Work Text:
“Are you done yappin’ already?”
Azul glared at him. “Am I done yapping? Floyd, do you realize how close you came to disappearing from Twisted Wonderland altogether?”
“We wouldn’t have disappeared,” Jade said. “We would have simply existed in a different form. Much like we do now, although with less mobility.”
“You are both…” Azul threw his hands in the air. “There is no speaking to either of you! I warned you both that there would be a cost to be paid, but did either of you listen to me? Of course not!”
“Already heard all of this from Goldfishie, when he was lighting into Crabby.”
“You didn’t come directly here, to Octavinelle? What is wrong with you? Both of you,” he huffed, including Jade in his tirade. “Do you realize that it would have fallen to me to explain that two of my students had managed to not only sneak out, but to simply vanish! And your parents…”
Azul held his head in his hands.
“The thought of explaining to your parents what happened to you.”
“I’m sure the headmage would have taken care of that as well.”
Azul’s glare before was nothing compared to what it was like now. “Have you met our esteemed headmage? You know that he would have happily foisted that unpleasant responsibility to the housewardens.”
“Don’t know why you’re so angry,” Floyd complained. “We ran into Goldfishie ‘cuz he was out lookin’ for Sea Turtle.”
“Yes, Riddle certainly had words for Trey as well,” Jade added.
“That’s not the point!”
Floyd shrugged. “We’re back. And it was fun, even the gettin’ captured part.”
“Floyd was quite lively during that part,” Jade said. “When they were finally able to outnumber and overpower Floyd, they brought him back with a sack over his head. He’d apparently left quite a few bite marks in the puppet staff.”
“That puppet staff was almost certainly made up of previous guests of the park. You two never cease to amaze me with your complete lack of self-preservation.”
“If I wanted to get yelled out, I’d chase Goldfishie around the library,” Floyd said. He stood up abruptly. “I’m outta here.”
“That went well,” Jade said. “I expected him to leave earlier.”
“You!” Azul said, pointing a finger at Jade. “You are no better!”
Which, of course, Azul had always known. He’d even criticized Jade for being worse than Floyd, on occasion.
Jade couldn’t help smiling. “Were you truly worried about us, Azul?”
Azul snorted. “Please. I was worried about how your disappearance would reflect on me, and how it would impact the Mostro Lounge.”
Jade pressed his hand to his chest. “That would have been a dilly of a pickle.”
“Impossible,” Azul muttered. “You are impossible.”
“I learned a few things while I was there,” Jade said. “But if you would rather not benefit from my information gathering…”
Azul’s eyes gleamed. “Information?”
Sometimes, it was a little too easy.
“One of the stalls sold popcorn in different flavors. Unusual flavor combinations. Floyd and I both tried some of them.”
Floyd had tried one of the flavors involuntarily, but he’d tried it nonetheless.
“And?” Azul prompted.
“I have written down the combinations, along with the ones I was able to try. Of those, I have given them a ranking.”
He withdrew a slip of paper from his jacket. Azul eyed it warily, but finally, he accepted it.
“I see,” he said, his eyes scanning the page. “I would certainly never have thought of combining salt with watermelon, but I can see the appeal.”
It might have been a trick of the light, an illusion caused by the shadows,
it wasn’t
but Jade would swear that Azul was sneaking a glance at him from over the top of the page.
“Is this all you have?” Azul asked.
Jade curled his fingers against his chin and sighed. “I did have more, but it was lost in the melee.”
Azul’s sound of disbelief was like music to Jade’s ears. “As if you don’t have all the most interesting things memorized.”
Jade leaned in. “Perhaps I could use a little something to jog my memory.”
“After the inconvenience you have caused me? Hardly.”
It wasn’t the response Jade was hoping for…
…but it also wasn’t a no.
Sometimes Jade envied Floyd for his persistence. No matter how many times Riddle had lashed out, angrily, in words or with his unique magic, Floyd always went back for more. It was an odd mating dance, but honestly, if Riddle hated it that much, he would have put a stop to it long ago.
Of course, Riddle had denied it when Jade had suggested as much.
And in many ways, Azul and Riddle had much in common.
He cupped his fingers under Azul’s chin and lifted it so that he could gaze into Azul’s expressive eyes.
Right now, that expression was annoyance, alas.
Jade swiped his thumb over Azul’s bottom lip, and then he straightened.
“Why did you do that?”
“I thought you had a bit of salt on your lip, but I was mistaken. It must have been a reflection of the light.”
“Why would I have salt on my lips?”
“My mistake,” Jade said.
Azul pressed his lips together, and Jade was tempted to try his luck a second time.
He didn’t; it was best to wait until he was sure Azul would be more receptive.
Or perhaps he’d simply tie Azul up one day and leave him no choice.
Azul folded the notes Jade had taken in half and slipped them into his pocket. “I expect you will make up the work you missed. It would reflect poorly on Octavinelle if its vice housewarden fell behind in his studies.”
“I was planning on asking Riddle if I could borrow his notes.”
Azul’s brows furrowed briefly, and then, his expression smoothed. It was amazing how quickly he could adopt a completely unruffled appearance.
It was one of the reasons Azul was so much fun to tease.
“See that you do.”
Azul brushed past him, but when he reached the doors to the lounge, he paused.
“Jade.”
“Yes, Azul?”
“I am glad that you have returned safely.”
Without waiting for Jade to respond, Azul disappeared down the hall, his gray jacket flapping out behind him like a cape. He was every bit the housewarden of Octavinelle in that moment, and Jade wondered if Azul had any idea just how beautiful that made him.
“So am I,” Jade said to the empty room.
If he hadn’t, he would have forever lost the opportunity to convince Azul to go on a roller coaster with him.
Purely for research, of course.