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Inky flowers had appeared on Chloe's arms, legs, and stomach for as long as she could remember. As the years passed the decals became more detailed and more frequent. As soon as the ink washed off, another set of flowers appeared, sometimes in the same place, sometimes in a different location. It almost became a game to her. Where would the flowers end up next?
She knew her soulmate was the one creating the intricate flowers. There were few people with this ‘gift’ as her mother called it. The gift to see what your soulmate draws on themself.
Only those who possess innate magic, or the soulmates of the innate magic users possess the gift. Which meant either Chloe had magic, or her wonderful soulmate did.
According to Chloe’s mother, a select few from the Charming family lineage have or had the gift. And only half of those few were magic users. It was increasingly rare for soulmates to both be magic holders. Chloe was perfectly happy with that. She never felt the need for magic, instead being happy her soulmate was unique.
But as soon as the year at Auradon Prep began, the number of flowers dwindled until they eventually stopped. At first, it worried the blue-haired girl, but she figured her soulmate was just too busy to draw anymore. She would not allow herself to go down the dark rabbit trails that the flowers stopping could mean. She would always keep on the sunny side of things.
Chloe was very happy to have a roommate, and more importantly a friend. As jumpy and grumpy as Red could be, Chloe was ecstatic to have her in her life. The two became nearly inseparable and for both of them, it was wonderful. Deep down Chloe had a feeling that Red needed their friendship as much as she did.
As they grew closer, Red divulged a few secrets about her home life in Wonderland to Chloe once she knew the girl was trustworthy. Secrets that broke the blue girl’s heart. But more than that it made her more determined to protect Red and be there for her. Anytime, every time, always.
____
Chloe had returned from Swords & Shields as she entered her and Red’s shared space. She entered quietly as the warm-toned girl usually liked to nap while the cool one was away, and was usually still asleep when she returned.
“Hey, you’re back early,” Red stated, startling the living daylights out of her friend.
“Oh, gods!” She exclaimed, jerking around to see her roommate perched in the corner of her bed with what looked to be a pen in hand. The blue girl didn’t pay any attention to it at the time, instead taking off her sweat-soaked fencing jacket. “What are you doing up? You’re normally not awake when I get back.”
The red princess just shrugged and went back to what she was doing. Before long she looked back at her roommate, noticing something strange.
“Princess?” Red earned a hum of acknowledgment. “What happened to your arm?”
The cool-toned girl looked down at her arm and yelped with joy. “They’re drawing again!”
Red gave a slight flinch at the sudden noise, but her giddy roommate paid no attention, continuing to mumble ‘They’re drawing again, they’re drawing again!' as she spun in a circle, admiring whatever was on her arm.
The warm-toned girl gave her friend a smile before jumping up and putting a stop to the spinning.
“Stop that before you make yourself dizzy.” She said, pulling her roommate onto the couch with her, blue’s arm wrapping around Red’s shoulder. “Care to tell me what has you so excited?”
Chloe beamed up at Red, launching herself into a speech on her gift and showing the girl the intricate flower pattern weaving its way across her forearm.
The girl used animated hand gestures the entire speech with the one hand she had available. Said hand came to rest on Red’s knee once she was finished talking. The knee that was uncharacteristically uncovered, and attached to a thigh bearing the same flower pattern as Chloe’s forearm.
The girl’s eyes widened, darting back and forth from Red’s face to her thigh to her own arm. “Wait. No. It can’t- do you- have you- do you draw on yourself?”
“I- what?” Red tensed slightly and Chloe gave a reassuring squeeze of her shoulders. “I did... Not so much anymore. This is the first in a while.” Red motioned to her thigh where the faded remnants of a bruise lay. One Chloe knew was from Red knocking into her bedside table late one night.
“Red… What you did on your leg… that looks like the same work that’s on my arm.” Chloe said, once again, shoving her arm into her friend’s face. Red’s eyes widened as she saw what her princess meant.
Without thinking, Chloe pulled up her pant leg, exposing the same strip of skin that Red had exposed. Holding her leg up to Red’s confirmed their suspicions. Two identical inked flower patterns traced their left thighs.
“I didn’t know you were an artist.” Chloe teased, bumping Red’s shoulder. The fiery girl tensed a bit, looking away. The cool-toned princess pulled her face back so they made eye contact. The Charming knew instantly something was up, and more than just finding out that you had a destined soulmate who also happened to be your roommate and only friend.
“Hey..” She said softly. “What’s up?”
Red paused, thinking her words over. Chloe knew not to push too hard, but still gave her friend… soulmate … a reassuring squeeze. A silent ‘ I’m here to listen. Anytime, every time, always.’
After a moment the warm-toned girl spoke softly.
“I used to draw on myself when the bruises would die down enough to let me do so. They became the color for the flowers. I couldn’t do it when they were purple… so almost every flower was green or yellow.” Red says with an odd smile, like she was replaying a memory she knew she shouldn’t be smiling at, but couldn’t stop herself. “Sometimes… the flowers would end up purple anyways.”
Chloe gave her hand a soft squeeze. A squeeze telling her she was not alone anymore. That she would be there for Red. The fiery girl gave a small squeeze back, giving the blue girl a soft smile before averting her eyes again. The cool-toned princess resisted the urge to lift her chin to make her look Chloe in the eyes.
A moment of silence passed before Red took a small breath and spoke again. “She always hated it when I did it. When I drew on myself. She always said it looked trashy. That was partially why I did it. Because she hated it. I had to hide the marks anyway, so why not hide the drawings too? I… I never knew someone was seeing them.”
“I’d wondered where they’d gone,” Chloe says quietly, leaning her head on Red’s shoulder, giving her shoulders another comforting squeeze. “They stopped pretty soon after we got here… Which is a good thing I suppose now that I think about it.”
The blue-haired princess lifts her head and gives the fiery-haired one a quizzical look. “Wait.. If you stopped drawing when the bruises were gone, why were you drawing on yourself? What happened?”
Red made a soft noise as Chloe sat fully up, her warmth and weight no longer on the warm-toned girl.
“Red, what happened? Are you hurt?” Concern lined the cool girl’s face, and her eyes gleamed with worry. “Where’s your arm? What did you do with your arm?”
Red let out another noise of protest as Chloe moved farther away from her, digging around behind herself to find Red’s arm. The blue girl gave her an amused smile before turning her full attention to her princess’s arm.
Chloe could feel Red’s eyes on her as she gently lifted up the princess’s right sleeve- if there was a bruise there she didn’t want to aggravate it. As figured, a medium-sized bruise painted itself yellow and green along pale skin. The same intricate flowers that inked themself along Chloe’s arm were smudged along Red’s.
“What happened?” Chloe traced the colors and ink with her eyes.
“It’s nothing you should concern yourself with, princess,” Red said, a little more firm than intended as she pulled her arm away, covering it with the sleeve again.
As the warm-toned princess tried to stand up to busy herself with something else, a warm hand grabbed hers, pulling her back down onto the couch. “Uh, uh. Nope. You’re not getting away that easy.”
The beginnings of a protest were instantly silenced as a warm finger was placed over Red’s lips, her signature color dusting her cheeks. “Shush. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me. What happened? Do i need to pun-”
Chloe’s words halted, replaced with a small shriek as she pulled her hand back towards her. Red had licked Chloe’s finger. Red had licked Chloe’s finger.
“Why would you do that? What is wrong with you?!” She yelped lightheartedly, giving Red a playful glare.
“A lot of things, princess.” She gave a pleased smile. “You put your finger near my mouth, what else was I supposed to do?”
A chorus of grumbles fell from the cool-toned girl as a satisfied grin spread across the warm-toned’s face. “Not that!”
Red gave a shrug, silently hoping Chloe forgot the main purpose they were on the couch. Serious conversations were not her strong suit. Especially not after what she just learned.
But as figured, Chloe did not forget about the conversation they were supposed to be having. Instead, she repositioned herself to face Red, grabbing her hands and giving them a soft squeeze. “What happened?”
The red girl sighed. “I just fell. Auradon's steps are weird. They’re all positioned at the same distance away from each other.”
She quickly continued as she saw Chloe try to start to respond. “And I know you’re not gonna believe that, but it’s the truth. I got this of my own stupidity. I just drew on it out of habit.”
The blue princess gave her a narrow-eyed stare, watching Red’s face to try and spot any signs of a lie. She couldn’t find any but was unsure of whether that was because she was hard to read or being honest. “Hmm… Ok.. But why did you try and hide it?”
Red looks down, a sheepish look on her face.
“Habit again?” She tries, earning herself another narrow-eyed look. “Fine, fine. I just didn’t want you to worry. You do that too much already.”
Chloe gives in to the urge from a moment ago, pulling Red’s chin up with one finger. “I already worry about you. You trying to hide something is only going to make that worse.”
She leaned her forehead against Red’s, as the girl’s breath hitches, unsure of what was happening. “Will you please tell me when something happens instead of trying to hide it?”
Red grumbles quietly for a moment before responding. “I’ll try.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Pinky promise?”
“Plinky promise?” Red’s voice curls with confusion as Chloe laughs, pulling back from their huddle.
“You don’t know what a pinky promise is?!” She exclaims as she realizes Red’s not being funny.
The warm-toned girl looks down sheepishly again, and again her princess picks up her chin. “You gotta stop doing that.”
They gaze into each other’s eyes for a beat too long before Chloe breaks the silence once again. “You seriously don’t know what a pinky promise is? You g ot some things to learn.”
“Seems I do,” Red says quietly, smiling at the determined smile on her princess’s face.