⋆｡ °.🐚⋆❀˖° trials of rowmance(ing jade) click to read on ao3!
chapter 2: i'm fine with this (definitely) [wc: 4535]
summary ˖°𓇼𓂃 𓈒𓏸 When Jade invites you to a wedding in the Sunshine Lands, you're told to use this opportunity to steal his heart...but what exactly does that entail?
content ˖°𓇼𓂃 𓈒𓏸 reader is yuu, f!reader, reader is referred to as (y/n), dialogue is matched to event, flirty and smirky jade, rook is a very french wingman
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As you and Grim walked to the mirror chamber, Grim was absolutely bouncing off the walls with excitement, chattering about all of the different foods that he was going to eat when you guys arrived. You agreed at times, excited to explore more of Twisted Wonderland that wasn’t the school campus.
There was a nagging feeling in the back of your mind though.
You have gotten used to being the one who always helps everybody, even at the cost of yourself. You don’t know exactly how many new scars you had gotten since you had arrived, but your injuries had been plentiful. It wasn’t something that you minded, as the various incidents took your mind off of the fact that there was no known way for you to go back to your world.
You didn’t mind.
You just hoped that this wasn’t that.
Maybe Jade invited you because he wanted to, right?
Maybe?
You pulled yourself out of your thoughts as you and Grim entered the mirror chamber, expecting for it to be empty. Instead, you see an odd group in the middle, consisting of Riddle, Rook, and Malleus, who were all now looking at you expectantly.
“Hey guys! Waiting for something?” You greeted, walking towards them and putting your hand up in a small wave. As you reached the group, there was no answer as they all seemed to scrutinize you, making you feel a bit nervous.
“...What’s with the crowd?” Grim finally asked, his face a little less than pleased as he sensed something was amiss.
“Greetings, trickster and Monsieur Peluche! Were you invited here by Jade as well?” Rook inquired, a bright smile on his face.
“Wait…he asked you guys too?!” Grim exclaimed.
The situation suddenly clicked and you sighed, your thoughts from earlier seeming to be correct. You were just another body needed to help with something. Although you admit that you shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up, it was still disappointing for it to have turned out like this.
It’s fine. It’ll still be fun to go with everyone.
Another set of footsteps echoed through the room, and Jade joined the group, a quaint smile on his face.
“Hey, Jade! You said there wasn’t anyone else you could turn to for help besides us!” Grim complained.
“I was greatly relieved to find an unexpected number of individuals at school with an excess of time on their hands.” Jade replied, his warm smile not faltering at all despite the energy that was being thrown at him.
“An ‘excess’? You interrupted my very busy schedule to plead with me to go! You kept moping in front of me about how the ceremony will be ruined because the attendance is too low to meet rule requirements until I grudgingly relented and agreed to go.” Riddle huffed, crossing his arms in annoyance. “You’re down one person because of Floyd, so you make up for it with five others? I fail to see how that math adds up!”
“He invited me claiming the wedding would be more classy for my presence.” Malleus added, a thoughtful look on his face.
“If he’s reached out to this many people, that’s gotta be a lie too, right? Go get ‘em, Tsuntaro! Get back at Jade for trickin’ you!” Grim replied, punching the air as though he were fighting Jade himself.
“No, I shall do no such thing. It’s truly rare that I’m invited to weddings. I was touched.” He explained, a rare smile on his face. “Regardless of his reasons, I cannot let this opportunity pass me by. I am absolutely attending.”
“Aww, I’m sure that the bride and groom will very much appreciate having someone like you there, Tsunotaro!” You assured, giving Malleus a warm smile. He had shared with you before about how he struggled with his invitations to the housewarden’s meetings, so you were sure that receiving a wedding invitation was nice for him.
While you were happy that Malleus was finally invited to something for once, you can’t help but feel a little disappointed again that Jade wanted to bring more people to the wedding. You had hoped that he was asking you to be his plus one in a sense, and maybe that would lead to more bonding and maybe…
Maybe plus ones aren’t a thing here…?
No, you can be cool. You can help with the wedding preparations and do some sightseeing and eat lots of yummy food, then you can come home and feel relieved because you got to do something fun and spend time with your friends.
Yup. You’re cool.
“I get the feelin’ we’re the butt of this joke, right (Y/N)?” Grim’s small paw to your shoulder brought you from your thoughts, (you really need to stop doing that) and made you realize that you hadn’t been following the conversation.
“Hm? Oh, yeah, haha…” You replied. It seemed to be a fine enough answer as the attention shifted off of you and back onto-
-Jade, who was literally staring into your soul.
You jumped a little bit, not expecting his intense gaze. If you didn’t know better, you would think that you just broke the terms of some contract, or that he was even using his signature spell. His eyebrows were furrowed a little bit, and there was the beginning of a frown on his lips. Was your response really that bad?
You gave him a nervous smile, unsure of what he seemed so unhappy about. That seemed to snap him out of it, as he suddenly pasted on his usual polite smile, his eyes flitting to each member of the group.
“Oh, not at all. I feel so much better having all of you come with me.” As he said the last words, his eyes fixed on you again, making you look away. The stare he had given you just moments before was more than enough eye contact for you, not to mention that your heart practically jumped every time he looked at you. “I was afraid that if I worked alone, the Forever Float would never be a success.
There seemed to be a collective question at the mention of the ‘Forever Float’, but nobody said anything.
“I’ve never heard of it.” You mention, (probably one of the most used phrases you’ve used since you arrived at Twisted Wonderland).
“I can hardly blame dear (Y/N), along with the rest of you.” You unconsciously made a face at his words, a flush settling into your cheeks. “It’s a social event that’s relatively unknown on the land. To put it succinctly, it’s a test of love.”
“...Now I’m even more confused.” Grim sighed, his ears pointed down.
“Heh heh heh, allow me to explain in more detail.” Jade chuckled. “The Forever Float is based on legends about moray eels. The Sea Witch was always accompanied by two such creatures, and tales about them live on to this day in the Coral Sea. One of the more popular anecdotes is about the time the morays tested the love of a mermaid who fell in love with someone of another species. The Sea Witch was a virtuous individual who offered consultations to merfolk dealing with personal woes. One day, she bestowed legs upon a mermaid who had fallen in love with a prince of the land above. When that mermaid later went on a date with the prince and boarded a rowboat, the Sea Witch’s morays were quick to act. Legend has it they worked together to rock the boat and overturn it. As a result of their deed, the mermaid and her beloved’s bond grew deeper…or so they say.” He finished, giving the end of the story a bit of a mysterious aura.
“That’s beautiful…” You mumble. Jade’s eyes flick over to you, but you don’t notice, busy messing with your sleeves.
“How would rockin’ a boat bring people closer?” Grim questioned, grabbing your attention.
“Heh heh. Perhaps it could have been due to the suspension bridge effect.” Rook ponders. “Going through a somewhat thrilling experience can make one feel love that much more strongly.”
You think back on how Jade, (and Floyd, you suppose) had saved you and Grim in Scarabia over winter break, and you supposed that Rook was perhaps on to something.
“Huh. That sounds weird.” Grim replied. You patted his head, giving him a teasing smile.
“Little Grimmy, you can’t even decide what food you want to eat first at lunch let alone know matters of the heart, but someday maybe you will understand.” He pouted angrily at your tease but didn’t say anything, crossing his arms and moving farther away from you.
“That tale gave rise to a customary ceremony held before weddings, The Forever Float.” Jade said, smiling at the group.
“So it’s a ceremony related to one of the Great Seven’s attendants. How fascinating.” Malleus mused.
“Indeed. The ceremony’s name is as romantic as the tale it originates from. If a couple can overcome this test of their love, all that’s left is to float along in their voyage toward eternal happiness. The name truly conveys the sentiment behind it.” Jade said, his voice having a soft tone to it.
You had to admit, the ceremony as Jade explained it sounded so romantic! Much more so than the traditional weddings back in your world, which made you more excited for the event, (even if it being more romantic would make you painfully aware you were just helping, not a plus one).
“So it does. Simply hearing the name ‘Forever Float’ makes me envision a happy wedding!” Rook said happily.
“Exactly. But sadly, it’s not a very well-known ceremony on land.”
“Huh? Why not?” You asked. “It’s so romantic, and the tale is popular, no?”
“Many people in the Coral Sea admire the tale, and the ceremony has some popularity among other merfolks. But it’s reserved solely for a situation like the one in the story--that is, a marriage between land-dweller and merfolk.” Jade explained, (these words suddenly conjured images of you and Jade-no, stop it brain!) “There are more merfolk like ourselves nowadays, who receive legs and come to live on the land. But marriages between merfolk and land-dwellers remain rather rare. There’s perhaps only a single couple each year that undergoes the Forever Float ceremony at their wedding.” He seemed a bit deflated as he explained, perhaps sad to see such a lovely tradition be so rarely done.
“And its sheer rarity means we’d have little occasion to ever learn of it.” Riddle said, seeming to make sense of the situation.
“I’m impressed such a rarely held ceremony remains a tradition. I’m curious what it entails.” Malleus said, pointing an inquisitive look towards Jade, who smiled and put a hand to his chest.
“First, the bride and groom-to-be board a small boat and row out to sea. They sail around the cove while whispering sweet nothings to one another. Then the people playing the role of morays put them through trials to test their love.” He explained.
“Trials, hm…that’s a rather broad term. What does that entail specifically?”Malleus asked, his curiosity seeming to be increasing the more Jade explained.
“It can be a wide range of things.” Jade mused, his hand at his chin as he thought. “I suppose it depends on the inclinations of who’s playing the morays at the time. Typical trials include throwing objects at the boat, splashing water over it, or jabbing at it with oars.”
“Oh wow…” You said, surprised.
“Oh la la, what violent tribulations!” Rook exclaimed, also surprised by the explanation.
“To be fair, the tradition does originate from a story of morays overturning a boat.” Jade offered, which did make much more sense. You haven’t ever tried to overturn a boat, but you figured it would be a pretty big ask.
“But surely no one actually overturns a boat with a bride and groom in it?” Riddle questioned, seeming unsure of the trials.
“Many have tried, but from what I hear, it’s rather difficult to overturn a boat.”
“They’ve tried?! Then it is acceptable to overturn it?!” He exclaimed, his shock apparent at the thought of essentially dumping a pair of newlyweds into the ocean, (probably not in the Queen of Heart’s rulebook, but probably against his own moral rulebook).
“Of course; in fact, so much the better if someone could pull it off like in the story. But a boat with two people in it is quite heavy. It would take a whole group of adult merfolk to properly overturn it. Circling a cove doesn’t take very long, so flipping a boat would be quite the challenge. Hence, it’s very rare.” Jade explained.
A whole group of adult merfolk? How are only a couple of people supposed to achieve that then?
“Plus the Forever Float is already rare, like you mentioned. So then…” You trailed off, and Jade sadly nodded his head.
“Yes, no one’s successfully flipped over a boat for the past several decades. I’ve heard that when ‘morays’ who managed that feat appeared, the wedding attendees erupted in cheers and applause.”
“What a strange pre-wedding ceremony…” Riddle muttered, shock and confusion evident on his face.
“Customs can differ by region--and variety is the spice of life.” Rook said happily, clapping Riddle on the shoulder, making him shoot up in surprise.
“Getting to experience a foreign custom I’d never be exposed to otherwise is certainly intriguing.” Malleus said.
“I’ve seen a Forever Float ceremony held in the Sunshine Lands before. I’ll never forget the sight of the bride and groom screaming and kicking and clinging desperately to their wildly rocking boat. How delightful it was.” You giggled a bit at Jade’s strange sense of delight, the toothy smile he had on making it obvious that it was something he enjoyed.
“That shows that the people who board the boat are serious about it as well.” Riddle said, perhaps trying to accept that this was something people do willingly.
“Oh, yes. Young me was enamored with the idea of participating in a Forever Float ceremony. You can imagine how thrilled I was when my mother called six months ago and asked if Floyd and I would play the part of the trial-givers. It was a dream come true! I agreed immediately, of course.”
“Six months and Floyd bailed…that’s so like him…” You sighed, smiling apologetically at Jade.
“I’ve had much experience with Floyd’s mood swings, so it was not something that shocked me.” He said lightly. “However, you can now see why I was eager to find more people to attend, no?” He questioned, and you nodded your head in affirmation.
Perhaps you had overreacted a little bit. You were still glad that Jade had still come up to you and invited you, so you should just be happy about that now. You were going to get to attend a beautiful wedding with your friends, you shouldn’t be expecting more than that.
“Monsieur Premedite, do you and your brother know the bride and groom?” Rook asked.
“No, we’re entirely unacquainted. They’re friends of my mother. Normally, the ‘morays’ are played by friends or relatives of the newlyweds. But given the origins of the custom, it elevates the wedding’s standing to have moray merfolk give the trials. When my mother got the request to throw the wedding, she recalled my childhood admiration of the Forever Float ceremony. She spoke with the bride and groom and had those vital roles granted to myself and Floyd.”
“So your presence is auspicious for them. Such things are common in traditional celebrations.” Malleus said, which had Jade nodding in agreement.
“Yes, this wedding aspires to be one of the finest. And since those holding it have come to us for help, I want to ensure the Forever Float ceremony succeeds. That’s why I’m turning to all of you to help me in Floyd’s place. I’m certain that the bride and groom will be overjoyed to have you there.” He smiled, motioning towards everyone in the group. Riddle didn’t seem impressed though as he once again crossed his arms.
“It seems far simpler to just bring Floyd along. You should stick with your original plan.”
“Oh? Riddle, you’re not…backing out of the trip, are you?” Jade’s eyes widened in surprise at Riddle’s words, his hand going to his chin.
“You have no basis for shifting Floyd’s responsibilities onto me in his absence.” Riddle said flatly, a frown tugging at his lips.
“But you already agreed. Are you retracting your prior commitment…?” Jade asked, brows furrowed together.
“Don’t deflect focus! This is nothing at all like what you told me!” Riddle exclaimed, his face beginning to turn red.
Uh oh…
“Floyd not attending has nothing to do with you choosing not to travel to the Sunshine Lands. What I’m asking is whether or not you’re going, and, by extension, whether Heartslabyul’s housewarden honors his commitments.” You sucked in through your teeth at Jade’s remark, trying to signal for him to stop.
“Rgh…You’re just splitting hairs…” Riddle let out, gritting his teeth.
A staring contest ensued, with one giving a fiery glance and the other standing firm. You motioned to Riddle, putting your hands together and mouthing a small ‘please’, hoping that he would go along with it, (he could stand to relax a bit and go somewhere nice anyways). He let out a small sigh, defeated by your plea and Jade’s determined stare.
“...But I suppose it’s only right to honor my word once I’ve given it. Very well, I’ll go.” He mumbled, not seeming to be too happy with the outcome, but willing to go along with it.
“I knew I could count on you, Riddle. And Malleus, I trust you’ll be…hm?” At Jade’s questioning hum, you looked over to see Malleus deep in thought, appearing to be a bit troubled. “You were quite interested at first, but now you seem conflicted. Is something the matter?”
“From how you have explained the situation, the bride and groom have not explicitly requested my presence at their wedding…is it appropriate to proceed as if they did? It feels rather as if I’m inviting myself...” He admitted.
“Why, Malleus! What a trivial thing to trouble yourself over.” Jade suddenly said, the emphasis on his words painfully fake.
“It hardly seems trivial to me.”
“You have received a summons to this wedding. That much is a plain and simple fact. By all means, attend with pride. Besides…You may be surprised how far word could travel, in the event that you turn this invitation down. If you decline, there may be others in the future who consider inviting you to their wedding, only to hesitate because they fear you might decline due to distaste for such ceremonies.” You raised an eyebrow at Jade at his clear lies to try and get Malleus to attend, but when he caught your eye all you sensed was a glint of playfulness in his eyes.
“What? Could such misunderstandings arise?” Malleus questioned, seeming hesitant.
“Oh, yes. Rumors can be scary things.” Jade assured, with the rest of the group pointedly looking away from Malleus.
“I have no desire to give anyone the wrong impression. Very well, I shall accompany you to the Sunshine Lands.” He decided, convinced by Jade’s words.
“Thank you kindly, Malleus. Rook, the Forever Float is a highly important ceremony preceding a wedding. If it fails to build proper excitement, I’m sure the bride and groom will be heartbroken.”
“Yes, that goes without saying. Such a tragedy must be averted! I’m happy to offer what assistance I may. Let us all add some flair to their special day!” Rook exclaimed, not requiring much of Jade’s honey-laced words to go to the Sunshine Lands.
“Heh heh heh. I see you hardly needed any persuasion. Thank you.” Jade said, taking note of Rook’s enthusiasm.
“Jade’s got all of ‘em dancin’ to his tune.” Grim mumbled to you, seeming to have again realized that Jade is not always as honest as he might seem.
“I trust you’ll be attending, Grim?” Jade asked, turning his attention to the two of you.
“You bet I am! As long as there’s a feast, I’m down for anything!” Grim said excitedly, clearly willing to agree to almost anything as long as there was food involved.
“And you, dear (Y/N)?” There was that little nickname, which you had no idea where it came from. It wasn’t like you were complaining, but…
Warn a girl next time before you shock her heart, jeez…
In the moments you shorted out because of the nickname, Jade’s face had become downturned and almost sad, but it seemed like…a real sad this time? Not the fake sad he used to try and get you to come with him earlier. Maybe you were imagining it.
No, you were definitely imagining it, because why would he be sad?
“Oh, yes! Of course! Anything for the happy couple!” You managed to get out, once again lost in your head. At your words Jade brightened up again to his usual self.
“What a wonderful sentiment, (Y/N). My word…you are truly a special individual.” He said to you, making your heart stutter and a warmth spread to your cheeks.
“Aah, don’t mention it…really…” You replied, unable to look at him.
“The happier the couple is, the more generous they’ll probably be with the grub at the party!” Grim exclaimed; he had a one track mind for food, which you could respect. His sudden words also brought Jade’s attention off of you, giving you a moment to breathe.
“Thank you everyone. Let’s make this Forever Float a success.” Jade said, his smile a bit wider than normal. “This is shaping up to be a delightful trip. Shall we depart?” With that, everyone began to gather their things, making sure that there was nothing missing.
Looking at the bags that everyone else was bringing, you felt a bit like you might be missing some items with your one small bag, but you honestly didn’t have too many belongings here. If you were back at home, you probably would have been bringing much more, but being a broke student in another world doesn’t usually bode well for the wallet.
“Oh la la! (Y/N), is that all you’re bringing?” Rook asked, looking at your small bag. You nodded sheepishly, fiddling with a piece of your hair.
“Oh yes, I don’t really have too many items, so…” You explained, a bit embarrassed. Rook only smiled warmly at you, putting his hand to his chest, a telltale sign he was about to make some proclamation.
“Trickster, les objets ne sont que des objets, what matters most is that you bring happiness to those around you, non?” You smiled, your embarrassment a bit lessened by his words. “ However, if you require any items do not hesitate to ask, Roi Du Poison has insisted I bring many a thing with me! Heh heh!”
“Thanks Rook, I’ll keep it in mind.” You replied. You’re not sure if he’s completely right that you bring happiness to the people around you, (you would like to hope so) but it nonetheless helps to calm your nerves a bit.
“There’s not anything you need at the last minute, right Grim?” You questioned, the monster only giving you a grin in response.
“The only thing I need is some yummy tuna in my belly!”
“...Right.” You sighed, not sure what else you were expecting from him. He doesn’t even have clothes, just a ribbon…
“Is something the matter, (Y/N)?” Jade questioned, his gaze fixed on you.
“Hm? No, sorry…” You answer, looking around to realize that everyone has left through the mirror except for you, Jade, and Grim. “Ahh sorry, I didn’t realize everyone had left already! Thanks for waiting!” Jade merely smiled in response, gesturing for you to enter through the mirror.
“Ladies first, of course. I’ll be right behind you.”
“A-Ah, right, okay.” You hesitantly stepped towards the mirror. You’d never cared much for the mirror travel; it always made your stomach tumble in all different directions, and you always came out with a nasty headache. You looked to the side where Jade was standing, patiently waiting for you. “Sorry, I…am not the biggest fan of the whole traveling by mirror thing. Still getting used to it and stuff.” You explained, shame making your cheeks burn. “You can go first, I just-”
“Nonsense, we can go together.”
“...Together?” Jade nodded, moving closer to your side. “It is quite safe for two people to pass through at the same time, so there is no worry there.” He assured, giving you a closed-eye smile.
“Oh, okay…” You answered, still feeling a bit unsure. What did he mean together?
The moment you feel a gloved hand gently envelope your own, you suddenly understood what he meant.
You swear your heart stops beating a moment, your eyes widening as you tried not to do anything to make him notice just how flustered you were right now.
“Are you ready, dear (Y/N)?”
Oh God, he’s trying to kill you. He’s actually trying to kill you.
“Uh, um, yup, yes, uhuh…”
“Just walk through the mirror already!” Grim exclaimed, annoyed that it was taking so long. You took a chance and looked up to your side at Jade, who already had his eyes fixed on you. He was giving you a soft smile, and it was…comforting.
“Okay, I’m ready.” You said, taking a breath. Jade chuckled a bit, hiding his smile with his other hand when you looked at him again and gave him a small glare. “Hey! What are you laughing at!?”
“Nothing, truly. Let us go now, the others are surely waiting.” You nodded at his words, following as he stepped to the mirror.
You closed your eyes as you stepped through, grounding yourself by squeezing his hand. The back part of your mind knew how extremely embarrassing this was and you would most definitely be replaying this a million times tonight, but for now, you were extremely grateful to have him next to you.
“You can open your eyes now.” At Jade’s words, you opened your eyes, and were met with the sight of a beautiful coastal town.
“Oh, wow…it’s so beautiful!!” You smiled, taking in all of the different colors and the sight of the ocean. You could hear seagulls in the sky, and the smell of salt in the air was unmistakable.
Too enraptured by the view, you failed to notice Jade looking down at you fondly, a real smile on his face.
“Yes, it is.”
“Hm? Did you say something?”
“Ah, nothing at all. Shall we join the group?” Jade asked.
“Oohh yes! I’m excited to see everything!!” You exclaimed. You hand left his as you went ahead to join Riddle, Malleus, and Rook, beginning to chat excitedly, (until Grim chimed in saying he wanted to go and get food, which led to you scolding him for being so greedy).
Jade flexed his gloved hand, still feeling the warmth that you had left from when your hand was in his.
He suddenly regretted wearing his gloves today.
a/n: heh heh heh...i love writing cliche and corny romantic moments, expect many of these >:)
