank Merlin,” Red murmured, placing the rose she had plucked by the edge of a fountain to her right, “What did you plan anyway?”

“You’ll find out.”

“But what if I want to know now?”

“Tough luck,” Chloe answered, though she was quick to add to her words, “But I’d be happy to give you a hint if you actually answer my question about Wonderland.”

Red looked unimpressed, but soon provided some context to her grumpier-than-usual attitude, “It’s much less humid.”

“Is that so?”

“I wouldn’t have a wardrobe made up of mostly leather items if this,” Red gestured around her, “-was my environment for the past sixteen years of my life.”

Chloe shrugged, “Good point.”

“Do I get my hint now?”

Chloe smiled and gave a small nod, “Hm, a hint…” She tapped her foot on the ground as she gave it some thought, “Stained glass.”

“ That’s it? ” Red whined, “Most windows in this kingdom are stained glass.”

“You never said I had to give a good hint!”

“It was implied ,” Red grumbled. Chloe glanced at the slightly bitter girl, watching as Red tried to figure out where they were going to no avail. She remained that way until a car had pulled up in front of them, only going to enter once Chloe had cleared her throat, holding the door open for her.

Red blinked before moving to sit in the car. Chloe had shuffled in next to her after a moment by the driver's side window to check that their chauffeur had their destination written down properly.

“You’ll love it, I swear,” Chloe says, “Oh, and Red?”

“Yes?”

“Put on your seatbelt.”

There was a small huff from Red, but not a second later the click of a seatbelt sounded. Chloe smiled, leaning back as they started their journey.

- ⚔ -

“A cathedral?”

“Auradon Cathedral,” Chloe specified, taking in Red’s unenthused reaction as they stepped out of the car they had been in for the past twenty minutes. She gave a small wave to their driver as he drove off.

“We’re in Auradon, aren’t all cathedrals Auradon cathedrals?”

Chloe smiled widely, “Well- technically, yes. But only one gets the title of ‘Auradon Cathedral’ as this was where the unity of all Kingdom states was declared official prior to our first King representative’s reign. Exciting, right? ”

“You and I have different ideas of fun.”

Chloe frowned, “You don’t like history?”. Red grimaces, giving her a side glance. Chloe places her hands on her hips, ready to accept a challenge, “I’m sure we can change that today.”

Red raised her brows and didn’t say anything, opting to walk up the stairs to the main doors. Chloe followed her with a skip in her step.

- ⚔ -

The Cathedral was nothing short of grand; with small details carved into the limestone bricks, multiple turrets that held a flag of one of the united kingdoms each, marble pillars by the entrance, and sloping roofs. They had come at a time where the place was near empty, meaning that Chloe took her time dragging Red around each feature of the building, murmuring about its historical relevance.

There was a casual back-and-forth, with Chloe saying a fact she’d recalled from her time volunteering in Auradon’s Historical Society and Red firing off little quips about past governing decisions. Soon enough, the pair had gone through the majority of the building's corridors, leaving them to stop at the very back at the Cathedral staring up at a stained glass tapestry.

Chloe had taken her time to appreciate the little windows of art, staring mostly at the piece meant to represent her own parents' fairytale. Feeling a small pang of homesickness, Chloe takes her eyes away from the glass to look at Red.

Sunlight spills through the windows and casts a warm glow around the girl, and if Chloe squints she swears that Red’s hair seems almost alight now that they had stepped out of the shadows.

“It’s asymmetrical,” Red murmurs, and Chloe’s line of vision directs itself to the place where Red is staring. She’s right - the placements and shapes of the windows mirror one another, but when the bottom of the tapestry is reached, there is a missing place next to Cinderellasburg’s window.

Chloe had never noticed in her very few visits to the cathedral. Her attention had always centred around her own kingdom, meaning that she never registered the missing piece to the vast glass art piece in front of them.

Walking forward, Chloe scanned the brick wall before she spotted a small plaque. She reached out to teach the engraved letters, taking in the small sentences. “That’s where Wonderlands commemorative window should have been placed,” she murmurs.

Red snorts, crossing her arms, “A bit petty of the architects to highlight the failed part of the peace treaty.”

“It’s an interesting way to remind us of our history, definitely. They definitely made an oversight by building an extension of the cathedral before getting final confirmation on what Kingdoms had signed on to unite.”

Red has a wistful expression on her face, still not tearing her gaze away from the patch of bricks. “I wonder what they would have created if my mother signed the treaty.”

“Something with a rabbit?”

“How original .”

Chloe hums in amusement. In truth, she really doesn’t know much about Wonderland. No one in Auradon does. But perhaps that could change in the future, so long as her and Red carry on with their little plan to bond.

“I’d like to imagine in some other universe, the treaty was signed by all parties,” she starts, gently gazing towards Red, “Maybe we could have met earlier in life and gone through our weekly agreement earlier and, you know, been good friends by sixteen.”

Red holds eye contact for a few moments before looking at the ground. There’s a mix of shock and vulnerability that gets wiped away in a near instant, replaced with an abrasive frown and a wary glare. “I find the fact that you spend so much of your life stuck analysing the past pathetic.”

Her tone is venomous and sudden, and Chloe does her best not to show the whiplash she got from the slight. Even Red seems slightly shocked by the comment that seemed to have tumbled off of her lips.

Chloe sighs, turning to head toward the main exit, not wanting to escalate. “Meet me by the stairs once you finish brooding, Red.”

- ⚔ -

“Hey, princess.”

Chloe turned, seeing the other girl approach her with her hands raised in mock surrender. “Listen, I’m, uh, sorry you were offended-”, Red paused, “Wait no, that doesn’t sound right.”

She frowned before carrying on, “I’m sorry that I was so…”

“Discourteous?”

Red looks like she’s biting back a remark, and Chloe is partly sure the girl may combust if she doesn’t give into her snarky habits, but much to her surprise, Red forces herself to carry on with her apology.

“Yeah . It wasn’t cool of me to act that way - I get what it's like having an interest only to have someone roll their eyes at it.”

“I…” Chloe murmurs, slightly stunned.

“And as another way to apologise,” Red went to take an item out of her pocket and passes it to Chloe, “here.” Red takes a deep breath, “I really am sorry. You were being nice and, well, I don’t exactly mix well with that. You deserve better.”

Chloe looks at the gift with a shocked expression. It seems that Red had taken a walk in nearby courtyards a bit far away from the cathedral, where vendors tended to set up temporary shops. Chloe remembers being led around the area by her father and being allowed to pick out one souvenir from a trip years ago.

In her hand currently was a medium-sized hair clip, its design mirroring the stained glass tapestry created to celebrate Cinderellasburg. She smiles softly, feeling a warm feeling spread across her chest. “It really pained you to go through with this apology, huh?” She utters teasingly to Red.

“Do you want the stupid hair clip or not?” Red shot back.

“I do, I do !” Chloe laughs, holding the present close to her heart, and when she looks to meet Red’s gaze, she finds an expression Chloe doesn’t recognise on the girl; her eyes were slightly widened, there was an absence of her typical self-assured smirk, and most shockingly, not a single ounce of guardedness.

“What..?” Chloe asked, feeling slightly nervous. Red looked away before answering in a voice so quiet that Chloe nearly missed her words entirely, “I’ve never heard you laugh before - properly, that is.”

“I could say the same for you.”

“Don’t expect that to change, I’m not exactly humorous.”

“I’ll choose to remain optimistic.”

Red rolled her eyes, turning away to start her search for their ride back to Auradon Prep. Chloe smirked, shadowing her, completely unaware of the genuine smile that had sprung up on her roommate's face.

- ⚔ -

Red doesn’t bring it up when Chloe routinely starts using the novelty hair clip to tuck away her blue curls before heading to Swords and Shields practice, and Chloe doesn’t mention how she starts to spot Red semi-regularly attending their History of Auradon lectures.

Neither of them even mention the new sense of comfort that's settled between them, even when Red chooses to sit by Chloe in their shared study hour, sliding a note to her about when and where their next hangout will be.

Chapter Text

“Are we going to commit a crime…?” 

The question is hushed and concerned, which causes Red to snort in laughter. The two girls are on the campus’ quad, with Red laying down in a shaded patch of grass, next to Chloe who’s carefully writing summary notes from their last lecture. Chloe isn’t entirely sure why Red has stuck by her during their lunch break, but she doesn’t want to jinx the situation, so she carries on with casual conversations with Red without question.

“What makes you think we’re going to become cut-throat criminals when I’m the one arranging our hangout?” Red asked with an amused lilt evident in her voice.

Chloe puts down her notepad and shuffles slightly to the right to look down at Red, “The only things you’ve told me about the hangout is that I should be prepared to go out late, put on shoes that I can run and climb in, and tie my hair back. Forgive me if I suspect that we’re going to be doing something that we shouldn’t be doing.”

“Running away from law enforcement together would be good lore building,” Red jokes, placing a forearm across her eyes as a stream of sunlight moves onto her face, “It would be a good bonding moment as well, and that’s our goal, is it not? We’ll get to half-friends in no time.”

“ Red! ” Chloe exclaims in exasperation, trying to resist the temptation to throw her Introduction to Politics textbook at the other girl.

“Okay, okay ,” Red chuckles, “I’ll put your mind to rest. I swear to your Fairy Godmother, that I won’t be dragging you into any serious wrongdoing.”

Chloe lets her shoulders sag in relief. She knows that it isn’t likely, but when it comes to Red, the chances of something chaotic happening were never zero.

Red moves her arm to the side, looking up at Chloe with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She rises up into a sitting position, reaching her hand forward, and Chloe forgets to breathe for a moment as Red’s fingertips graze the side of her face. A second later, Red retracts her hand, pinching a leaf that had fallen into Chloe’s hair.

Red’s pretty… Really pretty. Something which Chloe realises as she stares at the girl across from her. Had the other girl vexed her so much in the past that she was ignorant to the fact? Because now that they were up close, Chloe was entirely focused on the sharp angles of her roommate's face and how there seems to be amber flecks in Red’s eyes.

Her mind was blank with both awe and confusion on why she had taken to inspecting Red’s face. So much so that she nearly misses what the girl says next.

“Besides, princess, I doubt you’d be a very good partner in crime,” Red says smugly, unaware of Chloe’s small revelation. Red goes to get up a moment later, and as she picks up her bag and starts walking away without an explanation of where she’s going, she turns her head to call out to Chloe, “Stop catastrophizing, and be patient for Saturday night!”

Chloe groans in frustration, ignoring the looks a few nearby students gave her after Red’s shout. She’ll have to go through four more days of being in the dark about what Red has planned. Chloe leans her cheek on her palm, watching Red disappear from her line of sight.

She tries not to pay attention to the sudden feel of her heart drumming.

- ⚔ -

Saturday finally arrives, and they meet outside of the main dining hall after dinner, with Red leaning against a marble pillar, playing with the seams of her messenger bag as Chloe walks toward her. 

“Curfew to be back on campus and in dorms is at eleven,” Chloe reminds Red once she gets into hearing distance. Her roommate only raises her brows, going to stand up properly, “It’s a good thing that we won’t be wasting much time on travel then. Since we won’t be leaving campus grounds.”

Chloe pulls a perplexed expression which seems to amuse Red. “Well, are you ready?” Red asks, tilting her head to the side. Chloe firmly nods as she buttons up her cardigan, wanting the mystery to be over. 

Red starts moving, making sure Chloe sticks close behind her. The pair weave their way through crowds of students until they turn to walk through a corridor to a small courtyard on the east of campus. Red opens the door for her, and Chloe murmurs a small ‘thank you’ as she steps outside.  The crunch of gravel is the only sound the two create as they pass carefully trimmed hedges and intricately carved statues. They eventually cut through to more of Auradon Preps buildings and gardens, and Chloe swears the campus is bigger than she remembers it being on her induction tour.

It takes five more minutes of twists and turns until they stop in front of a large building separated from the main body of their academy; it’s made of greying bricks that are stacked to form turrets of different heights, which appear to have been morphed together. 

Chloe faintly recognises this building from a school brochure she had flipped through on her way to Auradon at the start of the semester. “The astronomy tower…?”

Red hums in confirmation, approaching the front door of the tower. She goes to rummage around in her front pocket, “Just give me a second to grab… Ah, here it is.” Red pulls out a warded key which she quickly places into the door's lock.

“A key..?”, Chloe blinks, “Where did you get- oh pixies, you stole it, didn’t you?”

“Turns out my aversion to respecting authority wasn’t left in Wonderland,” Red whispers back. A satisfying click sounded from the lock, and Red gently pulled the door open, looking back at Chloe. 

It suddenly sinks in that they’ve come here to break into the school's property.

“You…” Chloe’s mouth was slightly agape, “You said we weren’t going to be committing any crimes!”

“I said we weren’t doing any serious wrongdoings . Trespassing is a very minor offence, and does it even count as trespassing if we live on campus anyway?”

Chloe shoots her a glare and lightly whacks the other girl's shoulder, “It does, as the astronomy tower is shut on the weekends. Not to mention, another crime has occurred,” she gestures to the key Red still has in her grip.

“Ah, but we didn’t steal. I did,” Red hums, “Besides I’ll return the key before Monday, I’ve done it enough times by now to not get caught.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Using fancy vocabulary on me now, princess?”

Red takes in the girls apprehensive stance after she doesn’t reply, and shyly offers her hand to Chloe. “If you really don’t want to trespass, we can go to the quad for our planned activity. I only need to go up the tower for a brief moment to grab some things first, you can wait down here,” Red offers genuinely, her voice softer than Chloe’s ever heard it before.

Chloe considers it for a moment. A part of her knows this is wrong. That she should remain safely in the bounds of rules like she was taught to do all her life. But another part of her is tempted by the thrill of even thinking about acting out, so long as nobody gets hurt. 

She slowly nods, reaching forward to take hold of Red’s hand and interlock their fingers. Red’s grip is surprisingly gentle with her, and the warmth of her palm sends a shiver through Chloe’s arm. She takes a shuddering breath, her attention diverting to Red who is patiently waiting for a clear confirmation.

“Let’s do this,” Chloe whispers, squeezing the other girl's hand, prompting Red to start leading Chloe up the dark spiral staircase of the astronomy tower.

- ⚔ -

They had reached the top floor of the tower, and Chloe squinted her eyes in the darkness to try to make out their surroundings. There were scrolls with smudged graphite drawings of constellations across the walls, a few rows of seats to her left, and a large desk with a pile of leather-bound books stacked on top of it.

Red had dropped her hand moments ago, and in the corner of her eye, Chloe can see the girl rummaging through a chest. She soon returns with two handheld telescopes, going to carefully place them in her bag.

“Okay, now we’re nearly ready to start stargazing.”

“Nearly ready?” Chloe echoes, watching as Red goes toward a tinted window, pushing it open. “You didn’t think I’d settle for us looking through blurry windows the entire night, did you?”

In the next moment, Red had clutched the windowsill, swiftly swinging her legs over it and disappearing to the other side. Chloe rushed to where Red once stood, sticking her head out. Underneath the outside windowsill, she sees Red standing on a flat piece of roof, looking up at Chloe with her trademark smirk.

“I hope you took my advice to wear good climbing shoes, it’s time to get closer to the stars.”

Chloe took a second to calm her mind before she jumped down to meet Red, her fall and subsequent stumble steadied by slender hands by her side.

- ⚔ -

They had climbed across rooftops in order to scale a higher turret before deciding they should settle on a balcony, which had its original door walled off by wooden boards. Red had shrugged off her bag, passing a small telescope over to Chloe as the two sat down. It was peaceful, and the views tonight were idyllic.

“What was the reason you chose this?” Chloe murmurs, tracing the path of a constellation in her mind.

“Saturday was the only night that wasn’t forecasted to be cloudy,” Red answers, her focus evidently on the celestial bodies above them.

“No- I mean,” Chloe cleared her throat, “Why did you pick stargazing out of all activities? Not that I’m complaining… This is nice.”

There’s a beat of silence before Red replies, “We don’t have stars in Wonderland.”

Chloe puts down her telescope, shocked by a fact that Red had said in such a nonchalant manner. Red seems to sense the other girls stare, and supplies a bit more detail, “It’s an underground kingdom, remember? We have illusions for our day and night, but never stars.”

Chloe nods slowly, processing the information before focusing back on the luminous specks in the sky. Yet, she couldn’t truly focus on the sight in front of her when her brain kept circling back to the many questions she had about the world Red had grown up in. It only took half an hour before Chloe finally broke the silence, “What’s Wonderland like?”

“That’s a random question.”

“Not really,” Chloe rebuts, “I’ve asked before… Not to mention I’ve told you all there is to know about Cinderellasburg. After revealing so much about my kingdom, it got me curious about yours.”

“Do you really need to know?”

“It’s not a need but a want,” Chloe answers, “I won’t push you to talk about it if you don’t want to… But I’m not going to be shy about saying what’s on my mind. Wonderland’s a mystery to basically everyone who didn’t grow up there.”

Red is silent once again, and Chloe is scared she may have seemed too pushy. But soon enough, the other girl sighs, her usual bristles possibly softened by their environment.

“It’s orderly there, at least under my mothers rule,” Red indulges, still looking up at the night sky, “There are detailed books, portraits, sonnets, and various other art compositions in the palace - each section dedicated to a past king or queen. You can tell what kind of ruler they were truly like by the documentation of what Wonderlands' environment was like at the time.”

“Wait, what?”

“Wonderland is linked to its present reigning monarch in some ways,” Red explains casually, “The land of the kingdom has always been in a morphing state of entropy. As much as it’s supposedly full of wonders, it's also typically a place of constant change. For example, before my mothers coronation, Wonderland’s nature used to be wild and overgrowing… Now it's much more organised.”

Red finally puts down her telescope, not acknowledging Chloe’s fascinated expression.  “I’ve never heard of a place like that before,” Chloe whispers, wide eyes focused on the girl next to her.

“That’s how I felt about Auradon. All books on Auradon in Wonderland were published prior to The Rabbit Hole being closed. I didn’t know what to expect, let alone realise how much of our history classes were based on the past three decades.”

Chloe had never really recognised how much Red would have to work to acclimate to Auradon. She supposes that if she was in Red's shoes, thrown into an unfamiliar Kingdom with no one from Wonderland following her, she’d also be apprehensive of the world that rejected her presence before she was even born.

“...Did you leave any friends behind?” Chloe tentatively enquires. Red chuckles darkly at the question, “I was confined to the palace most of my life, I only really had our royal advisor, Maddox. It's not like any citizens are eager to befriend the daughter of a tyrannical queen after all.”

“Red…” Chloe frowns. Her hand creeps a bit closer to Red’s, but the other girl pulls away. “It’s not like any of that matters though. Why talk about one Kingdom when Auradon consists of several, right?”

The words Red had uttered were forced and awkward. Chloe chooses not to press further on any subjects to do with Wonderland.

“Hey, Red?” Chloe whispers.

“Yes…?”

“I’m glad that we’re trying to become friends.”

At that moment, the air seemed less tense. Because instead of the icy expression that had crept onto Red’s face, there was a very faint smile. 

Not one of her smirks or mischievous grins. An actual smile. Something which Chloe had never witnessed before.

Chloe feels a soft warmth spread in her heart despite the chill of the night's breeze. It feels oddly familiar to what she had felt at the Cathedral, but at the same time, it was completely different. 

She decides then that all the rules she had broken to get to this moment were worth it. Not for the stars in the sky, but instead for that moment alone with Red. This is something that holds true in her head, even when Chloe wakes up the next morning for Swords and Shields practice, exhausted from staying up on the tower with Red until the stars disappeared to give way for a rising sun.

Chapter Text

When Red got back into their dorm, hours after curfew had begun, Chloe had panickedly thrown a glass paperweight at her face. An action that had surprised both girls. 

“ Rabbits! ” Red had sworn loudly, cradling her left cheekbone that had been harshly struck by the small, glass bird that had somehow not shattered once it landed on the floor by her boots. Chloe stood in shock, forcing herself to take several breaths to calm herself as a wave of realisation and guilt washed over her mind, “ Oh to Neverland and back - I’m so sorry, Red! I didn’t realise it was you!”.

Red shot her a disbelieving look, “Who else in Auradon would be entering our dorm on a random Friday?”

“ I don’t know! It’s not my fault you just climbed through the window at three in the morning!” Chloe argued, walking away from the desk she was sitting at in order to flip on the lights witch for the centre chandelier hanging from the room's ceiling, “I couldn’t recognise you in the dark… I thought I was throwing something at an intruder .” 

“I’ll make sure to send out a warning message for anyone who wants to break into our dorm,” Red jokes, her amusement about the situation being a stark juxtaposition to Chloe’s stress, “Who knew you had such a powerful throw… Are you sure you’re not going to sign up to tourney tryouts in spring?” 

From across the room, Chloe had ignored Red’s question and was now staring intently at the reddening blotch on the side of Red’s face, “What were you doing trying to sneak into your own dorm , Red?”

Red clears her throat, untucking the hair behind her ears in order for it to cover the side of her face. “The only light that was on in here was your desk light, which didn’t exactly illuminate the room when I was looking from outside,” Red tries to reason, “I thought you had gone to bed, and I didn’t want to wake you.”

“So your logical decision was to climb up to our third-story window instead of taking your chances with squeaking hinges?”

“You’re a light sleeper,” Red replies, “and the windows open without a sound.”

“I think I would still have woken up to the sounds of you clumsily entering through the window.”

“I’m very graceful and quiet when I’m not having glass ornaments thrown at me,” Red snarks in a light-hearted manner, “and you haven’t woken up in the past from when I’ve snuck in like this, I thought there’d be no harm doing it again.”

Chloe pinches the bridge of her nose. She shouldn’t be surprised. For Merlin’s sake , Red had taken her tower climbing on their second hangout after all - the girl seems to have a natural talent for scaling structures she shouldn’t be allowed to climb. Though that knowledge doesn’t cancel out the concern Chloe feels at the thought of Red one day misplacing her grip and plummeting down to the ground. 

“What were you doing out so late?”

“Trying to find a genie,” Red replies slyly, “What do you think I was doing, princess?”

“A few students went home for the weekend given that we have Monday off for classes. I thought you packed up to return to Wonderland for a little while.”

Red looks at Chloe as if she had grown an extra head. It seems that that was definitely the wrong conclusion to make. But in Chloe’s defence, it wouldn’t be out of character for Red to up and disappear without a word, returning only when it fitted her own schedule. So after a few days of not being able to sight Red anywhere on Campus and finding no traces of her coming-and-going in their dorm room, Chloe assumed the girl may have gotten bored and wanted a break from Auradon life between their hangouts. But it seems like she couldn’t have been more wrong based on the other girl's reaction.

There’s a moment of silence before the conversation resumes, “I was out tagging a few new areas I wanted to explore.”

Chloe tries her best to staunch the many concerns she has with Red running around recklessly in the middle of the night, not wanting to sound like an anxious mother.

“ Tagging? ”

“Yeah - you know, with my spray paints?”

Chloe blinks, “I thought you got rid of them. Also, where are they if you were using them tonight?” Red shrugs nonchalantly, “You didn’t like me littering our room with spray cans, so I stash them in my locker now.”

It’s a simple gesture. But it’s one Chloe appreciates, though the small smile that was taking over her face was interrupted by a tired yawn.

“What are you doing awake, anyway?” Red asks with one brow raised, glancing at the books strewn across the messy covers of Chloe’s bed, “You’re usually asleep pretty early.”

“I had a spark of inspiration for the final section of my media project. I needed to get it done as soon as possible as I’ve been procrastinating finishing this assignment,” Chloe explains, crossing her arms.

“It’s not due for another two weeks though? Why not just write down your ideas and do it at a more reasonable time?” Red goes to sit on her own bed, shrugging off her leather jacket, “I doubt postponing it until morning would have greatly impacted your,” Red goes to gesture quotation marks for the next word, “ procrastinating .”

“...It’s due in two days, Red.”

“Ah, pixies ,” Red swears, biting her lip, “I guess I’m doing an all nighter instead of getting some shut-eye now.”

“Not so fast,” Chloe points an accusing finger at Red before taking three long strides across the room. She’s in front of Red now, looking down at her sitting roommate. “We still need to deal with this injury,” she says, reaching down to brush aside crimson strands of hair. Red looks perplexed at her statement. As if she had expected Chloe Charming of all people to let her go to bed without any relief to her injury, no matter how minor it was.

“Some ice would be good before this starts to swell further,” Chloe murmurs, gently grazing her thumb over the bump on Red’s cheek. The action causes goosebumps to rise on Red’s skin and for her lashes to flutter.

“It’s really not a big deal - this is the sort of injury you just have to walk off, you know?” Red says awkwardly.

Chloe’s brows furrow in concern, “No. Not really - why wouldn’t you try to treat an injury as effectively as possible? An ice pack now would prevent worse bruising and pain later on.” Chloe gives Red a gentle, teasing smile, “I’ll even go grab an ice pack from the kitchen freezers myself if you’re too stubborn to come with me.”

“I’m good.”

“What do you mean you’re ‘good’ ?”

“I mean that there’s no need to go and make a fuss about this ,” Red insists as she looks down, swatting away Chloe’s hand that had been delicately cradling her injured cheek. “A bruise is going to form, ice pack or no ice pack. I’ll cover it with some concealer so no one notices, your perfect reputation won’t be tarnished with the tale of how you fearfully lobbed a paper weight at your roommate.” Red’s words contain an edge despite the girl's attempt to bring back the conversation to a more humorous tone. 

Chloe sighs, before crouching down in front of Red to make eye contact once again. From her short but insightful experiences with the girl, she decides it would be best to get to the point, “You know I don’t care about that. I care about you , Red. And currently you’re hurt right now, because of me . So please let me try to make it up to you?”

That simple phrase alone evoked such a startled reaction from Red that you would have thought Chloe had kicked a puppy in front of her. The other girl's eyes were glassy as she held a reticent expression, her posture was stiff, and her hands were tightly clenched on top of her knees.

“I don’t need your help , princess. If I needed an ice pack I would have gone and got one myself,” Red says, clenching her jaw. “It doesn’t even hurt that- ” she swallows harshly before going to correct herself, “It doesn’t hurt.”

Never in her life has Chloe met someone so averse to accepting even the simplest form of help. And never in Chloe’s life has she felt such a pull to help someone. She takes a deep breath, knowing what she needed to do before readying herself for the worst of Red’s wrath.

“Neither of us want to be sent back to Principals Uma’s office, so I sincerely hope you won’t start shouting and waking up everyone in our dorm block.”

“ Wait , what-” 

Red yelped as Chloe swiftly looped her arms around her legs, picking her up with ease. Chloe had no issue throwing the protesting girl over her shoulder before taking long strides to exit their dorm, intent on getting Red to the campus kitchens.

- ⚔ -

Chloe and Red reach their destination with Red whisper-yelling at Chloe most of the way there, and when Chloe had set the girl down on the kitchen counter, she had crossed her arms and sent scathing glares toward the well-meaning princess. 

Why Red didn’t immediately march off back to their dorm is a mystery which Chloe silently thanks her fairy godmother for.

Chloe carried on unphased, skipping over to a freezer to rummage through it. Once she had found an ice pack in the top drawer, she returned to Red, offering it with a self-satisfied grin. The girl rolls her eyes, but takes the ice pack and places it on her throbbing cheek, letting out a shuddering breath at the cool contact.

“...You didn’t need to do all of this,” Red whispers, looking to the ground. Chloe hops up onto the counter beside the girl, bumping their shoulders, “True… But since it’s you, I wanted to help. No matter how stubborn you are.”

Red huffs, but doesn’t argue against Chloe’s entirely accurate description of her character. Chloe hums, raising her arms to stretch them, “You know… Most people would say thank you around now.”

“Don’t push it, princess,” Red replies tiredly. Chloe nods, accepting her small wins for now, “Can I ask you a question?”.

“I can’t confirm that I’ll answer.”

Chloe takes that as permission-enough for their situation, “Why are you so against people helping you?”

Red doesn’t say a thing, and Chloe holds her breath as she puts down the ice pack and jumps off the kitchen counter. Red starts walking away, and Chloe hand twitches instinctively to try to reach out to her. To stop her from running off.

On this occasion, she doesn’t (much to Chloe’s surprise). Instead Red goes to open the door to the kitchen's pantry. “Do you think they have brownies in here?”

“ ...Huh? ”

“Brownies… The little chocolate confectioneries,” Red clarifies, “I haven’t had some in months. Don’t tell me that Auradon doesn’t have them - that would be reason enough for me to dive back into The Rabbit Hole.”

Chloe blinks. Red is very obviously trying to change the subject they were on, but this time around she didn’t have the context required to do so in a crafty manner. She pulls a face, but decides to indulge her roommate, “From what I’m aware there’s only ingredients here, no ready-made snacks. We could make some brownies instead?”

Red grimaces.

“...You’ve never baked before, have you? ”

Red shakes her head slowly as her cheeks tinge pink.

“Okay, scrap that plan. I’ll make us brownies.”

- ⚔ -

With all the ingredients laid out before her, Chloe got to work measuring and whisking things together, trying her best to remember the steps her mother had taught her when she was eight. Red was perched on the workbench, staring at Chloe’s confident movements as she slowly crafted the batter for the brownies. Chloe had been aimlessly murmuring her small opinions about their classes until a comfortable air settled around the two again

“Do you bake often?”

Chloe stops whisking, looking up at curious brown eyes. “Not really, but I have here and there. I once tried to make my parents an anniversary cake with my brother, Chad. It wasn’t the best… But it was edible.”

Red hums, “ Chad? Isn’t that the prince everyone whispers about being adopted?”

Chloe snorts in amusement, “Chad’s just a carbon copy of grandpa, who looks nothing like either of my parents, so he’s not actually adopted despite everyone's suspicions… Though, I once convinced him he was when I was five. Dad didn’t allow me to have dessert for a week as punishment.”

Red chuckled at that, “ Oh , how harsh. I’m not sure how you survived that, princess.”

At the mention of her title, Chloe tilts her head as she allows her curiosity to spike. “I do want to know…” she drawls, “Why do you call me princess all the time?”

“Oh, I just forgot your actual name,” Red responds quickly with a mocking pout, causing Chloe to throw flour at her. Her mouth drops open as she wipes off some of the white powder from her face.

“I have half-a-bag's worth of ammunition,” Chloe warns, failing to stop her laughter from escaping at the sight of Red’s shocked expression. Red jokingly puts her hands up in surrender, “Wow, attacking an injured girl? That’s pretty low.”

“Just answer my question already! Or else I’ll have to pull out the big guns.”

“The ‘big guns ’?” Red echoes.

“Like asking for you to describe in detail why red is your favourite colour.”

“Okay, first of all, ew . Second of all, red isn’t my favourite colour.”

Chloe’s head snaps from the mixing bowl she had been holding to her roommate in an instant, “ What? But… But, red is so…” she proceeds to gesture to the entirety of the girl by her, “ You .”

“Well it is my name, nice of you to notice.” Chloe gives a disbelieving stare, and Red huffs as she carries on talking, “Red being my name is something I had no say in, and it’s a colour featured in all my outfits because it suits me, not because it’s my favourite.”

“So… What is your favourite colour then?”

Red smirks, going to flick some flour back at Chloe, “It’s a secret - much too personal to share, I’m afraid.”

Chloe groans, throwing her head back in defeat, “At least tell me the answer to my first question.”

“On why I always call you princess?” Red goes to confirm. Chloe nods, and Red scrunches her nose as she thinks of a way to phrase her answer, “I suppose it started because you’re the epitome of what a princess is.”

“I could argue that you’re more of a princess than I am,” Chloe points out, “You’re a crown princess, and I’m not. You can’t be more of a princess than that.”

“Yeah… But it’s more to do with appearances. You’re just so… Proper. ”

“So you started calling me princess to mock me about how regal I had appeared. But we’re on much better terms now, and you still call me princess. So what changed?”

Red clicks her tongue, “I don’t know… All I know is that I call you that title with a lot less scorn and a lot more fondness now. Though I’ll stop calling you princess if it does bother you.”

“I don’t mind it,” Chloe shrugs, “And despite the fact I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard you say my actual name before, I’m happy to settle for a nickname.”

“I think we’d have to actually be friends for it to be classed as a nickname,” Red says, trying to deny Chloe’s conclusion.

Chloe bites her tongue, sending a prayer to her fairy godmothers to give her patience with this girl. She goes to distract herself by taste-testing the brownie batter she had been working on, only to grimace when there seemed to be no trace of sweet chocolate on her tongue. “...I think we’re going to have to retry baking another night.”

“Hm, Why?”

“I accidentally used salt instead of sugar for the batter.”

A second barely passes before the kitchen echoes in Red’s unfiltered amusement, and Chloe can’t bring herself to actually care about her little kitchen catastrophe now that Red’s laughter is floating around her.

- ⚔ -

They both resolve to abandon the mess of Chloe’s failed baking in a sink for some early-rising worker to deal with. 

Chloe’s sure she would have felt more guilty about that decision if it wasn’t for the tiredness that started seeping into her bones and the warm feeling of Red’s hand in hers as they walked back to their dorm. She tries her best to taper down showing her excitement from the small contact she’s achieved with Red. Though she thinks the other girl may have noticed her broad smile. 

Red doesn’t mention it. Just like how she doesn’t mention most things. But the sight and the night's experience must have done something to her, because as they reach their room, Red doesn’t immediately drop her hand in order to get ready for bed. Instead, Red’s eyes flicker to Chloe’s as she takes a deep breath.

“Hey… Chloe? ” She whispers, and if Chloe wasn’t already sure about the girl’s nervousness from her body language alone, she would know now by the shake in Red’s voice. It’s such a distinct change in tone that it takes a few moments before Chloe’s eyes widen from hearing the sound of her own name on Red’s lips. 

She wonders if it would be too much to ask Red to say it again, but ultimately decides against voicing the request.

“ Yeah? ” she responds, her voice hushed.

“...Thank you for tonight.”

Chloe smiles, giving the other girl’s hand a squeeze before responding, “Anytime, princess .”

Chapter Text

Chloe is hunched over her copy of ‘The Two Gentlemen of Agrabah’ in her literature seminar when Red unceremoniously slumps down in the seat beside her; the other girl appears slightly dead to the world with her mussed up hair and slightly noticeable dark circles.

“Good morning sleeping beauty, I’m assuming you slept past your third alarm again?” Chloe teases with a large grin. Red frowns deeply, not bothering to reply before placing her forehead on the table with a groan. Red was not a morning person by any means, and Chloe knew this meant she’d be unwilling to face both the social world of Auradon Prep and their seminar’s demanding syllabus until she had a chance to properly wake up. 

Deciding to save both of them the future grief of Red not having any work for the first thirty minutes of their class, Chloe slides her book between them; Red will eventually perk up from her morning grievances and add some worthwhile annotations on the excerpt they’re supposed to be analysing. She always does. Because as much as Chloe knows that Red likes to complain about the limited choice of classics this class offers, Chloe also knows about her roommates extensive literature collection that she routinely rereads instead of sleeping at reasonable hours.

Alas, the secret bookworm within Red is yet to show.

“It’s never a good morning when we have an advanced literature class at eight-AM,” Red mumbles. Her voice is slightly raspy, given that she must have woken up within the last half an hour if Chloe were to guess, “Are you Auradonians allergic to having your days begin at a reasonable hour?”

Chloe shrugs, finding herself slightly amused with Red’s attitude.

“Try taking your complaints to someone who actually creates our schedules,” Chloe says, poking fun at the other girl in a light-hearted manner.

“But it’s so much more fun whining about things to you .”

“Lucky me,” Chloe sighs dramatically, prompting Red to reach out and take a light jab at her arm, “ Hey! You know I have a bruise there from practice.”

“That’s exactly the reason why I poked you,” Red responds with a self-satisfied look, “We can’t have Miss Goody-Goody developing an attitude, can we? I’m conditioning you to do better.” 

Chloe fondly rolls her eyes, “ True… There’s only room for one girl with an attitude problem in our dorm room afterall.” 

Red kicks Chloe’s chair leg in retaliation to her comment, and Chloe tries her best to muffle her laughter. Their seminar is currently in an open-discussion environment, but a few students have glanced their way since she started her typical back-and-forth with Red. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that they’re not discussing a deeper meaning between two characters, and Chloe would rather avoid getting in trouble with their teacher for straying off of class topic.

Red seems to be on the same page as her, as she does one final dramatic sigh before sitting up properly, scanning the few notes Chloe has jotted down in the margins of the book between them. She’s quick to steal Chloe’s favourite baby-blue highlighter and strike across a final bit of dialogue on page twenty-seven.

“ They love least that let men know their love, ” Red whispers the quote she’s focused on before going to write down the meaning behind it. Chloe peeks over her shoulder as she finishes her sentence, noting Red’s usual loopy handwriting.

“ Merlin, there seems to be misunderstanding after misunderstanding in this story, does it ever end?” Chloe remarks, trying to piece together the storyline in her head. She frowns, wondering how she’s ever going to recall so much information in next week's test.

Red shrugs beside her, “At least this classic is a comedy. It makes the misunderstandings a bit more palatable.” Chloe nods in agreement, and watches as Red flicks to the next page of the book. Red goes to circle a recurring in a lengthy monologue, and she starts tapping the pen against the page whilst mumbling about the author hiding possible double entendres.

“If you carry on with that, his face is going to be completely blotted out in no time,” Chloe states, pointing to the section of the page Red’s pen is leaving small dots of ink on; an illustration of one of the leading characters which had been down-sized in order to make way for more room in the margins for annotation. Red lets out a half-hearted laugh before going to draw a top hat and eye patch said character.

“ Hey- deface your own copy instead of mine,” Chloe scolds in a joking manner. Red responds with an exaggerated pout and wide brown eyes, “Aw, you’re no fun.”

“I’ll be fun later, for now, we’ve got work to do.”

“...So I’m not allowed to draw a moustache on the blurry little man?”

Chloe shakes her head as an answer. Red finally puts her pen down, going to rest her cheek against her hand. She looks down at the highlighter she had abandoned a little while ago, still uncapped, and proceeds to try to use it to draw a smiley face on Chloe’s hand.

“ Red, ” Chloe complains, her reflexes allowing her to quickly dodge the other girl's attempt. Red gives an overly-sweet smile, “ What? You never said I couldn’t draw on you instead.”

“I’ll scrawl pen across your white sleeves as revenge if you do,” Chloe jokingly threatens.

“Have fun with that, this is your blouse.”

Chloe blinks as her attention goes to Red’s outfit; well-loved patchwork jeans of alternating warm tones, a studded belt, and Chloe’s cropped, white blouse. 

How had she not noticed sooner? Chloe distinctly remembers searching for that very blouse a few days ago and finding it nowhere. It didn’t occur to her at the time that Red had decided to borrow it. She had just simply thought she misplaced it somewhere and that it would turn up eventually. Though she supposes she was right in that aspect, even if she was expecting it to reappear at the back of her wardrobe, not wrapped around her roommate.

However, the most annoying thing about this little thievery isn’t the fact that Red had taken something without asking, it’s that the blouse looks like it was made for her ; the length of the sleeves reveal a good portion of Red’s fishnet gloves, the low cut shows off defined collar-bones, and the colour… The stark white of the material makes the olive undertones of Red’s skin pop. Her eyes trail upwards, curious to see if it has the same effect on the girl's signature red lipstick. 

(It does. It really, really does.)

Chloe gulps. Her mouth feels dry as her focus on Red’s lips fades away, leaving her faced with someone who looks a little too amused.

“ Wow, ” Red teases, “I never knew stealing your clothes would get you so shocked. Maybe I should keep this to annoy you a little more, hm?”

Chloe’s first instinct is to tell her to keep it. Perhaps even encourage it. But she knows that’s absurd, because for the life of her, she can’t explain where the urge to tell her that comes from.

She settles to take a moment to recalibrate her thoughts before deciding to attempt to sink back into their usual repertoire. “I’m going to post you back to Wonderland if you keep stealing my clothes,” Chloe utters out, forcing her eyes to look at literally anything but Red.

Red, in her usual manner, is quick with her rebuttal, “Goodluck trying to return me when I’ve already set the receipt on fire - face it, Charming, you’re stuck with me.”

It’s a joke. Chloe knows it’s a joke. But that doesn’t stop her pulse from jumping at the words.

You’re stuck with me.

If Chloe had been told months ago that her reaction to Princess Red of Hearts , of all people, saying that to her would be an odd mix of excitement and something completely unidentifiable, she would have laughed. But here she is, not wanting things to be any other way.

If time travel were possible, she’d try to find a way to pat her past self on the back, as she’s never had a friendship make her feel so alive before (despite the fact that Red is yet to confirm if she considers the two of them friends).

“If that’s the case… Do you want to come to my Swords and Shields practice later?”

“What’s in it for me?” Red asks, ignoring the fact that she has routinely started showing up to Chloe’s practices unprompted. Chloe is partially sure that Red is skipping her remedial goodness classes to do so.

“Practice is right after my free period, so I’ll grab you a matcha latte at Sarabi’s Cafe?”

“ Deal ,” Red quickly says.

Chloe smirks. The two of them had slowly been checking out the local cafes by campus together during their free moments, and both had quickly decided that Sarabi’s was their favourite place to go. “I knew bribery would work.”

“It always does,” Red replies mischievously. There’s a brief pause before she goes to say something, “Also make sure to remember-”

“-to ask for oat milk, I know,” Chloe reassures. Red hums happily in response, going back to their class work at long last.

(If she notices the fact that Chloe’s eyes kept drifting back to study her face over reading the text she was now dutifully annotating, she doesn’t mention it.)

- ⚔ -

Chloe relaxes from her practice stance with her sabre-blade still in hand, noting a slight slight ache in her elbow from practising the movements of a quarte parry.

Swords and Shields practice can get monotonous and repetitive if the team isn’t actively sparring against one another. And whilst that’s something that Chloe would rather not tell her coach, it doesn’t stop her from letting out a sigh of relief once warm-ups stop.

Her teammates all retreat to the edge of the bleachers surrounding the Auditorium they’re in, talking amongst each other. Chloe follows closely behind, listening in as she goes to sip from her water bottle. The usual conversation flowed in the teams huddle; the typical annoyance about having to study for a core exam fast approaching, excitement about improving on difficult defensive forms, wondering how the first semester had gone by so fast, the blonde boy that was talking to Red-

Wait a second.

Chloe removed her head from the clouds at lightning speed, her state of casual listening no longer being in effect.

“What was that?” She asked. Her teammates gave her a fond look, with some letting out a small laugh. One of them, Victoria La Bouff, goes to point at the balconied viewing platforms of the Auditorium.

“My baby brother,” Victoria starts in an amused tone, “Has been trying to make friends with Red once he noticed she was the only other student regularly coming to watch our practice sessions. It seems he’s finally succeeded… I think?”

There are following comments after Victoria’s words, but Chloe pays them no mind. Because she’s found Red sitting in her usual seat in the viewing area. And two seats down is a tall boy who’s angled himself to face her.

He has soft features, over-conditioned hair, and a princely smile.

Chloe wrinkles her nose. He’s too close for comfort, though she’s not sure if Red shares her sentiment. Because the Wonderland girl seems to have abandoned the sketchbook she had on her lap in order to listen to whatever he was talking about. Though Red has her face trained in a neutral expression, not giving away any interest or dislike.

The mostly one-sided conversation continues with the two blissfully unaware that the team they had come to watch has taken a break. At this stage in practice, Red typically goes down to talk to Chloe. Or at least wave at her if she’s too invested in her sketchbook to head down the stairs.

This time she doesn’t. Leaving Chloe to stare up at her, unknowing of what to do. As, yes , Red is obviously able to talk to other people. Chloe thinks it’s great of her to do so in fact (even if the two have strictly kept their growing bond separate from any other friendships they have).

Chloe chews the inside of her cheek. She must just be annoyed that this random boy is interrupting her usual routine with Red. That must be it. Chloe would be the first to admit she’s a perfectionist after all.

Though when Chloe finally settles the matter in her head, she sees Red’s lips tug up into a small smile. And it sends her mind back into a small frenzy.

A smile that is directed towards him. Not her.

And if it weren’t for one of Chloe’s teammates shaking her out of her haze, reminding her that their sparring sessions were about to begin, Chloe is quite sure she could have been stuck making a hundred more observations. 

She sighs, going to re-tighten her shin guard and pick up her blade, ignoring the bitter discomfort that’s lodged itself in her throat.

- ⚔ -

Chloe is used to Swords and Shields acting as a vice to distract herself from anything that bothered her. And it typically only takes a few swings of her blade before she starts to feel herself calm down, but here she is forty minutes into active sparring, still moving with the frenzied focus of someone on the knife edge of desperation.

Now you’d think this would mean that Chloe is entirely focused on her immediate surroundings. But you’d be wrong. Because she’s making herself far too aware of the continuous interaction between Red and Victoria’s brother.

He’s two seats away from Red still, and carrying on doing most of the talking. Red seems to be allocating half her attention to him, and half to Chloe (given the curious expression Red has directed her way, surely questioning why she’s caught Chloe looking up towards her so many times now).

Chloe shakes her head as she refocuses on the sparring in the auditorium's rink. Her lungs burn as she pushes herself over an obstacle to face a taller opponent; it takes one powerful, circular sixte to fling the opponent's sword out of their hand - the force which Chloe had used was stronger than necessary, causing them to stumble back a little.

Chloe swivels round, breathing heavily as she lets the small victory wash over her. She looks up to the viewing platform once again.

He’s one seat away from Red now.

She tears her eyes away as she mutters a curse under her breath, running back to the centre of action with the sound of clashing metal ringing in her ears. She carries on with sweeping, offensive parries and feels her shoulders aching from her effort. A risky swing has Chloe’s opponent on the ground. But it also causes Chloe’s ribs  to be accidentally elbowed by a fighting pair near to them. She bites her lip, taking a ragged breath before manoeuvring a little to the left.

She tells herself she shouldn’t look up again. But she does anyway.

He’s next to Red now. Looking through a few pages of Red’s sketchbook. The very same sketchbook Red seems to guard with her life. (The very same sketchbook that Chloe hasn’t been allowed to peek at, no matter how nicely she’s asked).

Chloe feels her grip on her blade tighten, and the only thing that’s really grounding her is the realisation that Red’s eyes are still on her. Her heart is racing, and she feels rooted to the ground as the need to do something is building within her.

Though that something never really came. Because whilst Chloe is focused on Red, she doesn’t register her sparring teammates behind her. At least that is until she feels a solid weight crash against the back of her skull, cancelling out both her vision and racing thoughts within a moment.

- ⚔ -

An aching pain at the base of her skull is what Chloe first registers when her eyes flutter open. The second thing she registers is the comforting pressure of someone rubbing circles on the back of her hand.

“Nice to have you back into consciousness, sleeping beauty ,” a voice to her left jolted Chloe out of her thoughts. A warm recognition washes over Chloe. She doesn’t have to turn to know that it’s Red by her, but she does anyway; she’s greeted with the sight of her roommate sitting on the edge of her bed, holding her hand with care.

Chloe takes a few moments to process her surroundings; it’s dimly lit, she’s laying down on an uncomfy bed, and a slightly sterile smell has made a home in the room she’s in. Oh Merlin . She’s in the infirmary.

“How long…” Chloe starts, trying to find the words in her foggy mind, “How long have I been out for?”

“Just over six hours,” Red supplies. Chloe’s eyes widened. She tries to sit up, but Red immediately goes to urge her back down, “ Woah, princess, slow down there. You need to rest.”

“But I feel fine…?” Chloe mumbles. Red shoots her a disbelieving look that also borders on scolding, “That’s because we live in a land of magic that can reverse the effects of a bad concussion.” Chloe wrinkles her nose as Red taps her forehead.

“Seriously, you were so spaced out during practice,” Red continues, her lips drawn into a tight line, “One moment you were doing well, the next you were on the ground.”

Chloe looks away, giving a small shrug, “Yeah… I suppose I wasn’t in the right headspace to focus on things. I was… Tired.” That’s not true. She knows it isn’t. But for the first time in her life, Chloe is able to pull off a passable lie.

Red nods slowly, “I would yell at you to rest more, but I feel like you don’t need that right now. Your parents can handle that for you when you call them.”

“ My parents were told? ” Chloe gapes in shock as Red rolls her eyes.

“ Obviously ? I mean they got a call about their daughter getting wiped out during basic Swords and Shields practice. I think it’s illegal in Auradon for them not to be told, right?”

She feels her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She’s going to have a lot of explaining to do after she promised her mom that she’d always try her best to be safe when sparring. 

She doesn’t want to think about having to dance around the fact that she had lost her focus because she had been staring at Red… Because she was jealous of her roommate making a new friend.

Chloe wants to scrunch into a ball and scream into a pillow. But with Red still sitting attentively by her side, she can’t do that.

“I suppose we got lucky that I woke up when you came to visit me here, huh?” Chloe tries to move the conversation forwards. Red seems almost fed up with her words, because a moment later she’s let go of Chloe’s hand and crossed her arms.

“You don’t seriously think I left your side even once, do you?”

Chloe gulps, “But Red… It was six hours?”

“So? I’d wait for six more if need be,” Red huffs, “Seriously give me more credit Chloe. I wasn’t going to let you wake up confused and alone. No one deserves that.”

Chloe doesn’t respond straight away, reaching forward to grab Red’s hand. Red lets her intertwine their fingers without a complaint. Chloe looks up at the other girl, a small smile finding its way onto her face.

“Careful there, princess , it's starting to look like you care about me.”

Red pulls a face and somehow finds the willpower to not argue about Chloe stealing her nickname. She instead gives Chloe’s hand a small squeeze, “Your head is full of fairy dust if you think I don’t.” 

“ ...oh, ” Chloe breathes out. Her head feels a little fuzzy, though she’s not sure if that’s from the side effects of the hit she sustained to her head or the fact that Red had said those words with the most sincerity she’s ever heard. 

“Hey, Red?” Chloe asks, feeling a spike of bravery.

“Yes?”

“Does that mean we’re finally friends…?”

Chloe doesn’t miss the way Red tenses up before she goes to tuck her hair behind her ears. There’s a shake in her wrist when she does so. “In your dreams,” Red utters in an attempt at comedy, but it falls flat.

Right then is when Chloe decides that enough is enough. She pushes herself up into a sitting position in spite of Red’s weak protests, and she reaches to softly grab Red’s chin. She carefully turns Red’s head until they’re facing one another again, close enough to feel her breath tickle her cheek.

“I don’t want it just to be a dream.”

Red’s expression is unreadable as her eyes turn glassy. Her breathing has slowed noticeably. Chloe gives her a small, vulnerable smile.

“Do you really want to be friends…?” Red whispers as if the decision is something that Chloe should make a pros and cons list about, “I’m kind of a work in progress when it comes to things like this... I can be mean. I could hurt you.”

“Do you intend to?” Chloe asks.

“No,” Red shakes her head, biting her lip, “I… It’s fun to tease, even annoy you at times. But it would feel wrong to do anything worse than that.”

“Then that's all I need to know,” Chloe finalises, dropping her hold on Red’s chin to offer up her pinky finger,  “Friends?”. Red chuckles at the childish motion, but links their pinkies together anyway before shaking on the deal, “Friends.”

They both let the moment sink in, happy to reach this milestone. Red cheeks are flushed pink, processing that she’s finally let her guard down with Chloe. And Chloe wants nothing more than to hold her close.

She takes a breath, deciding now is a better time than any to ask, “Red…?”

“Yes?”

“Can we… Can I hug you?”

There’s a long moment of consideration before Red nods, hesitantly opening her arms. Chloe smiles widely, pulling the other girl to sit closer as she wraps her arms around Red’s waist. A few seconds pass before Red fully relaxes into the embrace. Chloe takes a deep breath, noting the smell of tea leaves and sugar that clings to Red.

She never wants this moment to end.

Chapter Text

Chloe finds reminders of her loved ones in every aspect of her life.

She thinks of her mom and dad every time she polishes her glass shoes. She thinks of Chad every time she sees Auradon Prep’s tourney team out on the campus pitch. She thinks of her close friends and fellow teammates whenever she shrugs on her Swords and Shields varsity jacket.

It’s simple to say that Chloe had expected the same to happen with Red now that they had officially declared themselves as friends, and whilst her prediction ended up turning true, what Chloe didn’t anticipate was the exceeding number of things in her life that dragged her thoughts back to her roommate. It was as if she had started walking through life with rose-tinted glasses; the more information she gained about Red, the more she desired to know. And when that information is freely given to her, she tucks it away with her beating heart and swears she doesn’t know how she got so lucky to have the Wonderland girl in her life.

Every single thing on campus can be linked back to her in Chloe’s mind. The amber pools of light casted by the stained glass windows in the choir hall match the appearance of Red’s eyes when the sun hits her just right. The refreshingly cold air on her morning runs reminds her of what it feels like to be around Red’s candidness after growing up in a world of endless customs and sugar-coated small talk.

Chloe’s aware some people would say that she was getting too involved early on. That she was being overzealous. That the friendship may fizzle out just when she gets her hopes up and has already given it her all. But she’s happy to prove any sceptics wrong, as it’s Red who she’s going through all the motions with. 

Her Red.

Everyone else pales in comparison to her hot-headed friend, and Chloe’s sure all the spectators to their exponentially growing bond would change their way of thinking if they knew what Red was really like once her walls came down. 

Because Red is the type of girl who would miss her entire chemistry class in order to pet and coo over a random stray animal. She’s the type of girl to stubbornly insist on holding Chloe’s books for her after her energy gets drained from practising her swordsmanship skills. She’s the type of girl to slowly teach herself French because of the multitude of nights where Chloe will slip into her first language when tired. She’s the type of girl to lean into Chloe’s touch and no one else's.

But what most stands out is the fact that Red is the type of girl who can be just as devoted as Chloe is without even trying (she just does so as naturally as a fish taking to water for the first time, causing Chloe to feel as if air had been stolen from her lungs) - meaning that Chloe is finding herself getting more and more attached by the day. 

They don’t stick to their arranged hangouts they agreed on at the start of the school year anymore. They’re around each other so often that their moments come naturally now. So, when their friendship had reached the milestone that was finishing their autumn semester together at Auradon Prep, it was hard to say goodbye for the period of winter break; with Chloe clinging to the slightly taller girl, thirty minutes into a hug that should have last ten seconds maximum, as Red promises for the seventh time that she is more than happy to write to Chloe during the time they’re separated.

- ⚔ -

It takes barely three days of winter break for Chloe to miss Red a painful amount. There’s no substituting the experience of waking up to see a mess of crimson curls peeking out from under a comforter a few steps away from her own bed. And so, with her heart heavy with a longing for a girl kingdom’s away, Chloe picks up a pen and writes her letter to Red until her palms are smudged with ink, putting caution to the wind about seeming too clingy once she seals the envelope with a wax stamp.

It takes Red just over twenty-four hours in order to have a reply delivered to Chloe.

Originally, Chloe had thought the fact that Wonderland’s technology didn’t transmit past their kingdom borders would be a hindrance to her ability to keep up to date with Red’s life. But it seems she had underestimated the quick nature of letter delivery through The Rabbit Hole. So, her mornings were spent routinely running down the castle halls in her bunny slippers in order to collect her mail, and her evenings were spent writing replies to Red’s questions whilst adding her own for the other girl to answer.

And though she won’t admit it to anyone, Chloe spends a good portion of her day-to-day routine re-reading the words Red had stained onto parchment with dark ink. She takes her fingertips and traces the shape of Red’s sentences, noting how Red dots her I’s with little heart accents and how she loops the tails of her letters. What was Red thinking when writing this? Did she mumble her words aloud as she wrote them? Did she take her time with the phrasing of each sentence, or, did she write down her thoughts within the same moment they arrived?

Chloe hopes it’s the latter, because whilst she’d listen to anything Red says, she prefers Red being undoubtedly herself.

Soon enough, everything starts stacking up with the constant back and forth between the two girls (with Chloe dedicating two drawers on her bedside table to store Red’s letters), and suddenly, letters alone aren’t calming Chloe’s constant desire to send things over to Wonderland. Thus, prompting a new tradition of small gifts from their respective kingdoms accompanying each letter. It had started with Chloe sending a small parcel containing a pair of earrings. She had been out in Cinderellasburg’s morning markets with her dad, and after passing by a glass craftsman stand, she couldn’t help but splurge on the certain accessory.

Soon enough, Red had sent a reply thanking Chloe for her gift, and whilst the other girl couldn’t exactly put into words how much she liked the earrings, she did send a polaroid of herself wearing Chloe’s gift whilst on a walk in her castle’s gardens. She looks nothing short of angelic in Chloe’s mind, and if Chloe decides to frame that polaroid in her clear phone case, that is no one's business. Especially Chad's, who seems insistent on teasing her about her friendship with Red at any given moment (it’s not her fault that Red’s eyes seem to shine breathtakingly in that photo, thank you very much ).

Merlin , she knows Red can afford every luxury under the sun, but that doesn’t prevent Chloe from wanting to absolutely spoil the other girl, and it seems that sentiment is shared, as Red promptly responds by sending her own gift; a thick history book detailing the rulers of Wonderland, with the royal family of Hearts seal embossed on the first glossy page.

She spends the following week pouring over a history of a kingdom that had been hidden away from any outsiders for the entirety of Chloe’s life. She traces the maps of landmarks she never thought she’d know. She whispers the names of past rulers, Red’s ancestor’s , as she dives into the laying effects of each individual reign.

Chloe’s never felt more seen in her life from such a simple present. Especially when Red carries on sending books from her castle's private library, now accompanied with little post-it-notes between the pages of any extra information Red can remember from her numerous tutoring sessions.

- ⚔ -

Winter turns into spring, and soon enough Chloe is marking off the days on her calendar until she can see Red again. Because whilst it's fun to carry on writing letters, she’s going to tear her hair out in frustration if she doesn’t hear Red’s voice soon. Alas, she’ll stop that impulse for now because she had woken up to an insistent knocking on her bedroom door, revealing several of her castle's staff presenting her with bouquets of flowers (none of which she recognises).

After allowing the workers into her room with a sleepy smile, Chloe takes the time to examine each bouquet as they’re placed down on her vanity tables, but only once she’s alone in her room again is when she allows herself to properly examine her new floral gifts.

Each bouquet is dedicated to one type of flower, and wrapped around each bunch of stems is a small, folded note. Chloe opens each note with care, her smile getting larger every time she recognises Red’s loopy handwriting. Every one of the messages names the flower and their meaning (and in tiny scrawl, how Red relates each meaning to Chloe). She can feel her heartbeat ringing in her ears, and that warm fuzzy feeling in her chest (which she’s learnt to associate with anything Red) returns) as she mumbles every word.

Loyalty. Confidence. Beauty. Kindness. Reliability. Cheerfulness. Ambition.

Her good mood seems to be skyrocketing. Until it wasn’t. As on the final bouquet, her smile falters slightly as she reads the associated word that came with twisting blue petals.

Friendship.

The word leaves a bitter taste in her mouth, and Chloe doesn’t know why. They are friends. Quite close friends in fact, especially after Chloe had practically bent over backwards to gain Red’s trust, and now that she has it and her friendship, she doesn’t intend to let go.

…So why does it feel so wrong to see that word on paper after all they’ve been through? It’s odd. It doesn’t look like a word anymore from how long Chloe stares at it, not even realising her too rough grip on the flowers the note was attached to, and soon enough, Chloe’s bright smile had diminished into pursed lips.

Chloe lets out a sigh of frustration. 

She was a good friend to Red. Red was a good friend to her. Nothing more mattered to her other than that, and she can only suppose the intensity of their bond would make any accurate descriptor of them seem inconsequential.

No other reason at all.

- ⚔ -

Several hours of polishing glass vases and rearranging flowers keeps her mind occupied and hands busy. It’s sort of cathartic to be focused solely on one task, and as she goes from one room to another, Chloe finds herself in sort of a daydreaming state. So much so that once the afternoon is reaching its end, Chloe is too busy going about her business in her castle’s library to notice she hadn’t talked to her family since yesterday.

“Chloe, where are you?” A voice sounded out from the corridor, carrying into the library through the slightly opened doors. Chloe puts down the scissors she was using to measure out a few inches of ribbon, a soft smile gracing her face as she calls out from over her shoulder, “In here!”.

Steady, gentle clicks of heels against marble floors get closer until they reach behind the library door. The soft creek of them opening is what follows, revealing the face of Chloe’s mother. Cinderella smiles kindly at her daughter, looking at the scattered workspace Chloe was standing in front of before walking over to stand beside her. 

“My… What have you got going on here dearest?” She asks in her typical motherly tone. Chloe’s eyes brighten at the question, going to pick up an orchid-like flower by its golden stem. 

“Red sent over a few bouquets of Wonderlands first blooming flowers. There were only so many vases I had in my room, so I thought I’d decorate some other wings of the castle with them,” Chloe explains, tracing a fingertip along the edge of a petal.

“So that’s the task that made you forget about having lunch with your family, hm?” Her mother says in a chiding yet teasing tone. Chloe gives a sheepish look in response, whispering an apology as Cinderella lets out a light laugh. She leans down to inhale the smell of the flower that Chloe had been holding up, “Princess Red of Hearts sent these, you say?”. 

Chloe gives an odd expression at her mothers emphasis on Red’s name, “Mhm! We’ve been writing letters to each other, um, recently… I’ve told you about Red a few times I’m certain?”

Her mother nods slowly, letting the information sink in with a carefully neutral expression before she reverts to giving Chloe her full attention, “I remember perfectly well, dear. After all, you wouldn’t stop talking about her during our calls. Or your letters home. Or even family dinner last-”. 

Chloe puts her hand up in surrender, her cheeks burning with embarrassment at the sight of her mothers smirk, “ Okay! I get it…” she mumbles, “I may talk about her a little bit too much.”

Cinderella shakes her head, going to place a loving kiss onto Chloe’s forehead, “There’s never such a thing as ‘talking too much’ when it’s about someone you care for, sweet heart. I do hope you know that me and your father are fully supportive of what you have with her , right?”

Chloe blinks in confusion, “Of course I do mom… I mean, when have you and dad ever not supported me making friends?”.

Cinderella seems to pause at her daughter's word, trying to water down her morphing expression of disbelief to shock (which Chloe doesn’t seem to notice as she carries on rearranging the flowers she had left abandoned on the table by them). 

“ ...Friend? ”. 

Chloe nods, deciding to launch into a tangent about how her and Red started the rocky road toward friendship. She’s aware her mothers confusion about her friendship with Red must come from the fact Chloe had spent most of the start of her term at Auradon Prep complaining about the mirthful red-head. Though as they grew closer, Chloe may have not revealed the full extent to 

After Chloe finally finishes her monologue (with some key, rule-breaking memories excluded), she looks up to meet her mothers gaze. Cinderella clears her throat, “Well… You both have certainly kept each other busy it seems.”

“It seems so,” Chloe bites the inside of her cheek, reaching to twirl a strand of her round her index finger, “I guess I just miss her in a different way I miss my other friends…”

“How so…?” Cinderella asks, her tone seems as if she’s expecting a certain direction for the conversation to go.

“I…” Chloe tries to order her thoughts, “Once I was able to get Red to be my friend, I knew I wasn’t planning to let go of her. But I didn’t think I meant it so literally, because every time I want to talk, I expect her to be by my side. I got so used to her presence that I’ve ordered her favourite things to be stocked in my room, most of which I don’t even like , for Merlin’s sake!”

Chloe notes that her mother seems deep in thought for a moment.

“That does explain why I overheard the maids trying to figure out why you requested cherries to be brought to your room when you first came back home,” Cinderella hums. Chloe feels her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

“ Mom…! ”

“Hush, dear, I think it’s sweet,” her mother reassures, knowing that Chloe has despised the taste of cherries since she was a toddler. Cinderella goes to lovingly stroke Chloe’s curls, looking at her daughter with a fond expression, her eyes not quite giving away what she’s thinking. Cinderella takes a deep breath before going to speak, “I’m going to go find your father, sweetheart. Do remember to come down for dinner, alright?”.

“Okay mom.”

“Oh, and Chloe?”

“Yes?”

“Do carry on being unapologetically you as you carry on with your friendship with Red… Your father and I would love to have her over some time in the future.”

Without another word, Cinderella exits the room with grace, leaving Chloe wide-eyed and confused on why she’s feeling as if she hit a milestone.

- ⚔ -

By the start of spring semester, Chloe practically launches herself back into her dorm room (having already abandoned Chad in the parking lot to carry her heavier items), hoping that Red had gotten there before her. Sadly, her hopes go unanswered as there is a distinct lack of Red and then the sounds of a whining older brother asking her why she packed so much.

Chloe rolls her eyes, and carries on unpacking her belongings as Chad continues to talk. Their parents are dealing with her spring enrollment papers and fees as she and Chad settle into their typical bickering sessions, and soon enough, the entire family is grouped into her dorm saying goodbye.

Chad teases her one last time about the boxes of letters Chloe’s placed on her study desk, and Chloe argues back just as fiercely that it’s not weird , and no , she’s not a hoarder , she’s just very sentimental. 

Neither of the Charming kids notice their parents giving each other a knowing look in the background.

Chloe hugs her mom and dad goodbye, and eventually hugs Chad with enough prompting and reminders that he’ll be off in college for a longer semester (meaning she won’t be able to see him in person for a considerable amount of time). And now she’s stuck dealing with hours tick by slower and slower as she waits for Red to also move back in.

One hour in, Chloe’s decided she’ll try origami to pass the time.

Two hours in, Chloe decides origami is overrated and gives too many paper cuts for the end product to be worth something.

Three hours in, she’s face planted on Red’s bed and decides to read through one of the story books Red left behind on top of her bedside table.

Four hours in, Chloe’s entranced in the story.

Five hours in, Chloe decides to stop reading when she reaches the bookmark Red left between the later pages of the novel.

Six hours in, she perks up at the sound of doors opening only for it to be her neighbours in the next dorm over.

By the seventh hour, her hopes are slowly fading and she wonders if Red is moving in later in the week. At least that’s until she hears a sickeningly sweet voice greet her after someone quietly opens the dorm's door without her noticing.

“ Hey Charming .”

Chloe’s head snaps up from her doom scrolling session on her phone, and she feels her heart jump at the sight of Red, who's leaning against their dorm's door with a mirthful smirk. Chloe practically launches her phone out of her hand (and silently prays the screen doesn’t crack when she hears it thud on the floor) and hurries to greet her roommate.

Chloe grabs Red’s hands, making the slightly taller girl stumble forward as she pulls her closer, “What took you so long?”

Red lets out a small chuckle, her eyes shining just like in the polaroid Chloe’s carries everywhere, “My mother wanted me to shadow her morning meeting with a few diplomats so we couldn’t get travelling until the afternoon… Though by the sounds of things I should have just skipped it if you missed me that much.” Chloe feels herself blush, but she playfully rolls her eyes before drawing Red into a crushing hug, “Shut up… You missed me too.”

“I did. I really did,” Red confesses easily in a murmur, letting the moment last before letting go of her. Chloe lets out a small exhale, looking down to surprisingly find no luggage to help with. “Hey Red… Where’s all your stuff?”

“Oh, that,” Red clicks her tongue, crossing her arms, “You see-”

Her explanation is stopped by the sound of a new voice, “Red! I can’t believe you left me to bring in your belongings.” 

To Chloe’s disgruntlement, she sees a shining head of blonde hair before recognising the face that’s carrying one of Red’s suitcases. Oh. It’s him . Victoria’s brother.

Red doesn’t seem to notice how Chloe's smile becomes forced, as she turns around with an amused look, “You really can believe it though. When have I ever acted as if that’s something that I wouldn’t do?” The boy looks to Red with a slightly entertained expression, and Red’s smile shifts into a smirk.

Chloe feels slightly winded by simply watching their simple interaction. There was no need for him to be helping Red, Chloe is more than happy to take that place. There is no reason he should be the one getting Red’s attention right now… The one making her smile.

Why was he here?

“Did you guys bump into each other at sign ins?” The question slips through Chloe’s lips before she can even think about it (she tries not to pay attention to the fact her voice rose an octave). And it seems she’s not done with being driven by her impulses, because Chloe finds herself moving to wrap her arms around Red’s waist and lean her chin on Red’s shoulder. The other girl initially tenses, and Chloe starts rethinking everyone of her life choices until Red relaxes into the casual embrace.

Carson looks at the two but doesn’t mention the protective hold Chloe has Red settled with. He goes to clear his throat, “Red and I drove up here together. From Wonderland.”

Chloe bit the inside of her cheek, “ ...Oh? ”.

Red went to squeeze the hand that Chloe had settled on her waist, “Carson’s dad is a diplomat who was staying over for a bit. Mom was too busy with new politics in order to arrange for me to be sent back to Auradon on time, so they offered to drive over with me if they could stay an extra week in the kingdom.”

“You could have written to me, I would have come to pick you up,” Chloe murmurs, looking at Red. The other girl has a soft look on her face, placing a hand on Chloe’s cheek, which Chloe promptly leans against.

“You don’t have a driver's licence, princess.”

“I could have gotten Chad to drive us!”

Red laughs, “It still doesn’t change the fact you’d be going out of your way to come get me."

“I hate when you use logic against me,” Chloe hums. Red gives a fake pout, “Would you rather me talk in riddles?”

“Only if you actually teach me how to decipher them.”

“That can be something we can do on a lazy night in together then.”

The words bring a blanket of comfort around the two, knowing that they can sink back into usual routines. Chloe is half-tempted to suggest they start tonight, only for her mind to be interrupted by the boy- ah, Carson. She forgot he was here for a second.

“Oh- Uh… Should I get the rest of your stuff for you, Red?”

Chloe is quick to answer with a sickly sweet tone, “Don’t worry about it, I’ve got her-... Ah, the luggage from here.” Red gives a questioning look to the slightly shorter princess but doesn’t seem to object to what she’s said.

“I’ll see you in our art and design elective?” Red asks.

Carson gives a dorky thumbs up before going to leave, “Sounds like a plan. Don’t miss me too much.”

Chloe certainly won’t.

And by the way Red twists round in her arms to face her with a curious furrow of her brows, she thinks the other girls figured that much out too.

“Now I sometimes miss out on the social customs and cues Auradon has… But I think even I can see that you don’t like Carson?”

Chloe wrinkles her nose, “I wouldn’t say I don’t don’t like him.”

“I’ve never seen you not like someone, princess,” Red comments. Chloe only shrugs, and she looks up to the Wonderland girl, “There always is a time and a place?”

Red snorts, and gives Chloe a small tap on her shoulder. Chloe lets her arms fall to her sides as Red steps away to pick up one piece of luggage, going to her side of the room to open up the trunk and start sorting through her items. Chloe takes the opportunity to lean against their door, her eyes fixed on the other girl. She takes in the subtle, soothing smell of tea leaves and sugar that has wafted into the room. She appreciates how Red’s hair shines in the lamp light. She appreciates Red’s presence.

Merlin . She missed her (And only now does the dorm once again feel like a home).

Red looks over her shoulder with a playful glint in her eye, catching Chloe’s stare, “Hey princess?”. Chloe hums in acknowledgment as Red continues to talk, “Since you sent away Carson, I suppose you can be the one to bring the rest of my stuff up the stairs. There’s only, like, two suitcases left anyway.”

Chloe confidently nods, she’s sure she can get Red’s items hear faster than Carson ever would, “You can count on me, I’ll have them up here in no time.” 

- ⚔ -

As it turns out ‘two suitcases’ was a secret code for four over-packed suitcases and six heavy crates of Red’s belongings.

Chloe falls down face first into her bed, groaning as she feels an uncomfortable ache in her biceps. She can hear Red laughing before there’s a dip in the mattress beside her. Chloe shuffles her body so she can look up at the other girl.

Red looks down at her with an amused expression, she’s changed into (Chloe’s) cotton pyjamas, “Thanks for moving my things.” Chloe gives a small smile, and closes her eyes as Red reaches to play with her hair.

“No problem… Though I would have appreciated you not packing half a forest to bring back here.”

She hears Red scoff, “When you spend the majority of your life stuck inside a castle, you’ll find that a library can be your biggest friend. Anyways, half of what I packed is stuff I thought you’d enjoy reading” Chloe smirks at that.

“Besides,” Red continues, “I don’t point out your extensive sword collection, so leave my books alone.”

Chloe laughs, opening her eyes once again, “ Hey ! A knight in shining armour needs her swords!”. Red raises one brow at that before she leans down to lay next to Chloe, “You’ve suddenly turned into a knight now?”

“Given the fact I was acting very knightly when carrying your stuff for you. That would make me your knight, actually.”

“You’re my knight?” Red asks with a teasing lilt in her voice, her face flushed pink. Chloe nods, feeling an unknown bravery lurch inside her as she reaches over to take Red’s hand, pressing a feather-light kiss on her knuckles, “Every princess needs one.”

“You're a princess too, Chloe,” Red whispers.

“Yeah, but you’re a crown princess,” Chloe teases. She’s used that rebuttal one too many times against Red in the past, but she doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. Red says nothing in response, but goes to sit up on her bed. Chloe does the same.

Both girls' bodies are facing each other, their knees touching. And despite not being under the covers, Chloe feels the room becoming warmer as she looks at Red. She’s sitting there in Chloe’s clothes, on Chloe’s bed, but for some reason looking at anywhere but Chloe.

Does this girl even know the effect she has on people? On her?

“Who says I’d choose you to be my personal knight?” Red asks. She’s joking with Chloe. Of course she is. But the small doubts in Chloe’s mind get the better of her, she goes to look down at her nails, retorting back, “Well, by all means, choose Carson if you must.”

Red laughs at the suggestion, “He’d be too busy turning his head at any nearby princes to be aware of any dangers around me.”

Chloe looks back up with a curious expression. She has no clue why that fact makes her feel more comfortable about him taking up more of Red’s time. Red seems to pick up on Chloe going deeper into her thoughts, and she reaches to poke the other girl's side, “ Please don’t tell me Auradon has an archaic notion that only straight couples should exist.”

Chloe is quick to shake her head in denial, “Of course not- An equality act was passed ten years ago.”

“That’s not long ago at all ,” Red criticises, “for a place bursting with fairy tales, some people sure are restrictive with the requirements for one.”

Chloe nods along, going to lean back on her pillows, “True, though I’m glad it was passed then, instead of it being something I’d have to address once I get involved in ruling Cinderellasburg.” 

Like a moth to flame, Red’s movements replicated Chloe’s. Though when she leant down, she preferred to rest her head on top of Chloe’s upper arm. Chloe reaches with her free arm to grab a thin blanket, covering them both. The only light still on is Chloe’s bedside lamp, casting a warm glow on Red’s hair. Chloe reaches to play with the red locks, weaving her fingers through soft strands. Red hums in contentment at the motion, and reciprocates by starting to trace shapes with her finger across Chloe’s shoulder.

“I never asked before,” Red starts in a hushed voice, “But it seems that out of you and Chad, you’re much more ready to take on the throne… And also the only heir that seems interested in ruling, given all the specialised electives you’re taking… How come you’re not fighting to be made crown princess right now?”

“Do you want my honest answer?”

“Always.”

“I always knew I’d assist in some form of ruling over my kingdom… Our monarchy operates a bit more unconventionally compared to others in Auradon,” Chloe lets out a small yawn as she continues explaining, “I’ve talked to Chad about it also during family dinner, and if things go right with his current girlfriend, Audrey, he’s aiming to be a king consort for the Kingdom of Roses rather than reigning sovereign for Cinderellasburg.”

Red lets out a laugh of disbelief, “So all this time you’ve been a crown princess and told no one?”

“I’m not a crown princess yet though,” Chloe reminds, “My claim to the title would hold more power once I finish my education, so I think mom and dad would prefer to officially bestow the title after graduation.”

“That will definitely be a big event. Save me a seat?”

“Front and centre,” Chloe promises. She looks up at the ceiling, letting out a small sigh. Red seems to have stopped drawing stars on her skin, going to shuffle even closer to Chloe, leaving their legs tangled.

“What are you thinking about…?” Chloe asks, the question slightly muffled by Red’s hair. Red blinks, looking up to meet Chloe’s tired yet attentive gaze.

“It’s kind of just sunk in that our time here won’t last forever. One day we’re going to be seeing each other over boring trade deals and diplomatic disputes.”

Chloe considers it for a moment, “Maybe it won’t be too bad? It’ll be me and you after all.”

“You can say that because you’re good at all this ruling stuff already. Can’t you just rule for me? I’m not all that attached to my royal title anyways.”

“I’ll let you borrow my class notes, but I think that’s as far as we can go,” Chloe answers. Red groans in frustration, burying her face in the crook of Chloe’s neck.

“...Hey Chloe?”

“Hm?”

“Promise that we’ll stay friends, even when we’re separated ruling our own kingdoms?”

“As if you even need to ask that.”

“I was just checking,” Red responds, satisfied.

It feels wrong to imagine Red anywhere but her side. The break between their autumn and spring semester was agonsing enough, and Chloe would rather not imagine how bad she’ll get if they’re separated for longer than that. 

She doesn’t want to give any of it more thought.

Chloe sleepily reaches to turn off her bedside lamp with a small click, going to wrap her arm around Red once again. The other girl's breathing is slowly evening out, and Chloe decides she’s willing to give up any feeling and function in the arm that Red’s lying on for the rest of the night.

“...Hey Red?”

Red acknowledges what she said with a small hum. Chloe smiles softly, “You never confirmed whether I get to be your knight or not.”

Chloe hears a small giggle from Red, “You’re such a dork.”

“Yeah… But am I your dork?” Chloe plays along.

Red taps her side, doing a bad job to not sound amused as she replies, “Fine. You get the job, you’re the only person I’d trust to do it properly anyway. So you win by default.”

Chloe’s relieved that the darkness of the room conceals her goofy smile.

“I’ll take what I can get.”

- ⚔ -

When Chloe wakes up the next morning, Red is still asleep on top of her. 

She decides then that her usual morning run can be skipped just this once given her situation, because she could really get used to this .

Chapter Text

Chloe’s been pacing back and forth in her room for the better part of the evening.

Spring semester at Auradon Prep has been going on for a handful of weeks now, and most things have been going fine. Some things are even better than fine; she’s kept up her straight A-grade status (as long as you include her resat macroeconomics exam, which she had gotten a C in initially much to her horror), she’s joined a few more society’s this semester, and she’s even managed to be nicer to Carson after her icy interaction with him on move-in day. Though the last detail is helped by the fact that Chloe is seeing him around semi-regularly, due to him and Red getting along like a house on fire after having realised their near identical class schedules.

And of course, it goes without saying that her and Red are doing well. They’ve settled back into their old routines with ease, as if they had never been separated.  In their current moment, they’re having one of their lazy nights in. Well… They’re trying to. But after scrolling through movie options for fifteen minutes and not being able to decide on what to watch, Chloe had suggested that they just press play to one of their comfort series, but Red was adamant that this time, they’ll actually watch something new.

So then that led to Red scrolling on her phone, occasionally murmuring titles and descriptions for Chloe’s opinion whilst Chloe occupied her time by polishing her Swords and Shields equipment she had propped up on the wall. But then that had led to thinking about future competitions. Which had led to mild worry. Which had led to her pacing around the room.

Chloe takes a drawn out sigh, and she wonders if it would be over the top to jog down to the campus’ gym for a third time today. She knows she should be pacing herself with her training, but with the reminder of the biggest game of the semester coming up in two weeks, Chloe has the urge to try to find a way to increase her strength and endurance tenfold.  She hopes that she’s not the only one on her team with these panicked thoughts. Though she’d rather not ask, because the uncertainty she’s experiencing is still far better than the confirmation that she’s the only one feeling this way.

Then again-

A high pitched ringing sounds to Chloe’s right, and her attention snaps to where Red is sitting on her own bed. The other girl seems to have abandoned her phone ages ago, because she’s currently sat cross-legged on top of her constellation bed sheets watching Chloe with an amused expression, resting her cheek against her hand. Red stretches her arm to switch off the alarm to her side with a swift swipe across the screen, not taking her eyes off of Chloe.

“Okay, times up,” she clicks her tongue, her voice coming out like soft honey when she addresses Chloe, “Care to enlighten me on what’s gotten you in such a state, princess?”

Chloe pulls a face, and Red chuckles quietly before patting the place next to her. Chloe follows her silent request with zero hesitance, moving to perch on the edge of her roommates bed. Red shuffles a little to sit beside her, the side of their arms brushing up against each other. Red goes to put a gentle hand on Chloe’s shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze as she waits for Chloe to say something.

“How did you know something was bothering me?” Chloe mumbles. Red bites her lip, trying to suppress a giggle, “It wasn’t exactly hard to figure out. Soon enough you would have worn a hole through our floor, and as nice as Graham and Megan are downstairs… Well , as nice as Megan is, I doubt they’d want to see us that much.”

“And the alarm…?”

“Was me giving you some personal thinking time before I addressed anything.”

“Oh,” Chloe acknowledged, going to lean her head against Red’s. The small contact alone sends a soothing shiver down her body, especially once she feels Red’s eyelashes flutter against her cheekbone.

“I’m just worried about Swords and Shields,” Chloe supplies with a small frown. Red hums in acknowledgement, “Why? Did something happen?”.

“Not exactly,” Chloe starts, “Everyone who's not benched on the team is going to be playing a big tournament in two weeks.”

“And you’ll do great,” Red says like its the most obvious thing in the world, “I mean… So long as you don’t space out again.”

“ Red! ” Chloe whines, putting her face in her hands in embarrassment, “Are you ever going to let me live that down?”

“Let me think about it…” The wonderland girl smirks before shaking her head, “No.”

“You’re the worst.”

“Then by all means, find another person to listen to your sportsmanship woes,” Red sighs dramatically, going to stand up and walk away with the flick of her wrist. She doesn’t even get to take a step away to finish her joke before Chloe wraps her arms around Red’s waist, pulling her back with ease. Red doesn’t fight against Chloe’s solid hold on her, giving out a small laugh as she falls backwards onto the bed.

They lay there for a moment with small smiles, and Red cranes her neck as far as she can to get a glimpse of Chloe, who seems content enough acting as a pillow which she can lie against. “Well, Charming, given that I’m a little trapped. I suppose I have to listen to your worries now, huh?”

“I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to-”

“Shush. I’m listening.”

Chloe feels her heart beat just a little faster, “The tournament isn’t just going against another school this time, there’s a sort of internal competition going on in the team with this match.” Red raises a brow at that, “What’s the occasion?”

“Deciding a potential new team captain.”

“ Ah ,” Red’s nose scrunches up for a moment as she thinks, “You’re nervous you won’t get spotted for the position…?”

“Mhm…” Chloe sighs, “Everyone wants it, and I do too… But, I don’t know, I’ve been training harder, but it doesn’t feel like enough.”

“Chloe…”

“ Sorry-... It sounds dumb, I know.”

Red smiles softly, reaching up to stroke Chloe’s blue curls, “It’s not dumb. It’s something you care about, which instantly makes it important.” Chloe melts into Red’s touch.

“Still, I know you don’t care about swords and shields that much. I don’t want to bore you,” Chloe confesses.

Red lets out a dissatisfied and possibly frustrated sound, going to wriggle out of their current position in order to turn around. She’s now facing Chloe properly, sat on her lap with both hands reaching to cup the other princesses face. “Don’t think like that,” Red says seriously, “I always care when it’s about you Chloe.”

She feels her next breath get stuck in her throat. Chloe sits up, her hands finding purchase on Red’s waist as she goes to lean her forehead on her shoulder. The pair stay in that position for a while, both seeming to be lost in their own thoughts whilst their intertwined with each other. Eventually, Chloe moves her head from where it was resting to look up at Red, “I care about you too… Just so you know.”

“I know,” Red answers softly, “I’ve believed it for a while now.”

Something flutters in her chest and her eyes dart down to Reds lips. They seem soft. Almost inviting… 

She’s close. So close to her. Just a small tilt of Red’s chin as she leans forward and Chloe could-

Chloe blinks in surprise at where her thoughts had taken her, and she slightly freezes. Red seems to pick up on the same tension that had quickly turned awkward, abruptly getting off of Chloe and her bed. She turns away, walking to the opposite side of their room where their vanity’s stood. Red clears her throat, going to look in the vanity’s mirror to fix her hair despite the fact there were zero tangles in sight.

“So… Uh, You’re coming to the game?” Chloe asks, mind slightly fuzzy and seemingly yet to process any of the latest conversation. Red sends an unenthused look her way, though the majority of her face is hidden by her hair. 

“I always do… What are friends for after all?”

She smiles, but it feels forced, “Always my number one cheerleader, huh?”.

“As long as you don’t expect me to show up in a uniform, sure.”

“What about a little blue hairclip to show your support?” Chloe tries to tease, but with the tone used, it’s obvious her thoughts keep drifting, “I’m sure I have one you could borrow.”

“I’ll pass, I have a strict colour scheme after all. I’m not sure if blue suits me all that well.”

“...I’ll take what I can get.”

- ⚔ -

In the coming two weeks, both Chloe and Red refuse to address that evening. All tense atmospheres and hidden urges were soon enough buried under more present distractions.

They go back to their normal rapport. (They always do).

- ⚔ -

Game day comes by way too soon for Chloe’s liking, but as she’s sitting down on the grassy field with her fellow teammates, she can at least appreciate the fresh air before the day gets too hot. She’s in the middle of stretching her shoulder, counting up to thirty seconds in her mind, when she starts listening to her teammates' casual conversation.

“Do you think I’d be disqualified if I took a fortune enhancing potion?” One of her teammates asks in a joking manner. There’s a few chuckles around before Celia, a new addition to the team who’s currently stuck with ‘benched’ status for the tournament, decides to reply. “That type of ‘potion’ is just a well-advertised ginger shot, so I doubt it.”

“Wait really?” Another teammate perks up, “Damn, why are they so expensive if there’s no magic in them?”

“Supply and demand,” Celia responds as she walks off to a crate of academy-issued swords. She picks up a few and returns to the team, handing them out. Chloe smiles in thanks as she’s passed hers, immediately going to slide down the sheath slightly to inspect the quality of the blade; for this tournament they’re all prevented from using their personally-crafted weapons in hopes to make things as fair as possible.

Chloe goes to add into the conversation as she takes a handkerchief out of her pocket, gently polishing the blade (which, by the looks of it, has seen better days before it was left to collect dust in some random store room), “If they had magic in them, then they wouldn’t be sold in every vending machine on campus.”

There’s a general sound of agreement from her peers at that. Chloe smirks.

“Glad to know at least one of you still has critical thinking skills,” A voice sounds out from behind Chloe, which causes everyone to whirl round to give their attention to the source: their couch, standing with his arms crossed and a mildly amused expression.

“Whilst I know you all know better ,” he starts, “I do have to clarify that I will have to write anyone up if they’re caught with anything to enhance their performances. So put any rings, trinkets, or anything else that may have been enchanted by your fairy godmothers away.” There’s a murmur of agreement before their coach sighs, bringing the clipboard they had in one hand to check off attendance.

“Alright,” he starts with a small clap, “You all know what to do by now. Finish your warm ups in the next ten minutes and start running laps, get ready to show your best skills. Remember, team captain is up for grabs given that Victoria is graduating in a few months.” With that, their coach gives a small nod to their mentioned team captain before walking off, murmuring about having to start transporting more equipment from the west auditorium to the grassy pitch they were on. 

Chloe takes a deep breath, putting the sword in her hands back into its sheath, looking up. She doesn’t feel quite ready to start running laps solo, so she chooses to walk over to where she spots Celia and Victoria making small talk.

“Whilst I don’t have any enchanted items, do you think I’ll be allowed to wear my lucky socks despite the fact it’s not sticking to uniform rules?” Chloe says with a small grin, easily slotting into the conversation.

“Lucky socks?” Victoria asks.

“ I wore them when I successfully tried out for the team, they have little crowns on them.” Chloe explains, going to pull up the material of her trouser leg a little in order to show them off with a shy smile.

“Of course they do,” Celia laughs good-heartedly, nudging Victoria who gives Chloe a small shrug. “I mean, you’re the only one on the team who actually sticks to the full Swords and Shields uniform, so I’ll let your crown socks slide this once,” Victoria says with a smile and teasing lilt in her voice. 

Chloe shrugs, “I want as much luck as possible for the competition.”

“You’ll do fine,” Victoria hums, giving the younger teammate a firm pat on her back. Celia opens her mouth to add something, but she pauses, her attention seemingly drifting to the bleachers behind Victoria and Chloe. She smirks, tapping Chloe lightly with the hilt of the sword in her hands, “I don’t think you’ll need the socks when you’ve got your lucky charm showing up three hours before the tournament even starts.”

Chloe gives a confused look, pivoting on her heel to see what Celia had spotted. “...Red,” she breathed out with wide eyes, feeling her face grow hot. Her two teammates beside her seemed to be trying (and failing) to mute their laughter, and soon enough both were giving Chloe a little shove towards the bleachers.

Part of her wanted to ask the two what was so funny. But a much louder part of her was focused on getting to Red.

Speeding up her pace a little, Chloe made quick work of the distance between her and the other girl, and when she finally is opposite Red, she takes a moment to rearrange her thoughts.

“Feeling ready for the big game?” Red asks, smiling up innocently.

But she’s far from innocent, because around her shoulders is a gold, yellow, and blue varsity jacket. Chloe’s Swords and Shields jacket. The very same jacket that she couldn’t find this morning.

“You’re wearing my jacket,” Chloe blurts out, just about preventing herself from stuttering at the start of her sentence. Red raises a brow at her words.

“Keen observation, princess,” Red stands up from her seat, crossing her arms, “You needed a cheerleader for today, so here I am.”

She takes a second look at Red’s outfit (and a third. Fourth. Fifth.) before speaking, “You’re here a few hours early? You’re supposed to be in AP Spanish?”. Chloe swallows, feeling the rising urge to throw herself down the bleachers stairs. 

Out of all response, why did she think to use that one? In fact, she knows why. She just doesn’t think apparently.

Red seems amused enough to not mention her odd behaviour, “Well to start off, I’ve known Spanish since I was five, I took the class for an easy A. And second, I thought I’d show up early to be extra… Uh, Supportive? Carson’s joining me in a bit too, to show support for Victoria.”

Chloe nods slowly, “ Oh .”

“I can go and return later if I’m distracting you-”

“ No!” Chloe quickly interjects, “I-... It’s nice to have you here. Stay. Please.” Red blinks before breaking out into a cheshire grin.

“Okay then, get back onto that field and uh… Get started on sports?” Red says, doing a lame thumbs up. After all this time attending Chloe’s practices and games and she still hasn’t gotten any specialist terms down, or even any terms to do with sports in general. But she still tries.

(Chloe thinks it’s adorable).

Chloe smiles widely, following the other girls command and taking a few steps to get back to the field, only stopping once Red calls out to her, “Chloe!”.

“Yeah…?”

“Celebratory ice cream’s on me after you win.”

- ⚔ -

Warm ups come and go, and soon enough their rival team has arrived. Chloe takes several deep breaths as she secures the straps of her protective gear, feeling a rising fear

Do it to represent Cinderellasburg.

Do it to prove she’s worthy of being team captain.

She looks to her right, just before being called out for her first match, spotting Red and Carson among the large crowd of students. They seem to have moved to the front row of the bleachers for a better view.

Do it for Red.

Chloe bites the inside of her cheek, rolling her shoulders before clutching the hilt of her sparring weapon. She’s ready.

- ⚔ -

There’s clashing metal and the smell of iron thick in Chloe’s lungs.

She’s lost in the haze of sharp movements. Offensive swings. Defensive swipes. It makes the blood in her veins pump faster.  It makes her feel so alive, with one objective in mind and nothing else: to win.

She’s not sure how long things have been going on for. All she needs to know is that things are still actively happening, taking that as her cue to pour all her energy into defeating her opponent.

Her current one is a short boy from the opposite team, the symbol of Sherwood Forest Falcons stitched into the breast of his uniform. He’s swift and impulsive, a good ratio that allows him to take her by surprise at times. But he’s yet to strike her out of the match. She won’t allow him to.

Chloe lets out an aggravated breath, dodging a fierce strike as she looks to where she can take advantage, and after a few parries, she sees a weak spot. With one swivelling lunge, Chloe thrusts her blade forward, striking him on a padded section of his chest. 

He stumbles back, dropping his weapon, Chloe stops herself from launching into looking for a new opponent. Not because of the white-hot ache in her arms and legs telling her to take a break, but because of the cheerful screams that have erupted all around her.

Her reality dawns on her as she takes off her protective mask, dropping it on the ground without a care. She’s the last one standing, out of both teams. With all of Auradon Prep’s attendance shouting support and chanting a victory song.

One look to her coach is all it takes to bring her out of her frozen state. An approving nod as a marker of her success.

She’s done it. She’s won. She’s proven herself.

She… Is sprinting toward the crowd of Auradon Prep students before she can think, her legs carrying her at a speed that the back of her mind is screaming against. Chloe barely even registers what she’s done until she’s reached Red, putting her hands on the other girls hips before picking her up and spinning her around with a loud laugh.

Red is smiling widely, a little wide-eyed from Chloe’s quick sprint toward her, but she’s quick to bring the blue-haired girl into a strong hug once she’s been put down.

“I told you you could do it,” Red reminds her with a whisper into her ear, and Chloe holds her even tighter. “Not without you,” Chloe murmurs, “You’re my good luck charm.”

“Am I now?” Red asks playfully, “Well, this good luck charm isn’t taking you out for ice cream until you’ve had a shower.”

Chloe groans, burying her face into the crook of Red’s neck in protest, “Can’t we just stay like this a bit longer?”. Red laughs, half-heartedly trying to break free of the hug, “You’re all sweaty! I’ll hug you all you want later.”

Chloe huffs. The two girls step away from each other, and Red goes to put her hands in the pockets of Chloe’s jacket, “I’ll be here for you, now go before I’m accused of stealing you from your teammates.” 

Chloe does a mock salute, “Fine… I’ll see you later, princess. ”

She doesn’t even try to hide her giddy smile as she walks off to Red’s shouting over the still cheering crowd, “ Stop stealing my nickname! ”.

- ⚔ -

She’s slumped down on the bench of the teams locker room, downing a bottle of water within seconds. There’s an excited chatter that hasn’t died down, and Chloe feels all the better for it.

The locker by her right is shut, revealing Victoria, smirking at the younger girl, “Looks like someone's going to be taking my role soon enough, how are you feeling now that its over?”

Chloe shrugs, leaning her head against the wall behind her, “Like its a dream still… And also my muscles are killing me.”

Victoria laughs, “Well I hope you survive to make it to the team mixer tonight, are you bringing your girlfriend with you?”

“Ah, Red’s taking me out for ice cream, but I’ll stop by a bit-” Chloe pauses, and suddenly her mouth feels dry once again, “I… What did you say?”

“The mixer? It’s at Jade’s dorm, starting at… Nine I think?”

“No, no. After that.”

“Whether you’re bringing your girlfriend or not…?” Victoria says, a little confused at Chloe’s bewildered expression.

“My what…?” Chloe squeaks out, her heart beat pounding in her ears. Victoria goes to cross her arms, “Girlfriend…? You know, your other half that we never see you without? The girl you’re literally living with?”

“I… Don’t understand.”

“ Pixies ,” Victoria swore, “Did you hit your head on the field without anyone noticing?”. Before Victoria could go and ask another question, Chloe spoke up, “I’m fine, I swear. I just don’t understand why… You think Red’s my girlfriend?”.

The older girl stared at her in disbelief, “You’re telling me you two aren’t dating?”. Chloe shook her head, “I don’t know where you got that idea from? Red and I are just friends.” 

Her team captain seemed to already be at her wits end with Chloe’s answer, choosing instead to turn around to face the rest of the team. “Everyone!” She yelled out, “Put your hand up if you know that Chloe and Red are dating.”

There’s a confused murmur, but one-by-one, every single one of Chloe’s teammates had raised their hands. Victoria gave an appreciative smile, flicking her wrist to signal for everyone to resume whatever they were doing. And they did, though sending questioning looks Chloe’s way.

Chloe blinked. She was glad she was currently sitting down as she was sure her knees would have given out after receiving that news. Her and Red. The closest platonic bond she’s ever made, was being viewed as something else. How many more people had thought she was dating her roommate without her noticing?

“I-... All of you guys?” Chloe whispered in a slight daze. Victoria was looking down with her, a mixture of pity and disbelief in her eyes, “I’m not here to go back and forth on whether you think so or not. I just needed to show my point, because… Ah, Chloe it’s so obvious you guys are more than friends.”

“More than friends,” Chloe echoes, memories of her and Red flashing through her mind at an alarmingly fast rate.

“You certainly act like it… We all just kind of assumed she was your girl. You guys started going on dates together, very publicly may I add, all the way back in autumn semester?”

Holding Red’s book for her. Sneaking away to spend time with her. Learning every detail of her life. Memorising the small things. Feeling as if the world was always on the edge of ruin when she didn’t get enough time with her. The closeness they’ve reached (in all possible ways).

Oh.

Oh.

Chloe was an idiot.

For a final blow, Victoria added onto her last statement, “Not to mention, Carson tells me that Red talks about you all the time.” 

There’s that warm feeling in her chest again “ ...She does? ”.

Victoria nods in confirmation, going to give Chloe a small pat on the shoulder as she speaks up in her ever-so-blunt demeanor, “Someone had to tell you. I’m going to let you think some things through by yourself though… Just be honest with yourself, okay?”.

And with that, Victoria had walked off with a white towel slung over her shoulder to the shower block. Chloe stares at the ground before placing her face in her hands. Her cheeks were warm to the touch, and she was sure that any observer would note how red they are.

Red…

Chloe could say so much about Wonderland’s crown princess. On how she wants to see the girl every single day for the rest of her life. On how she wants Red to look at her and only her. On how she wants to trace her lips against Red’s prominent collar bones, rising up until she met plush lips.

Oh, Merlin.

She doesn’t want Red like a best friend, not anymore, and she doesn’t want to settle for anything less.

- ⚔ -

Chloe walks out of the team's locker room, her hair still a little damp from her shower. She has her gym bag slung over one shoulder, the heavy weight tilting her gait ever so slightly to the right as she walks down the forest pathway that would lead her back to the main sports field. It’s slightly dim, with the canopy of the trees shielding Chloe from a sun that should be setting right about now.

The only other sound than her steady footsteps against stone is the distant chatter of a few groups of people. Probably friends of her teammates that are still freshening up and changing in the locker rooms. After another minute of walking alone with her thoughts, she finally meets the end of the path. Chloe squints as she gets used to the lighter conditions, blinking a few times before she stops to take in the sight in front of her.

The sports field is now cast in a golden glow, and Chloe can spot three clusters of students hanging by the bleachers, there’s a few volunteers cleaning up the sports equipment and obstacles scattered around, and then there’s a few pairs sitting down on the grass. Chloe gives all the others a few seconds of her attention before moving on to find her certain someone.

And she does find Red. Leaning against the beam of a weathered lamp post that’s next to the set of bleachers closest to the footpath Chloe had come from. Her hands delicately hold a small book as she flips a page, Chloe’s jacket is hanging off of Red’s shoulders, with her hair spilling to one side to hide Auradon Prep’s crest that is embroidered onto the side of the jacket. As if she has some sort of sixth sense that someone was watching her, Red looks up with a neutral expression. Though once her gaze lands on Chloe, that doesn’t last long, because in the same second she recognises her observer, she’s breaking out into a wide smile that reveals pearly-white teeth.

She’s never seen someone so effortlessly perfect in her life. Someone who everyone thought was hers .

Chloe smiles back from instinct, though she notes that she feels more winded seeing Red’s reaction compared to when she was competing in her tournament matches earlier. Chloe’s mind circles back to the words that had been uttered so easily by Victoria half an hour ago. Words that made her heart go wild. She plays it back and forth, and there’s a growing need to satiate her urge to hear them again now that Red is in her line of sight.

Just one time. 

Chloe reasons it’ll be a sort-of-reward for her performance today (and something she’ll have to unpack with herself later, among other things). So, as if she has forbidden fruit touching her lips, Chloe takes a deep, shaky breath as she watches Red grab her bag to walk over to her, the words tumbling out in a husky tone.

“ My girl. ”

Chapter Text

Chloe likes to believe she’s brave.

In fact, she knows she tends to be brave, so much so that those closest to her could consider it a fatal flaw (given how that particular attribute of hers tends to lead Chloe head-first into various, troublesome situations).

However, if someone were to take into account her most recent life events and decisions she's sure that she would be deemed cowardly and nothing less than that.

- ⚔ -

Whether it was from the sheer exhaustion or shock that came from her latest tournament, the earth-shattering clarity and slight panic that came hand in hand with her newly realised feelings for a certain Wonderland girl had decided to wait until the morning after Chloe's revelation to pinch her in the gut.

Bleary eyed and with aching muscles, Chloe had sat down at her usual table in the dining hall for breakfast; it was a round, polished table that was tucked away to the right of the main entrance.

With a good view across the semi-crowded room, Chloe could spot a few familiar faces. A few pairs of students had claimed the tables close to her as they whispered back and forth, giggling to themselves. Past the first decorative pillar of many, Chloe hummed in recognition as she saw a few of her teammates. They were all hunched over a textbook, engaged in a heated debate a bit too loud for the comfort of a slow eight AM. She could pick up a few terms that were being thrown around, and soon enough Chloe could piece together that they were cramming for a mathematics assessment later in the day. Chloe shakes her head in amusement, but resolves to offer to help them study a bit later in the day once she's a bit more alert. 

For now though? She's happy to take a few bites of her slightly burnt toast and let the morning calmly pass her by, zoning in and out of her thoughts as she people-watched.

More people started to file in, some fully ready for the day, some not so much. Among the filtering crowd of reluctant early risers, a head of bright red hair soon made an appearance. The very same wavy locks that Chloe could barely see when she had gotten up this morning, given how her roommate had made a habit of burying herself under multiple blankets and pillows, arguing that the extra warmth helps her sleep.

The first time Red had said the above, Chloe had only fondly rolled her eyes and accepted her defeat. Red did tend to run cold after all, and if losing her hedgehog blanket for the night meant Red would sleep better, Chloe didn't mind.

(Though, she had to bite her tongue last night - after they had stumbled back into their dorm, trying to muffle their laughter and on a slight sugar high after overestimating how much icecream they could eat - when the impulse to offer up her own bed had flashed through her mind once Red had stolen Chloe's blanket once again).

In all her sleep deprived glory, Red had slumped down on the seat opposite to Chloe, looking as if she had literally just rolled out of bed. There was a small clink of a mug making contact with a solid surface, followed by the louder thunk of Red's forehead meeting the table. Chloe felt herself ease into a smile a few seconds after the other girl had appeared, “Good morning, I didn't expect you to be up at this time. Not that I'm complaining, though.”

As a marker of her regret for going against her usual routine of sleeping in, Red only let out a groan in response and hit her head on the table again. The sentiment was only highlighted once the strong scent of black coffee from Red's mug reached Chloe’s nose.

“I thought you only drank tea if it's early in the day?”

“Most of the time, yes,” Red replies, "But sacrifices must be made to stay awake.”

Chloe could feel her heart warm after encountering Red's melodramatic statement, the fond spark of affection spreading from her fingertips to every crevice of her heart (which is only tripled once the husky tone of Red's morning voice is taken into account). She clears her throat, trying to taper off those feelings. At least until she's in a safe place to scream into a pillow about it all later.

“Sacrifices?” Chloe repeats, tilting her head to the side.

“Very important. Very necessary ones,” Red hums, still laying her forehead against the table.

“Oh really?” Chloe quirks up her brow, “Because by the looks of it you're not even having breakfast.”

“Coffee can be breakfast.”

“Absolutely not,” Chloe says with a firm tone, “You know I always take some breakfast bars to bring to our first class so you can sleep in and have breakfast. What's with the change in schedule now?”

Red mumbles something but it comes out muffled and muted.

“What was that?”

“I'm not here for breakfast,” Red grumbled. 

Chloe frowns, “Why did you come to the dining hall then? You hate getting up early.”

Red finally lifts her head, resting her chin on the table rather than her forehead. Her hair is a bit wild and unbrushed, with wispy strands tickling her face. She's looking up at Chloe through thick lashes with a sincere gaze, and on the corner of her right eye there's a small bit of smudged mascara from last night which she was too tired to wipe away properly.

‘Merlin’ Chloe swore in her mind, ‘She truly is the most beautiful sight in all of Auradon.’

The waterfalls of Corona, the stars cast above of Agrabah, the isles surrounding Arendelle. None of them compare to the girl in front of her.

“Isn't it obvious?” Red drawls with a hint of amusement, unaware of her roommates' drifting thoughts, “I'm here for you.”

Well. That certainly snapped Chloe back into reality, given how her next breath seems to get stuck on her throat. She feels her cheeks heat up. She opens her mouth to say something. Nothing comes out.

Red looks curiously at her but doesn't point out how Chloe is mimicking a fish out of water with her facial expression. She goes to pick up the mug of coffee in front of her, taking a small sip before quickly putting it down, wrinkling her face in disgust.

 “Oh, rabbits-” she coughed, “How in the name of the Fairy Godmother do people manage to drink this?”.

Chloe blinks. Her train of thought had stopped going round, leaving her a little unreactive to Red's coffee-centred crisis.

“...Me?” Chloe whispers To herself. Red seems to pick up on Chloe's confused question, “Hm, what was that princess?”.

“Uh…” Chloe starts, “You've dragged yourself away from your bed. At an hour of the morning that you once described as ‘unholy’. Drinking strong coffee which you despise the taste of… All to be by my side?”.

Red stares at her and shrugs as if this is something to be brushed over, “Is that not what I said?”.

The Wonderland girl brings a hand over her mouth as she lets out a large yawn. She glances over to her still full mug of coffee, there's a moment where she looks as if she’s considering taking another sip, though that's short lived.

“Our spring exam season will start in a few weeks,” Red supplies as an explanation, though her words have no effect on the confused fog in Chloe's mind.

“And that means you need to start having breakfast with me?”

“It means that I've got to start making the extra effort to make up for future lost time, given how you'll probably make a second home in the library.”

“I don't spend that much time in the library once exams hit though,” Chloe argues.

“I nearly reported you as missing last semester with how much time you spent studying for your Latin elective,” Red points out, shooting her a glare, “Thank Merlin that I was able to locate you using my phone.”

“Oh, so now you're glad I made you download Life360?”.

“I still think it's a creepy and weird app,” Red huffs, crossing her arms, “But it's whatever. At least I get to know if you're safe or not.”

She smiles to herself. Through all the attitude and light-hearted remarks, Red really has softened her bristles for Chloe.

A selfish part of her wants this version of Red all to herself. In fact, this selfish part of her wants Red in many ways.

Chloe wants to push the other girl up against the nearest wall, and to secure her waist in a strong grip.

To kiss Red as if she were a starving woman. Smudging gloss and lipstick together.She wants Red so close that there's no space left between them. Allowing Chloe to trace the curve of her hips with her fingertips. To feel the path of goosebumps her touch will evoke. To dig her nails into tan skin and drag them down, leaving a reminder of how much Chloe wants her.

And she wants her badly. So, so badly.

So what if she wanted to leave a few (hundred) marks on Red? To leave a physical claim that Chloe and only Chloe would be getting to unravel the many layers that made up Red.

Everyone else seemed to already know, and how Chloe herself didn't piece it together sooner is a mystery she thinks she'd regrettably have to label as ‘unsolved’ for the rest of her life.

Chloe bites the inside of her cheek as her thoughts trail on.

Would Red gasp if Chloe were to lean in and whisper all the things she had made her feel into her ear? To spill all her secrets about how maddening it is to want her every single second of her day? 

To promise to show Red the many hours of worship and love she deserved…?

The sound of someone clearing their throat snaps Chloe out of her daydreams. Her throat feels a bit dry as her eyes refocus to stare at Red.

She's still sitting in front of Chloe, now with a bit of a concerned expression, “I lost you there for a moment… Are you feeling okay?”.

Chloe gives a quick nod, blinking fast as she lets a wave of embarrassment silently wash over her.

“Sorry, I was just… Thinking about a chemistry project,” she pieces together a lie in a mostly believable tone, “What were you saying again?”.

Red’s eyes don't leave her face for a few more moments. Chloe prays that Wonderland citizens don't have a secret way to read minds with the way the other girl seems to be analysing her expression.

“...I was asking if you could pass the sugar?”

“Oh-” Chloe looks to her side, reaching out with a slightly shaky hand to grasp a glass sugar caster, “No problem. Here.”

She goes to pass it over to Red, but once their fingers brush against one another, Chloe's brain seems to short-circuit. The sugar caster slips from her grasp, and before Red can grab it, the item rolls off of the table and smashes on the floor.

Chloe's slightly mortified with how many faces turn after the sound of shattering glass echoes in the high ceilings of the dining hall.

She's even more mortified when she realises that all sense of her functioning like a normal human being is flung out of the window once Red appears in her mind.

- ⚔ -

Chloe promises herself she'll be able to control herself. 

She's had etiquette lessons, disciplined herself in various sports, sat patiently and acted cordially during royal court. Even with continuous thoughts about Red, she should be able to go on with her day-to-day life.

She really should be able to do so.

(By the end of the week, Chloe will finally admit to herself that that was wishful thinking. And that she is truly, and utterly done for when it comes to her feelings for Red.)

- ⚔ -

It takes three more weeks of spacing out in lectures to the thought of dark eyes, and accidently being late to her Swords and Shields practice's before Chloe was at her wits end.

Red was driving her insane, in all possible ways, without even realising it. And Chloe has reached the horrifying conclusion that if she wants something more than daydreamed scenarios with the other girl, she's actually going to have to do something about it. Which has led her to countless hours of planning and fretting and dread until she ended up where she was in her current moment: sitting on a random bench by the infrequently visited greenhouses on campus.

A perfectly quiet, mostly private place for Chloe to get some possible resolutions to her problem.

She sighs, staring down at her phone. Her wallpaper background was a picture of Red, unaware of a camera being pointed at her with a wide smile and ice cream smeared on her bottom lip. Chloe smiles dreamily. 

Wait. No. She can't get sidetracked again.

Pressing onto her contacts, she scrolls through her favourited numbers until she finds the person she's looking for. With a sigh of defeat, she presses the call icon and places her phone against her ear.

It rings for three seconds before the call is picked up.

“Hey Chlo, what's up?” The voice of her brother echoes out into her ear. There's a slightly confused tone in his voice, given the fact she's calling on a random afternoon on an inconsequential day.

“Remember that time you broke a part of dad's crown and I took the fall for you because you were already in trouble for running away from your geography tutor?” Chloe quickly asks.

“It’s nice to hear from you too,” Chad says, “Classes are going well, thanks for checking up. Oh loving sister of mine.”

“Chad!” Chloe huffs, “Yes or no, do you remember or not?”

There's a slight pause.

“I vaguely do… Though that was a bit over ten years ago?”

“Perfect,” she says, “Which means you should be able to recall promising to return a favour for me one day.”

She can hear Chad snort in amusement on the other side of the call, “You're holding me to a promise I made you when you were eight?”.

“It was a pinky promise, Chad.”

There's another pause. “...Well I can't argue against that. What do you need?”

Chloe takes a deep breath, “How do you tell a girl that you have feelings for her? Without, uh, being too nervous?”.

She expected Chad to laugh at her before giving some advice and teasing. To perhaps let out that godawful hyena cackle he does when he's truly amused. What Chloe didn’t expect was for Chad to let out a large sigh of relief.

“Oh thank Merlin, you finally know that you're into Red.”

Chloe nearly drops her phone right then and there, “You knew and you didn't tell me?!”.

That's when the hyena cackle from Chad begins. Chloe looks around to make sure the area around her is completely isolated before putting her phone on speaker and placing it to her side. She puts her face in her hands as mortification makes itself home in her mind.

“I mean,” Chad starts, his laughter dying off only a little, “You wouldn't have believed me even if I tried to tell you. You're too stubborn for that.”

“I’m not!” Chloe argues. Though she silently admits to herself he may have had a point.

“Sure,” Chad sarcastically hums. There's a faint shuffling on his side of the call before he goes to speak again, “Hey, what's today's date?”.

Chloe frowns, “The eighth of May…?”.

There's a roaring sound of celebration that comes from her phone that makes Chloe glad she had taken it away from being directly against her ear.

“You're the best, Chlo!” Chad says excitedly, “Mom and dad owe me so much money now.”

“You… You were betting on my love life?” Chloe gaped, glaring at her phone as if Chad's face had replaced it.

“Uh huh,” Chad confirms, “Honestly, you should be thanking me for having faith in you. Mom and dad betted you'd realise on dates way further down the line.”

Chloe grumbles, not wanting to admit she hadn't realised without the blunt help of her Swords and Shields team, “You're the worst.”

“And yet you haven't hung up on me,” Chad quips back. Chloe can almost sense the smug smirk he undoubtedly has plastered on his face.

“I will in a second if you don't stop gloating.”

“Fine. What do you want help with specifically?”

Chloe grumbles.

“What was that?”

“I…” she starts, “Need to find a way to tell Red about my feelings for her.”

“Simple,” Chad perks up, “You guys do those really dorky movie and craft nights together. Just tell her then, it's a private and comfortable environment.”

“Well…” Chloe gulps. “Well?” Chad asks suspiciously.

“Promise not to laugh?”

“I'll try my best, but my entire life is spent making fun of you.”

Chloe pulls an exasperated expression, but decides to carry on, “I tried to do that once. But, I got so in my head about it that by the time I had tried to actually say something, Red had fallen asleep… And had somehow gotten through the sequel to the movie we were watching without me noticing.”

Chad let out an exaggerated sigh, “So… Try again?”.

“But I know I'll just talk myself out of it, or I'll just take too long and the moment will pass,” Chloe confesses. She's not proud of her cowardice but it's something that needs to be addressed now rather than later, given the topic of the conversation.

“Okay, then do something less casual to tell her.”

“Won't that scare her away?” Chloe questions, furrowing her eyebrows. She'd worked too hard to get closer to Red, and to prove that she'd never want to hurt the other girl. 

Could she really risk backtracking on all that progress if she came on too strong?

“Chlo, I love you. But you're an idiot,” Chad states with a monotone voice, “Red knows you, and you're, like, the furthest thing from nonchalant. And yet she's still stuck around. Besides, if you do something big, you can't back out as easily once you get started.”

She nods slowly, “I… What do you think I should do then?”

“Well, you could always take a page out of my book and confess to Red in the same way I confessed to Audrey.”

Chloe feels an amused laugh bubble up, “Which confession? The first or the ninth?”.

“Do you want my help or not?” Chad lets out an annoyed huff.

Chloe rolls her eyes, smirking slightly, “I do. Though someone has to knock you down a few pegs every now and then.”

“Make fun of me all you want. But make sure to remember which sibling currently has their dream girl with a promise ring on their finger.”

He's got her there.

“Just tell me what I should do already,” she insisted.

“Do you remember what important historical event is coming up?”

Chloe perks up at the question, “Memorial weekend for the battle of Neverwood?”.

“Why would that be relevant to confessing your feelings for your roommate? Try again.”

“The anniversary of Corona opening their castle walls?”

“Merlin, you're hopeless. No,” Chad says, giving up with his prodding and pushing, “It's going to be Aurora's Day at the end of this month.”

Oh. Right.

The Kingdom of Roses may not have much political power (especially after what Auradon dubs as ‘The Scepter Incident’), but they have considerable sway over social scenes and various celebrations dedicated to their history.

Aurora's Day is one of many events that occur in spring, honouring the day Sleeping Beauty had been woken up. A flower festival. It's a day of romance and confessions; give a rose to your loved one and that should speak enough for itself. Though Chloe would probably have to say something just to make sure the action wouldn't be looked over as friendly and nothing more.

“...That isn't a bad idea,” Chloe ponders.

“What can I say? I'm a genius.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she hums, “But thanks for the idea. Now I just hope that it'll go well.”

“It will,” Chad says as if it's the most obvious thing in that world, “That fiery red-head of yours isn't exactly subtle about her feelings for you.”

She can feel her heartbeat speed up a little. Of course she hopes that Red feels the same, who wouldn't? But Chloe can't deny a large part of her doubting whether everything is in her head. That Red see's her as nothing more than a friend.

“Oh, and Chloe?” Chad starts in a sing-song voice.

“Hm?”

“Do I get to be a flower girl at the wedding?”

She feels her cheeks heat up, “I'm hanging up now.”

“Aw are you getting emb-”.

Chloe hit the hang up icon with a bit more force than necessary.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Chloe takes a deep breath, allowing the smell of the fresh moss and flowers around her to calm her nerves.

It'll be okay.

She has a plan now. All she needs to do is prepare and wait until the day arrives.

- ⚔ -

When Aurora's Day finally arrives, Chloe has eight scrapped speeches, an entire list detailing the types of different roses she could give Red, and a desperate need for her nerves to stop going haywire.

- ⚔ -

In Auradon Prep’s typical style, big events take priority for the day, meaning that classes ended a few hours earlier than usual, allowing students to head off of campus to celebrate the day.

Chloe had made sure she had cleared up her schedule ahead of time. That she had planned everything down to the minute detail after asking Red the week before if she wanted to attend the festival with her.

Much to Chloe's relief, she had said yes.

The two girls had met up at the gates of their academy and had followed the crowd of students headed toward the location of the celebration in a neighbouring town a few minutes walk away. 

It was crowded and a little too loud with all the chatter around them, but Chloe didn't mind. Especially when Red had reached over to link their pinky fingers at the start of their walk.

The crowd of students soon dispersed once they reached an expansive town square, going to different stalls and exploring down side streets.

“I've got to admit,” Red laughs a little, “This is different from what I expected it to be.”

Chloe goes to break away from their linked pinkies in order to hold the girl's hand properly, giving it a small squeeze. “Is it a good difference, or a bad difference…?” She asks, trying to hide her worry.

“Good,” Red reassures her, looking at their surroundings, “This reminds me of Wonderland. Well, at least the Wonderland I spied out of my bedroom window as a kid. Before the restrictions were put into place.”

Chloe turns her head to look at Red. The other girl was looking ahead with a wistful expression. Following her gaze, Chloe could spot the numerous aspects of the flower festival that made up a breathtaking scene.

There were multi-coloured streamers spanning from one roof to another. Vines and flowers had been thrown around any available surface, and stained glass sculptures depicting key parts of the Kingdom of Roses kingdom cast an enchanting light on the town square.

People were laughing, children were drawing on the pavement with pastel chalks, there was a large band in the middle of the sqare producing melodic tunes as people danced around them.

It was the kind of scene that had been read to Chloe growing up.

“I suppose we'll have to make the most of this moment then?” Chloe proposes.

Red smiles only widens and her eyes twinkle with intrigue, she nods with enthusiasm. Chloe wonders if she could find a way to have this sight imprinted onto her brain for the rest of the time.

But, that thought gets safely tucked away for now. After all, she has a festival to enjoy with the girl of her dreams.

- ⚔ -

The festivities never seemed to end.

Chloe and Red had weaved there way through as many streets as they could; glancing at various trinkets being sold, getting dragged into dance circles, sipping matcha lattes in a crowded park full of people throwing petals and bright powders around.

They had started to realise that the day was going faster than they had expected, so once they had finished exploring, the two girls had walked hand-in-hand back to the town square they had entered at the very start of the day. Now that the welcome festivities were over, a few new vendors had sprung up.

The sweet smell of various bunches of flowers filled the air, and Chloe could spot a few crowds of people looking through the newly sprung up stalls, trying to pick a flower of their own. In the corner of her vision, she could see a few pairs of people giving a rose they had just bought to their partner.

This is it.

This is her moment.

Chloe led Red over to a more isolated stall, insisting that they need to at least honour tradition by getting at least one flower (with the other girl agreeing with an amused look). They had settled into a comfortable silence, and Chloe let out a small sigh as she let her eyes roam over rows upon rows of vases.

She needed to find a simple red rose: a symbol of passion and devotion. Alas, Chloe had forgotten to factor in that it would be a popular flower getting picked out. Looking around once again, she could spot a few, but none that were nice enough to gift to Red. She wonders if she could make up a believable reason to run to a different flower stall for a moment without Red getting suspicious.

“Hey Chloe?”

She blinks, snapping out of her troubled train of thought to face the slightly taller girl by her side.

“Did you find a flower you like?” Chloe asks, looking to the bouqets Red were standing in front of.

“No I'm still looking for the right one,” Red answers, biting her lip, “There's something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

That doesn't sound good. 

“What is it?”

“Promise not to freak out?”

That really doesn't sound good.

“Red, you can talk to me about anything.” Chloe insists, trying to push away the gnawing fear settling in her stomach.

“I…” Red goes a little pale and looks as if she wants to be anywhere else right now, “A little birdie told me you have feelings for someone.”

Merlin. She knows. Chloe took too long to confess and now she's reaping the consequences without a clue on how this conversation will go.

She's faintly aware of Red murmuring a few sentences, but the world seems to have gone on mute for a couple of seconds as Chloe processes what has just been said.

“...This isn't a riddle or a weird joke, right?” Chloe asks with a tiny shake in her voice, making a desperate attempt to see if she could escape this conversation topic.

“No… Though I feel as if I should mention that I overheard this information during my Spanish seminar. The birds here don't talk like they do back home.”

“I see,” Chloe swallows. Her throat continues to feel dry despite that action. She supposes she bas to face this head on now instead of on her own terms, “I… Suppose the secret's out.”

After Chloe's confirmation, Red can sense a shift in Red's posture. It's gotten more rigid.

“...Are you mad?” Chloe murmurs, her heart dropping a little.

“I'm just a little confused on why you didn't tell me, but it's fine.”

“...So?”

“So?”

“I'm kind of waiting for your input here, Red.”

“I think it's great.”

Funny. Because everything Chloe is sensing points to the opposite of ‘great’. Especially given how Red’s jaw seems to clench after she finished her statement.

There's a growing dread racing through her mind. Red doesn't seem to be happy about this. Not at all.

Oh, Merlin. She doesn’t feel the same, does she?

“You do?” Chloe asks in disbelief.

“Mhm. Whoever it is, they're a lucky princess.” 

That's when Chloe's panicked thoughts got put on pause. She's not sure if she should laugh or scream; Red doesn’t know that she's the one that Chloe wants.

The Wonderland princess is staring directly at the flowers in front of her, unnervingly still. “You should go try to ask them out, Rabbits, why not today? Giving a flower to someone on Aurora's Day is supposed to symbolise a confession, right?”

“...More or less, yes.” Chloe answers, in a state if disbelief.

“Great, then you're all set.” Red seems to snap out of her apprehensive demeanour. Reaching forward to pick up a small blue rose, handing the vendor by them a few coins. She looks to Chloe with a small smile, her eyes are bright yet somehow not quite there.

Red goes and tucks the same rose in her hand into Chloe's hair. She retracts her hand after letting her palm rest against Chloe’s cheek for a brief moment.

“Your army of admirers have been around us for most of the day, sneaking looks at you,” she states, nodding to the right. “If she's one of them, then maybe try to get her alone to avoid breaking a few other hearts right away, hm?”

Chloe doesn't look in the direction Red had let her attention drift to. She hadn't even noticed any surrounding people for the entirety of their day together, she was too busy looking at Red.

Why in the name of her fairy godmother would she look anywhere else after all?

Red goes to pull her phone out of her pocket, checking the time with a small sigh, “I've got to head off, my untimely demise is waiting for me. I enjoyed today though, thanks for inviting me out.”

She turns to leave, but is soon stopped with Chloe quickly grabbing her wrist. She needs to say something. To clear up this unspoken misunderstanding.

To tell Red that there's no other girl in Chloe's mind but her.

But when Red look at her expectantly, the right words seem to die in Chloe's throat. The doubts and worries start taking over once again.

Perhaps Red knew what Chloe was feeling and was trying to save her the embarrassment of getting rejected?

Did she honestly think Chloe could ever become interested in someone else when Red was such a breathtaking presence in her life?

Was she truly being earnest in believing that Chloe wanted any other girl?

Merlin, help her.

Red was making Chloe run laps around her mind. But she couldn't back out now, she's gone too far to do so.

“You're joking with me, right?” Chloe croaks out with a small frown.

“About my AP Biology study group being my untimely demise? Only a little.”

“No- About, uh, well…” Chloe trails off a little.

“Your crush?”

Chloe nods despite the fact that the term ‘crush’ doesn't bring justice to describing what she feels for Red. Not even close.

Red lets her smile get a little wider, “I'm not. You should go for it, who in their right mind would reject you?”.

Chloe grimaces. Because Red could certainly be that person.

Red tugs her wrist out of Chloe's grip with an apologetic look, “I really do have to go now, princess. I'll see you later.”

Chloe stands there, a little stunned as she watches Red turn away and walk off at a brisk pace.

She takes the blue rose Red had left in her hair out. The petals are delicate. Fragile like her situation. Chloe crumples the flower in her palm, not caring if her skin gets a little stained.

Red really thought Chloe was interested in someone else.

And Chloe was too much of a coward to correct her.

Suddenly, she realises why people had grown frustrated with her when she was oblivious about her feelings for Red, because this girl is driving her insane.

Chapter Text

If someone had accused Chloe of using her spring exam season as an excuse to not to sort out her love life, she would have vehemently denied it.

However, that wouldn’t make it any less true.

- ⚔ -

Merlin Hall has a certain charm that the other libraries on campus can’t maintain.

Some students would argue that the generously stocked bookcases that spiralled all the way to the ceiling gave anyone within its four walls a scholarly mindset. Some others would point out that as one of the oldest buildings, there’s a lingering aura of prestige weaved into the framework that the newer builds can’t rival, whether it be the towering, frosted windows that caused muted sunlight to spill into every corner or the silver constellations that were hand-painted across a sapphirine ceiling.

Personally, Chloe agrees with all these points, but she’ll stand on firm ground when stating that the main draw of Merlin Hall is how vacant the building tends to be. 

The majority of students may prefer the more modern libraries littered across campus, given that they have vital components to passing spring exams, such as fast internet access and air conditioning. But the peace and quiet Merlin Hall provides is worth the price of a slowly buffering browser and the need to wedge a window open as far as the hinges will allow in order to catch a small breeze.

At least, that’s what Chloe tells herself as she settles down in her usual study desk, slotted in front of a bay window that's hidden by a bookshelf dedicated to the ancient history of Camelot Heights.

Chloe takes a deep breath as she sets out her various stationery and textbooks onto the polished wood surface in front of her. She had finished her human geography final just over an hour ago, and whilst she had walked out the exam room with an air of confidence trailing her steps, that soon had dissipated into a dejected mood, as she was given time to go over her answers and doubt every other sentence she had scrawled down.

She knows the healthiest option would be to go and destress before going back to an intensive revision schedule, but with the final exam of the season being only two days away, a force only greater than the Fairy Godmother's wand would be able to coax her away from her calculus textbooks.

“ There you are,” an achingly familiar voice sounds out from behind Chloe.

Okay. Scratch out that last point. The only thing that could get Chloe’s mind away from calculus is a force greater than the Fairy Godmother’s wand or a certain Wonderland crown princess with a devilish smirk.

Chloe puts down the pencil she had picked up only a moment ago, twisting in her seat to see her roommate a few paces away from her. Red’s hair is put up into a ponytail, meaning the shorter strands that typically framed her face weren’t there to pull away attention from the dark circles under her eyes. It seems exam season has been hitting her hard as well.

“Shouldn’t you be resting right now?” Chloe blurts out before her mind can catch up, an ounce of concern flickering in her mind once she recalls observing Red cramming for their exam the night before, looking as if she wouldn’t be stopping her rushed revision for anything in the world, let alone a few proper hours of REM sleep.

Red seems to chuckle a bit at Chloe’s words, biting her bottom lip to muffle the sound. Her brows are raised in amusement, and she takes a few steps forward until she can jump up to sit on the edge of Chloe’s selected desk. “That’s a bit hypocritical of you to say,” Red hums.

Chloe swallows hard, bidding her heart to slow down just a little now the other girl is in arms reach. “I’m just concerned.” 

Red gives an unenthused look before Chloe goes on, “I mean, I at least made sure I got nine hours of sleep before our exam. I’m not even sure what time you decided to go to bed, and I highly doubt you got enough rest.”

Red crosses her arms, and by the look on her face she knows she’s going to be scolded by Chloe with whatever she’s about to admit, “I think I caught a thirty-minute nap whilst we were waiting for the exam hall to open?”.

“Red of Hearts-”

“ Oh Merlin ,” Red groans, “Please don’t full name me. I haven't done that much wrong.”

“We’ll have to agree to disagree. You should be taking care of yourself.”

Red puts up her hands in a mock surrender, “I didn’t know revising was a crime.”

Chloe sighs tiredly as she looks up at her stubborn roommate, reaching forward to cup Red’s face. She traces her thumb against the girl's cheekbone and frowns in displeasure. Her cheeks seem a little bit sunken. Had she lost a little weight from the stress of exams? That wouldn’t do. Chloe makes a mental note to pack more snacks in her bag for when she’s around Red.

“It should be, if you’re not doing it healthily,” Chloe murmurs. 

A moment passes before Chloe realises her mistake; how she had let her revision-clouded mind and mental exhaustion let go of her usual filters, allowing herself to act so forwardly with Red. 

Red appears to be a bit stunned in response to Chloe’s actions. Her eyes are so wide it borders on the theatrics, showcasing her irises that seem to have a remarkable resemblance to pools of honey in the soft light of the library. Chloe blinks a few times, trying to get her head on straight. The light seems to be doing tricks with her, as from her current view, she swears that Red’s pupils are blown wide to the nth degree. And with how Red’s face seems to be washed over in a girlish, pink blush, Chloe’s half-sure that she may need to get her eyes checked.

Red clears her throat, reaching up to bring Chloe’s hand down. She gives it a small squeeze before letting go, “I came here to drag you away from your textbooks. How did you reverse the lecture onto me? ”.

“I’m charming?” Chloe gives her answer in a light-hearted manner.

Red is silent for a moment, suddenly pouring all her attention into inspecting her nail beds over looking at Chloe. “ That’s debatable, ” she says, her voice just barely over a whisper. Chloe doesn’t fail to notice the little shake at the start of the other girl's sentence.

“I mean it though, Red,” Chloe starts softly.

“Hm?”

“You should be resting.”

Red appears to let Chloe’s words float around in her mind for a moment, “Only if you rest first.”

Chloe frowns, “But my calculus revision-”.

“Can wait until you’re fully functional and not teetering on the edge of burn out.”

Chloe hates that it’s a valid point, alas, she’s too stubborn to admit defeat, “You’re not getting me away from my study desk.”

Red scrunches her nose in thought, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. I’ll drag you out of Merlin’s Hall if necessary.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Chloe replies with a small smirk, “After all, only one of us is able to pick up the other with ease, hm? ”.

There’s that trick of light casting itself over Red’s face again: the pink flush now slightly reddening. Chloe feels her hands shake a little with the need to do something , so she quickly grabs one of the thick textbooks she had placed down on her table, flipping to a chapter with a list of practice questions Chloe’s yet to attempt.

“Face it Red, I’m staying at this desk to work no matter your complaints,” Chloe states, her eyes fixated on an algebraic function that’s making her brain hurt just a little, “You should go back to our dorm without me. Maybe take a nap?”.

“I’d rather stay here, thanks ,” Red replies in an obstinate manner, which Chloe wishes she could be annoyed at, but instead she finds a warm fondness being sparked instead.

Being both unable and unwilling to fight against Red’s decisions, Chloe tries her best to focus on the work in front of her. She starts to read her first practice question properly, going to reach for her pencil to start working out an answer. Though, when her hand brushes the space on the table where she had set down her pencil only a few minutes ago, it’s met with empty space.

Frowning, Chloe looks up to see the aforementioned piece of stationary being twirled around in her roommate's hands.

“Are you going to give it back?” Chloe whispers, putting her hand forward expectantly. Red bats her eyelashes innocently, as if she isn’t aware of her little act of thievery, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“The pencil you’re holding,” Chloe states.

“ Oh? ” Red grins, “ This pencil?”. The Wonderland girl twirls it in her hand again. Chloe goes to reach for it, but Red goes to raise her arm, keeping it out of reach.

“Come on Red, I’ve got to study,” Chloe tries to persuade. Red only shakes her head, “And I’m now very interested in this pencil. Is everything in your pencil case monogrammed?”. Chloe bites the inside of her cheek, deciding to let bygones be bygones as she reaches for a pen instead. In the corner of her vision, Red’s shoulders seem to slump a little at Chloe’s lack of fight.

They sit in a comfortable silence for a little while, and as Chloe flips the page of her textbook for a new set of equations to solve, she yawns a little before going to reach her calculator. And to the surprise of no one, when Chloe finds it missing, she’s quick to locate it in the possession of her roommate. Red once again plays innocent, resisting whilst Chloe tries to reclaim the calculator.

The cycle repeats.

Chloe will find herself ready to flip to a new page of questions, all for something she needs to be stolen when she goes to grab it. Alternatively, Red seems to enjoy mixing things up by knocking her supplies onto the library floor.

She knows for a fact that Red’s trying to pester her into taking a break. But that doesn’t break her revision-focused mind. 

Unfortunately for Chloe, Red’s determination doesn’t falter. So exactly twenty-eight practice questions later, and with Red now laying across the table to act as a barricade to the other textbooks Chloe had set out, she’s ready to call her library session quits.

“Fine,” Chloe huffs. Red perks up at her voice, and she twists her body to face the other girl. “ ...Fine? ” Red echoes, her eyes twinkling with something that’s a mix between delighted and triumphant.

“You win,” Chloe admits with a little difficulty, closing her notebook with one swift motion. Red jumps off the table, and Chloe has a few seconds to shove her belongings into her backpack before the sleeve of her sweatshirt is being tugged on to drag her towards the exit.

Chloe knows she should be annoyed at the turn of events. She really should be. But once Red pulls her through the doors of the library, she looks back to Chloe, flashing her a gleeful smile.

Chloe feels her dejected state fade within an instant.

- ⚔ -

When Chloe sits down for her final exam on Friday with a focused mind, she will finally admit to herself that, yes, Red was right. She needed to rest. She doesn’t communicate this to Red though, but given how the other girl gives her a little thumbs up and joking wink as they exit the exam hall, Chloe decides that it’s safe to conclude that she already knows.

But there are things going on in her mind that Red still doesn’t know about, which leads Chloe to her next conclusion: now that she has no more attention-demanding academic responsibilities to attend to, Chloe has no more excuses to not make a move.

- ⚔ -

“I think we’re behind on our hangout rota,” Chloe starts off, trying to push down the anxiety bubbling in her chest.

She’s currently sitting on the edge of her bed, pressing an ice pack against her ankle after a particularly intensive Swords and Shields practice session. To the right, Red is leaning against her vanity, carefully reapplying her signature lipstick with the help of a hand-held mirror.

Once hearing Chloe’s statement, Red flips the mirror shut and places it down on the vanity. She shoots Chloe a confused look, “Our hangout what now?”.

Chloe goes to clear her throat before answering, “Our hangout rota. You know, our agreement we made when we first started AP?”.

“You mean the agreement we made because we kept annoying each other?” Red hums, “I don’t think we need it now, Chloe. We’re friends after all.”

There’s that word again. Friends. Friends . Friends. Chloe may not be annoyed at Red, but Merlin, she’s annoyed at what they are at this point.

“You know I don’t like to leave a task undone?” She reasons. Red gives a little chuckle at that and moves to sit down beside Chloe, leaning back in a relaxed manner, “True. You’re quite the nerd.”

“ Hey! ”

“You can’t deny it. You have a favourite font .”

“Verdana is just the easiest to read out of all the options given…” Chloe mumbles. she looks to her right to see Red’s smirking face and rolls her eyes fondly. She reaches towards her headboard, grabbing a small pillow and throws it at the red-headed girl.

Red’s amused laughter that follows is like fuel to Chloe’s soul. If she could bottle up the sound and savour it, she would.

“Now stop changing the subject,” Chloe begins, watching as Red gives an innocent look, “Let’s pick up where we left off?”.

“You don’t have to ask me twice, I’ve been seeing less and less of you since exams started.”

“Okay, perfect! I uh- mean cool,” Chloe smiles widely. Getting her best friend to agree to hang out with her isn’t exactly a headline worthy achievement, but it’s what she needs at this time, “So I’ve got a few ideas. How about you meet me-”

“Woah there,” Red interrupts, “Last time I checked, it was my turn to arrange the hangout.”

“Um no? You took me stargazing before we gave up on the scheduled hangouts.”

“And after that happened, you made me- well, failed to make me brownies,” Red argues back. Chloe frowns, going to make a point against that, but Red moves first. The Wonderland girl has shuffled closer to Chloe now, their hands close enough to touch, “Face it Chloe, you know I won’t give up. Let me arrange the hangout, and you can arrange the next few afterwards if you’re that desperate to do so.”

Chloe’s ready to do what she can to persuade Red, but once she feels their pinkie brush, the fight in her starts dwindling. 

“ Pretty please ?” Red says as she tilts her head to the side a little. Chloe doesn’t even realise she’s nodding until Red has that triumphant spark in her eyes once again, hopping off of the bed to go back to reapplying her lipstick at Chloe’s vanity.

“I know just what we’re doing, be ready for next Saturday,” Red says happily.

Chloe only nods in response, regretting her life decisions that have made her too susceptible to the charm of pretty girls. But she reasons with herself that if she’s waited all this time to try to tell Red her feelings, what’s one more week?

- ⚔ -

The days drag on until the fated Saturday arrives.

And when Chloe meets Red in front of their academy’s gates, she doesn’t expect to see the other girl in a chequered summer dress with her hair tied up in a high ponytail. Alas, there Red is, looking like the complete opposite of the frowning, defensive princess she met many months ago.

Chloe’s so distracted by the blinding smile Red sends her way that she nearly doesn’t notice the two bicycles that Red is supporting. And after one short lecture on the importance of remembering to rent out helmets next time, Chloe’s pedalling after Red down a forest path.

- ⚔ -

The two girls cycle in a comfortable silence, occasionally being broken when they come across a squirrel or bird that they can point out. Forty minutes into their journey and down a steady incline, Red finally goes to decrease the pace of her pedalling.

“Okay, let’s leave the bikes against that tree. We’ll have to walk the rest of the way,” Red says after the two girls had slowed down in front of a little clearing. Chloe presses firmly on the brakes of her bike, and moves to get off.

“How much further do we have to go?”.

Red goes to lean her own bike against the towering sycamore, taking out a small tote bag she had placed in its basket. She turns to face Chloe, “Just a little walk. Pass your bike over?”. Chloe does as Red asks, and soon enough she’s following the girl past winding trees and crossing over a wooden bridge. There’s a lingering sense in the back of Chloe’s mind, something that makes her surroundings appear familiar. But she can’t quite pinpoint where they are.

“All right,” Red stops suddenly, and Chloe is thankful that her reaction time is fast enough to avoid crashing into the other girl. “I’ve got to cover your eyes for the last bit.”

Chloe blinks. “You have to do what now?”

“Cover your eyes,” Red repeats, “It’ll be a good surprise with a sudden reveal.”

“What if I trip?”

“I won’t let you,” Red promises, making a crossing gesture across her heart. A moment passes before Chloe gives her permission with a simple nod.

- ⚔ -

The steps she’s taken are tentative, and Red’s hands covering her eyes. It’s three minutes of walking at most until Red stops them.

“Okay, are you ready?” she asks, excitement weaved into her voice. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Chloe replies, and with that she can hear Red whispering a small countdown before removing her hands from blocking her vision. 

Chloe squints a little as she gets used from the sudden change between darkness to the bright June sun. She blinks. And then blinks again once she realises where they are.

“ Red! ” Chloe gasps, her eyes wide as she slowly spins around, taking in the scene.

The two princesses are currently on a circular stone platform in the middle of a jade lake, their connection to the main forest being a few sets of large stepping stones. Dotted around the platform are some well-weathered pillars, some of which have vines weaving up and down its carved edges. Chloe can hear the faint rush of a waterfall, paired with occasional birdsong in all directions.

This is it. This Eden, the place that’s home to an enchanted lake she’s only seen through glossy textbook pictures up until now.

Turning back to Red, she can see her roommate taking out a thin picnic blanket from her bag before placing it down. “How did you… This place is supposed to be off limits,” Chloe murmurs.

Red looks up at her as she smooths at the creases of the blanket, “I pulled a few strings to have this Saturday available. You said you’ve wanted to visit this place since you were, like, eight after all.”

Chloe remembers telling Red that wish. Once. In one of the many letters they exchanged over winter break. She can barely believe that Red could recall such a seemingly small detail, but here Red was, pretending it wasn’t a big deal as she started setting up a small picnic.

Chloe eventually sits down next to Red, accepting a small thermos passed to her. She takes a small sip and recognises the contents as a matcha latte, and sighs in appreciation of the rich flavour. Red is still rifling through her tote bag until she takes out a brightly coloured box, “I was thinking we could get a little creative after relaxing here for a little while.”

Chloe looks to what Red’s holding, and opens her mouth to argue, but Red is quick to speak up again, “We’re not going to permanently vandalise a historical site, I promise.”

Red goes to pass over the box she was holding and Chloe goes to inspect it: an unopened package of sidewalk chalk. She turns it in her hand to read the description. Environment safe. Should wash away with some rain.

“You really thought of everything, huh?” Chloe says. 

“I suppose. I mean, stressing you out would be the opposite objective of this outing,” Red replies. The Wonderland girl tilts her head a little, enjoying the sunlight of the afternoon.

“...Why did you do all of this?” The question leaves Chloe’s mouth before she finishes her thoughts.

“What do you mean?”

“This is a lot of effort to put in Red.”

“I’m just being a good friend,” Red reasons with a nonchalant shrug, “And besides that point, you’re just worth the effort.”

Chloe can’t deny that her heart both aches and soars with those words.

Red takes a deep breath before speaking again, “Now come on, let's enjoy our day out. You still need to teach me how to skim rocks over water.”

- ⚔ -

The afternoon morphs into evening, and they spend their time drifting between activities. 

A handful of clouds are pointed out for their similarities to objects or animals, the two girls' fingerprints are covered in chalk after drawing little frogs on a large stepping stone, and in their current moment, they’re sitting between two pillars, watching the water ripple as a small fish occasionally makes an appearance.

Their current situation is comfortable; it feels as if Chloe is safely tucked back in her childhood bedroom when it’s just her and Red. Chloe would have no complaint, in fact, she hopes that they can remain like this for the rest of time.

“What do you think your future kingdom will look like?” The blue-haired princess asks, breaking the silence. Red looks at her with a confused expression, “A bit of a random question there. Where did that come from?”.

“I was just letting my mind drift. I ended up with thoughts about the future.” 

Red bites her lower lip in thought before replying, “Peaceful.”

“ Peaceful? ” Chloe could think of a million different things that she knows Red would enjoy. A future of thrill-seeking, constant excitement, and being unapologetically herself. The descriptor ‘peaceful’ doesn’t even make the top five list of what Chloe’s first guess would be.

The girl beside her looks down as she sighs, “You know how I don’t really talk about… Things to do with my mother?”.

Chloe nods. Of course she knows, how couldn’t she? After all, Red freezes like a deer caught in headlights once any political or familial questions are directed at her. Long ago Chloe had resolved to not bring anything to do with Red’s mother into conversation, letting the other girl decide whether it should be discussed or not.

“Well, I never really wanted to be queen. Not once in my life. But you know, as the only heir, I sort of have to,” Red chuckles, though the sound is slightly hollow, “I used to think about running away. To a future I wanted, but… It’s the subjects that swayed me to stay.”

“How so?” Chloe rasps out.

“My mothers rule isn’t… Tyrannical. Just strict enough to border on cruel at times, and whilst for all my life I’ve been locked up in the castle up until I enrolled in Auradon, I’ve witnessed through my windows the change in the-... My subjects’ lives once mother started putting regulations and curfews in place,” Red finally goes to make eye contact with Chloe, “They’re not living anymore. Just surviving. If anything pushes me to succeed to the throne, it’s the knowledge that I can give them back their power. Their freedom.”

Chloe wishes everyone could see this version of Red. A girl who at her very core, is someone who will stand for what’s right. Someone who refuses to turn their head away from those in need… It makes her love the other girl even more.

Oh.

That was a sudden realisation. But the fact settles against Chloe’s ribs in a soft manner. What’s going on is no longer vaguely labelled as just having feelings now. And there isn’t a bursting panic with her revelation either. Acceptance this time round feels as natural as breathing.

Chloe Charming has fallen in love with Wonderland’s crown princess, Red of Hearts.

“When you make that dream a reality, I’ll be there to support you,” Chloe whispers, reaching forward to place her hand atop of Red’s, “Every step of the way. I’ll be there, I swear it with all the honour under my name.”

Red goes to lace their fingers together, “I can’t lie. The future seems a little less scary when I imagine you by my side. Part of me is excited to see where fate will take our reigns.”

The pair maintain eye contact for a little longer, and Chloe wonders if any ounce of her unfiltered adoration can be sensed as Red goes back to watch the ripples across the enchanted lake.

“What about you?”

“What about me?” Chloe questions.

“What do you plan for your kingdom's future? You’re the one ascending to the throne over Chad if I remember correctly.”

Chloe allows herself a few seconds to think before giving her answer, “I want to reach out to other kingdoms.”

“Oh?”

“Cinderellasburg is functioning just fine… I feel like as much as I can do to improve the kingdom, there’s also so much I could do to help others.”

“Well, consider Wonderland as one of your biggest allies in aiding you with that goal.”

Chloe knows that she could let the conversation reach a natural end here, but there's an overwhelming urge taking over that simply won’t let her do just that, “You know. Politics aside, I also like to envision having some girl rule by my side one day.”

“...Like that girl from Aurora’s day?” Red whispers, “I still can’t believe you didn’t confess in the end, you had the perfect opportunity to do so.”

Chloe bites the inside of her cheek. She had pushed that disaster to the back of her mind, especially the awkward stuttering she had to go through when she had told Red later the day that, no, she didn’t confess to anyone in the end.

“It just wasn’t the right time,” Chloe says, unable to take her eyes off of Red, “Though I am curious… Do you see yourself with someone in the future?”.

Red lets out a laugh, “As if anyone would be able to, let alone want to spend the rest of their life with me.”

Chloe clenches her jaw a little. An unrestrained part of her wants to scream so her voice would echo through the entirety of the woods surrounding them. The answer is so simple to Red’s question. It’s her. Chloe has been that person for so long, and she can’t see a future where she won't be that person.

Focusing on Red, Chloe takes note of the small, sad smile present on the other girl's face, and she wonders how someone so loveable could ever think of themselves as anything less.

This is it. This is the moment her carefully constructed resolve is crumbling. Patience and perfect moments can be sent to the underworld for all Chloe cares. Because under all her righteousness and perceived valiance, she’s simply a girl who wants Red in the most desperate, human way possible.

Chloe wants the girl. And she wants her now. Especially given how the other princess can’t seem to accept the idea that someone out there (someone who’s sitting right beside her) wouldn’t let the world burn for her.

“Red,” Chloe whispers. The other girl hums in acknowledgment. Chloe takes a deep breath before swallowing harshly. She’s not backing down. She can’t. Not again.

“What are we?”.

To the untrained eye, someone would conclude that Red hadn’t reacted at all. That she was entirely nonchalant about what Chloe had asked. But Chloe’s not that someone , and she takes quick notice of the way Red’s body tenses just the slightest in alarm.

“Friends, of course,” Red replies.

“ Mhm .”

There’s that word again. It’s starting to seem a bit overused with how much it’s been said recently. Chloe reaches forward, placing two fingers under Red’s chin, turning the girl's head to face her, “And can you tell me why we’re only friends?”.

There’s something that flickers in Red’s eyes, but it’s extinguished just as fast as it appeared.

“I…” Red starts with a small rasp in her voice, “We’re a good influence on each other. Me and you.”

Chloe suppresses the frown she feels trying to make an appearance, her intended point didn’t seem to get picked up on.

“And why’s that?”

Red is giving a longer answer to that question, and Chloe is partially listening. In all honesty, her attention is mostly fixated on the reaction she gets from Red when she brushes a loose red strand of her behind Red’s ear. There’s a small intake of breath. A slight stutter in Red’s words. A pink flush across the princesses cheeks which is highlighted by the golden hue of a slowly setting sun.

She has an effect on Red. A piece of information that makes it feel as if honey is flowing through Chloe’s veins. Something which ignites a growing confidence within Chloe.

“And would you say we’re likely to be friends for a long time?” Chloe whispers, leaning forward. The motion is slow, giving Red adequate time to pull away. She doesn’t. And when Chloe nuzzles her nose against the crook of Red’s neck, taking full advantage of the free space the girl's ponytail offers, she feels Red nearly melt into her touch.

With her close she is, her senses are flooded with the smell of tea leaves and sugar. Something that is so distinctly Red that she wants it to infiltrate every crevice in her lungs.

“I…” Red swallows harshly, “Yeah of course-”. There’s a quick intake of breath as Chloe moves to cup Red’s cheek with her hand, all whilst she allows her lips to gently graze the other girl's jawline. Trailing upwards with her feather-light touch, she whispers in Red’s ear, “Carry on.”

“You… You’re the greatest person I know Chloe. You’re my best friend.”

Forcing herself to pull away slightly, Chloe looks at Red. The other girl’s breathing is notably shallower. Chloe leans forward once again, her gaze focused on the other girls' perfectly applied lipstick that she wants nothing more than to mess up.

Their lips are a hair’s breadth away from one another now. “Go on princess, be honest. What else am I to you?” Chloe urges softly.

In that moment Red’s eyelids flutter shut, and Chloe’s not sure who moves first to close the microscopic distance between them, and she’s not sure if she cares. Because a second later, Red’s lips are tentatively pressed against hers.

It feels so right , and when Red pulls away a little after a moment, Chloe’s already missing the heavenly warmth of the other girl. Opening her eyes, she takes in the sight of the other girl, looking at her as if this moment was a daydream.

She wants to reach out and say something to reassure the other girl, but doesn’t get further in her observations before Red goes and crashes their lips together in a heated kiss, devoid of the shyness from earlier.

Chloe reacts within an instant, as if she’s made for this moment. So once Red goes and wraps her arms around Chloe’s neck, Chloe is quick to reach forward to place her hands on Red’s waist, urging her closer. When Red goes through with her request, Chloe can only hum in approval as she has Red straddling her lap.

The force at which she’s kissing Red back is almost bruising, but neither girl seems to care. Chloe can feel her blood rushing in her ears, amplified by the sensation of her heart racing against her ribcage.

Red’s lips are soft. Addictively soft, Chloe notes as she captures them with the devotion of a woman starved of all she’s desired, up until this very moment.

Red’s close. So, so close. Yet Chloe still finds an all consuming greed that's demanding more, more, more. Unfortunately, against all her base needs and her desire to simply drown in her want for the other girl, Chloe pulls away with her lungs burning for air.

The following whimper that Red fails to muffle as a result of the lost contact is enough for Chloe to have an internal battle with her self restraint as they catch their breaths. Taking her hands off of Red’s waist and going to lovingly hold her face, Chloe smiles smugly as she spots the smudged lipstick mixed with her own tinted gloss.

As her eyes trail up to meet Red’s eyes, she feels her breath catch a little. Initially, out of awe as Red looks at her with unfiltered want, but that soon morphs into alarm.

“Red… I-”

Before she can string together a proper sentence, Red’s moved off of her lap as if she had been burnt, standing up with one of her hands clutching her hair in distress as the other covers her mouth. Her expression of disbelief only grows as if she’s only just processed what has transpired between them.

“No,” Red says, her voice shaking, “This makes no sense. You don’t want me.”

Chloe’s not sure if she wants to laugh or start swearing to her fairy godmothers and beyond. “I don’t want you?” She repeats Red’s words, not quite believing what she had said.

“That’s right. You don’t.”

She didn’t get this far to have all their progress reversed. Chloe stands up, brushing off some dust from her white linen trousers before going to cross her arms, “That’s not true. Red I want to be with-”.

“Don’t lie to me Chloe.”

“ I’m not! ” Chloe argues, “What in Auradon’s name would ever give you that idea?”.

“You’re a good person, and I’m sure you were trying to cheer me up after my little bit of hopelessness about being alone in the future,” Red reasons. Chloe shakes her head, firmly denying that.

Red sighs, “And even then, I know for a fact you’re interested in someone else. The Aurora's day girl.”

Chloe feels as if her head may explode, she takes one deep breath before taking a few steps towards Red, taking hold of her hands, “There’s no other girl Red. The princess I want is you.”

Red frowns at that, “No, Chloe. Stop it, you’re being mean.”

“I’m being mean?” Chloe asks in disbelief.

“I gave you a rose on that day. I told you how I felt and we closed that chapter. I accepted that you don’t feel the same way about me, you can’t-... You can’t just reopen old wounds like that,” Red says, her voice floating between hot rage and pure devastation.

Chloe freezes at her words. That long ago she had her answer about whether Red feels the same and she was too oblivious to realise it.  “I reject your rose,” Chloe blurts out.

“ Excuse me? ”

“You heard me. I reject it,” Chloe emphasises, “Blue roses mean unrequited love. I would be a liar to accept it now that I realise what’s going on. Since I feel the same way about you.”

There’s a beat of silence before Red’s shaking her head, “I… It doesn’t matter.”

Chloe's body feels as if it goes cold in that very moment, “What do you mean it doesn’t matter? Of course it matters. We matter.”

Red goes and pulls her hands out of Chloe’s hold with more force than necessary, “We’re better as friends. Let’s forget this happened.”

“ You can’t seriously be asking that of me! ” Chloe pleads, clenching her hands together so she feels the biting presence of her nails against her palm. “After all we’ve been through, there’s no way we are just being friends. We’ve been so much more for too long.”

“I don’t care,” Red snaps at her, crossing her arms as she goes to look anywhere but Chloe, “I can’t- we can’t risk it. I’d rather have a friendship than a failed relationship. I can’t lose you.”

“How are you so sure we won’t last?” Chloe says, clenching her jaw. Red finally looks at her, eyes glassy with unshed tears, “Imagining having me and being with me are two different things, Chloe. You’ll get hurt. You’ll get bored. You’ll wonder why we even tried anything in the first place.”

“Well you certainly seem comfortable with making decisions for me,” Chloe snarks, feeling a building anger that Red would take her for someone like that . Someone who would give up on them.

“After spending so long by your side, I think I’m able to make a fair judgement,” Red rebuts.

“ This isn’t fair at all! ” Chloe hisses. She goes to pinch the bridge of her nose, willing herself to calm down a little before she speaks again, “Please… Can’t we just talk about this?”.

Red is silent, her eyes guarded and her posture stiff, and all of a sudden Chloe can find the defensive girl she met all those months ago here with her.

“I think we’ve talked enough. We’ve done enough today,” Red says bitterly, going to walk towards the stepping stones. Chloe catches her wrist as she brushes past her, eyes wide and not caring how pathetic she may seem, “Please…”.

Red looks over her shoulder, looking as devastated as Chloe’s feeling right now. “You’ll understand eventually,” she whispers, “I don’t think we’d ever recover from wanting each other better than actually having each other.”

With that, Red moves away, not looking back as she starts retracing their earlier path. And with tears stinging her eyes as she stands alone in the middle of the enchanted lake, Chloe realises she’s never felt so helpless in her entire life.

Chapter Text

Ending the academic year with Red sends Chloe through a sense of deja vu. 

Though that’s mostly due to the fact that Red’s presence in her life has reverted back to what it was like when they first met each other: nonexistent. Since, despite everything that has happened, everything they’ve been through, Chloe is cast back into that same cold, distant place where Red was a figure in the periphery, rather than someone integral to her world.

The contrast is stark: the way they once collided, clashed, and unexpectedly came together now feels like it happened to someone else, somewhere far away. The type of what was once an unspoken connection they had seemed real then, but now, as the school year wraps up, it’s as if it was all a fleeting moment. 

Chloe doesn’t see Red in their room anymore. The other girl slips in and out in unholy hours as if she were a ghost, leaving barely any traces that she was ever there.

Chloe doesn’t see Red sketching on bleachers during her Swords and Shields practices anymore either, and the longer the absence goes on, the more unpredictable Chloe’s offensive and defensive strikes with her sabre get.

Chloe doesn’t see Red in their shared classes anymore. She always skips or has suddenly elected to change seats to sit by students who she used to never make the extra effort to befriend.

Chloe doesn’t see Red on the final day of the semester; when she comes back from her final class, all of Red’s belongings have seemingly been packed up and moved out of their dorm.

Overall, Chloe just doesn’t get to see Red, and the finality of it all hits her harder than she was prepared for; the academic year ends, and so does whatever it was they had.

(At least, it ends on Red’s side that is).

- ⚔ -

Chloe writes letters. Hundreds of them.

They start with incredible sincerity; the first letters are detailed with at least 4 drafts created before the final version are scrawled out and sent off to Wonderland. They’re all filled with raw emotions and longing. Chloe writes about how much she misses Red, how the absence of her feels like a piece of her life has gone missing. She writes about the first morning in which she woke up without Red near her, how the room felt emptier than it ever had before. She writes about missing their conversations late into the night, laughing over trivial things as Chloe half-heartedly insists that they ought to sleep sooner rather than later because of their early classes. Chloe writes about all the details she can’t forget.

Every letter is a confession, a release of the overwhelming feelings she’s been holding in. She writes about the confusion, the heartbreak, and the longing. 

Especially the longing.

But over time, the tone of the letters begins to change.

Chloe never stops writing with sincerity, but the words become less loaded, less urgent. The letters start to be filled with small life updates, snippets of her day-to-day over summer break. She writes about the weather, about the book she’s reading, about how she stumbled across a place she believes makes better matcha lattes than Sarabi’s (and how she hopes Red would want to try it one day). Chloe writes about her summer classes on kingdom ruling, about how she’s doing in her Swords and Shields practices—how her footwork is still a little off with her in-quartata parry, but she’s getting better. She writes about her favourite new composers at her family’s balls.

There’s still an ache in her words, but it’s quieter now. The words are lighter, almost casual; the letters have shifted from heartfelt confessions to simple conversational topics, as if Chloe is telling Red about her life as she used to do so, as if she still matters enough to the other girl for these small details to be shared.

(Chloe continues to send them, even as summer shifts into autumn).

She doesn’t even consider stopping, not for one second. She still writes despite the uncertainty of the letters even making it into Red’s hands, as it’s the only thing that keeps her tethered to other princess, even in such a fragmented way; it’s the only way Chloe knows how to fill the silence, to bridge the gap between what was and what could have been.

- ⚔ -

Returning to Auradon Prep for their second year is both a blessing and a curse.

In the summer, Chloe was tortured with reminders of Red in every other detail within her childhood castle. But in their academy, Chloe was tortured with the girl's fleeting presence on campus; she was a stranger now, even if her face, her mannerisms, and her every movement still felt achingly familiar.

- ⚔ -

Medicinal Alchemy is an optional elective for those who performed well enough in the core prerequisite module in first year, and despite their potions experiment that started… Everything . Red and Chloe were both accepted into the elective, as well as placed in the same class.

Which was fine. Fine. Totally fine.

Chloe had self control, and this was her and Red’s only overlap in classes for the entire semester. She could handle two hours every Monday and Thursday within the same vicinity as the other girl - they both may have been allocated to the middle tables in their classroom, but they were seated at opposite sides of the room.

But as the weeks passed, Chloe found it increasingly difficult to focus on her lectures. Red was magnetic, her laughter bright and contagious when it graced the room's presence, and Chloe couldn’t help but steal glances at her whenever she thought the professor wasn’t looking to make sure students kept to their assignments.

Today was no different. 

Chloe sat in the back, a notebook open in front of her, but the words blurred together as she watched Red toss her hair over her shoulder, completely absorbed in a conversation with a friend Chloe didn’t recognise. 

Chloe sighed, knowing she had to pull herself together. But as soon as those thoughts started to resonate in her mind, she hit a crossroad. Yes, she could accept the fact that she was staring at Red like a sad puppy, but what she couldn’t brush aside was when she spotted Red’s distinct cat-like eyes directed at her just moments later. Those eyes, usually so lively and mischievous, held her gaze for a heartbeat longer than Chloe expected, only to snap back down to her notebook the instant their eyes met.

Chloe’s heart raced, a flurry of emotions colliding within her. Did Red really mean to look at her? The flicker of surprise in Red’s expression felt like a secret shared between them, a quiet acknowledgment that sent a thrill through Chloe’s veins.

She shifted in her seat, feeling a flush creep up her cheeks. Why did it feel like the world had shrunk to just the two of them? The lecture faded into a dull hum around her, the professor’s voice a distant echo. All she could think about was how those brief moments of eye contact ignited something inside her.

- ⚔ -

Since what Chloe would mentally dub as ‘the eye contact incident’ , she can’t seem to stop finding Red in every element of her life - this is no longer about reminders of the other girl, but the physical presence of the Wonderland princess in her close vicinity.

In the cafeteria, Chloe could spot Red from across the room. Even in the sea of faces, Red stood out with her vibrant red hair and energy, effortlessly pulling everyone around her into her orbit. Chloe often found herself sitting angled toward the other girls table, even when Chloe was just there to grab lunch with her other friends.

In the library, where Chloe usually sought solace in the stacks of books available, she now found herself distracted by the soft rustle of Red flipping through pages a few aisles over. 

In her Swords and Shields practices, Chloe could on occasion spot Red hair tucked underneath a beanie as someone sketches on the bleachers by the training area.

Each encounter sends butterflies fluttering in Chloe’s stomach despite no words being uttered - more so because she knew, deep down, this was down to something more than mere chance. 

(She can’t escape her, and in no way does she want to).

- ⚔ -

The rest of the semester carries on in a series of not-so-secret glances and zero conversations. That is, until the chill of December creeps in.

Chloe hadn’t had the best of days. First, she had to restart her history assignment a week before the due date, leaving her feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Then, her roommate had an obnoxious number of friends over, turning their shared space into a chaotic hub of noise; it was impossible to concentrate on her book and unwind. Now, she was speed-walking to her alchemy class in her pajamas, her mind racing with a mix of anxiety and irritation after realising that one of her sneakers had fallen out of her kit for Swords and Shields, which she needed for practice at eight the next morning.

It was a frustrating trek from the second-year dorms to the science building, especially with the weight of her day pressing down on her. Chloe quickened her pace, determined to reach her alchemy class on time. If she could just stay focused and avoid any distractions, she might make it back to her dorm before the final curfew bell rang.

But just as she pushed through the door to her alchemy classroom, fate had other plans. In her haste, Chloe flung the door open, colliding with someone on the other side after she rushed in. Both of them stumbled back in surprise, wide eyes locking in a moment of startled recognition.

Red.

“ ...What are you doing here? ” Chloe blinked, taking in the sight of the stoppered vials cradled in Red’s arms, their contents swirling with mysterious colors.

Red’s cheeks flushed as she fumbled for words, her wide eyes betraying a hint of mischief. “Um… I was just, uh, seeing if I can create spray paint using only organic polymers?” she said, a small stutter creeping in as she realized she’d been caught red-handed in her thievery.

“You’re…” Chloe started in disbelief, “You’re rummaging through our academy’s stockroom like a raccoon to make more spray paint? ”

“...I mean I was more thinking like a squirrel, they’re more graceful,” Red started, seemingly just as dazed as Chloe from the fact this was their first conversation in months, “Also it doesn’t really count as stealing if I don’t leave the lab with these vials.”

Chloe’s eyes wandered to the table that Red had seemed to be headed toward; set up with numerous pieces of glassware and a blue flame, already blazing from a bunsen burner.

Her attention snapped back to Red, who was staring at her with wide eyes, the tension palpable between them. 

“ You know what- I think my little innovations can be put on pause for another night,” Red said, her voice edged with urgency. She took a step back, placing the vials in her arms carefully on the workbench nearest to her, looking down as she quickened her pace to the exit, only to be stopped with Chloe’s hand on her wrist.

“Red…” she rasped, her heart pounding as she gripped Red’s wrist, the connection igniting a storm of emotions. “Please, don’t run away.”

Red’s expression hardened for a moment as she took a few steps back, but the vulnerability beneath it was undeniable. “I’m not.”

“Prove it then,” Chloe insisted, “ Talk to me .”

The air between them thickened with tension, Red’s eyes darting away as if searching for an escape. “What do you even-” Red sighed, a little resigned, “Just…” There’s a beat of silence before Red carries on softly, “I’ll listen. Just say what you need to, Chloe.”

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, her fists tightly clenched as she drew in a slow, deliberate breath, trying to steady the rush of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze locked with Red’s, and in that fleeting moment, she saw it clearly—the hesitation, the heavy weight of anxiety that seemed to pulse from the other girl. It wasn’t just in her eyes; it was in every small, guarded movement, in the way her shoulders stiffened, the way she held herself back, as though she were perpetually bracing for something.

The fear was so deeply rooted, so ingrained in Red, that Chloe couldn’t help but wonder if there was ever a time, anywhere in this girl's life, when she had allowed herself to embrace any semblance of affection? To reach for it, to accept it without fear or reservation, rather than running from it the way she always did? 

The thought lingered in Chloe’s mind, heavy and unsettling, as she silently wished that Red could see the possibility of something more, something real, without the constant pull of doubt dragging her away.

Chloe took one, large step forward. Then another. And when she stilled in her movements, it took a few seconds for Red to close the remaining distance between them, as if she was being slowly pulled forward by an invisible thread. And, never one to miss an opportunity, Chloe reaches to cup the other girl's face in her hands. A movement done so slowly that Red could have drawn back and stormed out of the room by the time they finally made contact.

Red’s face was warm to the touch of Chloe’s palms, and though the Wonderland princess looked to hers in pure bewilderment, she raised her hands to hold Chloe’s wrists with care. As if solidifying the other princess’ hold on her.

Chloe just hoped that this hold wouldn’t slip for what was to come.

"I love you,” Chloe breathed out.

Oh, Merlin- Okay-...  

Chloe was planning to work around that in a subtle manner… But it seems her mouth started spilling her most prominent thought before her brain could filter what she said.

The words hung in the air, and Red’s reaction was immediate, though subtle—too quick to be hidden, yet so small it almost felt like a ghost of a response. A slight, involuntary flinch of alarm flickered across her face, her eyes widening for a split second, as if the very sound of those words had caught her off guard. In an instant, her entire posture shifted. Her shoulders slumped, as if an invisible weight had suddenly settled on them, pressing her down into the earth. It was as though the gravity of what Chloe had said had become too much for her to bear.

Red’s body stiffened as her eyes darted to the ground, her muscles rigid with tension. It was as if she was desperately trying to hold herself together, to fight the overwhelming urge to bolt, to run far away from the confession that was too much, too real.

“Red,” Chloe started gently, “Look at me. Please. ”

It took a few seconds before the princess adjacent to her followed her plea.

“I want you,” Chloe states, “This is not something I say out of a need to keep you in my vicinity. It isn’t an attempt to control your actions or perspective. It’s just what I have felt for you since first year.”

She spots Red’s resolve crumbling with a slight quiver of her lower lip. 

“I… I just needed you to know,” Chloe goes to take a deep breath before continuing, “I never stopped, and I love you with no expectation of anything in return. No time apart has changed my stance on this. We don’t have to acknowledge it after tonight if that’s what you want. You don’t have to say it back, you don’t have to respond at all… Merlin, knowing you, you don’t even have to accept it but- ”

Her words are cut off by a sudden movement, with the other girl moving to crash into her arms in a tight embrace. 

She feels Red’s body tremble against hers. It’s as though the very act of holding Red is a quiet promise, an unspoken vow that she won’t leave (no matter how much distance had built between them, no matter how long it had been since they were truly together).

Chloe’s arms tighten around Red instinctively, one hand buried in the other girl's hair as the other gently moves up and down the girl’s back in slow, comforting strokes. She can feel Red’s heart pounding against her, erratic and frantic, and she presses her cheek against the top of Red’s head. 

Red pulls back just slightly, her eyes wide and glistening in the dim light, as if the vulnerability of the moment has stripped away every last ounce of her composure. The silence washes over them in waves, and Chloe isn’t sure how long they’re standing there, taking each other in, before it’s broken.

“I read them, you know,” Red whispers. Once Chloe looks at her in confusion, the other princess goes on to clarify her words, “The letters. Your letters. Every single one.”

“...You did?” Chloe felt her mouth go dry, “You never responded.”

Red’s eyes drop, her gaze flickering to the ground before she looks back at Chloe, her expression full of guilt and something more vulnerable. It’s as if she’s battling herself, trying to find the right words to explain something that feels too complicated to say. 

“I didn’t…” she sighs quietly. Her voice falters, her breath catching in her throat, as if the following admission is harder than anything else she’s said, “-I didn’t know how to respond to them. To all of it.” 

“You could have replied to any paragraph, no matter how small, and I’d have sent my entire kingdom's coffers in gratitude.”

Red shakes her head, the weight of her thoughts pushing her words out in slow, deliberate fragments. “That’s the problem , Chloe.”

“Why?” Chloe asks, her confusion deepening.

Red’s gaze is distant, haunted, as though she’s staring at something only she can see, “It’s too much. You’re everything good. All the things I can’t be. Charming. Genuine. You give so freely, without asking for anything in return. But when does it stop? When do you see that you’re pouring your heart into someone who isn’t worthy of it?”

“Red…”

“You and I both know I don’t have the best track record, with… Well, everything,” Red starts with a harsh swallow, “I’ve always been like this, Chloe. Whether it’s to do with something as unimportant as my childhood teddy or with someone as important as you, I will always cling on too hard, and then they’re gone in the next moment.”

Chloe furrowed her brows. She wanted to say something - anything - but no words were able to come out. Her thoughts kept racing.

“Good people earn good things,” Red states as if it's the most obvious fact in the world, “And I’m no good. I’ve known it since I was… Well, I’ve known this for as long as my memory can span.”

Chloe took in a sharp breath, immediately bringing the other girl back into another embrace - though it was much softer than the last. Almost delicate in the way Chloe held Red.

She of course knew that Red’s childhood was troublesome at best, and that the other girl didn’t talk of it much. Chloe is no fool though, and she’s well aware that if she’s able to achieve her goal of having Red by her side at her future coronation and whatever future lies beyond that, then she needs to be willing to combat the numerous issues the other girl's past had laid down.

“I wish we could have met earlier,” Chloe whispers, “I wish I was able to grow up with you. So I could have held your hand and whispered in your ear to tell you that all those terrible perspectives and experiences you faced are nothing but a distortion of who you are, not a reflection.”

Silence.

Chloe pulled away a little, touching their forehead together. “I won’t lie to you and say you pulling away from my life didn’t hurt. It did. But I also know this is not where I want us to end.”

Red nodded softly, “It wasn’t right of me to ice you out. I’m sorry.”

Chloe took in a small breath, letting her next words roll out easily, “I forgive you. I… Just need one thing from you.”

“...What is it?”

“I need you to be honest with me from here on out.”

Red was silent for a moment, her expression thoughtful. “I can do that.” After a beat, she added, “I want to do that.”

Chloe felt the weight of those words settle around them, a fragile hope beginning to blossom. She tucked a loose curl behind her ear, a nervous habit that had become all too familiar. “Then, can I ask you a question?” she ventured, her voice steady but gentle.

“Of course,” Red replied.

“Do you still want to be a part of my life?” Chloe asked, holding her breath.

“Yes,” Red answered without hesitation, a spark of sincerity in her eyes.

Chloe’s heart raced as she pressed on, anxiety swirling within her. “And do you want to be more than friends with me?”

The question hung in the air, thick with anticipation. Red’s expression shifted, a flash of uncertainty crossing her features. “...That’s two questions, Chloe.”

“Humour me,” Chloe said.

Red let out a small laugh, but the tension remained. She looked down for a moment, gathering her thoughts, and when she met Chloe’s gaze again. “I do,” she confessed so quietly that Chloe could barely hear it.

Chloe felt her breath catch, her pulse quickening as she processed Red’s words. “You do?” she echoed, needing to confirm what she had just heard.

Red nodded slowly, and Chloe felt a smile tug at her lips. “I want this- us , to work. We don’t have to launch into anything, I… Just wanted to know if we could head towards something .”

“I’d like that,” the tension in Red’s shoulders seems to slacken. Chloe looks at her hopefully, “Promise? I can only feel safe making an effort for us if I know you’re willing to do the same.”

Red glanced at Chloe’s offered pinky, a small smile tugging at her lips. She reached out, interlocking her finger with Chloe’s. “I promise.”

In that quiet moment, they leaned closer, foreheads gently pressing together. The world around them faded, leaving just the two of them suspended in the soft intimacy of the gesture. Chloe’s eyes fluttered, feeling a mix of relief and something deeper as they shared the moment, their breaths mingling in the space between them.

Red’s voice was barely a whisper. “It’s been so long since we’ve been this close.”

“Yeah,” Chloe replied, her heart steadying as she focused on the warmth radiating from Red. “I’ve missed this.”

“I have too.”

“...Hey, Red?”

“ Hm ?” the other girl acknowledges.

“Do I finally get to know your favourite colour?” Chloe sends a sweet smile Red’s way, and her heart nearly folds in on itself once she spots an old characteristic smirk which she thought was lost to time. The other girl laughs before answering.

“It’s blue, Chloe,” Red whispers, “It reminds me of you.”

There was no time for a teasing retort after that, because the next thing Chloe knew, Red’s lips were softly brushing against hers as their academy’s final curfew bell rang out as it hit midnight.

She could definitely get used to this.