Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Life is full of surprises, but those surprises are not necessarily pleasant – at least, that is what Jade always told himself. However, he never considered that a problem. He had been obsessed with surprises since he was nothing but a little elver, mainly for the feeling of not being able to predict what was going to happen. With them, life felt like a puzzle box he never wanted to solve completely – thrilling, maddening, and endlessly engaging. He needed surprises to enjoy life to the fullest, and his twin was nothing but an essential part of this whole idea.

Floyd was a miraculous person – unpredictable, challenging, but most importantly, Jade found him endlessly entertaining. He was like no one else. Nothing was ever boring if it involved his presence, so Jade always waited eagerly for his brother’s next shenanigans.

Floyd moved through life with the erratic grace of a wave crashing onto shore – loud, chaotic, impossible to ignore. His moods could shift in a blink, but that only added to the thrill of being around him. He laughed too loudly, grinned too sharply, and leapt into trouble with both arms wide open.

But not this time.

Jade was sitting on his bed, while Floyd towered above him with an unusual expression on his face. His skin looked pale as a small drop of sweat ran across his rounded cheeks. He looked rather nervous, which was highly unlikely of him. Jade wondered what had happened – what had made his brother shiver and stand next to his bed like a sopping wet cat, scratching his nape with such force it would most likely leave a mark later.

“Jade…” whimpered Floyd, trying his best to avoid eye contact. “I did something stupid.”

Now that really was unlike him, and that bothered Jade. His brother had probably been abducted by a group of ghosts – because this certainly wasn’t the Floyd he knew. Unless something horrible had happened.

“What is it that worries you, Floyd?” he asked, curiosity tinging his voice.

His twin swallowed, took a deep breath, and finally relaxed his previously very stiff shoulders. He looked like he’d been waiting a long time to confess.

“I lied to Mama and Papa. About ya.”

That took a surprising turn. Jade expected anything but the mention of their parents.

“Oya, that is a rather strange turn of events,” added Jade impatiently. While he tried to keep up his calm appearance, he could barely wait for Floyd’s answer – what kind of lie had made him look so guilty, miserable even? “Be more specific, I don’t bite!”

Floyd frowned.

“Yes, ya do, liar!” he pouted, even though he was clearly not in the right position to throw those words at Jade right now. He seemed to realise his mistake and cleared his throat loudly, obviously trying to move on. “Them always talkin’ about ya being lonely was real annoyin’, honestly. I told Mama ya got a partner or whatever, so they’d leave us alone and stop worryin’.”

That was bad – but certainly not what Jade had expected. This couldn’t be the thing that had made Floyd so nervous... could it? It was just a simple lie he could easily talk himself out of it if he wanted to.

Floyd was right about one thing though. The constant worrying of their parents had been making Jade uncomfortable lately. He could barely tolerate their behaviour, but there wasn’t really anything he could have done to make them stop.

Mr and Mrs Leech were wonderful parents – the kind everyone would wish to have. They were responsible, caring, affectionate, and made sure to spoil the twins as much as they could – maybe they even overdid it a little. They stayed in contact with both Floyd and Jade after they left for the surface world and enrolled at the prestigious Night Raven College, calling them every day to reassure themselves their children were doing well. Every time the twins returned home during school breaks, their parents organised a party to welcome and celebrate their arrival – even showered them in expensive gifts to guarantee their satisfaction and remind them they were loved.

There was a slight complication, however. They got concerned far too easily when it came to Floyd and Jade being isolated from them by the shore. Mr and Mrs Leech were still filtering water through their gills, while the twins were already breathing air. They still appreciated the naturalistic taste of raw food while their sons were tasting thousand flavours in cooked dishes – and most importantly, they were still hugged and protected by the oceans, while Floyd and Jade were wondering free ashore in a completely alien world.

There was only one thing that could lessen their worries – the thought of the twins being together, looking after one another in their own unique way. They were close siblings, but they preferred not to show too much appreciation outright. Always bickering, arguing over nothing at times, but they also knew how to have fun together – their different yet strangely similar personalities made that possible. And that closeness comforted their parents.

Unfortunately, Jade knew things had changed after Floyd got a girlfriend. Yuzuru Momoebi’s arrival at Night Raven College had led to significant changes not only in school but in their private lives as well. Yuzuru – or Yuzu-san, as Jade preferred to call her – became the infamous prefect of Ramshackle dorm with her strange dire-beast companion, Grim, who had an extraordinary resemblance to an overgrown housecat regarding both his looks and behaviour. Unlike other students, however, she couldn’t use magic at all. This made her a target – including for Azul, Floyd, and even Jade himself at first. But Yuzu surprised them all. She didn’t have magic, but she had brains and physical strength. She could protect herself and outsmart half the student body with sheer talent. She was small yet strong, full of surprises – Jade was almost certain that was what had caught his brother’s eye.

Floyd was obsessed with Yuzu. Every time he opened his mouth; it was to talk about her. He chased after her company like an excited dog wagging its tail, waiting for its owner to come home. And most telling of all, he nicknamed her after cleaner shrimps – a creature moray eels like themselves were famously fond of.

Strange. Even stranger was the fact that Yuzu seemed to reciprocate.

Floyd was tall and intimidating, with razor-sharp teeth and a rather unconvincing reputation – but Yuzu didn’t seem to care. She hugged him back when he wrapped his arms around her, smiled when he showed her that toothy grin, and still approached and comforted him when he suffered one of his sudden mood swings.

It was only a matter of time before they got together.

That should have been something to celebrate – and it was, at least at first. Everyone at school was talking about it, making it the hottest topic at Night Raven within days. Some found Yuzu’s bravery astonishing, while others were placing bets on when exactly Floyd would get bored of being in a relationship.

None of that happened. And the Leech parents were more elated than ever. But it was only a matter of time before they found something new to worry about.

More like... someone.

“Aren’t you feeling lonely, dear?” Jade was asked by his mother every single day over the phone. It shouldn’t have been annoying – but it was.  It was strange, how now with Floyd being in love, others just saw Jade as half of something incomplete – even went as far as pitying him. It was humiliating for someone like Jade – being the ‘single twin’ left alone in the dust. Sure, he was fond of his twin, but there was no reason to be pampered like a baby just because Floyd had someone else to dote on.

Azul was always around, for example. Jade never considered himself lonely when Floyd was clinging onto him instead.

His father told him, however, that finding a partner was a different matter entirely than having a childhood companion – but love, affection, desire... these were feelings Jade had never quite been able to read. They were one of the few things he failed to understand.

So, regarding Floyd’s lie – he was not the only one troubled by these events, but his brother too. Clearly, their parents had been bothering him too with worries about neglecting Jade. Lying that Jade got a partner was a stupid and reckless reaction from Floyd but expected. If someone does the unexpected often enough, you stop trying to predict – and start preparing for chaos automatically.

After a few seconds of silence with his own thoughts, Jade finally decided to answer. He felt that there was something worse bothering Floyd. That lie must have been fuelling something unpleasant.

“That was not very considerate of you, Floyd. You should be aware that it might cause me some serious trouble later.”  

His twin finally flashed a playful grin, more like his usual self, though a sparkle of nervousness was still visible in his mismatched eyes.

“C’mon, ya love trouble! Don’t deny it now!”

“I certainly won’t,” Jade replied, becoming rather impatient. It was clear that Floyd was just stalling. “Please, explain already what happened.”

“Well... Mama and Papa are happy for ya for not being single anymore and they are plannin’ a family dinner this weekend. They want us to go – and bring our partners. To introduce them or somethin’.”

Now that meant serious trouble.

“I do not have a partner. Did you perhaps tell them what you said was incorrect?”

“Nah. Too much of a pain in the ass. I just said ‘Okie-dokie’ and hung up,” Floyd shrugged. As nervous as he had been earlier, he now seemed completely relaxed – maybe his mood had changed, or maybe he just felt better after dumping the problem onto Jade. “Sucks to be you.”

“That’s troublesome. What I expect you to do now is call Mother and Father back and tell them you lied.”

“Won’t happen," replied Floyd and showed his phone in front of Jade’s face. “They just messaged me – Mama already rented out an entire restaurant for us.”

Jade let out a long sigh, fingers pressed to his forehead. There was no elegant way out of this. If he called their parents right now and told them the truth – would that solve anything? Or would it simply disappoint them and make them pity him even more? And if there was one thing worse than being caught in Floyd’s mess, it was showing up to a family dinner alone after his brother had promised otherwise.

So then…what exactly was he meant to do?

Chapter Text

Jade let out an annoyed sigh as he felt his phone buzz on the other end of his bed again – it was most likely yet another message from his parents.

He got the first message not long after Floyd showed him his phone screen displaying their mother renting an entire undersea themed restaurant for their planned family dinner. The one where he supposed to show up with Floyd, Yuzu, and a partner of his own – who he didn’t have.

Since then, he had received a couple of congratulations and questions about his mysterious partner, whose identity was apparently being kept secret by Jade for some unknown reason – or at least that is what they believed.  Jade wasn’t the type however, to ignore his parents over any issue – he replied to every message like there wasn’t an issue at all. As for the questions – Jade decided to keep his partner's identity a surprise from his parents until dinner night, claiming that was the reason why he never spoke about them.

But their identity was a surprise for him too.

Jade already had a plan. When Floyd told him the news, the gears in his mind had already started racing. The clock was ticking, he only had a day to come up with a satisfactory solution for the huge mess Floyd had created – in short, he had no time to mourn over his unfortunate situation.

This rush ended up paying off – he didn’t need to find a partner in one day, as that way simply impossible. He only needed someone to act as his partner. Just a simple trick, nothing more, nothing less.

Keeping up a façade with someone for the dinner and then break up soon after everything settled down seemed to be the best choice in this situation.

“That could work, I guess,” Floyd yawned while tucking himself under a big pile of blankets. “Ya do what ya wanna do, I’mma goin' to sleep. It’ll be enough to worry ‘bout this tomorrow.”

With that said, he immediately fell asleep – lying on his bed in a seemingly uncomfortable position while snoring silently. This was enough of a sign for Jade to comprehend that his twin was not willing to help even though he was the one who started this all in the first place.

He decided to leave his brother alone for today but would teach him a lesson later when he least expected it. Revenge tasted better that way.

Instead of worrying about Floyd being asleep, he started to puzzle the pieces of his plan together inside his head – to find the perfect partner.

His first thought was Azul.

“Not a chance,” the octopus frowned with obvious disbelief in his voice. “I understand your logic – choosing someone you know well already is a much more convenient choice than setting yourself up with a stranger. But our families have known each other for years, and I refuse to be seen by your mother and father as your ex-partner for the rest of my life. So, I advise you to leave this room immediately and bother someone else.”

“Cruel as always.” Jade let out a rather dramatic sounding sigh, but Azul didn’t seem to care – he kept counting his steadily organized coins to rearrange his collection. “I expected your answer to be something along those words, but you are right. I would never risk ruining my reputation even with just pretending to date someone like you.”

Jade hid his amusement behind a polite looking smile when Azul was finally eyeing him, looking more annoyed than ever.

“Then why did you even ask me?”

“To bother you.”

“At least I appreciate your honesty. Listen. I’m used to the trouble you and Floyd keep causing me, but I would rather keep myself out of this one. We will most likely have lots of visitors this weekend in Mostro Lounge. You two will be off to that family dinner of some short, so unlike you, I have work to do. I will be rooting for you and your imaginary partner from here though.”

Jade gave Azul a nod, silently stepping out of the room. The heavy door clicked shut behind him, muting the gentle clinking of coins. He paused just outside, taking a deep breath. As much as Azul’s answer had been expected, hearing it still narrowed Jade’s options significantly.

His second pick would have been Rook – but that just seemed like a reckless idea in hindsight. He knew about Jade enough to be magnificent at pretending to be his partner and it was guaranteed that the parents would appreciate his outstanding observation skills. However, he was not reliable at all – at least in this case. He would cause way too many awkward situations for Jade and wouldn’t last five minutes without mentioning the famous Vil Schoenheit – which wasn’t too beneficial from an ideal partner.

The third option was Cater. Jade was sure he would love the whole idea of attending a dinner in a fake dating scenario with the famous Leech parents. It certainly sounded like something he was into in his free time – what was it that Cater liked reading, fanfiction?  But he would have way too much fun – there was a high risk of Cater posting it on Magicam making their relationship public while all what Jade wanted is to keep it in secret, fake or not. It was enough if only his parents live with the belief of their son being in a relationship, there was no reason to announce it in front of the whole school – Jade planned to end the façade soon after the dinner anyways.

The other students were certainly out of the question – Kalim would be easy to persuade but Jamil meant a serious obstacle. Riddle was reliable and knowledgeable about Jade enough as his classmate, but he was too obsessed with following rules, and he rather kept himself out of trouble. Ruggie would be a decent option if it wasn’t for Leona, requiring his assistance on every possible occasion. Trey was there too, but…

What was it about Trey that made him seem out of question?

Trey Clover was a reliable student. He was smart, responsible and was the first person many would approach when needing help. It felt like his kindness knew no limits, however, there were times when his actions suggested otherwise.

While many considered Trey to be boring and lack originality, Jade was convinced that he was much more interesting than he seemed. Jade was aware of Trey insisting to keep up his ‘normal guy’ persona by avoiding trouble and being a reliable figure – and while Jade was the opposite, he barely ever tried to push the senior out of his comfort zone. He preferred to observe him from afar instead.

As a result, he was able to see those special occasions, where Trey’s mask slipped – even if just for a few seconds. It was strange to see such a friendly person reveal emotions such as anger, greed or even unkindness. He could still remember how Trey – similarly to Octavinelle students – liked to ask for payment for a favour, or when he revealed that while he enjoys baking, he doesn’t put any gentle emotion into his desserts regardless of whom it is for.

On top of this, Jade had a good relationship with him.

Choosing Trey now felt like the best possibility after thinking about it deeply. He wouldn’t be that easy to persuade – but that was what makes him so interesting. Removing him from his usual calm environment just to place him into an event organised by his family certainly promised endlessly entertaining situations – and chaos. He was still mad at Floyd for creating this mess, but if it already happened, Jade might as well make sure at least he brought the best out of it.

“You look rather focused Trey-san.” Jade approached him deliberately. The senior looked startled for a moment when he heard his name coming from behind his back, then he turned his head slowly towards the merman, curious eyes peeking behind his slightly fogged glasses.

“Oh, it’s you Jade,” said Trey in a calm manner. He almost looked like he was relieved Jade was the one approaching him, which was surprising considering Jade’s reputation at school. “I indeed was. Riddle decided to organise an unbirthday party next week and requested strawberry-flavoured desserts. I was just checking if I had enough strawberries to feed an entire dorm but guess not. Somebody might have been picking them while I wasn’t looking.”

While Jade sympathised with him, he couldn’t help but feel a slight relief. What a coincidence – Trey was also in trouble.

“That is unpleasant, Trey-san. I can clearly see how much effort you put into growing these strawberries, it is disappointing that some simply cannot appreciate one’s hard work,” he added. He knew he didn’t quite have the right intention, but this, he said honestly.

Trey looked disappointed as he turned back to his strawberries. As Jade looked through them carefully, he could see that significant number of fruits were taken from the plantations.

“Something like that.”

Silence fell on the botanical garden afterwards. Trey seemed to be continuing to tend to the strawberries, while Jade observed his movements silently. He wasn’t hesitating. He just wanted to make sure not to sound too pushy with immediately pouring his problems onto Trey while he was certainly upset – after all he wanted to succeed with his plan.

When a few minutes passed, Jade finally brought himself to talk.

“Let me offer you my help. We received an extra delivery of frozen strawberries in Mostro Lounge by mistake. I could give you some if you require them for the tarts,” he offered, making sure to smile and sound as polite as possible.

Trey knitted his eyebrows and eyed Jade with suspicion. It looked like he already sensed that Jade was planning something.

How interesting.

“Wouldn’t Azul be mad if you just gifted away the restaurant’s supplies like that?”

Jade giggled softly.

“I can assure you, Azul wouldn’t notice – at least, I would make sure he wouldn’t.”

Trey exhaled – at this point he clearly looked like he doesn’t want to get involved with whatever Jade had in mind. But it was too early to give up yet.

“This still sounds a bit sketchy to me,” said Trey as his amber eyes met Jade’s once again. “What is it you want?”

He really was on to Jade, wasn’t he?

“Oya, can’t someone just do something nice out of pure generosity?”

The senior raised an eyebrow at that, but his stiff shoulders shook as he let out a small chuckle.

“Not if it’s you,” he added but rather playfully than mockingly.

“You wound me Trey-san. Although if you insist, I might have something I would appreciate your help with. Just a little favour.” He was prepared to describe the unpleasant situation he was in; however, he felt a bit concerned. He wasn’t sure how much he could share with Trey without the possibility of getting rejected immediately. Persuading Trey to attend a friendly meeting sounded potentially successful, but he didn’t seem like someone who would say yes to something much more troublesome regardless of consequences. Those strawberries he offered were nothing compared to pretending to be a romantic partner after all. “You see, I might have run into a bit of a trouble. My family decided to organise an event tomorrow afternoon and it is a necessity for everyone with an invitation to bring an attendant. I thought about you accompanying me – if that is not much of a hassle for you, of course.”

Trey’s eyes widened hearing the request. His lips formed into a straight line, which already gave away his answer before he spoke.

“I’m not sure about that Jade, that is very sudden,” he said, looking like he already tried to find an escape route of this conversation. “Why not bring Azul?”

Jade needed a few seconds to think of an answer.

“Azul also received an invitation; my parents are very fond of him after all. Therefore, unfortunately I cannot bring him as my guest.” he lied.

“I see.” Trey let out a troubled sigh. “I would be happy to help you, but…uhm…as I said, it came very suddenly. I don’t think that I would be a suitable guest for you to bring to a family dinner of yours.”

“Alas! That is rather unfortunate. Here I was thinking that the only person from this school I can consider my friend would help me in this miserable situation,” whimpered Jade hitting a dramatic sounding tone – he must have looked very pitiful. His lips turned downwards as he closed his eyes, faking his sorrow hoping it is enough to convince Trey to accept his proposal. Looking at Trey – who seemed to be slightly annoyed as his eyebrows were twitching – it was rewarding to put on a show. It was hard to tell if he felt more guilty or more annoyed by Jade, the senior looked away while nervously scratching the back of his head.

“We aren’t exactly friends, are we though?” he asked.

He was right – they were not as connected to be called friends, but Jade wasn’t fully lying by stating otherwise. They were only acquaintances – but a rather closer kind.

They spent a lot of time together in the botanical garden – Trey tending to his strawberries or working on his science club duties, while Jade experimenting with mushrooms and studying the many wonders of land nature – keeping up a friendly conversation with each other in the process, taking breaks when necessary and filling their stomach with Jade’s freshly brewed tea and Trey’s delicious desserts. Giving each other advice as fellow vice housewardens was also not uncommon since they both had many duties and responsibilities while working under the hands of a rather difficult person as a housewarden.

“Trey-san is so heartless,” sniffled Jade, as Trey already started to let his guard down. He exhaled sharply through his nose, arms crossed in front of his chest – but the longer the fake sobs dragged on, the more his scowl started to crack. Guilt flickered behind the irritation in his eyes, yet he still looked like he almost cared about Jade. He muttered something under his breath – too silent to be heard, but just loud enough to make it clear he was about to surrender.

“Alright,” Trey said giving up entirely, when Jade’s eyes victoriously flickered with joy and relief – and mischief.

“I truly appreciate your help, Trey-san!” he cheered. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

Trey couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that again.

“Yeah, I bet.” His expression then shifted into something entirely different – his lips curled upwards forming a smirk as he demandingly raised his tone. “But I’m afraid that’s too much of a hassle for me, Jade. I already have enough trouble with preparing for the upcoming unbirthday party. Attending to your dinner will take away my free time I would spend with baking – so your strawberries won’t be enough. I expect you to help me making all the desserts too. You work in a restaurant, I assume you are skilled in the kitchen, no?”

He asked, as Jade’s lips parted in surprise.

Trey really was full of surprises.

“That is correct. I’m more than willing to offer my assistance in the kitchen if it is needed.”

“Excellent,” replied Trey, his smirk replaced with a satisfied smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me then, I must leave. It is my turn to feed the hedgehogs at Heartslabyul today, and I’d rather not make Riddle angry.”

“That is understandable. Riddle-san is very frightening when he goes ballistic,” he agreed, remembering how red the boy’s face could turn in just a few seconds when he is shouting at Floyd.

“Feel free to send me a message on Magicam about tomorrow. You know…about the time and location and stuff.”

“Consider it done,” said Jade as he waved Trey goodbye as he left Trey offered a casual nod over his shoulder before picking up his basket of strawberries and heading off. His pace was hurried – clearly, he was eager to escape before Jade changed his mind about letting him go.

Jade was smirking as he finally stood alone in the botanical garden in silence, only surrounded by the noises of the leaves slowly swaying along with the wind. He did it – his plan was successful; it was almost terrifying how easy it was. He found the perfect person to go accompany him to the dinner. He already reached in his pocket and pulled out his smartphone to add Trey to his Magicam contacts.

Everything seemed to go according to plan, there was only one thing which slightly concerned Jade.

After all, he hadn’t told anything to Trey about his expected role on the event – being Jade’s partner.

Romantic partner.

How troublesome, indeed.

Chapter Text

Trey had just returned to his dorm room after feeding Heartslabyul’s hedgehogs when his phone lit up on the desk – a message from Jade Leech. He blinked in surprise, not expecting to hear from him so soon.

Jade

I’m sincerely looking forward to meeting you tomorrow at the Mirror Chamber. We are planning to leave for the restaurant at 6 PM. Do not concern yourself with the Headmage, Azul has already informed him about our absence and requested an approval to use the Mirror for our travel.

My apologies for the trouble. I will make sure you won’t regret choosing to accompany me to this dinner.

Trey was already full of regret – he didn’t want to go at all. It wasn’t fear that stopped him – it was the sheer headache of dealing with whatever bizarre dinner etiquette, unpredictable conversations, and eel-fuelled drama he was about to step into. He needed to do something fast.

His fingers hovered over the screen, half-drafting an excuse before deleting it with a frustrated sigh – instead, he just replied like everything was completely fine.

Trey

Understood.

It’s fine, don’t worry about it too much.

Jade

That is a relief.

Trey

Is there anything else I should prepare for?

Jade

Certainly! Do not forget, it is a rather formal event, so please dress accordingly. No further preparations are needed, you will be our guest after all. :)

After reading Jade’s message, Trey put his phone back on his desk and threw himself on his bed. The sheets were cold, but comfortable enough to let him calm down and collect his thoughts. He was lying in silence, the only sound he heard was his quick breathing from rushing back to the room, and the laughing of his fellow dorm members passing by his door. As their giggles were slowly swallowed by stillness, he began to think.

He didn’t want to do this. The whole affair reeked of trouble, the kind he’d rather avoid entirely. Should he text Jade that he had changed his mind? Or what would happen if he ended up just not showing up tomorrow in the Mirror Chamber? Would Jade be mad? Definitely. Furious even.

He didn’t know how an angry Jade looked like, but he didn’t want to find out.

He had already agreed to this – there was no backing out of it now.

The only reason he agreed in the first place was because of Jade’s tragic little performance in the botanical garden – the crocodile tears, the guilt-tripping, and the sighing which made him sound like a shipwrecked sea maiden. Trey tried to walk away at least twice before giving in, but Jade’s behaviour went as far as he was auditioning for a lead role in a melodramatic sea opera. It wasn’t worth the noise. And, well… Jade had promised to help with the unbirthday cakes next week in return. That was something. At least Trey could walk away from this dinner knowing his pastry prep was going to be cut in half.

Trey normally didn’t have an issue with Jade, but he knew that he wasn’t someone he should underestimate. He learned that by experience after all. Jade Leech was nothing like the soft-spoken, delicate – even vulnerable – person he had first thought he was. Just thinking about this made him laugh at his own stupidity. He had to learn bit by bit, that he had been played like a fiddle all this time and he was mischievously guided into the wrong impression by the merman like it was some kind of a personal experiment. Instead of the quiet and humble Jade he had to face the slimy eel he really was – a schemer, a puppet master always prepared with surprises.

It was scary, but sort of impressive. Since then, their acquaintanceship had settled into something strange but weirdly comfortable. Trey of course never let his guard down around him ever again but had learnt to deal with the sophomore’s schemes instead.

Jade never targeted him again, but something still deeply unsettled Trey.

He just hated the idea of being dragged into whatever theatre production the Leech family had in store.

Whatever happens now is entirely his fault for agreeing to Jade’s strange request, and he had to accept that. All that remained at that moment was to inform his housewarden – Riddle Rosehearts.

"You’re going where? With whom? Willingly?" asked Riddle as he was clutching his teacup like what Trey just said had insulted the Queen. His face was clearly shocked while genuine disbelief echoed in his voice. “I certainly hope to believe you are aware of Octavinelle’s predatory business practices, yes? I would advise you to think this through once again before agreeing to something so reckless. That is not what I expected of you, Trey.”

Trey took a deep breath before answering his housewarden – whose reaction was not that surprising if he had to be honest. This wasn’t something Trey would do willingly, it was very unlikely from someone craving to hide in the shadows to appear normal, to unexpectedly jump into the craziest scenario he could think of.

“Yeah, I know. But I’ve made up my mind – I’m going, and that’s really all there is to it.”

He just wanted to end this conversation as soon as possible. He knew that he was doing something unspeakably stupid, so he didn’t need to hear that from Riddle too – except when he looked up and was spooked by an unexpected expression on the boy’s face.

“You got involved with something troublesome, didn’t you?” asked Riddle, gently putting his cup down on the round table in front of him. The hot steam rising from the tea partly veiled his face, but Trey was still able to see that his expression was a genuine mix between worry and disappointment. He wasn’t looking at him like a housewarden – but like a friend. “Did you sign a contract with Azul perhaps?”

Trey fiercely shook his head. Maybe he was stupid, but he could still say at least not that stupid.

“Nothing of that sort. I’m just helping Jade out,” he answered.

Riddle raised an eyebrow at that.

“By leaving for the weekend to meet his family in a formal dinner sequence? Jade is my classmate, and I cannot recall him mentioning you two were this close. There is no reason for you to go this far to help him, especially following him in an environment where he can easily take advantage of you.”

It was strange for Riddle to act like a mother, but now he certainly sounded like one.

Trey stood up slowly from the table and reached out his hand to pat his housewarden’s head. His bright red hair was silky and felt pleasantly soft against Trey’s palm.

“I won’t get myself into a strange deal, don’t worry about that,” he tried to reassure Riddle as calmly as possible – mainly because he was also not entirely sure, what awaited him.

He preferred normalcy over chaos, but a dinner with the Leech family certainly didn’t sound too convincing – all of this was just screaming for trouble. He couldn’t just step out of the spotlight and hide this time, as a guest, he was sure he’d be the centre of attention – surrounded by a whole family of hungry eels.

“Take care then. Do not disappoint me,” said Riddle with slightly reddening cheeks from the head pat he just received. “Be especially careful with Floyd. Avoid him as much as possible.”

“Understood!” Trey chuckled as he finally got the permission from his housewarden to leave the room. He slowly placed his fingers on the doorknob, but as he gently pushed it open, he met with three curious pair of eyes staring at him. Cater, Ace, and Deuce looked like they had been eavesdropping on his and Riddle’s conversation and they weren’t even shy about it.

It was Cater who opened his mouth first.

“Omg, a dinner with the Leech fam? I need pics – wait, no – a livestream would be even better!”

“You’ve got guts, Trey-senpai. It sounds like entering a cage full of lions who haven’t been fed for a week,” said Ace, voice caught somewhere between a laugh and a gasp.

Deuce was just standing behind them with absolute disbelief written on his pale face, while his cyan eyes grew almost the size of an overgrown tangerine.

“Are you sure it’s safe, Trey-senpai?” he gasped, mouth gaping like a fish stranded on the beach. “Do you…maybe need to write a will? Just in case?”

Trey’s eyebrows twitched.

“There is no need for that, I’m sure,” he replied, though he had to admit, if he were the type to write a dramatic final letter, this would be the perfect occasion.

As Deuce spoke again, his voice was strong and sharp this time, just like his expression.

“You can do it!” he cheered. “Just…just come back alive!”

“Will do!” Trey waved them goodbye, even though it was quite obvious he won’t be able to brush them off his shoulders for a while – not unless he shares all the delicious details they want to hear.

While Trey was curious what will happen, he still couldn’t help but not wait for tomorrow to come.

Except, it did come – maybe way too fast. He just opened his eyes in the morning after hearing that annoying alarm which felt like a call to war, and time seemed to fly in a blink. He just barely crawled out of his bed to have breakfast and tea, he just barely brushed his teeth and dressed up so he could leave to the botanical garden to check on his plantations, and he just barely finished all his duties as a vice dorm leader that day when he looked at the clock and saw the threatening numbers looking back at him almost mockingly – it was almost 6 PM.

He barely had an hour left.

He needed to go back to his room.

To get ready – or rather, to get himself together.

As much as he rushed however, he didn’t do anything special. He even sat on the edge of his bed for a solid five minutes, staring at his wardrobe like it might whisper an escape plan before actually deciding to prepare himself.

Before putting everything on, he brushed his teeth yet again – that was something he couldn’t leave his dorm without. His hair was hard to style anyway, so he simply made sure it didn’t look like he’d just rolled out of bed. For his attire, he didn’t go overboard with that either. He just grabbed a black shoe and a regular, almost boring looking black suit with a red shirt and a pine green necktie under, decorating it with a golden pin resembling a shamrock – he at least looks like he tried to look important.

It took him a fairly short time to dress up – he spent most of the time he had to actually convince himself to finally step out of the room. He even checked his reflection once, twice, and then again in the mirror – more to stall than inspect.

Come on, it’s just dinner. Not a descent into the belly of a blood thirsty sea monster.

Probably.

He kept repeating the thought process even after he finally locked the door shut behind himself. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

Cater
Cay-Cay is cheering for you, Trey-kun! (^▽^)

Trey exhaled, but his lips still curled upwards to form a smile.

They care, don’t they?

When he finally stepped inside the Mirror Chamber, he was already greeted three seemingly inpatient students waiting for his arrival.

Floyd was loud, but he seemed to lower his tone after his mismatched eyes met Trey’s – he had probably been talking about him behind his back for being late.

His hair was unusually wavy and fashionably styled, and his clothes struck a strange balance between elegance and chaos – he looked like a funny uncle to be fair, but in a good way. His half-open silk shirt was a vivid ocean blue with white wave and foam-like designs, decorated with a yellow fish pattern here and there. His trousers were plain white, but the shoes he wore were just as vibrant as his shirt – colourful, chaotic, and undeniably Floyd.

Next to him stood Yuzuru Momoebi dressed in powder pink from head to toe. A few tresses of her strawberry blonde hair were braided and pinned into a shape resembling a tiara, while the rest of her hair fell elegantly on her shoulders. Pearl hair clips were hanging on some of the strands, matching the shimmer of her glittery eyeshadow in the same cool tone.

She definitely took the formal dress code more seriously than Floyd did.

And then there he was – Jade Leech.

He stood out from the small group with his elegance and stiff posture. He wore a dark, navy-blue turtleneck with loose, slightly translucent sleeves that subtly revealed the shape of his slender arms. A black vest, matching his fitted trousers, was layered over it, the sides embroidered with delicate silver fish scale patterns. His hair was neatly styled, the black strand tucked smoothly behind one ear and secured with a simple silver hairpin. The dark blue eyeshadow across his eyelids matched the shade of his top, drawing attention at the elegant almond shape of his eyes. His lips curved into a smile when he spotted Trey entering the chamber.

“Good evening, Trey-san,” he greeted politely, quickly running his gaze over Trey’s attire and rewarding him with a satisfied nod. “I supposed you would arrive. You are far too clever to stand me up – it would be too much trouble to deal with the consequences, is that right?”

Trey forced a smile onto his face, but his stomach twisted with unease. Was that a compliment or a veiled threat?

With Jade, it was hard to tell.

Probably both.

“I suppose,” he replied, glancing past Jade’s shoulder to greet Floyd and Yuzuru with a friendly wave – which they returned soon after.

But as he looked at the pair, and the merman in front of him, he realised that something was missing.

Or rather, someone.

“Didn’t you mention something about Azul coming with us?” he asked while eyeing Jade with suspicion. Before he could answer, Floyd quickly stepped in front of him in a weirdly protective manner.

“Uhm, about that…,” he started, his expression turning dramatic in a second. “He made a huge mess this morning in his bed, he was spittin’ ink everywhere! Everything went black and he was yelpin’ like some weird land creature, and he was wigglin’ around like a beachworm! Can you imagine? Guess he caught somethin’ annoyin’.

“Spitting ink?” Trey blinked with surprise.

“Yep.” Floyd grinned. “I was cringing so hard.”

Trey wasn’t sure if he should laugh or cry. He couldn’t decide if Floyd was serious or just tried to put on a show to cover up a poorly planned lie.

Yuzuru let out a loud sigh, as if she had long accepted that chaos – which was Floyd Leech himself. “That’s… unfortunate. I hope he at least apologised to the bedsheets.”

Trey chuckled at that and decided to finally play along.

“Will he be okay without you two?”

Jade didn’t flinch. “Azul will recover in due time, do not concern yourself over him.”

“Of course! Azul is Azul, duh! He’s a big boy – he can take care of himself, spittin’ ink or not.”

Trey accepted that as an answer.

Whatever. At this point, it felt like nothing could surprise him anymore.

Yuzuru then stepped forward, gently adjusting the soft pearl earring on her right ear.

“Shall we get going?” she asked, her tone bright but composed. “I’m afraid we are already running late.”

Jade extended his hand in a gentlemanly manner while stepping in front of the Mirror. “Yuzu-san is right. So, shall we enter?”

Trey would rather say no, but he didn’t have any more time to think about such an answer. He let out a deep sigh and nodded, but each step towards the Mirror felt heavy, like there was a weight chained on his ankles.

This time, he didn’t have any more chances to turn back. He didn’t play his cards safe enough, so now he just had to accept the chaos awaiting him – the one he agreed to.

Deuce’s words were still echoing in his mind: “Just come back alive.”

Trey wasn’t sure if he was about to disappoint him or make him very proud.

And with that, the four of them stepped toward the gleaming mirror and with a shimmer of light, they disappeared.

Chapter Text

As they stepped out of the blinding shimmer of the Dark Mirror and arrived inside the building, Trey already felt uneasy but couldn’t quite explain why.

The restaurant was big and luxurious with a striking resemblance to Mostro Lounge – except instead of the familiar purples, the place was coated in elegant shades of blue and white. The tables were large and clean, set with expensive-looking cutlery, wine glasses, plates, and ocean blue napkins folded into different seashell shapes. Even the chairs resembled open, glossy clam shells. A huge, glimmering chandelier hung in the centre of the restaurant with a design resembling clear waterdrops falling from the sky. Instead of solid walls, the room was enclosed by towering glass panels with colourful fish and sharks swimming behind it, turning the entire restaurant into an aquarium.

Trey couldn’t decide if the place was actually underwater or simply on land with an absurdly massive aquarium built around it.

Either way, the whole restaurant looked too fancy, too elegant, too refined – a place where he most certainly felt out of place.

On a regular day, Trey was sure the place would be packed with wealthy guests, but now it was empty with only two people inside who seemed to be waiting for them patiently. When the strangers noticed their presence, they approached them with open arms and wide smiles on their faces. They wrapped their arms tightly around Floyd’s and Jade’s shoulders, who happily reciprocated the kind act. They stayed like that for a while and when they let go, they turned their heads towards Yuzu.

“This is Little Shrimp-chan!” shouted Floyd, his voice echoing with obvious excitement. The scene was loud, but Yuzu seemed to be extremely comfortable exchanging handshakes in a friendly manner with the two people they just met.

Trey was just watching them from a distance awkwardly, feeling like someone who’d accidentally wandered into a stranger’s family reunion. He tried not to stare, but his eyes kept drifting towards the couple, observing the woman’s striking elegance and the man’s unsettlingly warm smile. Even without any introduction, it was not too difficult to realise who those people were, especially with the twins standing close next to them. They looked way too similar, including their intimidating height, sharp teeth, hair colour, eyes, and even the way they stood or talked to each other.

Trey wasn’t sure how long he stood there, looking at them with his hands politely folded in front of him before he finally realised, that Floyd had already finished talking, and now all eyes were on him instead.

His stomach suddenly felt heavy, yet he didn’t know why.

“Mother, Father – this is Trey Clover.” said Jade politely as he stepped next to Trey, gently placing his gloved hand on his shoulder. “My partner.”

Trey’s eyes widened in both surprise and shock. He couldn’t help but glance at Jade with confusion, waiting for the merman to laugh at him mockingly and reassure him that it was nothing but a joke – but that didn’t seem to happen. Jade Leech was just towering above him with his usual, innocent looking smile – he certainly didn’t look like he wanted to add anything to what he just said earlier.

That deeply unsettled Trey. That bastard tricked him, just like he tricks anyone else. He should have known better not to trust any of the Leech brothers – no, everyone from Octavinelle, to be precise. There was a high chance he was being played, and that he’d be left with nothing but the weight of the consequences.

“Nice to meet you, silly!” said the tall woman as she stepped in front of him, politely offering her hand for a shake. Her nails were terrifyingly long and sharp, Trey was sure she could rip his throat open if he happened to do something unacceptable during the upcoming afternoon. He swallowed hard before forcing a gentle smile on his face and reached out to accept the greeting hand. The woman shook his hand so hard he thought it was going to pop off at the shoulder. “Thank you for taking care of my son. I am Georgina Leech, I’m Jade’s mother!”

Oh, he was sure she was.

The striking olive shaded almond-shaped eyes bore an uncanny resemblance to Jade’s, while her breezy, carefree smile reminded Trey of Floyd. Her teal tresses flowed over her bare shoulders, and the elegant black dress she wore was shaped to resemble a mermaid’s tail, which only added to her siren-like appearance.

She was a beautiful woman, Trey thought. He was told before that merfolk were naturally born beautiful, and as he ran his eyes through everyone standing in the room – the twins, the woman, and the man standing next to her – he was sure it wasn’t a lie.

The man was the next one stepping in front of him – the father, Trey assumed. While he was shorter than his sons and his wife, his looks were just as threatening as theirs – but way worse. His dark hair was slicked back, revealing his forehead and exposing more of the faint scar spreading across his right eye. Despite his looks however, his smile was genuinely friendly.

“I’m Don,” said the man, and instead of a handshake, he playfully patted Trey’s head which ruffled his hair. “You look like a great kiddo.”

Was this approval? A dominance gesture? Trey wasn’t sure, but he felt like a small dog being congratulated for sitting properly.

He chuckled awkwardly as he fixed his hair – at least he hoped so since he didn’t have a mirror with him – and continued to wear the previous forced smile on his face. He was glad to meet these wonderful people, he really was, but seeing Jade’s devious smile from the corner of his eyes during the whole introduction sent shivers down his spine. Trey certainly wasn’t a madman, but the thought of preparing fried eel for dinner seemed rather tempting at the moment, but he still needed to talk to Jade as soon as possible to make things clear.

But not there.

Not in front of everyone.

“Nice to meet you both,” said Trey as he earned a friendly nod from the parents by being as polite and genuine as possible. With this, he considered the introduction complete, so he stepped closer to Jade and carefully poked his shoulder.

“Oya, what is it you want, Trey-san?” asked the merman politely with a hint of mischief in his mismatched eyes.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Naturally. Speak your mind.”

Trey frowned. Jade was enjoying this, wasn’t he?

“I meant in private,” he added. Jade seemed to be deep in thought, searching for an answer – or at least he pretended to be.

“If that is what you desire…” Jade sighed, then glanced to the side. “Come on.” He took Trey’s wrist and pulled him gently away from the group and then stopped in front of the restroom door. “What is it you require, Trey-san?”

Trey crossed his arms in front of his chest and frowned. Just by looking at Jade’s expression, he already knew the merman was aware what he was about to ask.

“I think you’ve forgotten to mention something very important when you invited me to this dinner, haven’t you, Jade?” Trey stated with his eyebrows twitching with annoyance.

Jade chuckled as a wide, toothy smile spread across his face.

“Oh, is that so? You’ll have to remind me, because I tend to forget so many things. Could you be more precise?” he asked mockingly, clearly attempting to fuel Trey’s frustration. “I made sure I provided you with every meaningful piece of information about today’s event.”

“Don’t play dumb,” Trey snapped. “You knew what you were doing when you invited me here, Jade. When you said I was your partner…you didn’t mean business partner or any of that sort. You meant something entirely different, didn’t you?” Trey wanted to make things clear. He had an uneasy feeling since he stepped inside the restaurant and what happened after just made him feel even worse. The way Jade brought him with himself while Floyd chose his girlfriend, and the way the Leech parents greeted him in such a friendly manner made Trey feel awkward. Jade could have called him a friend. Or a close acquaintance.

Why partner?

Interesting word choice from someone usually so meticulous with their speech.

“I did mean something different, Trey-san. You are very observant,” Jade blinked innocently, which only made his answer sound way more concerning than it already did.

Trey buried his face in his palms and let out a loud sigh. He felt his glasses fogging up in the process. This was the answer he was afraid of.

“Why?” he asked.

At this point, Jade wasn’t smiling either. He knitted his eyebrows as his lips curled downwards in a rather dramatic manner, giving him an unusually pathetic look.

“That is a long story,” he said, and then he poured everything out to Trey – from Floyd’s and Yuzu’s relationship to their parents’ pushy behaviour, ending with Floyd’s little lie that spiralled far beyond Jade’s expectations.

Trey was shocked. He felt his own eyes widen as Jade reached the end of the story, and he couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him – even though he knew he shouldn’t. It was Jade’s problem, not his. He had nothing to do with this. Jade should have just kicked Floyd’s ass for lying without a second thought and then explain the misunderstanding to their parents instead of going along with this laughable façade.

“So, to be clear,” Trey muttered, “I’m here as your fake partner because your twin brother wanted to show off his real one?”

“In a poetic sense, yes.”

Jade tilted his head with mock solemnity, as if he’d just confessed to a war crime instead of familial farce.

“Why me? Couldn’t you just pick another person?”

“There is no particular reason,” said Jade with an unreadable expression. “I could say you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time – or in my case, the right place at the right time. My apologies, Trey-san. I feared that if I mentioned your supposed role during the dinner, you would refuse to help me and possibly avoid me for the rest of the school year. I would rather not lose a dependable acquaintance. There is no one else at our school who would have accepted my invitation, knowing all the details.”

There was a short pause, then he added, with the faintest curl of amusement at the corner of his lips, “And besides, it seemed far more interesting to observe your reaction without forewarning. If my dear brother’s lie had already created this spectacle, I saw no harm in indulging myself with a little entertainment.”

Trey had to admit what Jade said was true. There wouldn’t be anyone in the prestigious Night Raven College who was willing to play as Jade’s boyfriend during an organized Leech family dinner – least of all Trey himself, especially after his infamous performance for Eliza that one time in the school cafeteria. He was painfully aware of his own horrendous acting skills; therefore, he preferred to keep them out of the public eye.

But that second part? That stung.

He had to realise he’d been roped into this mess not just because Jade found him useful for getting himself out of trouble, but because he thought watching Trey going in blind would be fun. His stomach sank slightly at the thought – not from embarrassment, but from the realisation that he’d been outmanoeuvred in more ways than one.

“So, your plan was emotional blackmail, then.”

“Strategic withholding of information,” Jade corrected, “with a splash of charm.”

“I hate how much that sentence describes you.”

And yet, despite everything, a tiny part of him still wanted to laugh.

It wasn’t like Trey had a problem with Jade before – he knew that he was dangerous and meant a threat to many, but it was never his problem. The merman hadn’t treated him like an enemy, nor a client. If anything, he’d seemed...warm. Curious. Relaxed. When they’d spoken together in the quiet of the botanical garden – crouched beside plants while exchanging gardening tips or just listening to Jade describe his latest mushroom experiments – Trey had felt at ease.

He was relieved to hear Jade at least was considerate enough of their strong acquaintanceship he didn’t want to ruin it.

Or so he had thought.

Apparently, “considerate” meant orchestrating a scenario where Trey would stumble in blind, for Jade’s personal amusement.

He couldn’t help thinking that forcing someone to roleplay as a romantic partner at a family dinner was a madman’s move – and more likely to destroy a relationship than preserve it.

“I feel like I would get you and myself in huge trouble if I backed out of this now, so let me ask you – what is your plan? I can’t play your boyfriend forever.” Trey asked.

“You only need to be my partner for today, Trey-san,” Jade replied. “Afterwards, I’ll send messages from school to assure Mother and Father we’re still in a relationship. Then, eventually, I’ll inform them about our breakup.”

Trey raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that going to cause me trouble?”

Jade gave a dramatic gasp, placing a hand on his chest as if mortally wounded.

“You wound me, Trey-san. Do you truly think I’d leave my darling in the lurch? My family is aware how much pain it would cause me to lose my precious partner. They know how much I would sob all day and all night. I would even cry about it poetically in our family newsletter, if you’d like.”

Trey blinked. “...You have a family newsletter?”

“No, but Floyd tried making one once. It was mostly doodles of shrimp and insulting poems about our cousins.”

“Quite the hit.”

“Indeed. You don’t have to be afraid of being in trouble, Trey-san. My family is not as heartless as you may think, and I will take the blame for our breakup if things get out of hand of course.” Jade’s voice was honest, so Trey decided to believe him this once even if he was most likely just playing with him again. He was already in trouble – both of them to be more specific – so why would he start a quarrel with Jade now? It was already too late. “I’ll handle every dramatic fallout and tragic sigh. All you have to do is smile, nod, and pretend I’m the best boyfriend you’ve ever had. So, is it a deal?”

“Yes.” Trey was uncertain, but he didn’t assume he had a chance. He was surrounded by dangerous creatures of the sea after all. Who was he to resist? “It’s a deal.”

Jade beamed as if Trey had proposed marriage instead.

“Ah, how romantic. We’ve barely agreed on the terms of our fake relationship yet you’re already committing so sweetly.”

Trey gave him a flat look. “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Unbearably,” Jade sighed with theatrical glee. “Now, come with me, before Mother and Father would sense the blood in the water. You wouldn’t wish to upset them on our first date, would you?”

Trey still had questions, dozens of them – but decided to silence himself. Instead, he just let Jade get hold of his wrist again and lead him back towards the gathering, where Floyd was still introducing Yuzu to his parents. He seemed to be having fun and Trey wished he felt the same way. This was going to be a long night, Trey was sure of it. Jade was untrustworthy person, and he was aware he most likely could not rely on him fully if he wanted to survive the dinner.

This wasn’t just a social trap – it was a performance, and Trey didn’t even know the script.

He needed a plan to take the matter into his own hands as soon as possible.

Chapter Text

The moment Trey and Jade returned to the group, Trey knew he was in deep trouble. Floyd was still yapping as they caught him mid-sentence, talking about Yuzu’s resemblance to cleaner shrimps, while waving his arms around with a grin so wide it almost reached his ears. Yuzu was visibly beaming as she watched him, silently nodding and giggling alongside the parents – until their gazes finally landed on Trey and Jade slowly approaching. Don and Georgina Leech looked far too eager, like sharks scenting blood in the water. Trey had a sinking feeling this dinner wasn’t going to be a polite, quiet meal after all. No, it was going to be a full-blown interrogation – because he was their son's partner for the night, wasn’t he?

Trey tried his best not to overthink it – even though just the idea of dating Jade Leech stood out far too much from anything he would ever consider normal, even if none of it was real. It was crazy, but panicking would only make his situation worse. He tried to associate it with something simpler, like prom. It’s just like bringing Jade to prom night, he told himself – nothing too troublesome. People invited each other all the time, spent the night dancing and laughing, pretending to care, only to never speak again once the event was over.

It was a strangely similar situation, except instead of dancing teenagers, a family of eldritch creatures surrounded him – and Yuzu, of course. It was baffling that such a normal and responsible girl fit almost perfectly into the strange group.

Trey just needed to get through this – smile, nod, survive. At least by agreeing to this madness, he had secured Jade’s helping hand with the upcoming Heartslabyul unbirthday party preparations. Even though Trey wasn’t entirely sure whether he’d still appreciate Jade’s presence after whatever disaster awaited him at dinner.

“Now that everyone’s here, why don’t we sit down?” Georgina chirped, gesturing delicately towards a grand, round table with a graceful sweep of her gloved hand.

Don gave her a short nod and, without hesitation, rushed forward and sank into a seat as if he had already decided it was his throne long before they arrived. Georgina followed with her fluid elegance, gliding into the chair on her husband’s right side.

The seating arrangement unfolded naturally after that. Jade took a seat next to his mother, his movements composed and measured as if choreographed. Trey, feeling the subtle pressure of invisible expectations, took the seat next to Jade. Then Yuzu settled down happily beside Trey, giving him a small nod and an understanding smile, saving him from sitting between two feral moray eels. Finally, Floyd dropped himself down at her side with a loud, satisfied sigh – the circle was finally completed.

Only one chair remained empty: the one caught between Don and Floyd. Trey couldn’t help eyeing the conspicuously untouched seat. Who was the empty chair meant for?

“Just to mention, I’m quite upset to see Grim-san is not here with you today, dear!” Georgina broke the silence, pointing her question towards Yuzu, who acknowledged it with a nervous smile.

“Grim is currently being taken care of in Scarabia dorm. Kalim was very eager to invite us to their party, but then Floyd talked to me about the dinner, and I really wanted to meet you again. Once Grim figured out there would be more food and music at the party, he chose to stay there instead. I’m sorry to disappoint you!”

“That is unfortunate, but you don’t have to be sorry. I’m sure Grim-san is having so much fun at the party!”

Listening to their conversation, Trey noticed the slight familiarity tingling in their voices, as if this wasn’t the first time they talked to each other face to face.

“Did you two already meet each other before?” he asked curiously.

Georgina rewarded him with a kind smile.

“We certainly did! Jade-san brought her along with some other friends once to help during an acquaintance’s wedding ceremony! They were so lovely,” she cheered, then her gaze lingered towards Floyd. “It’s such a shame you decided not to join us that time!”

Her dramatic tone and her rounded, puppy-looking eyes definitely reminded Trey of something Jade would do. This was almost the exact same expression Jade wore on his face while desperately trying to persuade Trey to accompany him tonight. Trey understood where he learned it now.

Floyd just shrugged but answered in an innocent-sounding voice, “Sorry, Mama!”

“Apology accepted!” replied his mother, turning cheerful again.

So far, the dinner was…civilised. As the kitchen door opened, the rich scent of roasted fish and buttery bread filled the air around them, followed by a pair of servers gliding into the room, carefully setting out the first round of appetisers. Small, delicately arranged plates slowly filled up the centre of the table – thin slices of citrus-cured salmon, tiny cornbread-stuffed mussels, marinated shrimps and golden pastries, and so many others that looked almost too delicate to eat. Trey shifted in his seat as his curiosity took over – after all, he had never tasted half of these foods which were in front of him.

“Oh, doesn’t it all look lovely?” Georgina rejoiced, clasping her hands together before taking a small plate. “Good food always brings people together, don’t you think?”

The clink of porcelain soon flooded the room as everyone began to help themselves to the food. Jade obviously reached towards the octopus dishes first, while Floyd and Don filled their plates – and mouths – with the golden-brown pastries. Trey decided to start out simple by taking a crispy bread slice. It’s not like he didn’t plan to taste something more exotic, far from it, but it just didn’t feel right to reach for all the expensive-looking dishes, while in reality, he wasn’t even supposed to be there in the first place.

As he took a small bite from the still-warm bread, the pleasant hint of melted butter and the strong taste of garlic flooded his mouth. He couldn’t help but let out a satisfied hum – the crunchiness of the outside was just right, while the inside was so soft it almost melted on his tongue. While he quietly continued to enjoy the flavours, he could see Yuzu from the corner of his eye putting a shrimp in her mouth while Floyd laughed loudly, “Hey, that’s cannibalism, Little Shrimp-chan!” he snorted.

At first, the conversation drifted into harmless small talk.

“We heard lots of stories ‘bout Floyd and Yuzuru, he made sure to keep us updated with everything that happened to them. Jade, on the other hand…he barely told us anything ‘bout ya, kiddo,” said Don. While his looks were rather alarming, his voice was gentle and curious. “Where are you from?”

At least it was a question Trey had no problem answering. He told them about the Queendom of Roses where he lived, and he saw the parents’ eyes light up at the mention of his family bakery – they looked rather invested. Floyd interrupted often, tossing playful jokes across the table, but Georgina reeled him back each time with a gentle, “Let’s let Trey-san finish, dear,” that sounded impossibly sweet and yet somehow felt like a serious command.

Everything seemed too calm, too peaceful – too normal to be a Leech family dinner. For some reason, it felt like this was just the silence before a huge storm. As he looked around, his eyes landing on the food, the smiling faces, the warm glow of the chandelier above, out of the corner of his eye, he caught Jade glancing at him briefly, a flicker of something unreadable in his expression – warning, reassurance, or maybe just silent amusement.

Oh Sevens, something was certainly coming.

Trey barely had time to brace himself when Georgina tilted her head innocently and parted her lips, looking in his direction.

“So…what is it that caught your eye about our Jade-san?” she asked. Her voice was light, casual – but her eyes gleamed with the unmistakable spark of a secure trap.

So, there it was.

Trey was bad at this, and he would have preferred it if Jade had at least told him his supposed role for this dinner beforehand, so he could have prepared something. Oh, he was sure he was screwed.

What was he even supposed to do? He didn’t plan to get the family’s approval at all because he wasn’t in a relationship with Jade after all. Yet failing the parents’ test also felt like a reckless idea – there was a possibility they would simply be dissatisfied with him as a partner and would disapprove of his relationship with Jade, taking this burden off his shoulders. But on the other hand…failing the test might result in something rather unpleasant, Trey didn’t even dare to think of.

First, he needed an answer. An honest answer.

Trey gulped. What was it he liked about Jade? Sure, they had a good relationship. He never had any problems with his presence; he even happened to enjoy it sometimes when they hung out in the botanical garden. There had to be something. Anything.

“Uh…I like Jade’s…teeth,” came the spontaneous answer, something he immediately regretted saying out loud. Both Georgina and Don raised an eyebrow, while Floyd stared at him with an expression sprinkled with both amusement and disgust, “I mean, they are very, uhm, beautiful, to be honest! The most beautiful teeth I’ve ever seen. They make his smile rather…charming!”

Embarrassment ran through his body as he saw the awkward stares. He could clearly see Jade’s shoulders shaking next to him, most likely from trying to hold his laughter.

Don’s eyes then softened, lips curved upwards into a satisfied smile.

“Teeth have a very significant role in courting among deep sea merfolk. You certainly know your stuff, kiddo.”

Trey blinked in surprise, “I-is it?”

“Yeah!” Don chuckled. “It is the sign of hunting prowess, strength, and survival skills. In the deep sea, we hunt fish, defend territory or fight off predators. Sharp and strong teeth would signal someone powerful and capable – these are important traits to seek in a partner!”

“That is correct, Father,” Jade finally stepped in, but at the same time, Trey wished he hadn’t. “You know, Trey-san, you have such lovely teeth too for a human. Very straight…very dependable looking.”

“Fufu, Jade-san is right!” added Georgina, casually joining the conversation. “Among merfolk, bite strength is crucial. No good mate survives without it, but you look like you could manage!”

Trey stared back, uncertain if he was being complimented or assessed like a piece of fresh tuna. One thing is for sure – he didn’t expect not to get thrown out of the restaurant after telling those horrible lines about Jade’s teeth. He was used to others freaking out when he mentioned his strange interests, but not being silenced for once felt quite…refreshing.

He seemed to pass the first question of the interrogation, but he couldn’t decide if that was good or bad.

“My apologies, but I am too curious not to ask,” Georgina clapped her hands together, beaming with joy. “Did you already share your first kiss?”

Now they had certainly raised the bar with that question.

Regardless of how his previous answer ended up, he simply refused to even begin explaining this one. In normal circumstances, he would rather take things into his own hands instead of letting Jade say whatever he wanted, but Trey felt insufferably clueless at the moment. He couldn’t think of anything. He turned his gaze slowly towards Jade, but he didn’t expect to lock eyes with him for a split second of pure panic. Even Jade looked clueless for a moment before his expression became unreadable as he opened his mouth to reply.

“It was spontaneous. Trey-san was generous enough to help me with my mushroom potion experiments. I was so happy; I simply couldn’t stop myself from expressing my gratitude in such a way,” said Jade, before a full stop, looking at Trey patiently, waiting for him to finish the story.

Of course he was.

Trey started to panic.

“Y-yeah! It was very magical! Boom, chemistry! The lab literally exploded.”

Georgina’s expression was concerned, “Are you two alright?”

“Why, of course, Mother,” reassured Jade.

“I see, that is a rather fitting first kiss for our Jade!” It was Don’s time to speak again, seemingly preparing another question. This meant Trey somehow survived the second question, too. “It’s sweet how Floyd uses nicknames to address his partner. Do you have anything you prefer to call each other?”

The questions kept getting worse, while Trey was progressively running out of ideas – at least he would if he had any ideas to begin with. Luckily, Jade seemed to step in yet again.

“Trey-san is a sweet person, yet he rolls into every single bad decision with me. Therefore, I call him Sweet Roll, but of course, only in private.”

Trey snorted, “I cannot believe you just said that with a straight face.”

Jade looked so serious and collected, mature even, acting like he exactly knew what he was doing – yet he was just as bad with coming up with the answers as him, if not worse.

“I call Jade Angelfish,” Trey answered again without a second thought, Floyd’s giggling lingering in the air. “He manages to keep an angelic face even when he is…uhm…threatening someone. And he is rather…fishy while he is at it.”

Floyd wheezed so hard he nearly knocked his chair over, slapping the table with both hands.

“Fishy! You called Jade fishy! Pfft–“

He didn’t even try to hide the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes from laughing too hard. Yuzu was gently rubbing his back, but her own face was flushed from holding back her own silent giggles.

Meanwhile, Georgina clasped her hands against her chest, utterly delighted.

“My, my! How darling! Sweet Roll and Angelfish – it has such a charming ring to it, don't you think, dear?” She glanced sideways at Don, who gave an approving nod.

Trey sank a little lower in his seat, cheeks burning, wishing the earth would open below him and swallow him whole. Across from him, Jade wore the most suspiciously serene expression Trey had ever seen – far too serene to be innocent.

“Well then,” Georgina rose from the table slowly, one gloved finger against her chin. “Since we're all getting along so splendidly, we simply must have a small toast!"

Before Trey could process what was happening, the kitchen doors opened yet again with a man crossing the threshold and slowly approaching them with a huge bottle in his hands. A group of servers rushed after him, carrying silver trays with clear crystal glasses, so delicate they looked like they might shatter at the slightest touch. The bottle was placed in the middle of the table, towering above the clear glasses, which slowly replaced the already emptied plates.

Trey eyed the bottle with suspicion. He certainly didn’t want to be rude, but something about the liquid inside was fairly concerning. It was alarmingly green, it almost looked toxic – and the fact that it was literally glowing didn’t help either. It looked even worse when Don filled Trey’s glass with it.

Jade must have sensed his hesitation, because he leaned in slightly, voice low and velvety in his ear.

“It isn’t poisonous, you may drink it, Trey-san. It might cause other unpleasant consequences, though.”

Trey almost dropped his glass, while Jade smiled thinly, mischief flickering behind his eyes.

He was joking. Hopefully.

Georgina already raised her glass with effortless grace.

“To new beginnings, and to our family! May your bond be strong, your teeth sharp, and your seas forever plentiful!” The loud echoes of the others lingered in the air, soon replaced by the sound of the glasses gently clinking against one another.

Trey hesitated first, then clinked his glass lightly against Jade’s before finally taking a sip of the suspicious-looking liquid, which ended up tasting surprisingly pleasant. It was unexpectedly sweet; it left a slightly floral aftertaste on his tongue after he swallowed. Not poisonous, probably.

As the glasses lowered, Georgina fixed her gaze on Trey with another warm, predatory smile.

“So, Sweet Roll,” she said, voice silky, “tell us – how do you plan to care for our precious Angelfish in the future?”

Trey shivered, almost dropping his glass. Again.

They’re still going?! When would these tests come to an end?

His mind raced – he could almost feel Jade watching him with his usual smile and shady gaze. He didn’t dare to look at him, but at least Yuzu sent him a tiny, encouraging thumbs-up under the table.

Trey took a deep breath. It wasn’t that hard. He managed to survive this long, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought it would be. He knew they were doing something bad – pretending to be partners with Jade when they could barely even be called friends in reality, but this seemed to make Georgina and Don Leech happy. A proud mother and father. Trey knew their happiness was temporary; he already felt a rush of guilt run across his body knowing that soon after this dinner, Jade would contact them with the unfortunate news of their already planned break-up. Even if just for a short amount of time, Trey decided to preserve these people’s happiness.

“I…” he started, voice rough. “I guess I’d just – stay by his side. Fill his stomach with pastries when he is hungry. Laugh at his strange puns. Listen to him talking about his interests. Support him. Make sure he knows he's not alone, no matter what currents he’s swimming against.”

There was a short, weighty pause when he finished his monologue. Even Floyd seemed quiet, blinking at him with something almost like surprise on his face.

Georgina’s smile softened, real and luminous this time.

“How beautiful,” she said.

Don grunted and nodded again, but this time it seemed vaguely approving.

Trey risked a glance at Jade – and to his astonishment, he noticed a faint hint of pink colouring the tips of Jade’s ears. His eyes widened as he sat in complete silence. For once, he didn’t have a sharp, teasing comeback ready. Trey looked away only for a moment, but just in a blink, when he looked again, the complicated expression was gone – now replaced by the same sly smile which was the signature of Jade.

That was…strange.

His eyes must have deceived him, because the merman almost looked like he was caught off guard.

The corner of Trey's mouth twitched, forming the ghost of a smile for a split second without him even realising.

Jade tricked him into this mess, didn't he? 

But Trey finally knew what he had to do.

Chapter Text

The restaurant buzzed with the echoes of laughter and steam rising from the hot dishes just served – plated seaweed-wrapped scallops, grilled lobsters and crabs with a hint of citrus, and suspiciously glittery salads which Floyd insisted were absolutely edible and the best part of the menu.

Georgina wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as Yuzu recounted a recent event in a visibly excited manner, rapidly gesturing with her hands. “Floyd’s parkour skills are very impressive, that’s why it shocked me to the core when I saw him slip that one time,” she said, while cutting off a piece from the marinated fish lying on her filled plate, then taking a large bite. She chewed slowly, delicately holding her hand in front of her mouth as she continued the story. “He was lucky I happened to be there and caught him.”

Don chuckled, nearly choking on his drink.

“Ya caught him? Just how strong are ya, young lady?” he laughed, sending a glance towards Floyd. “Ya better be careful, or ya’ll be the one to wear the dress on your wedding day!”

“I’d absolutely rock that fit, though!” Floyd answered without a single hint of shame in his voice – his expression and gestures were rather proud instead, placing his hands on his hips in a playful manner. There was no sign of embarrassment; he just seemed to be having fun. Tons of it. “I’m even better than her at wearing high heels! Her legs shake like jelly when she tries to walk in them!”

“We don’t talk about that!” cried Yuzu loudly, her voice shaky from the laughter that was about to burst out of her throat. “I almost fell on Grim. It was embarrassing! Let’s tell the story of your heart-shaped pancake instead!”

Georgina’s eyes lit up with curiosity.

“What about a heart-shaped pancake, dear?” she asked Floyd, her tone soft and sweet like a marshmallow freshly taken out of the package.

“Uhm, I tried to make one for Little Shrimpy. She mentioned that where she came from had a holiday called…whatever, I don’t remember! But it’s about gifting sweets to people we like or somethin’ like that.”

“Yes, Valentine’s Day!” Yuzu added. “It was a nice gesture from Floyd. I only mentioned it to him once, yet he remembered! But the pancake itself…I wouldn’t call that heart-shaped, to be honest.”

Floyd pouted. “It was a romantic gesture! You said it looked like a sea angel!”

“I said it looked like it had died tragically!” Yuzu shot back, beaming.

“Oh, dear,” gasped Georgina. “But you are very skilled in the kitchen…what happened?”

“While shaping the pancake, I had a sudden change of plans! Hearts are boring, I wanted to give Little Shrimpy somethin’ way cooler!”

“In the end, he couldn’t decide on a shape. So, it was just… its own thing. Very special, nonetheless. It was still remarkably tasty!”

“You two are adorable,” Georgina sighed, sipping from her drink while a wide smile stretched across her face. Don seemed to be enjoying himself too.

It was only Jade who smiled thinly, chewing his food with the slow deliberation of a man keeping his thoughts in solitary confinement. It wasn’t that he wasn’t listening. He was just trying not to.

Trey, across the table, was laughing too – lightly, warmly, looking far too comfortable compared to how stiff he was when the whole dinner started. He just sat there like a stone statue who hadn’t had a chance to settle, yet now he passed Yuzu a napkin, offered Georgina more of the oyster sauce she seemed to enjoy, and even held a serious conversation with Don about his family bakery. He looked effortless, calm, and thoughtful.

It was annoying.

Neither of them would be there if that lie hadn’t escaped Floyd’s mouth in the first place. Yet there they were, pretending to be dating, and instead of Jade taking control, enjoying Trey’s reactions and discomfort, it was Jade who was sitting all stiff in his seat.

I guess I’d just… stay by his side.

Jade stabbed a shrimp with his fork.

Fill his stomach with pastries when he is hungry.

He bit into the shrimp, tearing it apart forcefully with his teeth. It tasted like nothing.

Laugh at his strange puns. Listen to him talk about his interests. Support him.

Another bite. Another warm laugh from Trey.

Make sure he knows he’s not alone, no matter what currents he’s swimming against.

Jade swallowed. There was something wrong with him – being unable to forget what Trey had said, even for a moment, was certainly not normal. Yet he couldn’t help it.

It wasn’t Trey’s fault – or at least not entirely. Jade simply had to admit that nobody had ever in his life even thought of saying anything like those words to him. He was well aware of his reputation both in the sea and at school – he knew everybody saw him as an untrustworthy schemer, a heartless deep-sea predator, a menace to be avoided at all costs. It was amusing, honestly – walking the halls while the other students eyed him with suspicion, like they expected him to slip a poisoned jellyfish into their shoes.

Floyd managed to avoid that somehow, though.

The key to Floyd’s secret wasn’t a hidden treasure. In fact, it was the exact opposite. It was something simple – something Jade had never quite managed to obtain. Floyd was just as intimidating as him – unusually tall and slender with a terrifying gaze and teeth sharp as knives – yet far fewer people were afraid of him. Even his unpredictable mood swings didn’t seem to scare people off. They always came back. They laughed, played, shouted his name across campus. They sought him out. Unlike Jade.

Floyd was loud, scary, unpredictable, moody – but honest. He never pretended to be anything he wasn’t. He didn’t push people away. He welcomed them in whenever he felt like it, sometimes wrapping them up in a chokehold, sometimes in a bear hug. And they stayed. Somehow, they always stayed, just like Yuzu did.

Then there was Jade. Composed, calm, silent. Always smiling, but never sincere. Always analysing, always performing. And always, inevitably, alone.

But he liked it that way. At least, he thought he did. Until someone like Trey Clover – sweet, sincere, frustratingly earnest Trey – looked him in the eyes and said something so… gentle. So completely undeserved.

Jade couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony.

The first time someone said something kind to him, it was part of a lie. An act.

It shouldn’t have meant anything. But here he was, still thinking about it. Still replaying those words over and over in his head like a siren song.

Jade gripped his fork a little tighter, forcing himself to take another bite from the shrimp.

“Jade-san, is everything alright?” he snapped back into reality after hearing Georgina’s worried tone. As he looked up again, he could see now everyone’s eyes were on him, and only him – even Trey’s.

Jade swallowed as he tried to form a sincere smile with his lips.

“Of course, Mother,” he lied. “My apologies, it seems like the shrimp is a bit too piquant for my palate.”

Don knitted his eyebrows. “I told the chefs not to make the food too spicy, seems like they didn’t listen. I swear they never do.”

“It’s alright,” Jade replied, and he meant it. There was nothing wrong with the shrimp after all, the seasoning didn’t even sting his tongue in the slightest, and he had to admit it was rather delicious even for someone who preferred food raw. He just had to come up with something to chase Georgina’s worries away, or before anyone could find out the real reason for his visible discomfort.

He still felt Trey’s eyes on him continuously, but Jade refused to meet his gaze.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Jade?” asked the familiar voice the merman didn’t want to hear. When Jade finally turned his gaze towards the baker, Trey’s expression was soft, kind, and caring, or at least his smile – his eyes were the exact opposite. There was something strange about the way he looked at him – his gaze was determined, with the scorching fire of mischief burning in his golden irises. Oh, he was definitely planning something, and Jade could only wonder where he got this sudden burst of courage from. “You know it well; I can easily fix that for you.”

Jade’s lips formed into a smile – more like a grimace – as he politely refused Trey’s offer. “Oh dear, you don’t have to go to such lengths, I’m handling everything perfectly fine on my own.”

“You don’t look perfectly fine to me,” said Trey, as his gentle expression morphed into a playful grin. “Red roses are starting to bloom on your cheeks. I didn’t know your spice tolerance was this low.”

Jade was not the type to get heated on easily, but the more his upperclassman talked to him, the more he felt his blood boil. It felt like Trey was mocking him with this little game of his, and this was the exact opposite of what Jade had expected to happen during the dinner. He should be the one in control. He should be the one amused. Then why did Trey Clover suddenly take every matter into his own hands? He was starting to become unpredictable, and while Jade loved surprises, for some reason he didn’t quite understand yet, he felt incredibly annoyed.

Georgina’s expression was soft, her eyes gleaming with the tiniest spark of curiosity as she stared at them with a gloved hand covering her deep purple lips.

“I wonder what Trey-san is planning…” she whispered to Don, barely audible to others across the table.

Trey seemed to notice as he slowly raised and turned his head towards the parents. “Nothing special, just a little trick of some sort.”

“Go ahead,” Don nodded.

How unfair, feeling betrayed, Jade frowned as Trey confidently smirked at him, his fingers slowly digging into the pocket of his shirt. It was only a few seconds before the hints of crimson lights sparkled through the dark fabric, revealing a rose-red gemstone glowing between the baker’s fingers. After retrieving the magical pen, Trey handled it with care, treating it as delicately as one would a small blossom, as he prepared to work his magic.

Jade wasn’t unfamiliar with Trey’s unique magic. He was aware that it was a spell able to overwrite certain objects’ sensory characteristics, such as taste or smell, but according to some rumours about Riddle’s overblot, overwriting someone else’s magic wasn’t out of its abilities either. However, this was the first time Jade was about to experience the effects of his magic, and while in other circumstances this would be a rather exciting event, at the moment, Jade just felt defeated.

He slowly placed the utensils he was holding back on the table, while he rested his back gently on the shell-shaped back of his chair.

Oh, he was definitely defeated.

Trey Clover was mad at him. Jade was sure he was. He wasn’t supposed to be here tonight; to be fair, none of them were, but they were sitting there together now, nonetheless, pretending to be what they aren’t. Floyd compelled Jade to attend, but Jade knew he wasn't blameless either – after all, he'd deceived Trey into joining them. While at first the idea seemed entertaining, Jade understood that Trey was perfectly justified in being upset with him and planning to seek revenge.

“Doodle Suit,” the spell was finally cast, and Jade couldn’t help but stare at the tiny sparks of magic dancing around his packed plate. It looked like the stars fell from the sky, landing on the table right in front of him – it was nothing, but an evil little trick disguised in beauty. Yet everyone looked in amazement, except Floyd, who was too busy fidgeting with a slice of lemon stuck on the tines of his fork.

“Here you go,” Trey playfully raised an eyebrow while pointing at the plate of food he had just cast his spell on. “Eat quickly, the effects might wear off soon.”

Jade sighed, offering a polite-looking smile.

Trey wasn’t as slick as he thought he was, was he? Jade was already a few steps ahead of him. The baker absolutely used this opportunity to take revenge, possibly changing the shrimp’s taste to something so atrocious it would pull his lips into a ridiculous grimace if he tasted it. It’s nothing serious, just a little trick, nothing that would anger his parents enough to disapprove of Trey – but it would be just enough to humiliate Jade in front of his family.

“Trey-san,” Jade called in an angelic tone. “Would you kindly sample the shrimp first? I am concerned that if the spell was ineffective, the spices might burn my tongue once more.”

“Underestimating my magic, aren’t you?” Trey chuckled, reaching towards the plate of shrimps without hesitation. “Sure, I will sample them.”

With that, Trey popped a tiny shrimp into his mouth and started chewing with a slow, measured rhythm that seemed far too casual for someone seeking revenge. It almost felt like he was trying to deliberately draw out the suspense, much to Jade’s annoyance.

The merman’s eye lingered to detect any sign of discomfort, but his attention caught instead on the small movements of Trey’s lips, as a quiet hum of approval escaped his mouth when he swallowed the bite. There was no hint of deceit in his amber eyes, only warmth and satisfaction. Then came that small, self-assured nod. Simple, genuine, and for some reason, unexpectedly disarming.

“It worked perfectly,” he smiled, his eyes meeting with Jade’s. “You can try it now.”

Jade looked at his plate again, confused. Was it possible that Doodle Suit doesn’t work on the caster? There has to be a reason why Trey was so unfazed by tasting the enchanted food.

Don, on the other side of the table, already seemed impatient. “Son, just try it, don’t ya make him wait!”

Jade sighed. “Alright, Father.”

He said while picking up his fork again, poking the food to earn some more time. Even if it tastes atrocious, he just must look like he is enjoying the food. After all, keeping up a façade is the thing he is the best at, isn’t that true?

He wouldn't allow Trey to feel satisfied by him being humiliated like this.

He won’t be defeated.

Not like this.

That would be utterly ridiculous.

The fork’s tines finally speared a shrimp lying between two slices of roasted potatoes, which Jade delicately lifted to his face, and much to his surprise, there was no change in smell at all. The aroma was savoury and mildly briny, with a strong hint of spices which were sprinkled all over the meat. Both its looks and aroma were flawless; there was only one thing keeping Jade from taking a bite – the taste.

Jade wasn’t really a picky eater – quite the opposite, in fact. Having a fast metabolism meant he could, and often did, eat just about anything without complaint, so it wouldn’t be too hard to keep a straight face even if the food tasted bad. But spice…that was a different story. His tolerance for it was laughably low, and though he’d been telling the truth about that, he wasn’t sure if Trey had taken it as another of his fabrications or was planning to use it against him.

Because if he does, that would be quite unpleasant.

Still, with Trey’s unbothered expression and that maddeningly sincere nod lingering in his mind, Jade found himself reconsidering. He parted his lips slowly, taking a small bite from the shrimp.

The flavour hit almost immediately – warm, rich, but not the sharp sting he expected. Whatever taste Trey had used as a sample, it had mellowed the mild spice the food originally had into something pleasant. Annoyingly pleasant.

It tasted flawless, without a doubt, the most perfect shrimp he had ever tasted.

In fact, it tasted eerily similar to something he had tasted before.

Or maybe not just similar – it was the exact same thing.

“Delicious…,” he whispered, earning an honest laugh from Trey.

“Impressive!” Yuzu clasped her hands together, turning her head in Trey’s direction, with her strawberry blonde tresses gently brushing against her shoulders. “I wonder what it tastes like!”

“Do you want to find out?”

Trey smiled as he gently swung his magical pen, casting the spell once more. This time, the entire table turned into a spectacle, as the little stars waltzed between the filled plates, trays and utensils.

The lights dancing around the table illuminated everyone’s faces.

Yuzu and Floyd exchanged a curious glance, while Don smiled and Georgina beamed with pride.

Unlike the twins, Don and Georgina couldn’t use magic, so they always watched with enthusiasm whenever someone cast a spell nearby – especially Georgina.

“You can try now,” Trey nodded, as the parents finally grabbed their forks. Yuzu and Floyd grinned as they pinched up their shrimps with their fingers, tapped them together like champagne glasses, and popped them into their mouths in perfect synchronisation.

The restaurant went silent, and only the faint noises of chewing were audible aside from the muffled voices and the soft clinking of plates coming from behind the kitchen door.

It was Yuzu who broke the silence first.

“It’s delicious…” she chewed, but she slightly furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “But isn’t it strange?”

Don nodded. “It’s impressive. But this particular taste…”

“It tastes exactly like…” joined Georgina, when Floyd’s head suddenly perked up, eyes wide and gleaming with something unreadable.

“Hey, it tastes like the shrimp I make!!!” he shouted, but his voice was rather fascinated than angry. “Sea Turtle, how did you…?”

“Oh, sorry!” Trey rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks as he was in the centre of attention again. “I didn’t mean to steal your recipe or something like that. It’s still unique to you. It’s just that one time Jade was eating a big lunchbox of roasted shrimps in the botanical garden for lunch. He looked very enthusiastic about it, you know? He told me you made it. I was lucky enough to be offered a bite, and I must say you are a very exceptional chef, Floyd. I replicated this taste because, from Jade’s reaction back then, I assumed this is how he prefers his seasoned shrimps. Was I wrong?”

Jade felt the heat build up withing him, red crawling up all the way to the tip of his ears as Floyd victoriously slammed both of his hands on the table. The sound of it echoed through the room like a small explosion, and his grin was so wide it almost reached his eyes.

“Gotcha, Jade!” he laughed. “And ya always kept sayin' it sucked!”

“That is not what I said, Floyd,” replied Jade, his tone clipped and deliberate as he tried to maintain a calm and collected appearance without revealing his embarrassment. “I merely indicated that there was nothing particularly noteworthy about your shrimps.”

“But now I caught ya lyin'! Tell him, Sea Turtle!”

“Yeah,” Trey chuckled. “No shame in admitting Floyd’s cooking is your favourite. Everyone’s got their soft spot.”

“I said no such thing,” Jade slightly raised his voice, the words slipping out sharper than intended, but it did not seem to help him in the situation.

From the far end of the table, Don chuckled. “I’m glad Floyd and Trey are getting along too,” he said, and Georgina nodded beside him with a smile.

“They seem to be having so much fun,” she added warmly. “It’s nice to see.”

Trey was still able to chase Jade into a corner without even using a spell on him or his dinner, after all. He had the guts to do so. It might have been a minor issue rather than a complete humiliation, yet Jade still felt overpowered. There was something disarming about how effortlessly Trey did it – not cruelly, but with a soothing confidence that almost made Jade feel foolish. He started to realise that, for once, maybe he had picked the wrong guy to mess with.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Trey’s victorious smirk in front of his face. He heard his stupid, honest laugh dripping in honey, and those stupid words he uttered after the toast. He still couldn’t get rid of those thoughts.

I guess I’d just…stay by his side.

He remembered again, followed by a sudden, twisted feeling in his stomach that he had never felt before. It wasn’t anger, not exactly. More like the faint pull of something he couldn’t even name – a strange warmth beneath his ribs, perhaps.

He put down his knife and fork again and let out a long, dragged-out sigh.

He needed to take a break.

Jade could have never been luckier, as they’d been granted a short pause before the dessert.

Floyd and Yuzu had already disappeared, Sevens knows where. Don remained seated, seemingly typing a long business message on his phone, with Georgina peeking above his wide shoulders, suggesting some alteration of the tone Don had used through his message.

The evening was quiet, and the moonlight shining through the balcony door painted the restaurant in a soft, silver glow. The tables, the chairs, the utensils, and even the half-eaten plates seemed covered by a pale, ghostly radiance. The servers were pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the table they were dining on, slowly replacing the remained food and dirty trays with clean plates for the dessert.

Jade was already outside on the balcony, preferring to be alone to empty his thoughts. He needed fresh air, that didn't smell like family tension and fake smiles. The balcony was surprisingly small, but the railing was quite beautiful, with the iron painted pure white and shaped to look like ocean waves. Most importantly what Jade liked the most, was the breathtaking view it provided of the large body of water underneath - the sea. The cool, evening breeze was carrying the faint scent of sea salt, which didn’t exactly feel like home, but it was close enough.

Which made Jade snap back into reality, were the muffled sounds of footsteps coming from behind the glass door. He had hoped it was only one of the waiters carrying the clean utensils to the table, but when he heard the balcony door slide open, he knew that he wasn't that lucky.

He didn’t expect - no, he didn’t want company.

Especially not Trey’s.

“You planning to jump?” came a teasing voice from behind, disgustingly familiar.

Jade felt his shoulders tense for a second before turning his head to face the baker, who was already standing right next to him.

Trey was now resting his hands on the railing, enjoying the view while wearing that calm and faintly amused smile of his. The cool breeze was playing with his forest green hair, and the soft moonlight caught on his glasses, coating them with a silver glow.

He looked calm, much to Jade’s annoyance.

“Only if the tide’s favourable,” Jade replied. “Though I imagine you would prefer I didn’t. Losing your boyfriend to a tragic accident right on your first date might be difficult to digest.”

“Eh, I could manage. Maybe with something poetic. He returned to the sea, where he belonged, or something like that,” he chuckled, seeing Jade’s furrowed brows. “Come on, I’m joking!”

Jade gave a short laugh. “You’re insufferable.”

“I’m improvising,” Trey said, nudging his elbow against Jade’s arm as he leaned closer beside him on the railing. “Unlike you, I didn’t memorise flashcards on eel family etiquette.”

“You wound me, Trey-san,” Jade replied, placing a hand politely on his chest. “I didn’t memorise anything either. Some are just naturally better at handling these kinds of situations, for your knowledge.”

A soft laughter escaped Trey’s lips, it sounded warm and honest, and what made it worse, that there wasn't any hint of mockery in his tone. For a few seconds, Jade found himself relaxing, the tension in his shoulders easing without him even realising.

He didn’t understand. A few seconds ago, he despised even the thought of Trey’s presence.

Then why?

“You know,” Trey began, his voice as light as melted butter. “When we first entered the restaurant, I couldn’t quite tell if we were still on land or underwater. The aquariums are realistic, very impressive.”

Jade was silent. He turned his head slowly in the other direction, trying to focus on the moon’s reflection melting on the surface of the water. The glow was almost blinding, and the stars twirling around the moon looked like the sea was sprinkled with glitter.

“Beautiful,” Trey murmured.

Before Jade had the opportunity to react, Trey moved closer once more, his hand reaching toward Jade’s face. He gently adjusted a stray teal strand of Jade’s hair, tucking it behind the merman’s ear before it could be displaced by the wind. The gesture wasn't provokative by any means, it was casual and unnervingly gentle, paired with a gentle smile on the baker’s face.

Jade froze. It wasn’t his body that couldn’t move – it was something deep inside of him, within the chokehold of his ribcage, which missed a beat. His gaze shifted sideways, but even then, he couldn’t escape Trey’s smile as he looked straight back at him from the reflection on the glass door of the balcony.

The gesture was far too gentle and far too close, and they were both clearly visible through the glass, and Trey probably knew that.

Of course he did.

Why else would he do all of this? They didn’t need to pretend to be a couple when not under the watchful eyes of his parents.

But they were, and Jade felt their gaze from the other side of the door.

“Just what do you think you are doing, Trey-san?” Jade stuttered quietly, trying to keep his voice composed.

“They were watching,” Trey responded. “We looked too far apart. Had to do something to keep up the act.”

“So naturally, you decided to act like my personal coral comb.”

“Well,” Trey said, pretending to think it over. “Don’t merfolk like taking good care of their hair? There are many depictions of the Mermaid Princess combing her hair with her silver for-, ehm, hair comb. Playing with your hair felt like a power move.”

Jade turned his head just enough to meet Trey’s amber eyes. “You think this is a power move?”

"No," Trey said as his gentle smile morphed into a playful smirk. Jade felt the baker's fingers slide down from his hair to find the collar of his shirt instead, giving it a small tug to pull him closer. They were close enough now for the air to catch their scent, mixing the faint aroma of sugar and sea salt in the air between them. Jade could feel the warmth of Trey's body against his own, and then came that weird, clenching feeling in his chest again, and the even worse fluttering sensation in his stomach. "This is."

Jade’s legs were shaking.

He wanted to lie to himself just like he always did. These feelings could have been caused by the cold breeze, surprise, or anything else, but he knew that his heart just skipped a beat.

Telling from Trey’s satisfied grin, maybe he knew it too.

Jade sure hoped he didn’t.

Jade attempted to take a step back, but each time, Trey just leaned closer, until his lips brushed against Jade’s ears. His breath was warm against the merman’s skin – it almost felt scorching, especially in the cold breeze which twirled their hair playfully.

“Your face at dinner,” Trey whispered. “When I said I’d keep looking after you? It was really cute, you know? It made me want to mess with you a little.”

Jade couldn’t help but blink in disbelief, lips parting like a fish swept ashore. It wasn’t just the words that threw him off – it was the tone Trey used. He didn’t sound like he was joking. There was no teasing edge to his tone or any traces of mockery in his voice, just that calm, ridiculous sincerity, which was the signature of Trey.

Jade was supposed to be the one in control. He always was. He was the master at twisting the expectations of people about him, he exactly knew what to say to evoke trust, fear, or whatever he wanted them to believe. But there was Trey Clover, standing way too close, saying things he had no business saying, making his legs shake like the tentacles of a jellyfish caught by a raging wave in a huge storm.

Through the forest green strands behind the glass door, he could see movement inside. His parents were watching from the table with a fond smile on their faces, quickly averting their gazes back at Don’s phone like they saw nothing. But there Floyd was, still staring with eyes widened in either shock or surprise, with a single drop of sweat sliding down his cheek. Yuzu stood beside him with her hands stuck to her mouth, hiding her lips, most likely twisted into a grin.

Jade swallowed – he couldn’t even imagine what this might look like from a distance, through the reflections of a glass door.

He tried to say something, but he didn’t have a comeback ready, which unsettled him more than anything.

And worse was the warmth coiling in his chest.

This was absolutely not part of the plan.

When he finally spoke, his voice came out quieter than intended, yet his signature smirk was back, sharp and controlled like a defence mechanism. “Are you aware you are playing with fire, Trey-san?”

Trey met his gaze without flinching. “I’m used to the heat, Jade. I work with ovens, remember?”

Jade let out a laugh when he finally pulled away from Trey. He was right before; he had been, no doubt, defeated. His laugh was bitter as he finally accepted defeat – it was disheartening, but quite amusing.

What a turn of events.

Maybe that was the moment he realised the danger wasn’t Trey himself – it was the possibility that, from his own part, all of this didn’t feel like an act anymore.

This was what he deserved for playing with Trey, wasn’t it?

This was punishment.

Chapter Text

Nothing turned out as planned that day, but it couldn’t possibly get any worse – at least that was what Jade thought.

Getting dragged into a fake dating mess with Trey Clover by Floyd was already strange enough, but amusing at least – he could have had many opportunities to put his upperclassman to some tests of courage, to see how far the baker would go to keep up a crazy façade, while remaining the only sane guy in the group as he claimed himself to be.

Except it backfired horribly.

It was now Jade being pulled by the strings tied to Trey’s fingertips, pathetically being unable to get rid of those new sensations rising within his chest, still alien to his understanding. Trey was a handsome man without a doubt, but that wasn’t something Jade thought was important – at least, he used to think that. During the dinner, with each glimpse in his direction, the baker looked gradually more attractive, as if Jade was looking at him through a pair of magic lenses. At some point, he had to turn away and rub his eyes with his hands forcefully until those strange sparkles and pink mist around Trey had vanished.

Oh, and his heartbeat – every time their hands accidentally touched while reaching out towards the silver trays on the table, every time their eyes met, every time Trey spoke, Jade’s heart was pounding so violently he thought it was about to jump out and land straight on his plate. Following everything that happened, Trey even dared to accompany Jade on the balcony, gently tuck a stray hair strand behind his ear, and whisper words so disgustingly sweet that it confused the merman’s mind even more.

All of this was wrong – he would never become so pathetic and weak, especially not because of a simple human.

His legs would never shake nervously because his eyes had met with his.

His heart would never deceive him, aching painfully whenever his skin came into contact with his.

These things only happened in those pitiful teen novels his classmates had been reading – he would never in his life fall in love with Trey Clover.

Jade always liked Trey, but not in that sense, of course. Trey was interesting, a rather amusing person to be around – his reactions to Jade’s unhinged ideas were satisfactory, his awkward stutters when he felt embarrassed were phenomenal, and in some way, he could always surprise Jade with something unexpected, which was completely contradictory to his ‘normal guy’ façade. He was fun to play around with, that was all. It’s not like Jade had liked him because he provided good company and was the only person in the entirety of Night Raven College who was willing to listen to his rants about the mountains and his latest mushroom cultivations – sometimes he even offered Jade some sweets while he was busy talking.

It's not like those had mattered at all.

Because he was not in love.

Jade took another step back from Trey, pressuring himself to ignore the heat coiling within his chest. Even with the cold breeze kissing his cheeks, he could still feel the scorching imprint of Trey’s touch on his skin – it felt intimidating, because it reminded him of how he was pitifully chased into a corner by the baker, whether intentionally or not.

“Shall we return, Trey-san?” he asked as an attempt to escape from the capturing amber eyes of his upperclassman, trying to keep up his calm composure.

“Alright,” came the answer without a pause.

At last, the merman was able to look away from Trey without feeling like he was fleeing in fear, successfully avoiding his gaze altogether. He took a careful step forward before reaching out with his hands to slide the glass door open, but his legs froze in place as soon as he entered the restaurant.

Within the pearl white and ocean blue interior and the false ocean behind the glass, bathing in the sparkling reflections of the grand chandelier above, stood a figure looking eerily familiar to Georgina Leech – except it wasn’t her. The woman appeared older than Jade’s mother, yet beneath her gentle wrinkles and turquoise makeup, their faces were strikingly similar. Her glowing, golden eyes stared directly at the merman ominously from behind her straight, greyish teal bangs as he entered the room.

Jade was accustomed to his plans falling apart that day – but this felt like a final invocation to his defeat.

He felt Trey bump into him from the back clumsily, letting out a small, awkward-sounding groan.

“Is something the matter?” he asked, appearing next to Jade while gently massaging the bridge of his nose. “You stopped so suddenly.”

The merman’s body shook again from the baker’s touch, but his eyes couldn’t leave the stranger standing next to their dining table – or at least, she was only a stranger to Trey.

Jade knew that elderly lady very well.

“Good afternoon, Nonna Ondine”, Jade nodded slightly in a polite demeanour, greeting his grandmother. It’s been a while since they last met – constantly travelling between land and sea, Ondine was always found busy involving herself deeper into their private family business than Don or Georgina ever did. Even when she wasn’t present in person, she was everywhere, always pulling the strings from the background in her own, twisted ways. She was no doubt a terrifying woman, so sinister that even Don feared her when her mood drastically darkened. When she was angry, she didn’t lash out aggressively – she’d rather remain quiet, her unnerving gaze as sharp as the teeth of a savage sea beast ready to pierce a prey’s timid flesh. If this wasn’t enough reason to be wary of her, Nonna Ondine’s role in the business remained unclear to that day – and perhaps that was for the best.

Ondine flashed an ominous smile towards Jade’s direction before stepping closer. “Serpentello mio, so elegant and mysterious. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Look at you, you have grown so much.”

“Why, thank you, Nonna,” answered the merman politely. “Although it occurred relatively recently, I am confident that my height has remained unchanged.”

Ondine let out a deafening laugh, pressing a forceful pat on the top of Jade’s head, muffling his hair. “My, who mentioned your height? I was talking about your manners, Serpentello mio. You and your brother can be quite discourteous every so often, but I am pleased to see that Gina has taught you some etiquette. Very well.”

Jade didn’t quite understand what his grandmother meant by what she said, but calling Floyd well-behaved was certainly something new, especially coming from her. The merman quickly glanced at his brother and was struck by the sight of Floyd Leech standing perfectly upright, with his slender legs respectfully pressed together, hands neatly clasped behind his back – he looked rather gentlemanly, if one ignored the army of sweat drops rolling down his cheek, of course. His teal tresses were already tousled, given the looks he had already received one of Ondine’s deadly head pats.

Yuzuru, unfortunately, didn’t look any better. Even with her powder pink silk dress and the glittering pearls tangled in her strawberry blonde curls, she didn’t look like a princess from a fairytale – she looked like a shrimp that had been chewed on and then spat out by a shark sentenced to eternal boredom.

Jade wasn’t sure where he was in bigger danger – stuck outside the balcony with Trey, who oh so made his heart ache, or trapped in the restaurant with his nightmare of a grandmother who was approximately two seconds away from finding out he’d been lying about his boyfriend the whole time.

“So now, tell me who this fine gentleman is,” asked Ondine with enough maliciousness stinging in her voice to be more intimidating than friendly.

As Jade took a glimpse at Trey, the baker looked like he’d seen a ghost. He was a smart boy, and he clearly appeared to be aware of the threat they all were facing – yet he still appeared to be trying his best.

“He is my partner,” Jade replied quicker than intended.

“Trey Clover. It’s my pleasure to meet you,” he said, stepping forward and gently shaking the lady’s outstretched hand.

While the baker clearly looked nervous, Ondine tilted her head and chuckled. “Finally, a young man who knows some manners, Verdino mio. I’m pleased. I hope this little troublemaker next to you learns something decent from you.”

“Please go easy on him, ma’am,” Trey added, his amber eyes finding Jade’s for a split second before wandering back to his nonna. His expression was unreadable – it was quite difficult to tell whether he was nervous and wasn’t fully aware of what he was saying, or the exact opposite, playing along to embarrass Jade even more. Or maybe Jade was just overthinking. “He can behave well when he wants to.”

“Very well, pleased to hear that,” turned around Ondine to march back to the dining table, where the parents stood alongside Floyd and Yuzu.

No deadly headpat for Trey – was that a good or a bad sign?

Jade couldn’t quite tell.

“I trust it is acceptable that Mamma has chosen to accompany us today,” Georgina beamed. “There is a special reason why she is here. Would you like to tell the kids about it, Mamma?”

“Naturally. I believe those two rascals are already familiar with old merfolk traditions,” said Ondine with a smirk, her long, bony fingers pointing toward Jade and Floyd, “but I doubt they have told anything about it to their tesori.”

Then came a short, accusing pause. After making sure everyone was listening, Nonna Ondine continued.

“The reason why I came here is to accompany you all to perform the Dive. It is a fairly old tradition among young merfolk and their human partners. A merfolk's genuine kiss is believed to grant a human the capacity to breathe underwater. According to what I have heard, each of you experienced your initial kiss with your respective amori. Which means,” the more information she shared, the more twisted Ondine’s smile became. “If you dive now, you can already see if your relationship will last or will be doomed in the near future. If the dive is successful, the couples can light up the lamp jellyfish and release them underwater like lanterns, while being congratulated by their families. If the dive is unsuccessful, because the little humans cannot breathe underwater…well, that’s a shame.”

The silence that came after was haunting and suffocating. Every second seemed to crackle with things unsaid – it was the kind of silence that clung to their skin like a stubborn little leech. Each person was waiting for someone, anyone, to finally break it, but their pride glued every tongue in place. The weight of the moment lingered in the air.

What could even be said?

It felt like everybody in the room was lying. Not a single soul in the room felt like an ally, someone anyone could rely on – just a group of deceivers with a single ring master, ready to stir up the situation into the most intense form of chaos.

Jade observed that Don and Georgina were impatiently waiting for a reaction while idling subtly, and Trey looked like he was trying way too hard not to mess up. Was he trying to come up with something? It was difficult to tell.

Yuzu, on the other side of the table, was standing straight, head looking downwards as she was fidgeting with her hands, while Floyd tapped his fingers on a fancy glass just to have some noise in the room.

He then awkwardly cleared his throat.

“So, when are we getting’ the dessert?” he asked, likely to ease the tension; however, Ondine’s expression just made the whole situation even more uncomfortable.

“After the dive, of course, Squaletto mio,” she answered.

“Cool,” Floyd chuckled in defeat. He cleared his throat again and let out the longest sigh Jade had ever heard, before pointing his fingers towards him, Trey, and Yuzu. “Nonna, is it okay to…uhm…to talk stuff over with these three before we dive or somethin’ like that?”

“I don’t know what for, but alright. Just be quick about it, we don’t have much time.”

“Okie-dokie!” Floyd beamed, wrapping a hand around Yuzu’s shoulder. “Thanks, Granny!”

Ondine’s eyebrows jerked after hearing the merman’s words. “Manners, ragazzo!” she shrieked as Floyd slowly pulled everyone away from the scene.

This was the second time that day when Jade found himself standing in front of the restroom door without entering, but instead of an amusing confrontation with Trey, they all stood there awkwardly, not quite knowing what would happen next.

It was difficult enough to battle the unwanted attractions rising within him towards his upperclassman, Nonna Ondine’s plan just felt like adding insult to a fresh injury.

“What even is this thing?” Just from his voice alone, it wasn’t difficult to fathom that Floyd Leech was freaking out. “I’ve never heard of anythin’ like that before!”

Jade hadn't heard of such a tradition either, but he didn't think his grandmother was inventing traditions for her own amusement. From his childhood, he could recall a variety of stories about true love’s kiss among humans and merfolk. Some stories were about breaking free of curses, while others explored themes of connection and union between lovers, as well as the breaking down of barriers between two different worlds. A merfolk’s genuine kiss, granting their human partner the ability to breathe underwater, was one way of getting rid of their barriers. However, nobody ever told him these stories were true – not his instructors, classmates, and not even Don and Georgina.

These were all meaningless old tales serving the sole purpose of entertainment.

It wasn’t too common among merfolk to settle down with a human partner, and Jade wasn’t too knowledgeable about how these relationships worked either. If only he had asked his mother more about it when they were assisting at the wedding of one of Georgina’s friends.

Alas, it was too late to think about that now.

“I’m assuming it might be a fairly outdated tradition our generation is not quite familiar with anymore,” he replied. “There is a possibility its existence is not a fabrication. In the deeper regions of the northern seas where we grew up, most merfolk refrain from forming friendships or developing close bonds with humans to this day, so this topic is rarely discussed. There is a possibility that this information might not have reached us.”

Yuzuru nodded. “That sounds fair. Honestly, I’d quite understand why anyone would want to keep this information a secret. I mean, some humans would try to take advantage of merfolk, wouldn’t they? Underwater breathing without brewing potions all the time sounds like it would come in handy for a greedy person.”

“That’s a terrible way to put it,” a sigh escaped Trey’s lips as he nervously rubbed his forehead. “Yet, it’s a very likely scenario. So, do we have a plan?”

Now all eyes were on Trey as the whole group began to fabricate a reliable plan.

Floyd was the one yet again to break the silence first.

“Then why don’t we just smoochy-smooch our partners right now, huh?” he asked innocently with a beaming smile, earning a sudden choir of revolt as an answer.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” cried out Trey and Yuzu in perfect unison.

Jade remained silent.

How interesting.

Trey appeared to be frozen still, entirely losing his composure, like someone had turned him into a stone statue – yet Jade couldn’t miss the tiny glimpse of the flush that crept up his neck. “F-Floyd- that’s not-, we don’t have to –”

Yuzu made a strangled noise.

“Why would you even say that?! That’s–”

Jade blinked once slowly, then smiled far too pleasantly. “My, my… what a bold suggestion, Floyd,” while he might have appeared calm and amused, Jade despised how he wasn’t half as grossed out by his brother’s suggestion as the others were. He had already run his mind through the plan, he knew it wouldn’t work – but he wished the solution was something as easy as that. It’s not like kissing Trey was something easy; in fact, it sounded forbidden. He wondered if Trey’s reaction was just born from simple embarrassment or genuine disgust. Jade shouldn’t have thought about that. Not especially when he just stumbled across a scrumptious little mistake, which was not about him or Trey for once – it was about time for Floyd and Yuzuru to be the next spectacles of that night.

“The plan is ill-fated. The human lover is granted the blessing of underwater breathing after receiving true love’s kiss from a merfolk,” Jade continued as his gaze sharpened gradually while eyeing his brother. “I believe we are not in love with Trey-san, but I believe it should work between you and Yuzu-san…unless–”

“Unless there is something you two are hiding from us,” Trey continued, knitting his eyebrows. “Haven’t you already kissed before? Why would Yuu refuse the idea of kissing her own partner? That doesn’t make any sense, does it?”

Jade could see the vivid red spread across Yuzu’s round cheeks from pure embarrassment – she clearly didn’t mean to let her tongue slip. She couldn’t keep a secret very well, and it was quite amusing to think about how long the two wished to hide the true nature of their relationship.

More importantly, why was this needed in the first place?

“We just haven’t kissed yet, that’s all!” came a poor attempt from Yuzu to correct her mistake.

Floyd nodded too rapidly, in a way that almost looked painful. “Yeah, not everyone jumps into this kinda stuff right away. Kissin’ sounds waaay too troublesome. All that mouth goo? Blehhh, count me out!”

“How interesting,” Jade placed a hand on his chin, thinking. “I can recall a variety of stories you’ve told me before, including a first kiss, if I’m not mistaken, Floyd.”

“Ya are very much mistaken. It’s not my fault you're makin’ up some weird shit about us, Jade.”

“How peculiar… dear me, I’m quite certain the story about the heart-shaped pancake you told Mother and Father was not the same story you recounted to me earlier, either. If I recall correctly, it was an apology pancake for Riddle-san after you and Yuzu-san damaged the Heartslabyul rose bushes during your parkour competition, was it not? You made it so he would remove your collar.”

Floyd remained silent for a moment, but after a quick exchange of looks with Yuzu, he was beaming again with confidence.

“Have ya got any proof, Jade?” he laughed with his arms crossed tightly in front of his chest. “You're always lyin’. Ya might as well be lyin’ now too. It’s not like ya were there anyway.”

“Jade wasn’t, but I was.”

Trey took a step closer to the mermen, his face bearing an unusual expression.

With his hands planted firmly on his hips, he resembled a strict parent preparing to teach a lesson to their misbehaving children. His amber eyes narrowed, no longer friendly and dripping sweet as honey, as his former nervous face morphed into a sinister frown.

He was visibly furious, and Jade’s eyes froze on Trey’s anger. He refused to move his gaze away – he had never witnessed such an expression on his upperclassman before.

So, this is how an angry Trey looked. He wasn’t anything Jade had imagined him to be – was he even mad at Jade for dragging him along to the dinner? The baker was clearly playing with him for a while now with trying to embarrass him in front of his family and on the balcony, and he most likely still has not given up taking revenge, but…

…was it really anger that Trey felt?

He never looked at Jade with this much irritation in his eyes – not even after tricking him.

Strange.

He slowly felt his own body relax – it almost felt like relief.

As Floyd’s gaze landed on him as well, Trey finally continued.

“I saw Riddle collaring you in the garden among the scattered petals on the grass. He was furious for days after what happened. I know because it was I who had to help him calm down; he refused to listen to anyone else,” he snapped. “You’re not in the position to accuse anyone of lying here, when that’s exactly what you’re doing. I believe you have some explaining to do, before– “

Floyd’s shoulder shivered witnessing Trey’s anger.

“Whoa, scary! Chill, dude!” uttered the merman, raising his hands in the air as a sign of retreat. “Uh…well, argh fuck it! Little Shimp-chan and I aren’t dating! Ya happy now?”

The anger on Trey’s face visibly weakened, but it wasn’t relief. His shoulders and chest rose before he let out the second-longest sigh Jade had heard that day.

The merman considered placing a gentle hand on the other’s back as a supporting gesture, but as his fingertips touched even the fabric of Trey’s suit, his arm jerked away.

What was he even thinking?

“What’s the meaning of all this, then? Why are we even here? Why are we–“ the baker breathed out in disbelief.

Jade thought the same thing. If Don and Georgina didn’t know about Floyd’s and Yuzu’s relationship, because they weren’t even a couple in the first place, all of this wouldn’t have happened.

He would be spending the last few hours of his shift in Mostro Longue.

He would be watering his plants right after.

He would be in his bed, sleeping, not standing in front of closed restroom doors, sitting at a table listening to clearly fabricated family stories, or being treated gently by Trey Clover on the balcony while caressed by the soft evening breeze.

He wouldn’t have turned this disgustingly pathetic over the course of one night if he had stayed at home, undisturbed by Floyd’s utterly stupid lies.

Was this another punishment for Jade’s insincerity? It could be.

“Allow me to explain,” Yuzuru muttered with a hint of guilt in her soft voice. “It’s all my fault. It’s difficult to be the only magicless student in a magic school, you know? I know martial arts, I know how to defend myself, and I will do it if necessary. But…that’s not always enough. I can kick some random guys’ butts who think that picking on me because I’m a magicless girl is a cool thing to do, but I can’t do much if stronger students I can’t win against decide to target me one day. And the number of confessions? Don’t even get me started on that.” Her eyes were fixed on the tip of her shoes as she talked – she refused to make eye contact. Jade had never seen Yuzuru this unguarded before, not even when she made a deal with Azul and was on the verge of losing at the beginning. It was so pathetic that it almost made him feel sorry for her. “Then came Floyd. We became friends after all that fiasco during the exam period, we just…clicked the right way, I guess? We’re both good at parkour, like the same dishes, and even have the same taste in music and movies. Floyd thought it was boring at first, but then decided it was fun to have a companion to share all these things with. As we started hanging around together more, he began to notice the threat I had to face every day. But it wasn’t only him who noticed something – I realised that while there were still students who tried to pick fights with me, it happened way less than before I started spending more time with Floyd. Those guys were scared of him, so, taking the opportunity, I decided to make a deal with Floyd. I entertain him when he’s bored, while he protects me from those annoying students who keep bugging me. There was only one problem, though. Floyd and I are not always free at the same time…when he is working or attending club meetings, he couldn’t possibly do anything to help me at that time. Plus, we had to consider his mood swings and the fact that we didn’t want to be together all the time. So…he came up with a spontaneous idea that seemed entertaining at the time – to announce we are a couple. If I’m known as his girlfriend, that’s enough to let people know I’m protected even when he is not present. It seemed like a harmless prank, before we got too carried away and the news started spreading outside of school…and eventually reached the Leech parents.”

Jade glanced at his brother as soon as she finished talking, and much to his annoyance, Floyd was nodding.

“That’s basically it,” he said, shrugging his broad shoulders. “After that, Mama and Pops got a bit too excited, bookin’ this restaurant for today and such. They were so happy, I didn’t know what to do. So, uh…yeah! I didn’t wanna get in trouble alone, so I dragged Jade along! If I’m goin’ down, he’s comin’ with me!”

Trey ran a hand through his forest green hair. “So, we are fake-dating to cover for a fake couple?”

Jade stood very still.

Very quiet.

He wished he could disappear into the sea and never return.

“…Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath. “Then all of this… truly had no purpose.”

For someone used to a risky lifestyle, Jade found it surprising that this turned out to be one of the worst days of his life. It was truly disheartening – he tricked Trey into all of this after being tricked himself.

He, Jade Leech – who was so used to being the master of puppets lurking behind the spectacle, the one who was always in control – was tricked by his brother to make a clown out of himself. They came up with laughable pet names, false stories about getting together, lies about their first kiss that never even happened, and the worst of it all was that they actually flirted with each other – and it was all for nothing.

He knew that Trey didn’t mean anything that he did – he didn’t remove the spices from those shrimps because he cared, he didn’t follow Jade to the balcony because he wanted to give him company, and he didn’t touch him tenderly, calling Jade cute in a whisper because he felt that way.

Nobody ever told such things to Jade, nor approached him with such tenderness as his upperclassman did.

“Your face at dinner. When I said I’d keep looking after you? It was really cute, you know”

Even if it was a lie, an unnecessary one that should never have happened, it still locked his heart away in a suffocating cage of emotions he didn’t ever want to face.

It didn’t hurt him because everything that happened wasn’t real.

It hurt because it was completely unnecessary. It was never supposed to happen, but it did, and he had to face the consequences.

Life is full of surprises, but those surprises are not necessarily pleasant – at least, that is what Jade always told himself.

This time, however, life didn’t offer surprises – instead, it delivered ironies.

Jokes, in which Jade was the punchline.

“Anywaaay,” Yuzu parted her lips timidly, completely cutting Jade’s chain of thoughts. “We can deal with our grudges later. Now it would be better if we all just got along and found a way out of this mess together!”

Jade felt his own eyes twitch just by hearing the ridiculous idea.

“Oho? Getting along is what you are suggesting?” he hissed with a sinister smile stretched across his face.

“I’m afraid you two are alone on this one.” Much to Jade’s astonishment, Trey now stood tightly next to him, with a similar twisted expression to his own. “If you and Floyd already 'love' each other so much, you can just work your way out of this on your own.”

Having the baker on his side, while fair, was undeniably strange. Jade felt like they used to be rivals at the dinner, but now they were supporting one another instead.

“I’m telling Mother and Father,” Jade moved his arms to his hips, pleased with Floyd’s sudden jump at what he had just said.

“Not ya pullin’ the classic annoyin’ little brother move!” he rushed towards his twin, forcefully grasping the fabric of Jade’s top at the shoulders before he could even attempt to leave. “Ya can’t back out of this now, Jade. It’s too late. Ya know Granny Dina damn well, she’s gonna feed us to her sharks if we tell ‘em we’ve been lying through the whole time.”

“Feed YOU to the sharks, Floyd! This is all your fault!”

“MINE!?” Floyd growled. “It’s all because of those stupid small fries botherin’ Little Shrimpy!”

The girl immediately took action, rushing towards the brothers before they could cause a scene. She stumbled for a second as she almost fell, stepping on the long, silky bottom part of her dress, then her hands rapidly started gesturing after standing between the twins.

Jade was on the verge of losing his temper with his brother, and it was likely that Yuzu picked up on this, which is why she stood up for Floyd.

So, who was protecting whom now?

“Guys, we seriously need to calm down and get along. All of us are in this now and equally at fault. We either find a solution or get ourselves together and tell the truth to your family,” she began, but then quickly added. “But I’m not the one telling them!”

Trey seemed to get impatient again.

“Me neither, I’m pretty much an outsider,” he complained. “But I must say claiming we’re all equally at fault is a bit of a stretch. You'd better take responsibility for all of this if your plan horribly backfires.”

Yuzuru answered with a nervous gulp before her eyes wandered in Floyd’s direction, waiting for a reaction. The merman was still standing in front of Jade, sparks of anger seemed to fly from his droopy eyes, though he wasn’t in the right position to be tempered over all of this. He and Yuzu were at fault, weren’t they? Trey was right, they’d better take responsibility.

“Well, then, ya confess,” said his twin, gradually pushing Jade closer to snapping.

“No, Floyd, you should take responsibility for all of this, so I suggest you confess.”

“No fucking way!”

“Coward.”

Floyd’s muscles tensed, his mismatched eyes widened. “What did ya just call me?”

The corners of Jade’s lips curled upwards into a satisfied, twisted grin as he spoke.

“Why, a coward, of course! Both Yuzu-san and you, my dear brother!” Floyd was clearly about to snap – his pupils dilated into an unnerving black hole, and a big, angry vein popped up on one side of his forehead. His shark-like canines peeked between his lips when he snarled, but when he was about to fight back, Jade stuck an index finger in front of his twin’s mouth. “Hush, Floyd! I will confess then, if you two don’t wish to. I will inform Mother and Father about how you so cruelly coerced me into all of this against my will. Alas, poor unfortunate me!  Poor Trey-san!”

He let out a quiet sob, startling his brother.

“Ya wouldn’t do that!” he barked, then pressed his lips together tightly. “Okay, ya absolutely would.”

“That’s correct,” Jade sobbed again.

Floyd’s anger morphed into just a slight irritation as his firm shoulders finally started to drop, the sharp edge of his temper dulling into something less serious. He clicked his tongue, scratching the back of his head in a restless motion, glaring only downwards to avoid Jade’s gaze. Then, with a sigh that sounded almost embarrassed, he reached out and gave Jade a quick, clumsy headpat before looking away.

Did Jade manage to make him feel guilty? That wasn’t very likely. His fake tears only ever worked when they were little elvers, yet Floyd still looked like he had come to terms with the whole situation they were in.

“Fine, just stop this fake whinin’, it’s pissin’ me off.” He muttered under his breath, barely audible. “I’ll tell Papa or whatever! You can tell Mama if ya want to.”

Jade flashed a victorious smile, clapping his hands together in satisfaction. “My most sincere thank you for your cooperation, Floyd!”

“Whatever. Let’s get back before Granny gets angry,” his twin replied with boredom in his husky voice. He stayed perfectly still as Trey and Yuzu left the group, only reaching for his brother’s arm once they were left alone together. The sudden grip around his wrist surprised Jade at first. He half expected to turn around only to face a furious Floyd again, but when he glanced back, he met a pair of mismatched eyes filled with worry and uncertainty instead.

“Jade,” he began after a brief silence. “What’s up with ya?”

Jade tilted his head in confusion. “Could you clarify what you mean?”

“Did somethin’ happen between ya and Sea Turtle? Ever since ya came back from the balcony, you've been actin’ all weird. Ya look like crap. All gloomy ‘n droopy.”

“I’m wounded, Floyd. What a way to talk about your brother,” the merman began, slightly annoyed – he didn’t want to talk about this at all. “I assure you, everything is fine.”

“That ain’t gonna convince me, Jade. Ya must try a looot harder than that.” It wasn’t anything new that Floyd was pushy, but way too many things were stirring up inside Jade’s mind at that moment – he didn’t want to deal with this either. “I saw him whisperin’ some shit to ya out there. What did he say?”

“My apologies, but that is none of your business, Floyd.”

“No way,” a high-pitched giggle burst its way out of the taller twin’s mouth, setting a permanent, toothy smile on his lips. “Why so secretive? Are ya embarrassed? Was it somethin’ dirty? Didn’t know Sea Turtle was freaky like that!”

Jade’s composure cracked the moment Floyd opened his mouth. The implication alone made heat crawl up the back of his neck to find a way to bloom blood-red flowers on his cheeks. He coughed too sharply for it to sound natural, and his usual, polite smile twitched, morphing into a nervous grimace instead after a failed attempt at keeping his expression calm.

“F-Floyd,” he began, but his voice came out way thinner than intended. “Trey-san most certainly did not whisper anything of that sort!”

“What is it about me now?” came a hauntingly familiar voice from behind Jade’s back, which immediately made the merman’s whole body tense as if someone had yanked an invisible fishing line tied to the back of his collar. The words had stuck in the back of his throat, and for a moment, he even forgot how to blink when his gaze found the amber eyes staring at him with a spark of curiosity. His heart hammered so hard he wondered if everyone could hear it besides him.

“T-Trey-san,” he squeaked, his voice even more high-pitched than before. “How…how long have you been standing there?”

Trey’s gentle smile only made his situation even worse, and Jade could feel Floyd watching him humiliate himself, grinning like a shark who’d scented blood.

“I’ve never quite left, actually,” replied the baker, raising an eyebrow playfully. “Just to make it clear, I’m not going back there without you two.”

“My apologies for the wait, Trey-san. We shall return then together right now, doesn’t that sound like a splendid idea, Floyd?” Jade asked innocently.

It’s not like this was supposed to be an escape attempt or anything of that sort.

“Whatever,” Floyd nodded, sounding dissatisfied.

“Let’s go,” the baker agreed, politely extending his hands towards Jade in a gentle manner.

Jade froze in place, looking at the hand offered to him.

What was Trey doing?

His upperclassman didn’t seem to have an issue with the gesture – in fact, he looked sincere and unbothered. He held Jade’s gaze firmly with his own, even moving his fingers around in the air, encouraging the merman to finally make a move.

But he simply couldn’t.

Why would Trey offer his hand in the first place? Jade could walk back to the table on his own. It’s not like he would suddenly lose his balance and slip on nothing.

Instead of sliding his hand in Trey’s, he raised it to his own chin as he shyly tilted his head.

Jade’s subtle reaction was enough to snap his upperclassman back to reality. He yanked his hand away as rapidly as he could, a nervous laugh escaping his throat as they both stood there awkwardly, struggling to find the right words.

Oh, how pathetic they looked.

“Aha, I’m sorry,” stuttered Trey, immediately facing in another direction. “W-We don’t have to pretend anymore, do we?”

“Su-sure,” Jade replied, clueless.

What were they supposed to do then? What was their plan again?

He turned his head to face Floyd for reassurance, only earning a loud gasp from his brother.

“Why are you both starin’ at me like that!? I don’t give a flying fish ‘bout what ya two wanna do, duh! Don’t piss me off, I’m leavin’,” and with that, Floyd placed a hand on Yuzu’s shoulder and pulled her back to the table surrounded by their parents and the terrifyingly impatient-looking Nonna Ondine.

Jade stood motionless for a while, unfairly left behind with his thoughts, his hammering heart, the butterflies in his stomach – and of course, the gentle, earnest Trey Clover.

The chances of Jade surviving the night appeared slim.