CASUAL - red x chloe charming (descendants 4: rise of red)
a/n: literally watched the new descendants movie, and while there are some things that i thought could be better, i literally CANNOT stop shipping chloe and red more than anything else rn. it's like brainrot to me, so i have decided to write a fic on them (wattpad: hoakaikapo). here's the first chapter, it's currently 1am, so i'll write more tomorrow morning while my hype for them still lives.
warnings: none. just casual flirting (if that's how you interpret it).
Chloe found Red standing near the back of the courtyard after the ceremony, shoving her face with the endless pastries available on the dessert table. The princess of Wonderland seemed so childlike and innocent eating macaroons, almost as if they hadn’t gone back in time together and saved both of their mother’s from a certain fate.
“Enjoying that macaroon, Red?” said Chloe as she approached the table and laughed as she proceeded to eat another one. “You can calm down, they’re not going anywhere.”
Red rolled her eyes. “It’s not my fault time traveling could make a person so hungry.”
“I think famished is the word you’re going for since… you’ve nearly eaten the entire plate.” Chloe corrected her.
“Ok, yeah whatever, princess.”
There was a long silence between the two as they watched their mothers converse from afar. The Queen of Hearts embraced Cinderella so firmly as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. They laughed and talked like they were lifelong friends. Maybe it was true; neither of the girls were sure how they changed the timeline other than the fact that Red’s mom was a completely different person.
Although Red had finally gotten what she had wanted – a loving mother – she wasn’t sure why the sinking feeling in her stomach didn’t go away, no matter how many macaroons she ate. Maddox Hatter’s words still remained in her head: changing the timeline could affect everything as she knows it. But, for now, it was good enough for her to see her mother the way she had seen her in high school: a kind person.
Red could only hope that it would stay this way.
“So, our mission here is officially over,” Red breaks the silence at last. “This was a great way to start off the new school year.”
“Couldn’t agree more with you,” Chloe responds and turns to face Red. “You know, this doesn’t have to be the end.”
Red tilts her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Like, we can be friends,” she slowly says, her tone sounding cautious as if to not anger the other princess, “If you wanted to be.”
Before Red could answer her, or even process the offer Chloe just made, their mothers called out to them, striding to their daughters arm in arm then breaking off once they reached their girls. Bridget plants a kiss on Red’s cheek and Cinderella strokes Chloe’s hair, a smile on both of the queen’s faces.
“We were going to introduce you girls formally, but it seems like you two have already met,” the Queen of Hearts said, looking between the two girls. They smile awkwardly at each other for a moment before looking away. “Red, this is my good friend, Ella – well, her majesty, her royal highness, I suppose. We went to high school together right here at Auradon Prep, or Merlin Academy as it was known for us.”
“Bridget, stop it. When it comes to you, there is no need for formalities,” Ella laughs. “It is so lovely to meet you at last, Princess Red. Your mother and I used to send letters back and forth just talking about our daughters when you both were babies.”
“Oh, really? I never knew that…” she says through gritted teeth.
“Yes, and now it gives me so much pleasure to introduce my daughter, Chloe, to you, Bridget. Formally and not written.” The queen’s laugh together for a brief moment.
Chloe holds out her hand to the red queen for her to shake. “Your highness, it is so lovely to meet you and your daughter.”
Red never really thought about it before, but Chloe was the spitting image of her mother: curly blue hair, big dark brown eyes, and quite charming, indeed, not to be ironic or anything. She mimicked Cinderella in every mannerism and every action, like a future queen.
It was odd for the two girls to listen to their mother’s talk, occasionally chiming in every once in a while. Both felt like they knew too little about their current future to produce no more than a sentence in their answers to each question. When Ella asked Red what she did in her free time, she froze. Usually, she would terrorize her mother’s portraits and disobey her ridiculous rules. But since changing the timeline, she wasn’t quite sure what else changed in Wonderland, so she settled for painting, which seemed to surprise her mother.
“You girls are going to have so much fun together!” Bridget exclaimed as the four began walking out of the courtyard. “Ella and I were never roommates while we were in school, but I know you two will have the best time being with each other.”
“Wait, what?” The two princesses said in unison, stopping in their tracks and passing a look of shock between each other.
Ella tilted her head. “Yes, you two are roommates. We were talking about it when we were checking in, remember? Your mom and I specifically sent a request to Principal Uma to allow you two girls to board together.”
“You did? We did?” Red responded in confusion.
Chloe nudged the girl in her side, causing her to grunt, as if to signal to her to play along. “Yes, mom, you did. Red mustn’t remember because she ate too many macaroons, didn’t you?”
Red snarled at Chloe. “Yeah, and I can’t wait, roomie.”
Their mother’s smile contentedly before turning and walking ahead of their daughters; they decided it was best for them to give the girls their alone time so that they may be acquainted with each other before their rooming situation.
If only they knew how familiar their two daughters already were with each other.
“Just because we’re roommates doesn’t mean we’re exactly friends, princess,” Red snaps slightly. “I can still feed you to the Jabberwocky.”
Chloe rolls her eyes. “Back to your attitude again, I see.”
“I do not have an attitude,” Red exclaims.
“I said shut up first, princess.”
The walk back to the dorm was mainly silent between the two while their mothers chatted, gossiped, and laughed like they were still high schoolers. By the time they had reached their room, it was time for a swift goodbye from the two queen’s, and as simple as that, they were off.
Entering into their dorm room for the first time, they found that their stuff was already set up and situated to their liking. The right side of the room was Red’s, no surprise there since it was covered in red and black from corner to floor. Red smiled at the letter from Maddox Hatter on her desk, already missing her former tutor and friend terribly. Chloe’s side, on the other hand, was white and blue. It was quite simple to Red’s surprise -- she had originally thought the other girl would be more decorative. But to Chloe, it was exactly how she wanted it to be; the only thing missing was her sword on its respective stand, which she did so immediately.
There was one walk-in closet with Red’s clothes taking up one side and Chloe’s clothes taking up the either. The bathroom was lavish, completed with a tub, a walk-in shower, two sinks, some sort of fancy imported toilet, and a large mirror. But, by far, their common area was easily their favorite spot: a large gray sofa with Auradon crested throw pillows, two bookcases filled with books, a TV with some sort of gaming station hooked up to it, and two desks for studying – if there should be any time for that.
It was every girl’s dream room.
“You should turn that into Principal Uma,” Chloe says when she notices the time travel watch on Red’s desk as they were getting ready for bed. “It can be dangerous, you know. It’s not something you should just casually have.”
“Are you saying that because I’m a villain?” Red scoffs.
“You’re not a villain, Red,” she responds. “I just want to be cautious, considering how easy it was for us to time travel in the first place. This isn’t something that should be just laying around our room.”
Our room, Red thought. I can’t believe I have to share it with you for the rest of the year.
“You’re such a goody-goody,” she retorts. “Always abiding by the rules.”
Chloe’s starting to get annoyed. “We’re not having this argument again, Red, I was just saying that-”
“Then drop the topic if you don’t want to argue?”
“Don’t cut me off while I’m talking!” Chloe yells.
Red goes silent immediately over the girl’s sudden outburst. She had never seen this side of the princess before even though she had only gotten to know her over the past four days.
“I’m not being a goody-goody, you’re not a villain either. It could be so easy for someone to time travel accidentally and I just want us to be safe, especially you,” Chloe states, a mixed look of concern and shock over the realization of what she had said at the end.
There’s a pull in Red’s chest, as if a hand wrapped around her heart and started squeezing it when Chloe talked about their safety – her safety, specifically. Her heart pangs in the most unfamiliar way over repeating those words in her head.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’ll just, um, I’m gonna head to bed,” mutters Chloe as she turns off the light. “Night, Red.”
Red can feel herself giving into what Chloe was saying. A part of her didn’t want to, but another part of her understood where the princess was coming from. It was too easy for them to time travel in the first place; the watch could easily be mistaken as a regular pocket watch to anyone else. So, maybe Chloe was right…
Red was going to hate herself later for this.
“Rather than turning it in,” she says slowly amidst the cover of darkness, hoping that Chloe was still awake to hear her so she didn’t sound stupid talking to herself. “I’ll lock it away. That way I don’t have to give it up – per say – and you don’t need to worry about the whole safety thing, you know?”
It’s silent for a while, and dark, until the sound of a lamp turns on and the room is partially filled with light again.
“Red,” Chloe clears her throat, Red looks at her at the sound. “Are you offering a compromise right now?”
“I don’t know. Is that what it’s called?” Red asks.
Chloe laughs. “Yeah, it is.”
“Then, yes, I am, princess,” she grins slightly.
Chloe can’t help the smile on her face over Red’s supposed compromise – and maybe the nickname, even though they were both princesses.
“I can do that,” agreed Chloe, staring at Red from her bed and viewing her in a completely different view from when she first met her. “Just as long as you promise to not use it again for dumb purposes.”
Red chuckles then turns to face her. “Villains don’t make promises.”
“For the last time, you’re not a villain!” Chloe groans as she turns off the lamp, darkness taking hold of the girl’s room once again.
“Tonight, you will not be fed to my Jabberwocky.” Red jokes, still facing the direction where Chloe was earlier in her bed.
