Chapter Text
Chloe rarely saw Red after the coup. Red was still her roommate, but still, she still craved friendship with the girl. The only time Chloe saw the girl was when Chloe would wake up to the whimpering noises Red would make in her sleep.
It started simple, with little whining or whimpering noises here and there, and then it became bigger. Red would start kicking and turning drastically in her sleep. Then one night, while it was very dark and barely any light from the moon showed through their window, Red screamed.
Chloe quickly made her way over to Red. She paused over the girl, Red was not a fan of touch, would she freak out if Chloe shook her awake? Chloe mentally shrugged, Red was screaming in her sleep and Chloe didn’t wanna hear other students complaining tomorrow morning about who it was.
Chloe slowly reached a hand out for Red’s shoulder when suddenly Chloe was being dragged down onto the bed and practically thrown on the other side of Red. Chloe shocked didn’t know what to do but yelped out a helpless, “Red, wake up!”
Red shot up and turned and looked at the princess, “Why are you in my bed?” She asked coldly.
“You were literally screaming in your sleep! I wasn’t about to just let you wake up the entire hall.”
Red rolled her eyes, “They would’ve been fine. They’re all goody-goody anyway.” Red was trying to slow her heartbeat and Chloe could tell.
A light scoff could be heard falling from nearby her, “Y’know it would slow down quicker if you took longer and gentler breaths Red, here,” Chloe paused, “Is it alright if I?”
“You’re just gonna do it anyway,” Red mumbled cursing something underneath her breath.
With that Chloe gently pulled the redhead into her. It took a second for Red to allow fully being pulled into her roommate. Once the girls were situated Red’s back was laid against Chloe’s front.
“Just copy when I breathe and for how long okay?”
Red just nodded, praying for it to end sooner than later but her heart would not stop beating fast. Red’s breathing began to get quicker again. She felt tears form but was quick to stop them from falling. She tried to yank herself away from Chloe but had no avail. Chloe had tightened her grip around her stomach.
“Chloe, let me go,”
“Red,”
“Chloe, let me go,” Red stated more firmly.
Chloe slowly loosened her grip but didn't completely let go, “How about this,” Chloe suggested while moving her hands farther away from Red’s stomach. Red had stopped trying to get away from her.
“That, that is better I guess,” Red verged.
It was Chloe’s turn to nod. She began to slowly breathe with Red trying to match her. Red’s heartbeat still wasn't coming down. Red turned her head enough to just face Chloe.
“How much longer do you have to be in my space? It obviously isn't going to slow down soon Princess.”
“Ask me nicely to leave your space and I will, but if it were up to me I would wait until it does slow down,” Chloe said with a rasp, she felt her cheeks heat up from the nickname.
Red huffed turning her head back around, this time when they did it though, Red decided to lean back deeper into the Charming. Red had at some point grabbed one of Chloe's wrists and had gently been tracing her fingers into her skin, shapes like stars, circles, hearts even. Chloe didn't wanna risk Red pulling away and freaking out if she had pulled her wrist away so she let her do it.
Chloe hummed a song Red hadn't heard before. Red sunk somehow even deeper into Chloe’s chest and felt her eyes droop. She wasn't about to fall asleep on Chloe freaking Charming. Red tried to fight it, tried to think of a way she could gain enough self-control back to yell at the charming girl to get back into her own bed. None of that had happened though.
When Red woke up the next morning Chloe wasn't behind her. She groggily got up. What day even was it? Assuredly not a school day or else Chloe would have probably awoken her too.
Chloe was in the courtyard of Auradon prep with her friend, Zellie, who was the daughter of Rapunzel. Chloe had the biggest crush on the brunette back when they were little. Her hair was down to her knees when it was down, but was often braided which made it appear shorter, to her lower back most days.
“So, what's up with you and the crown princess of Wonderland?” Zellie asked.
“What about her?”
“Oh please, we all know you're desperate for her attention.”
“I am not! Red doesn't even like me.”
“So who was the one who got her to stop screaming last night then?”
Chloe had forgotten she told her friend about that, “That's what I thought.” Zellie finished.
“I got her to stop screaming, hoo-ray, I woke her up, like a normal person would.”
“Chloe, you tell me all the time you wake up for this girl because she makes noises in her sleep,” Zellie said finishing up the braid in Chloe’s hair.
“And?”
“Most people can sleep through others around them making noise.”
Chloe thought Zellie had one point, but it didn’t matter. Chloe was about to remark back when a familiar voice was heard yelling, “Hey, Charming!”
Chloe whipped around and in all her rebellious glory stood Red, Princess of Wonderland.
“Yes,” Chloe didn’t get time to finish, Red grabbed her wrist and pulled her up from her seat and was getting dragged by Red away from Zellie. Zellie, unphased, waved goodbye to her friend.
When they were far enough away from everybody, Red turned around and pushed Chloe into the closet wall.
“About last night…look, it was a one-time thing but it will not happen again, do you understand me? It was a one time thing. It will stay that way and no one will find out about it, or else,” Red stated angrily.
“Red, it’s not that big of a deal, everyone has nightmares it’s not anything to be ashamed about,”
“No one,”
“No one,” Chloe repeated, suddenly remembering the compromising position they were in, “Red, why did you pin me to a wall?”
“More threatening and also because I can do this,” Red stated and then walked away.
What did she do exactly? Chloe looked herself up and down, nothing was missing, no bruises or scratches. Then she ran her hand through her hair, expecting to still feel the braid Zellie had finished in it, Red had undid it. She looked up to see Red walking away playfully twirling the Charming’s blue scrunchie around her fingers.
Just what she needed, messy hair, worry, and most importantly an angry roommate.
When Chloe got back into the dorm later that day, she was upset, she had decided after Red’s little ‘intervention’ with her and Zellie’s conversation she would go practice her sword work outside, wrong. It had begun to rain an hour into her practice. She then took it inside to the gym, where she discovered multiple others practicing as well. With this many people the gym was hot, and very muggy.
Her shirt was drenched, her normally perfect bouncy curls were now loose and frazzled, her tennis shoes were covered in mud from the rain earlier, and her pants were ripped near her lower knee because Chloe clumsily got in the way of another student.
“Woah, you look like crap,” Red stated bluntly
Chloe really did not want this from Red right now, “Okay? Just get it over with, make fun of me, tease me, do whatever you want,”
Red stiffened, “I think I’m just gonna go to bed, do you even know what time it is Princess?”
Chloe looked down, “6?”
“10, 10:23 if your being specific.”
“What?!” Chloe exclaimed, “Unacceptable! There is no way!”
Red began laughing, “I’m only messing with you, it’s 6:45 Blue,”
Chloe began turning red, “You are impossible,”
“Am I really?” Red smiled like the Cheshire Cat, gently tossing Chloe the scrunchy from earlier, “Thanks for that, it saved me time during my art class.”
“You’re welcome?”
“Go shower, god you smell,”
Chloe turned even redder, “You’re awful. I’ve had a bad day and all you can do is make fun of me or throw jokes around or act like we’re suddenly good friends when you’ve ignored since we got back from seeing our moms in the past.”
Red shot an angry glance, “Well maybe if you came from an entirely different kingdom and then suddenly got thrown into one where everyone is perfect, you’d understand me better.”
“Maybe if you had came to me about that I could’ve been able to help you adjust better,”
“I don’t want your help, you’re annoying,”
“Am I really?” Chloe said mimicking Red, “Or are you just afraid of help?”
“Shut up and go shower Charming,”
Chloe short circuited, no Princess? No remark back? She must’ve definitely messed with Red this time, however she did what Red told her, trying to act angry, she paced her way into the bathroom.
The audacity Chloe had. Red wasn’t afraid to ask for help. She never even needed it, she was fine. Ace of Spades it hurt hearing Chloe say that.
When Chloe got out of the shower, dressed simply, Red guessed to do homework and then go and grab dinner. Chloe threw the scrunchy back at Red, “Keep it,” Red smiled, a small but grateful smile.
God Chloe would break her back to see Red smile.
“Princess?” Red spoke,
Chloe hummed blushing slightly do the nickname coming back, “Thank you, for the, uhm, scrunchy.”
And here Chloe thought the plane had gone down, who knew Red’s smile could turn it right around?
That night, Red’s usual whimpers and whines could be heard when Chloe woke up. She sighed, getting up and grabbing her desk chair, she placed it near Red’s bed. Chloe had never been close enough to hear what exactly Red would whine in her sleep.
“I don’t want to,” was the first thing she was able to make out.
“Please,” Red whimpered, “Please mom, not Cheshire,”
Chloe was going to intervene when she saw Red shift her position when she heard, “Chloe,” in a low whine, “Gotta help, Chloe,”
Chloe decided to get on the floor so she could be slightly closer to Red.
“Not her too, please, Chloe,” Red shifted again, and she began screaming.
Chloe jumped back due to the sheer volume of the scream because she was so close. She quickly got up and didn't hesitate this time to grab Red and shake her awake, “Red! Red it's okay!”
Red grabbed Chloe’s wrists again like she had the night before, but Chloe didn't let herself get thrown, instead, she used this to pull the redhead into her. That was enough to wake Red up. Red began to punch Chloe, beating her shoulders anywhere she could hit, she wanted out of the blue-haired girl's arms. She didn't like it, every time Chloe was close to her like this Red’s heart wouldn't slow.
Eventually, after about 45 minutes Red gave in to the exhaustion she brought on herself. Chloe sighed in relief, “It’s just me Hearts calm down,”
Red looked up and shook, “Hearts?”
Chloe was silent until she finally gave Red her explanation, “Mom told me it was her nickname for Bridget when, just nevermind,”
Red felt herself shake, her breathing picked up, so Chloe pulled her closer. Chloe had rarely got to touch the girl and Red only ever grabbed her wrist when she was upset or wanted something from her.
Red felt her breathing come easier when Chloe was this close to her. She knew everything was still there when Chloe was within eye distance, or in this instance breathing distance.
“Same as yesterday Hearts, breathe with me,”
So Red did, and soon enough to Chloe's comfort, Red was asleep in her arms with Red’s own arms gently looped underneath Chloe’s so her hands touched her shoulders.
Red looked pretty like this, Chloe thought smiling. Chloe really thought that? There was no way. A Charming and a Hearts? No way.
Then it hit her, oh, I’m falling in love.