Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s crazy!”

“He’s gorgeous…”

The blondes chirped, glaring at Belle. She had once again flat out ignored Gaston’s advances, much to the dismay of the hunter and the girls. As usual, the brunette simply walked past without giving them a second glance. She had grown used to the triplets’ constant jabs and learned to tune them out. The trio watched as Gaston chased after Belle, grabbing her book and making some attempt to read it before tossing it in a mud puddle.

“Doesn’t she know what she’s throwing away?” Claudette sneered.

“Especially with that loon of a father,” Paulette snarked, causing her sisters to giggle.

“Come on Paulie, there’s no way she has any more sanity than that old blunderbuss,” Laurette said. “She doesn’t even have a job. Do you think she’s following in his footsteps?”

“Oh, I’m sure she thinks she can write her own books,” Paulette sighed, rolling her eyes. “Reading is one thing, but writing? Who does she think she is? She wouldn’t make a penny.”

“Speaking of jobs,” Claudette interrupted, “we ought to get to the tavern. I’m sure our shift starts soon.” The three of them had worked at the local tavern for years. It was opened by Gaston’s father and went to his son when he passed away. It was easy to see why they worked there; other than the obvious fact of Gaston being ever present, the work was fairly simple. Sure, the patrons were all loud, annoying, drunken men, but they liked the girls and didn’t give them much trouble.

It was still relatively early in the day, around noon to be specific, but since Gaston was never around to actually manage the tavern, it usually fell on the girls. They weren’t the only workers per se, but no one stayed for very long. If anyone else worked there, they were just passing by and looking to make some money. Their pay was nice though, and working long hours meant they would make plenty to sustain themselves.

Paulette glared at Belle, watching her insult Gaston and attempt to shoo him away. She watched, eyes green with envy, as the brunette flipped through the pages of her book and winced at the damage the mud had done. Paulette’s face twisted into a scowl. How could she be so… so… Paulette wanted to scream. She couldn’t even think of a proper insult.

Gaston is the pride of the village and he wants her. He could give her everything she could ever want. She doesn’t even need to love him; Paulette sure as hell didn’t and she was still chasing him. Just marrying him would be enough to set her up for life, and that’s what really mattered. Especially with Maurice being hailed as the town idiot, she should be doing everything in her power to make sure they have a steady life together.

Belle shouldn’t be reading. She shouldn’t be writing. She should be content where she is. Everyone is content but her. Somehow, that didn’t feel fair.

“Paula!” Laurette’s voice rose over the loud, mundane chatter of the townsfolk. Turning towards where the voice came from, Paulette saw her sisters waiting for her halfway across the small provincial town. She exhaled sharply and quickly weaved through the crowd of people, meeting her sisters at the front step of the tavern. She glanced back at Belle one more time before the tavern door slammed shut behind her.

Chapter Text

“Paulette.” Claudette snapped her fingers in front of her sister’s face. “Pay attention,” she hissed. “You have missed three tables calling out for you. What’s going on?” It was true that Paulette hadn’t been the most attentive. Something about seeing Belle disrespect Gaston wasn’t anything new, but something about this time ticked her off like no other. Did she think she was better than them, dismissing such an opportunity with such… such… scone? No, that’s not the word. Belle would probably know what word she wanted to use.

“PAULETTE.” Claudette was visibly frustrated with her sister’s lack of attentiveness. The oldest of the triplets, she took it upon herself to keep her younger sisters in check. In reality they were only a few minutes apart, but that didn’t matter to her.

“Sorry, sorry,” Paulette muttered. “Just not feeling well.” Claudette scrunched her nose.

“Not feeling well?” Her expression softened. Slightly. “What’s wrong? You better not have stolen sips from the beer you’ve been serving. I know it’s the end of the night, but that’s no excuse to be slacking off.” Though she loved to boss them around, she knew how to be just as mischievous as her sisters. Paulette smiled wearily.

“I suppose it’s more that I’m bothered by Belle.” Paulette sighed. “I just can’t believe she’s the only one who catches Gaston’s eye but she doesn’t even care! How insane is that?” Claudette rolled her eyes.

“Don’t pay any attention to that girl. She thinks she’s so much better than everyone else because she likes to read,” she scoffed. “Really, her and her father are nothing but fools. I wouldn’t give them a second more of your time.”

“Why is she bothering you so much?” Laurette chimed in from across the bar. She was leaning over, precariously balancing two trays full of ale for her patrons. “Usually you don’t think about her too much. In one ear, out the other, yeah?”

“Exactly,” Claudette agreed, shoving a tray full of beer into her sister’s hands. “We can talk about this later if it’s still bothering you. For now, you have to focus on your job.” Paulette groaned as she took the tray, waltzing over to a table full of merry patrons.

“Paula!” The group of already drunk men cheered in unison.

“Hello boys!” She smiled as she dished out their drinks. “What round is this?”

“I think… four?” One of them slurred, leaning on his buddy for support. “I don’t know anything other than.. I feel great!” He raised his cup in triumph, causing a roar of excitement to erupt from the other men. She raised an eyebrow, amused at how terrible that poor man would inevitably feel in the morning.

“None of the boys givin’ you trouble tonight, right Paula?” One of the men asked. “You look like yer bothered by somethin’. Don’t forget, you can always call on us to take ‘em out.”

Despite what their low necklines may suggest, the triplets weren’t promiscuous. Many people made that assumption before speaking to them, especially drunk men at the tavern, but throughout the five years working there the townsfolk began to respect them more for their hard work and kind hearts. Now if anyone got too comfortable with the girls, they’d have a drink poured on them at best and a black eye and some broken bones at worst.

“No, but thank you Tomás. Just lost in thought I guess.” She smiled softly. Most of the tavern goers got incredibly rowdy, obnoxious, and occasionally handsy as the night went on, but people like that made it worthwhile. He nodded and resumed conversation with the rest of his group. Paulette continued to make her rounds, finally able to take her mind off what had happened earlier in the day. She gracefully moved around the room, delivering beer and indulging in pleasant conversation with her tables.

She only halted when she heard the slam of the front door and two loud voices making their way to the fireplace. The girls exchanged excited glances as the man of their dreams tromped to his chair. When Gaston was around, the triplets fell all over him. They certainly wouldn’t neglect their duties as waitresses- well, maybe a little- but he was their priority whenever he was at the tavern (and everywhere else, really). They dropped what they were doing and quickly

“Monsieur Gaston!” Claudette chirped happily. “What can we get for you tonight?”

“Two beers to start, Claudette.” She nodded and went briskly to the tap. Gaston smirked, stroking his chin. The expression on his face made it clear he had something important to announce. Paulette remembered that he had looked especially lost in thought after he talked to Belle earlier that day. Perhaps it had something to do with that?

“Well girls, today’s run in with Belle has really opened my eyes.” Gaston said as Claudette handed him and Lefou their beers. The girls exchanged excited glances. Had he finally realized that wench wasn’t for her? He was certainly very happy to have realized that she wasn’t interested in him (somehow). Shouldn’t he be more-

“I’m proposing to Belle first thing tomorrow morning!”

The triplets froze. Proposing? To Belle?! They looked at each other with frantic expressions. This couldn’t be happening. If they get married, who will they go to? Who will they fawn over? Who will they marry?! Lefou was also quite confused. This man was delusional if he thought the day’s interaction was anything more than unpleasant for the poor woman. They instantly rushed to discourage him from this horrible, terrible, earth-shattering mistake.

“You’re so young! Why settle down now?”

“She doesn’t deserve you!”

“She’s a loon who thinks she’s better than you! How could you marry her?”

“Now, now, girls, I won’t have you insulting my future wife,” Gaston said sternly. “I know you’re disappointed, but that doesn’t have to keep us from our… rendezvous.” Even this promise of unfaithfulness couldn’t console the girls who were now tearing up. It doesn’t matter that he would keep coming by to flirt. Belle would demand that he stops seeing them. What if he actually did?! How selfish of her!

Gaston waved them off to fetch him more beer, having already downed his entire mug. They wiped their misty eyes and rushed behind the bar, anxiously discussing what they could do to stop him. He was clearly made up his mind and once Gaston LeGume is set on something, he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. An admirable quality in their eyes, but challenging to deal with if he was in the wrong. Which was admittedly most of the time. Their ideas ranged from making her as unappealing as possible (she’s already at that point), talking Gaston out of it (impossible), and murdering her (illegal, unfortunately).

No matter what they came up with, there was always something to stop them. It really seemed like a problem with no solution. As Claudette and Laurette continued discussing, Paulette fell silent. The wheels in her mind began to turn, as did her stomach as she realized something she could do to help.

“I have an idea,” Paulette mused. “I’m going to befriend Belle.” Her sisters gasped. Belle was no friend to them. How could their sister possibly suggest such a thing?

“What are you thinking?!” Claudette squeaked. “Why would you ever want to be seen with that woman? You’ll be shunned by the town!”

“You can’t be serious!” Laurette cried. “Paula, you can’t do that to yourself! It’s too big a sacrifice, we can’t let you do that!”

“Listen,” Paulette said with a sigh. “I’m sure she’ll reject Gaston’s proposal. There’s no doubt in my mind that she won’t go through with it. But you know Gaston, he doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants. I’m scared she’ll realize what an amazing man he is, and then there’s no hope of getting him back. If she actually falls in love with him, which she will in due time, we’ll lose him. Someone needs to keep her distracted as long as possible. Maybe even help her get away from him. We can bide our time until we come up with a good plan, or until he falls in love with one of us.’

The two bit their tongues as they realized the unfortunate truth. They couldn’t talk him out of the proposal or make Belle less appealing to him. The only thing they could do is to help their worst enemy.

“Fine. You can talk to her. But don’t expect us to join you. I couldn’t bear to talk to that nutcase for more than a minute.” Claudette sneered. They had been trying to outshine her for so long that it felt like a betrayal of self to admit they had to be friends with her. Anyway, what if the triplets who had hated her so much for so long becoming her friend gave Gaston the wrong impression? Would that make Belle look better, or worse, make them look bad?

“Thanks for your overwhelming support,” Paulette snarked. “Your ideas were just so much better. Remind me again of what they were?” This shut her up, but didn’t stop her from glaring at her sister. “I know it’s not a great situation, but I’m willing to go for it. I don’t ask for anything except your approval, and maybe some help if I ever need it.

“I like it.” Laurette smiled weakly. “I’m still really upset, but I do like some good old fashioned sabotage.”

“Well, that’s that. Tomorrow, after Gaston proposes and she rejects him, we’ll start talking to Belle. You two start insulting her and I’ll stay back after you leave to start talking to her as a friend. I’ll let you know how it goes after.”

The triplets forced smiles and cheerfully made their way back over to their soon-to-be lover’s chair, Paulette already starting to regret her grim, Belle-filled fate.