Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Red kept her head down as she sat in the front row. She could hear mutterings about her and her mother’s presence at the school, and even more muttering about the bandages covering her left eye. She pulled her hood a little tighter around her, hoping to block her face from the nosy royals that surrounded her.

As if the day couldn’t get any worse, her mother just had to cause a scene.

It had all happened so fast. One second, the new principal was introduced and welcomed Red to Auradon Prep, and the next, her mother had summoned her card soldiers and started a coup, holding students and royals hostage. Red was angry, she thought that for once in her life, she could have something for herself, something that was finally about her, but of course not. She would never have something go her way.

“Mom, this is crazy, even for you!” She declared as her mother made her way onto the small stage past her soldiers. The Queen of Hearts simply laughed at her daughter’s outrage.

“Crazy that it’s taken this long. I have been waiting years to be invited back into Auradon, so thank you, Red. You finally did something useful” The Queen of Hearts announced as Red rushed to join her on the stage, barging past the soldiers that tried to block her way. 

“I should have known that this was never about me” Red scoffed, fighting to keep her face neutral. She clamped her jaw tightly to stop her lip from trembling, ignoring the dull ache it sent through her teeth. The Queen of Hearts stepped closer to her, her expression a mix of anger and pity, as if she felt bad that Red actually thought she deserved something of her own.

“Everything I do is for you” The Queen whispered, raising a hand to brush over the edge of the bandage covering Red’s eye. Red flinched at the contact and the ice cold feeling of her mother’s fingers against her cheek. The crowd behind her began to murmur, hushed whispers of questions. 

“That was my invitation. My school. My life” Red jerked her head away from the Queen’s touch. The Queen simply clasped her hands in front of her, a gleam shining in her eye.

“Some day, you’ll thank me” She hissed, a small smirk tugging at her lips when Red shivered at her tone. She stepped closer, towering above her daughter and noticed that she was shaking. She laughed at her, mockingly.

Red felt tears burning her eye, and tried to discreetly take a deep breath. She couldn’t show weakness, not in front of all these people and especially not in front of her mom. She clenched her fists, her nails piercing into the soft flesh on the palm of her hands, but the sting grounded her.

“Stop it, Bridget. You’re better than this” A voice spoke up and Red spun around to see the woman from before, Ella, approaching them. Gasps and louder whispers emerged from the crowd and Red wondered briefly if she had a death wish. The guards blocked off Ella’s path, only for the Queen to wave them off, letting Ella step closer and onto the stage with them.

“I know that what happened was hard for you, but that was ages ago. It was a stupid prank” Ella declared and the Queen scoffed. Her eyes glared daggers at the other woman and if looks could kill, then Ella would be somewhere beyond death itself. Red glanced between both women, confused at what they were referring to. Red had never heard of a prank against her mother, much less one that could have turned her into the cold-hearted villain that she is.

“Stupid, I could forgive. Humiliating a girl at her first dance, turning me into a monster in front of everyone. Now, that’s just cruel. And you didn’t care then. You were off with your prince. But you will now, you will all show me the respect I deserve!” The Queen yelled, her soldiers pointing their weapons at the crowd. Red flinched as a cold hand was rested on her shoulder.

“Now kneel” The Queen added, stepping closer to Ella and pushing Red forward with her. Ella remained still as another wave of murmurs rose from the crowd and Red saw from the corner of her eye, that Chloe was looking around panicked, grasping the handle of her sword at her side. Red swallowed harshly.

“I will never kneel to a tyrant” Ella spoke carefully, her eyes not once leaving Bridget’s own. Red felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. Nobody had ever denied an order from the Queen of Hearts and lived to tell the tale. The crowd gasped. Chloe had an expression that was a mix of pride and fear as her mother stood her ground.

“She’s denied a royal order. What do we do about that, darling?” The Queen hissed into Red’s ear and Red felt her heart drop further than it already had. Her mother expected her to make this kind of decision, in front of at least a hundred people, in front of royals from all over the world. She looked between her mother and Ella and couldn’t help but notice the difference in their expressions as they both looked at her and waited.

The Queen of Hearts looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to sentence the Queen of Cinderellasburg to death. She looked bored, impatient and angry as she glared deep into Red’s soul, as if it would let her take control of her daughter and force her to do as she pleased.

Ella looked at her with sorrow. The crease in her eyebrows was filled with worry and concern, but it wasn’t about her fate. It was about Red. Ella looked at her like a mother would look at their child when they were hurt. Despite not knowing Red, Ella looked at her with more kindness than Red had ever seen in her whole life. Red could see Chloe, tears brimming her eyes as she watched the scene before her and for a split second, their eyes met and Red knew what she had to do.

“Who are you loyal to, Red? These strangers, or your mother? Now make me proud, for once” The Queen spoke in a tone that was softer than Red had ever heard. Her mother cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at her and Red shivered again at the coldness of her hands and the even darker coldness in her eyes.

“No” Red whispered and it was the scariest thing she’d ever done. She had denied her mother, straight up refused to do as she ordered. The Queen’s grip on her cheek tightened, a burning anger raging behind her eyes.

“What?” She hissed and Red tried to turn away but her grip was too tight. Red whimpered, her lip trembling at her mother’s gaze.

“No. I won’t do it” She stated louder and for a second, she saw the proud look on Ella’s face and the relief and almost admiration on Chloe’s. Nobody had ever looked proud of her before.

Red didn’t get another second to enjoy that feeling, as her mother jammed her thumb into the bandaging covering her eye. The white-hot searing pain was instant and Red screamed, collapsing to her knees in agony as her mother’s thumb pushed in further, although her mother held her upright. She screamed again, hands clawing at her mother’s to get them away, but her mother held on even tighter as Red squirmed and thrashed.

Red couldn’t hear the crowd’s roars of shock and anger towards her mother’s actions due to the blood rushing in her ears. She felt like she was going to throw up or pass out, her moves sluggish and desperate. She didn’t hear the sound of a sword being unsheathed either.

Chloe couldn’t just stand there and watch as the girl who had just saved her mother from certain death was tortured right in front of her. Either out of their own shock at the Queen of Hearts’ actions, or their hatred of her, the card soldiers didn’t stop Chloe when she pulled her sword from her side and ran to the stage. In one quick swoop, the sword was lightly pressed to the Queen’s neck, and Chloe felt the most nervous and most brave that she ever had.

“Let her go. Now!” She barked, a rage burning in her gut. She had never seen someone treated so disgustingly, let alone by their own mother. Chloe felt sick listening to the red-haired girl’s cries and pleads of agony. The Queen of Hearts glanced between her daughter and Chloe before shoving her daughter down and releasing her grip on her. Red cried out as Ella caught her and made sure she didn’t collide with the ground.

“How chivalrous. Take her, but once you see just how useless she is, don’t expect me to take her back” The Queen spat out mockingly, glaring at her daughter and then at the blue-haired girl. Chloe suppressed a shudder, pushing her blade a little further and glared back at the woman in front of her. 

The Queen of Hearts scoffed before snapping her fingers, summoning a card into them. She threw it into the air and in a puff of red smoke, she and her soldiers disappeared, leaving Red’s half-conscious body in Ella’s arms. Chloe let out a breath, quickly sheathing her sword once again and hoped that she wouldn’t get into too much trouble for it.

As Principal Uma and Fairy Godmother tried to restore the peace with all the other royals, Chloe knelt by her mother’s side as her eyes scanned over the royal princess before her. Red’s eye was closed, although tears were still slipping past her shut eyelids, and her chest rose and fell with each shaky breath she took. The bandage over her other eye was covered in deep red blood, some of which was slipping down her cheek, staining both her own, and Ella’s clothes with it. Chloe shivered as she thought about the sight of the girl’s eye without the bandage over it and how injured it must be.

Chloe placed her hand onto Red’s shoulder gently, but almost recoiled as the girl flinched harshly. 

“Hey, it’s just me, it’s Chloe. You’re safe now, your mom is gone” She whispered, slowly stroking the girl’s arm, an action that seemed to soothe her slightly as she relaxed her muscles slowly. She inhaled shakily, her eye prying open slowly to look at the girl next to her.

“Chloe?” She whimpered, and Chloe felt like someone had taken her sword and ran it straight through her heart. Not even an hour ago, this girl had been rude and brash to her, threatening to feed her to a jabberwocky (something that Chloe still didn’t really understand), but now she was laying injured and weak after standing up for herself and against her mother. Chloe took Red’s hand in her own and squeezed it lightly.

“Yeah, it’s okay. Your mom used one of her card things, she and the soldiers are gone. You’re with me and my mom just now, but we need to take you to a medic and get your eye checked out, okay?” Chloe whispered softly, trying her best to keep herself calm as to not scare Red again. She felt her hand be squeezed back and noticed that Red was looking her up and down, as if she was checking that Chloe was really there.

“I’m sorry, she never shoulda been here” Red mumbled, her head drooping as she fell unconscious. Chloe’s eyes widened, looking up at her mom whose expression she couldn’t read. As gently as she could, Chloe stood and pulled Red into her arms so she was carrying her bridal style.

“Fairy Godmother! We need to get her medical help urgently!” Ella called to the other woman, who was chatting with Jasmine and Aladdin about the entire ordeal, seemingly apologising. Fairy Godmother turned around instantly and gestured for the Charming’s to follow after her as they made their way into the main building. 

Chloe glanced down at the girl in her arms, mumbling reassurances and hoping that the princess could hear her and also mumbling curses at the Queen of Hearts, despite her being long gone. Chloe rubbed her thumb along the back of Red’s hand and hoped that the action was at least somewhat soothing.

The doctor took Red in for examination, leaving Ella and Chloe to roam the hallway outside. Ella stood still beside the door as Chloe paced up and down, anxiously chewing on her nails. Ella sighed softly before approaching her daughter and pulling her into her arms. Chloe deflated against her, burrowing her head into the material of her dress.

“You did a reckless thing, charging at Bridget like that. You could have been seriously hurt, or God forbid, killed by one of her soldiers” Ella scolded, her voice gentle but stern. Chloe pulled back slightly to see her mother’s face, tears filling her eyes.

“She was torturing her, mom. You heard the way she was screaming, I couldn’t let it happen anymore, not when Red saved your life” She whispered as her mom gently played with the ends of her hair, soothing her.

“I know sweetheart. I’m proud of you for defending someone like that, it was very brave and very noble of you. And, I suppose you’re right, that poor girl saved my life and had to pay an excruciating price for it. I never thought Bridget could be capable of something like that” Ella sighed, her thoughts drifting to the pink princess that she used to call her best friend. 

“What happened to her?” Chloe asked softly, pulling away from the embrace and wiping the tears from her eyes. She had never heard of this prank before, despite her mother telling her many stories from her youth. Ella glanced between her daughter and the door to the medical room, where Red was being treated.

“Bridget and I went to school together, we were best friends. Well, I was Bridget’s only friend truthfully, but not from her lack of trying. She was the opposite of the woman we saw today, she was joyful and sweet and honestly, the nicest person I have ever met. She would bake for everyone, desperate to fit in and make friends, but nobody ever cared for her, just the treats she would make and she always used exotic ingredients to make them special. One day, she made cupcakes with flamingo feathers and was passing them out, when a girl named Uliana, Ursula’s sister, took about five of the feathers and ate them all. The thing is, flamingo feathers are very magical, and they ended up turning Uliana into a flamingo hybrid for a few minutes until she fell into a fountain and vowed to get revenge for being humiliated like that” Ella paused, her eyebrows furrowing as she got lost in the memories. Chloe took her hand and squeezed it gently, a curious gleam shining in her eyes.

“Uliana and her companions managed to get ahold of a banned cookbook and used a recipe in that to turn Bridget into a disturbing monster at our first Castlecoming dance. And, although I’m ashamed to say it, I was too busy with my story with your father to notice what was happening until it was too late. Bridget was destroyed and said that we’d all regret everything that happened to her one day, and then she disappeared. I believe that was when she returned to Wonderland and blocked the rabbit hole so nobody could ever reach her. Today was the first time I’ve seen her since that Castlecoming dance” Ella continued, a frown fixed on her face. She had always felt guilty about that dance, always thinking about what could have changed if she hadn’t been so fixated on Charming.

“Gosh, that sounds awful, but wanting revenge on all of Auradon for it seems a bit excessive. And the way she treated Red… There’s no excuse for that” Chloe murmured after a moment, allowing the story her mother had just told her to sink in. Although it did sound like an awful experience, Chloe couldn’t really understand why revenge seemed like the Queen of Hearts' best solution. And if the Queen had been like that since school, she wondered how badly Red must have been treated for her whole life.

“Do you think that she was the one who hurt Red’s eye to begin with?” She wondered out loud, turning to look at the medical room’s door. She didn’t know how to explain it, but she felt oddly drawn to the red girl. 

“I wish I could say no, but based on how quickly Bridget assaulted her today, I wouldn’t be surprised” Ella answered, sighing as she heard Chloe inhale quickly. The idea of the girl who was once her best friend being capable of hurting her own daughter the way she did made Ella feel nauseous. However, Bridget seemed more than willing to get Ella herself killed today too, so maybe she needed to come to terms with the fact that the Bridget she knew, the pink princess who loved baking and who was so excited for her first dance, she was gone. And instead, there was some villainous tyrant that took her place many years ago. And maybe Ella was partially to blame for that.

The medical office’s door creaked open and the doctor poked her head around it, ushering the Charming’s into the room. Ella entered first, Chloe trailing behind her and chewing on her nails once again.

Chloe couldn’t help but to gasp as she entered the room and saw Red laying in the medical bed, various wires coming from her hands and arms. She looked so pale and small now, the white hospital gown clashing with the white of the bed. The bandage over her eye had been changed and there seemed to be a much more secure and comfortable gauze covering it now. Chloe noticed scattered scars and burns over the red girl’s exposed arms, neck and face and it made her stomach swirl at the thought that Red’s own mother had been the cause of at least some of them. She could hear the slight wheeze of each breath that Red drew and it made her wonder how many more injuries did the girl have that couldn’t be seen.

Chloe sat on a chair right next to the bed, hesitantly taking Red’s hand into her own and rubbing small patterns along the back of it. She noticed that the heart monitor indicated that Red’s heart had slowed down slightly at the action and it was all the convincing Chloe needed to make sure she kept Red safe at all costs.

“Your Royal Highness, Fairy Godmother has requested that I discuss the extent of Princess Red’s injuries with you. I believe she also mentioned something about seeing if you’d be willing to be her legal guardian, at least temporarily, but that is for her to discuss with you. Are you willing to discuss this with me?” The doctor asked, sitting down at her desk just a few steps away from Red’s bed. Ella sat down in front of the doctor, glancing towards Red.

“Yes, I am willing” She answered, a heavy feeling settling in her chest as she noted the various injuries covering the young girl’s body.

“Do you wish for Princess Chloe to be present too? I will say, some things I have to say are rather… disturbing, at least” The doctor added, looking down at her notes. Ella noticed that there was a lot of writing on the page and felt the weight in her chest double.

She looked over at Chloe, who didn’t even seem to notice that there were other people in the room with her. She was solely looking at Red, tracing patterns into the back of her hand and whispering things seemingly to herself.

“I doubt she’d be willing to leave anyway. She can stay” Ella concluded, turning back to face the doctor, who nodded slightly.

Chloe listened to everything the doctor said. How the cuts, burns and bruises covering Red’s body were largely due to her mother’s abuse towards her, although there were a few areas of scars that were self-inflicted. How the wheeze of her breath was due to some intense bruising along her ribs that the doctor couldn’t check properly until she woke up. How her eye appeared to have been sliced with the Queen’s playing cards and the doctor had to remove the remainder of the eyeball due to the high risk of infection after the extensive trauma the area had received. Chloe held Red’s hand extra tight at that revelation. 

The doctor explained that there were currently antibiotics and pain relief being pumped into the red girl via one of the wires in her arm and that they were just waiting for her to wake up. 

Ella had left to go talk with Fairy Godmother about being Red’s guardian and the doctor had stepped out for a moment, so Chloe sat alone, still gently rubbing patterns into the red girl’s hand. It hadn’t been more than a few minutes since the doctor left before Red began to stir awake, her eye fluttering open. Chloe sat up quickly, hoping that if Red could see her, then the girl wouldn’t panic.

“Wha…” Red mumbled, blinking hard as her eye scanned around the room, finally landing on Chloe. She relaxed slightly at the sight of the blue-haired princess.

“Hey. You’re in the medic room on campus. You passed out so I carried you here and the doctor has given you a bunch of meds to make you feel better, hopefully at least” Chloe explained, as Red squeezed her hand, albeit weakly. A small dopey smile appeared on Red’s face and Chloe couldn’t help but to match it. Ella entered the room after talking with Fairy Godmother, but stood silently at the doorway, watching the two girls.

“You carried me? How cute” Red mumbled as Chloe felt her face flush. She glared playfully at the other girl, who looked smug before they both broke into soft laughter, Red wheezing slightly as she did.

“Well, I am Charming” Chloe giggled, playing with Red’s fingers gently, earning a quiet, content hum from her.

“That’s debatable” Red pouted slightly as Chloe fake gasped. Neither of the girls heard Ella truly gasp, a hand covering her mouth as she remembered the exact same comment she had made countless times to her husband over the years.

“What happened to her? I was sure she’d get me beheaded too for denying her order” Red asked after a moment, seemingly more coherent. Chloe glanced down, somewhat nervously and ashamed at her actions. Red squeezed her hand again, causing her to take a deep breath and look back up again.

“I kinda ran at her with my sword and put it to her throat and made her let you go?” Chloe said it like a question, the slight flush still on her face darkening. She waited for Red to drop her hand, to call her crazy or something like that. She wasn’t expecting her to break out into a grin.

“Damn Bluey, I’m impressed. Didn’t think you Auradonians had it in you” Red hummed, her gaze soft as she squeezed Chloe’s hand once again. Chloe scoffed, a small smile on her own face again.

“I couldn’t just stand there while she hurt you. And besides, you saved my mom’s life, so we can call it even” She said softly, noticing the way Red’s grin faltered slightly at the mention of her mom’s actions. Red slowly lifted her hand, the one that wasn’t joined with Chloe’s, and delicately touched the bandages around her eye. She winced slightly at the tender area.

“The doctor, uh, she had to like, remove what was left of your actual eye cause it was a risk of infection or something like that” Chloe added, trying to gauge Red’s feelings about it. 

“Probably for the best. Not like it could be fixed anyway. Doesn’t hurt as bad now at least” She mumbled, lowering her hand again and just tilting her head to look at Chloe. Chloe gave her a small smile, and despite her curiosity, decided not to ask about the origins of the injury. At least, not for now, maybe one day she would, or maybe Red would choose to tell her.

Ella cleared her throat, drawing the girls’ attention to her and idly noticing how they both flinched. She stepped further into the room, sitting in the same chair she had before and gave Red a small smile, which Red returned, still a little dopily.

“Your majesty” Red bowed her head slightly, causing Chloe to giggle and Ella recognised the look in her daughter’s eyes. It was the same look that Charming had given her all those years ago at Castlecoming. It brought a warmth to her chest that she hadn’t felt in a while. She made a mental note to talk to Chloe about it later on.

“Please, just Ella is fine. How are you feeling?” She asked, pretending not to notice the way Red held onto Chloe’s hand just a little bit tighter. 

“I dunno. Least it’s not burning anymore” Red sighed, closing her eye for a moment, before opening it again and glancing between Chloe and Ella, as if she just remembered that they were related. Chloe bit her tongue not to laugh at the bewildered expression on the red girl’s face.

“Well, I’m glad about that at least. I wanted to say thank you. If you hadn’t rebelled against your mother, I’m fairly sure I would be dead right now. So, although I am devastated that you had to experience such pain for your actions, I am sincerely grateful for your selflessness” Ella spoke softly, hoping that the young girl truly understood her gratitude. 

Red didn’t say anything, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked down. Chloe squeezed her hand before drawing small patterns on it again, causing Red to look up again and smile at her. She took a deep breath before looking back at Ella, seemingly hesitant.

“I didn’t exactly do it for you. But I saw how you looked at me, even with your life on the line. You looked like you cared about me, even though you don’t know me. And my mom never looked at me like that. And then I saw Chlo, and how upset she was, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be the one responsible for her losing you” Red’s voice was soft as she explained, her gaze flickering between the two Charming women in front of her, finally resting on Chloe once again. Ella glanced over and saw tears brimming in her daughter’s eyes, a sad smile on her face as Red squeezed her hand tighter, winding their fingers together.

“You’re a good person, Red. Which is why, after talking with Fairy Godmother and if you’re okay with it, I’d like to be your legal guardian until you turn eighteen. It just means that you’d stay with us in Cinderellasburg over the school breaks, and I would get updates on how you’re doing in classes, or if you need anything, then it would be my job to get them for you. Basically, you would be in King Charming and I’s care” Ella explained. Red looked at her, back to Chloe and then back to Ella again.

“Can I keep my knight in shining armour?” She asked, and Ella had to stifle a laugh at the way her daughter’s jaw dropped and her face bloomed red.

“I’m sure that can be arranged” She smiled at the two girls as they smiled at each other, a lovesick gaze between them. She wasn’t entirely sure if it was just Red’s pain meds and Chloe’s happiness that everything had turned out mostly okay, but she didn’t debate on that. She figured the girls would figure that out between themselves.

Eventually.

Chapter Text

Due to the disrupted start of term assembly, classes had been postponed for a few weeks while everyone settled down. Red had remained in the medical room for a week, much to her protests. Chloe stayed by her side basically all day and night, occasionally leaving to get herself food or to shower, but she always came back. The doctor scolded her, but Chloe stayed firm, insisting to stay and protect Red in case anything happened. Eventually, the doctor got a cot into the room, so at least Chloe wasn’t constantly sleeping in the crappy chair beside the bed.

The doctor deemed that Red’s ribs weren’t broken, just very badly bruised which explained her wheezing, and due to the antibiotics, her eye seemed to stare off any infection, although she was still instructed to keep it covered during the day, and to change it to a waterproof covering for showering.

As was decided very early on, Chloe and Red would share a dorm room. Largely due to their immediate bond, partly due to Queen Ella becoming Red’s legal guardian and a little bit due to the fact that all the other students were scared of the red-haired girl, which Red didn’t seem to mind at all.

Chloe was laying on her bed, reading a new book that her brother had bought her just before he went off to college, while Red was in the shower. She had been released from the medical room earlier that day and chose to spend the rest of it in her own room. She wasn’t ready to face the other students or faculty yet, however, during her stay in the medical room, both Principal Uma and Fairy Godmother had checked in on her and made sure she was doing alright. 

Fairy Godmother had informed her that the rabbit hole was fully blocked off again, indicating that her mother didn’t plan on leaving Wonderland any time soon, but also meaning that Red couldn’t go back, not that she particularly wanted to anyway. Principal Uma had, albeit kind of awkwardly, offered to get her a meeting with a therapist who worked at the school and who specialised in working with the villain kids to help them deal with their various amounts of trauma. Red had said she’d think about it, but opening up to people wasn’t exactly something she was good at. 

Not unless it was Chloe.

Red felt a kind of trust with Chloe that she couldn’t describe. She had never felt that way with anyone before, but there was just something special about Chloe. Red concluded that Chloe was safe, that Chloe wouldn’t hurt her. Chloe truly wanted to protect her.

“Chlo?” Red called from the bathroom, her voice unusually shy as she opened the door. Chloe instantly sat her book down, slotting her bookmark in and made her way over.

Red stood by the sink, her hair wet from her shower and dripping down the back of her tank top, an arrangement of medical supplies covered half of the counter. Her eye still had the waterproof covering over it, but the edges of it were beginning to peel off. Red glanced at Chloe as she stepped into the bathroom before looking back at the mirror.

“I, uh…” She cleared her throat, a faint blush covering her cheeks. She sighed, pouting slightly and Chloe couldn’t help but gaze at her lips.

“The doctor kinda didn’t show me how to change and clean it myself. Can you help, please?” Red whispered, embarrassed. Chloe smiled to herself before wrapping an arm around Red’s waist and gently nudging her forward. Red understood and hopped up so she was sitting on the edge of the counter. She chewed her lip anxiously as Chloe quickly washed her hands.

Chloe gave her a reassuring smile as she dried her hands and left the water running, before her face turned serious as she stepped closer. She knocked Red’s legs and Red hesitantly opened them so Chloe could stand between them. Red felt her face flush darker than her hair and tried to look anywhere but Chloe, at least until she regained her composure. Chloe seemed to realise what she’d done as her own face flushed and she cleared her throat.

“S-Sorry. Are you ready?” She asked before gently cupping Red’s cheek. Red was fairly sure she was about to pass out, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked into Chloe’s eyes. She took a deep breath and nodded slightly. Chloe rubbed her thumb along her cheek, and Red felt her stomach flutter. This girl would seriously be the death of her.

Chloe reached up and slowly removed the bandage. She took a shaky breath as she saw the mostly empty socket for the first time, a wave of emotions rushing through her. The most prominent one was sadness, knowing that for however long it had been injured, Red had been in constant pain. 

“I know it’s… gross and freaky, I’m sorry” Red mumbled, doing her best to look anywhere else as shame overtook her. Chloe tutted her tongue and shook her head slightly.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Red. It’s unusual, sure, I’ve never seen something like this before, but it’s not gross or freaky or anything like that. I’m just sad knowing how much this must’ve hurt you. And cause your other eye is so pretty too, it’s a shame that I only get to see one half” Chloe mused, seemingly rambling her thoughts out loud. Only when Red made a choked hum sound in her throat did Chloe realise what she’d actually said.

“You think my normal eye is pretty?” Red choked out. Chloe stuttered, trying to form an excuse, her eyes wide in shock at herself. She felt like her tongue was tied as she tried and failed to form any words. Their eyes met and Red started laughing, one hand coming up to cover her mouth. Chloe couldn’t help but to join in, giggling too. 

“I mean, yeah, of course, your eye is pretty. All of you is, princess” Chloe said after a moment, relishing in the way she heard Red’s breath hitch. Red chuckled as she looked down at her lap, her cheeks flushing again when she remembered where Chloe was standing.

“Princess? Really?” She mumbled as Chloe gently cupped her cheek again, lifting her head so they could see each other again.

“Yep! If I’m your knight in shining armour, then you’re my princess that I protect” Chloe smiled, and Red couldn’t help but think about just how charming the girl really was. No wonder she was King Charming’s daughter, the blue girl was quite the smooth talker.

“Your princess… I like that” Red breathed out, glancing down at Chloe’s lips. She really wanted to kiss her, it was beginning to drive her crazy. She didn’t understand why exactly, but Chloe was different from everybody that she’d ever met. 

Chloe was kind and caring, sweet and brave, smart and oh-so charming. Chloe treated Red with a softness that Red didn’t even know existed. It was never pity, just sheer understanding and acceptance. If Red had a nightmare about her mother, Chloe was there to comfort her. If Red couldn’t fall asleep alone, then Chloe was by her side the second she was asked, content to cuddle the red girl and make sure she felt safe for once in her life, although the doctor wasn’t thrilled about that the first time she saw it. Chloe truly would do anything for Red, and Red felt the exact same way about her blue-haired knight.

Chloe smiled at Red, the same lovesick gaze that they shared in the medical room present again. She rubbed her thumb along Red’s cheek again, her own eyes flickering to her lips. The air felt heavy and Chloe swallowed thickly.

“Let me fix your eye first” She whispered, pulling back slightly to grab the supplies she needed, feeling Red nod slightly before sighing deeply. Chloe fought the smirk from her lips at how dazed the other girl was. For someone so badass, she was very quick to fluster. Chloe made sure to remember that for later.

Chloe gently glided the damp cotton balls across Red’s eyelids, each of her movements very precise as to not hurt the girl. Red drummed her fingers on her thighs as she tried to sit still, something she both wasn’t used to and wasn’t very good at. When that part was done, Chloe got one of the bandage covers and started to prepare it. The girls made idle chatter, with Chloe suggesting they go to the medic and see if it was possible to get some kind of fake eye to place in the socket, for appearance and for comfort, and Red wondering if she could get a red and black swirl one to “hypnotise anyone who got too nosy” which cause Chloe to laugh. 

Chloe had just smoothed the last edge of the bandage down, making sure it was stuck fully and wouldn’t fall off, when Red spoke up, her voice quiet and wavering.

“My mom was really mad at me. The maddest I ever saw her, actually. The night before I got the letter to come to Auradon, I kinda vandalised the town and I destroyed this stupid painting of her that was hung up in the centre. The guards didn’t catch me, they never could, but the next morning my mom called a court meeting thing and wanted to punish Jack, the captain. And she wanted me to choose the punishment for him. I hesitated so she said that she’d show me what real punishment was and took me to the dungeons. She called me all sorts of names, but I wasn’t paying attention and that’s when she got out the cards. She only stopped when I curled into the corner of the cell and begged her to stop and she saw the blood pouring down my face. She got a medic to make the bleeding stop and cover it up, and then left me there until we left for Auradon” She explained, her thumb coming up to trail along the edge of the bandage. 

Chloe felt nauseous as Red told her what happened to her eye. Although she knew that the Queen of Hearts had caused the injury with her cards, the full story was enough to send a deep chill through Chloe’s body. She had never said she hated anybody before, believing that everyone could be redeemed and that they had at least a little bit of good in them, but not the Queen. She was pure evil.

Chloe gently grabbed the hand that Red was using to feel her bandage with, and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles, looking up at her through her eyelashes as she did. Red’s eye widened as she watched with shock and noticed that Chloe’s eyes were teary.

“I am so sorry that happened, Red. That woman is a disgusting excuse for a leader and for a mother, you never should have been in that position. I’m sorry you have to live with the results of her abuse, but I promise that you’ll be safe here. I’ll make sure of it. I won’t let her or anyone else ever hurt you, you have my word” Chloe’s voice was soft, a softness reserved for Red. Red felt herself tear up too at the earnest words, squeezing Chloe’s hand and taking a deep breath.

“When we first took you to the medic’s room, the doctor listed off your injuries and stuff. She said that some of your scars weren’t from your mom” Chloe added, somewhat nervously and Red gave her a small, sad smile.

“Yeah, well, there was only so many times I could be called a disappointment and a failure without believing it was true, at least briefly. I don’t feel like that as much now, not with you here. And I don’t feel like I want to hurt myself either, I promise. Don’t worry your pretty head about it, okay?” Red hummed before Chloe reached up and wrapped her in a warm embrace. Red felt her shoulders sag as she relaxed, resting her head on top of the blue-haired girl’s as she pulled Chloe into her chest.

“You’re ticking” Chloe mumbled, her voice muffled by their position. Red furrowed her eyebrows before she understood what she meant.

“Wonderlandian thing, instead of a heartbeat, we have ticking” She whispered back, laughing softly when Chloe grumbled in surprise. The red-haired girl was full of surprises it seemed.

They stayed in each other’s arms for a while, neither of them wanting to move from the other or break the warmth that they shared. Red heard Chloe take a shaky breath before pulling back, resting her hands on Red’s thighs but keeping their faces close. Red swallowed.

“I think I’m in love with you” Chloe said, so quietly that Red almost didn’t hear her. Red felt her heart pounding in her chest as she stared, breathlessly. Chloe looked nervous, biting her lip slightly as she looked up at the red girl.

“I don’t know what love feels like” Red whispered, but the lovesick gaze on her face said otherwise. She glanced down at Chloe’s lips before meeting her eyes once again, noticing that Chloe had been looking at her lips too.

“Maybe I can teach you” She breathed, as she closed the distance and kissed Red.

Red felt like everything clicked into place as she kissed Chloe back, her eye fluttering closed as she got lost in the feeling. Chloe’s lips were soft and warm compared to Red’s slightly chapped ones and, despite never kissing anyone before, Red knew that she didn’t want to kiss anyone else ever. She only wanted Chloe for as long as she would have her.

Chloe pulled away, only for Red to wrap her legs around the back of her thighs and pull her forward again. Chloe giggled against her lips as her hands went around Red’s waist and Red’s arms went over her shoulders.

They both got lost in the feeling, trying to convey their feelings for one another through each movement of their lips. Although they hadn’t known each other long, they both felt so strongly about the other. Like there was some kind of magnetic force that pulled them together.

Red pulled away this time, the previous lovesick gaze on her face doubling. She smiled before resting her forehead against Chloe’s.

“Yeah, you. Whatever happens, I just want you” Red whispered before kissing her again, gently toying with the hairs at the back of Chloe’s neck. Chloe hummed against her lips, melting into the red girl only to pull back the slightest amount, her breath ghosting Red’s lips and a small smirk on her face.

“Feeling’s mutual, princess”