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There were very few places in Night Raven College that were as peaceful as the hill you were lying on currently, done with all of your classes and having tossed Grim onto Ace and Deuce to babysit for a while. The weather was perfect, with the sun shining at just the right brightness and the leaves of the nearby trees rustling with the gentle winds of the day. But just as you decide to close your eyes and feel the wind and the grass, light footsteps crushing the grass, and when you open your eyes, you find a certain hyena grinning down at you.
“How’s it goin’, Prefect?” he starts, and his grin doesn’t fade even as you sit up with a groan. “Come on, don’t give me that look! I’m lookin’ to relax too, ya see.”
“Then why come bother me like this? Go over to that hill over there and chill.” Ruggie chuckles at the rude response, but doesn’t move. “C’mon, Prefect. Just for a little while, hmm?” On receiving no response from you, Ruggie flops onto the grass by your side and sighs at the feeling of cool but prickling grass on his back.
“Anyway, what you doing out here? Skipping class? I recommend it, unless it’s Trein.” You give a look that slowly turns into a smile and then a chuckle, and Ruggie’s heart lifts a little- it seems like he has a chance with you after all. “No, not skipping any classes,” you respond and stretch a little while you lie down. “It’s a well-deserved break. Not all of us are okay with running behind a giant lion man all the time, after all.”
“Hey, it’s not all the time.” Ruggie starts, but he doesn’t see any point in defending himself, because what he does is run behind Leona getting things done when the man doesn’t want to do it himself. “I’m hiding from the stacks of paperwork he signed off for the next field trip that I need to sort.” Your hand reaches for his, but he doesn’t pull back, relishing the little bit of warmth and care your hand exudes.
“That must be hard, poor you.” you remark with as much sarcasm as you could muster, and Ruggie’s eyes fill with mischief and mirth. “Hey, you don’t see me complaining, at least. I’ve got life figured out- do some work, take the money and some percent of tips, and then roll on the grass until it’s time for the next job to start. Besides, it ain’t like Leona’s gonna start doing the heavy-lifting any time soon. His dread for paperwork is making me dread it too.”
You chuckle at that again- so typical of Ruggie, to finish everything up as fast and as neatly as possible so he could rest up and devote himself to the next task. Though you couldn’t really call it ‘devotion’, for no devotion makes anyone keep running the way he does, and what devotion looks merely at the material? “But good job hiding from the paperwork anyway, Ruggie.”
“Hey, if you’re here, you’re hidin’ too.” A toothy smile makes its way out of Ruggie. “You hiding from those pompous freshies from Heartslabyul?” You sigh but nod, starting your story about Ace blowing up yet another cauldron during Potionology and that it almost killed you, and that even if you’re pissed off, in hindsight, it was pretty damn funny.
“Guess we both have good taste in hiding spots, then.” is all Ruggie said before the two of you let silence take over and do its job, with the sounds of the campus echoing in the distance. Ruggie slowly stretched out fully, lying flat on the grass with his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky as though he didn’t have a single care in the world. It was rare to catch him so relaxed, but when you did, it was always nice. There was something soothing about his presence, even when he was being his usual self- mischievous with every single ulterior motive under the sun behind his back.
“But, ya know,” Ruggie starts suddenly, and you turn to look at him again. “There’s a chance you’ll end up like me- running here and there, skippin’ classes and then sneaking notes from your friends. And even schemin’ here and there, if time permits.”
“Tempting,” you laugh. “But I’ll leave the hustle to the expert. Seven knows if I tried that my bones would fall over themselves like a collapsing skeleton.” Ruggie snickers, and you try your best not to break into a wide grin. “Well, that’s a smart move if I ever see any,” he sniggers, and you break apart. “Though I wouldn’t really mind havin’ an apprentice or a partner in crime.
The conversation drifts from there from partnerships to get-rich-quick schemes and embarrassing pranks the people in octavinelle fell victim to, but eventually, silence settles over the two of you once again, and the sun that warmed the grass dipped for a while behind the clouds, and the ground beneath turned cold, though it was welcome respite from the way Ruggie warmed you up without even trying or meaning to. After a while, you heard shuffling by your side, and turned your head to see Ruggie handing you a sandwich.
“Made these for lunch with Leona’s money,” he snickers again, and you accept the sandwich, making a graceful and grateful toast before unwrapping it. “I ain’t gonna charge you for it this time .” he adds as he notes your demeanour, and you exhale a snort while chewing. “Just wanted to share it with you.”
“It’s really good though. Thanks, Ruggie.” you say in between your chews, and the comfortable silence you’d been feeling for a while falls over the two of you once again, broken by Ruggie silently serious.
“Ever wonder what it’d be like to live somewhere?” he starts, and you don’t reply, though he sees some form of it in your eyes. “Like where?” you murmur, and Ruggie sighs.
“I don’t know. Maybe a place where I don’t have to keep running behind someone or work several jobs to keep myself floating. Just me and my freedom, you know?” You hum for a few seconds before you level him with a smile. “That makes sense, but knowing you, money is more precious than anything else. That, and a challenge. Hustling is who you are, for now, at least.”
Ruggie smirked, but you could see there was a distant look in his eyes. "Yeah, maybe. But sometimes it’s nice to imagine a place where I don’t have to work so hard for every little thing."
You watched him for a moment, seeing a side of Ruggie that wasn’t always visible. Beneath the teasing, the hustling, and the constant running around, he had his own dreams. He wanted a life where things came a little easier, where he didn’t have to fight tooth and nail for everything he had. And maybe, in his own way, that was why he enjoyed moments like these—moments where he didn’t have to scheme or plan, where he could just be himself without worrying about what came next.
"I get it," you said softly, your voice gentle. "Everyone needs a break sometimes." Ruggie’s eyes flickered over to you, his smirk softening into something more genuine. "Yeah. Guess we all do."
The conversation lulled again, the two of you simply lying side by side in the grass, enjoying the stillness. After a while, Ruggie let out a contented sigh, closing his eyes. "You know," he said, "this ain’t such a bad way to spend the afternoon."
“I would have enjoyed it more if I were alone.” Ruggie laughs at that, a low shihihihi , and you know that he understood what you were saying without needing to hear the words being said. “Liar,” he whispers under the sun sipping lower in the sky, and he stretches as he gets up, extending a hand to help you up too.
"Guess it’s about time I head back," he said, his usual playful tone creeping back into his voice, the one that hid the sorrows and the anger and pain so perfectly. "Can’t let Leona think I’ve gone soft and slow, now can I?" You chuckled at that, but dusted the stray bits of grass of your clothes and picked off seeds that Grim might lick off your coat in secret. "Yeah, he might actually have to do something for himself if you’re gone too long."
"Exactly." Ruggie flashed you a grin before pushing himself to his feet. "But hey, this was nice. We should do it again sometime."
"Yeah, we should," you agreed. "Next time, I’ll bring the snacks." Ruggie’s eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of free food, but he quickly hid it behind a casual shrug. "Deal. But don’t expect me to go easy on you just ‘cause we’re friends."
"Wouldn’t dream of it," you teased, rolling your eyes. "See you later, Ruggie."
With a final wave, Ruggie headed down the hill, disappearing back toward the dorms. You stayed behind for a moment, watching him go, feeling a little lighter than you had before. As you turned to leave, you couldn’t help but smile. Spending time with Ruggie was always a fun, unpredictable experience, but today had been something different. It had been calm, peaceful even, and you realised that beneath all the teasing and scheming, Ruggie was someone who appreciated the little moments just as much as you did.
And somehow, you had a feeling that you’d be finding more excuses to escape to that hill in the future.