Chapter Text
Like most days, the Octavinelle dorm’s cafe is bustling with activity, students from nearly every dorm crowding the tables.
Jade, working as usual, has to suppress a sigh—the Mostro Lounge being open preventing him from showing his true level of displeasure. They certainly can’t have the customers observing any negative feelings from him, after all. Azul would surely scold him.
If he’s being honest, though, he definitely doesn’t feel up to managing the lounge today. It’s for a petty reason, of course, but Jade has never once denied being petty.
Azul had officially banned all mushroom dish experiments from the cafe for a month.
He’d tried to be kind about it, at least, or as kind as Azul was. He’d gone on about profits and the like, citing how they wouldn’t want their customers to get bored. Jade, on any other topic, would have agreed—but on this particular one he was rather bothered. His experimental dishes were one of the highlights of his week, after all, getting to see the fruits of his labor and indulge in his interest in ways that wouldn’t go to waste. He so hated having nothing to do with the mushrooms he grew, or the ones he’d painstakingly plucked and documented on his hikes.
It seemed Floyd, however, was getting especially fed up with all the dishes as of late. He demanded they be taken off the menu or he’d stop working, and they couldn’t have their cook on strike.
As always, Jade had to be the mature one. His brother should be thankful.
(And if Floyd found numerous of his things mysteriously lost or broken over the next week, well, that wasn’t his business.)
So, here he was, ferrying orders back and forth in the lounge, unable to enjoy anyone’s reactions to his new dishes. A real shame.
“Yo, Jade!”
The Octavinelle student turns, curious what customer would call him so casually, only to be met with Ruggie Bucchi’s grinning face. He’s not unfamiliar with him, considering how many shifts the beastman likes to pick up at the lounge, but he’s not working tonight and shouldn’t have any business. Still, Jade gives him a polite smile, approaching to see what he wants.
The boy is leaning over one of the taller tables, not even bothering to sit in a chair, and the eel has to resist the urge to scold him. He’s blocking that table for more customers, so he should definitely stop before Azul catches him. Then again, Jade thinks once more about the mushroom ban, Azul can afford to lose a couple thaumarks.
“How can I help you, Ruggie?” He asks, watching the boy absentmindedly rap his knuckles against the wood of the table.
“Was hopin’ I could pick up a couple more shifts this week, if there’s any available.” The Savanaclaw student chuckles, gesturing at the packed cafe. “You could always use the help anyways, right?”
Jade hums, nodding. “You’ll need to check in with Azul for that, but I’ll let him know. Was that all? Are you not going to buy anything?” Jade smiles wider at him, a tad threatening. “Rather rude not to order anything when visiting an establishment.”
Ruggie frowns at him, “You Octavinelle students are always coming for my money.” He complains, not that he’s one to talk. Jade has seen enough of the boy’s scheming for cash and he barely even interacts with him. “I’m not hungry.” He answers.
“Not even a drink?”
“Water is free, right?” The beastman grins cheekily at him. “Anyways, I wanted to ask—what happened to your menu?”
Jade blinks, taken aback. “I’m sorry?”
Ruggie gestures vaguely, “Y’know. It’s different. I want to be prepared if you changed it. Did your ingredient shipments change or somethin’?”
“We haven’t had any big changes to our menu recently.” Jade answers, because the only thing that has changed is that his passion projects have been temporarily removed. It’s the only thing Ruggie could be noticing, so he adds the information only to see how his classmate will react. “I sometimes experiment with dishes, but I won’t be doing that this month.”
The blond snaps his fingers. “Oh! That’s why ya’ always had surprise dishes.” He grins, pleased to have figured the mystery out. “Damn, I’d always liked trying all of them. The whole month?”
In an uncharacteristic act of excitement, Jade feels his eyes widen and his smile become a bit more genuine. “You tried them?”
“I never turn down food.” Ruggie says with full seriousness. “If there’s a new item on the menu, of course I’m gonna try it.”
“Did you like them, then?”
Ruggie laughs, “O’ course! Food is food.” He says, which isn’t satisfactory at all. “Your ingredients are always fresh, so it’s nice.”
“Are ingredients important to you, then?” Jade wonders.
The second year makes a so-so gesture. “Not really, I won’t complain about anything. But it’s nice to notice when every item is good quality, right? It makes the whole dish better.”
Jade nods. And then, because he can’t resist, he probes further. “Were there any ingredients you especially liked in those dishes?”
Ruggie hums, crossing his arms and closing his eyes to think. “Hmm, I guess the mushrooms were pretty high quality. Actually, now that I think about it, mushrooms were in all of them. What’s that about?” He opens his eyes, tilting his head at Jade. If he didn’t know better, he would almost think the Octavinelle student’s eyes were sparkling.
“You could tell they were high quality? How fascinating.” Jade ignores the other comment from the boy, causing him to frown.
“It’s just that I’ve eaten a lot of wild mushrooms over the years, so I can tell the difference.” He says. “Hey, why do you look so…?”
“Hmm?” Jade tilts his head, smile still wide on his face, and Ruggie thinks better of asking. “Well, would you mind trying a few dishes for me, then?”
The beastman narrows his eyes. “I wouldn’t have to pay for them, would I?”
Jade chuckles, “Of course not. I simply want to know your thoughts on the ingredient’s quality, is all.”
Ruggie immediately grins back at him. “I’m in! Better not change your mind on it being free though, ya’ hear?”
“Of course not. Us Octavinelle students stick to our words.”
“Yeah, yeah.” The boy then leans back from the table, clearly ready to head out. “Ya’ tell Azul about my shifts, okay? I’ve got work to do.”
“As do I. Have a good day, and please buy something next time.”
Ruggie waves over his shoulder as he leaves, and Jade gets back to work. He feels a bit more settled now that he has someone to react to his projects, so he’s a little nicer to the customers.
-
Ruggie settles down in his seat in the cafeteria, successfully having fought his way through the hordes of students that always crowd around and fight for dishes. As usual, he’s managed to snatch not only what Leona wanted, but what he himself was craving. At this point, he’s practically an expert at dodging the crowds and trading foods to get whatever item he needs.
He carefully tucks Leona’s wrapped sandwich into his bag, and then prepares to dig into his own meal. His housewarden might complain about it not being warm by the time he gets back, but that’s not really Ruggie’s problem, now is it? If he wants it to be fresh, he can wake up and get it himself.
He’s just lifting his own sandwich to his mouth to take a bite, when another tray drops down on his table. A smiling Jade Leech follows the tray, and Ruggie is immediately on guard.
“Hello, Ruggie.” The merman greets. “How are you doing today?”
The beastman lowers his sandwich just slightly. “Uh… good? Do you need somethin’?”
The boy’s eyes widen in what Ruggie can tell is exaggerated surprise. “Oh? Did you forget our deal?”
“...The one about trying your dishes?”
Jade smiles, tilting his head. “Precisely! You have a shift tonight at the lounge, don’t you?”
Ruggie nods, taking a bite out of his sandwich now. No need to be polite if Jade is just gonna keep talking, he’s hungry.
“Well, afterwards, please stay in the lounge.”
He swallows, narrowing his eyes. “This isn’t unpaid overtime in disguise, right?”
Jade chuckles. “You’re so distrustful.”
“Do you blame me?” He raises an eyebrow at his classmate, who says nothing in response. Ruggie just groans, “Fine, then.”
“Excellent. Well, I’ll be on my way.” Jade moves to get up, and for some reason it rubs him the wrong way. Was he just here to say that and leave?
He frowns at the Octavinelle student. “Just eat here, no point in gettin’ up.”
Jade's eyes widen in real surprise this time, although Ruggie doesn’t really know what’s shocking about it. It’s not so strange a request, is it? They work together at the lounge all the time. “Are you sure?” The merman asks.
He scoffs, pointing a finger at him. “I wouldn’t have said anything if it wasn’t fine, ya’ know.”
His classmate’s lips curl into a smirk, a hand raising to his chin. “Now, that’s just a lie.”
Ruggie gapes at him. “What? How?!”
Jade laughs again, and it’s almost… cute, if it wasn’t so mocking. “If you see an opportunity, you would definitely take advantage of it. How am I to be sure that’s not what you’re doing now?”
“What could I possibly get out of eating with you?!”
“My favor, for one.”
He scowls at the merman. “I didn’t know that was something valuable.”
“Oh?” Jade teases him again, knowing that is also a lie.
Unfortunately, Ruggie does actually think getting on Jade’s good side would be valuable, but it’s not like he invited him to eat just for that. If he wanted the Leech twin’s favor, it would be easier to get the boy to owe him something. A meal together wouldn’t cut it, and anyways, the Octavinelle student was being annoying.
“Shut up.” He mumbles, taking another bite out of his food so that he doesn’t have to respond. Jade just laughs at him again, and they continue their meal in silence from there.
No one else comes to sit with them, although they do get a few strange looks from passersby. Passing Savanaclaw students do double takes when they go by the table, and he knows he’s going to get questioned later for it. Well, whatever.
Ruggie finishes his meal much quicker than Jade does, and even though he feels a bit awkward leaving when the other isn’t finished, Leona is waiting. He’s probably going to complain about how long he’s already taken, too. So, he stands up and slings his bag over his shoulder, pausing to contemplate the tray left on the table.
He then grins at Jade, “You can drop my tray off for me, right? See you at the Mostro Lounge tonight.” He says, and then bounds off before the other boy can protest.
It’s petty, but, well, Ruggie has never claimed he was anything otherwise.
-
“Floyd.”
Jade watches as his brother happily cuts a slice of cheesecake, carefully arranging the strawberries on it almost obsessively. It’s a beautiful cake, for sure, but it is also very much not currently on the Mostro Lounge’s menu.
“Hmm?” Floyd barely acknowledges him, much to Jade’s annoyance.
“That wouldn’t happen to be for a certain housewarden, would it?” He asks, already knowing the answer.
“Huh? How did you guess, Jade?” His twin finally looks over to him, eyes wide in surprise and false innocence.
“Just a lucky guess.” He answers with a polite smile.
So this is the real reason his brother didn’t want to make any of Jade’s dishes.
(…Floyd’s things would definitely be going missing some time soon.)
Floyd grins sheepishly at him, uncharacteristically uncertain. “Do ya’ think Goldfishie will like it?” He asks.
Jade, feeling petty, simply shrugs.
His brother’s face falls into a frown, no doubt a precursor to one of his moods. Before he can whine or incite an argument, however, a certain Savanaclaw student opens the door to the kitchen and peers in. Jade’s smile becomes a bit more genuine.
“Ruggie, you’re right on time. Are you in uniform?”
The beastman raises an eyebrow at him, fully entering the kitchen now. “If by uniform you mean my ceremonial robes, then sure. Ya’ didn’t change the dress code on me, did you?”
Jade tilts his head. “That will do perfectly fine. Although…” He grins at the boy, considering. “An Octavinelle uniform would look good on you.”
Ruggie scoffs. “Who’s trying to get on who’s good side now?” He throws back, although Jade notes that he straightens up a bit. Perhaps he actually likes compliments about his appearance? That would be something to consider.
Azul waltzes into the kitchen at that moment, a list of something or other for the lounge in his hands. He only briefly glances up, “Good, you’re here. We’re opening in five.” He looks back down to his list, and then his head swivels right back up to stare at Floyd in disbelief. “Why do you have a cheesecake? We don’t serve cheesecake.”
“It’s only for Goldfishie.” Floyd says petulantly.
“Only for—?” Azul splutters, “Have you even got the rest of the food prepped?” He asks, scanning the kitchen.
“Nah. Didn’t feel like it.”
The Octavinelle housewarden’s face falls into resigned despair, and Jade can’t help but subtly lift his hand to cover his grin. Ruggie apparently notices Jade’s delight, having to cover his own snickers. The two share a look, almost setting each other off again. Azul spares the two an annoyed glance, and then looks back at Floyd. “Can you work tonight?” He questions.
Floyd shrugs.
“Don’t worry, I can prep everythin’. I’ve done it before.” Ruggie, now recovered from his laughing fit, finally seems to take pity on Azul. Or perhaps he only sees an opportunity to foster more good will and possibly get a raise. That feels much more in character for him.
Azul gives him a grateful but wary look, but sees no choice except to let the beastman temporarily take over his kitchen. He nods, and then glances at Jade. “I hope nothing else is going wrong?”
“Of course not, Azul. Everything I’m in charge of is running smoothly.”
Their housewarden nods curtly, and with a final glance wanders off to take care of whatever else he needs to before opening. Floyd goes back to his dessert making.
Ruggie just happily starts going through the kitchen, quickly familiarizing himself once again with where everything is, and then starts heating up the skillets. Jade watches him do so, finding himself rather fascinated by the boy shuffling around the seasonings into a particular order.
As if sensing eyes on him, the beastman glances over, offering Jade a tilt of his head as if to ask if he needs something. The twin walks forward then to stand beside him, observing his actions more closely. It’s clear Ruggie knows what he’s doing, almost more than Jade himself does.
“Any reason for this?” Jade taps the seasonings and sauces which have been reorganized.
Ruggie goes back to prepping the meals while he talks, pulling out the fresh ingredients on the line and a cutting board. “I just put the ones you use in more dishes closer, is all.” He answers absentmindedly, now cutting vegetables with precise and quick motions. Jade watches in rapt attention.
“...Do you have the menu memorized, then?”
Ruggie shrugs, setting his chopping aside and turning to begin prepping meat for the skillets. “I told ya’ earlier I wanted to know if the menu changed.”
“I see.” The merman finds himself almost hopelessly impressed. He’d known the Savanaclaw student had a variety of talents, but to see them displayed like this is something else entirely.
Before, when he’d offered to let him try some dishes, he’d really only wanted someone to test the mushrooms on. It was alright if they didn’t taste the best, or if the meal wasn’t fully put together. It was just an experiment he wanted a reaction to, afterall. Now, however, he strangely finds himself wanting to impress Ruggie. What a strange phenomenon.
The beastman turns his eyes back to Jade’s, scrutinizing him. “Shouldn’t you be getting to work? Ya’ open soon.”
Jade blinks, for once having lost track of time. “Of course. If Floyd continues to refuse to work, will you be alright back here?”
Ruggie grins at him. “O’ course. Your menu isn’t that difficult.”
The Octavinelle student laughs. “Don’t let Azul hear you say that.”
The boy glances at Floyd, who is still not working on what he’s supposed to. “I think I could probably say whatever I want to Azul right now.”
He grins back at him. “Ah. Perhaps.”
Ruggie is right, though—Jade needs to get to work. With a strange reluctance, he pulls away from his fellow second year and heads out the door. Students are already being seated and having their orders taken by the lounge’s other workers, so Jade gets to work making sure everything is running smoothly.
Once the rush of customers starts, it is almost never ending, and he’s not able to find time to head to the kitchen to see how the beastman is fairing. He does, however, manage to spot his brother very poorly flirting with one Riddle Rosehearts. He takes vicious glee in dragging Floyd away when the housewarden seems to get fed up with him.
“Jade, let me go.” Floyd whines, attempting to wrestle himself out of Jade’s grip. He can’t manage it without risking ripping his clothes, however, and is forced to give up. “I wanna talk to Goldfishie!”
“Riddle seems a bit too upset for that at the moment. We can’t have a scene in the lounge.” He replies.
“That’s not fair.” His brother crosses his arms, pouting, and slumps into the seat Jade deposits him on. He doesn’t attempt to run back to the redhead anymore though, so that’s a good sign.
“You can try again next time.”
“...He enjoyed the cake, though.” Floyd mutters, and Jade decides to leave him to his rather odd lovesick muttering.
From there, the shift flies by with minimal incidents, minus the usual—students attempting to dine and dash. Jade doesn’t know why they still attempt to do so, especially while knowing Octavinelle’s reputation. He supposes the students of Night Raven College will always be schemers, no matter what. They’re reliable that way.
As they begin wrapping up the evening, Jade slips into the kitchen and is greeted by the sight of Ruggie humming while cleaning up.
He smirks, “Enjoying yourself?”
The boy spins to him. “Havin’ the whole kitchen to myself? Yeah, I’m definitely enjoying myself.” He grins, leaning against the broom in his hands.
Jade frowns, “Floyd didn’t help at all?”
Ruggie shrugs. “No big deal, I had it handled.”
“There were a large quantity of orders tonight.”
The Savanaclaw student just smirks right back at him, “I’ve worked worse jobs, y’know.”
It seems Ruggie took Jade’s words as doubting his skills, but in reality Jade actually feels the opposite. Even he would be tired after a shift like that, scrambling to get orders out on time and manage everything. The fact that Ruggie acts like it was no big feat is as impressive as it is concerning—speaking to a lifetime of much harder work.
Jade picks up a bucket and rag, proceeding to help wipe the counters down.
“I can do that.” Ruggie says.
“The work will go faster if I help. I still need to make that dish for you, unless you forgot?” He responds.
The boy’s eyes light up at the mention, and the two hurriedly work on cleaning the kitchen. Between the two of them, the task is fast, and before long Jade is pulling out the ingredients he specifically saved while Ruggie hops up to sit on the counter and watch him. The merman briefly considers scolding him, knowing Azul would disapprove, but Jade truthfully doesn’t mind. His classmate should probably sit down for a bit, anyways.
“It’s late already, so I’ll make something simple.” He says, and almost feels awkward about it. There’s no way Ruggie will be impressed by something so quick and easy, but he’s right in saying they’ve had a long night. They have classes tomorrow, too.
Jade gets to work cutting and then cooking the food, slicing the mushrooms he collected that weekend into the perfect size and then adding them to the hot pan which he already melted garlic butter in. He adds the additional herbs he collected, and then carefully watches the pan to make sure it all gets cooked.
He likes cooking, honestly. He’s probably not as passionate about it as Floyd—enjoying the actual ingredients and growing processes of the product more—but it’s relaxing, almost. Having Ruggie watch him makes him a bit less relaxed for some reason, probably due to his own observed skills, but he still finds some joy in it.
Before long, he’s plating the sautéed mushrooms and herbs, holding it out to his kitchen companion.
Ruggie is grinning—kicking his feet happily like an excited child—and reaches out to take the offered plate. He inspects the bowl carefully, and then picks up the fork to spear a mushroom and try it.
His eyes light up again the minute he bites into the food, and Jade feels a strange wash of excitement. “...Is it good?” He asks, weirdly hesitant.
Ruggie nods, mouth already full of another bite. He swallows. “Yeah! It’s real good, although I’d love a steak or somethin’ with it.” He grins at Jade, eyes closed and cheeks flushed from the heat of the kitchen, and Jade has to turn away to start recleaning the part of the kitchen he used, strangely embarrassed.
The beastman eats quickly, and before long he’s on his last bite. Before eating it, though, he speaks to Jade again. “What’s with these mushrooms though? Never seen them in any of Mostro’s dishes.”
“Ah.” Jade smiles, still looking down at the stove he’s wiping down. “I went on a hike in the mountains a few days ago, and collected them.”
“You foraged for them? Why? Ya’ guys have all these fancy suppliers.”
“It’s a hobby of mine. I enjoy looking at and documenting the species.” Jade finally looks at Ruggie, watching him enjoy his final bite of the meal. Once done, he hops down and heads to the sink to wash the bowl.
“That’s cool.” He responds from over by the sink. “I used to forage for all kinds of things, but I managed to eat some stuff I shouldn’t have as a kid.” Ruggie laughs, as if his childhood self getting sick were a fond memory. “I know better now.”
“...Perhaps you could come with me sometime, then.” Jade finds himself saying, almost unconsciously.
His classmate turns curious eyes on him. “Yeah?” He then smiles teasingly at him. “Ya’ need my expertise?”
Jade smiles back at him. “I’m sure you’d be helpful.” He answers genuinely.
Oddly, Ruggie’s cheeks go red and he looks away, rubbing the back of his neck. “..I’d have to find time in my schedule to go with you, but, uh… sure. I can take whatever I forage myself back with me though, right? You wouldn’t take all of the profits.” Seemingly recovered from whatever embarrassment overcame him, he turns suspicious eyes back on Jade.
“You could take them.” He confirms.
“Then… yeah, what the hell, sure.”
“I can make another meal for you to try, after.” He says, and Ruggie tilts his head at him.
“Are you just testing your foraged ingredients on me?”
“Perhaps.” Jade smiles politely at him. “Let me know if you don’t want to eat them, and we can stop at any time.”
His classmate’s eyes narrow into a glare. “There’s no way I’m givin’ up free food. I’ll eat any of the things you find, long as you’re not tryin’ to kill me with them.”
“Oh dear.” He says in a false sad tone, an innocent look on his face. “The very thought that I could do something like that deeply offends me.”
Ruggie rolls his eyes. “Sure it does.” He then looks around the kitchen, making sure everything is in order. Finding nothing out of place, he then checks the clock. “I’ve got to go to my dorm now, but… uh…”
“Yes?”
“...Thanks for the food, Jade. It was really good.” He says sincerely. “I’m lookin’ forward to next time.”
He leaves, then, and Jade is left awkwardly standing in the kitchen. The reaction to the meal was good, but…
He finds himself oddly craving a bigger one—more excitement, more joy. He’s already scheming in his head on what to make, how to get Ruggie to enjoy his food so much that he begs him for more. Jade finds the thought of that very appealing, actually. The image of the beastman coming to him with red cheeks, embarrassed to be asking to eat his food again. Sitting and talking while he makes it.
Jade doesn’t let himself think too much about any of the reasons for this new goal of his, though. He’s simply happy to have someone to test dishes on again, of course. What else could possibly be going on?