A/N: This is the first couple-centered chapter, and it's the most disgusting and crappy piece of writing I've ever done. I did not give Ali and Daphne the justice they deserve, I'm sorry that I'm a non-romantic writer 😭 I PROMISE THESE CHAPTERS WILL IMPROVE, SWEARSIES.

Daphne Tremaine's POV

Don't slouch, shoulders straight, and tilt your chin, Lady Tremaine's voice entered Daphne's voice as she put on her earrings. Lucifer hissed, sitting on Ana's vacant bed. "Oh hush," she said, rolling her eyes. "You tried to swallow my silver ones, these earrings will have to do." She needed everything to go perfectly for her grandmother.

Decent-looking dress? Check.

Non-frizzy curls? Check.

Practiced smile? Check.

Rich boyfriend? Semi-check (she'd work on that).

Lady Tremaine certainly raised some rather... deceiving grandchildren. I learn from the best, Daphne thought. There was suddenly a ring at her dorm's door. The hell? This better not make her late. She opened the door, finding a little package at the doorstep.

"I swear to Grimm, if this is another glitter bomb prank from Frederick..." She tore open the package, her eyes widening. They were shoes. Not the shitty, cheap high heels that Daphne would fish out of thrift stores, but the real ones. Luxury ones, even. Daphne fished out a tiny note, squinting at it.

Even the Wicked Stepsister deserves a pair of nice shoes :)

"For God's sake."

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"What the hell?" Daphne said straight to Ali's face once she found him in the Charmitorium for Family Night. She punched him in the shoulder, not lightly either. "Why did you give me these?" She gestured to the heels that she finally did wear. Hey, Daphne might not want Ali's "filthy money," but she isn't dumb enough to not accept free luxury gifts.

"What do you mean? I didn't send anything. Nice shoes by the way," he said, shrugging. He didn't wear the sunglasses tonight since Daphne insisted he eased off the alcohol or risk being called a sleazy acholic by her grandmother. When his eyes weren't bloodshot from hangovers, they were a sober, crystal-clear hazel colour.

"Who writes a smiley face lopsided on a note?" Daphne asked.

"Plenty of people, I'm sure."

"You're being a dick right now for not admitting you're a nice guy." She didn't bother wasting her breath with Ali, she wasn't in the mood tonight. She crossed her arms and surveyed the crowd among her. "If you fuck this up tonight in front of my family, I will fuck up that face of yours."

He cocked his head to the side, smiling lazily. "I'd love that."

"That was supposed to sound threatening, not flirty!"

"Well, that's not exactly my fault—oh, shit..." Ali shielded his face, grabbing Daphne by the arm and walking to the corner of the room. Confused, Daphne looked over her shoulder and spotted a trio of adults entering the Charmitorium. All three of them were brown-skinned, dressed in lavish robes, and those sober hazel eyes.

"Is that your family?" Daphne asked as Ali started to pace around, practically spiralling.

"God, I thought they would come later so I'd have time to prepare. But now? " Ali fumbled through the pockets of his suit's jacket, bringing out a silver flask. Before he could chug it, Daphne slapped his hand. "What the hex!"

"Put that away," she hissed, "you can't always drink your way out of trouble, Nimer."

Ali let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. For once, he let the mask slip and whispered quietly, "You don't get it, my dad and I have a really complicated relationship. The last time we met, I told him that I never wanted to be like him. That was a year ago, we haven't talked since."

Are you freaking kidding me? Daphne let her mind think for a second before saying, "Distract them then, it's better to confront them than avoid them. Introduce me, we'll stick with the plan. I can be very convincing, Nimer."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"No."

"Yes. Wait, no, oh fuck—"

With that, Daphne dragged Ali over to the Nimers, analyzing the situation before greeting them. The shortest one there was an old man, Ali's grandpa she assumed, which was the Sultan. The woman, Ali's mother, smiled awkwardly. And Aladdin? Oh, yeah, it was way worse than Daphne expected. A deep frown was etched on the man's face. "Hi, I'm Daphne," she smiled, shaking each of their hands.

There was a prolonged silence.

Ali cleared his throat, nudging her. "Last name?" Oh, of course, rich people cared about that stupid shit. C'mon, spit it out, Daphne thought. Lady Tremaine's going to be here any minute either way, which is arguably worse.

"Tremaine," she corrected.

"Ah, I see." Aladdin's comment was the most backhanded thing that Daphne ever heard of. We come from the same background, she thought as her eye twitched. You grew up poor, so did I.

She reminded herself that homicide would land her in jail.

"Well, I think that's amazing to hear," the Sultan declared, hands on his hips. Thank you, Daphne thought. Finally, someone in this family that can earn my respect. They continued to make idle talk until it returned to silence. Evidently, the tension between Ali and Aladdin had lessened, but now his parents' beady eyes stared at Daphne. Discreetly, she checked the time. Her family would be arriving soon, she was screwed. This wasn't how she planned her Saturday evening to go.

Ali noted the uncomfortable suspense in the air. "Did you know that Daphne is the top student in our school's science field?" he mentioned. Daphne's face went red—that was possibly the most embarrassing and rewarding thing to be said about her. "You know, Chemythstry and that. Plus other forgettable stuff."

"Oh, is that so?" Mrs. Nimer asked curiously.

"Yeah, you should see some of her experiments, they're fascinating."

"Anyways, who would like to talk about that Poison Apple Theory might have a political side to it?" Daphne blurted, hands clasped to her side. She smiled embarrassedly.

"Me!" the Sultan exclaimed eagerly. As the old man went into a down spiral of conspiracy theories of politics, Daphne nodded at Ali and discreetly left the Charmitorium. She was glad to get out of that sticky situation, but also a bit nervous to meet her family again for the first time in months.

When she waited outside the school, the breeze wafted through the air. From the outside, she heard Grimm announce that Family Night had officially started. Not a big deal, she convinced herself as she checked the time. They're just a bit late. Half an hour later, Daphne was too tired from standing in heels, so she sat at the entrance's steps. She tried calling her mother several times, only to be left at voicemail. Then an hour passed.

Daphne may as damn well have waited until midnight when Cinderella came running away from her prince when her phone buzzed. Maybe next time, a text from her mother read. Next time? This was Daphne's last year, there was no next time.

Daphne stared at the cracked screen of the phone, processing the text. They weren't coming, they never were. But she had done everything Lady Tremaine expected of her, she even went ahead and got herself a fake boyfriend to please her grandmother!

She wanted to cry, God, she wanted to scream and throw her phone away. Did she truly mean that little to her family? The tears formed, but Daphne willed themselves to not fall. No, she wasn't going to let anyone think she was fucking weak. Pull yourself together, she took a shaky breath. You can't let yourself fall when you're this high up.

Daphne heard the door open from behind her, clearing her throat and smoothing her dress. She quickly wiped away her tears, straightening up. "So I assume your family isn't coming?" Ali asked, sitting down next to her.

She merely shrugged. "Something came up, doesn't matter."

Ali pulled the flask out again, offering it to her. "I think you need this more than I do today." She hesitated, denying the drink at first, but eventually took the tiny flask in her cold hands. She uncapped it and tilted her head back, not stopping until the flask was empty. The bitter taste scorched her throat—whoever said alcohol tastes good was a liar—but its effect was what Daphne sought.

"I don't suppose you have any more of those flasks?"

Ali grinned mischievously. "I think it's about time I show you my favourite place in Ever After High; the liquor cellar."

"Shit, that actually exists?"

"What are we, poor?"

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Ali Nimer's POV

"I can't believe our school actually has a liquor cellar," Daphne said as she closed the door behind them. The cellar was cold, but its content interested Ali far more. He had memorized each row and shelf of alcohol, he took pride in it actually. He skimmed along the index, eventually finding the brand he desired. He uncapped the expensive wine bottle, taking a quick swig. Its effect took place, but Ali had developed a high tolerance over the years.

"Here, this one is good." He handed her the bottle. Daphne drank the wine before spinning around, spitting it out. "Whoa, whoa, that was expensive! It was fermented in the Dark Forest a hundred years ago—"

"Why does such costly alcohol taste so disgusting then?" She pulled a cheaper bottle of alcohol off the shelf, taking a drink. Her face puckered, but she sat on the floor regardless. "I can't believe I had my first drink today," she muttered.

Ali's jaw dropped. "First?"

"Well, I'm not of age yet."

"My point still stands—first drink? What about parties? Parties are basically an excuse to drink all the booze you want!" Ali sat down next to her, absolutely bewildered. It felt as if he had just heard Daphne confess to a crime.

"Never been to a party."

"Seriously? Everyone should go to a party at least once!"

"Not everyone is a total Party Prince," Daphne snorted, nursing her bottle of wine. Her words were slurring slightly, like she was already drunk. When her phone buzzed, she checked it and her face contorted. It was hard to read her expression.

"Who is it?"

"No one," she said quickly, smiling and putting her phone away. She had the same reaction whenever Grandpapa asked Ali if he had been drinking lately. What? Me, drinking? Of course not! Ali knew she was lying, but didn't press her. Daphne, eager to change the subject apparently, said, "I never thanked you for the shoes."

"I didn't buy them, you gaslighter." Another lie, but it was easier to say aloud. Ironic that Ali's calling someone else a gaslighter... Bitch.

Daphne downed the rest of her bottle before saying, "You know that's your problem, Nimer? When you're not being a complete asshole, you're too scared to realize and admit you're not as bad as you think you are. Same thing with the shelter—which is how this entire scheme started—you don't want anyone to know you're not a total bastard."

Ali placed his hand over his heart. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said about me," he said sarcastically. Daphne narrowed her eyes, but laughed regardless. With the alcohol, she was less up-tight and more open. Ali found early on in his school years that being drunk made him easier to be around. It made him feel... nothing. Each little thrill still got to him, maybe that's why he was so desperate to forget reality. Getting high and drunk, partying all night, it was just what he needed. A temporary surge of euphoria.

"Okay, my turn."

"Hm?"

"I wanna ask a question now."

"I wasn't aware we're playing a screwed up version of Twenty Questions, but shoot."

"Why science? I mean, Professor Rumpelstiltskin favours you and all, but why Chemythstry out of all things to choose?" A bit too late to get to know his fake girlfriend, but it was worth a shot anyways. "Plus, I notice you always speak in French when you're thinking deeply."

Daphne slumped against the wall, snorting "I mean, my late grandfather used to be a scientist, so I suppose it runs in the family. My grandmother, Lady Tremaine, was so against me getting an education because she thought it wasn't traditional enough. She wanted me to marry young and rich, her views are rather dated." She took another bottle off the rack. "My grandfather's office contained these textbooks, so I would bike to my cousin's bakery just to read in peace. Learn, maybe. All the books were written in French, so it became a habit."

"Look at us, pouring our hearts out to each other," Ali said, starting to feel the aftereffects. The alcohol had finally kicked into his system, making his head fuzzy. His mind was starting to become mush, his lips looser. "You're not that bad. I mean, we're both assholes so I can't be saying that." To that, Daphne chortled. "Why are you like that anyways?"

"Like what?" she asked suspiciously.

"Like how you normally act. You think everyone's out to get you."

Daphne shrugged, her fingers tightening around the bottle until Ali was sure it would shatter. She sighed, a blank stare in her eyes. "All my life, everyone told me what I should be. When I first came to Ever After High, everyone only ever saw me as the Wicked Stepsister. You know how that feels? They hated me for my legacy, they would only ever see a mean girl who didn't know shit." She let out a hollow laugh. "They were so disgusted by my blood, but they'd kill to watch me bleed.

"They thought I was tainted, I bet. Look, Nimer, my heart is only reserved for a few people, and my only job is to protect Aurelio and Ana. I didn't need anyone else treating them like shit. So why fight it? If they want a cold-hearted bitch, I'll be even worse. It's easier to become what they wanted me to be than not to. In some fucked up way, I fit in perfectly fine." Daphne brought the drink to her lips. "You don't get it, Nimer. You're the next Sultan, you have so much power at your fingertips."

"It's better to be hated than forgotten, Nimer"

"I don't find that reasoning to be true," Ali said, grabbing another bottle off the rack. How many bottles have that been now? "I mean, if you're hated, you'd go down in history as a villain. I mean, that's literally your legacy, but you know what's the best sort of 'fuck you?' Proving them wrong out of spite."

"You're too drunk to be telling me what's logical and what's not," she scoffed.

"Please, you look as if you're about to fall asleep."

"You look as if you're about to drink until you drop dead."

"I could say the same about you!" But then Ali laughed, doubling over in a fit of drunken giggles. He laughed at the whole situation of this; he was arguing with his fake girlfriend who tried to blackmail him! In retrospect, he felt like a fool that had been played by his own hand. I'm starting to think Ali's going insane... SOS, please. "I think there's something wrong with us," he wheezed.

"You think?" Daphne asked and Ali slumped against the wall, laughing even louder. "You're hysterical." She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. She dipped her head forward slightly, revealing a toothy smile. Ali found her smile to be rather charming, even attractive though he'd never admit that. Perhaps he got along with Daphne better than he originally thought he did.

But even with the alcohol, a startling reminder appeared in his head, loud-and-clear. Don't let yourself be caught up in a game that's bound to end sooner than later.