Chapter Text
Stella’s never been one to bet on things, regardless of the matter and how sure she was about her decisions and thoughts, she just wouldn’t. It was mostly because it was inappropriate for a princess to bet over things. She needed to appear calm and composed, so in this case specifically, she just couldn’t let Musa get on her nerves.
“She’s so oblivious, she wouldn’t even notice if you start treating her as if she was your girlfriend,” Musa said with a grin. They were talking about Bloom. This had been a current topic for the last month or so. The thing about sharing a living space with Musa was that your feelings would be outcasted directly into her mind if you weren’t careful enough. Stella was pretty sure Musa had found out she liked Bloom even before Stella herself had accepted it.
But then again, it wasn’t a normal topic for her. She found herself very supported by her friends in most conversations, and she knew she could talk to them about anything. However, she just couldn’t and wouldn’t talk about her own feelings for another of her suit mates. Musa knowing it was out of her control completely.
“She would notice. She’s not oblivious. She obviously wouldn’t bring it up without me saying anything.” Hell, Stella wasn’t even sure if Bloom would reciprocate her feelings. Even if she didn’t, she would try to let her down gently.
Musa rolled her eyes, about to respond with something, but her eyes glowed purple for a second, shining with mischief, and a smirk grew on her face. Stella feared for herself.
“Let’s make a bet,” Musa said, leaning forward with a gleam in her eye. And this is where it got complicated. Stella knew very well how Musa would bring her into it. She would call her a coward and not only that, but she would keep calling Bloom oblivious.
“No way I’m doing that,” Stella retorted, crossing her arms. She was sure whatever Musa was about to say was going to have consequences.
“Let me finish first, then answer,” Musa pointed her fork towards her. Stella hoped no one else in the cafeteria was listening to the conversation, hoping the other empaths were out or in their own world. Stella looked at her, squinting her eyes slightly. “I’ll give you a month. You have to treat her as if you were together as a couple or just flirt with her. Call her pet names, say nice couple-y things to her, whatever you do when you flirt.”
Stella’s eyebrow shot up, looking expectantly at her friend, hoping the others wouldn’t come right now.
“If she notices the difference, you win. If she doesn’t, I do.” Stella put some of her food in her mouth before gesturing towards Musa.
“That’s ridiculous. I won’t do it. Besides, you have absolutely nothing to give me or something I would want.”
“Yes, I do,” Musa said with a smug expression. Stella frowned, not knowing what Musa could offer that she couldn’t get for herself. “At the end of the month is the retirement week.” Ah yes, fairies specifically had one week every six months in which they would be taken away by school authorities on a sort of “camp” to practice their magic more freely and more connected to nature. It was not exactly called retirement week, but most referred to it that way. “The rooms are already arranged,” Musa added.
Stella knew the lists were made beforehand by Professor Harvey. She knew as much because of her mother and her controlling hand over the school, constantly trying to leave Stella out of social activities and make her have an alone room also during the retirement.
“And?” Stella still didn’t know what she could get from Musa.
“Bloom is paired with Beatrix,” Musa revealed. Stella stilled for a second. She wasn’t a big fan of the other fairy. She knew her intentions weren’t bad, probably, but she didn’t like just how close she was with Bloom, how they treated each other. Even if Bloom wouldn’t reciprocate the actions of the air fairy, Stella knew Beatrix was a total flirt. She wouldn’t admit to being jealous of every interaction they had, but she also didn’t need to apparently. Musa already knew it.
“How could you even know that?” The lists weren’t up until about half of the month so that the fairies could group up with their assigned roommate.
“Obviously because of Sam. He helps with the list too. He gets a benefit from it too,” Musa explained, her eyes gleaming with secrets Stella didn’t want to know. “I’ll ask him to change her name for yours.”
Stella knew such a thing wouldn’t be beneficial for herself. After all, she already knew she wouldn’t do anything with Bloom besides talk and just look and admire her from afar. She wasn’t going to act on her feelings without being sure the fire fairy would reciprocate. But at the same time, it would be good for her if Beatrix didn’t share a room with Bloom. Her thoughts would be in calm and her magic might even flow better during the week.
She thought about it. She knew she shouldn’t. If her mother were to find out she changed rooms with someone and that she was actually going to be paired with someone, she would get mad with the institution once again. But then again, how could she know?
“I know you want it. Don’t be shy about it,” Musa coaxed, her powers amplifying Stella’s feelings, her mouth a megaphone for her thoughts.
“I do,” Stella said, sure and direct, surprising Musa, who looked directly at her while the blonde moved her food a bit. “I want it.” She wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip from her fingers. She didn’t have the chance to spend too much time with Bloom alone. Sharing a room with her for a week would be perfect. “What do you want in exchange?” With Musa, she didn’t know what to expect exactly, but Stella was confident she could do almost anything at this point.
“We’ll see. I promise I’m not going to ask for something crazy, but let me think about it. I might find something,” Musa replied with a grin. Stella didn’t completely believe her words, but she took it anyway.
“Perfect then. It’s a deal. I’ll start tomorrow.”
“Why don’t you start now?” Musa smiled at Stella, who was about to reproach when the cheerful voice of Terra came from behind.
“Can’t find you guys anywhere. You were practically hidden,” Terra said, approaching with a tray of food. Stella looked at them, Bloom was the last one on the short line of her friends, holding her food and smiling at Stella with shiny eyes. Stella also smiled at her and moved aside to make room for her.
“How are you, darling?” Stella asked, looking straight at Bloom, feeling the shift in her friends around. Stella wasn’t used to using pet names for her friends. She never got that close with any of them to call them like that, so this one was new. She hoped no one would make a comment about how it was weird, at least not in front of her so she wouldn’t have to explain anything.
Bloom’s cheeks turned as red as her hair, her smile trembling a little, looking at Stella with a curious look, but thankfully she also didn’t comment on the new addition. Stella could feel Musa’s look and amusement without the need to look at her. She also knew Musa could feel her nervousness, and even though Musa could be mischievous with them, she wasn’t going to make her feel even worse.
“I’m good, thanks for asking, Stella. We just got a new classwork project for the Fairy History class. I know nothing about it, so I was thinking about going to the library later today to check on some of the books. I have some questions written down to search for on very specific topics because it seems like it’s common knowledge and I feel a little off every time they mention something and it has taken me too long to search for them,” Bloom rambled, leaving the pet name behind and not mentioning it, thankfully.
While Aisha and Terra were recommending Bloom different titles for her research, Stella looked up and directly at Musa, who just needed to mouth “I told you” to make Stella roll her eyes and just pay attention to Bloom again, trying to remember some books to recommend on Solaria’s history.