Chapter Text
The first thing everyone noticed after Wonderland was the quiet. Not the eerie, too-still silence that came with enchanted forests or talking flowers waiting to give riddles. This was different. It was comfortable. Peaceful. Auradon Prep had settled back into its usual rhythm, and somehow, so had they. Classes resumed. Student council meetings returned. Homework piled up. Teachers pretended they hadn't watched a group of teenagers disappear into Wonderland and come back somehow even closer than before. Life simply...continued. But it wasn't the same. Because they weren't the same.
"You cheated."
"I strategized."
"You literally looked at my cards." Felix grinned without a hint of guilt as Hazel snatched the deck out of his hands.
"I was appreciating the artwork."
"The artwork was facing me."
"I have very good eyesight." Hazel narrowed her eyes. "You are the worst."
"And yet..." Felix held out his hand expectantly. "Victory is still mine." With the biggest eye roll imaginable, Hazel slapped a chocolate bar into his palm. "You are insufferable."
"I prefer gifted." The common room erupted into laughter. Friday nights had unofficially become game nights. Nobody actually remembered who had started the tradition. Maybe Chloe. Maybe Red. Maybe Pink. At some point after returning from Wonderland, someone had simply asked if anyone wanted to hang out after dinner. The answer had been yes. The next week it happened again. Then again. Now, it was practically law. Each person had somehow become associated with a game. Felix always brought cards. Not ordinary games either. Some obscure strategy game he'd learned from his family that involved bluffing, alliances, and an alarming amount of betrayal. Hazel claimed it turned everyone into monsters. Felix claimed that was part of the fun. Tonight's casualty happened to be Robbie.
"I trusted you." Felix placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "That was your first mistake."
"You promised we'd work together!"
"I lied."
"You looked me in the eyes!"
"I did."
"You shook my hand!"
"I also did that."
Robbie sighed dramatically. "I've never known heartbreak until now."
Across the room— Pink clapped her hands together.
"Okay! Two Truths and a Lie!" Several groans echoed. Luis looked up from where he'd been helping clean up snack wrappers.
"We're doing this again?"
Pink smiled innocently. "You say that like you didn't accidentally reveal you sleep with six pillows last time."
Luis froze. "...I was ambushed."
"You volunteered."
"I was manipulated."
"You answered willingly."
"I didn't understand the rules."
"You absolutely do understand the rules." The room laughed again. Pink pointed dramatically. "Sit."
Luis sighed. "I walked right into that."
"You really did."
"Okay!" Pink bounced in her seat. "My turn!" She held up three fingers. "I've accidentally dyed my hair purple." "I once got detention for singing too loudly." "I've never eaten a strawberry."
Everyone immediately started guessing. "The hair," Chloe guessed. "No." "The detention?" Robbie offered. "Nope." Luis blinked. "You've...never eaten a strawberry?"
Pink nodded proudly. "I don't trust them."
"..."
"..."
Everyone went silent. Even Red. "...They're fruit," Max said quietly.
"They're suspicious fruit."
Red laughed so hard she nearly fell off the couch. Max smiled to himself. He hadn't expected to laugh this much after Wonderland. Truthfully... He hadn't expected to become part of...this. Growing up, he'd always existed on the edge of conversations. The quiet kid. The art kid. The one who listened more than he spoke. He was comfortable that way. But somehow— Without realizing—He'd found people who didn't mind the silence. People who waited for him to finish talking. People who asked to see his sketches. People who saved him a seat without asking. People who noticed when he was missing. It still felt strange. Wonderful. But strange.
"Chess?" Max looked up. Luis stood beside him holding the familiar wooden chessboard.
"You up for a game?" Max smiled. "Always." Unlike almost everyone else— Chess between Luis and Max was quiet. Comfortable. They didn't need constant conversation. The clicking of wooden pieces was enough. Pawn. Knight. Bishop. Luis studied the board.
"You've been practicing , but You beat me in fourteen moves last week."
"Im just lucky."
Luis laughed. "No." He moved his rook. "You're just better at this than I am!” Max tilted his head. "You still play good though.” Neither noticed everyone else slowly watching them.
"They're doing it again," Chloe whispered.
Red smirked. "The weird silent communication?"
"They haven't spoken for two minutes." "But They're somehow still having a conversation." Pink leaned over dramatically. "I think that's flirting."
Luis immediately looked up. "What?" "Nothing." Pink recounted.
Max's ears turned pink. Felix snorted. "Yeah. nothing."
Movie nights weren't much different. Someone always suggested something cheerful. Someone else always chose horror. Somehow... Horror always won.
"I hate all of you." Robbie pulled the blanket tighter around himself. The lights were off. The television flickered. Rain hammered against the dorm windows. The monster on screen slowly opened a basement door. "Nope.Nope.Nope.I'm leaving."
Hazel grabbed Robbie before he could escape. "You wanted to watch this."
"I made mistakes."
"You voted."
"I've changed my mind!” The jump scare hit. Half the room screamed. Luis nearly dropped his popcorn. Chloe threw a pillow. Pink laughed so hard she couldn't breathe. Felix looked genuinely impressed.
"That was excellent timing."
"You weren't scared?"
"I was evaluating the cinematography."
Hazel stared. "...You're lying."
"am I?" Felix smirked.
Trips into town had become another tradition. Saturday mornings. Everyone piled onto the same carriage. Or walked if the weather was nice. The girls always had a plan. Always.
"We're shopping."
"For what?" Robbie asked. Pink shrugged. "We'll know when we find it." Luis sighed.
"I knew you were going to say that."
Three hours later— The boys stood outside yet another clothing boutique. Robbie checked the time.
"I've forgotten what sunlight looks like…” Felix leaned against the wall.
"I think we're evolving into statues." Luis folded his arms.
"They've been trying on dresses for an hour."
"Hour and twenty minutes." "You timed it?"
"I had nothing else to do." Max laughed quietly. Luis looked over. "There it is." "What?"
"You laughed."
"So?”
"Never heard it out loud."
"I literally just did."
"Exactly."
Eventually— The boys disappeared. It happened every shopping trip. Without fail. One moment they were carrying bags. The next— Gone. The girls would emerge from another shop. "...Where did they go?" The answer— Usually a bookstore. Or an arcade. Sometimes a café. Today— It was a tiny art shop tucked between two buildings. Max had stopped walking. Completely. Luis noticed almost immediately.
"You okay?"
Max stared through the window. The look of the Paintbrushes. Sketchbooks. Canvas. Charcoal. Watercolours.
Luis smiled. "Wanna go in?"
"We don't have to."
"I know."
"But..The others."
"They’ll survive." Max looked uncertain. Luis nudged him toward the door.
"Come on." Forty minutes later— Max walked out holding a small paper bag. His smile—Tiny. But genuine. Luis noticed. It was worth it.
"What did you get?" Max opened the bag. A leather sketchbook and a set of graphite pencils sat at the bottom. "They're nice."
"They're perfect." Luis grinned.
"I'm glad." Max looked over. "...Thanks."
"For?"
"Stopping for this shop." Luis shrugged. "You would've done the same for me.. right?” Max knew he would have.
Sleepovers became surprisingly common. Mostly because nobody wanted to say goodbye after game night.
"So..." Pink looked around. "Everyone is just gonna…stay?" Nobody objected. Mattresses appeared. Blankets covered every inch of floor. Someone stole extra pillows from somewhere. Nobody asked where. Conversations lasted until two in the morning. Sometimes serious. Sometimes ridiculous.
"What would everyone's dream magical power be?"
"Invisibility."
"Flying."
"Talking to animals."
"Unlimited snacks." Everyone looked at Robbie.
"What?..It's practical." Everyone burst out into a thunder of laughter.
Sometimes— They talked about Wonderland. Not because they had to. Because they wanted to. It no longer hurt. It had become— A shared memory. One they all understood.
Three weeks passed faster than anyone expected. Leaves slowly began changing colors. The air turned cooler. Castle Coming posters appeared overnight across campus. Golden banners hung from every hallway. Students whispered excitedly. Dress shops became crowded. Tailors were fully booked. Every conversation eventually circled back to one topic…Castle Coming. Auradon's biggest dance of the year. Five weeks away. Excitement buzzed through the school like magic itself.
"So..." Pink announced dramatically during lunch.
"It's officially Castle Coming season." Chloe grinned. Red immediately reached for the event flyer. Hazel was already discussing dress colors. Felix looked horrified.
"...Do we have to dress up?"
"Yes."
"Dancing?"
"Probably."
"I've made a terrible mistake attending this school." Panic was seen in Felix’s eyes. Robbie laughed.
"I can't wait." Luis smiled despite himself. As Student Council President, Castle Coming wasn't just a dance. It was months of planning. Decorations. Schedules. Budgets. Entertainment. He'd be busier than ever. Still... Looking around the table— At Felix teasing Hazel. At Red and Chloe arguing over decorations. At Robbie stealing fries. At Pink already planning everyone's outfits. And at Max, quietly sketching little doodles in the margins of his notebook while smiling at the conversation around him... Luis couldn't help thinking that maybe this year's Castle Coming would be different. Across the table, Max glanced up. Their eyes met for only a second. Luis smiled. Max smiled back before returning to his sketchbook, though the corner of his page now held a tiny drawing of a castle beneath a sky full of stars. Neither of them realized it yet. Neither knew that five short weeks would change everything. But somewhere between late-night chess matches, horror movies, bookstore detours, and comfortable silences... Something had already begun. And Castle Coming was only the beginning.