Chapter Text
Recovering from a life-altering experience such as an over-blot should have been enough for Azul Ashengrotto to realize that Jade and Floyd Leech were there to stay. That these soft and fluttery feelings were reciprocated, that Azul deserved to be loved. But alas, Azul’s book smarts did not take him that far in the realm of emotional intelligence. Instead, the aftermath had led the octopus merman to reflect on his relationship with his ever loyal companions and come to the conclusion that it’s either now or never, and never sounded like a much more appropriate response to these ‘feelings’.
From the moment Azul had met the twins when they were guppies, he knew that the beating in his heart was not from fear nor anxiety, but something too complex for baby Azul to handle. He had anticipated ‘visits’ from other merchildren but it was not the same when it came to the Leech boys. Similarly, the compliments from the others in his class were backhanded and were laced with malice, though when the twins would praise him, it was honest. Almost to a fault, as often the honesty from Jade was as sharp as his teeth.
Even as Azul recognized the difference between this feeling, it remained an unidentified emotion chalked up to the unfamiliarity of friendship, at least until the months leading up to their ascension on land.
“Are Jade and Floyd excited to go on land? This is a big achievement for the three of you and those boys are easily excitable.” Azul’s mother seemed to be more excited about their venture on land than Azul did, constantly asking questions and reminding him of the days.
“That depends on the day you’re asking. Jade is the most consistent in his anticipation and it seems he has been studying terrestrial flora, although he seems to be the worst on his human legs.” Azul was astute in his observations of Jade as he was the more ‘dependable’ of the two.
“Sounds about right, that boy is much more cautious than Floyd and nerves will only weaken his balance. Let me see, I’ll pack you three plenty of food to calm those nerves!”
“Please mother, that will not be necessary! I’m sure the food will just cause further stomach aches.” Azul quickly spat out, wanting to squash that idea as soon as it occurred. The food that Azul’s mother made was overly fattening, packed to make sure the mers of the Northern Sea never went hungry in their desolate environment. That coupled with the naturally large octopus form had led to Azul’s chubby form.
“Don’t be ridiculous Azul. You boys are still growing and going on land at such a young age is bound to take a toll. And the twins love my cooking, you know how much Floyd eats without even being hungry.” She quickly brushed off Azul’s concerns and started making a list of the trio’s favorite foods to start experimenting with, ignoring Azul’s groans.
“That’s not fair! Floyd will eat anything you throw at him if he’s in a good enough mood. Last time we talked about going on land, he seemed rather indifferent to our upcoming departure. But if I know him, he’s silently stewing in his own ideas that I’ll have to clean up.”
“Well even if the Leech brothers have their own concerns, I am just glad you’re going with two people you trust. You three are the only ones you’ll have up there so if they’re nervous or overzealous, don’t go too harsh on them okay? You have a special connection with them that you have yet to realize.” Azul’s mother smiles at him knowingly, which only serves to annoy the boy further. Before he could ask her what she meant or deny whatever fantasy she was conjuring up, the dinner rush started to pour in, successfully distracting the pair from the conversation.
Later that night, when the restaurant was closed and Azul bid his mother goodnight, he was left to reflect on the unfinished conversation. Azul had known his mother was ecstatic the day he came back to the restaurant with the eels in tow but just assumed it was because her son had finally made friends. But as the date of their departure rapidly approached and the mother-son duo began talking more, Azul noticed his mother had made it obvious that she knew of her son’s feelings towards his ‘business partners’, labeled as such by Jade and Azul.
What was more surprising than that was the fact Azul found out he loved the twins after his mother did. Although the young octopus had no time to be embarrassed about his mother’s intuition because well, Azul Ashengrotto had just discovered, just a few nights before he was to spend nearly everyday with them for the next three years, that he was in love with Jade and Floyd Leech.
Azul is an extraordinary business man and with that came certain talents that he had hidden up his sleeve. Some of which included exploitation, manipulation, and deception. These types of ‘skills’ can only be pulled off by a man who is able to hide his true intentions behind a mask of the ever benevolent Sea Witch. Luckily, Azul excelled in masking his true feelings in order to benefit his larger goals or plans, especially when those feelings were extremely personal and vulnerable. And since his overblot, it was more important than ever to hide these vulnerabilities.
After begrudgingly accepting his feelings for the twins within the first few months at Night Raven College, Azul had purposefully zeroed in on opening his cafe, networking, and getting to the top of his class. The twins were extremely perceptive and being their closet companion for the past few years meant that Azul was too easy to read. Although as the months passed and their second year approached, the twins had seemingly yet to pick up on anything out of the ordinary. Azul had begun to believe that the two did in fact know about his feelings but in a pitying attempt to spare Azul and their business relationship, had simply ignored the telltale signs. At least, until Azul’s overblot.