✦

I. A SHOCKING REVELATION

— THE NIGHT, OR RATHER, MORNING of May 15th had been filled with excitement. The students of Night Raven College had been transported to Castle Wildrose and danced the night away, all there to celebrate the boy that made being awake possible. However, no matter how everyone longed to continue the party, time could, and would not, stand still. So, the little slice of heaven ended and everyone returned to their dorms just as the sun rose over the thorny castle.

Now, as classes ended for the day an infamous prefect strolls through the hallways of the Thorn Fairy’s dorm, a woven basket held tightly in their grasp. They walk through as they would everything in this world; a head held high and an uncertainty in every step. If any resident of the dorm were to spot them, they would no doubt stop and stare, wondering why someone such as them would be there. The housewarden had yet to return, still recovering from his overblot, and everyone knows that Malleus Draconia and the Ramshackle prefect are quite close. The dance they shared together only hours prior had confirmed that fact to any that were weary.

So, what could possibly be the reason they are there? Perhaps, the basket they are holding could lead to the answer.

Inside the modest basket are small nicknacks; an eye mask, a light pink jellyfish, crocheted with shaky hands, a handmade card, and a tiny pouch. Inside the pouch sits a key. It looks to be a house key, though only the giver and recipient would be able to confirm.

Yuu’s footsteps slow as they reach the accommodations of Diasomnia. Each door is identical, the only differences being the occasional sign or poster taped to it. Unless you are a member, there would be no way to tell whose room is whose.

Under their breath, they count as they pass by each door. Their destination is further in, forcing them to turn another corner. They continue, yet the tally is cut short as a peculiarity is spotted. By the eighth door, a tablet floats, a bin levitates directly underneath it. A familiar blue glow emanates from the electronic, one that the Prefect quickly recognizes.

“Idia…?” Yuu’s voice echos through the hallway. If the tablet could jolt, it certainly would have. However, the only indication of surprise was the quick turning of the device, allowing the user to get a good look at the prefect. “What are you doing here? Didn’t know that you…” Words trail off. Yuu’s eyes narrow as they look back and forth between the door and Idia’s tablet.

“What business do you have at Diasomnia?” Any suspicion lacing their words is unintentional. However, the effect is immediate. A yelp reverberates, the microphone seemingly at its most sensitive setting. Yuu winces at the volume.

The floating bin drops onto the floor with a thud, whatever within bumps into each other. Disregarding the frantic words spewing out of the tablet, Yuu takes a step closer to look at the contents.

There’s a bag of coffee beans tucked inside, a brand unfamiliar to the outlander, however, they recall that Vil had a bag of it during his stay at their dorm. Three brightly colored energy drinks are tied together with a perfectly done blue bow, matching the color of Ignihyde’s dorm. Finally, a phone charm lays on the side. An iron sword tied to a green string.

Yuu stares at the bin, then looks at their basket. Their lips twitch, before quickly returning to their usual flatness.

“You’re delivering Silver a birthday gift?” And so the truth of not only the prefect’s motives come out but also the hermit’s. The line goes silent. It might be easy to assume that Idia muted himself, however, the faint sound of labored breathing gives him away. Yuu holds their basket to their chest, every so often glancing at Idia’s gifts.

“A-Aren’t you here f-for the same thing?!” Idia’s words are sharp, accusatory, Yuu bristles. They turn their body away from the tablet’s camera, hiding away not only their face, but also the basket.

“Is there something wrong with that?” Yuu feels their face warm up. They dig their face into their shoulder. “He’s done a lot of good for me. It’s only natural I return the favor. I just wasn’t expecting you. What are the chances that we happened to…”

There’s nothing at the door besides Idia’s bin. Silver is still on the college campus, no doubt tending to the horses despite it being his special day. Not the type to take a break for a moment. Yuu knows this, that’s the reason they chose to come at this time. They didn’t want to be forced to look at Silver’s kind and caring eyes as he accepted their gift, no doubt complimenting it even if he did not like it. Their face explodes with heat at the thought, they quickly shake their head like a dog trying to get dry, ridding themselves of the thought. If Idia is here does that mean…

Something clicks in Yuu’s mind, but they’ve learned far better than to jump to conclusions in a place where elements could be summoned with a wave of a hand. They need to confirm.

Yuu places their basket next to Idia’s, crouching down while hands reach out to adjust any gifts that were disturbed during the trek. They can feel Idia’s eyes through the screen, but they’ve pay him no mind. While their hands work on autopilot, their mind works a mile a minute, going over every interaction.

A hard time with eye contact, twitchy hands. No those could all be forgiven. Wide eyes, pink cheeks, pink hair.

The prefect stands to their full height, turning to face Idia. Two voices speak at once,

“Do you...” // “You don’t happen to…”

Two jaws drop, though only one can be seen in the halls of Diasomnia. Uncharacteristically, Yuu loudly gasps, pointing at finger at the tablet.

“You do!”

“So do you!” His mic picks up every word, Idia having no doubt scooted closer to the screen at the revelation. Yuu does not know if they and Idia have come to the same conclusion, but the silence that lingers afterwards is tense, enough that Yuu would like the world to open up swallow them whole.

Idia memorized Silver’s schedule. Idia created a hyper-ultra customized gift for Silver. Idia has a crush on Silver….No leaps of logic found.

…Uh Oh.

Yuu has a crush on Silver, which would make them…

The two fools do not have any more time to succumb to the news as a loud comes from around the corner.

Sebek’s voice is known even to those that don’t know him. Easy to pick out in a crowd, especially when said voice is doing nothing but praising Malleus. The gentle, whispering voice that comes shortly after it is an added bonus.

Without a need for words, the human and the tablet bolt around the corner. Separating at the first crossroads. Yuu turns right, Idia turns left. Both would end up at the exit eventually, no matter how the halls of Diasomnia threatened to confuse them.

Now, the two students run back to their respective dorms, left to stew with the new knowledge that has been gifted to them.

II. PASSIONATE RIVALRY

— A LOVE RIVAL IS DEFINED AS a person who competes with another for the romantic affection of the same individual. By this definition it would safe to assume that after the truth came out that the two prefects would be at each other’s throats.

Perhaps they would dedicate every waking moment to taking down the other. Vandalizing lockers, “accidentally” spilling the contents of their lunch when they passed by their rival, leak files stowed away on the back of a computer to the entire school. Nothing was off the table.

Yet, it’s nothing of the sort. Life continues as normal. Though, in small ways, annoyances are built.

•••

Idia sits at his desk, legs tucked to his chest, blue light reflecting onto his face. He stares at his monitor, though the distant look on his face says he’s not comprehending anything happening on the screen. He picks at his cuticles, his chair creaking from a constant back and forth swaying.

If any student were to peek into the room, they would shrug their shoulders and move on. It was simply their housewarden acting the same as he always does. Only those that dared to move in closer would understand the true emotions he faces.

Idia mutters under his breath, too quick to comprehend. Only after the loud ‘ding!’ of his phone does he stop, shooting up and grasping the device as if it were a holy grail. He lifts it up to his face, shaking hands unlocking it.

He reads it, taking a big sigh of relief, practically deflating into in the cushion. Whatever stressor seemingly disappearing…Only for him to launch himself out of his chair seconds later.

As if mad, Idia runs around his room, grasping the nearest items and throwing them into his closet and drawers. There’s no thought to the chaos. Everything must go, at least, that’s what can assumed from the emptiness of his room when he’s finished. The sleekness of the Ignihyde furniture shines without the pile of junk resting on top of it.

Standing in the center of his room, Idia heaves, chest rapidly moving up and down. The most physical activity he’s done since the whole Malleus affair. However, there is no rest for the wicked as a knock sounds against the door. Too soft to be his brother’s and too confident to be any of his dorm mates. Idia tenses, stiffly shimming over to his chair and pulling his hood over his head.

Only when Idia steadies himself does he respond.

“C-Come in!” Clenching his jaw, Idia’s eye twitches at his stuttering, but there is no time to berate himself as light spills into his blue room and Silver Vanrouge in all his stupidly pretty glory steps into the hermit's room.

The boy is still in his school uniform, more than likely having gone straight to Ignihyde after class. His hands are outstretched, in his palms sits a black and purple horned tamagotchi. Giving a brief introduction, he stands in front of Idia, lips pulled into a frown.

"Thank you for agreeing to help on such short notice." Silver holds the tamagotchi out to Idia. The housewarden hesitantly picks it up, blue hair spiking pink as his hands accidentally brush against Silver's. The toy looks ancient, at least when compared to any of the technology that Idia is used to. But considering the good condition the outside of it looks, it must have been taken extremely well cared of. "After Malleus...overblot, it hasn't turned on. I was hoping you would be able to fix it before he returns?"

Idia nods, his hair dimming as his eyes focus in on the electronic. "Yeah, I-I can do that." This is his bread and butter, no wonder why Ortho directed Silver to him. Digging around the drawers of his desk, Idia retrieves a screwdriver, carefully undoing the back panel of the tamagotchi. Silver's hand sits on the back of his chair, peering over to see the intricacies of the device. He directs his full attention like he's trying to memorize the act of fixing.

The problem becomes clear the second the panel is removed. One of the back wires is pierced. After the dorm was covered in vines and thorns, one must have snuck in and cut the wire. A simple replacement would be all it would take. Something Idia could do in his sleep. A giddy smiles over takes his face, sharp teeth on full display. He wasn't the heir to Styx for nothing!

"This is simple stuff. I could have this fixed..." Idia turns his head to address Silver, stopping short as his face is only inches away. Close up aurora colored eyes blink back at him, awaiting the end of his sentence. There's a beat of silence. Idia's face falls flat, not comprehending what's in front of him. Then the volcano explodes. Jaw dropping to the floor, an unholy sound escapes Idia's mouth as his hair flares up, the pink overtaking the blue. Jerking his head back, it slams against his desk. Pulling back in surprise, Silver's eyes widen as he instinctually reaches out to help.

The next minute is awkward shambling around with Silver continually asking if everything's alright.

Aggressively rubbing the back of his head, Idia shuts his jaw tight, five seconds away from hyperventilating. He turns his head away from Silver's concerned stare. Normally pale skin is stained pink, not even the dim lighting of his room is enough to conceal that. Though, the room is not as dark as it normally. The door never closed...

The realizations hits Idia too late. Footsteps come and stop at his door, a face peaking in. The white light of the hallway temporarily blinds him, giving the intruder more time to step in.

"Silver? What are you doing..." A sharp tooth stabs the inside of Idia's cheek. Unconsciously the tips of his hair flash orange. Yuu stands at the threshold of the door. They hold a folder in their hands, filled to the brim with paper. Their eyes meet's Idia's, "...here." Their voice trails off, going flat. A sudden realization on who the room belongs to. A tense staring contest ensues, though the victor is quickly found as Yuu tears their gaze away, directing their attention to observing the rest of the room.

Idia sits curled up on his chair, holding the back of his head. Silver stands in his bubble, hands outreached, ready to tend to him. The sight is odd to the average individual, even with knowing nothing of the two. However, the context of Idia's and Yuu's relationship makes this moment suspious.

Silver backs up, dropping his hands and facing the interloper. "Ah, Prefect, it's good to see you. I was getting Malleus toy looked at. Idia said he would be able to fix it." A barely noticeable sigh escapes the Prefect's lips, they rest their back against the door frame, nodding.

"That's nice of you." Clenching his fingers around the strings of his hoodie, Idia glares at Yuu, golden eyes attempting to set them ablaze. His lips twitch at the Prefect's lack of acknowledgment. "Ortho invited me over to help me with some homework." A finger comes up directly under their chin, "though he's out at the moment. Would you mind if I stuck around here until he returned?"

Idia's already shaking his head before they even finish, their attention still never drifts from Silver, even with the motion in the corner of their eye.

"I don't see why not." Silver smiles, turning back to Idia, just missing the way he stopped his rapid head movements. Idia is frozen under the stare of the pretty boy, and can do nothing but shakily move his head up and down. No one can see the tight fist he's making under the table as he gets to work.

Perhaps this was the work of his younger brother. Idia had destroyed him in a game the other day. Payback? Or maybe the Prefect's feelings for the sleepy prince were never considered for the calculation. Either way, Idia can only sit in his tizzy as what could have been a nice one-on-one moment with his crush turned into a get together with his rival. Lucky him.

•••

Every night at Ramschakle is different from the next, especially when the semi-permeant arrival of four new roommates. Rooms that sat untouched for decades have new life breathed into them. It’s a never ending sleep over with the Diasomnia students. The ghosts enjoy it almost as much as Yuu does. For more...alternative reasons.

Tonight, the Prefect has a little more pep in their step. The reasoning? Unknown. But they have never been the subtle type.

They stand at the sink, hot pink rubber gloves pulled up to their elbows as they scrub the dishes from dinner. While the chore might have disgusted many, the quiet humming from their lips and the swaying of their body tells the opposite. The halls behind them are hushed, no doubt everyone else getting prepared for the night. That, at least is the same everyday.

The ritual of them being alone makes them sloppy, unprepared for anyone to interrupt them. That is why the soft padding of feet goes unheard from behind. And why the tapping on their shoulder makes them scream, launching soapy water not only on the counter but themselves.

Silver reels back as Yuu rips the gloves off, placing their hand over their heart. They let out a breathy giggle upon seeing the boy. It lacks the normal conviction. Silver frowns, eyes downturned. His retracts back to his side.

"Sorry about that. I've have a problem scaring people recently." A mixture of a cough and gasp leaves Yuu's throat. They wave their hands in front of their body, rapidly.

"No it's fine! I was just out of it. You know what? You're just the person I wanted to see!" Silver replies with tilt of his head, encouraging Yuu to continue. They clear their throat. "Well, I was thinking recently that we haven't had a lot of luck with the whole Mickey mirror thing. So I thought of an idea!" Yuu's shoulders raise, their voice acquiring a slight shake. "Perhaps you could spend the night in my room? O-only if you want to! I was just thinking that maybe if you're closer to the mirror we might be able to establish a connection?"

A solid idea. No leaps of logic found once again! There is no possible other reason why the Prefect might want to be in close proximity with the teen.

Silver remains silent. He stares, eyes narrowed. Yuu fans themselves off, turning their head away from his unrelenting gaze. Then, like a lightbulb formed over his head, Silver blinks, a smile forming on his face.

“We haven’t tried that, it might—” The newly renovated doors of Ramshackle slam open, a high-pitched, cheery voice rings out. Silver cuts himself off, Yuu’s jaw tightens. They had forgotten that only an hour prior that the freshman had gone out to retrieve something. Bad timing.

“I’m back, Prefect. Sorry I took so long!” Ortho voice lingers at the door, out of view of the duo. There’s a slight strain as he seemingly struggles against something, his internal fans whirling. The duo share glances, internally questioning the other. When no answer can be found, Yuu shrugs.

After a minute, Ortho wins the fight, turning the corner, floating into line of sight. In one hand he holds a large mechanical device that resembles an older radio, large antenna pointing out. The other hand…grasps a pale arm.

“It took a lot of convincing to get Idia here. He’ll be staying the night to help if that’s okay!” Idia shoulders are stiff, but his face is pained, damp with sweat. Even now he struggles in his brother’s mental hold.

Yuu’s blankly stares at the siblings. Their eye twitches.

“Ah, Idia.” Silver steps forward, shattering the silence. He gives his full attention to the two, unaware of the pair of eyes burning into the side of his skull. “We were just talking about the investigation. Thank you for coming all this way to help.”

Silver turns to Yuu, awaiting their own greetings. They let out a long exhale, nodding. They don’t meet the golden eyes of the eldest Shroud. An arm is behind them, fingers pinching the skin of their lower back.

At the Prefect’s silence, Idia, who had been staring at his feet, looks up, brows furrowing. His eyes dart between Silver and Yuu, then as if understanding something no one else can, a laugh escapes him.

“Y-yeah. Sorry for crashing your party short notice. I-I’ll go, uh, set up shop!” The tone of voice is normally timid, however his facial features are almost giddy, sharp teeth pulled into a grin.

Watching the housewarden shuffle up the stairs, the Prefect gnaws on their bottom lip, a wobbly agreement forces itself out. Ortho is quick to follow, shouting out a quick ‘thank you!’ and lugging the mystery machine up.

Once again, only the Prefect and Silver remain in the kitchen of Ramshackle. The mood, for one of the parties, is no different. A bystander would assume it would be Yuu. The entire reason the investigation is taking place is to find a way home. And with the help of the Shroud’s, they might! So, why is the only one smiling Silver?

The reasoning is obvious. What was supposed to be a night of romance and tenderness was to be turned into a night of tinkering and mirrors. Thwarted by their rival!

“I hope this will help us find you a way home, Yuu.” For a moment, Yuu is broken out of their thoughts at the sheer sincerity of the statement. He’s hopeful. More than them. They raise a hand and flick themselves hard enough in the forehead for it to sting, ignoring the wide-eyed look Silver gives them.

Swallowing their pride, they take the lead, stepping up each step and mentally preparing themselves for a night that’ll leave them wanting to scream into a pillow.

III. MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING

— ENGRAVED NIRVANA, OR EN, AS THE FANS CALL IT, is the romantic visual novel that has taken the dating sim community by storm. Featuring seven different love interests, multiple endings, and continually releasing content, how could you not get hooked? Even the most purist of players would find a guy that was fit for them!

To celebrate the first year anniversary it was decided that a promotion is to be held across cafes in Twisted Wonderland. And just the luck of any Engraved Nirvana fans, one of those cafes’ happens to be on Sage Island. It only here for a short time, so fans must move quick if they want a piece of the action!

Currently, two individuals travel to the heart of the town. One is bathed head-to-toe in black, a mask over their nose and a hat over their bright hair. The white and blue ita bag over their shoulder is filled with pins, stickers, and plushies of a single character. It brushes against their leg, with every step, metallic clicking audible. The other is in much more simple wear. A comfortable sweater and pants, a tacky bucket hat glued onto their head. A beat-up leather crossbody is attached to them, holding nothing more than an outdated phone and shockingly light wallet.

Little do these two know, they’re in for a rude awakening.

The cafe has a cute little setup; decorations hang from the banisters, cardboard cutouts greet passerby’s from the windows, each table holds napkin containers with various different characters plastered on. The workers have enamel pins stabled onto their aprons as they serve cold and hot drinks that vaguely resemble the color schemes of certain characters. Further back, tucked away is a small merch counters, pins, T-shirts, and posters alike ready to be plucked by an excited fan.

The bell above the door chimes, the individual in black shuffles in, head down and nervous smile curling onto his face, unseen behind his mask. The cashier greets him, he can only muster a nod back, making a beeline for the merch counter.

As if in awe, he stops short right in front of the merchandise, jaw visibly dropping. His eyes take in the selection, darting from one shelf to the next. Then, he begins to shake, hands held out in front of him flex. A delirious giggle is heard. Then he jumps in, leaning back and forth on the balls of his feet.

At the same time, the bell rings again. The individual with the god-awful bucket hat meanders in. They wave hello to the baristas over the counter, their eyes and smile wide as they take in the scenery. Unlike the previous customer, they take their time. They contemplate choices on the menu, before settling on the cheapest. They hand over the cash, unable to fully focus, their head on a swivel.

Patiently, they stand at the counter, making light conversation and peering over as their drink is made. The drink they receive a minute later is iced, colored pink and blue combining to form a soft lavender. They accept it with a giggle, greedily taking a large sip. Only then do they head over to the merch corner.

The cafe itself isn’t particularly busy, whether that was the time of day or because not many fans of a dating game lingered on an island with a population of less than ten-thousand. It’s anyone’s guess. Though, the details don’t matter, only that it managed to bring these two individuals together.

A degree of unsaid understanding between the two fans keeps them separated. They both understand the situation at hand. No contact is needed. That is, until a singular pin sitting in a bucket goes noticed. It’s perfectly in the middle, whoever were to go for it would have to invade the unspoken bubble.

Two hands touch, one hot, one cold. Both reached for the same item. Only one remains. Hands pull apart as if burned. Who has the right to obtain it? Slowly, two heads look up. One sports furrowed brows and a trembling lip. The other a twitching eye and a frown.

…

To understand this, a small lesson.

In fandoms there’s a popularity rating for each character, one that the creators are typically well aware of. A tale as old as time that the more popular ones get more merchandise. That, of course, leads the companies to raising the prices of these well-liked characters to suck more money out of their fans. However, in this case (and perhaps many others), there’s a small exception to this rule. In Engraved Nirvana there is one character that lingers at the bottom of the popularity polls, yet, his merchandise prices almost as high as the more popular characters. Why is that? The explanation is simple. Because his fans are bonkers. Willing to pay any price for even the smallest of items. Small, but mighty.

Simultaneously, the rivals faces share the same look. Eyes wide, mouths open.

“Yuu?!”

“Idia?”

•••

Ten minutes later, the duo sits at a table outside. Yuu’s drink sits half-empty, cradled in their hands. Idia sits the opposite, the exact same beverage in his hold. They both remain pinless.

A tense silence lingers over the two, both awaiting the other to say the first word. Ever the conversationalist, Yuu breaks it first.

“So…” A finger taps against their cup, “you like Engraved Niravana?” Idia huffs, crossing his arms and blowing a strand of his flamed hair out of his face. His mask is pulled down to his chin, allowing the Prefect to get the full view of his scowl.

“Well, duh. Why else would I be here." Idia grumbles into his drink, another silence befalling the two. With how strained the exchange, you would think these two would have had more than five total interactions. Literally enough to count on one hand.

Yuu's eyes dart away, before coming back. Something settles within them. A determined spark that belongs to them alone. They fold their hands in front of themselves, squaring their shoulders and opening their mouths,

"Briar Rose is your fav, right?" Idia's eyes widen, he lowers his drink, never breaking eye-contact with the Prefect.

"...Yeah." There's a touch of suspicion to his words, as if he expects telling the truth will explode back in his face.

"Cool. That's cool." Yuu nods, settling their chin into the palm. A goading smile finalizes. Bullseye. "He's my favorite too."

Briar Rose. The seventh, and final love interest of Engraved Nirvana. He’s a side character in most of the routes. The player is only given the basic amount of information about him, having to unlock and play through the rest of the love interests route to obtain his tale. What awaits player is a tragic store of love, guilt, and forgiveness. And what most players deemed the most “depressing” reading experience in the game. Surprisingly, he took the hearts of few, more than likely because many did not play long enough to achieve his story. However, a pretty boy with grey hair and eyes that shine like the sun is a sure fire to get at least a few enticed.

The conversation that entails can be described as such; rapid hand movements, voices a tad too loud, an ita bag being pushed in another’s hand, and rapt attention to an electronic device.

Laughter dies down, once again, a silence settles. It’s different than the rest. Much more comfortable. Idia’s eyes crinkles as he shifts back and forth on his chair. Yuu grins, a sickening sweet smile. Fingers tap against the now empty plastic cup. A silence fit for friends. But surely, a single conversation could just fix weeks of rivalry, could it?

No. It couldn’t.

“I’m sorry about the whole Silver thing.” Yuu’s smile slips off their face, something more melancholic replaces it. Their voice grows softer.“I was acting like a little kid. Been thinking about it. I’ll back off. Would be for the best anyways, you two look good together—”

Liquid explodes from Idia’s mouth. Yuu jolts, anchoring their body away from the splash zone as the Housewarden sputters. With as much force as he can muster, Idia slaps his chest with a closed fist in attempt to relieve himself

“Wh-Where’d that come from?!” He gasps out, voice hoarse. The tips of his hair glow pink. Instinctively, a hand is brought up to his lips. Biting down on a nail, he continues, “We were having a good conversation and you just brought up a lvl.100 topic??! But, uh, I guess I should also…”

He hesitates, Yuu cocks their head to the side like a curious dog. Idia’s blood pressure rises,

“I’m sorry! I totally ruined your guy’s moment. When I walked in it was like i interrupted a route deciding decision.” Gagging, like he’s sick he pushes onwards. “Looking back on it, I was totally cringy! A princely guy like him probably noticed and nowhethinksimaweirdo—!”

Yuu holds their arms up in surrender, eyes large as saucers. A confused giggle escapes their mouth, confidence stripped from their bones just by watching the hermit. Just as Idia’s deprecating speech reaches its pinnacle, he deflates into himself, like a balloon popped.

“Silver would never go for someone like me. And besides I’m gonna be living under the ocean like full time after this year. Being with me would be miserable.”

“Yeah, but at least you’ll be here.” Yuu frowns, words becoming muffled by the hand pressing into their cheek. “I’ll be gone, who knows if I’ll even be able to get into contact.”

Customers come and go, the bell chimes. Birds caw overhead. Both students look down. Yuu sticks their fingers into the grates of the table, Idia resumes shifting on his chair, brows pulled together.

“You should at least try.” Yuu looks up, raising a brow. Idia turns away, standing up from his chair. “Well, that’s what the MC of Engraved Nirvana would do, right? Even when Briar pulled back because of his past, they still went after him cause they loved him and—” Loud laughter interrupts his spiel. Yuu holds their sides, eyes watering. A second away from falling out of their chair, they heave. Idia stares at the side of their head, vacantly, like he watched his dog get shot in front of him. Even then, a soft pink hue settles on his cheeks.

They take a moment to recollect themselves, wiping their face with their sleeves, they sigh, standing. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” Holding out a hand, enthusiasm is renewed. “You shouldn’t give up either. May the best man win.”

With Idia’s hand in theirs, a connection is formed. One built out of mutual respect. Not all of their problems would be solved at this very moment, yet both wanted to try. A rivalry burned to ash, stamped out by those that started it. A reconciliation such as this would no doubt make Briar Rose proud.

Yuu removed their hand, it fell limply at their side. Grabbing their bag and beverage, they turned, looking at their friend over their shoulder. Their eyes shifted, turning sharp.

“FIRST ONE THERE GETS THE BRIAR PIN!”

“WHAT?!” Yuu took off, bursting through the cafe doors. Idia stood, mouth agape, mind at a standstill, before he too bolted.

At the end of the day, a pair of blooming adults found more than what they bargained for. The boy at the center of their desires now served as a bonding agent rather than a dividing one. Alls well that ends well, right? Well, not everything was achieved. The two ended up on the bus back to school together, mourning the loss of the lovely Briar pin. Neither obtained it. A fan having come in during their heart to heart and snatching it.

It gave them another thing to bond about, at the very least.

OMAKE. HOLY SHIT! TWO CAKES!

— THE SIGHT OF THE SECOND YEAR, Silver Vanrouge sitting with a group of loud-mouthed freshmen has become common in the last few weeks. He slips comfortably into the routine of the dynamic, providing a level head to the eccentric bunch; when he’s awake, that is.

Today, he sits in his usual spot, the corner seat next to Sebek. Nobody else could bear to be that close, not wanting their ears to ring with his insentient yelling. Silver didn’t mind, used to Sebek’s antics.

In front of him, a seat remains dormant. Only eight instead of the normal nine.

The Prefect’s absence is odd, especially considering their direbeast companion managed to make it. Besides the initial questioning, everyone brushes it off, assuming that the outlander has been roped into another one of Crowley’s schemes. Yet, through a sleep addled mind, Silver lingers on the thought. Over the past few days Yuu had been acting strange. Not in a way that was obvious to a major degree, just peculiar.

He thought about questioning them, but ultimately decided against, not wanting to invade their privacy. He stares at the empty space, mind wandering only for a moment before he’s pulled into a conversation. Providing his full attention, Silver doesn’t notice an oncoming pair of students to the table. They’re arm and arm. One has a hood over their head, drawstring pulled all the way out to hide their face from sight. An odd look that’s heightened by the person dragging them forward. They wear a more traditional uniform, but upon closer inspection, it’s wrong. Their blazer is two sizes too big and has unsteady patch work combined with a pair of pants rolled up at the bottoms a tad too many times to look natural. Oh, and of course you can’t forget the large ancient camera hanging from around their neck.

Ortho yelps, electronic voice box crackling. He stands, or rather floats, over his seat, golden eyes wide at he looks at the newcomers.

“Brother?!” Several pairs of eyes, including Silver’s turn, surprised to see the Housewarden out of his room. Even more so once it’s recognized that the Prefect is dragging him, and smiling! Before the humanoid can drift over to ask, the two are already at the table.

Yuu pulls out the chair directly in front of Silver. They position Idia in front of it and push him down by his shoulders. The boy squeaks, shoulders shaking like he’s about to blast off. Yuu wastes no time pulling out the chair next to him. In one quick movement, they interrupt Grim’s lunch, picking him up, sitting down, and placing him on their lap. Besides a grumble, the direbeast shows no outwards reaction, used to the manhandling.

Like nothing, Yuu begins talking, rattling off stories about their day. The freshman share confused looks, but ultimately decide it’s not worth the trouble. Shrugging, conversation continues as normal, now with one more extra guest.

Silver smiles, something he’s found himself doing more often than not. Focusing on the housewarden in front of him, Silver says basic courtesies. Reluctantly, Idia says them back, not quite able to meet his eyes. An easy hush settles at the end of the table, at least, that’s how Silver views it. He’s never been much of a talker, so the silence is welcomed. Listening to others just as enjoyable.

Apparently, Yuu is not as fond. The moment the conversation can thrive without them, they turn to the two, leaning over into Idia’s personal space. As expected, he’s not pleased, leaning so far back he’s practically floating.

A banter commences. Yuu teases, Idia reacts, a back and forth that has Silver’s head turning. He doesn’t remember the two being so close, is what he makes out of it. Thinking back, the relationship had seemed tense, but to his relief, he must have been mistaken.

Lunch continues on, laughter is shared, food is eaten. It’s a lovely day, Silver thinks. Unconsciously, his cheeks glow pink. He’s glad that the two people he cares so deeply about are inclined to each other.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

Leona clicks his tongue at the volume, ears twitching. If he wasn’t aware that everyone in the building hated you, he would make sure that mouth of yours never spoke another word. But that is far too much work for a fellow like you.

Leona allows you a few more words, more than gracious if he’s telling the truth, before kicking the chair. It rolls and slams into the wall, tipping over and with a yelp you are chest first with the ground, chin smacking into the wooden floorboards. You groan, softly massaging your head to the floor for relief.

Heels click with every step, stopping where you lay. You struggle to lift your head, but the expression that mars your face is not one of fear, rather one of annoyance, as if you were more upset that your rant was interrupted instead of fact that were shackled to a chair and being kicked around. Nudging your head with the tip of his shoe, Leona leans down, his single visible eye studying your features.

“Who hired you?” A gloved hand reaches to the holster around his waist. A clicking reverberates through the room. A warning. You won’t get another one.

Leona had dealt with many like you, detectives way over their heads, getting their boots covered in the muck for a quick buck. Their fates had been all sealed the moment they looked too deeply into his territory. The amount had thinned over the years, word getting out that his domain was not to be messed with, but once every so often they popped up.

They don’t typically break easily, needing a tad bit more to spill what he needs to hear. He expects you to be the same, your bravado earlier nothing more then a front—

“Oh, that old coot?” The conversational tone you take on is enough to give Leona whiplash. Talking like you were old pals out to dinner. “Guy by the name of Crowley. Didn’t tell me much more than that. An odd looking fella. Wearing a bird mask or something. Paid me a pretty penny to look into your syndicate.” And just like that, you silenced the most powerful man in the Sunset Savannah. The silence that lingers after your words is deafening, enough so that you have the gall to raise an eyebrow at the brunette.

Leona abruptly stands, hands flicking the safety of his gun back on. You’re…different. Perhaps your lax attitude earlier hadn’t been a facade.

The name “Crowley” doesn’t ring a bell, and he would certainly remember a man with attire like that. No priors rumors about any investigation had reached him. If your word is to be trusted, a new man is after his claim.

The theory doesn’t have time to settle as suspicion takes over. But, Leona thinks, this entire meeting could be a set up, you had known he would come here all along! Wouldn’t be the first time, surely wouldn’t be the last,

Leona scans his surroundings awaiting the slamming of doors and the appearance of pigs, guns blazing. But the night is quiet and the area has nothing but the two souls.

Leona turns to you, ready to demand answers, only to be shocked by you standing up, ropes discarded on the floor. You brush invisible dust off your clothes, leaning down to sweep up the fedora that had fallen off your head in the struggle. A quick touch up later, you deem yourself acceptable and go to face that mafioso, only to feel cold metal pressed against your forehead. Leona’s finger makes quick work of the safety.

Your eyes dart up to where the gun is placed, the only outward sign of shock you produce. Like you expected this when you miraculously escaped your bindings. It seems Leona’s original thought was wrong. You’re insane. And not in the good way. Not for him. He has half the mind to blow your head off your shoulders and pick up the pieces himself.

He expects—No—Wants you to beg for you life, explain how you got here, pray for some god to save you, anything that makes you seem like a normal human being, but, you simply grin, cocking your head to the side.

“What’s on the agenda, boss?”

DEUCE SPADE

Deuce always had a hard time with learning and while his determination to become a honor student was noble, it didn’t change the truth.

You had sat on his bed, him at his desk. The room was silent, all his roommates were out, only the sound of the odd Heartslabyul clock ticking. This had been the setup for the last hour. Deuce had his head firmly in a textbook, and you, wanting to keep your boyfriend company, sat nearby, waiting for him to finish or at the very least ask for help.

You could see from the stiffness of his shoulders and the slowing movement of his pen that it hadn’t been going well. In comparison to the rest of the student body, Deuce was more expressive with his feelings, it had been one of the reasons you had fallen for him, though that didn’t meant he was completely open. With a sigh, you set down your phone, feet softly patted against the wood boards as you peaked over his shoulder. The hand that wasn’t gripping his pen was in his hair, tightly holding strands of hair, pulling it at random intervals.

Frowning, you placed your hands on his shoulders, massaging with the best of your ability. His jolted, but quickly relaxed upon the realization it was you. The pen fell from his hand, shoulders sagging as his hand reached up to lay over yours.

“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” you murmured, lips ghosting over the side of his head. Deuce hummed, something noncommittal. His brows furrowed, a self-deprecating comment on the tip of his tongue. You didn’t allow him to vocalize it. “Doing this all at once is going to stress you out.”

Deuce deflated in your hold, knowing your words were true, any anger fizzling out and turning to something more mellower. Disappointment.

Not wanting to let it fester, you turned your boyfriend towards you, leaning down so that you were face-to-face.

“Don’t you think a kiss will make you feel better? Who knows it might help you concentrate.” A twinkle formed in your eye as Deuce downtrodden expression turned embarrassed. His face flushed, arms hovering over his visage.

“W-Where’s this coming from?” You giggled, which only edged him on even more. “You’re trying to embarrass me!”

Laughter finally ceasing, your eyes softened. Staring at your boyfriend, you lifted a hand to his cheek, he instinctively leaned into it, red-face be damned.

“Do you want a kiss?” He nodded.

Who were you to deny your sweet boyfriend?

RUGGIE BUCCHI

Underneath the table your legs swayed back and forth. An unstopping rhythm as your eyes scanned the restaurant, looking for a particular face. The menu untouched. You already knew what you wanted. The Monstro Lounge was no stranger to you.

You straightened your back as a server approached, turning your head, you attempted to look nonchalant. He stood in front of the table, silent for a moment before laughter that could only come from one person sounded out.

“Shishishi~ I’m supposed to be getting your order but I don’t wanna interrupt.”

“Oh no,” you hummed, cheekily turning towards him. “I was just waiting for the cute waiter to come up to me and ask for my order.”

Ruggie leaned down towards you, faces only inches apart. His hair is out of his face, brushed back in a way that made him look like a prince. You have the strong urge to smooch the space between his eyebrows and hairline. But you don’t, keeping the allusion of disinterestedness.

“Ah, my mistake. Point out to me who it is and I’ll call them over. Wouldn’t want to leave a customer unsatisfied.”

“He’s right overrr…” You drag out the R as your finger points at a random direction. You seem his glance in the area before your finger snaps to the boy in front of you. “Here!”

There’s silence for a moment. It’s painfully cheesy. Ruggie closed his eyes while your lips twitched. Suddenly you two burst into laughter. Loud enough that the students in the booth in front of you peered over.

Laughter slowing, Ruggie wiped the corner of his eyes with gloved fingers. Tilting his head like an adorable puppy as he regarded you.

“My break’s in 30 minutes.” Your eyes brightened as he straightened his posture, returning to a professional mask. “Now what can I get for you today.”

“A kiss.” The statement is so blunt that it makes your boyfriend blink in surprise. You grab his tie, pulling him down to your height and placing a quick kiss on his lips, letting go immediately. The action was so quick that nobody would have noticed unless their attention was directed at the two of you. Ruggie snapped back to his original standing position, face flushed. A shaky smile playing on his lips. “Oh, and a milkshake please.”

Ruggie coughed out laughter, adjusted his hat and tie before saluting you.

“Aye, Aye Captain!” You fondly watched as he walked away, a pep in his step that wasn’t there before.

SILVER

Even before you and Silver started dating you had given him an open invite to Ramschakle. Unlike many others you knew, he wouldn't destroy the place if left alone and also because you would rather have not him sleep on the lawn, scaring the life out of you when you came home.

If he ever wanted to take a nap, you implored him to use your bed. It was the most comfortable piece of furniture you owned along with being in the best condition.

So, when you returned home early and saw a pair of familiar shoes at the door, you gleefully had run up the stairs. Giddy to see the pretty boy peacefully sleeping on your bed. You were rather disappointed when you had not seen Silver fast asleep, curled up in your sheets, but rather an empty, messy bed you hadn't made in the morning.

Making the bed, you had sulkily walked back downstairs, fingers already typing a message to your boyfriend that he must have forgotten his shoes when he left. Your feet stopped in place as you passed by the guest room, door slighty ajar. You did not have time to ponder if you had accidentally left it open before you saw a flash of silver hair. Peaking your head in, there he laid. Curled to one side, legs tucked up to his chest, an attempt to make himself fit on the shabby couch you had thrown in there after the renovation.

While a tad annoyed that he didn't listen to you, it didn't last long as you stepped closer, crouching next to the couch. You could never stay upset at Silver when he looked so at peace.

That didn't stop you from repeatedly poking his cheek with your index finger, awaiting a movement. Typically, such an action wouldn't have stirred the boy, but Silver seemed to have some sort of detector to your presence.

He arouse with a soft hum, eyes blinking open to meet your face only a few inches away.

"...Hello." He whispered, voice still deep with sleep.

"Hi."

Slightly lifting himself up, he leaned into you, pressing a soft kiss against you lips. You cheerfully accepted, giggling against him.

Once parted, you ran your fingers through his hair. "I told you that you could sleep in my bed." Silver's lips pulled downwards, but you quickly kissed it away. Now more awake, his eyes widened as you pulled away, a pink hue on his cheeks contrasting the rest of his face. "It's always open for you, okay?"

"...Okay."

UNEDITED

Leona wouldn't be considered the most scrupulous employee at Sunset Health. His suit was always crumpled, in need of an ironing. His tie was never properly done, always loose or thrown somewhere he couldn't bother to remember. His hair was misplaced, showing that he had just woken up from a deep slumber. His attitude was less than subpar. Leona was blunt at best and arrogant at worst. The lower employees scuttered around whenever he walked by.

But, it would be a cold day and hell before Leona Kingscholar would be considered a bad employee. He was meticulous. Always got the job done on time. Never a trace of a mistake. He knew what loopholes to jump through and when to jump through them. He was perceptive, not even the tiniest detail escaped his sharp eye.

It came with the title of second son.

Since the moment Leona could keep his eyes open he knew what he was. The second son of the Kingscholar family. A spare. Something that would only hold importance if something ever happened to Falena. And, for awhile, that kept him afloat. Knowing that there was a chance, that maybe, one day, he could run the company in place of his brother.

Then Cheka was born.

The fantasy quickly died.

Their father had fallen ill soon after. Falena had taken his place and Leona fate was firmly sealed.

Falena, of course, had taken notice, and had seen to it that his brother was firmly busy. An attempt to make him feel like he was important. That he mattered. Leona had seen right through it.

Leona sighed, running a hand through his hair as he made his way to his office, a manilla folder tucked firmly under his arm. He didn't spare his secretary a glance as they shakily attempted to offer him coffee. He had told his brother that he didn't need any help, Falena thought otherwise.

His office was in the back, isolated from the rest of the floor. It was a bit of a walk, but, ultimately, he enjoyed being away from anyone else.

Leona’s mind wandered, going from how he was going to get his work done to when he was going to be able to get in a nap. He twisted the doorknob to his office, only half paying attention.

This week, he was stuck with checking the budget along with overseeing the marketing department’s new strategy. Lucky him. He stepped into the room. A part of him wanted to just drop it all and forget about it, but he knew when it came to business Falena wou—

Leona looked up. It was an intriguing sight. A panel of the ceiling was gone, leading into a ventilation duct. The metal covering was open. A thin brown rope descended from the duct. However, the most interesting part, was what the rope held. A person dressed in all back was hanging directly over his desk, the rope wrapped around their midsection. They flailed around, one hand tugging at the rope, while the other held a small USB. They continued to struggle, to no avail, until—

CRASH

The rope finally gave out. The intruder came smashing down onto his desk, directly onto his expensive laptop. They groaned, rolled onto the ground, and began coughing.

The Sunset Health Company was the biggest healthcare provider in the country. Affordable rates along with good service had been perfected over generations. Being seen as a ‘family company’ had made consumers come running. It had also made it a prime target for other businesses to sink their teeth into. They had been seen as big, but weak. Easily manipulated.

Leona blankly stared at the scene in front of him. This wasn’t the first time someone had broken into the main building, but it was the first time someone has had the guts to break into his office. He knew he should run out and call security. Tell them that someone was trying to steal information. Who knew what this person would be capable of. If it got out that information had been stolen it would ruin the company’s reputation.

But a small part of him was curious about this failure of a spy. Someone who has crashed and burned without realizing that they had been caught in the act.

Leona closed the door behind him.

The spy shot up from their spot on the floor. Holding out their USB defensively like some sort of weapon.

They were held in an awkward staring contest. The intruder, stiffly holding on to their weapon of choice, and Leona, hands in pockets, folder still tucked underneath his arm, tiredly blinking back at them.

Leona titled his head. He already knew this burglar was inept, but really? It’s like they were asking to get caught. Were foreign companies really that desperate that they were just sending anyone?

Leona couldn’t make out their face due to the ski mask, but based on the way they practically jumped out of their skin from his small movement he knew that they somehow had managed to become the victim in this crime.

Slowly, Leona adjusted himself, as if he was preparing for an attack. The burglar took a few nervous steps back, eyes darting between the desk, Leona, and the open vent. Were they really calculating if they could make the 10 foot jump?

With an annoyed sigh, Leona spun on his heels, slowly walking out of his office and closing the door behind him.

He could faintly hear the sound of all hell breaking loose. Looks like they attempted the useless endeavor. Leona shuffled down the hallway, counting the seconds until he got to a number high enough.

Even if this “spy” managed to hack his laptop it would be useless. There wasn’t anything on it anyways.

His secretary stilled when he got close, blankly staring at the computer screen in front of them, hands ghosting over the keys.

As nonchalantly as possible Leona leaned on the secretary’s desk, half yawning as he spoke.

“Call security. Someone broke into my office.” The secretary gaped at him.

He walked off, hands behind head while his secretary hesitantly inputted the numbers into the office phone to call security.

Leona wished the best of luck to that failure of a spy. They were going to need it. He felt something akin to pity. He would be surprised if they made it out of the building.

Leona was shocked. When security had hauled ass upstairs and into his office he had expected the intruder to be laying on the floor, accepting their fate, but lo and behold, there was no one there. The only evidence that someone had been there at all was the crack in the ceiling panel.

A quick investigation had shown that nothing had been stolen from his laptop. Based on what Leona had heard after he first left his office, he had no doubt that they didn’t even attempt to steal anything, rather just dead set on getting out.

He had been questioned, gave his statement (while leaving out the part about him purposely waiting a long time to officially report it) and that had been that.

Well, at least he wished that had been the end of it. The longer, more meticulous investigation had unveiled that his secretary was actually a double agent. Secretly taking small bit of information and selling it to a third-party source. Just his luck. They had been quickly disposed of (fired) and were never to be seen again (blacklisted), also maybe doing some time (in jail). Leona didn't bother to keep up with it, he wasn't exactly fond of his former secretary anyways.

But, with his workload he wasn't allowed to be without a one, Falena words, and with a more thorough background check, a gaggle of fresh secretaries were presented to him.

Leona groaned just as the door closed behind the last applicant. Closing his eyes and massaging his temples. This was going nowhere. These applicants were too…uppity. They knew that they were the best and boldly flaunted it. The door opened again and Leona mentally prepared himself for another round of questions and sparkly too good answers from the applicant. The new arrival shuffled over to his desk and wordlessly sat down on the chair in front of it.

Leona raised an eyebrow, lifting his head to get a look at the applicant. No handshake? No introduction. How unprofessional.

Their outfit was similar to what the others wore, formal business wear, their shirt and pants ironed to perfection. Not a single hair out of place. The air of professionalism was immediately booted by their body language. They sat stiff as a board, eyes wildly looking around his office as they fiddled with the briefcase that was flat in their lap.

Leona tilted his head, a grin slowly forming on his face. Leona had worked in this business long enough to be able to recognize who knew what they were doing. While being nervous was quite normal for a job interview of this caliber you had to know how to hide it.

You were the exception it seemed.

He shuffled around the files on his desk until he came across yours.

You were young, around his age. Had graduated top of your class. Worked at a few firms in a secretarial position with a letter of recommendation to boot. Squeaky clean background. Almost too clean. Everything about your file stated that you would be perfect for the job.

But for someone like you, with years of experience, wouldn’t you have been more put together? Eventually, Leona looked up from the file to you, ready to actually start the interview, but your attention was elsewhere.

Your eyes were locked onto the ceiling panel right above his head, tracing the small crack that the “spy” had left. Then, your face twitched, so subtly that he almost didn’t catch it.

Oh?

When you sensed his stare you snapped your head back down, giving him a smile that was too wide.

He could work with this.

Almost as if sensing your mistake you shot up shoving a hand in his face.

“M-My name is—“

“You’re hired.”

“Wh-What?”

Even with your suspicious attitude you were exactly what he needed for this pitiful job.

A/N: I wrote this in the summer of last year, planned on making it longer/a short series but that never came to fruition. However I didn’t want this to wait in my drafts collecting dust so here it is slightly revamped!

wolves are pack animals, loyal, always moving together. you were allies during the spelldrive incident, so perhaps you fit into the requirements.

maybe that’s why he follows you into the lions den that is octavinelle. maybe that’s why he still lends a helping hand even after he sternly advised you not to sign azul’s contract and you did the exact opposite. maybe that’s why he provides you a shelter when you’re thrown out of your home.

or maybe, jack howl’s feelings are a tad stronger than platonic.

but he’ll just explain it as paying you back for everything you’ve done.

yet, every future predicament, every problem you manage to stumble into, he’s right there, a firm hand on your back keeping you upright. while he can be harsh, cold at times (rightfully) scolding you for reckless actions, he still stands besides you, solving the problem as if it were something he strongly believed in (while it couldn’t be farther from the truth).

you’re grateful for his help, he firmly secures himself in your good graces as well as the friend group.

as one of the more…level-headed members of the freshman group, you tend to levitate towards him during tense situations and he’s one of the first people you go to for advice.

( as long as you aren’t crossing any crazy lines ) he doesn’t tell you what to do, rather pushing you towards what you truly want.

so when you confide in him about thinking of confessing to a student he’s only vaguely heard of, he doesn’t let his emotions control him. jack bites his tongue and saying the words that’ll no doubt shove you in the direction towards confessing, he pushes down any feeling of bitterness. doesn’t matter your decision, he’ll stand by your side no matter what.

that’s just the way he is. he’ll play the part of the strong loyal wolf, a protector, a friend, but never something more to you.

and as demeaning as it may be, jack finds himself being alright with that. even when you get together with the nameless student your relationship doesn’t change. in fact, it might be even stronger.

he’s still the first person by your side whenever something goes wrong, still running along with the baffling situations you get yourself in. and while the stinging in his chest never completely fades, it lightens whenever he sees you happy, even if it’s not with him.

of course, when your boyfriend inevitably breaks your heart—as most villains do—jack’s right there. while ace, deuce, and epel might want to tear your ex a new one, already halfway out the door, jack waits for what you want.

if you want revenge, he’ll stand by your side, being a purveyor of justice like everyone jokes he is, or if you want to wallow in your sorrow, he won’t let you get too down, comforting you by getting your mind off the topic at hand.

( albeit in an awkward fashion, a small part of him wishing he was with the group that’s no doubt paying your ex a visit )

no matter what, he’ll remain by your side.

when you eventually heal, your eyes are opened. and when you go to jack again about wanting to confess once more to a student you don’t name, he stills, ears slightly flattening. he gives you a word of advice, but still pushes you onwards, respecting your decision. he chokes on the feelings that are always just on the verge of spilling out.

and when on a cool afternoon you embrace him and confess that, he, yes him jack howl, is who’ve you fallen for he can’t stop the large smile that blooms on his face nor the warm, tingly feeling that spreads in his chest.

your relationship doesn’t change much, he’s still a “ride or die” as you gleefully call him, you still go to him for advice, he still entangles himself in the whirlwind that your life.

but now together. hand in hand.

jack howl is a lot of things, stubborn, loyal, harsh, kind, and with his hand in yours, he’s smitten.