A Fox Surrounded in Darkness (Twisted Wonderland x Encanto f!reader)

Chapter 67

⦓Harveston- Assembly Hall⦔

Epel looks up at the ceiling, completely wide awake. He hears snores coming from Jade, Idia, and Sebek. He thinks about the hours that were spent on training for the race and the mood change from the initial mindset the boys had. Epel gets up and bundles up to go outside. He decided to do some extra practice to sharpen up his skill more.

"I'm losing speed on the corners," Epel slows his sled and plushie after turning a few corners. "I need to make sure I'm keepin' my turns tight."

"My, what have we here?" A voice speaks. "A clandestine late-night training session?"

"Who's there?" Epel looks around and spots Jade standing not far away from him. "Jade?!"

"Yes, it's me. Hello," Jade greets as he comes closer. "You were gone when I woke up, so I came to check on you."

"Did I wake you up when I went out," Epel questions. "Sorry to worry you."

"Please, think nothing of it," Jade dismissed Epel's concern. "But why are you out here practicing? You're already good at handling your plushie, and you're an experienced sledder. In my admittedly amateur opinion, your time would be better spent training us than yourself."

"I'm not really doing anything intense," Epel nervously chuckles. "I just had trouble sleeping."

"Are you excited for the race tomorrow," Jade inquires.

"I don't think it's that," Epel sighs. "I always sleep like a baby before any of my Spelldrive games. Maybe I'm still feeling awake because I've spent so much time with you guys."

"I could see it being difficult to wind down after spending the day with upperclassmen you don't really know," Jade grins. "My apologies for making you nervous before the big race."

"No, no!" Epel denies. "I'm happy we get to have a sleepover together!"

"Ah, I see," Jade nods in understanding. "I'm glad to hear it. But if I may, don't you sleep under the same roof with other people your age in your dorm?"

"Yeah, but it's not the same..." Epel frowns. "Most students in Pomefiore go to bed at 10 p.m. sharp every single night!"

"Prime rejuvenation time for the skin," Jade says. "I'm not surprised."

"Personally, I don't think it'd do any harm to stay up late and sleep in every now and then," Epel states. "We're not kids, you know? But the point is, I had a blast today! I never thought I'd have such an exciting time in Harveston! That was my first pillow fight, too. That was fun..."

"Ah, yes," Jade chuckles. "You sure had an interesting way to get it started."

"I was only trying to get Sebek and Y/n to stop arguing," Epel shakes his head in disappointment. "I don't understand why those two hang around each other."

"That is something that Y/n would have to reveal herself," Jade grins. "It is a miracle that no one was hurt."

"It was really fun to see them swinging pillows at each other," Epel smiles. "That's another reason why I wanna win tomorrow. I want you all to be glad you came here."

"Epel, please don't fret about that," Jade reassures Epel. "I can assure you this trip has already been thoroughly rewarding."

"Golly, Jade..." Epel looks at Jade with admiration.

"That said, I can't just let those guys from Royal Sword Academy win," Jade states with determination. "Might I join your training?"

"Absolutely!" Epel instantly agrees.