Summary: You're a regular at the Mostro Lounge, and one of Jade's favorites. But when he's left high and dry, you decide to put your skills to the test to help out.
Pairing: Jade Leech X G/N!Reader
Genre: Fluff Drabble
Word Count: 790
Warning: A bit OOC
Masterlist
It was such an odd time, but at 2:52 on the dot, the door to the Mostro Lounge would open and you would walk in like you owned the place. It was the same every single day, rain or shine. You would walk in, Jade would pretend to take your order as you ask to try something new with an absurd amount of confidence. He would smile and tell you to wait while he prepared something for you.
Day in and day out it was the same. When you had gone through everything on the menu, Jade began creating new dishes for you to sample. You tried everything from light snacks to heavy meals to new desserts. And you were never shy about your opinions. If you didn't like something, you'd push it away, throw some coins on the table, and leave. But if you loved it, you would talk his ear off about what you liked and demand he put it on the menu. You would push him to add it until he eventually relented. Sure, it annoyed Azul like crazy, but Jade never said no to you.
So when it was 2:52, and the bell above the door rang, Jade knew exactly who had just walked into the Loung. But he didn't say anything. At least, not like he usually did. Whenever you walked in, he would greet you with a smile and direct you to your usual table. But today, he was running around like a chicken with your head cut off. The Lounge was swamped, more so than usual. People filled every available space and it looked like he was the only one working. It seems Floyd decided to skip work today.
"What's happening here?" You asked when he moved past you.
"Busy day." Jade replied, his words clipped. "Lots of customers and no one working. Azul is sick and Floyd got detention."
"Why?"
"I don't know and I frankly don't care." He vaguely gestured towards your normal table. "You can have a seat over there. I'll be with you as soon as I can."
Your eyes softened when you saw the table. Even with the place filled to the brim, he still managed to keep your usual spot open and clean for you. You were touched by such a thoughtful gesture.
You sat there for a few minutes, watching as he raced about the cafe, filling orders and serving customers. You didn't understand why the staff decided to leave him hanging like this. It wasn't fair! You couldn't bear to watch him work himself to the bone like this.
So with your mind made up, you stood from your table, walked over to the one beside you, and said, "Hi, I'm Y/n, I'll be your waiter today. What can I get you?"
Without asking for permission, you began to lighten the load on Jade's shoulders. You waited on tables and served the customers. You even made a couple of drinks or snagged some of the freshly made pastries for those ordering dessert. Despite struggling a little in the beginning, you found yourself getting into the swing of things. Before too long, the crowd had thinned out and everyone had been served.
Jade found you sitting at your usual table, sipping on a cup of tea you had prepared for yourself. He took a seat across from you and narrowed his eyes at you. "Why did you do that?"
You looked at him like you had no idea what he was talking about. "Pardon?"
"Why did you help me?"
"Because you needed help." You shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. But he narrowed his eyes even further. You shifted in your seat, before continuing. "I mean, you were doing the work of three people by yourself. You obviously needed some assistance. And it's not like I was doing anything just sitting here."
"You didn't have to do that."
"I didn't have to. I wanted to."
He sighed and shook his head. "I should have gotten you something while you waited."
"Don't start beating yourself up because of me." You lightly chided him, knowing he wasn't all that upset. If anything, he seemed impressed, which made you happy. "I didn't mind helping. I mean, I'm not looking to be a permanent addition to your establishment, but if you ever need an extra pair of hands, just let me know."
There's a brief moment of silence as he stares at you. And then he smiled, and you swore you could feel your heart flutter. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome." You mumbled as you tried to cover your blush. "Now, I want to try something new."
pairing: (eel!prince) jade leech x (princess) female reader
warning: not proofread
word count: 696
As a princess you are forbidden or annoyingly restricted from doing certain things but that doesn’t mean you don’t break the rules once or twice— okay maybe a couple of times. The halls are empty and quiet as sleep roams around leisurely. However, you’re wide awake and eager to venture outside because someone is waiting for you whose just as excited. You slowly opened your door to find the halls completely open, no one in sight. With just a warm cape and a candle at hand, you made your way through the castle with as much caution as you could. Luckily, there’s an exit where no guards stay stationed once night falls. Although you really dislike the groaning it makes when the door is turning. After moving far enough at a safe distance, you run as far as you can till you reach the beach.
Your lungs take a nice big deep inhale of the salty ocean air. From there you walk your way to a specific cave that is marked by a shell stuck by the entrance. You made your way inside with the candle lighting your way before you arrived. “Jade? Jade? Are you here?” As soon as your voice bounces off the walls, a head emerges from the water. His eyes were the only thing you could see before he rose high enough to show his entire upper body. “There’s my Prince!” You chirped as his cheeks slightly reddened. You took a nice seat against a smoothened rock as you set the candle aside. His webbed hand took yours as he laid a gentle kiss upon it. “I missed you, My Pearl.” He lays his head onto your lap, cheeks nudging against your soft skin. “Too long…” He grumbled anxiously as he heard you happily chuckle.
“I know but you already know how things are?” Your hand combs through his hair as he starts to purr relaxingly. “Plus I got extra eyes on me this year, my coming of age party is soon to come. Then I’ll have to worry about being betrothed…” At the very sound of that he shoots up, his arms protectively wrapping around you. “Mine.” He claimed, his chin resting on your chest as he pouts. Your head shook left and right, “I know Jade but I’ll have to get married at one point. If I could, I would trade my legs for a beautiful tail.” What a beautiful delusion that would be. Jade’s eyes widened, his arms loosened for him to jump back into the water. “Come with me.” His hand reached out to you in the water. “I can’t swim Jade.” You curiously warned him as he frowned. “Don’t need to, I’ll give you air.” At the very thought, your head started steaming. “N-No Jade. I’m sorry I can’t—” You were cut off as you see the sun rising. “Shoot! I gotta go!”
But before you can move another inch, his hand tugs on your dress. His eyes were begging you to stay. “Stay? Please? My Mate?” Once again you kneel, “I wish Jade. I really do. But I must go for I, a land dweller, can’t go where you can and neither could you. Sorry My Love. Maybe one day?” You bid him goodbye with a kiss to the forehead. “Stay safe!” You waved him goodbye and rushed back as quickly as you could before you got scolded by your father or worse by the head maid. She’s always extra stern with you.
Jade stays there floating, watching your figure disappear, “Come back soon, Y/N.” He stares down at the gift he prepared from countless nights of no sleep. It was a pearl necklace, with the shiniest and finest quality, he hand picked them himself. The thread that is strung through is also hand made by him, made out of the softest kelp out there. He was so distracted by the idea of letting you meet Azul that he forgot to give it to you. “Next time?” He questioned, his voice blue as the sea wondering if he’ll even be able to see you again. Who knows what might happen up there? “Stay safe too…”
Hi! I love reading your works and I have a little request if you don't mind for a Jade x Reader.
I really just want a short where the reader is making their Halloween costume (a mushroom fairy) and surprises Jade with it. It'd be even cuter if the mushroom that the reader got inspiration from also happened to be a favorite of Jade's.
⊱ A Tailor-Made Coshroom ⊰ || Jade Leech X Reader
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Character(s): Jade Leech, Floyd Leech, Azul Ashengrotto, Grim (Twisted Wonderland)
Reader Type: Human, Ramshackle Prefect (Gender-Neutral Pronouns) – Reader is mentioned to be shorter than Floyd and Jade.
Warning(s): Brief Mentions of Blood, but Besides That, Nothing! I also always use the Japanese TWST Terms (Dorm Leader instead of Housewarden, Madols instead of Thaumarks, etc.) in my writing.
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, Attempt at Comedy, Romantic or Platonic Relationship (It Can Technically be Read as Either since Nothing is Stated Directly, but it Does Lean More on the Romantic Side of Things)
Word Count: ~1,900 words
Request: “Hi! I love reading your works and I have a little request if you don't mind for a Jade x Reader. I really just want a short where the reader is making their Halloween costume (a mushroom fairy) and surprises Jade with it. It'd be even cuter if the mushroom that the reader got inspiration from also happened to be a favorite of Jade's.”
Author’s Note: I’m overjoyed to hear you enjoy my works; thank you so much for reading! This ask has been sitting in my inbox for quite some time but, since spooky-season is right around the corner, I thought now would be the perfect time for me to post this. I’ve been lacking a lot of motivation when it comes to writing as of late, but I’m hoping I can pump out at least one request every week from now on until my inbox is cleared out. I actually started my Master’s program, so hopefully I’ll have time to be able to write for enjoyment rather than just for academics. 😅 I hope this is alright; I have to admit, I’m a bit rusty haha. (Also, just a PSA, the ending is supposed to be cute I swear – it’s just Jade acting a little more childish like Floyd and was not intended to be creepy! I didn’t want this to get too long since it was supposed to be a shorter piece, but I had no idea where to end it. 😔) Also, yes, the title is a pun on costume/mushroom – yes, I couldn’t think of another title.
→ If you enjoyed my work, please reblog it if you can! Exposure on Tumblr is based on reblogging content rather than liking it, so your support would be much appreciated! ♡
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Halloween was inching closer and closer by the day and you didn’t have much more time to complete your costume. So, as soon as you were finished with class for the day, you immediately returned to Ramshackle, cooping yourself up in your room until it was time to make you and Grim dinner. You had been working non-stop on your costume for the past week or so, powering through the many times you’ve pricked your finger with your accursed sewing needle. You couldn’t even count the numerous occasions that Grim or the ghosts had to help bandage your hands up after all your slip-ups at this point.
You had come up with an idea nearly a month ago and wanted to make it a reality with your own two hands – this year for Halloween, you would be a mushroom fairy! You had thought the idea was pretty cute, plus it was a simple enough costume to make considering all the DIY videos you could find on the internet. While it most certainly wouldn’t be unique by any means, hopefully your classmates would be able to appreciate the work you had put into it.
Your costume was based on the Fly Agaric mushroom, also known as Amanita Muscaria, simply because it was an iconic mushroom with its recognizable red-and-white-dotted cap. It was also one of your upperclassmen’s favorite species of mushroom, but that wasn’t the reason why you chose it – it was just a coincidence, you swear.
Right now, you were currently finishing up your mushroom cap, sewing on a few final details into the red fabric considering Halloween was now only two days away at this point. You were certainly excited to be able to show off your costume to your friends, and you were hoping you’d get a genuine reaction out of the previously-mentioned upperclassman. After about another twenty minutes, you had completed adding all of the small white beads to your hat. With a wide smile, you held your costume out in front of you. It was finally ready, and you couldn’t wait to see what everyone thought of it at the party.
Before you knew it, it was finally Halloween and – after weeks of hard work and bloody fingertips – you were finally able to wear your costume! You already had gotten quite a few compliments from some of your friends, but you had a specific upperclassman in mind you knew would absolutely love what you were wearing. You were currently scanning the room to see if you could find him, trying to spot his signature teal hair among the large body of students. It shouldn’t be too hard to find him considering how tall he was, but you ended up finding his brother before you could him.
“Hey Floyd! Happy Halloween!” You said with a smile, making your way over to one of the school’s biggest menaces. Floyd’s face seemed to light up when he saw you, a bright yet somewhat intimidating grin spreading across his features.
His sharp teeth were at full display as he made his way over to you, waving as he said in a sing-song tone, “Shrimpy~, there you a–!” However, once he seemed to register your costume, his smile immediately faded as he questioned with a slight scowl, “…What are you wearing?”
“I’m a mushroom fairy! Pretty cute, right?” You told him in return, pride filling your chest as you gestured towards your outfit.
“Ew, no – mushrooms are gross.” Floyd said with a grimace, looking almost disappointed with you.
“What? No they’re not! They’re absolutely adorable!” You told him in return, placing your hands on your hips as you stood your ground.
“Ugh – you’ve been hangin’ out with Jade too much. He’s a bad influence on you.” Floyd said, coming over and placing his arm on your shoulder as he leaned into you with his taller form. He had the habit of using you like an armrest every now and again, a habit that he had picked up months ago at this point.
“Arguably, I think you’re a worse influence.” You said with a slight huff, trying to keep yourself balanced considering you had a giant leaning against you. You moved the hat on your head out of the way so you could glance up at Floyd, asking him, “Where is your brother, by the way? I’ve been looking all over for him.”
“Last time I saw him, he was with Azul by the food table.” Floyd said, glancing down at you in return. However, once your eyes met, a wide smirk began growing on his face. As he poked your cheek slightly with his index finger, he asked teasingly, “Why, you wanna show him your adorable costume? Ehehehe, you’re getting bold, Shrimpy.”
“You know what? I think I’m done with this conversation.” You bluntly stated, quickly removing yourself from under his weight as Floyd laughed out loud at your slightly flushed face; you didn’t get why he liked teasing you so much. He didn’t seem fazed by it at all by your sudden movement either, immediately returning to his usual posture as though he hadn’t been putting all of his weight on you just mere moments ago.
“Good luck~ – I’m rooting for you!” Floyd said with a shit-eating grin, waving to you as you left that conversation before he could embarrass you any further.
You weaved in and out of the sea of your classmates, looking for the food table since that was the only lead you had to go off of. You knew you probably had all night to show your costume to Jade who was arguably the person who would appreciate it the most, but a part of you just wanted to show him now. Thankfully, as the snack table came into view, you saw both Jade and Azul who seemed to be talking with one another. Azul was drinking what seemed to be fruit punch, a slight scowl on his face as he glared down at the cup in his hand, while Jade seemed absolutely delighted by his companion’s utter look of distaste.
“Note to self,” You thought, “Don’t try the punch.”
Now was the perfect opportunity for a scare, though, so you tried to make yourself as small as possible which was honestly quite difficult given the size of your hat. You slowly closed in on Azul and Jade, the former seeming to notice your presence but deciding not to say anything as you snuck up beside Jade, jumping up slightly as you exclaimed, “Boo!”
“Ah, Prefect, it’s nice to see y–…” Jade said with a smile as he turned slightly to look at you, his words tapering off as soon as you two made eye contact.
You grinned up at both of them, saying happily, “Happy Halloween you two!”
“Yes, happy Halloween to you as well.” Azul said, throwing his cup of punch into a nearby trash can as he asked you with a slight smirk, “Not going to say ‘trick or treat’ to me again this year, hmm?”
“Nope – I think I learned my lesson from last year… but, if you happen to have any treats you’d like to give out, I’ll happily take some!” You said with a smile, watching as Azul pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. Jade was still looking at you, not having said anything besides his unfinished greeting.
One of Azul’s brows rose in question as he asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at you as if you had grown a second head, “Since when did I become someone who just gives out things?”
“Since we became friends, duh – friends do nice things for friends, no strings attached!” You told him honestly; after all, you considered the three most terrifying influential members of the Octavinelle dorm to be your friends. While you definitely did not have the best start with any of them, you really didn’t have a lot of good first impressions (or experiences) with any of your friends at NRC. Somehow throughout the past year, though, you had grown to be quite close with the octo-trio.
He seemed to think for a moment, glancing over at Jade before smiling and muttering slightly, “Hmm… I have an idea of something nice I could do for both of you, then.” He then suddenly began to walk away, waving slightly as he departed as he spoke, “I’ll talk to you later if we run into each other again – have fun, Prefect.”
“Oh, uh… you too?” You managed to say, waving to him as well despite how confused you were at the whole situation. Why did he just leave? How exactly was ditching in the middle of your conversation doing something nice?? You know, sometimes Azul was just as much an enigma as the twins were.
“Well, that was kind of weird…” You muttered to yourself before returning all of your attention to Jade, smiling up at him as you gestured towards your attire, “So, what do you think about my costume Jade? Believe it or not, I even managed to make it all by myself.”
He had been watching Azul’s retreating form with a slight frown on his face as he muttered under his breath, “…He’s going to make me repay him for this, isn’t he?”
“Hmm? What was that, Jade?” You asked, not having quite heard what he had said. Between the noisiness of the party and the height difference between the two of you, it was difficult to hear anyone if they weren’t speaking louder than usual.
Jade just looked down at you, his smile returning full-force as he said, “Oh, it’s nothing you have to worry about.”
Before you could even ask him what that meant by that, Jade reached forward to hold the ruffles that lined the bottom of your hat in between his fingers as he inspected it, telling you with a slight hint of interest in his voice, “Your costume is quite impressive; you did a very good job, you know.” He paused for a moment to ask you, looking down at your form with his mismatched eyes, “Say, what made you decide to pick the Fly Agaric mushroom, hmm?”
“I mean, probably it’s an iconic mushroom, you know? Like, I’m pretty sure everyone knows what this one looks like even if they don’t know its name.” You told him, taking a moment to think about whether you wanted to admit the second part out loud. Well, you might as well be completely honest with him – after all, he could very easily get the truth out of you if he wanted to, “Plus… isn’t it one of your favorite mushrooms? I just thought you’d appreciate it, is all.”
Jade’s face was unsettlingly blank for a long time before an arguably terrifying smirk grew across his face as he lightly pinched one of your cheeks in between his fingers, “My, you’re too cute, Prefect. I could just eat you up right now.”
“Really Jade? Now isn’t the time to joke around like that… I mean, you are joking, right?” You asked, glancing up at him; however, Jade said nothing in return, the grin on his face only widening. You could feel your blood run cold as you asked him, a nervous smile on your face as you said, “…Do I at least get a head-start?”
He seemed to think for a moment, standing up straight before telling you with a smile, “Go ahead – I’ll be a little more courteous to you than my brother usually is. Now, let’s have some fun, hm?”
Hello again! Lemme get a writing request in too while I'm at it, hehe. :3 You got any househusband octotrio headcanons? I'm always starving for some seafood.
☆ Notes: I sat and stared at this for an hour before I could start writing. writers block kinda sucks ngl, but i did try my best!! so i hope you enjoy lol
! Word Count: 650ish
Azul
He hates to just sit around, especially when he thinks there’s more to do. He loves to keep busy, he always has to be doing something.
It doesn’t all have to be manual labor though, he might spend hours looking up recipes that he’d think you’d enjoy, or taking extra classes, like a cooking or spend some time peacefully gardening.
He likes to pack your lunch every morning, and he’ll always add a lot bit of your favorite snack to give you a boost of energy to get through the day
He’s always overworking himself, and ignoring his needs. Like rest.
“Ah, y/n, you’re home early. What a surprise…”
“Are you okay Azul, you look like you’re drenched in sweat- Are you coming down with a fever…?”
“No I feel fine,” He reassured you.
“You’ve been overworking yourself too much then.”
“I have not. I’ve just been doing what needs to be done.” He scolded, trying to prove a point.
“Come on, I’ll cook dinner today, it’s your turn to rest.”
“But you’ve been at work all day- It’s fine really-!”
“And you’ve been cleaning all day, it’s your turn to take a break.”
“Thank you y/n… I appreciate it.” He sighed with a smile, knowing that arguing was futile.
Jade
An absolute clean freak, but in a chaotic way. You’ve never seen anyone scrub a toilet with so much energy and effort but with such a stoic yet smiley face.
He might leave things out a bit if he gets preoccupied with something else, like he’ll leave the faucet on for hours while he’s vacuuming, or he’ll leave out a carton of milked cause he remember that he needed to clean the windows.
But he likes to work by himself, you’ll offer to help but he can be stubborn when he wants to, so you cave, and right after you tell him that the sink is on fire, for the 3rd time that week. It was a Tuesday.
He loves to welcome you home from work with kind gestures, like preparing a surprise picnic, or giving you a massage if you mention that you’re sore.
“Ah… Please be gentle, Jade.”
“Of course, y/n…”
“Uggh…Not so hard!”
“I apologize it’s hard to contain myself when you’re… like this.”
“Jade! It- it hurts! But it feels so good.”
“I know y/n, trust in me.”
“Nngh…Azul was right, you really do give great shoulder massages.”
And poor Grimm was outside your door wanting to ask you something, traumatized. Ngl, situations like that happen quite frequently.
Floyd
Your shelved are filled with random things he finds at markets or thrift stores. Including a very creepy doll that you swear you saw blink.
But Floyd calls it his treasure so you just shrug and let him continue his collection. He is a bit of a hoarder though and you need to help him sort through a bunch of things.
You try the pile method but he ends up putting everything in the maybe it the keep pile. You get absolutely no where.
He hates being bored but he won’t do a lot of extra work, so he’ll go out and find more things, like little nicknacks that he says reminds him of you. …Like a cartoon squirrel easy-bake-oven. You decide to take it in stride.
He also breaks things quite a bit, he tries to fix them for the most part, but sometimes he just gives up and will put broken dishes back in the cabinets.
“Why are all of our dishes broken..?”
“They’re not broken, now we have dinner ware for 57 more little shrimpies!”
“…When are we inviting 57 shrimp over dinner?”
“Next Wednesday, do you not check the calendar? We put it up for a reason.”
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Character(s): Jade Leech (Twisted Wonderland)
Reader Type: Human, Ramshackle Prefect (Gender-Neutral Pronouns)
Warning(s): Off-Screen Bullying, Brief Descriptions of Blood and Mild Injuries, Discussions of Violence/Violent Actions
Genre: Drabble, Fluff (Hurt/Comfort), Platonic or Romantic Relationship
Word Count: ~2,100 words
Prompt: “tell me who did this to you.” [Prompt List]
Author’s Note: Since I’ve done a drabble for the other two members of Octavinelle, it was only fair that I did one for Jade, too. Jade is a very intimidating character to write (in my opinion) given just how complex he is when it comes to his motivations and reasoning behind his actions in a similar manner to his brother. I hope you all enjoy this and that I didn’t butcher his character too much haha. 😅
→ If you enjoyed my work, please reblog it if you can! Exposure on Tumblr is based on reblogging content rather than liking it, so your support would be much appreciated! ♡
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You were sitting on one of the beds in the infirmary and, having been here quite a few times in the past, you thankfully already knew where everything was located. It always seemed like the nurse was never anywhere to be found when the students actually needed them to do their job, but you weren’t bitter (okay, maybe you were). Because of that, you were now left to tend to your wounds by yourself. You eyed the bruises that decorated your wrist like a bracelet and the large scratches that ran down the underside of your forearm, the blood already having dried and caked to your skin. You grabbed a cloth and put disinfectant on the piece of fabric, cringing and letting a hiss of air escape between your teeth as you placed a soaked rag on the already sore wound. You couldn’t help the tears that formed in your eyes, closing them as you tried to control your breathing from the pain.
After a moment of contemplating your life choices as the searing pain started simmering down, you opened your eyes again and turned to look at your visage in the small mirror hanging on the brick wall across the room from where you were seated. There was a large bruise forming under your left eye and small, minuscule cuts littered your cheeks as a small stream of blood trickled down from one of your nostrils, ending right before reaching your lips. You’ve looked better – who hadn’t after being beaten up by some upperclassmen – but it wasn’t the worst you’ve been injured while living in this new world so that was a plus in your book.
You released a shaky breath, trying to calm your nerves and enjoy the light breeze that was blowing through one of the open windows as you began wrapping your arm in gauze. You didn’t hear the door of the infirmary creak open since you were so immersed in your current predicament, only noticing there was another person in the room with you when a voice called out, “Prefect? My, what brings you here?”
You jumped at the voice and turned to look at the figure. When your brain finally registered who was standing there, you placed your non-wounded hand over your heart as you exclaimed, “Ah! Oh, Jade… Woo, you startled me there for a moment, hehe. So, uh… what brings you here?”
“I fell off my broom during P.E…” He stated bluntly, looking a bit annoyed at that fact as he plucked a stray twig from his now knotted teal locks. Other than a few cuts on his face, Jade didn’t look too worse for wear; if anything, he probably just wanted an excuse to skip class for today since flying was his worst subject.
Jade made his way over to you from where he had been standing near the infirmary entrance, taking a seat on the bed in front of you as he looked you up and down like a predator assessing their prey. You squirmed slightly under the gaze of his mismatched eyes, focusing on the bottle of disinfectant you had placed on the bedside table as a way to avoid direct eye contact. Jade suddenly asked, effectively breaking the awkward silence that had accumulated between the two of you, “May I ask what you are doing here? Those injuries don’t look like the results of a simple fall.”
“It… It’s nothing, really.” Was what you said, waving your arm that wasn’t currently in the process of being wrapped in gauze in front of you dismissively. Though, when you made eye contact with Jade, you could tell he wasn’t believing a single thing you were telling him. You have no idea why you kept lying to him – you knew that he could tell you weren’t telling him the truth – but you just continued digging your grave as you told him, “E-Everything is fine now so, uh, yeah… n-no need to worry.”
“Hmm… I don’t think I’ve heard you flounder this much since the first time we met. What don’t you wish to tell me? It’s obvious you’re hiding something.” He stated, his tone a mixture between teasing and genuinely curious. Jade was leaning forward slightly, his body casting a shadow on your shrunken form due to the fluorescent lights above you that added another layer of uneasiness in your heart. What you wouldn’t give to be able to just straight-up disappear from the situation – surely there was teleportation magic or something out there.
Realizing Jade wasn’t going to back off so easily, you gave in and sighed out as you ran your shaky hand through your hair, “Listen, like I said, it’s not a big deal but…” You paused for a moment, remembering what had happened less than an hour ago and trying not to start bawling right then and there. To calm your nerves and to keep yourself from breaking down in front of Jade Leech of all people, you took a deep breath before continuing, “some students have been treating me worse than they used to. Being a magicless human in a school full of mages puts a target on my back – I mean, I already knew that – but some of them have just been a bit more… ruthless than they used to be. They were just messing with me when it ended up going a bit too far, is all.”
“So, you call these injuries of yours a simple accident?” Jade asked, reaching toward you and gently pushing some of the loose gauze away from your skin in order to see the three deep lacerations that traveled from your wrist to your elbow. He continued talking, an emotion you couldn’t quite place swirling in his gold and olive eyes as he stated, “These marks on your arm certainly look intentional.”
“It’s fine, Jade. I’ll just patch myself up and–…” You started, trying to help ease the situation into a more light-hearted territory before your efforts were halted near immediately by the merman in front of you.
Jade was staring directly into your eyes, anger evident on his features; it wasn’t an expression you had ever seen him wear before. There was no question, no room to escape as he demanded, “Tell me who did this to you.”
The only thing you were able to squeak out was a pathetic, “W…What?”
Jade sat up straighter, removing his hand from your arm as he asked, “Who hurt you? I will make sure they compensate for what they have done.”
“T-There’s no need for that, really! It’ll heal up in no time so–!” You tried telling him but, just like before, you were cut off before being able to finish spewing excuses.
“That is not the problem...” You flinched slightly at the tone of his voice as you tried not to curl into yourself like a turtle hiding from danger. You never acted this way around Jade (well, at least not lately – your first meeting doesn’t count) and the sight of you scared and injured after what those imbeciles had done to you stung his heart in a way that only confused him further. Jade, taking notice of your body language, simply sighed and stood up as he made his way over to a cupboard to retrieve a box of bandages. He kept speaking as he rummaged through the unorganized mess, telling you, “People like this won’t leave you alone unless an example of one is made.”
“Jade, I don’t want them getting hurt.” You stated, your voice strong and powerful despite your current mental state. That did manage to bring a small smile to Jade’s face knowing that you hadn’t let those brutes stamp out the spark you held. It’s not like you wanted to spare them from anything and was more like you didn’t want to stoop to their level; you didn’t want to be like them in any sense of the word.
“I never said they’d be hurt physically, did I? An example can be made by ruining their social life or academic career – they don’t need to be harmed bodily, you know.” Jade told you, making his way back to where you sat with a box of bandages in one hand and antibacterial ointment in the other; he was speaking in such a casual way that you would think you were talking about the weather and not destroying someone’s life. Instead of sitting in front of you, however, this time around he took a seat next to you as he handed you the ointment and opened the box, taking out four bandages.
“It’s still not okay, though. I don’t want to be like them.” You told him, your eyes fluttering shut as he wiped your face down with the cloth you had been using for your arm, enjoying the comfort the action brought you. Once he was done cleaning your face, you opened your eyes and put a dollop of ointment on your finger before rubbing it on the multitude of scratches that littered your cheeks. You sat patiently as Jade gently placed bandages over each of the small wounds, asking him in a voice laced with exhaustion, “Please just… do you promise me you won’t do anything extreme if I tell you who did it?”
“You have my word, Prefect.” Jade told you, patting your head in what was either in a comforting or condescending way; with the Leech brothers, you had a hard time placing what exactly they may be trying to express at the moment.
Sighing and grabbing a new cloth so you could disinfect Jade’s wounds as well, you told him, “Well, there were two from Savannaclaw and one from Diasomnia. The one from Diasomnia was a second year, I think. One of the Savannaclaw guys he was with said his name was…”
You continued to tell Jade everything that had happened earlier that day, from them throwing you around like a ragdoll to pushing you to the ground so hard your nose started bleeding upon impact. You had finished cleaning Jade’s wounds and allowed him to put the ointment on his scrapes before placing the Band-Aids on his skin in the same manner he had done with you. Once Jade was all cleaned and patched up, you went back to wrapping your injured arm and finishing your not-so-nice story.
After you were done with the gauze, you gingerly rolled down the bloody sleeve of your once white button-up and threw your jacket on in the hopes it would be able to hide the mini crime scene until you got back to your dorm. Silence filled the room after you were done speaking and, after a moment of awkwardness, you said, “Sorry for dumping all of that on you – I ruined the vibe we had going on.”
Jade chuckled lightly at your attempt of lightening the mood; you were always such a delight to be around. He stood up, holding out a hand for you to take as he said, “Do not fret; I was the one who told you to tell me, after all. You didn’t ruin anything, Prefect.”
“Whew – glad to hear it, Jade.” You said as Jade lifted you from the bed as if you were weightless, shocked by how strong he was considering how thin his arms looked. Though, you couldn’t help but smirk slightly as you asked him, “So, did you kill enough time to miss the rest of P.E.?”
Jade gasped lightly, holding his hand to his chest in mock-offense as he said, “Now, now, I wasn’t talking to you to simply kill time – I truly wanted to know who was causing you so much trouble. I’ll make sure to let Azul know who they are so they’re banned for life from Mostro Lounge.”
“Hehehe, thanks. Now I can go get a nice drink without having to worry about running into them there.” You joked, the both of you making your way out of the infirmary and stopping right outside of the door.
“Well, since I do not need to return to class, how about I walk you back to Ramshackle to assure you get there safely?” Jade asked, bowing down to reach closer to your height as he held his arm out for you to take, a smirk adorning his face as he awaited your next move.
You rolled your eyes slightly, linking your arm with his as you both began walking down the hallway and towards the exit of the school. As you walked, you asked him, “So, have you gone on any nice hikes lately? Find anything cool?”
Jade seemed to light up at your question, giving you what seemed to be a genuine smile as he began to speak, “Actually, I did find a rare mushroom the other day…”
