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The silence in the dorm room hung heavy and stifling, thick enough to choke on. Flat on her back, Red mindlessly flicked through her phone screen, thoroughly bored and bitterly counting down every agonizing minute until practice finally wrapped up.
Chloe had sworn up and down that practice would be two hours tops, a quick, painless drills session to prep for the upcoming match. That was three hours and forty-five grueling minutes ago, and the room was still dead silent.
Every heavy tick from the wall clock felt like a deliberate insult, leaving the redhead sprawled across the mattress with an aching spine, a dying phone, and a rapidly burning fuse.
Truthfully, the irritation was just a cover for how deeply she hated being apart. Even a few minutes without her princess left an unbearable, empty ache in Red's chest, a constant, restless need to have her back in arm's reach.
A sudden, violent rattling at the bronze handle shattered the peace.
She didn't even bother sitting up. She merely cut her eyes toward the noise as the heavy oak door was shoved wide, swinging back until it slammed against the rubber wall stopper with a sharp, echoing thwack.
Chad stood in the doorway, sweating profusely and looking entirely out of his depth. He was practically dragging his sister, his arm hooked tightly beneath her shoulders while she sagged heavily against him.
Her usually spotless practice uniform was ripped wide open at the right shoulder, the frayed fabric soaked in a deep, glistening crimson that was rapidly spreading down her sleeve.
Long, jagged scratches crisscrossed her pale cheek, beaded with fresh, bright red blood that trickled down her jawline and dripped onto her collar. Her chest heaved in sharp, shallow gasps as she fought to stay upright.
“Red–heyyy,” Chad stammered, his voice cracking with a high-pitched, frantic edge. His eyes were wide with sheer panic as he tried to hoist the half-conscious girl further up. “Look, don't scream, okay? Don't scream! It–it wasn't entirely my fault–”
Red was off the mattress in a heartbeat, her heart plunging straight into her throat. The sharp scent of copper hit her nose, terrifying and immediate.
“What the hell did you do to her?!” she yelled, her voice laced with raw panic as she shoved Chad out of the way. She wrapped her arms securely around Chloe’s waist, taking the girl's limp weight into her own body. The blue haired girl winced, letting out a faint, painful whimper as her head flopped heavily against Red's shoulder, her blood smearing directly across the redhead’s collarbone.
“Look, Dizzy wanted to learn how to use a sword!” Chad blurted out, backing away with his hands raised in absolute terror as he practically dumped his sister off. “And so I remembered Chloe was at practice, and I thought, hey, we can both teach her, 'cause you know–we're Charmings! But then Dizzy panicked, okay? She swung wild, she lost her grip, and Chloe pulled this crazy hero dive to block it! The blade caught her shoulder, and the whole thing just devolved into total chaos–”
“Get the hell out, Chad!” She snarled, her knuckles turning white as she pulled the shivering princess fully into the safety of the room.
“Right! Yes! I'm leaving, she's all yours!” Chad squeaked, practically tripping over his own boots as he bolted into the hallway and slammed the heavy oak door shut behind him.
Slowly, the breath caught in Red’s throat. The panic that had seized her chest twisted into a strange, intoxicating dark thrill.
Looking down at her girlfriend, bleeding, bruised, and flushed from battle, the VK felt a sudden, dangerous wave of heat coil tight in her stomach. Part of her feral instincts found the girl breathtakingly attractive like this
Raw
Unpolished
And fierce
But in the exact same breath, seeing the princess’s blood spill made her stomach drop with a sickening, protective terror. Hearts cared for Chloe so deeply, so completely, that the mere sight of her hurting shattered every bit of Red's guarded outer exterior.
“Come on, Charming, let's get you into bed,” Red murmured softly, her voice taking on a gentle, reassuring tone.
Slipping one arm behind Chloe's trembling back and hooking the other securely beneath her knees, Red lifted the battered princess up into her arms and carried her across the quiet dorm toward the bed.
Hearts eased her down onto the edge of the mattress as if she were made of fragile glass. The bed dipped under their weight, and her boo immediately slumped forward, her elbows resting on her knees and her head hanging low as a shudder passed through her shoulders.
“Stay right there,” Red instructed softly, kneeling on the rug between her knees. “Don't move an inch.”
Up close, the damage was even clearer–the metallic tang of iron lingering in the air, mixed with dirt and sweat.
Gently, Red reached out, her fingers hovering for a second before carefully unlacing the bloody practice boots and slipping them off.
Next came the chest guard, its leather straps stiff and caked with dust. She unbuckled it with practiced ease, setting the heavy gear aside to give the blue haired girl room to breathe.
When Red reached up to brush a stray, sweat-dampened curl away from her temple, the blue haired girl leaned straight into the touch, her dark eyes fluttering half-shut and unfocused.
“I should've known Chad was involved the second you didn't show up on time,” Red murmured softly, her fingers gently smoothing a stray curl behind her ear. “I was losing my mind in here without you.”
Chloe let out a long, trembling breath, her head tilting into Red's palm like a flower leaning toward the sun.
“He was so confident, Red... like, super confident,” she slurred softly, her voice light and dizzy as the blood loss made her head spin. “He kept going on and on about “Charming courage”, which isn't even a real thing, by the way, it's just something our dad made up at breakfast–and then Dizzy was spinning, and the sword was shiny, and I thought, Oh, look, a sword! But then it wasn't in her hand anymore, it was in the air, and I was like, Wait, I need to catch that, because if it hit the floor it would scratch the polished Auradon wood, and Mom hates scratches, but then my shoulder went pop...”
“Hey, hey, slow down,” Red said, a quiet, heavy edge in her voice as she cupped her pale cheek. “Stop rambling, Charming.”
“...and then Chad started yelling about blue ribbons,” the princess kept blabbering, completely ignoring her, her dark eyes wide, glossy, and searching Red's face with dizzy devotion. “Did I tell you blue is my favorite color? It is. But red is better. You're Red. You're very red today. Like... pretty red. Did you paint the walls? Why are there two of you?”
Red felt her heart drop, a heavy, aching twist settling in her chest. The sight of her girlfriend–bleeding, bruised, and rambling out of pure lightheaded fatigue was doing ungodly things to her pulse.
“You're an absolute idiot, you know that?” the redhead whispered, her tone thick with an affection she couldn't hide no matter how hard she tried. “I can't take my eyes off you for ten minutes without you nearly dying.”
A tiny, breathless laugh escaped Chloe's lips, turning into a slight wince as the movement pulled at her wounded shoulder. “Your idiot?” she asked softly, her eyelids drooping heavily. “Because if I'm your idiot, then I get to talk as much as I want. I was gonna tell you about the mice outside... they were singing in key, Red. C-sharp.”
Red froze for a fraction of a second, her face burning instantly despite her worry. She cleared her throat, trying and failing to keep her voice steady as she reached over to grab the first-aid box from the nightstand.
“Shut up,” she muttered softly, her hands hovering just above the frayed collar of the practice uniform. She cleared her throat, a sudden wave of heat creeping up her neck. “Take your shirt off.”
Chloe’s dazed eyes blinked slowly, a sudden, playful spark cutting right through her dizzy haze. A small, wicked smirk tugged at the corner of her crimson-stained lips.
Slowly, she reached out, resting her warm hand flat against Red’s chest, her fingers catching on the collar of the leather vest. She felt the frantic, hammering rhythm of her pulse underneath.
Leaning in close, so close their lips brushed with every breath, sending an electric shock straight down Red's spine, the princess murmured softly, “Can't resist me, can you, Rebel?”
The redhead’s heart slammed against her ribs, but she didn't flinch. Instead, her own smirk flashed, sharp and playful, as she gently pressed two fingers against the uninjured shoulder, nudging her back against the pillows.
“Woah, calm down. I need to clean your wounds, you weirdo,” Red said, though the faint breathlessness in her tone completely betrayed her. “Save the charm for when you're not bleeding all over your sheets.”
“No promises,” Chloe teased softly, her eyelashes fluttering as she let out a long, contented sigh, finally settling into the mattress. “Besides, my mom says a princess should always be charming... get it? Charming? Because of my last name...”
Turning away before the fierce blush on her cheeks could give her completely away, Red walked over to the bathroom, grabbing the extra disinfectant from the shelf and snapping the latches of the kit open before heading back to the bed.
“Your clothes are still on,” she pointed out, setting the heavy medical kit down on the nightstand with a loud clatter.
The princess smiled, a slow, playful, slightly loopy tilt of her lips that made her look far less like a battered warrior and much more like a teasing royal. “You really want to see me without any clothes on, huh?”
She didn't even blink, a sudden, dangerous little smirk tugging at her lips as she leaned in just a fraction closer. “I already have, Charming,” she shot back smoothly, her tone dropping into a low, intimate hum. “We've been dating for months, or did that hit to the head make you forget who your girlfriend is?”
Chloe’s cheeks instantly flushed a brilliant, flustered pink, her confident facade crumbling into a dazed, helpless grin as her heart skipped a beat.
“Right. Obviously,” she stammered, biting her lower lip as her gaze darted down to Red's hands. “I just... needed to make sure you didn't forget. Because sometimes you look at me like you wanna fight me, but then you look at me like you wanna... kiss me... or give me soup...”
“Not a chance,” Red chuckled softly, leaning down to press a swift, gentle kiss to the uninjured crown of her head. “Now stop deflecting and get that top layer off so I can actually take care of you.”
Without breaking eye contact, Chloe slowly unzipped her shredded practice jacket, letting the heavy, dirt-streaked material slide off her arms and pool on the sheets.
Next came the torn outer shirt, peeled back with a quiet wince as the dried blood pulled slightly at her raw skin, leaving her sitting on the edge of the bed in just her fitted white tank top.
A lazy, wicked grin tugged at the corner of her lips despite her pain as she caught her girlfriend staring, leaning back against the pillows with a dazed, playful glint in her eyes. “Don't get too excited, Rebel... you still have to clean the wound first.”
Red’s playful grin melted away the instant the torn fabric was cast aside, revealing the true severity of the wound beneath.
A deep, jagged slice ran along the outer curve of her right shoulder, surrounded by a nasty purple bruise and faint blooms of red where the blood was still slowly oozing.
Chloe gazed up at Red, watching the intense, quiet focus etched across her face as she worked. There was something undeniably adorable about seeing the fiery VK so entirely grounded and careful just for her.
“You’re really pretty,” she murmured softly, reaching out to rest her hand against Red’s cheek, her thumb gently tracing the high line of her cheekbone as she admired her. “Like... really, really pretty. Did I mention that? I think I forgot to mention it in the hallway. I should've told Chad. I should've said, “Chad, look how pretty my girlfriend is,” but he was running...”
“Hey, stop distracting me,” Red muttered, though a faint flush dusted her cheeks as she tried–and failed–to keep her voice stern.
She sighed, though the low hum in her throat gave her away entirely. She grabbed her wrist, but instead of pulling her hand away, she pressed the princess's palm harder against her burning cheek, letting the contact drag out until the air between them felt thick enough to catch fire.
“I mean it, Charming,” Red growled softly, her voice dropping into a raspy whisper as her eyes darkened. “Stop looking at me like that, or this bandage is going to take all night.”
Chloe’s breath hitched, a thrilled shiver running straight down her spine at the sudden edge in Red’s tone. She tilted her head up, a playful glint dancing in her dark eyes. “Is that a threat, Rebel? Because if you take all night, I definitely won't complain. We can talk about glass boots... I hate glass boots, Red. They pinch your toes...”
“It’s a promise,” Red murmured, leaning inch by inch until her breath fanned hot against her lips. She held the agonizing beat, letting the tension coil tight and thick between them, before pulling back just enough to press a kiss into the center of her palm. “Now hold still and let me finish.”
Red doused a cotton pad in disinfectant, her hands trembling slightly as she worked. Seeing Chloe hurt pulled at her heartstrings in a way nothing else ever could, every small cut felt like a personal strike to Red's soul. She hated every wince her princess made, but seeing her girlfriend take the pain with such quiet endurance, and ridiculous rambling, only made Red fall deeper.
Opening a bottle of liquid ointment, Red poured a generous amount onto a fresh gauze pad. When she brought the soaked pad to the raw cut, she didn't just blow on the wound, she leaned down, her lips barely a millimeter away from her bare skin, breathing warm, steady air across the slice to soothe the sharp burn.
“Does it hurt too much?” Red asked quietly, her dark eyes searching hers with intense, protective concern. “I can go slower. Just tell me Bluey.”
The princess’s eyelashes fluttered as a weak, dangerously sultry smile touched her lips, her gaze dropping heavy and teasing to Red's lips. “Slower?” she whispered back, her voice raspy and breathless. “Careful, Rebel... keep talking like that and I might start thinking you have other intentions.”
“You’re hopeless,” Red breathed out, but her fingers tightened possessively on Chloe’s thigh, holding her anchored to the mattress with a quiet intensity that made the girl’s pulse race far faster than the pain ever could. “I swear, I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you, Chloe. You drive me crazy.”
“You'd just have to come rescue me again,” She murmured softly, her gaze softening into pure devotion as her head swayed a little. “And then you'd fix my shoulder... and call me an idiot... and I'd say your idiot...”
With deliberate care, Red smoothed fresh white gauze over the shoulder, her thumbs lingering against the dip of Chloe's collarbone as she taped it down securely.
Taking a warm, damp cloth, the rebel then moved to the blue haired girl’s face, gently wiping away the stray streaks of blood and grime from her pale cheek and jawline.
The rebel worked with painstaking softness, treating her like the most precious thing in the world. Her fingers lingered on her chin, tilting her face up gently as if verifying that her princess was truly intact, whole, and safe in her arms.
“All done,” Red whispered, her eyes slowly tracking up from Chloe's neck, to the soft curve of her lips, and finally locking onto her dark, blown-out eyes.
Chloe didn't say another random word. The airy, blood-loss rambling finally melted into raw, heavy silence.
Slowly, deliberately, her good arm reached up, hooking around the back of Red's neck. She pulled her down into a breathless kiss that tasted like iron, salt, and absolute relief.
Red let out a low, shuddering groan, her fingers tangling deep into Chloe's messy blue curls, deepening the kiss until both of them were completely lost in each other.
When they finally broke apart, Red rested her forehead against her girlfriend's, her chest heaving as her heart hammered wildly against her ribs.
“You're supposed to be resting,” She breathed out, a wicked, dazed smirk playing on her lips.
“Sorry, I couldn't resist,” Chloe whispered, her lips brushing Red's jaw as a soft, breathless laugh escaped her. “You came to my rescue, Rebel. You deserve a little love, too.”
“Okay, okay–no more kissing,” Red chuckled softly, gently pressing two fingers over her lips to keep her quiet. “You need to rest.”
“You’re no fun,” the blue haired girl mumbled with a soft, playful pout, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. “Fine. But tomorrow... you have to listen to my story about the C-sharp mice...”
Tugging Red down onto the mattress beside her, Chloe wrapped her arms tightly around her girlfriend, burying her face into the crook of the rebel’s neck.A long sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, finally letting the dark hold of sleep pull her under, safely holding her princess close.