EchoesOfCalypso

Ace was quick to get comfortable on the couch, his arms crossed behind his head and resting against the back cushion. He looked at home seated there. This was his couch after all. The first thing he slept on at Ramshackle. The first thing he claimed as his in your home. He looked up at you still standing above him, spreading his legs and patting his thigh for you to sit on. He looked so normal while doing so, like he wasnt just offering for you to sit ontop of him.

You weren't about to complain though.

You sat on his lap, placing your legs on either of his thighs with your hands resting on his shoulders. He peered up at you without a care in the world, even daring to place his hand on the back of your thigh to help hold you up. Oh god you were about to explode.

"Hurry uuuuup," he whines, lips forming into an exaggerated pout.

You looked down at the puppy eyes he was giving you, ignoring his complaints. His face was already beautiful without makeup on but...

Maybe it was your job to ugli-fy him.

The sudden feeling of your hands on his face shuts up his whines. His eyes go wide as he stares up at you applying concealer on his face. Huh. When did the two of you get so close?

A sort of tension began to settle in the air as you continued to work on his face. The soft sensation of the makeup brush, the powder on his face, the chill of the air contrasting against the warmth of your hands. The sensation of you touching his skin was soft, gentle, warm even. It was unlike the way he did his own makeup.

You were close to him too. He was suddenly consious of his hand resting on your thigh, the soft, concentrated, breaths against his face, and the feeling of your chest against his. The two of you were almost impossibly close. Once he felt your fingertips press against the plush of lips, smearing color on them. He could feel his face flushing.

He's glad you get off him as soon as you're done, otherwise his thoughts would've begun to run wild. He masks his embarrassment with a smirk, that stupid, snarky, voice leaving his lips. He teases you for being so close to him, saying you must've done it on purpose. He's grateful the blush you placed on his cheeks covered the flush that was beginning to rise to his face.

He ought to have you do this again.

#. DEUCE SPADE.

"Sure, but while Ace is asleep, can we draw dicks on him?"

Deuce agreed almost instantly at the suggestion of you putting makeup on him. You were honestly shocked, thinking itd at least take you a little convincing for the guy to agree. But no, hes the most accepting out of everyone.

It was likely because he often had makeup on his face; especially while growing up. His mom would always test concealers and foundations on him, saying that they had the same complexions and all. In reality she probably just liked making her son look as girly as possible. Also evident by his pajamas of course.

He only really went against the idea of makeup during his delinquent era, finding it way too feminine and uncool. Meanwhile he was out there using it to draw realistic scars and bruises on his face. Makeup reminded him of his mom. Of his time as a delinquent. Of both his bad and good decisions.

But how could he say no when you, ever so sweetly, asked him?

Deuce sits on his knees in the middle of your bedroom floor, glancing towards your array of products. You sat in front of him on the bed, bent over yourself, taking hold of his chin and pulling him closer to you.

Oh.

Deuce sputtered, eyes widening. His body suddenly felt tight in his uniform, straining against his muscles. He let out a shuttered huff, breath catching in his throat. He could feel himself getting hot, could even feel the heat radiating off of his skin and onto yours. You smile, giggling at his flushed face. You probably wouldnt even need to blush him with how red he was. Fuck. He was panicking, you were way too close to his face.

Shit. He shuts his eyes tight, hands clenching into fists and resting atop his thighs to stop them from shaking. His lips quiver slightly, however he tries to keep his body as still as possible to not disrupt your work. No matter how hard he was shaking, (and was) he wasn't about to let this opportunity leave either of you.

"Breathe Deuce," he felt your hand brush against the plush skin of his cheek, cold against the fire that was building up inside of him. The pads of your thumbs begin to rub soft circles into his cheek as his eyes open to find you looking down at him. His lids felt heavy as he stared into your gentle irises.

"If you don't want me to do this just let me know. Okay?"

You begin moving your hands away from him, but he grabs your wrist, pulling it right back where it belonged. "No, keep going."

He soon relaxes as you continue to touch his skin, face still flushed and heart still pounding. He let out a soft, dazed, sigh- feeling as if the seven he had already chose to ascend him. The feeling of your hands on his face, gently putting product on him, taking as much care of him as possible. He could be taken from the earth right at this moment, and he wouldnt have a single regret.

It isnt long before the aching hold of slumber takes over his body, and you smile as you watch him fall asleep upright, head still in your hands with a full face of pretty boy makeup.

He flushes bright red when you wake him up, stuttering apologies like he had accidentally dropped your favorite vase or something. You only giggle, ruffling his hair before pressing a teasing kiss to his cheek. Now he was burning.

Yeah, he thought, feeling his soul escape his body, No regrets.

#. JACK HOWL.

"Uh. Okay?"

Jack's also confused, you want to put makeup on him? A giant, beefed up, wolfman? Wouldn't you prefer someone prettier, someone with gentler features? But you only shake your head, eyebrows furrowing as you slap his bicep. He raises his eyebrow, fighting the grin threating to climb his face as you berate him for not calling himself pretty. He chuckles, a boyish smile growing on his canines as he watches you squeak like a little mouse. Okay sure. He'll agree. Just to make you happy.

Jack still looms over you, even while sitting. He has to bend forward to meet your height, and you have to crane your head up to meet his. His ears are flat against his head, twitching slightly as his eyes avoid your own. Unsurprisingly, he's tense. However he does well at hiding it.

"This reminds me of my sister," he said more to himself than you.

"Oh?" You smiled a bit, taking a brush and dabbing foundation to his under eyes, "How so?"

"She'd take our mom's makeup and practice on me." He glanced into your eyes for a moment, "Never thought I'd miss it."

Meanwhile, Jack is only focused on how close the two of you are. He can feel your breath against his nose and lips, can hear your heartbeat mingling with his own, can feel every touch of your skin against his. His face is almost impossibly close to yours, and it's not helping that you're cradling his cheek as you work. Strangely, however, he isn't nervous. He's just tense, basking in your presence with each of his senses on overdrive.

If you weren't as close to him as you were, you never would've noticed the slight changes in his behavior. A soft smile grew on your face as you reached up to touch the back of his head, slightly massaging the hair behind his ears. It was sweet of him, in your opinion, being so tense but trying his hardest to stay still just for you. The moment you begin scratching at his ears he stiffens, eyes widening and finally making contact with yours. You just giggle, petting him more and telling him to loosen up.

Begrudgingly, he allows himself to relax, melting into your touch. It was different with you. His heightened senses usually caused everything to be uncomfortable, especially with things on his face. Yet he couldnt help but lean into your touch, tail relaxed as he let peace consume him.

"All done!"

His golden eyes opened to look into yours, focused and composed as you finished up your final touches. You had a bright smile on your face, admiring both your work and him.

Jack couldn't help the soft grin forming on his face. If you looked this beautiful while happy, he'd do anything to keep that smile on your face.

#. EPEL FELMIER.

"You ain't puttin' anythin' on my face you wench."

"Okay, rude."

Epel is, of course, one of the most unwilling to let you do his makeup. Today is supposed to be a sleepover for the two of you, a time where you both can relax and watch western movies while eating the fattiest junk food in all of Sage Island. Today's the one day of the month he can be an actual teenage boy without having Vil breathing down his back. And of course, you want to do his makeup.

You watch as he dramatically falls onto your bed with the biggest sigh known to man. Ever since coming to NRC he's had to deal with people (Vil) wanting to put products on him like he was some sorta mannequin. And now even you were torturing him with stupid makeup.

You sigh, taking a seat beside him on your bed, "You can say no, you know."

"If I do you'll draw a dick on my face."

"Why does everyone always think that?"

In reality, Epel doesn't mind if you're the one putting makeup on him. After all, you weren't forcing it onto him like Vil does. And he didn't wanna deny your cute gesture. Besides, he'll take any chance he could get having your hands on him.

He lays flat on your bed, arms spread out like eagle wings with you above him. You look down at him, cupping his cheek and gently running your finger down the soft, pale, flesh. His skin was genuinely one of the softest things you'd ever felt, and so pure that not even a single blackhead was there. Vil's products really worked.

Simultaneously, as you were caressing his skin, Epel was trying so hard to not let himself have a panic attack and scream at the top of his lungs. He could feel your cool, minty, breath against his lips as you marveled at how pretty he was.

Fuck.

He did not realize how close the two of ya would be.

He could feel himself heating up, a warm blush rising to the apples of his cheeks. He let out a small breath of air, wanting to shove his face into your pillow and scream for an eternity. Luckily, he's able to keep his composure, only slightly shaking as he feels you shift atop him once in a while.

He soon gets lost in the familiar feeling of makeup on his face, only this time he feels more comforted than annoyed. But he just can't seem to let go of the butterflies in his stomach.

Seven forbid he opens his eyes again ( they've been closed this whole time ) cause as soon as he sees your focused stare he's gonna pack his bags and head back home. When you finish his heart almost melts at the warm smile you give him.

"Now lemme draw on ya- I mean do your makeup."

"Boy you are NOT slick."

#. SEBEK ZIGVOLT.

"It would be unbecoming of me as a knight to wear makeup! I need to focus on my training, not appearance!"

"Be quiet."

Sebek refuses the most out of everyone, squabbling on and on about how it would be inappropriate for him to wear makeup as a knight. He would get messy and dirtied during his training anyway, so what was the point? You remind him that Lilia's a knight, and that he wears makeup.

He shuts up for fifteen seconds.

Before yelling once more.

You roll your eyes, groaning loudly at his annoying voice as you faceplant into one of the couch pillows. He was still going on and on and on, like it would never end. God. This man needed to have an off switch. You let out a sigh of defeat, there was only one way to get Sebek to agree to you, and if you have to manipulate him with your secret weapon for him to do so, you will.

You sit upright, placing both of your arms around his shoulders and your knees around his hips while leaning into him. Instinctively, he places his hands on your waist, holding you upright with widened eyes. You bat your lashes at him, a faux pout forming on your lips, "But Sebek, don't you want to look your best for Malleus?"

That gets him to shut up.

He sits on the sofa, posture still perfect as he grumbles to himself, arms crossed. Yet you can see the nervous excitement on his face. Nervous to have you that close to him, but excited to look his best for Malleus. It was both endearing yet annoying how dedicated he was.

You stand above him, a cheeky grin on your lips as you hold the brushes to his face. He's rolling his eyes at you, telling you to hurry it up. And that you do. He doesn't care much for the feeling, finding it somewhat pleasant- in a weird way.

He's surprisingly calm for most of the process, but most importantly, quiet. He's far more focused on the way you're standing above him. Your eyes gaze at him, and it feels like your staring deeply into his soul. He notices how your lips pucker slightly, carefully placing lipstick on his pale skin.

It's odd, how pretty your lips look.

"GAH!"

"WHat the hell-?!"

He suddenly stands up, face flushed a bright red despite not putting any blush on his cheeks. He's sputtering curses and nonsense, going off on how you were just some human so why and how on Twisted Wonderland were you bewitching him.

You blink, shaking your head.

Once a year, Night Raven College organizes a family day when each student can invite family members or close friends to a festive evening where they could catch up and pass time together. It sounds wonderful, but it isn’t as wonderful for you. You have no family member or friend from outside NRC to invite. So, you decided to stay in Ramshackle with Grim to not feel lonely and sad. You try to watch TV and do your homework to distract yourself and not think about your friends reunited in the cafeteria with their families and having fun catching up with them. Unfortunately, this feeling of sadness and loneliness creeps up. Grim was trying to cheer you up by telling jokes and giving you hugs. It worked for a while, but the tears still managed to fall. He was about to dash out of the door to go get Ace or Deuce to cheer you up when a knock on the door was heard.

Grim went to open the door and prepared himself to kick out whoever decided to disturb you. He opened the door without looking and exclaimed, “Is it a fight that you want? You decided to take on the great Grim like this without a proper duel? Be prepared to be destroyed by my fabulous magic and-“ He finally looked at who was in front of him. “Nyah?! What are you doing here, Deuce?”

Deuce was silent for a moment, trying to wrap his head around what he just saw and heard. He then shook his head when he didn’t find an explanation for Grim’s speech. It was Grim after all. Not everything made sense with him. He cleared his throat and asked, “Good evening, so… I was wondering if we could enter?”

“I guess you can, but what do you mean by ‘we’?”

You were on the couch still drying your tears when you heard Grim talk with what sounded like Deuce and a feminine voice. You quickly wiped your cheeks to try to look presentable when they would enter the room. You then saw them enter and immediately recognized the owner of the feminine voice.

“Good evening, prefect, sorry for crashing at your place, but you see-“ Deuce began before he got cut off.

“It’s been a while since I last saw you. How have you been since Rabbit Fest?” Asked Dylla, Deuce’s mother, whom you had met when you accompanied Deuce to his hometown celebration in Clock Town. Just as you were about to lie and say that you were fine, she interrupted you. “You don’t look well. Don’t tell me you were crying. What made you sad?”

As the word “crying” fell out of her lips, Deuce widened his eyes and looked at you with worry: “Are you alright? Who made you cry? I’ll deal with- I mean… Can I do anything to cheer you up?”

You laughed softly at his delinquent attitude and the way he immediately corrected himself. You shook your head and answered, “Just feeling sad and alone since I don’t really have anyone in this world…”

Grim jumped on your lap and cuddled you while Deuce and Dylla sat down on the couch next to you. She smiled at Deuce and exclaimed, “Seems like you were right, Deuce.”

You tilted your head in confusion and looked at the boy to get an explanation.

“I thought you might feel left out since you didn’t have anyone to invite. When you didn’t show up to the party, I knew something was wrong. So, I asked my mom to come here to check up on you. Besides, she really wanted to see you again.”

She nodded and looked at you: “That’s right. That’s why we’re here. And it’s also a way for me to see Ramshackle Dorm. This is where you have all your sleepovers with Ace, isn’t it? You renovated everything?”

You smiled softly when you heard Deuce’s explanations. So, he was aware you might feel lonely, and he came right away to check up on you. That was really sweet of him. Then, you explained to Dylla the state Ramshackle was in when you first arrived at NRC and how you cleaned everything up with Grim. You also described and showed different corners you renovated. After guiding them through a little tour of the dorm, you all sat back down in the lounge to drink tea while you explained how Vil and the other members of the VDC, Deuce included, gave their prize money to help you renovate Ramshackle and give it a makeover. You were about to start discussing your sleepovers with the first-year group, but a second knock on the door was heard.

You got up and went to the front door. When you opened it, you found Ace smirking at you and his older brother with the same grin. How did you know it was his brother? Easy, their smirks are identical. You guess that it’s a Trappola family trait. Ace entered the hallway before you could even invite him inside. He looked at you and exclaimed with a dramatic voice, “Do not fret anymore! I, Ace Trappola, your best friend of all time, came to rescue you from the loneliness eating you from inside. Now that I’m here, you can rest-“ He stopped when he entered the lounge. “Deuce?! What are you doing here?!”

“I thought the prefect might feel sad since they didn’t have anyone to pass the evening with. So, I came to check up on her. Besides, my mom wanted to see her again.”

Ace’s brother, who had been silently following his younger sibling's antics, couldn’t help but nudge his brother in the ribs and smirk, “Seems like the oh-so-great Ace Trappola isn’t the best friend of all time he thought he was. You’re late to the party. Deuce had the same idea and got here first. Too bad for you, little bro.”

“Yeah, yeah. Very funny.” Exclaimed Ace while rolling his eyes at his brother. “It doesn’t matter since you don’t feel alone anymore, am I wrong, prefect?” He asked you.

You shook your head and smiled softly. Ace nodded and smiled too. “That’s all that matters then.”

You invite the Trappola brothers to join you and Deuce’s family on the couch. Everyone got introduced to everyone, and soon, conversations were blooming. After a while, Dylla asked, “By the way, I’ve never been told how you four met.”

Deuce immediately reddened and tried to change the subject while Ace laughed at his reaction and began to tell how you four met. He explained how Grim crashed the sorting ceremony and how the dark mirror didn’t sort you into any dorm. Then, Grim took over and described how Ace teased the both of you because you were janitors for the school. The boy tried to defend himself by saying it was ridiculous to employ people without magic as janitors in a magical school. Deuce interrupted their bickering and explained how they ended up fighting and burned the Queen of Hearts statue. Ace and Grim immediately shut him up by describing how he thought that launching Ace into the chandelier to get Grim back was a good idea and how all four of you had to go to the mine to get that stone to repair the chandelier. After that, you all explained the fight in the mine and the events that happened in Heartslabyul. Of course Grim told Dylla and Ace’s brother that you were telling the story all wrong since it was always him, the great Grim, who saved everyone and never caused any problem. Though the look on your face as well as Ace’s and Deuce’s told otherwise. Dylla giggled softly and smiled: “It’s good to see you all get along so well.”

“Quite a lot happened. It wasn’t this hectic when I was studying here.” Exclaimed Ace’s brother when you finished your story. “I was sorted into Heartslabyul too, but the housewarden wasn’t as strict as yours sounds. It was even fun. By the way, do you know that if you get lost in the rose maze, you could meet a strange caterpillar?”

“I heard Trey and Cater mention that caterpillar too. They said it was as tall as a human! I knew Heartslabyul was strange; after all, we play croquet with flamingos and hedgehogs, but still…” Ace was about to continue when the third knock was heard at the door.

You excused yourself and left the living room to head towards the front door. This time, you found Epel and his grandmother, Marja, waiting for you to open the door. When the light of the hallway illuminated their faces, they smiled and greeted you: “Good evening. How have you been since the Sledathon? I hope you are not too cold in this dorm.” Exclaimed Marja with her eyes wide with concern. While she was talking to you, you saw her hands rummaging in her bag for a few moments.

After a few more minutes, she was still searching for whatever she wanted to show you. You and Epel exchanged a nervous smile before the lavender-haired boy decided to ask, “Grandma… What are you looking for exactly?”

“Isn’t it obvious?!” lashed out Marja before returning to her search. Both of you jumped at her sudden change of behavior. You exchanged another weak smile with Epel while he just chuckled nervously.

After a while of standing at the door, you finally heard a gasp before something warm and fluffy was put around your neck. Your hands went up to your neck to touch the fluffy material while your head bent down to look at the colorful pastel fabric. You were so engrossed in the feeling of warmth that crept through your body that you didn’t hear Marja speaking again: “Epel told me that Ramshackle… it’s Ramshackle, isn’t it?” she said while turning to his grandson, who nodded at her. “Right… So as I was saying, Epel told me that your dorm could get very cold at night, especially in winter. I decided to hand-knit you this scarf and this plaid.” She finished while putting in your arms a thick blanket.

“I…” you tried to speak, but the words got caught in your throat. Your heart couldn’t keep up with all this kindness and love you had received since the beginning of the evening. First, Deuce. Then Ace, and now Epel. You really had wonderful friends.

You went back to the present when Epel’s voice reached your ears: “I don’t know if you remember, but when you came to Harveston for the Sledathon, perhaps you saw that apples are like the unofficial emblem of our village. You’ll notice the pattern on the scarf and the plaid she gave you.” He smiled at you and continued. “You don’t have to worry about getting cold. Harveston is situated in the mountains, so we know what it feels like. That’s why we mastered knitting to stay warm under any circumstances. In these clothes, you can confront the coldest of winters.”

“He’s right.” Chirped in his grandmother. “A fireplace won’t keep you indefinitely warm. These clothes will, or else we are not the Felmier family!”

“Thank you very much.” You exclaimed with a smile while clenching the scarf and plaid closer to your body. “Can I invite you inside?”

You led them through the hallway and towards the living room, where Ace, Deuce, and their close ones were discussing. Marja noted that the living room was better heated than the hallway, but she ensured you to use her gifts because, according to her, a cold could be hiding anywhere. Once in the lounge, introductions were made, and everyone sat down while you took a sleeping Grim on your lap, because he decided to nap and take the place of three people. You were petting his ears when Dylla asked, “I’ve heard from Deuce that you often hold sleepovers here?”

“Yes, we do.” Responded Epel while drinking the tea you had offered to him. “We like to hang out here since there’s no housewarden to scold us because we didn’t do our skincare routine.” An expression of disgust formed on his face just at the thought of Vil’s lectures.

“Yeah. Epel’s right.” Exclaimed Ace. “Or yelling at us because we drank lemonade with honey past 8 PM. Couldn’t be our housewarden…” He absently raised a hand to rub his neck, feeling the collar just thinking about it.

“That’s why we hold them in Ramshackle.” Explained Deuce.

“May I ask why it’s only the first years?” Asked Marja while Dylla nodded, asking herself the same question.

“Well, we’re going to pass most of our time together, so we might as well build some friendships.” Explained Epel.

“Besides,” continued Ace, “all our upperclassmen like to tease us for being the youngest, and it’s so annoying. If they’re not nice to us, we should pay them back by not inviting them.”

“Yeah, so you’re just a big chicken.” Teased Ace’s brother while hitting him in the ribs and smirking. “They’re too intimidating for little Acey.”

“Hey! I’m not a chicken! Did you fight three overblots who were your upperclassmen?! I don’t think so.” Retorted Ace while sticking out his tongue at his sibling.

His brother’s smirk widened. He was about to respond to his younger brother when one big knock was heard, followed by six little ones. Everyone stopped talking and looked at the hallway until Epel asked, “Do you use a secret code or something with some people?”

“No, not really.” You said as you began to think about the identity of the person. Could it be a prank? Maybe Floyd or Lilia, you thought. “There’s only one way to know the answer.” You said while going to the front door.

This time, you were greeted by three pairs of white, fluffy ears. “Good evening, prefect. Sorry for bothering you this late.” A deep voice said. “Oi. You two, greet the prefect.”

Two “hello”s ”reached your ears as you looked down to see two wolf beastmen on either side of Jack. The three beastmen looked a lot like each other, with the exception that two of them were children. You remembered that Jack had talked about his younger siblings, a brother and a sister. You reached the conclusion that they were his siblings.

“You’re not disturbing at all, Jack.” You assured him with a smile. “There’s already Ace, Deuce, and Epel. You want to join us?”

Jack couldn’t even open his mouth when his brother and sister exclaimed in unison, “Yes! We want to meet your friends!” You also couldn’t utter a word before they barged into the hallway and ran inside the living room. Their older brother sighed and entered in turn: “Sorry about them. They were very excited to meet my friends and begged me to take them to you. I hope you don’t mind…” he explained while scratching his head embarrassedly.

“I don’t mind at all.” You assured him. “It adds more energy to this old dorm. It’s a good thing. Besides, it’s family day. If the families couldn’t get to know the friends of their relatives and discover the campus, it wouldn’t be as fun. Speaking of that, did you show your siblings any place?” you chuckled softly before adding. “Or should I say, where did your siblings drag you to?”

Jack sighed again and chuckled with you: “It’s the latter. They absolutely wanted to see my dorm room. I first refused, but they kept begging and clinging to my legs, so I accepted in the end. There, they saw the masks we got as souvenirs for the Cloudcalling festival and the commemorative picture we took. That’s how the idea of meeting you came to their minds. And then, you know the rest of the story. It’s hard to contain them. They’re just so full of energy.”

“It must be a family trait.” You whispered to yourself while giggling. Jack’s ears perked up at your comment before replying with a smile, “I guess it is.”

After this little conversation, you invited Jack to join the others in the living room. When he entered the room, he was surprised to see all of your friend group and their close ones chatting happily with each other. He hadn’t expected them to bring their relatives to Ramshackle, but when he saw the warmth in your eyes, he understood that it really made your evening.

“Hello, Jack. It’s good to see you here.” Exclaimed Deuce as he nodded at the new guest.

“Yo! I suppose these two are with you?” asked Ace as he pointed at two little children who were frozen in front of the staircase. Jack furrowed his brows at the sight of his siblings. You looked at the wolf beastman and then at his siblings while tilting your head, confused by the behavior of the children.

“What are they staring at?” Asked Epel while he tried to see what had caught their attention.

“You know, sometimes, you don’t need to try to understand children’s behavior.” Explained Marja, drinking her tea as if everything was normal. “Right, Dylla?”

“Indeed. It’s part of their charm.” Added Deuce’s mother while looking lovingly at her son. “I almost miss this time…”

“Mom...” muttered Deuce, blush dusting his cheeks.

After a while, the two siblings still hadn’t moved or talked at all. Finally, Jack decided to go up to them. Just as he was about to touch their shoulders to get their attention, they exclaimed in unison, “This staircase is awesome! Imagine the ski slope it would be!”

Everyone stopped for a moment, looked at them in silence before the mother and grandmother burst out laughing: “We had told you. Children like to see things where we would never imagine them.”

“Sorry about them…” Muttered Jack scratched his head in embarrassment. “Big brother, did you see that? We could use the cushions as ski boots and go down the stairs!” Exclaimed the two little troublemakers while they went up to the couch to borrow their “ski boots.” Everyone burst out laughing once more while Jack tried his best to stop them from breaking even more the old dorm.

The moon was really up high in the sky, and while the moment was very fun, full of laughs and stories shared, it was time to bid farewell and go home. You decided to accompany your friends and their families all the way back to the mirror chamber. You were joking with Ace and Epel when you came across Sebek and his family. You saw him notice your presence, but he didn’t greet you; quite the contrary. He decided to turn his gaze away from your group and continue to explain Night Raven College architecture to what seemed like his mother, father, older sister, and brother. Ace and Epel immediately caught on to the meaning behind his action. They smirked at each other before shouting, “Hello, Sebek. You just missed the first year’s reunion; what a shame. You couldn’t see your dearest friends.”

“As if such trivial matters would matter!” replied Sebek. “I need to finish this tour as quickly as possible to go assist my liege! I don’t have time to waste on humans-“

Before he could finish his sentence, his mother interrupted him: “So you are my son’s friends. How wonderful.” She began with a sweet voice. Everyone looked at each other, stunned by her voice. They had expected a loud and commanding voice like Sebek's. But it was the contrary. “Thank you to you all for being friends with my little Sebek. He can be quite stubborn and close minded when he wants to be. But deep inside, he’s a really sweet boy who wants to make us proud.”

“Ah!” Cried out Sebek. He was about to interfere and stop his mother from revealing too much, but his brother and sister held him back by the arms. They were giggling as they watched their younger brother losing his composure.

“No problem at all, Ma’am.” Began Ace, who couldn’t help but further embarrass Sebek. “It wasn’t easy, you know? But now, we are his best friends of all time, aren’t we, Sebek?” asked the boy while wiggling his eyebrows at the half-fae boy.

“Ace! You’re going to pay for this!” Muttered Sebek, still trying to break free from his siblings’ hold.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Continued his mother while his father nodded at her words with a soft smile. “I was afraid that my Sebek couldn’t make friends and would be left out. Yes, he has Silver, but that’s the only real friend he had before attending this school.”

“Silver is not my friend!” Shouted the green haired boy. “He’s just my rival and fellow student of Lilia.”

His brother and sister snickered, clearly not believing a word coming out of their brother’s mouth. Their father sighed at their behavior while the woman carried on: “Excuse me, I’m being rude. I completely forgot to ask you what your names are?”

“I’m Jack Howl. Nice to meet you, ma'am.”

“My name is Epel Felmier.”

“I’m Ace Trappola, and this is Juice.”

“Deuce! D! Deuce! Not Juice, Ace.” Shouted Deuce at his friend while the latter smirked at him.

“And I’m the great Grim, and this is my henchman!” Grim proudly exclaimed while looking down at everyone from his spot on your shoulder.

Sebek’s mother beamed at the introductions: “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we’ll be able to get to know each other better. Sebek,” She said as she turned towards her son, who finally managed to free himself from his siblings’ hold. “You should find a moment during summer break to invite them over.”

Before Sebek could utter a word, or rather a scream of sheer terror at the thought, his father chirped in, “It’s a lovely idea. You’ll see Briar Valley is a wonderful place. We also like to go fishing on a lake near our house; it could be a fun activity to do all together.”

“It sounds fun, let’s do that!” exclaimed Grim, quickly followed by the others. While Sebek just sunk to his knees in pure despair under the amused gaze of his siblings.

After bidding everyone goodbye, you went back with Grim to Ramshackle. As you entered the now empty living room, the feelings of loneliness and sadness were no more. They had vanished to let a warmth settle inside your heart. All that was left was the love and kindness your friends and their families had so carefully placed in your heart. Maybe you weren’t as alone in this world as you thought you were. Luckily, you have awesome friends to prove it to you. You settled on the worn-out couch while Grim took his usual spot on your lap. Your phone screen lit up, and a notification from the first year group appeared.

Deuce: “Just sending you this because my mom wanted to let you know that you are all invited to our house for the next break. She also told me that it was lovely to meet everyone. Thanks again for today, and extra thanks to the prefect and Grim for hosting us.”

Epel: “Same here. Grandma was very happy to get to know everyone. By the way, she asked me to remind you again, prefect. Don’t hesitate to wear the scarf; it’s getting cold.”

Jack: “Thanks too. Though, I apologize again for my siblings’ behavior. I hope they didn’t damage anything, prefect. If they did, let me know. I’ll come help you repair it.”

Sebek: “I guess our interaction wasn’t such a waste of time after all… My family told me again that it was nice to meet you all. Just forget about summer break! I don’t plan on fishing with you. I have to get stronger for my liege!”

Grim, still on your lap and reading with you, laughed while responding to the messages. You just smiled softly at your screen while thinking about this wonderful evening. A few minutes later, a new notification popped up. You opened it, expecting a response in the group, but it wasn't one. Ace had just texted you with a simple message.

Ace: “Next time you feel like you’re just a stranger that doesn’t belong in this world, just let me know. I’ll come right away to prove to you that you are not as alone as you think you are. Just don’t tell the others about this message, or else I’ll be teased to no end, but I know I can trust you ; )”

You chuckled softly at his message, but deep inside, you knew that you could always count on them to make you feel included and part of their world. After a while, the messages stopped, and you just stood quietly in front of the fireplace with Grim. Not a word was exchanged; it wasn’t necessary. Just being next to each other was enough.

“You know,” he began softly. You switched your focus from the fire to his big blue eyes gazing at you. “I’m happy that you are not crying anymore or just not feeling sad. Your state really worried me, and I felt bad about not being able to cheer you up. What kind of great mage am I if I can’t cheer up my henchman?” he whispered, but without his usual proud expression. “Next time you feel this way, please let me know and tell me what I can do to help you. You’re very important to me, and I just want you to be happy. Let’s do that, alright?” he asked softly while expanding out his paw.

Deuce remembers everything you say, even the things you mention in passing without thinking twice about them.

Deuce Spade

You could tell him once, months ago, that you like a specific flavor of juice or that a certain song reminds you of home, and he will file it away in his mind like it matters, like every small piece of you is worth remembering.

He shows up with that juice when you are stressed about exams, records that song when he hears it playing somewhere, asks if you want to go to that restaurant you mentioned liking back during orientation week.

It is never a grand gesture and he gets embarrassed when you point it out, turning red and insisting it is not a big deal, that he just happened to remember or it was on his way anyway, but you know better. You know that he listens when you talk, genuinely listens, and that he cares enough to hold onto the little details that make you who you are.

He takes you seriously in a way that feels rare and precious, never dismissing your problems as too small or your feelings as an overreaction, and when you tell him about your day he does not just wait for his turn to talk, he actually wants to know, asking follow-up questions and getting invested in the drama with people he has never even met because it matters to you so it matters to him.

Jack Howl

Jack notices when you are tired before you say anything.

He sees the way you are holding your shoulders, the heaviness in your movements, the slightly dazed look that means you are running on empty and sheer stubbornness, and he does not make a big deal out of it but suddenly he is taking care of the little things you do not have energy for.

He carries your bag without asking, grabs your lunch for you when he gets his own, steers you away from crowded hallways when he can tell you are too worn down to deal with the noise. He does not hover or fuss because that would just make you feel worse, but his presence becomes this steady, reliable thing you can lean on without worry.

He texts you to make sure you ate, reminds you about assignments you might have forgotten, offers to study together because he knows you will actually take breaks if someone else is there to enforce them.

When you try to thank him he gets gruff and uncomfortable about it, insisting he is not doing anything special and you would do the same for him, and maybe that is true but it does not make it matter less. He looks out for you, making sure you are okay even when you are too tired or overwhelmed to take care of yourself properly.

Epel Felmier

Epel defends you when you are not there to defend yourself.

You do not always hear about it but he does not let people talk badly about you, does not let rumors go unchallenged or let anyone make you the butt of their jokes, and he does it even when it would be easier to stay quiet, even when standing up means drawing attention he does not want.

He has spent his whole life being underestimated and forced into boxes that do not fit, so he knows what it feels like when people make assumptions, and he refuses to let anyone do that to you without pushback. He is fiercely loyal in a way that sometimes surprises people who only see the delicate face and the careful manners Vil has drilled into him, but you know better.

You know that he will go to bat for you without hesitation, that your reputation and your feelings matter to him enough to risk getting into trouble, that he considers you worth fighting for.

He also never makes you feel like you owe him for it, never holds it over your head or demands gratitude, because to him that is just what you do for people you care about.

Ortho Shroud

Ortho celebrates your accomplishments no matter how small they are.

You could tell him you finally finished that assignment you were putting off or managed to get out of bed on a hard day or tried something new that scared you, and he lights up like you just told him you won the lottery.

He does not do it in a condescending way, does not treat you like a child who needs participation trophies, but his enthusiasm is so genuine and bright that you cannot help but feel proud of yourself too.

He wants you to recognize your own progress, wants you to see yourself the way he sees you, and he keeps track of your goals and dreams and mentions them later, asking how that thing you were working on is going or if you are still interested in that topic you were researching.

He sends you articles and videos he thinks you will like, tags you in posts that remind him of you, makes playlists based on your current mood because he has learned to read your emotional patterns better than most people could.

He makes you feel seen and valued, makes you feel like your existence brings something good into the world, and his love is this wholehearted, uncomplicated thing that does not demand anything in return except that you let yourself be cared for.

Sebek Zigvolt

Sebek holds you to a higher standard because he believes you can meet it.

He does not coddle you or pretend your mistakes do not exist, and while that might sound harsh it actually means he takes you seriously as a person, sees your potential and refuses to let you sell yourself short.

He gets frustrated when you talk badly about yourself because he genuinely does not understand why you cannot see what he sees, why you insist on diminishing your own abilities when you are clearly capable of so much more.

He pushes you to try harder, do better, be more, but he also notices when you succeed and acknowledges it in his own loud, over-the-top way that somehow always makes you feel like you actually accomplished something worthwhile.

He does not compare you to anyone else because his standards for you are yours alone, based on what he knows you can do rather than arbitrary measures of what others have done.

When you are struggling he does not tell you to give up or lower your expectations, he tells you to keep going, offers to help you practice or study or train, sits with you through the difficult parts because he has faith that you will get through them.

His belief in you is absolute and unwavering, and on the days when you do not believe in yourself that certainty becomes something you can borrow until you find your own again.

Grim

Grim shares his food with you, and for a cat monster who treats every meal like it might be his last, that means everything.

He will complain about it, will make a big show of how generous he is being and how you better appreciate this, but he always makes sure you eat, pushing portions of his lunch toward you or "accidentally" ordering too much and insisting you help him finish it.

He curls up next to you when you are sad, his warm weight settling against your side or in your lap. He does not ask what is wrong because he does not need to know the details to know that you need comfort, and his presence becomes this grounding thing, something alive and real and dependent on you in a way that makes it harder to spiral into dark thoughts.

He talks about the future like you will obviously be there, makes plans that include you without question, assumes your continued presence in his life as a fundamental fact of reality.

"When we are famous mages" and "after we graduate" and "once we get our own place," always we, always together, his future so tangled up with yours that separation is not even a possibility he considers, and somehow that certainty, that unshakeable assumption that you belong with him, makes you feel more wanted than any flowery declaration ever could.

“Ouch–Floyd, please, I can’t breathe!” You cry out, stabilizing your breath as he lets you go. You second-guess your decision to ask him for help, but it feels like you have no choice…he’s the closest option you’ve got to the real thing, after all.

“Soo~ Watcha need ol’ Floyd for, huh? Get yourself into some trouble? Sounds fun!” the eel walks closer to you, towering you with his height. You’d like to think he has good intentions for agreeing to speak with you, but you can’t help but feel like something’s off…

Letting out a deep breath, you twiddle your fingers as you speak, “Well…it’s about your brother…” Floyd narrows his eyes and breaks out into a big grin, letting you continue, “It’s just that…”

Trailing off, you find yourself unable to finish your sentence, “That what, Lil’ Shrimpy? C’mon, I’m getting boooored…” he slumps his shoulders but his attention is still focused on you.

There’s no going back now, you guess. Going for it, you deeply inhale before saying, “SoIamkindofinlovewithyourbrotherand#needthatbutI’mtooscaredtoactuallytellhimsowillyouhelpmeconfess.” 

Floyd’s face lights up in understanding. You’re not even surprised he caught all that, because now you’re more concerned at the fact that he’s giving you a lopsided grin as if he discovered something he could hold against you…Well…

“Lil’ Shrimpy! Why didn’t ya just say so? I’m the perfect eel for the job! Aside from being a Prefect, you’re tryna be my Shrimpy-in-Law now, aren’t ya?” He violently grabs you to envelop your body in another squeeze, unbeknownst to a certain mer observing you from a distance…

Floyd and the Prefect seem to be getting along swimmingly, it seems. Jade puts his hands to his chin and chuckles, What was it the Prefect needed from my brother, I wonder? 

What was it indeed…

Jade notices a change in your behavior in the following days, and he’s not sure if he’s into that. Suddenly, you spend every bit of your free time with Floyd. And ever so out of place, Floyd’s acting extra gentle with you, too! Gently holding your shoulder to keep you from bumping into a tree, serving you food he cooked himself, carrying you around like a potato sack (but nicely?)

Little does Jade know that Floyd did that because you were so preoccupied thinking about your crush that you almost kissed tree bark, the twin eel was telling you all about Jade’s favorite food, and you asked Floyd to urgently whisk you away from Jade because you thought he could hear you gushing about him. 

What gets him going is that whenever he’s in the vicinity, you and Floyd always seem to be on your way out as if he had invaded your “no-no square.” It’s safe to say that your eel can’t help but feel a little disheartened. Of course, he still acts as his normal suspicious self, grinning away his concerns. What else is he to do? Finders keepers were the rules in the Coral Sea–and it seemed Floyd got to you before he could. 

–

You, on the other hand, have finally prepared to confess to your beloved eel. You had a customized terrarium at hand, and a handful of mushrooms you found growing at Ramshackle that you think Jade might appreciate. All that was left was to tell him your feelings. Before doing that, however, you decide to go on one last test run with Floyd. 

You sit across Floyd at a secluded booth at Mostro Lounge, your gifts lying below the table. From where Jade stands, he notices that you’ve dolled yourself up tonight–your eyes seem like they’re glowing brighter, you smile a little wider, and your cheeks much pinker. It takes all his restraint to not steal you from Floyd right then and there. 

Instead, because Floyd’s also slacking off, he takes your order to your table. 

But that was his mistake. 

“...To be honest, you’ve been on my mind ever since my first day at NRC,” You look up at Floyd, shyly looking away from him. “I love it whenever you come up to me and talk about the things you love, I think it’s adorable.” Giving him a little laugh, Jade wishes so hard to the Sevens that it was directed to him instead. 

You feel immense bloodlust come up behind you…but it somehow feels directed towards the damned eel sitting across the table. 

“I’ll just come out and say it. I really, really like you–” 

Seeing his towering shadow approach your booth, your words falter when your eyes meet Jade’s mismatched ones. 

You are utterly, completely, and wholly screwed. 

Not wanting to deal with this mess, Floyd slithers out of his seat, sensing his brother’s immense energy directed at him–Jade’s so scary when it comes to Lil’ Shrimpy, ugh. 

Jade takes the seat across yours. With his practiced smile and ever-so polite tone, he manages to stay civil, “Prefect, fancy seeing you here.” Placing his long finger on his chin, he furrows his eyebrows and gives you a cute little pout, “I do hope I’m not interrupting anything.” 

He patiently waits for you to respond. Or rather, he watches as your soul comes back to your body after you realize you can’t die without confessing to the eel before you first. 

Regaining life in your body, you open your mouth to speak, but no words come out. After a few tries of gaping and closing your lips, you finally manage to sputter out a response, “J-Jade…Hi.”

Jade gives you a little smile back and leans in a bit closer, placing his arm on the table to lean on his cheek, “Hello, Prefect.” After a few moments of silence, he realizes that the Prefect Was Too Stunned to Speak. So he goes ahead, “If you don’t mind, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.” 

“Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed how…distant you were towards me. I couldn’t help but notice the proximity you and my brother have maintained, however. If I may be so bold as to ask, "Prefect…” You just barely bounce your head up and down, giving him confirmation as he continues, “Are you and Floyd in a relationship?” 

Your soul threatens to leave your body yet again, but you manage to keep it intact just enough to let out a very alarming, “WHAT???!!!” 

So many questions were flooding through your mind as to why he would ever conjure that thought, but the eel before you now seems amused–a vast shift from his earlier violent mood. Lives were saved that moment… 

“Hm? Judging from your reaction, he is yet to accept your affections? Fufu, I apologize, he can sometimes be a bit…moody.” 

“Huh…I don’t get what you’re saying at all, Jade! Why would I ever confess to–” 

Ah, a light bulb blinks above your head. 

You can’t help but giggle at his conjecture, “Wait, Jade, you can’t be serious!” If you could only project a rolling laughing emoticon in real life, it’d surround you like an aura. However, right now, Jade’s amusement turns into mild confusion, squinting his eyes and giving you a half smile.

“What’s so amusing, Prefect? Is it so ridiculous to think that you have been courting my brother, considering the amount of time you were spending with one another–alone, I might add.” Pulling out a napkin from his breast pocket, he makes a show of wiping fake tears from his eyes, “I admit that it was quite painful to witness, you see, seeing as how desperately I found myself wanting to be in his position instead.” 

You look around the cafe to see if there were any hidden cameras–were the twins playing an elaborate prank on you and profiting over the footage?! Still, you can’t help but feel a little twinge in your heart as Jade’s eyes seem downcast despite his jests. Even if it’s a little twisted…you found his act oh so adorable. You could just confess to him right then and there. 

Wait…wasn’t that the plan all along? 

“Jade, I have to be honest with you…I really worked hard for this day.” Pulling out your gifts from underneath the table, you extend a hand to softly place them in his gloved hands, ”I’ve been spending all that time with Floyd because I asked him to help me…” 

The eel looks at you intently with a focus that makes you feel flushed. You give it your all to continue, “Agh, I worked so hard on my speech but I can’t think of anything to say!” 

Whatever, you just go for it, “I love you, Jade!” 

For a moment, Jade forgets to control his expression. His mouth forms an ‘o’ shape, and his eyes go a little wide. Then, his face breaks out into a grin–at least he seems happy?

“Fufu, is that so, Prefect?” He gives you a sly grin as if he knew all along.

“Unfortunately so. If you could let me down now, please.”

“Let you down? In what world? Prefect, I must admit–I’ve been dreaming of this day for a while.” 

“Are you sure? Like, you and me?”

“Yes, I am quite sure that there is only one Ramshackle perfect in all of NRC, my dear.”

You find yourself lightheaded at the nickname, but before your head could hit the table, Jade softly cushions it with his palm. 

“Oh, we can’t have that,” with a touch of his magic, you wake back up. However, finding yourself lying on Jade’s palm, you let out a small yelp and lose consciousness once again. 

Leaning down to your level, Jade sets his arm across the table and lies his head down beside yours, “Fufu, there’s always tomorrow, Prefect. But I hope you dream of me~”

Extra: 

In your shock, you faint again realizing that Jade returns your feelings. 

However, you woke up 10 minutes after you blacked out…and you can’t think of a way to get out of this situation. 

In your current position, Jade seems to be lying his head next to yours, softly sifting his cold fingers through your hair–it seems that he removed his gloves in favor of feeling closer to you.

You feel his eyes burning holes to the back of your head, but you can’t get yourself to move. 

Not when he’s being so sweet to you right now. 

“Ah, Prefect, do you find it so difficult to accept my feelings for you, dear?” He quietly laughs to himself, “Fufu, ‘dear’, huh? I hope you accept my choice of endearment for you~.”

“Additionally, I know you’re awake. Won’t you get up and properly convey your feelings to me, Prefect?”

Floyd is an interesting case, being both a bit of a coward and very upfront about his feelings. He doesn't want to be vulnerable (ew yuck)! That's so not his style!

Unfortunately for you, his style is very middle school-like, aka: I'm gonna bother and annoy you but also expect you to know from this irritating special attention that I actually like you.

It makes for a really, quite funny sight for the others around you, as they can tell that you're definitely getting "special" treatment from Floyd, but due to his general demeanor and his role in Octavinelle, it's hard to tell if this is a good or bad thing.

Going back to my interspecies romance post (which might be due for a rewrite tbh I have more refined thoughts now) a few things from there apply to Floyd still.

He does bestow you with gifts, gifts that you don't really want because Floyd refuses to say what he wants in return. "They're just for you, take them." "I think I'm okay—" "I said. Take. It." You take them anyways because his expression is that unnerving one he always does when Ace starts annoying him in basketball and he's just about to start chasing him and throwing Ace into the hoop. Again.

They are the oddest little gifts. There are nice ones of course, an eel keychain that he insisted you take. A rock he found that Floyd though matched your eyes. He heard that for some reason, humans really like shells. Floyd learned the hard way that specifically empty shells, after gifting you one too many conches with the snail still in it. So Floyd brings you (empty) shells that remind him of you. They're fun colors, big, and usually pointy.

He also really likes to give you teeth. He gives you a lot of teeth, sharp ones, dull ones, ones with a little bit of blood still on them. You think the sharp ones might be his own, you heard Azul mention that growing up the twins would get into fights and lose teeth, only for them to grow back pretty quickly. Some of the teeth certainly looked big and sharp enough to be Floyd's. The others you're not too sure, but if you'd paid more attention to Floyd, you'd notice that he'd started a habit of following certain students that liked to push you around. All it takes is for one of them to mutter something about the "useless prefect" and you lack of magic, and Floyd is back with another tooth, smiling brightly like he did something trophy worthy.

Yes, he will "talk" to your bullies, in part because that's how you court and show love in the deep sea. A dangerous place like that means that you want to show that you are someone who not only can withstand the icy waters and her inhabitants, but can protect your beloved from her as well. The other part is because only Floyd is allowed to bully you.

This is more where the middle school behavior peaks most. Once again, if Floyd is pursuing you, it means you got is attention somehow. Most likely his interest started during one of the times you came into the Mostro Lounge, and probably did something like kick him in the shins, or the dick, and it's been love at first punch since then. Not many people can get the drop on him you know? And the other part of courting in the deep sea is making sure that your partner is also strong enough to protect you and fight for you. As such, he is antagonizing you daily with the sole purpose of getting you to fight, chase, and lovingly maim him.

Floyd is into you because you are exciting, more like a mantis shrimp with how you fight back when he bothers you. The pissed off look in your eye is just so thrilling when it's on him, and he wants to keep it on him. It's unfortunate that this aspect of eelmer courting is so conflicting with humans, because playing with you is his favorite way of courting. To him, it's obvious, all of his attention is on you and you on him, so it's going to be the quickest way to get you to confess to him first!

Oh, you think Floyd is going to confess first? Ha! No. He thinks that all his actions: the gifts, the protection, the "playing," is all an obvious enough sign of his courting. If anything, Floyd thinks he's practically shouting his intentions from the rooftops, and you're taking your sweet time. Honestly, the fact that you haven't caught on ("or," a voice whispers at the back of his head, "they aren't interested. They're ignoring you.") frustrates him to no end.

His mood swings ironically get a bit more predictable around you, just not in the way most would prefer. Floyd approaches you with another gift, after another "talk" with a bully, or tries playing with you again, if you don't react the way he wants his mood is dropping. He'll sulk, laying down in a booth at the lounge or at the bleachers during his club. Sometimes he gets antsy, wondering if he just squeezes you hard enough that you'll finally give in, so he'll stalk around campus to find something else to rough up, since humans apparently fragile little things. Jade makes fun of him for this, since when has Floyd cared about being gentle? Since when has Floyd become predictable—why even random students are clocking that Floyd gets moody after talking with the Prefect!

The fact that other students are noticing a pattern annoys Floyd even more; he doesn't need his business known by anyone but him. Alas, it continues on as you live on in ignorance and Floyd lives on in annoyance that you're not already sloppily making out in his room right now. He's ready to just do it anyways, if you didn't like it all then you would've told him to stop long ago. You gotta like him too!

But it's not the gifts or protection or attention he gives you that eventually catches your attention, but rather the rare, almost foreign sound of your actual name from his mouth. It's not often, as Floyd thinks that if you're gonna stay being a little shrimp around him then you can stay as Little Shrimpy. But sometimes, when it's just you two, and you play along with him, Floyd likes to feel the way the letters of your name leave his lips as you blink up at him with a cute, surprised expression.

"Ah!" Floyd rocked on his heels, looking down at you with a lazy smile as you pointed a finger up at him. "You do know my name!"

Floyd tilted his head and giggled, "Duh, why'd you think I didn't?"

A pleasant change of pace for him, usually you'd blanch at the sight of him and grimace at the latest trinket he'd gotten you. It pissed him off, Floyd reeeeeally wanted to just pick you up and squeeze until you finally gave in and agreed to go out. There's a fun spooky escape room in Foothill Town that he wants to try with you but it's not fun if you're gonna be clutching the wall with fear and not him. But Mama reminded him that humans were soft things, had to be careful with them if you liked one. And he really liked you.

"Cause you call me Shrimpy instead! Like, all the time! I thought you just didn't bother to remember anyone's name!"

He shrugged smile dropping into a pout.

"Only when I wanna."

He frowned as you huffed, rolling your eyes as you fidgeted with the rock Floyd had given you. More so plopped in your palm after cornering you at the end of a hall during his latest chase. It was…certainly a rock!

"Lovely, so you only wanna remember my name sometimes."

"Only when Shrimpy deserves it."

Floyd leaned back as you whipped your head up at him and held up your hands in a strangling motion, an also strangled sound coming from your mouth as you practically growled.

You had look in your eye, like you were on the last straw of you patience. Floyd would really love to see you lose it though, see how you'd jump him and rough him up. You'd look so pretty, breathless and flushed, like you would after making out, he's very sure of it.

"Why are you like this? And why me? Wasn't Riddle enough fun for you?"

A giant, full (sharp) tooth grin grew on Floyd's face as he giggled. A fond warmness filled his chest and bloomed on his cheeks.

"It's different with (Name)!"

Then, you slumped and half whined, half groaned as you ducked under Floyd and started walking away.

"But why?! What'd I ever do to you? Are you still mad about the first time I came to the lounge? I didn't mean to dick you down there! Everyone else started fighting and I was just trying to make sure I didn't get hurt!"

Floyd also whined, following after you like a lanky, looming puppy.

"Ugh! How come Shrimpy still doesn't get it!" He sighed, suddenly draping himself over you. You yelped, stumbling as you tried to steady yourself from falling. "I'm doin' everything like Mama said! But you're taking too long!"

You went warm and stiffened, Floyd's breath grazing the back of your neck as he murmured into you: "How come you don't answer me? Don't cha like me?"

"A-ah, Floyd you're being weird…"

It was confusingly pleasing and frustrating that you liked how Floyd practically curled over you as if he could merge you two into one.

"Don't want me? I want my (Name), and I think I'm gonna take you now."

Despite their animal like tendencies and courting methods, it's incredibly common to see human-beastmen couples and families. Perhaps it's due to how similar their behaviors are to their animal counterparts, but humans are fond of how beastmen flirt and display affection. Beastmen are offended by the comparison, but it's hard to deny how similar, and cute, they are to the common wolf, hyena, or lion.

Wolf and other canine beastmen enjoy being close to their mates. They like to be physically affectionate, almost playful with their partners. They'll nuzzle into the crook of their neck—no matter how much bigger they are compared to their human—lean against them when they walk, and will happily be by their beloved's sided at all times. Furthermore, they primarily show their effectiveness as partners by being great providers, regardless of gender, and showing off how tight-knit their packs are. After all, family is very important to them, and they'll expect to have one, no matter how big or small, with their partner in the future.

If you catch Ruggie trying to slyly and smoothly place a hand on the small of you back when moving through crowds, no you don't. If a person notices Jack momentarily grabbing (gingerly, mind you) your sides as he slips behind you to reach the potion ingredient on the shelf above you, don't mention how his touch lingers ever so slightly. Maybe take it with a grain of salt when Jack tries to invite you to visit his family over break, as friends, of course. And when Ruggie brags to you about how well he watched over the neighborhood kids growing up, how he'd make for a great family man, it's all hypothetical.

Feline beastmen are more reserved in their affections in public, especially compared to canines, and even more so for lion beastmen. It's more common for them to show affection in more subtle manners, such as buying their partner's food and drinks without being asked, going out of their way to help them when they're struggling at school or work, and are able to spend hours just in their general vicinity. As long as their beloved is around, they're happy. In private, though, expect to have their entire body draped over them, weight and all, shoved into their personal space to the point that it becomes a foreign concept. Leona embodies this to his entire core, too prideful to perform PDA, but just prideful enough that he knows he can take up all your time and space with no consequence. Unless that consequence is your love and affection, which he supposes he could suffer through if you hear him purring, don't point it out.

All lion beastmen hold their pride close to their heart (no matter how much a certain prince would deny it) and their partner is no exception. Their pride is an intrinsically developed social network made of an extended, but closed family network. It requires all new partners to be carefully and slowly introduced to the rest of the pride, more so in Leona's case due to the royal family being traditionally made up of Sunset Savana nobility. You won't be the first non-beastmen, but are the first foreigner in a very long time to be introduced. Don't worry, though, Leona is nothing if not patient, and his family are just happy to know that he's found someone.

On the other end of the spectrum, however, are human-fae relations. Uncommon, though not for a lack of trying on humans' parts, due to most of the fairfolk residing in the isolated Briar Valley. The complicated history between the two species, ancient to humans but still relatively fresh for fae, doesn't help either. There's also the unfortunate consequence of humankind's rather short lifespans compared to the average 1,000-year lifespan of the fae. Unless the fae is in their final hundred or so years, they'll almost always outlive their partner without magical interference.

It's not impossible though, and as younger fairfolk leave the valley to explore the world, more marriages have resulted in half-fae children, both human and beastmen. As partners, fae are devoted to the health and safety of their loved ones. Increasing tenfold into nearly coddling territory with non-fae. Compared to them, their humans and beastmen are awfully fragile and naive, and require their protection. This can cause animosity between them, however, and only fae that are willing to learn and change their old ways result in happy, long-lived marriages.

They're also generally known to have lengthy courting methods: not dating, that implies something casual, no they court. Once they've established interest in you, their end goal is marriage, no ifs, ands, or buts. Fairfolk are generous with gifting during courtship: all gifts are about an equal-exchange and your acceptance of their gifts is a reciprocation of their feelings. At the end of the courtship, you can expect a small feast to be displayed at a ceremony held between their and your family. This is an especially important ceremony when courting humans and beastmen: fairy food can often cause lasting damages to those that consume it without permission. By offering their food to you and your kin, they are welcoming you into their world and telling you that they will never intentionally bestow harm to you or your kin. If you choose to accept the food, then you agree to do the same til the end of your days.

Lilia is a strange case, having already lived a long life and being well traveled, a gleeful participant in the strange customs and traditions of humans and beastmen. He'd much rather participate in other's dating and courtship rituals than his own people's. It's fascinating how fleeting the process can be, yet it can result in everlasting devotion. Don't mistake his flexible nature for disinterest, however. He's still a fae, and if you start finding silly little knickknacks of his on their desk, you can expect to never be rid of him.

The Draconia family-line is steadfast in their traditions, even if Lilia raised the latest prince. So don't expect anything other than the previously explained rituals from Malleus, even if you're not aware of them. Taking gems, jewelry, and clothing made of the finest material you'll ever lay hands from his hoard means little to him if it means you'll accept the gift (and him). Even if you aren't aware of how courtship works, the moment you pick up the black ring with the big oval emerald and Briar Valley crest, you're practically engaged in his eyes.

The courtship is long, even for Malleus who was one step away at every turn to skip over the entire thing in favor of just eloping. All for the person who decided that the great and terrifying Malleus Draconia was actually just a simple Mr. Hornton, a friend, companion who just wanted someone to stay by his side. If it means calling you his spouse, his fellow ruler, and the only love of his life even a moment sooner, then he'd be willing to throw tradition and ritual out of the very tall tower window just to do so.

Many years later, when you reminiscing how the two of you first met, and how long it took you to notice his feelings, you'll offhandedly mention the random gifts you found at your doorstep. How you wish you knew who was leaving those precious stones and golden amulets with no indication on who the admirer was. Upon further questioning, you'll tell him that you didn't even know you were being courted until two months into the ritual. It'll then click in Malleus's mind how utterly lucky he was that the two of you even got together in the first place.

It may be surprising, but human-mer relations have been extraordinarily rare. Only a handful of them have popped up since the times of the Sea Princess, who left her home for a human prince. In fact, you could probably count them on one hand! Perhaps this is due to the difficulties of having a romance between land dwellers and undersea folk; after all, it's much easier for humans, fae, and beastmen to interact when they all live on land. Merfolk can come up to the surface, and have been doing moreso in the last century, but having a relationship with someone who quite literally could not breathe in the same air/water as you is near impossible. At least, not without significant effort on one or the other's part.

Nearly all the human-mer romances that have occurred in history resulted in either one or the other abandoning their home to turn into a human/mer and live the rest of their days with their love in their new world. Certainly a romantic notion to be sure, but it most definitely require their love to be truly eternal. Or else you might run the risk of resentment brewing between the two. With a slowly growing need to easy access transformation potions and spells for business and diplomatic reasons, such romance is not far from reach, at least for those with money to spare. The next issue though would be the significant difference between land dweller and undersea folk's courting methods.

Perhaps it can be contributed to the more...feral nature of merfolk. Most of them still retain more animalistic features and behaviors than the average beastman. The twins are no exception to this. Even if you were to remove their claws, mucus covered skin, and 6-ft tail, you're still left with eyes suited for a deep-sea predator, nose that can smell the tiniest drop of blood in a pool, and rows of razor sharp teeth begging to bite down on your neck. The deep-sea is not only cold, but quite ruthless. So, it'll probably come as no surprise that moray eels will prove themselves as suitable partners by fighting either their competitors or you. If they can prove that they can hold their own, protect you from the horrors of the deep, then they have the right to go for your heart. That's not to say softer sentiments don't exist, and while similar the twins are still two separate people with different tastes. These tastes show during courting, though mers have a more casual date-like ritual.

Like fae, merfolk court via gifts, particularly handmade or ones they found themselves, and Floyd is awfully fond if gifting you the strangest things. A tooth that was knocked out from the student who shoved you a little too hard, a rock you tripped over in P.E., or a sand dollar he found on a trip to the beach were a few of the many items he gave you. Jade is similar, though he's more fond of making his own gifts. A necklace made of seashells found at the beach you had your first date in, a terrarium he made from plants that remind him of you, but your favorite was the small garden he started tending to on your kitchen windowsill. Breakfast was particularly delicious when made with his fresh mushrooms. Expect soon after the gifts lots of physical affection, public and private.

Don't be mistaken, they'll still bully you. But each of Floyd's bone-crushing hugs will be accompanied by a soft headbump from his forehead to yours. Jade's teasing, mean remarks will follow with a swift, sweet peck to your knuckles. They'll grab your notebook and hold it above their head until you agree to give them a kiss or punch them in the stomach, both are acceptable responses. Be a little mean back, they like the idea of a sweet and cute little human that can throw a punch. Your their sweet little human, and you make life in the deep exciting. Just don't ask about their flushed face every time they see you yawn, they aren't quite ready to explain that one yet.

Azul intensely studied a variety of topics before coming to land, even briefly glossing over dating, romance, and marriage before deciding he wouldn't need it anytime soon. He regretted that soon after meeting you, though he made do with what he knew. And what he knew as food. A combination of octo-mer courtship and being the son of a cook, Azul will discreetly court you by personally cooking and feeding you your favorite meals. It's the result of the dangers of ancient octo-mers eating their spouses after mating. Afterall you can't eat more if your already full. While not something they have to worry about now, it's an old ritual still used today, Azul has hear the way to a person's heart is their stomach and can wholeheartedly agree.

What's surprised you the most was what followed after, especially for someone as physically reserved as Azul: octo-mers are extremely clingy and affectionate. He doesn't have the heart to do anything more than handholding and chaste kisses to your cheeks in public, but he yearns to wrap all 8 tentacles and two arms around you so tightly that your gasping for a breath that he steals with his lips. He won't mention it, but he can taste the salt from your skin and the pulse from your wrists with his suckers. Take it from someone who grew up with a refined palate, he thinks your taste is equivalent to ambrosia from the gods, though that might be the lovesickness speaking.