Pairing - Floyd Leech x Reader
Synopsis - When a creepy student wonโt take no for an answer, you have to turn to the least expected person for protection.
Genre - enemies to lovers, fake dating (kinda?)
Notes - Me: *ignoring all the requests in my inbox* Anyway, more enemies to lovers.
It is implied that the reader is shorter than Floyd because Iโm gonna guess not too many of you out there are taller than 6 foot freaking 2
โWhatcha looking at?โ
Aceโs question interrupted your train of thought while you were glaring at Floyd Leech from across the cafeteria. You didnโt bother looking away when you responded.
โJust some insufferable brat,โ you answered nonchalantly, stabbing a lettuce leaf from your salad with unprecedented aggression. โNothing to worry about.โ
Ace strained his neck to follow your gaze. When Ace saw that Floyd was looking back at you with an unnerving sharp-toothed grin, he chuckled and took a bite of his sandwich. You broke your tense eye contact with Floyd to look at Ace with an inquisitive eyebrow.
โWhatโs so funny?โ you questioned, not seeing what part of what you just said warranted Aceโs laugh. He waved you off with a smile on his face.
โI just donโt understand you,โ Ace bit his lip to stop himself from laughing too much. You hunched over in a pout, crossing your arms in a cartoonishly angry way.ย โWhy do you even hate him so much?โย
โYouโre kidding me, right?โ you stared at Ace incredulously, eliciting a shrug from him. โWhat isnโt to hate about him?โ
Ace groaned as you took a deep breath to list everything you hated about his basketball teammate.
โHeโs cocky, heโs annoying, heโs just generally unnerving, he gets bored too quickly, he calls me Shrimpy and on that subject,โ you took another deep breath and Ace banged his head on the table. โHeโs way too tall! Heโs 6'2โ! I canโt deal with that. Also he has no concept of personal space or word filtering, he gives everyone a nickname, heโs really playful all the time and he makes me laugh andโฆโ
"Are you insulting him anymore?โ Ace teased, causing you to roll your eyes. โIf I were him, Iโd take that as a compliment.โ
You jumped at the sudden voice coming from the looming figure above you. You tilted your head up and scowled at the teal-haired boy you had just been talking about.
โWhat do you want?โ Your tone darkened as you addressed Floyd. He just smirked and turned around so his head was right side up to you.
โI make you laugh, shrimpy?โ he clutched his chest in mock of flattery. You rolled your eyes and scoffed at his behavior, your cheeks growing warm as you wished you hadnโt said anything in the first place. โIโm touched, really.โ
โGo ahead and flatter yourself,โ you dismissed him, trying to ignore the growing anger inside of you. At least, it seemed like anger, it must have been. โIโm just amused by your idiocy.โ
โYou can try to sound fancy but your words mean nothing to me.โ
โMakes sense. Most words donโt get past your thick skull.โ
โBetter a thick head than an empty one.โ
By the time you were fuming with rage, Ace pulled your arm back.
โAaaaand I think thatโs enough excitement for today,โ Ace tugged on your arms, trying to break your eye contact with Floyd. You were so caught up in the argument that you hadnโt noticed the usual cafeteria chatter dying down and focusing on you. โEverybody can hear you and I think one of the ghosts is coming over here to yell at us so how about we just part our ways, yeah?โ
Before you could respond, he dragged you out of the cafeteria and into the empty hallway.
โWhat was up with that?โ Ace whisper-yelled at you. You fidgeted with the hem of your shirt, feeling like you had just been caught stealing from the cookie jar. โYou donโt usually get that heated!โ
โI donโt know, Iโm sorry!โ you took a deep breath and ran a hand through your hair. โI guess I just got a little carried away, you know? I canโt control how I feel about that annoying eel.โ
Ace eyed you suspiciously, rolling his eyes at your statement.
โYeah, I bet you canโt.โ
โNothing, go to class.โ
โHey, youโre really hot. Could I get your number?โ
You raised an eyebrow as you looked up from your book. You had been reading on a bench in the courtyard when some random student came up and started flirting with you.
โSorry, Iโm just not really in the habit of giving strangers my number,โ you smiled sympathetically, trying not to hurt the boys feelings as you looked back to your book. He smirked at you and pulled the book away from you, effectively ruining the slim chance he had with you.
โCome on, babe! Give me a chance,โ he went on, closing your book without the bookmark in. You clenched your teeth so hard you thought you might chip them. โIโm a really great guy once you get to know me.โ
โIโm sure,โ you sneered, plastering a fake smile into your face. โIโm just not super interested in you.โ
โYouโre making this real difficult for me, arenโt you?โ
โYouโre not taking no for an answer. Let me say it again for good measure. No.โ
โYou donโt have to play hard to get, sweetheart,โ the boy sat next to you and put his hand on your shoulder, making you shrug away and stand up. โJust go out with me, itโs not that hard.โ
โI already told you I donโt want to,โ you said through gritted teeth, backing away as the boy slowly stalked towards you. โI, uh, I already have a boyfriend.โ
โYou donโt have to lie, babe,โ his expression became darker as he stepped towards you. You walked backwards, praying he wouldnโt try anything, when your back bumped into somebody. A chill creeped down your spine as you turned around.
Of course it was none other than the very boy you disliked so much: Floyd Leech. Fear overtook you as you realized you were quite literally stuck between a rock and a hard place.
โWhatโs all this about?โ Floyd cocked his head to the side, looking the creepy student up and down with disdain. The boyโs eyes widened as he took as step back from Floydโs looming figure. It was then that you realized you could use this to your advantage, as much as you would hate it. You grabbed Floydโs hand and leaned your head on his arm.
โBabe, this guy wonโt leave me alone,โ you shot Floyd a pleading look when he looked at you, evidently confused. After a 2-second non-verbal conversation, he agreed to go along with whatever was happening. It was quite entertaining after all. You turned back to the boy who was all but cowering. โI said I already have a boyfriend.โ
The creepy boy scoffed, trying to hide how obviously frightened he was of Floyd.
โWell, then I hope he knows his partner is a slut,โ the boy spat, causing you to roll your eyes. He wasnโt the first person who got worked up because you rejected them but it still hurt. You didnโt even notice that Floydโs expression getting angrier with every word the boy said. โThey were totally leading me on. I wouldnโt have done anything if they werenโt flirting first.โ
โIโm gonna stop you right there, minnow,โ Floyd glared at him, surprising you by wrapping a protective arm around you. โYou donโt talk to my partner like that ever again, or Iโll squeeze you, got it?โ
The boy nodded, paralyzed by the manic glare Floyd had fixed on him.
โNow go away,โ Floyd waved sarcastically at the boy, leaning his chin on the top of your head. You could feel yourself become flustered by how easily Floyd had adapted to your โdatingโ. He nuzzled his head into your hair and pouted as the boy all but ran out of the courtyard, tossing your book on the ground behind him.
You breathed a sigh of relief before groaning and going to collect your book. You hadnโt noticed how warm and comfortable Floydโs embrace was until you had already gone. You dusted off the cover of the book and turned around to look at Floyd.
โSo what do I owe you now,โ you sighed. If you knew anything about Octavinelle dorm, it was that no favor came without a price. You learned this by heart when Jade helped you carry your grocery bags to Ramshackle dorm and then informed you that his services cost 200 marks. โPerformances like that donโt come for free.โ
Floyd looked at the ground, bouncing his feet up and down. You rolled your eyes and walked up to him, staring him down.
โSpit it out, Leech,โ you accused, just wanting to get that interaction over with so you can go your separate loathsome ways.
โDoes that happen a lot?โ Floyd asked with an uncharacteristic gentleness. You were completely taken aback. You had been expecting some sort of insult or snide remark as usual but he was starting to seem almost nice. โLike people bugging you about going out with them.โ
โWell, yeah,โ you said matter-of-factly. Floyd seemed confused by your nonchalant answer. โItโs a regular occurrence but I can handle it by myself so you wonโt get to bleed me dry on this.โ
โI donโt want you to have to handle it yourself,โ he asserted, looking you directly in the eyes.
โWhat do you mean?โ you asked gingerly, a little bit afraid of what the eelโs intentions were.
โThat guy, he justโฆ made me really angry. I donโt want you to deal with people like that anymore.โ
โItโs not like I have a choice! He approached me, itโs not my fault.โ
Floyd groaned in annoyance and leaned against the wall.
โI just donโt want anyone to make you uncomfortable like he did!โ
โLike I said, I can deal with it myself!โ
โI donโt think I can do this anymore.โ
โI canโt pretend that I hate you!โ he yelled and covered his eyes with his arm. It took you a few moments to process the confession. โIโve tried to write you off as just another boring shrimp but you keep surprising me and I canโt keep telling myself that Iโm gonna get over you.โ
โWhat,โ you stuttered, trying to make sense of what Floyd was saying. He shifted to look you directly in the eyes with a soft look that was foreign to you. โWhat do you mean pretending?โ
โYou know how Iโve been bugging you since freshman year?โ
โHow could I forget?โ
โThe longest Iโve ever been able to focus on something is when I picked up guitar for 3 weeks when I was 12 then dropped it because I got bored. So far, youโve been the only exception.โ
You stared back at Floyd with a confused expression. You searched his heterochromic eyes for any glint of joking but all you found was pure, stupid sincerity.
โSo youโฆ think Iโm interesting, is that it?โ you inquired, not wanting to break the fragile atmosphere that had crept up on you.
โI donโt think I could get bored of you if I tried,โ Floyd chuckled out of anxiety. You were still processing his sudden change in demeanor. Though you had gotten used to his bipolarity, you had never seen him be nice to you. โI like you. Far more than Iโd care to admit.โ
You were too stunned to speak. You just stared, your brain replaying every moment when you had been caught staring at Floyd during class, when you laughed at one of his jokes, when you spent hours thinking about how he probably gives really good hugs.
Floyd suddenly felt rather exposed under your scrutinizing gaze. It was rather a funny sight to see Night Ravenโs resident tall and intimidating delinquent squirm like a little kid.
โYou donโt have to say anything,โ Floyd found sudden interest in his shoes, trying to focus on anything but the look on your face. โI know you hate me and nothing I say can change that.โ
โAre you an idiot?โ you blurted, catching Floyd off guard. He fixed his eyes on the ground with a disappointed pout, steeling himself for the sting of your rejection. โYouโre telling me youโve liked me this entire time and weโve both just been pretending to fight?โ
Floyd looked up with shocked eyes.
โWhat do you mean pretending?โ
You laughed and turned away from Floyd, leaning your head on a marble column to hide your smiling face. Floyd pouted and inserted his head between you and the column, forcing you to look at him. You giggled again and kissed his forehead.
Before he could react, you leaned your head on his chest instead of the column.
โI thought I was the only stupid one but I guess weโre both idiots in idiot love,โ you laughed, muffled by Floydโs shirt. He took a moment to process everything that was happening before shrugging and wrapping his arms around you.
โIdiots in idiot love,โ Floyd mused, leaning his forehead against yours. You giggled as you felt his breath tickling your eyelashes. โI like the sound of that.โ
That was the last thing you heard before he lifted you by the waist and kissed you hard on the lips.