Stealing (More Than Just) Hearts
(A PolyTweels fic for @dweeb-who-reads. Based on a prompt from @heavensenthale. Divider by @pixopix.)
Mostro Lounge wasnât like any restaurant when it closed for the night; even with all of the people gone, the sophisticated yet lively aura remained, just without all of the raucous conversations that made you have to shout just to be heard. Whether it had been busy or not, when that last guest walked out, the silence that followed was akin to a lover saying âAlone at last.â It was the kind of hush that Opal Lumine cherished even more than the gentle glow of the fish tank wall whose color she could swear cooled her fevered brow as she wiped down the tables. She could start swimming at any moment and she would open her eyes to find that she had been in a crystal clear lake all along. It was almost enough to make her momentarily forget her whole predicâ
âHey, you guppies wanna go rob a bank after this?â
The calm was broken by Floyd Leechâs playful yet menacing timbre ringing out from the kitchen through an open door. She knew that it was supposed to be one of his usual flippant remarks made only to get a rise out of her, make her roll her eyes, yet Opal found her blood running a tad colder. Even though she had been dating both of the Leech brothers for months now, her mind had still yet to be trained to discern whether Floydâs statements were serious or nonsense.
Jade, on the other hand, was too preoccupied with washing the dayâs drinkware to react to his brotherâs outrageous suggestion. The sounds of his rag squeaking softly against the glass was almost comforting in the face of uncertainty.
âFloyd, weâve discussed this,â he answered plainly, not even looking up from the champagne flute he was drying, âNo more heist dates.â âAw câmon, that was one time,â Floyd whined, emerging into the lounge, âBesides, it was loadsâa fun! Ainât that right, Fairy Wrasse?" Opal had to stop in her tracks, her heels practically ground into the linoleum, to take a long, deep breath through her nose before blowing it out through pursed lips. She gripped the damp rag in her hand until her knuckles turned white, somehow proving that her complexion could become fairer than it already was.
âFloydâŠâ she began, her voice as tight as her fists, âWhat you suggested that we break into Dire Crowleyâs office and steal his financial reports.â
Floyd snorted.
âIt woulda worked if Iâd known there was a camera under his desk,â he retorted, âAnd besides, we got away with it anyway, didnât we?â
Jade sighed, sliding a now-dry glass underneath the bar before reaching for another.
âNo, we did not âget away with it,ââ the more sensible eel disagreed, âWe only got a lighter punishment after Azul bribed the Headmage.â
âOh please, thatâs pretty much the same thing.â
âIn truth, we were quite lucky that his desk drawers were locked, or else the consequences would have been even more dire.â
âExactly,â Opal blurted out, âWhy do you think weâre basically doing charity work cleaning the lounge for a month? Did you honestly think it would end any other way?!â
The chandeliers trembled above the voice of the magicless girl, as though intimidating them was actually possible. The crystals went silent at the same time that Floyd did. It was the first time she had ever seen the moody twin genuinely rendered speechless, and it almost made her regret opening her mouth at all.
âI just⊠got sick of hearinâ how you never had enough money every monthâŠâ
Now Opal truly did regret speaking.
âI mean⊠isnât Manta Ray supposed to be takinâ care of you or somethinâ? Whyâs he just⊠OK with givinâ you the bare minimum?â
Jade, now also at a loss for words, walked out from behind the bar towards his brother and their mutual girlfriend, his eyes bearing a rare glimpse of warmth beneath their usual eerie glow.
âWell⊠Floyd does bring up a good point,â he said, âThere were certainly much better ways that a solution could have been found, but nobody enjoys watching someone you love struggle.â
Opal felt the hot sting of tears in the corners of her eyes, but managed to blink them back before they could spill. The tightness had now migrated from her hands and jaw and made its way into her chest. She left the rag on an unwashed table and took a step forward.
âFloyd⊠why didnât you tell me that was the reason?â She wanted to know.
âI dunno,â Floyd admitted, âI just felt like helpinâ, and that was how I wanted to do it.â
âImpulsive as always,â Jade chuckled, âI donât know why Iâm even surprised.â
Opalâs nostrils widened to make room for another wordless sigh.
âI do wish you would stop and think for a moment before committing to such a silly scheme like that,â she told him, âBut⊠itâs not that I donât appreciate your concern for me.â
âOf course Iâm frigginâ concerned,â Floyd grumbled, âI wish Manta Ray would just let you move in with us and forget about that haunted dump of a dorm.â
âIt would mean less worries for everyone,â Jade added with a hum. Opalâs icy blue eyes twinkled as her smile returned to her cherubic face. The tiles clicked softly beneath her heels as she moved in closer to the twins until her body came within molecules of touching Floydâs.
âFloyd⊠youâre so sweet to be so worried about me,â she cooed, âBut if you must set about trying to improve my situation, at least do so in a way that wonât result in us landing in hot water with the headmaster, you silly eel.â
A raspy laugh passed through Floydâs jagged teeth as he swung his arms around Opalâs waist and pulled her into a crushing hug.
âCanât promise nothinâ~â he answered, ââCuz you have no idea what Iâm willinâ to do for you, Fairy Wrasse~â
âAre you willing to finish your work for her, at least?â Jade chuckled.
âUggh, shut up, Jade,â his brother whined, âLetâs just finish up quick so that we can all hang out, âkay?â
Opalâs chest suddenly felt comfortably warm, though whether that was because of the surprising sweetness of her loverâs concern or or blood flooding into her chest cavity from her ribs being crushed from his hug, she couldnât say. To be fair, it could just as easily be both.
But either way, she could die happy.













