Author's Note: Heya @lilaccfeathers! I was your secret santa this year, I saw the Spelldrive Trio™️ as one of your pairings and immediately jumped at the opportunity, I absolutely love getting to write for these three and I had a lot of fun! I also tried out a new way of shifting perspectives as well, and I think it turned out pretty ok all things considered.^^` I really hope you enjoy the fic, happy holidays! 💖 @squealing-santa
Summary: Leona oversleeps again at a Spelldrive training camp, as per usual, and Ruggie uses the opportunity to drag a certain apple loving freshman into trouble with him! Leona doesn't appreciate this very much.
Wordcount: 927
~~~
"Uh, Ruggie-san? Are ya- err, are you certain this is a good idea?"
Epel couldn't help but to question his upperclassman, a hesitant frown of skepticism on his face as they both hovered over their sleeping Spelldrive Captain, who remained blissfully unaware of their presence for the time being.
When Ruggie had first come to him during training camp suggesting they mess with Leona the next morning, he couldn't deny that he'd been more than a little... Hesitant...
As much as he preferred Leona to Vil most of the time, that wasn't to say he was stupid enough to think that his Spelldrive Captain couldn't be just as, if not more temperamental than his own dorm leader at times.
He could actually be pretty scary too in his own right, just not in quite the same way...
Where Vil could most accurately be compared to an icy blizzard when he was mad, Leona was more akin to a raging flame of quiet anger. It would hardly be considered wise to test his patience... The last thing Epel would ever want to do would be to intentionally incite that blazing wrath upon himself.
Ruggie hardly seemed to share in these reservations, however...
"Aawww, don't tell me you're chickening out on me now? What's wrong, you scared? Shyehehe..." the second year taunted him, not seeming the least bit nervous over the potential consequences his little scheme might result in.
Either he was incredibly brave, or extremely stupid... Maybe both.
Why he'd even come up with this idea to begin with Epel had no idea. All he knew was that he'd been remarkably persistent in his efforts to get him to participate, and it was only after a significant amount of taunting and bothering that he agreed.
Sitting here now though, crouching in their shared tent at training camp, while actively planning to tickle their literal apex predator of a captain awake? He was really beginning to question whether he'd made the right decision...
He almost found himself tempted to back out, only to end up caving again anyway when Ruggie began to cluck at him teasingly, an embarrassed flush rising to his cheeks as he whipped his head up to glare at him.
"Ok ok! Fine!!" He growled out, taking a swat at his snickering upperclassman that he unfortunately managed to dodge.
"Ugh! J-Just shut up will ya?! I ain't no chicken!!" He huffed. No one accused Epel Felmier of being a coward, and he never backed down from a challenge!
With this thought in mind, he firmly pushed aside the quiet voice in his head suggesting this was all a terrible idea... After all, what was the worse that could happen? Leona surely wouldn't be mad enough to actually hurt them right?
Probably...
~~
"Mmmggh..." Leona grumbled in his sleep, twitching a little at the annoying tingling feeling that disturbed his peaceful slumber.
It was still pretty early in the morning by his standards, and he'd been hoping to catch atleast a few more hours sleep before he'd inevitably be dragged out of bed by Ruggie or some other annoying juniors to run Spelldrive drills. It seemed that would not be the case, however.
As his mind reluctantly began to shift towards wakefulness, his body too became more aware, and it suddenly became a lot more apparent what had disturbed him to begin with...
"Wha?! Whahaha?!" He growled out a startled involuntary laugh as he blearily opened his eyes, and there hovering over him were Ruggie, because of course it would be him, and a little more surprisingly, Epel, the only somewhat tolerable person that dwelt within Pomefiore's halls.
"Wakey wakey Leona!" Ruggie snickered, sounding far too cheerful and mischievous this early in the morning, his grubby little hands squeezing up and down his sides, causing him to laugh against his will while Epel was a lot more unsure about it as he scribbled along the underside of one of his knees.
"Wahaha?! You lihihittle-?!" No doubt he'd been dragged into this little scheme by Ruggie, that much he was certain of, but that little fact was hardly going to earn him any kind of lenience, oh definitely not. As far as Leona was concerned?
They were both dead!
~~
In retrospect, Epel really should've listened to the voice in his head. This had, in fact, been a terrible idea from the beginning.
One minute, he'd been sitting next to his captain's knees and only just starting to get into the fun of tickling him when he heard his raucous laughter, and the next?
He found himself being roughly tugged off balance by one arm. Not by Leona, but by Ruggie, whom much to his insult and dismay was already darting out the tent flap after shoving him on top of their already ticked off upperclassman like some sort of human sacrifice.
"Thanks for being a good decoy Epel, have fun! Shyehehe!" He teased, turning tail completely and rezipping the tent, quite literally sealing poor Epel's fate just as Leona began to recover from the bony elbow that had struck him in the gut.
Oh no...
Epel laughed a little nervously as he scrambled to sit upright, bringing his hands up placatingly as he began to back away from the furious lion.
"W-Wait just a- aaAAH!! Aahahaha nohohOHO!! Leona-sahahahaan I'm sohohohorryyehe!!" As Leona finally pounced on him, and his own frantic laughter bega to fill the tent instead, he made a vow to himself right then and there;
