The Bird and the Garden 2: Restart!

Chapter 13: The School Dance

Y/N just sighed, stepping over his older brother. "... Just forget it, Vao... You freaking disappointment..." As he and Sasha left, Cardin squatted down next to him.

"... You okay?"

"My guts feel like they moved to my throat..."

Cardin didn't want to be there if Vao puked. That would be disgusting. Patting the femboy's head, he quickly left the room, catching up with the others.

The halls, filled with life, only this time an aura of romance in the air. With decorations suspended from the ceiling, the three finally felt like they could truly relax.

And yet, fate had other plans. Even if their future looked brighter, it just couldn't.

The music was loud when they entered the ballroom. On the stage, a DJ was working the stand, waving one arm in the air wildly. Students were dancing together, at the punch table, or just talking on the side. Y/N could see his father with the other teachers, drinking punch at a wall as they talked. Even General Ironwood was there.

"Y/N! Over here!"

Weiss had to shout over the music to get his attention. Leaving Sasha and Cardin alone, he trotted up to the heiress.

"Who chose this song?" He asked. Weiss frowned.

"We couldn't find a proper DJ, so we asked Vao if he knew anybody! He said he had us covered, and the result was this! For once Vao was actually reliable!"

Y/N laughed. "Not too sure about that. He just sister-zoned Verde."

Weiss looked horrified. "What!? That poor girl!"

Y/N wasn't much of a dancer, so they found a couple of chairs to sit at, off the dancefloor. Verde wasn't far away, drinking cup after cup of punch by herself. There were already fifteen cups lying on the ground next to her as she sketched something in her notepad, her hands trembling. Weiss pointed, Y/N following her finger. Ruby was nearby, a bright smile on her face. It looked forced, but she seemed to be having fun. She was dancing alone, almost hugging the wall at this point.

"Wait... Is that Ruby?"

"Yes!" Weiss shouted. "She's acting like a normal person, and it's very suspicious!"

Y/N only laughed. "Oh come on, at least she's acting normal, right? She can have fun, too!"

Weiss still looked like she had her doubts, but shook it off. This wasn't the time for that. As suspicious as Ruby smiling and having fun was, at least she wasn't causing problems.

For once, it seemed like tonight was going to be a normal night.

...

Vao kicked the door open angrily, a massive tray of brownies in his hands. His friends were following him; the ones he invited from work. Who? The Malachite Twins.

"Hey, don't you think this is going a bit far? What if you get caught?" Milita warned. But Vao shook his head.

"I was already going to spike the punch, but then I got punched for no good reason! Brownie time..."

Melanie snickered, already on board with his idea, unlike her sister. "What did you put in them this time?"

Vao snickered, setting the tray on the table. "The goods, obviously. I had to take from my own stock, but hey, this might get me a few customers. Actually, scratch that mate, it will get me a few customers."

"This is why the boss loves having you around, Vao."

"I know." Vao looked around before reaching into his suit, pulling out a bottle. A special mixed drink Junior had brewed just for Vao and his ridiculous alcohol tolerance. He unscrewed the cap before dumping its contents into the punch kegs - not the bowl, but the entire stock, dipping his finger in and tasting it. "... The taste is obvious. Give me the sugar."