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“Jade, would you still love me if I was a worm?”
Your boyfriend looks at you oddly, in the middle of chewing his salad as you ask him, batting your eyelashes and smiling up at him like a sweet cherub.
He swallows his bite before responding, “Of course, darling. I would construct a terrarium exactly to your liking—you would look stunning surrounded by hydrangeas, even in an earthwormly form.”
You let out a happy squeal before clutching onto his arm, squeezing it tight. A soft chuckle escapes him as he kisses the top of your head, and Azul and Floyd from the other side of the table look at you both with repulsion.
Neither of you mind their stares.
‘Jade, would you still love me if I was a worm?’
The next time you ask is in the middle of a history lecture, and you scrawl it in the corner of your notebook. He raises his eyebrows at the sight of the inquiry but quickly scrawls a response in his precise, fancy handwriting.
‘Of course, my dear. I would make sure your soil is never too moist nor too dry, and I would hand-feed you fruit and vegetable scraps daily.’
Placated by the response, a quiet hum of contentment escapes you as you turn back to the lecture. You lean your head on your boyfriend’s shoulder, and he rests his head on top of yours. All of your classmates ogle at you—who would willingly cuddle up with one of the Leech twins?
You, apparently.
“Jade, would you still love me if I was a worm?”
His knuckles pale as he grips his broomstick impossibly tight, expression showing one of his rare breaks of poised character. He is unbreathing as it shakily rises a few feet before grunting as it tosses him to the floor, clearly uncooperative.
When you help him up, he utters a thanks before responding to your inquiry. “Love, this is the third time you’ve asked me this question.”
“I know, but I just like hearing your answers,” you say, helping him back onto his broom. “Try to make your energy output more even while you fly.”
“I’m trying,” he whimpers, and Riddle flies over as Jade leaps off of his broom in terror and clutches you tightly to steady himself, the Heartslabyul housewarden wrinkling his nose as he offers his assistance.
Jade is too terrified to notice anything but his haywire broom and the steady breathing of your small form in his arms.
“Jade, would you still—”
“—Come with me,” he cuts you off, grabbing your hand and tugging you along the halls of Octavinelle. The two of you had been studying for an alchemy test in the lounge when the question popped up in your head, and it felt like a crime not to ask him whenever you saw him, at this point.
He guides you to his room, and you gasp as he hands you the cutest terrarium you have ever seen. Its soil looks perfectly moist, a small hydrangea surrounds a tiny clay house which is also shrouded by other lush greenery, and the best detail is a heart-shaped piece of sea glass you had found and gifted to him on your last beachside walk. You had forgotten about it, but he had kept it this whole time.
“Do you like it?” he asks, though he beams, already sure of your answer. “I made it for you.”
“Is this where you would keep me if I was a worm?” you joke, and he sets the terrarium on his desk, arms circling your waist as he nuzzles his nose against yours.
Your lips connect in a short yet sweet kiss, and the sight of his mismatched eyes happily squinting down at you makes you wish he would never stop smiling.
Yet, his smile shifts into something more sinister, teeth on full display as he says, “It is where I will be keeping you as a worm, actually. I’m glad you like it.”
Before you have a chance to formulate any questions or display incredulity on your face, you feel yourself going limp in his arms and slowly lose consciousness.
When you wake up, you find yourself feeling quite odd. For one, you cannot see, but you can feel many things; there is what seems to be dirt beneath you, the soft rustling of plants around you, and soft breathing.
Jade stares down at you lovingly, resting his face in his hands. “Since you seem so concerned about what I would think of you as a worm, I figured I should grant you the full experience. Until midnight, my love, you will be an earthworm in this terrarium I manufactured just for you! Isn’t that splendid?”
You do not respond, mostly because you have no means to, opting to simply explore your environment. There is dirt. A lot of dirt. The overwhelming scent of dirt almost overpowers everything else, but your senses are strong enough that you can still pick up the breathing of your boyfriend.
It is a comfort he is here, though, at the same time, you are livid with him. Turning you into a worm for a day? Who comes up with that?
Perhaps you should have asked him only once.
“I took the day off just to take care of you,” he whispers, watching as you writhe in the dirt. “You make quite a cute worm. What a fine clitellum you have…”
Time passes weirdly when you are a worm, but you swear Jade is content to simply sit and stare at you as you exist. That is all you are doing—existing.
And he is still here for you.
The feeling of hunger overtakes you and the soil, to your dismay, smells enticing. You do not know how your body knows what to do, but an extension from your front begins guiding a tiny clump of dirt toward your mouth.
“Ah ah ah,” Jade interrupts you disapprovingly. “I said I would feed you, would I not?”
Soft rustling and abrasive clinking sounds are heard before you smell something bursting with sweetness entering your containment. “Apple,” Jade says, nudging it toward you with pliers. “Go on, eat up. We don’t want you to starve, do we?”
You consume the apple shred—the feeling of food going through your system as a worm is inexplicable—and attempt to convey your gratefulness, but all you can do is flop around.
Jade, however, seems to understand, chuckling at your actions. “I’ll put in another piece. If you are not hungry, you can save it for when you are.” He sets another apple piece into the terrarium, and you take out a few tiny worm bites of it, but you find yourself growing full much quicker than expected.
All of a sudden, a wave of tiredness washes over you. You wiggle over to the clay house, but find that it is too stuffy and your skin cannot breathe well in it, so you move over to the base of the hydrangea and curl up underneath it, instead.
“Going to bed so soon?” His voice is dulcet and melodic, and you find yourself easily drifting off into the hands of sleep.
You sit up with a start in Jade’s bed, head whipping around before landing on him, lying next to you. He sports a coy smile, laughing boisterously as you smack him repeatedly.
“You jerk! Turning me into a worm? Really? You could’ve just told me to stop asking!”
Jade wipes away a tear, catching your wrists and grinning toothily. “Oh, but darling, this was so much more intriguing.”
“No more turning me into a worm, okay?”
“I will turn you into a worm as often as you doubt that I would care for you in such a state.” He tugs you back down in the bed, pulling you close until you are both facing each other. A serene smile graces his lips. “You were quite lethargic as a worm, you know. You squirmed around for a bit, ate a little, and then slept the rest of the time.”
“Were you watching me the whole time?” you laugh, kissing his nose.
He returns the action before answering, “Yes.”
Your eyes widen. “Actually?”
“Why would I lie about that?”
“You watched me sit in a terrarium and sleep for an entire day.”
“I did.”
A laugh bubbles up in your throat, and you pull him close, melting in his hold. “You’re such a weirdo, Jade.”
He sticks out his tongue playfully. “I’m your weirdo.”
“And a dork.”
“Your dork.”
Your expression melts into a tender smile, and you press a kiss to his lips. “Thanks for making me a terrarium and giving me the experience of being a worm, I guess.”
Burying his face in the crook of your neck, he murmurs, “Now I know exactly how to answer if you ever ask me that question again.”
“Jade, would you still—”
“—Too soon.” He presses a finger against your lips to cut you off, and you laugh.
“I love you, Jade.”
After a beat, a happy sigh escapes him, and he kisses the base of your neck.
“I love you, too, darling. Worm or not.”