rosesilverangel's blog

You set out searching for a door. A window latch. A hole in the wall. Anything, to escape the thick, muggy air and white glass.

The plants are suspiciously tropical, but potted, hanging, or kept in their nursery beds on freshly tilled soil. Dripping with condensation, wilting, each of them- the black touch of blight on the ends of every leaf.

It could be the darkness seeping through the cracks of fantasy. Or this dreamer could be particularly precise about his reality.

But who would be in a tropical greenhouse...? You'd already found Leona.

You turn down the brick walkway.

There you see him.

Not in fine robes, not in a crown, or couture, or a cowboy hat.

He's not even in his student council uniform. Worn gloves, a dirty apron, sweat beading on his brow.

"Rollo," you blurt out, nearly scaring yourself with your own echo.

Rollo's eyes, wide and tepid, as if he hadn't heard the sound of his name in years, snap up to meet yours.

"Yuu." he says easily, standing and patting his hands off on his apron. The flower he'd been preening- pink and orange, with thick petals and an overpoweringly sweet scent- seems to droop as it loses his attention.

You can sort of relate.

"You're here early," he says, "I thought you'd still be at the school."

So he was expecting you? "Uh... I finished up fast," you play along. "Busy?"

"Never," he smiles so easily. "Shall we?"

He holds out an arm, you take it, and you walk.

"This place is beautiful," you say, "Did you grow it all yourself?"

"Don't flatter me. You did just as much as I. To think, only six months ago, it was an abandoned part of the bell tower. And now..."

You blink. You built this place together? You and him? Him and you?

"So, how were your exams?" he asks, "I'm certain our thorough studying has come into fruition."

"Oh... haha, yeah," you force a smile at that. Exams? Tutoring?

...Where exactly are you, anyway?

"You seem tense," he comments.

"I'm just nervous... about the exams,"

"Don't be," Rollo says it as a command, not an assurance. "You are the most intelligent student at Noble Bell... by far."

"Ah..." Why does that make your face feel hot? It must just be the muggy greenhouse.

Wait- Noble Bell?

Which means you're in Fleur City?

Which means....

You blink. "Yeah... good thing, too, because exams at Night Raven College were brutal,"

Rollo gives you a strange look, studying your face as if trying to understand where that remark came from. You must not talk about NRC much in this dream world of his.

...Honestly, you had been expecting something rather different.

A younger, more hopeful Rollo, sparkles in his eyes at the mention of magic, a little brother not far behind. A world free of suffering, a boy bereft of a traumatic childhood, and an adult who isn't allergic to smiles and resistant to any and all human contact (plus a decent sleep schedule and diet).

This is...

...Well, it's just Rollo.

The soft-spoken, quiet one who only seemed to materialize when he was speaking specifically to you. But Rollo nonetheless.

He gives up on trying to figure out why you had said that, and you keep walking. A door, milky glass like the rest, only with a brass handle where its heart would be, comes at you like a charging bull. Rollo's steps are swift and powerful.

"A shame," he says, "That it closed. It had great potential to reform, but, alas... too stuck in its ways. Magic..."

Closed.

That it closed.

It Closed.

Your eyes widen, and you suppress the urge to gape at Rollo. You have to act natural. Pretend to know what he's talking about.

You only glance at him from the corners of your eyes. "...I suppose so,"

Rollo stops at the door. He smiles at you, all the softness in the world resting in his sharp, French features, and he finds your hand, lacing your fingers with his own.

A gentle squeeze. Almost a reassurance, but for what, you're not sure.

All at once, he's saying:

It's over.

It's begun.

You're safe.

You're mine.

I'm yours.

Forever.

Never again.

We're safe.

The world is our sanctuary.

He pulls you closer to his side, and you follow him through the door, into the open night.

Over Fleur City, millions of fire lotuses burn.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Fellow Honest

You were expecting, what?

A mansion?

A palace?

A private island?

Fellow Honest, lying on a mountain of thaumarks, surrounded by jewels, a feast fit for a king, and at least ten gorgeous models?

It was the sort of thing he talked about whenever someone asked what he dreamed of.

Fellow says, and you remember it quite precisely, "I don't dream about any 'a that touchy-feely stuff. It's me, somewhere hot and sunny, on my own island, surrounded by enormous piles of money..."

And that's all he ever said.

The same dream, every time.

You don't remember how it had come up, the last time- Skully probably started the conversation, scouting for new Halloween ideas (and ever-fascinated with the minds of his roommates... for some reason). You asked Fellow if he ever thought about anything other than money, and he just laughed.

"You're real naive for your age, aren't 'ya?" he had cackled.

You didn't find it funny.

But now you're here.

Not a mansion. Not a castle. Not a private island, or a jumbo jet, or a yacht...

A two-story townhouse, with a back door that doesn't close all the way, a fridge that smells like death, two clogged toilets and an unmade bed.

...This CAN'T be right.

You wander around the kitchen, opening cupboards, looking for the diamond-encrusted silverware and the gold plates.

Nope, plastic. Some glass, a mismatch of dishware that told you whoever lived in this house shopped exclusively in the dumpster outside a dollar store.

The table is jammed into a tight corner, broken leg propped up by the phone book. Remnants of breakfast, bread crusts and Pop-Tart wrappers, are still littered across the surface, even though it's far past dark.

You can't even tell what color the fridge is, there are so many crayon drawings and macaroni self-portraits taped to it.

Grimacing at the state of the kitchen, you take the nearest broom and get to cleaning, wasting precious time in someone's terrible dream of unwashed dishes and cluttered countertops. At least it's a small enough kitchen, and the mess is taken care of by the time the front door opens.

Oh, good, you think, setting the broom aside, Now I can kill whoever's having a dream about a dirty house!

"Sweetheart, I'm home!"

Before you can unleash the fury that had been building from the moment you saw this filthy home, someone's got their arms around you, burying you in a tight hug and spinning you in place.

"Oh, wow, it looks great in here! Did you do this all by yourself? I would've helped if you asked, you know..."

"It's fine," you say, somewhat disoriented from the affectionate greeting.

Fellow tips his hat (clean, nice, and new) at you. "Well, at least let me tip you for your service,"

Your eyes widen when you realize what he means. "THAT'S OKAY!" you blurt out. "R-really, um- let me take your coat!"

Fellow shrugs off his overcoat (just as nice as the hat) with a sigh.

"You and your house rules,"

This is weird. Is this weird? You think, carrying the coat to the closet (you'd snooped in there for clues, earlier). You turn over your shoulder to look at Fellow as he admires the stack of clean dishes drying by the sink. His tail is wagging. Then:

I better not start liking this!

"Shoes, too," you remind him dully, and he playfully rolls his eyes while he returns to the front door to undress himself proper.

"There, now. No mud on the floors,"

"Yes," you say, "And don't roll your eyes at me."

"I apologize,"

"Good,"

"Good!" and then he leans forward, and you find another convenient out.

"How was work?" Assuming that's where he was.

"Boring, awful, the usual," he smiles slyly, "But it puts bread on the table and keeps the kids in school, so I can't complain."

That seems unlikely.

"It's good to have a job," you rattle off the pointless statement if only to keep him from trying to kiss you again.

Fellow snorts. "Sure beats sleeping outside,"

"Or in a mold-infested old dorm!" you blurt out, thinking back on all the repairs you made to Ramshackle to make it livable.

"That, too,"

The lamp flickers, casting a new light on the situation... the house, the kitchen, the hat, the dream.

It isn't glamorous, it isn't a mansion, there are no models or speedboats, and definitely no piles of money, but to a guy who's never had the comfort of this- stability, that is- this is paradise. A warm home, a bed, disposable income to waste on top hats and big coats and macaroni and crayons...

...And you.

A part of his domestic fantasy, as natural as the dishes and the art and the rickety old table. Like you belonged there.

The grandfather clock in the upstairs hall chimes.

Fellow sighs. You drop the defensive stance.

"Well, duty calls," he says, returning to the closet and pulling on his coat. "Gotta pick up that rascal from practice."

He heads to the door, blowing you a kiss on the way out.

You make a half-hearted attempt to catch it.

Damn, you think, retreating to the warm light of the kitchen,

Waking him up is gonna be hard.

Ace didn't waste time. With a shrug and a confident smirk, he grabbed the brooch—it was a violet crystal encased in a metal structure that vaguely resembled twisted roots. "Perfect. He deserves something quite ridiculous, doesn't he?"

After a generous payment, they left the shop without much hurry. As they crossed the town gate, the atmosphere of the village seemed normal…until they spotted the prefect standing near a fountain, talking to a young man with refined features and clothes that didn't look cheap at all.

"Who’s the guy she's laughing so much with?" Jack asked, frowning.

"That's the prince from the Scalding Sands!" Grim grumbled. "I've seen him before! When we were hanging out with Jamil!"

"I thought Kalim was the prince…" Deuce scratched his head.

"What is a guy from RSA doing here?" Epel blinked. "As if the idiots from our own school weren't enough…"

They approached discreetly, but Ace’s goal shifted instantly.

He was no longer interested in Azul. The sight of Minajael—so polished, so perfect, and so inconvenient—was the new target of his disdain. "These playboys…"

"Hey! Prefect!" Ace called out, forcing a radiant smile.

She turned, surprised. "Ace? What are you guys doing here?" She blinked, looking down to see Grim rubbing his head against her leg.

"We were just nearby, taking care of some... business," Jack replied, trying to reprimand Ace with a look, but the redhead was already invading the personal space between them and Minajael.

He stopped next to the prince, giving an exaggerated pat on the RSA boy's shoulder, as if they were old friends. "So, the new guy in town, huh?"

"I’ve been here longer than you," Minajael arched an eyebrow but kept a polite posture, as he was an acquaintance of the prefect. "You must be one of the prefect's classmates..."

As Minajael turned to greet him, Ace slid his hand behind the prince's shoulder, the brooch hidden in his palm, ready to attach it. "Classmates? Is that what they said? How modest, we’re best friends, you know?"

It was a quick, practiced movement, but the moment Ace's fingers touched the fabric of Minajael's coat, the brooch gave a metallic click, the pin piercing them both somehow.

Minajael jumped, and the redhead let out a shout of surprise, his finger hurting, trying to pull the brooch off, but it was magnetically stuck to both of them, pulling them closer together.

"What the—?!" Minajael exclaimed, losing his royal composure as a thick, purplish smoke began to emanate from where the brooch was stuck.

"Ace, you idiot, what did you do?!" Deuce screamed, lunging forward, but the flash of light blinded the group. When their vision returned to normal, they were left speechless.

On the ground, where the elegant RSA prince had been, there was now a small Bengal tiger, the size of a large cat. The animal growled, looking up and then down, its paws patting the stone ground in agitation.

Beside him, however, the animal was… less majestic. A small frog, skinny like a toad and reddish in color. He looked at his own little paws, then opened his mouth to squawk.

The animal jumped clumsily toward the Prefect, who recoiled, almost kicking it in fear if not for Deuce stopping them.

Minajael didn't seem confused by his new form; he looked irritated. He fixed his brownish eyes on the reddish frog, and with a spring, pounced on him. Epel tried to hold him back, almost tripping over his own shoes.

Ace kept jumping away, trying to dodge, and emitting sounds that sounded more like screams than croaks. He jumped clumsily onto his friend's legs, and the prefect yelled, "Get off! Get off!" They swatted him away, throwing him back onto the ground.

"I hope he actually eats that idiot for doing something so dumb!" Grim ran in circles, trying to grab the tiger's tail, but Minajael was too fast, ignoring everyone and focusing solely on hunting the amphibian.

After a few minutes of a humiliating chase, they managed to contain the two. Minajael was huffing, trapped inside a reinforced basket that Epel had grabbed from a nearby stall, while Ace was contained inside a glass jar.

"Now what?" Deuce asked, sweating cold. "If the headmaster finds out about this... I can't get expelled because of this idiot..."

"And again, I have to fix your messes," the prefect said, wiping the sweat from their forehead with an expression of pure frustration and anger directed straight at the glass where the frog was.

"I'm really sorry, it was an emergency," the prefect rubbed their temples, taking a deep breath to avoid picking up one of the trays and burying their friend's face in it.

Azul laughed, observing the brooch. "Don't worry, we're good friends, aren't we? It's only natural for me to lend a hand when you need it."

After returning to normal, Ace swore it was just a toy meant for pranks.

"We just wanted to test the toy! Nobody knew it would go wrong!" He had sputtered.

Azul pretended to believe him. He knew exactly that it wasn't a simple store trinket, but he had no intention of telling the prefect. If he could keep the item and still keep the group in his debt for "solving" the problem, it would be the perfect deal.

"I'm glad it didn't turn into a bigger scandal, it's good that you chose to trust me over Headmaster Crowley,” Azul sighed, closing his hand over the brooch and hiding it in his sleeve. "Imagine the disaster: an expulsion and a diplomatic incident on top of it."

The door to Azul's office closed with a metallic click, echoing through the empty hall of the Mostro Lounge.

The group stared at her apprehensively, Deuce being the first to break the silence with his voice choked by anxiety. "So?"

Grim, who was balanced on Jack's shoulder, was visibly trembling. "Did he ask for a lot? That octopus doesn't do anything for free, you know that! Damn, this is what happens when you trust Ace!"

The prefect stopped walking and sighed. "It's all resolved, I talked to Minajael before he left."

"Thank the Seven," Epel exhaled in relief.

"But what about Azul?" Jack insisted, taking a step forward, his expression serious. "Did he accept the brooch as payment? What did he ask for in exchange for solving this whole mess?"

She shrugged, starting to walk toward the exit of the establishment without giving room for more questions. "Azul has his methods, and I have mine. The matter is closed. I don't want to hear another word about what happened; it will be worse if it reaches Crowley."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Ace tried to protest. "We were just playing around! No need to be like that—"

"We!?" The rest screamed in unison.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Rollo Flamme

"It's not that bad," you told him,

"It's only temporary!" you pleaded,

"It could've been a lot worse!" you groveled.

Rollo only grabs you by the wrist and drags you into his room, locking and barring the door behind him.

"The others hear not a word of this," he says, sitting at his desk and pulling a potionology book from the top shelf.

For hours (and what feels like an eternity), he skims through antidotes and antivenoms, searching every crevice of the yellowed pages for something potent enough to reverse the effects of the potion.

For hours (and what feels like an eternity), you nap.

It's near dark when you wake, and he's in the same place, muttering profanities and flipping through pages.

You would turn over and go back to sleep, but the rhythmic movements of his quill feather scribbling notes on a piece of scrap paper is... strangely hypnotic.

You find yourself crawling out of bed to attack (discreetly, like a true hunter), batting at the feather from under the desk.

"What the- Prefect!" Rollo scolds, moving his paper and quill to the other side of the desktop.

Two seconds later... fwifwifwip.

"Prefect, control yourself!"

He moves again, keeping a wary eye on his quill...

...And then, while his back is turned, you slap his inkwell off the table.

"PREFECT!!!"

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Fellow Honest

[Fellow voice] "Guess we're doing cat ears now".

Like I could not emphasize enough how much it wouldn't matter to him at all. He would see the ears and tail and go, "Huh. Was that there before?" and then have a full couch nap with you curled up in his lap before remembering that you aren't a beastman.

...Guess he forgot?

I mean, you're so much a part of his life now that you may as well be. And Gidel looks up to you like a big sibling, so cat features fit the bill.

Anyway his second comment is that you should commit as much crime as possible before changing back, because then the police would be looking for a beastman and never track you down.

(You politely decline).

And then he uses you to guilt Rollo into buying everyone a fish dinner.

Best part, though? The cuddles.

Obviously.

Tiny cat beastman under one arm, big cat beastman under the other, both you and Gidel using him for his body heat... the combined purring is powerful enough to shake the house.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Skully J. Graves

I don't think Skully could ever dislike anything about you.

It's you we're talking about, after all- whatever you are, were, or will be, he loves, because he loves you.

Cat today? Well, why not!

Every day you get weirder is a blessing to Skully J. Graves.

And cats are an iconic symbol of the Halloween season, don't you know? The perfect combination of spooky, cute, and chilling. An omen of bad luck... which, to him, is good luck!

Cross his path as many times as you'd please, dear omen of death!

You can't kill what's already dead, after all!

Could also imagine him using those scraps of cloth at the ends of his coat to play with you... not that you could ever catch him, he IS a ghost, after all, but it is ever so fun...

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Swing

You know how some people pet dogs/cats by putting their whole fucking hand on the thing's head and pulling it back? Yeah that's Swing.

He does it with Grim too.

Not that he can't be gentle, he just actively chooses not to (ragebaiting is one of his favorite pastimes!)

At least on you (and not poor Grim), the pressure feels nice.

...Kind of like if the relief from a massage hit all at once.

Yeah, these are those good kinds of pets, the kind that make you push your head up and arch your back into each stroke for more.

He's strangely calm for those few hours of quiet petting, as if fascinated by you- testing your reactions to every poke and prod at your new body.

leona kingscholar

He hates it. Get that sappy stuff out of his face. Leona can't help but associate it with those really bad romance movies that try to be sexy. The nickname just never lands right and always comes off as trying too hard... Well, that is until you call him it, of course. He's caught off guard when you say it during your normal banter with him as he tries to pull you back to bed. "Professor will kill me if I miss another lecture, baby." Leona was about to retort but was interrupted by an involuntary shiver. After realizing what you said, he shot you a disgusted look. For a second, you genuinely thought there was a bug on you or something. "Baby?... Gross. Go to your 'important' lecture already." He grumbled, knitting his brows together. Ever the dramatic, he even rolls in bed to face his back toward you. That gave you the ample opportunity to come up behind him and tease, asking if he really didn't like the pet name 'baby' that much. Leona didn't respond, simply pretending to be asleep to ignoring your mockery. "Aww, come on. Won't even look at me, baby?" He puts an end to your fun by grabbing you by the waist and pulling you back to bed with him. A small growl leaves his throat. "You're disgusting. Herbivores these days." The annoyance in his eyes and voice was so beautifully fake that you couldn't help but lean in closer, whispering the word "baby" in his ear again. Leona shivers before clamping a hand over your mouth, a scowl on his face. "Call me that again and I'm biting."

azul ashengrotto

He's not at all used to affection like that. Hearing you call him that name genuinely makes his heart start pounding like crazy and he's left frozen. Azul doesn't move for a good minute or two before dramatically shouting, "BABY!?" He wasn't aware your relationship was at that point. 'Baby', in his mind, is old, married couple level. He tries really hard to play it cool, clearing his throat and slicking back his hair. "How bold of you, dear... Is this a trick? Are you trying to prove something?" He doesn't really believe you have ulterior motives, he just says it to change the topic and get the attention off him. That's an incredibly difficult thing to do though when he's blushing up a storm. There's no use in calling him out on that though since he'll just go full gaslighter mode. "Hm? No, I'm not flustered. Why would I be flustered...b... baby?" When he tries to say it, it's all stuttered and messed up. "If anything, you're the flustered one. Didn't expect me to call out your trickery, hm? I'm not falling for these mind games." The mind games in question being the fact you love your boyfriend btw. He'll get used to it the longer your relationship goes on, of course. However, for the moment, he can't process the fact you like him enough to call him by such an affectionate name without any mockery. It's foreign and embarrassing, because now all he can think of is the two of you growing old together, resting by the shore, and naturally calling each other 'baby'.

jamil viper

He doesn't have a huge reaction, but he does get embarrassed. It probably catches him off-guard, especially if he was doing something else at the moment, such as cooking or hanging up decorations. Jamil hears the word slip from your lips and immediately darts his head toward you, quietly processing the fact that you called him that. A small scoff escapes him as he pulls down his hood to hide the light blush dusting his cheeks. He'll murmur something along the lines of, "Whatever, babe." Then get back to work. But don't let this dismissal lead you to thinking he wasn't affected! If the blush wasn't enough, watch him closely as he finishes up whatever task he's working on, and you'll see a faint hint of a smile on his lips. Even as he continues his vice housewarden and royal retainer duties, he can't get your simple pentane out of his head. He knows it's normal for couples to call each other that. Jamil has heard it many times and always cringed. However, it's different being at the receiving end of such adoration. This rings especially true when the person speaking it is someone he fancies. He won't admit anything if you try to call him out on the reaction, simply stating that the Scarabian heat is getting to him or that he's too close to the stove. But both you and this Viper know the truth. He's totally weak to you calling him 'baby'. The name is quick to become the norm for the relationship. Even if you don't say it often, he took this as a go-ahead to begin calling you 'baby' frequently. It's rarely in front of other people, he hates public affection, but in private it's his go-to. Just imagine him in bed beside you, sleepily murmuring, "How was your day, baby?"

vil schoenheit

Unfazed. He's been called 'baby' and has called other people 'baby' before on set. So when you refer to him as such out-of-the-blue, he simply responds as he normally would. Just as you think all hope of getting a reaction out of him is lost and turn to leave, however, he'll grab you by the chin to guide you back to him. "I like that name on your lips. Baby. Keep calling me that, darling. Wear it out to your heart's contents." Ever the smooth. It's almost frustrating just how smooth he is. He'll seal the deal with a kiss as well, leaving his own purple lipstick stain on your cheek. It doesn't matter if you're in public or not. Who wouldn't want to be marked by the Queen himself anyways? Since he's expressed his liking for the pet name, if you try to refer to him by name in a private setting, he'll be pouty. Sure, if it's maybe once or twice you just refer to him by name, it could be a genuine slip of the mind. But if you continuously do so? He'll pout and do things to draw your attention to him in order to jog your memory. Kissing your neck, running his hands down your sides, sitting way too close... If you still don't get the memo, he'll simply whisper into your ear, "What happened to 'Baby'? Did I do something to have the name revoked?" If you're holding out on him just for the sake of teasing, he'll tease you right back, purposefully refusing you his sweet affection till you return the pet name that was rightfully his. What a drama queen, huh?

idia shroud

Oh crud. He's doomed. No warning? No heads-up text that this was happening? No, "Hey, Idia! Prepare to have your breath taken away and thoughts consumed by one singular word!" Why would you do this to him? His flames immediately burst. If he was typing on his keyboard, he stops. If he was in the middle of a game, he pauses almost instantaneously. He doesn't know how to respond. It takes some super extroverted level of charisma to form a proper response to that. Instead, he's left stuttering and barely able to talk. If he does, it's nothing past incoherent murmurs. If you keep calling him it, he'll actually go into a ball; bringing his legs up to his chest to hide. He's so flustered it hurts. Have you no mercy for an inexperienced, introverted shut-in like him? Truly evil... Once he reaches his tipping point, he'll eventually shout out, "ENOUGH! ENOUGH! GAHH!" His heart can't take it. "Talk about a total surprise attack... Super effective. It's brutal using all these advantages to gain the upper hand like this... truly evil..." Eventually, he'll just want to cuddle and hide his face against you. He never does get used to the name. This happens nearly every time you call him 'baby'. He'll rarely call you 'babe' or 'baby' too outside of a joking context. It just feels too outgoing and charismatic for him. Like he's the protagonist of some corny visual novel... if he were, he'd play your route every time. UGH! He can't believe you've got him thinking stupid thoughts like that. What have you done to him...

malleus draconia

• So, yes, inexperienced kisser for obvious reasons. You'd probably have to take the lead, which he'll let you do, because he just isn't sure what is and isn't acceptable. He'll mirror your actions - if you hold him, he'll hold you back - and before you know it, he's actually learning.

• He was just about getting the hang of it when you two were interrupted by-- "Whoa."

• Riddle's eyes snapped open in an instant, meeting Ace's wide-eyed, jaw-dropped expression. He takes a second too long to actually push you off of him, his face burning as the first year continues to just stand there in shock.

• "Get OUT!" Riddle shrieked, and that seemed to snap Ace out of whatever daze he was in, because he raised his hands in surrender and slowly backed out of the room like he was trying to escape a wild animal.

• "Don't EVER come into my room uninvited! Have you any clue how rude that is?!" - "Dude, I'm sorry!" - "A-and the audacity to just stand there and gawk-- if you tell anyone, Trappola, by the Seven, I won't just be using my Signature Spell to remove the head from your shoulders!"

• Just when you think Ace is finally leaving and Riddle is going to close the door again, the boy just had to get one final quip in. "Didn't know you had it in you."

• Riddle turns impossibly redder at that and marches right back out the door to chase Ace down, and you sit with your head in your hands, knowing you'll have to continue where you left off some other day.

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

• Leona, despite spending most of his days lounging around, is near constantly stressed out and exhausted. Of course, he's got his Dorm to fret over, as well as the Spelldrive team, but most of it comes from being way too in his head and having no-one around to take him out of it.

• This changes in a relationship, and I have no idea what the popular consensus is on Leona as a boyfriend; but I see him as surprisingly clingy.

• Not in public, but I mean that whenever you're around him, he'll pull whatever tricks he has to in order to make you stay. He's a terrible influence on this front because he will encourage you to skip classes and any other responsibilities too.

• Leona is honestly kind of manipulative lmao. If you two are cuddling and you need to leave, his strategies for making you stay vary. Sometimes he'll try to act "cute". I mean talking very softly in your ear, suddenly deciding he wants to lay his head on your chest or in the crook of your neck (and he's just sooo comfortable now, please don't disturb him), big cat-like stretching, intentionally swishing his tail a bit, overall playing it up in the hopes of tempting you into staying for longer. And no, he does not feel any shame about this.

• Other times, he takes a more direct approach. Why would you ever choose to go to your boring-ass classes over making out with your very attractive boyfriend? Do you like history more than having his tongue in your mouth? I didn't think so.

• The problem with doing this in the botanical garden is that it is a very public and easily accessible area. And there are certain people who know they can find Leona there.

• "Leonaaa! C'mon, time to get up, you've got-- Oh."

• Leona turns his head, keeping his arms around your hips, not bothering to move you off of him. He sighed, exasperated. "Leave, Ruggie."

• "Shishishi, no need to get all aggro on me! I'm only here 'cause you're gonna miss another Alchemy class - not like I could've known you were getting busy in here."

• Leona scowled, and to your surprise and slight mortification, he grabbed your face and went right back to kissing you as if there wasn't a live audience stood right there. Thankfully, this seemed to have the desired effect, because the next thing you heard from Ruggie was a loud "ew, man! Fine! No skin off my back!" Followed by him quickly scampering away.

AZUL ASHENGROTTO

• Azul is a lot of fun to distract.

• He doesn't mind having you in the same room as him as he goes through the Mostro Lounge's necessary paperwork for the day, he's good enough at multitasking that he can usually hold a conversation with you while he works. But when it's been a while since he's last looked up at you, maybe you start to feel a little neglected.

• You move your chair closer to his and he goes stiff for a brief second when you rest your head on his shoulder, but relaxes soon after. Just as he starts to write again, you snake your arms around his waist, lips pressing against his neck.

• He goes still again, face burning up as he tries to look like he's casually re-adjusting his glasses. "What are you up to?" You don't miss the way his voice wavers, and he finally meets your eyes, blushing more at the realisation that you've been staring at his face.

• "You're not paying attention to me." Azul gives a shy little laugh at that, turning around in his chair to face you. "Well, I am now."

• You kiss him, and he kisses back, either pulling you closer to hold in his lap or, if you're taller than him, being the one held in yours. Things were just barely getting started when you hear the door creak open and he shoves you away in record time.

• "Oh my," Clearly his save didn't do much though, because Jade can still see the two of you standing there red-faced and dishevelled, and puts the pieces together on his own. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

• "No," Azul claims, fixing his glasses that were hanging lopsided on his face. "What do you want?"

• "Oh no, I'm sure it can wait until you two are done here. Clearly this is more important than customer feedback." - "Jade, just tell me what it is." - "It is not as if Floyd and I were working ourselves to the bone running the Lounge in your absence while you were busy entertaining yourselves in here." - "Jade."

• By the way, yes Jade will tell Floyd about this, and no you both will never escape the teasing.

JAMIL VIPER

• Jamil is often too busy to have as much alone time with you as he would like, and given a lot of his job is dedicated to making sure Kalim doesn't die, he can't really afford any distractions. Though he has absolutely considered leaving the Housewarden to his own devices for a while so that he can sneak off to be with you, the fault would be entirely on him if anything did go wrong, so alas.

• Still, there are moments where he can have his guard down. As long as there's no threat of any potential danger, and his work then more-so becomes making sure the dormitories are clean. He really would much rather be spending his time with you on the occasions you visit the Scarabia dorm though, which is why he doesn't complain when you shove him into a nearby broom closet, close the door behind both of you and start kissing him.

• He knows he can't remain in here with you for long, so he's making the most of the time he does have. Jamil likes to be the one taking the lead, so that's exactly what he does, and no words are exchanged as he passionately steals kiss after kiss from you, with a kind of hunger you've seen on him plenty.

• The problem with getting too lost in the moment, is that neither of you notice the footsteps approaching the broom closet until it's too late and the door opens, revealing none other than Kalim.

• Jamil detaches himself from you, practically hugging the wall behind him to put as much distance between the two of you as possible, as Kalim's expression morphs quickly into one of pure shock-horror.

• "SORRY!" He yells, far too loudly, and Jamil winces at the thought he may have alerted some of the other students. Kalim slams the door again, though you can still hear him behind it. "Sorry! I'm so so sorry!"

• Silence falls then. Jamil sighs, running a hand down his face. Thinking you were alone now, you whisper, "So... You wanna keep going?"

• Before Jamil can answer, there's a knock on the door of the broom closet. "Jamil, can you give me the brush and shovel from in there? You can just slide it under the door if-"

• "Kalim! Go away!"

VIL SCHOENHEIT

• This actually happens quite frequently to the point you don't even question it anymore.

• It doesn't matter how private you two think you're keeping it. You could be in his room, knowing for certain that there's no urgent business or anything that can interrupt you, and you could even be absolutely sure that nobody saw you entering the Pomefiore dormitory and making your way to Vil's quarters.

• Because as you're on his bed, back against the headboard as he straddles you, you have full view of his bedroom window behind him. Usually, you wouldn't be looking anywhere but his gorgeous face; but you can't help it when you notice what look like a pair of eyes standing out amidst the trees and the dark of night.

• Your stomach drops and he seems to notice your gaze has drifted elsewhere. He turns around himself to see it. "What?- Oh, for the love of..." Vil groans, moving off of you and walking over to the window, rapping his knuckles angrily on the glass. The eyes retreat, shooed away like a startled bird, and he pulls the curtains closed, lips still pressed into a thin line when he turns back to see you.

• "Was it Rook again?" You ask, and he sighs deeply, returning to his bed.

• "Of course it was. Who else?"

• "You should really talk to him about doing that." You say, and he kisses you again, effectively silencing you.

• "No more talk of Rook, dear," he murmurs. "I'd much rather focus on you tonight."

IDIA SHROUD

• Idia is not a romantic. He frequently refers to you as "bro," "dude," has called you "oomf" over messages before and one time even called you "chat". Like a streamer. He's definitely the kind of guy to make fun of couples who do overtly romantic things, like pet names or holding hands, and I also have my own thoughts on his sexuality that I'm not gonna fully get into here.

• Basically, I don't think he's a very romantic or touchy person, and he won't be the one to initiate anything with you. He's more reliant on emotional connection rather than physical (and is quite needy on that front).

• That's not to say he's against it if you are the type to initiate make-out sessions with him. Just be aware that he is embarrassingly inexperienced, and nowhere near as adept at just picking it up as you go along as Riddle is.

• The ends of his blue hair flare pink as you kiss him again and again, not minding in the slightest the sloppy way in which he tries to return them. Eventually, Idia will ease into letting you do all the work, figuring that he's better this way, too.

• When he gains the courage to open his eyes, he tries not to snicker at how silly you look with your eyes closed and your face so close to his, and just as he's comparing it to those 0.5x zoom pictures of cats in his head, the door to his room opens and in comes Ortho.

• "Big brother?"

• "MMMH!" Idia shrieks against your lips, scrambling away from you, pulling his bed sheets up to his face as if to shield him. Still, Ortho doesn't appear to react to what he just saw, continuing as normal.

• "Can I go to an arcade with Deuce, Jack and Epel? It's off-campus, but nearby!"

• "Y-y-yeah, yeah, go... ahead..." Idia nodded, wide-eyed, the pink burning at the ends of his hair slowly spreading upwards. Ortho beamed.

• "Thank you!" And with that, he left. To be honest, you thought this went over remarkably well, until you heard a loud squeak come from Idia.

• "Oh nooo..." He whines, flopping down on his back with his hands covering his face. "He s-saw everything! And he's just gonna try to ignore it! Ouuuuh, t-this is gonna be so awkwaaard...! H-he's too young to have been exposed to something like that... I can never face him again...!"

MALLEUS DRACONIA

• Malleus' affection is almost annoyingly proper.

• He does like to touch you, but it often feels more like you're being pet, if that makes sense. He never really initiates anything more intimate on his own, though you've discovered that he likes hugs.

• So, one day you snap and the next time he tries to (almost condescendingly) pat your head, you grab him and pull him in for a kiss. He makes an adorably startled noise, but then you can feel him chuckling a bit as he wraps his arms around you, kissing you back.

• You pull back and he smiles at you, tilting his head. "You're bold," he purred. "For a human to yank me around like that..."

• "Shut up," you mutter, meeting his lips with your own again. He hums, and the moment is blissful, but it doesn't last.

• "Lord Malleus! Ah, there you are! Lilia has been looking for--" Malleus turns his head, and you look over his shoulder at the disturbance. "E-EH?!"

• "...Sebek," Malleus didn't let go of you as he spoke. "Could you leave us? Let Lilia know I'm... occupied."

• "Y-yes... o-of course," Sebek nodded his head, bewildered and red-faced as he glanced between you and his Lord, still in each other's arms. "I-I'll do that right away!"

• And then he runs off, stumbling a bit on his way. Malleus watches him leave for a moment, then lets out a single soft, amused laugh. "My, he seemed startled. I wonder why. Is it really so shocking to see me with you?"

• "...I think he just wasn't expecting to interrupt us. He's probably mortified."

• "I'm just saying, we don't know if--" "We do know. Megalodons are extinct. They literally cannot survive in the oceans today," he stares you down, hands clasped together in prayer as you can see him desperately trying to keep his cool. "We would know if they still lived."

• "But how could we know, if the ocean still isn't fully explored?" You insisted, watching his eye twitch as you tried to suppress a smile. "Maybe it's just really deep down."

• "That's not possible. The water pressure only allows for microscopic beings to live at that depth, something as big as a megalodon couldn't--"

• "What if they evolved?"

• "Evolved? Faster than they could die out? How long do you think evolution takes?" His pitch raises at the end of his sentence, and you hum, rolling over onto your back to stare at the ceiling from the couch you laid on.

• "Can't viruses evolve in, like, 10 years?"

• "Viruses! Not sharks!"

• "But we don't know that for sure--" "YES WE DO!"

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

• Leona finds watching you ragebait others endlessly entertaining. He'll even join in. You once pretended not to know the difference between concealer and foundation while speaking to Vil, and Leona played along, also acting confused by his fellow Housewarden's increasingly frustrated explanations.

• However, Leona himself is deceptively easy to ragebait as well. He can't take what he dishes out. He'll try to act like it isn't getting to him, but it really, really is.

• What gets to him the most are thinly-veiled insults to his pride, and lose-lose style questions. Stuff like "what would you do if you were athletic?" and "would you rather have never met me or cheat on me right now?" really piss him off, but again, he'll attempt to act unbothered.

• "Leona," you shake him a bit, and he grunts, thankfully not asleep yet as he opens one eye and tilts his head back to look at you. "If I had an identical twin, would you be attracted to them?"

• He stares at you for a long moment before rolling back over. "Good night."

• "Leona." You shake him again, harder when he doesn't respond. "Leona. I'm gonna yank on your tail if you don't answer me."

• "Try it," he growls, and you just grin.

• "Answer me. If I had an identical twin, would-"

• "No." He finally says, and he doesn't get the silence he hoped for.

• "So you don't think I'm pretty?" "Seven..." "You think I'm ugly?" "Go to sleep."

AZUL ASHENGROTTO

• Another hypocrite who thinks it's funny to help you ragebait others, but is very prone to it himself.

• He's especially susceptible to teasing. Azul is quite easily flustered, and as funny as it is to watch him get mad, it's adorable to see how embarrassed he gets when you get all touchy with him out of nowhere, point out how good he looks in a certain outfit, or call him some ridiculous pet name in front of Jade and Floyd. That specific time earned you the silent treatment.

• On the subject of Jade and Floyd, they'd adore you if you were to join in on their occasional team-ups to tease Azul.

• "Zu-zu, can you get me a glass of water?" You ask, watching as Azul's face burns pink and Jade and Floyd both turn to look at him with smiles on their faces.

• "Well? Don't keep them waiting."

• "Right, don't you wanna be a good boyfriend, Zu-zu?"

• After giving Floyd a pointed glare for repeating that nickname, he sighs and stands from his chair. "...Yes, of course." Walking all the way over to the kitchen, pouring a glass of water and bringing it to you, Azul is still clearly a bit flushed by the time he places it on the table in front of you. "Here you are, then."

• You smile with all the glee of a mastermind whose plan just came to fruition as you respond with, "Good boy."

• His face lights up in about 50 shades of red as the twins snicker behind him. "Wooow, they've got you trained real well, huh?"

• "It appears so. Can you make him do any other tricks?"

• "Shut up!"

JAMIL VIPER

• You'd think he'd be better at dealing with ragebait given his experience with Kalim, who has seemingly done nothing but infuriate him every day of his life. But given Jamil's interactions with Azul, I do think he's still affected by ragebait, he just won't actually lose his cool over it most of the time.

• You learn pretty quickly not to get in the way of his work. It pisses him off in a very not-fun way. You once hovered about him as he tried to cook in the kitchen and he was the most irate you'd ever seen him for the rest of the day.

• The most actual fun you can have with him is mutual banter. That way, neither of you get seriously angry at the other. As well as the occasional including him in your antics.

• "How are things going over there?" You ask, eyes glued to your phone as you lounge around on the couch, Jamil busy mopping the floors. He turns his head in your direction and narrows his eyes.

• "You planning on actually helping me?"

• "Not my dorm," you shrug noncommittally. "Not my problem." He rolls his eyes.

• "Yeah, it's not your dorm, which is why I can kick you out if you don't make yourself useful."

• "You're saying just having me here as motivation isn't enough for you? What if I said I'll give you a kiss when you finish?"

• "Creative. What if I said you'll get a foot up the ass if you keep being dead weight?"

• "Hmmm," you lay your head back on the armrest, looking straight up. "I think I'd be more motivated if you promised a reward. Like if you said you'd wear a dress for me if I help out."

• You get hit in the face with a cloth then and break into laughter. "Freak," he scoffs, but as you lift up the cloth, you see a twinge of an amused smile on his face. "Now, seriously. Get up and work."

VIL SCHOENHEIT

• Vil enjoys flirty banter. He'll joke around with you and is fine with light-hearted teasing, as long as it's all kept private. At most, he'll sigh and shake his head at any dirty jokes you make, but that's about it.

• It's an entirely different story when you try to outright ragebait him. I'm sorry to say, but Vil stands on business and is genuinely quite intimidating when he wants to be. If you pull something that he does not like, he makes it very clear that you are never to do anything like that ever again.

• Most of what would provoke that reaction is just trying to embarrass or annoy him in public, however. I see him as loosening up a lot when it's just you two, and there's a lot more he's willing to tolerate when there's no-one else around to witness it. He actually humours you a surprising amount.

• "Would you still love me if I was a worm?" You ask suddenly, and he sighs, cupping your face to tilt it back towards him as he starts to apply blush to your cheekbone.

• "No, dear." He responds, and you fake offense, dropping your mouth open before he promptly closes your jaw again.

• "You wouldn't love me?"

• "Would you love me if I was a worm?"

• "Of course." You say, with an indignant tone as if it's the most obvious answer in the world. He turns your head to the side to apply blush to your other cheek.

• "Well then, why didn't you just find a worm to be your boyfriend instead?"

• "It wouldn't just be a random worm. It'd be me. Like, you'd know it's me."

• He smiles a bit. "Take it as a compliment. Maybe I just like you so much as you are, that I wouldn't be able to stand it if you changed."

• "'Maybe'? Maybe you like me as I am?"

• "Ah-ah, no more talking. I'm applying lipgloss now."

IDIA SHROUD

• Also a ragebaiter. Not only would he ragebait you right back, but he's yet another one on this list who would be quite entertained watching you torment somebody else.

• If there's one thing he doesn't play about though, it's animanga and gaming opinions. Although his reactions are hilarious, I wouldn't recommend actually pissing him off this way because he gets unreasonably mad over it for a very long time. It is that serious to him and it's just not worth dealing with the fallout.

• He definitely trolls random people in online games over voice chat, it's a bonding activity between you two. But once again, he's throwing rocks from glass houses.

• "What is that," you can hear the mocking grin in Idia's voice as his avatar approaches your base. "What is that?"

• "It's my Minecraft house," you say, placing the last bit of dirt down at the entrance. It was a humble little dirt shack, but you made do with what supplies you had. "Do you like it?"

• "Why are you building like we're in poverty? You have diamond armour, you can't be a total noob at this," his high-pitched giggle echoes through your headphones and you wait for him to get closer, which he finally does, opening the oak door to take a look inside. "This is just so sad--"

• He steps on the pressure plate, something beneath the ground sizzles, and the entire structure goes BOOM.

• It does a little damage to you as well, but you survive. Idia was not so lucky. Your screen lags a bit and you realise you probably got a little too eager with the amount of TNT you'd hidden underground, as you can hear him yelling over the call but can barely make out any sentences due to the sudden lag.

• "WHY WOULD--" "--I HAD--" "--YOU'RE A--" You cackle loudly over the small parts of Idia's angry rant you can actually hear, and despite knowing you're going to have to deal with his revenge later (and what revenge it will be - he's very petty and far better at the game than you), you decide this has been worth it.

MALLEUS DRACONIA

• A strange case.

• I don't think he's necessarily immune to being ragebaited - reference back to the Halloween event where he wanted to kill three children - but I do think he's weirdly impervious to it when it comes from you.

• Malleus has three possible reactions to you being a nuisance to him. One; he takes it as banter and will play your game, matching your energy. This includes if you play any kind of prank on him, he may play one back on you just because he thinks that's what the "game" is supposed to be. Prank wars are very possible with him, just know you'll lose.

• Two; he finds your boldness cute and isn't affected by your attempt to make him angry at all. It's a little condescending, which I think is a habit Malleus is unfortunately prone to, but this often ends with him chuckling, patting your head and making some kind of comment about how you're the only human who would dare say anything like this to him.

• Three; he just doesn't get it at all. He doesn't understand what you're saying, why you want to make him mad or doesn't get the joke. This is the worst one because it makes you feel bad.

• There is one specific thing you can do though.

• "Gargoyle!" You shout, pointing excitedly at a statue nearby much like a child. Malleus turns his head and leans over, trying to get a look for himself.

• It does not have a water spout. That is not a gargoyle.

Well, you don’t know what was going on behind closed doors so you can’t be the one at blame. But that’s why you were so oblivious to everything. From how passive aggressive they’ve been for the last few days and how avoidant they became over the topic of dating. 

As much as you’d like to say it’s an exaggeration of some sort for dramatic effect, it really isn’t.

Somehow you don’t notice how much they try to get closer to you— physically or mentally. You also don’t notice how fast they respond to your every beck and call. You slowly start noticing because it feels off. Something just didn’t feel right.

But, on the bright side, you really did like him… in a way at least. 

He was nice, attractive and financially well-off. He practically ticked all of your boxes.

The realisation hadn’t hit you on the fact that maybe you admired him a little bit more than just friends. You hadn’t noticed how you started staring at him for longer than usual, thinking about him more and then the thought clicked in your mind that maybe you started to like him.

It’s safe to say they did not like him. To them, he was nothing but an obstacle— a hindrance— but you thought he was everything. They saw the way your pupils dilate when he walks into the room. They notice how you get quiet and just watch him in awe for a solid second before snapping back to reality.

So they knew. They knew before the first time you mentioned this crush, which was at lunch when you were eating with the other first years.

There were hustles and bustles of people shifting around the cafeteria, people going over to sit down or throw away their trash. It was as lively as usual so you thought it would be a good time. 

Key word: thought.

“Y’know, I think Atlas is pretty cute,” you suddenly mention.

They all go quiet, multiple pairs of skeptical gazes on you. Their moods almost seem to deflate right in front of you, if you were to actually notice it.

“What? I’m serious,” you emphasise. “He’s totally cute,”

“Atlas? What? Like the guy from Octavinelle?” Deuce clarifies, raising a brow, green eyes darting to you in confusion.

He knows he’s dumb and he sometimes can’t tell if you’re joking but he can’t be this dumb, right?

Oh, how he wishes you were joking. 

“Yeah, and I was thinking if you guys could help me,” you add on, biting your lip as you fiddled with your food.

If you were able to read minds, you would know how much they are fighting to say ‘fuck no’ straight to your face.

“How?” Jack asked, ears perking up.

“I don’t know. Maybe you guys could talk to him, invite him to the table or whatnot and maybe I can get to know him better,” you respond, crossing your arms on the wooden table.

“Wouldn’t that be a little awkward?” Ace mentions, as if he even cares that much. 

“Not if you don’t make it awkward,” you reply with a little too much sass than you intended originally. “And I think it’ll be beneficial to start joining the dating game since we’re all technically adults.”

“Sure, I guess,” Epel murmurs.

“I think that sounds amazing [name]!” Ortho’s the only one who seems excited by your announcement. And he’s also the only one that’s willing to stay with you for longer than 5 minutes.

You were on the grassy field with him, disappointedly eating your apple with such roughness that your teeth threatened to fall off. The frustration had started to colonise your mind. You didn’t know everything would just go so horribly so quickly, and furthermore, you didn’t even know why.

They avoided you as if you were the plague, like a disease that nobody wanted to touch. But you’re not. If you were, you would know and at least understand but you’re not.

Venting to Ortho helped a lot with the pain. He was so sweet and caring. Maybe because he can’t necessarily experience jealousy.

“I-I just don’t know; it’s like I did something that upset everyone,” you say, sighing to yourself as you picked at the core of the apple. “Why do men have to be so confusing? It’s like everyday there’s something new and I don’t know what’s going on— I never do.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll come around soon!” He’s so cheerful when he says it that it makes you pause.

…Does he know? He sounds sure. Too sure.

“What do you mean by that?” you tilt your head and give him a perplexed expression, almost accusing him of something.

He panics. 

“Uh, I meant— they’re going to get out of this phase! Yeah! That’s what I meant!” His tone is shaky and you can see the fear rushing through his robotic wires. He floats backwards and says, “I’ll get going now! I think Idia is calling me!”

His robotic frame gets smaller the more he walks away before ultimately disappearing from your line of vision.

You sit uncomfortably on the grass, feeling the sharp prickles of the blades stab at your thigh. Well, that wasn’t weird at all…

—

The next day feels the same. No one stops for you. No one speaks to you.

At lunch, you end up eating alone. The room isn’t quiet but it feels like it is, save for the hushed murmurs and the occasional glance your way. You pretend not to notice, like it isn’t making you go crazy.

At this point, everyone knows that something is up, whether it’s from just observing you or from gossip that’s spread like wildfire.

You’re not even sure who the leak is and why they could possibly want to out you like this, but somehow, a huge chunk of the student body knows about your silly little crush. So it didn’t take long for your actual crush to know.

It makes you uneasy. However, no one’s mentioned it directly to your face… not until you receive a message.

It’s the housewarden of Savanaclaw that decides to dip himself into the waters to test it. 

[Leona]: so, how’s it going with that guy? [You]: It’s been going fine. I really do think it might work out. [Leona]: …do you? [You]: Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I? [Leona]: Hm. [You]: What’s that supposed to mean? [Leona]: Nothing. Just doesn’t sound very convincing. [You]: And you’d know? [Leona]: I’ve heard people in arranged marriages sound more convincing than you. You should learn from them. [You]: I didn’t ask for your opinion. [Leona]: didn’t say you did, but you’re still trying to prove it to me anyway. That one sends you over the edge. [You]: I know what I feel. And what I feel is love. [Leona]: …sure, keep telling yourself that, herbivore.

The attitude was so palpable, even through the damn screen you felt it. You don’t know what’s gotten with everyone but you don’t like it. From the way they start to divert their gazes to being seemingly more impatient.

When you used to ask Ace to hang out, he’d always be there for you but all of a sudden he’s always busy, despite not caring for academics. It’s the same with almost everyone from the first years, second years and even the third years.

Even Kalim, the epitome of sunshine, seems a bit destroyed. The ones you thought would’ve at least been there like Lilia, Trey and Malleus were all gone. Actually, some still didn’t mind spending time with you, but it was awkward— tenser than the usual, effortless conversations that used to flow naturally.

Then, you come across Atlas in the hallways and he stops you.

“[Name], I heard…” he trails. “And I was just thinking that maybe we can have a date on the weekends?”

The request blows your mind. What do you even say to that? Do you kneel and beg for marriage? Or do you just stand there?

Nonetheless, you keep your composure and act like this isn’t totally life changing. “Yes, absolutely, just text me the place and time.” You smile politely.

“I need your phone number then,” he pulls out his phone and you two exchange numbers swiftly to prevent blocking the hallway for too long. 

You try not to break out in happy tears as you hug your device to your chest, because you feel that maybe there is some ounce of hope for you in the future of your love life.

—

Taking a sharp inhale, your knuckle taps on Vil’s door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Then, with a soft click opens the door, you see him in all his glory.

“Vil, can you please help me pick a dress for my date?” you interlock your hands together to beg, puppy eyes gracing your face.

He’s reluctant, but he says yes anyway since he can’t reject you. 

The process was strenuous. It was no, after no, after no, after no. Almost every dress felt like it wasn’t approved by both parties.

You came out with what felt like the millionth dress, which was for some reason, latex. It was tight but hugged your curves enough to flaunt it. Regardless of the fact that Atlas might like it, you definitely didn’t— it just way too tight and felt suffocating.

“What about this one?” You look at yourself in the mirror.

“That’s… no,” he replies, trying to cover the blush on his face. He gets closer to you, adjusting the hem and neckline, fingers lightly hovering over your skin.

Then you tried a few more on and found the perfect one. It was comfortable enough for long wear and proper enough.

“I think this is the best option,” you say.

“Probably, do you want me to do your make up as well?” he offers, opening his make up bag full of expensive brands that would normally cost you an arm & leg. For him, it’s probably just pocket change though.

You were all dolled up— wearing the dress you’ve spent a boatload of money on and the makeup that was applied using Vil’s expertise and expensive tools. 

There’s a deep, gnawing pit in the blonde boy’s stomach as he tries his best to not crash out. He knows the feeling of jealousy but this was something different. Envy? Anger? 

He clenches his jaw while the blank expression in his optics blur. His mind trails into dreamland where you’re not skipping off happily into another man’s arms, but into his. He’s the one that hugs you and touches you and kisses you, not some loser from Octavinelle.

But it’s not. He wakes up to the same reality he dreads everyday where you’re not his.

—

The date goes smoothly, with you finally having your first kiss with him and learning more about each other. Apparently, he enjoys practically everything you do— a match made in heaven. He watches the same shows, listens to the same music, and has the same taste in food.

Leaves crunch under your heels, skies dark, humming to yourself in satisfactory success, you accidentally trip over a sleeping body, leading you to fall forward and land on top of the perpetrator.

“I-I’m so sorry!” You were quick to get up, hardly noticing who you’ve bumped into.

“What the— don’t worry about it herbivore,” he changes his tone as soon as he realises who you were. 

“Leona?” You look at him. 

“Herbivore?” there’s a smirk on his face. “How was your date with that… guy?”

He cringes. 

“It went great and I think it might actually be… official?” you answer, a twinge of excitement intertwined.

The rolls of his eyes don't go unmissed. “Are you really sure this is what you want, herbivore?” Leona asks, unconvinced. 

“Yes!”

He grumbles. 

“Leona! I— are you jealous?” You snort, the word comes out acidic but unavoidable.

He grunts. “So what if I am?” he spits back, voice a little harsher than before.

This makes you tilt your head. Fuck. That’s when everything clicked for you. You’re so stupid.

“Leona, I-I’m sorry…” you step back. 

“Huh, you’re starting to get it now,” he clicks his tongue, watching as the realization seeps into your pores.

“B-but why?” You query.

“You can figure that out,” he leaves the room, allowing you to sit in your own thoughts.

It takes your slow brain a while to comprehend everything.

That’s when you decided to confront each dorm. Even though you technically don’t know who’s at fault. But logically, it’s not fair if they’re so upset by something like this. They don’t have to be your everything.

First was Heartslabyul, where Ace & Deuce usually were at this ime. 

hour but it was Riddle who opened the door for you. You hate the disappointed look in his eyes but you’ve gotta stand your ground too.

“Riddle, can we talk?” you plead.

He stares you up and down, his soft features beaming under the light. It makes you realise how gorgeous he actually was. But you snap out of it. 

It’s not the time.

“Sure, come in,” he answers, opening the door wider for you.

You let yourself in, spotting Ace & Deuce playing poker together, Cater scrolling on magicam, and Trey baking something of some sorts— the wafts of baked goods coming in soft waves. 

Turning around, you grab Riddle’s hand and squeeze it tightly. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

His ears perk up. “For?”

“Y’knoww…” you bite your lip. “Forr dating Atlas since I know you don’t approve of him.”

That’s the moment before everything goes south. The conversation started to falter when more parties started to get involved. 

“If you were really sorry, you wouldn’t have gone on a date with him!” Ace debates.

“But I didn’t know and it’s my life, I deserve to live it how I want,” you argue. 

“Yes but you’re our friend, [name].” He says. “I-I don’t want to lose you,”

“Ace, I’m not dying! I’m just going on a few dates with this guy and—” you start raising your voice higher in hopes that he’s going to understand.

He cuts you off. “But you’ve been ditching us so much lately,”

“Because you’re avoiding me?” you question.

“We have not. We try to talk to you but you’re stuck thinking about him in your own thoughts,” Deuce adds.

You dislike how they’re pinning the blame on you despite the fact that they’ve been doing exactly what they accuse you of doing. The hypocrisy makes you reel. 

“I know you’re jealous but seriously, I want to live my own life outside of you guys… I’m sorry,” you shake your head in disbelief. 

“Ace, that’s enough,” Trey scolds. 

“Aww, it was just getting good!” Cater whines, finally looking up from the screen. 

“Cater,” Riddle calls him out, causing him to immediately shut up. 

“I-I just came here to tell you guys that I’m thinking about making it official with him and—” you explain, only to be cut off by an annoyed Ace.

“There you go again!” his brows furrow, jaw tightening. He soon storms off and slams the door behind him, sending all the furniture shaking. “It’s like you don’t even listen!” his yells can still be heard.

“You guys can’t be this jealous,” you shake your head, plopping down onto the cushions of the couch. 

“[Name], I really do think you should reconsider,” Riddle’s voice is stern when he talks.

“Hey, it’s her life,” Trey supports you.

They all look at him in betrayal. They swore he was not on your side. 

“Thank you!” You say, gratefulness eminent in your words.

“But I really do think you should rethink this,” Trey opposes his previous statement. “There’s better out there,”

His tone is warm, loving even. He truly does care about you and doesn’t want to just let you make choices that you’ll regret.  

“Yeah, I can’t imagine you betraying me for someone else,” Cater hugs you, the heat of proximity radiating from his body onto yours.

Maybe they’re right. It might not be the best time to start dating and the pool is vast. There’s so much more to life than this and if dating this guy means sacrificing your entire friends list, maybe it’s not worth it.

You’re conflicted.

The walk to Savanaclaw was stressful. Mind racing like formula cars in the last lap, switching between your relationship or your friends. This only leads your trepidation to increase. Adrenaline rushed through your veins as there’s no telling what the future may hold.

“Hey [name]! How’s your relationship going?” The hyena boy’s voice is cheery as he greets you. “Are ya’ here to see Jack?”

“No, I, kinda?” you stutter, not able to make coherent sentences. “Listen, I’m just asking for some input before my relationship with you-know-who escalates.”

Your approach is different.

“My input?” disbelief washes over his face.

“Yeah,” you confirm.

He thinks with a hand on his chin as if he’s in a cartoon. “I don’t really think you should date at all y’know. Maybe you should wait until like graduation or something.” His hands go outwards into a shrug. “But it’s all up to you! After all, it’s not just my business. Hope this guy’s really worth the time though,”

He flees the scene, light footsteps as he disappears into the dark.

The last part of his speech lingers in the back of your mind. Nonetheless, meeting Ruggie was so much more refreshing than you thought. It was nice to meet someone who had a more positive outlook on life despite totally rejecting your relationship in its entirety.

Jack’s eyes dart from you onto the ground. He pretends as if he doesn’t see you, only worsening the growing guilt inside you. 

“Jack, it’s been a while,” you start the conversation. “How are you?”

He breathes. “Good, what do you need?”

The shift in his words are a tell-tale sign. The ‘good’ seems forced, as if it’s far from what he’s showing.

“I just wanted to ask you if you approve of my relationship with Atlas, since not many of you do apparently…” explained by you.

He puts down the book he was reading, or at least looking at. “I think it’s fine,” 

“What?”

“Yeah but I don’t know what he’s like so I can’t tell you if I approve or not,” he pauses. “But if he does anything, please tell me,”

It makes your heart melt. 

“Thanks Jack

It’s like they all have the same script (like that stupid AI study tool ads by college students). You would’ve spoken to Leona, but he was nowhere to be seen so you just decided to leave it and continue onto the next dorm.

He would’ve said something like: “do whatever you want, but don’t come crying if something goes wrong,” and you don’t really feel like dealing with the guilt trip.

Octavinelle, alone, was one of the worst experiences mainly because of Floyd.

He’d been so obviously rampaging everywhere and anywhere, seeing you only made it worse. At this point, the 

“Ehh Shrimpy, what’re you doing here?” he moans with an absolute look of despair. “Don’t you have a date to get to?”

“Not anymore, but I do want to ask you about it,” you answer calmly, hoping it’ll be reflected onto him or something. 

“Yer’ literally ditching us for lower class octavinelle guy, he’s ooo boooorringg like there’s better in this dorm ya’ know?” he holds his neck with that terrifying glare that drills holes into you.

You opened your mouth to speak.

Then, Azul appears with Jade from the dark. “Hmm… what is this about?” he is beaming, hands behind his back like he’s some sort of master from a martial arts movie.

“I was just gonna ask your guys’ opinion on Atlas… before I date him officially or something,” you mumble. 

That seems to be enough to calm Floyd down. 

“Well, why didn’t ya’ say so Shrimpy?!” he cheers, going over to give you a tight squeeze… that knocks all the oxygen out of your lungs.

Luckily, it’s only brief so you’re dropped very soon, left to choke on air. 

“That’s good to hear,” the corner of Jade’s lips tug. “I do hope he’s suitable for you if you do choose him.”

“Yes, but I don’t think that’s happening if a majority of everyone disagrees,” you state.

The blue-haired boy fights back the smirk. “Very well, then I don’t think you need our input.”

“Well, I might need more than just a simple yes or no,” you add.

Jade and Azul exchanged a brief glance, but it’s Floyd who speaks first.

“I just don’t wanna share you, Shrimpy~” Floyd reasons, hands wrapped around your waist to give you a back hug and his head resting atop yours.

You facepalm, sighing. “That can’t be your reason, Floyd.”

“Well it is,” he giggles, nuzzling his nose into your neck.

“If this individual brings you benefits then I see no issue,” Azul claims. “But I do wonder what he has that makes him so special.”

You sigh for the umpteenth time. “He’s nice, shares the same interests with me and pretty well-off so…”

“How interesting, I didn’t know that was your type but I do hope he is worthy of your attention,” Jade forces a grin.

“But he’s soo boring. Just dump him,” Floyd groans, feeling a bit upset that his twin and boss aren’t convincing you to ditch him.

“Well, thanks guys, I’ll get going now…” you pry off the eel’s arms and dash out the door.

They stared as you ran off, murmuring amongst themselves that you have no idea if you want to hear or not.

Now you’re off to Scarabia. The first thing you saw as soon as you stepped past the threshold was Jamil cooking in the kitchen, seemingly pretty occupied by something.

“Jamil?” you peep past the wall.

He turns his head. “[Name]...”

“May I come in?” you ask.

“Yeah, but Kalim’s been pretty upset recently so I’m not sure if he can—” he starts talking again, only for you to interrupt.

“That’s exactly why I’m here. I don’t think everyone exactly agrees with me and I just wanted to know what everyone thought about it.” You answer.

“Do you even know him that well? How do you know he’s not lying?” Jamil asks, expertly cutting the vegetables on the board. “Why are you even asking me this?”

The question comes out passive-aggressive. You don’t know if he actually meant it that way or what but frankly, you feel offended that he would ask such a thing.

“Jamil, I hold you very dear to me and I can’t just let something like this get between us,” you get closer to him.

He takes a deep breath. “It’s none of my business and it’s your life,”

You hate how he avoids your gaze— how he refuses to just spare you a glance. So, out of pure frustration and anger, you grab his wrists and force him to look you in your eyes. 

“Jamil, you’re precious to me. What don’t you understand about it? I love you,”

His heart thumps louder. “Of course I’m upset.” He finally admits. “I don’t like seeing you with him. 

Well, that’s out of the way. That’s 12 votes against you and Atlas. Only 9 more to go! At this point you probably should’ve given up on hoping for at least 1 person to agree with you. Not just saying that it’s your life, but also on the whole relationship itself.

You offered Jamil to deliver Kalim’s food since it seemed appropriate at the time and you owed the vice-housewarden some grace.

Kalim’s defeated. Stumped. Dejected. 

There’s barely enough words to describe how he barely has enough energy to move and his eyes are blood-shot red. 

“Why are you ditching us for him? I miss you a lot, [name].” Kalim says in between his sobs and sniffles.

“We can still hang out,” you say empathetically. “Hey, I’ll stop talking to him if it bothers you so much,”

“Really? I-I thought it was gonna be okay but I don’t like you with him,” you can hear the pain in his throat as he spoke.

“Very well then,” was the last thing you said before departing to Pomefiore.

Rook hid in the trees, waiting for you, knowing that you were coming. He immediately jumped out from seemingly nowhere and greeted you, making you jump. 

“Bonjour trickster! What brings you here today?” The blonde asks. 

“GAH— ROOK! You can’t just come outta nowhere and scare me like that!” You scold him, pinching your nose bridge in disappointment. “But, I was here to ask if you would support me dating Atlas?”

“Absolutely! Love is a magnificent force… yet I do wonder, does he truly see your beauty in all its glory?” He twists the sentence to bring your hopes up to break it all down in an instant.

“He does, thank you very much,” you say sarcastically. 

“Will you be staying here for long? I do not mind sharing a bed with you!” He excitedly says.

“No, I’m sorry but I’m only here to check up on everyone,” you respond, before saying your goodbyes and rushing to Epel’s room.

There’s a soft whisper of “to think someone stands in where I wish to be…” from him as soon as you’re out of earshot.

Epel’s probably one of the more furious ones— you can see it in his soft features but he tries his best not to.

“So… what do you think?” you ask. 

“You could do way better than him y’know,” Epel says. “He’s not the only one that can make ya’ happy,”

“I know, I know.” You repeat. “Do you know where Vil is… since I need to talk to him about this as well,”

“He’s out doing some shoot,” Epel replies, short and firm. 

“Oh…” you blink. “Alright, I’ll get going then.”

Idia’s the one you’re most neutral about. He’s frightened and annoyed all in one emotion. He’s made peace with the fact that you’re not his to claim but annoyed with you for not noticing… or for him not trying.

He opens the door only by a bit— enough to see tiny parts of you and for the sound to come through. 

“[N-name], what are you here for?” He speaks in a terrified tone.

“Idia, can we talk?” Your voice comes from the other side.

He swore the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and his blue hair flared dramatically.

“A-about what?” His sentences are executed in short stutters.

“Let me in then I’ll tell you,” something in your tone is sharp and condescending that scares Idia even more, but it works…

He opens the door wider with reluctance. 

“W-what do you want to talk about?” He asks, retreating back to his gaming chair, watching you carefully.

“I wanted to talk about my relationship with Atlas,” you explain yourself.

“Oh, right. Your boyfriend. Good for you,” he mutters.

“Not yet my boyfriend,” you correct him.

“Cool,” he replies, only building the awkwardness more.

“Do you approve? Cus it seems to me like you don’t,” you state.

He feels the pressure you’re exerting onto him. “Uh— I mean… it’s not like I care about who you hang out with or—”

Your patience wears thin. “Cut the crap Idia. Just tell me if you’re upset or not,” 

“Y-yeah, I am… I guess,” his words are soft and almost missed but you heard it.

With every dorm, it felt like your whole world shattered and collapsed onto you. So far, only Rook seemed to be the only one that might’ve accepted it, while the rest were more… in disbelief.

Lastly, Diasomnia seemed to be the most daunting one to overcome. Despite your fear of Malleus being relatively low, you’re kinda risking Atlas’s life. 

Jealousy does not suit them, but there’s still a nagging question in your mind that wonders if they’re actually looking out for you or trying to keep you for themselves.

The first one you spotted was Sebek, training casually in the yard, sweating buckets as he continuously struck the mannequin with his sword. 

“Hey,” you walked from behind, startling him.

“HUMAN!” He jumps back, spinning on his heel and ready to attack, but he’s quick to halt as soon as he notices it’s you. “WHAT DO YOU NEED, HUMAN?”

“You can stop screaming Sebek,” you glare at him with uninterested eyes. “Anyways, I really need to ask you something.”

“What is it?” He calms down.

“Do you think me and Atlas make a cute couple?” You ask.

“That human is untrustworthy!” He whisper-screams. “Do not be with him!”

“Oh geez, okay…” you hadn’t expected him to be so straight-forward but it’s Sebek so you should’ve known better.

“I think you can do better!” He states as a matter of fact.

“Like…?” You raise a brow.

He blushes. “LIKE— LIKE— MALLEUS!” He yells.

“Woah,” your mouth is left agape.

“I-I MEAN YOUR STANDARDS SHOULD BE MALLEUS!” Panic rises in his voice.

“Yep, I got it the first time,” you say. “I’m gonna go find Silver now,”

“OKAY,”

Honestly, you forgot how overstimulatingly loud Malleus’s biggest simp can be.

Silver was the next person you wanted to interview, despite the fact that he’s probably sound asleep somewhere.

He was, true to your word, asleep peacefully on the ground. Your footsteps are light as you tried to prevent him waking up, but he catches it anyway and starts to wake up.

“[Name]...” he groans.

“Silver?” You turn around, quick to rush over to him and kneel to his level. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, but what are you doing here?” he blinks awake.

“I wanted to ask what you think of me dating this guy… his name is Atlas and,” you pause.

“I know, and if it makes you happy, then I approve.” Silver says.

“Thanks Silver,” you pat him before walking away. 

He seemed… disingenuous? It plagued your mind for a good few seconds until the mischievous black-pink haired man decided to jumpscare you.

“LILIA!” you screamed.

“Hahaha! What’s up, [name]? Boy, do I miss your adorable, surprised face,” he’s smiling ear to ear. 

“I-I’m glad you missed me… especially since you’ve been avoiding me,” you whisper the last part.

“I haven’t, or maybe I have. Anyways, what are you here for?” He shoots the same question that everybody’s asked.

You explain. Again.

“Does he make you happy?” A more mature side of him comes out, showing the centuries of experience he has.

“He does,” your response does not warrant the most positive reaction from him.

“Be careful with who you hang out with, not everyone is worth your time,” he grins, pretending he didn’t say the most puzzling sentence in history.

Malleus wasn’t far away

“You seem happy with him,” hornton replies.

You press your lips into a thin line. “I am, but I won’t be if everyone objects,”

“I cannot lie that I wasn’t hoping it would be different,” Malleus states.

“What do you mean?” You tilt your head.

“I would’ve preferred if you chose someone else, child of man.” He elucidates.

Walking out of the final dorm, you let out an exhausted breath of air, not realising how suffocating the day had gone. Amongst the crunches of the leaves beneath you lies the sound of a notification from your phone.

[Atlas]: hey, i’m sorry but i think this is not gonna work out…

• When he does realise, his immediate reaction is worry.

• Riddle doesn't have many close friends. And the ones he does have, he's scared to lose. That includes you, even if he now knows his feelings for you are beyond platonic friendship. You are still important to him as a friend, too, and he doesn't want to lose that.

• Once he realises his crush, his behaviour does absolutely change around you. I don't necessarily see him as the tsundere type? But he will be very easily embarrassed by small acts of kindness or really anything that shows you care about him. He may even attempt to distance himself a bit, because he doesn't want to make a fool of himself in front of you.

• As for whether he'd confess, I think he ultimately would, but he'd agonise over it quite a bit.

• Like I already said, he doesn't want to lose you. Even if his feelings aren't returned, he would want to stay friends, and he wouldn't want things to change between you two either. For this reason, he put off being honest about his feelings for quite a while; but ultimately came to the conclusion that he had to.

• It came down to Riddle thinking it would be unfair to keep it from you. He feels guilty for "lying," in a way, and ends up getting it out there just because he thinks you deserve to know, rather than because he truly thinks you'll reciprocate.

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

• Leona's difficult. About everything

• Something in him knew he felt a certain type of way about you a very long time ago, but it took him a lot longer to admit that to himself, even longer to even think of admitting it to anyone else.

• His first strategy is to ignore you, as well as his feelings for you, thinking that if it's just a meaningless crush, it'll go away. When it doesn't, he'll spend a good while sulking and angsting about it in bed.

• When he finally comes to terms with it, his behaviour is kind of confusing. Hear me out: I think he fumbles, but in the way that he overthinks, so goddamn much.

• It's very difficult to just have a conversation with this man post-him accepting his feelings for you, because every time he speaks to you, he's over-analysing every word that comes out of your mouth, turning it over a million times in his head before arriving at the "best" conclusion as to what to do next. The problem with this is that it just makes him come across as very strange.

• Nothing he says is natural or seems like a normal response, or something that should come out of his mouth. It's like he's committed to a 4d chess game thinking you're on the same wavelength while you are playing checkers.

• He's also fully aware of how embarrassing every interaction with you is for him and beats himself up over it relentlessly. Sometimes Ruggie will give him a look as if to say "are you good man? what was that?" and Leona wants to disappear.

• Would he confess? I'm honestly not sure - leaning towards no. Leona is a person so full of self-loathing that I think he's more likely to resign himself to pining from a distance, with the reasoning that he feels you shouldn't have to put up with him and his plethora of issues.

• I can, however, see him confessing for a similar reason to Riddle - because he thinks you deserve to just know. I also think he might confess if he thinks that it might be his last chance to do so at any point, if that makes sense.

• Honestly just take the initiative and confess to him yourself. It's so much easier.

AZUL ASHENGROTTO

• So, unfortunately for you, Azul on his own is kind of hopeless with a crush. But, unfortunately for him, Azul is not on his own!

• Azul is actually pretty decent at hiding his feelings for you behind a poker-face, but he can only pass it off to people who don't know him well. Jade and Floyd know him very well.

• They're extremely unhelpful at first and do nothing but embarrass him. They don't directly say anything about it to you, but Jade gives you both knowing looks whenever he sees Azul speaking to you, and Floyd has made sneaky little remarks about it in front of you in the past, which he thinks is funny to do because it always makes Azul flail in trying to shut him up.

• They start taking it more seriously over time when they start realising that Azul really doesn't plan to do anything about his feelings.

• He's insecure, absolutely riddled with self-doubt, and as childish as it may sound, he is scared of being laughed at. Of coming to you with his feelings and being made a laughingstock, treated the same way by you as he was by his peers when he was a child.

• This basically answers the question of whether or not he would confess: No. Absolutely not.

• That is, for the time being. Like I said, he isn't alone.

• Jade and Floyd won't actually sit him down and have a heartfelt conversation about this with him, that's not really how their dynamic is. However, they will start actively trying to set the two of you up. Literally "Jade asking Azul to meet him at a specific time while Floyd does the same to you, only for neither of them to show up and you and Azul are alone together" type schemes going on here.

• It's mostly just endless ploys to get the two of you alone together to just, talk. In the hopes that, eventually, Azul will become comfortable enough with you to let his guard down and finally just tell you. They are sincerely trying to help.

• Time is running out though, because if Azul doesn't do it soon, Floyd might get bored and tell you instead.

KALIM AL-ASIM

• Kalim is also going to take a while to realise he has a crush on you. Jamil might actually have to tell him, because he's likely to start doing kind of romantic things with you (i.e holding hands, calling you beautiful, buying you very expensive gifts) without really seeing any of it as romantic. Once he's told, it all clicks in his head, and he comes to terms with it very easily.

• Too easily, in fact.

• Kalim's biggest problem is that he is going to come off way too strong, way too fast. And Jamil is going to have to be the one to listen to him go on about it and try to give him advice.

• Kalim's notes so far on what not to do (from experience):

• Do not skip everything and jump straight to marriage. He just thought it would be the quickest, most efficient, most romantic declaration of his love! To tell you that he wants to be together forever. But marriage is, of course, a process that could potentially uproot your entire life, and is a big step forward even for couples who have been together for years. So perhaps it shouldn't be the first step. He didn't return the ring though, just in case he gets to use it in the future.

• Don't tell people you are dating when neither of you have even asked the other out. He just thought it was obvious that you both liked each other, so he assumed that meant you were dating. He did end up referring to you as his "partner" to quite a few people though, so he had to correct that.

• No pet names, no extravagant gestures, and no absurdly expensive gifts. "Just don't come off too strong in general," was what Jamil said. "You'll scare them off."

• Eventually, he will settle down and give you a normal, toned-down confession. Ignore the fireworks that go off right after. He definitely did not order those.

VIL SCHOENHEIT

• Vil's situation is still a bit complicated, but he's far less awkward about the whole thing than a lot of the others on this list. He's actually just a pretty normal guy with a crush.

• Firstly, his demeanour doesn't change much. He won't get shy around you, if anything he gets far bolder, and I do absolutely see him as the type to flirt. He'd like it if he can get a flirty banter dynamic going with you before anything becomes official.

• Secondly, I think he might be prone to jealousy, and unfortunately he can get pretty nasty about it. I think he'd act quite petty if he noticed you getting a bit too close to someone else, or worse, if you actually had a date.

• Don't get me wrong, he does just want you to be happy. But some selfish part in him wants to be the reason you're happy, rather than some other student who he likely sees as an overall inferior option for you compared to himself. His logic is that you deserve only the best in life - and it doesn't get much better than Vil Schoenheit, does it?

• All of that being said, when he decides to finally be forthcoming with you about his feelings, he will respect your choice. Especially because he's actually kind of worried too.

• He is a world-famous celebrity. And he's completely straightforward with you, about the media attention you would receive if your relationship was to go public, about the potential backlash, the stress, all of it.

• Even if the feelings are mutual, he wants you to be very sure of your decision beyond just that and for you to understand the risks involved. He might even tell you to take a bit more time to think it over.

IDIA SHROUD

• Oh god oh no, oh Seven oh fuck

• Predictably not even remotely chill about it at all.

• Idia actively hides from you. He just knows he can't speak to you because every time he does, he says or does something so embarrassing and cringeworthy that he's going to lay awake at night thinking about.

• I do think he kind of stalks you though. He doesn't creep on you in your room or anything, but he'll use the cameras he has set up all over Sage Island to just... keep an eye on you sometimes. Yes, he is aware that this is creepy, even Ortho says so, and he feels bad about it. But he just likes to look at you.

• He ends up treating you like some kind of un-attainable goal. He fantasises about being in a relationship with you in a similar way to how one would with fictional characters or celebrities; he's aware it will always remain as just a fantasy, something he can never have in the real world, and he's okay with that. He thinks he is, at least.

• He does talk about you to Ortho quite often. Ortho is the only person he can talk to about stuff like this. And of course, his little brother is supportive, telling him to just go for it, because he never knows what might happen!

• But he won't. He can't.

• He's a Shroud. His life already has a predetermined path. He'll work at S.T.Y.X, hidden away from the rest of the world, fulfilling his family's duty until he dies and passes the burden onto the future generation. If he were to enter a relationship with someone or potentially marry them, they would have to share that existence with him. It feels like too much to ask of anyone. So he just won't.

• I don't think he'd ever confess.

MALLEUS DRACONIA

• Malleus is afraid of losing you. He's afraid of losing a friend, and afraid of losing a lover, whether it be because he does something wrong or because your life will inevitably come to an end long before his will.

• He's another one who flirts quite brazenly, though behind the scenes I can see him having a crisis over this. He wants to tell you, he has to tell you, but there are a lot of things he needs to come to terms with first. Not the least of which is that he will have to watch you age and die.

• He considers for a moment, if it would be kinder on his heart to never let your relationship blossom into something more. But he can't imagine living the rest of his long life thinking of you as something that could've been.

• He thinks of Lilia, who took in a human son. He must have been aware of how short the lives of humans are, and how little time he would have to spend with Silver. But he did it anyway, fully aware of the suffering he will face once the time comes for Silver to pass. Why? He spends a long time agonising over the question.

• Why let love into your life when you know it will only last a short duration, and ultimately leave you heartbroken?

• Lilia and Silver also answer this question for him. Because the people you love leave an impact far beyond the amount of time they remain in your life for. They leave behind memories and lingering feelings of love and joy, and things you've learned from loving them.

• And when he remembers you far into the future, he'd prefer to feel that bittersweet happiness, rather than regret and longing over what he never had the guts to pursue.

• If there's anything he isn't the biggest fan of, it's "candid" paintings of himself. It's not that he thinks they're bad, and he understands that he looks his most natural when he isn't aware he's being sketched, but he always finds them a bit embarrassing to look at. He doesn't want you to stop doing them, he just doesn't want to see how he looks taken off-guard.

• I imagine him finding the Overblot painting was an accident. He isn't the type to go snooping through your work - so some kind of shenanigans would need to happen for him to find it tucked away in a corner. And he is completely taken by surprise.

• He recognises himself right away, and is struck by the intensity of the artwork. It looks... angry.

• Of course, he looks angry in the painting, but that isn't all. The way it's drawn is almost messy, with hazardous strokes of paint seeming to suggest a certain fury baked into the canvas.

• He spends far too long just blankly staring at it. He hadn't known how he looked when he Overblotted, he realised. He isn't sure he likes it. When had you made this? The way you depicted him was nothing like how you usually did; the loving and careful lines were gone and replaced with harsh, jagged edges and seemingly randomly picked, nonsensical colours. It was less like you cared about the result, and more like you just... had to get this down on canvas somewhere.

• When you return, everything is moved back into place, and he doesn't say a word about the painting.

• He knows art is often a medium for expressing one's emotions, and he can hazard a guess as to the sheer frustration that had led to you putting that down on canvas. He wasn't sure if all of that anger was aimed at him, but he supposed it was none of his business. He just doesn't want you to see him in that way ever again.

• He appreciates your candid paintings a lot more now.

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

• Doesn't mind being your muse, he just doesn't want to pose.

• So if you'd like to sketch or paint him while he's relaxing or sleeping without needing him to do anything, go for it. He's incapable of being taken off-guard though. He'll always meet your eyes when you're sketching him no matter how secretive you think you're being and ask you if you're getting a good look.

• Also, despite claiming to not want to pose for you, you're pretty sure he does show off a little when he knows you're looking. You could've sworn that shirt button wasn't undone just a few seconds ago.

• I don't think he'd frequently go snooping through your things, but he also doesn't see the big deal in doing so. He's likely to find the painting while looking for something else, and given it's hidden away in a corner and turned around to face the wall, of course he gets curious and wants to take a peek.

• He was not expecting an unfinished sketch of his Overblotted self on the other side.

• He puts it back right away, his mood instantly souring. He doesn't want to see that, especially not in the way you've drawn it.

• It was just so... pathetic. The way he was framed to make him look so small and weak against the blot overwhelming and consuming him.

• Unlike Riddle, he will actually say something about it, asking you why you made it in a very pointed tone of voice. And when you respond by saying that you just felt the need to paint the pain you saw in him that day, he asks you if that is how you still see him.

• "If you really want to know how I see you, take a look at any of my other paintings I have of you."

• Finally, he just scoffs. He really doesn't get how you artists think.

AZUL ASHENGROTTO

• Azul has mixed feelings on your paintings of him. Of course, he admires your skill and appreciates it very much, but he never seems particularly enthused about seeing how it turns out.

• To be clear, he thinks your art is spectacular. He just never quite got over how odd it feels to see himself on canvas.

• He isn't as insecure about his appearance as he used to be, but when you've hated your own reflection for most of your life, that line of thinking is difficult to get rid of. This becomes especially clear when you ask to see his Octopus form one time so you can paint it, and he swiftly shuts you down.

• Despite it not being the body he was born with, Azul at this point in time only truly feels comfortable with himself when he's in his human form, and even that fragile confidence is hanging on by a thread. He'd take a very long time to even want to show you his mer-form at all, never-mind have it painted.

• So you ended up painting his Overblot instead.

• Maybe it was a slightly odd decision - but you remember there being something so captivating about how he looked back then. You feel a little guilty thinking it given the situation, but he was truly beautiful.

• And when he finds it, he's less upset than you'd expect.

• You always portray him so adoringly, and this painting was no different. The ugliest, most humiliating moment of his life - after he'd lost all of his contracts, threw a "tantrum," had his past aired to you against his will and even tried to hurt you - drawn in such a gentle, kind, understanding light. Like he's someone who deserves that sympathy.

• He almost wants to cry, and laugh at the same time. What was he so afraid of? You've already seen the worst of him, and this is how you chose to portray it.

• Azul doesn't mention the painting, but he does tell you that he may be more open to letting you paint his Octopus form now.

JAMIL VIPER

• He's a little bit concerned. And also flattered.

• Generally speaking, Jamil is completely willing to be a model for your paintings, but will often ask why you chose him. He (in-universe only, because you and I both know this isn't true) doesn't stand out much in terms of looks, and he wonders why you don't find someone more suitable to paint. You can say it's because you love him and he'll smile and roll his eyes at you.

• He always wants to see the finished product. He isn't an artist, so he can't give detailed feedback, but he'll compliment your work and try to point out a few specific things about it to praise so he doesn't sound uninterested.

• Still, he never quite got what the appeal of painting him was. He makes an effort to blend in as much as possible, to look as average, bland and dull as can be. He's not used to being in the spotlight, and it's a little weird to see so many paintings with him as the focal point.

• To be honest, he probably ends up finding the painting while cleaning your space. It doesn't matter how tidy you are, Jamil can never leave anything well enough alone if it looks disorderly to him.

• And when he sees it, I honestly imagine his reaction as vastly different to anyone else on this list. I think he'd be weirdly flattered by it?

• His Overblot is by no means a fun memory to return to, but for some reason I can't get this image out of my head of Jamil staring at a painting of his Overblotted form, tilting his head and thinking, "I look kinda good here."

• I don't think he minds that you painted it. He'll bring it up to you later, asking why you never showed it to him before, and jokingly tells you not to be stupid when you admit that you didn't think he'd have a positive reaction to it. He'll go on to praise it like he does with all the rest of your paintings.

• Also, you made him look kind of domineering in it, and he likes that. A bit of a confidence booster, for sure. Local teenager discovers he's got aura.

VIL SCHOENHEIT

• He's in his element. He's another one who isn't too big a fan of the candid sketches, but mostly because he really would much rather pose for you. It's literally his job.

• Vil will outright demand to see every new painting you've made of him. He loves all the little details, it just shows you've been paying very close attention to him, as you should.

• I think he's also the only one who would try to give you any constructive critiques about your art, and they're usually at least semi-helpful.

• He does have a few favourite paintings of yours. Ones where he can just feel the love behind each stroke, the attention given to every minor detail in an effort to put down every little thing you love about him. And despite preferring to model for you, he finds that the candid paintings are often the most beautiful of all.

• Vil is another one who I think may be prone to re-organising your room; not necessarily obsessively cleaning it to the same degree that Jamil might, but he does often find himself suppressing a long-suffering sigh every time he sees how cluttered your workspace has become. And the one time he takes it upon himself to help you out, he comes across the painting you'd hidden away.

• It strikes him where it hurts right away. His Overblot was the lowest he'd ever gone, the ugliest he'd ever been. He had resorted to poisoning his competition - completely giving up on his own chances to win fairly - and had completely broken down. Even if he doesn't remember the actions he took while Overblotted, he does remember the loss they suffered to RSA right afterward, maybe even because of what he'd done back then preventing everyone from performing at their best.

• It was his greatest failure and a complete disgrace. But your loving attention to detail hadn't changed a bit.

• His eyes sting with tears and he puts the painting away again, feeling as though he can't look at it any longer. He just can't wrap his head around it. What part of what he did back then deserved this kind of love?

• He may bring it up to you later, but not now. He isn't even sure what he'd say. Right now, he plans to remind you how grateful he is to have you. He feels like he hasn't said it enough.

IDIA SHROUD

• He keeps asking you to draw anime characters.

• No seriously, please just draw anime characters instead of him, he is begging you.

• He doesn't dislike the paintings of him that you actually manage to finish, it's just difficult to get any sketches prepared because if he notices you're drawing him, he gets really embarrassed and fidgety and will probably try to hide.

• You have so many unfinished sketches because of this, and you have to be extremely sneaky about it now. But strangely, when you show him the finished artwork, he's all over it, and will go on and on about how cool you made him look. But for some reason he just can't stand knowing he's being drawn, no matter how much he knows he'll like the outcome.

• It also might be easier to just start taking photos of him out of nowhere to use as reference instead. He calls you a creep for it but you can just as easily say "look who's talking."

• On the note of him being kind of a creep, I think Idia looks through your stuff on a kind of regular basis. He's not looking for anything, nor is there any goal in mind at all for why he does this. He's just like that

• So when he finds the painting, he knows it must be fairly recent, because it wasn't there the last time he snooped. Which then only makes him panic even more when he turns it over and sees what it is.

• Why are you drawing this now? He knows what he did back then was awful - literally potentially world-ending - but you've always seemed so understanding, like you knew he wasn't completely in control by the time he Overblotted. What he means is, it's never posed an issue in your relationship. At least as far as he knows. But if you're drawing his Overblot this recently, are you still, like, mad at him for it? Traumatised? Why haven't you said anything to him about it?

• What if you feel like you can't talk to him about it because you're scared of him or something? He thinks you've been acting normal, but what if it's just pretend?? Do you hate him???

• Prepare to wake up to 30 "do you still love me" messages at 5 in the morning.

MALLEUS DRACONIA

• Malleus is almost strangely happy to be your muse. Not only does he want to see all the finished products, but he'll analyse them in excruciating detail, often leaving you the embarrassed one.

• He's another one that is impossible to take off guard, as he'll always notice when you're sketching him. He won't change what he's doing though, choosing to ignore it until you're finished so he won't interrupt whatever vision you had in mind.

• He often wants to show off your art and will take literally any excuse to do so. If you're happy with this, then great; but if you're shy about your art, you have to be careful not to let him hold the finished artwork for too long lest he disappear with it to show to anyone who will listen.

• Definitely plans to have your art hung up on his castle's walls someday.

• Malleus doesn't make a habit of looking through your things as a whole, but your artwork? Certainly. It's how he ends up finding the painting of his Overblotted self.

• He isn't necessarily happy about it, nor is he upset that you put it to canvas. He'll keep the art with him until you return, so he can show it to you and use it as a gateway to have a conversation with you about it.

• It's more like an opportunity to get his thoughts in order and just... make sure everything is understood between the two of you. He wants to know any and all lingering thoughts or feelings you have surrounding what he did back then, and he wants to be as forthcoming as he can with you about his own, as well.

ʚ⁺˖↪ LEONA

Doesn’t even offer a surprised blink when you ask him. Instead, he simply motions you to lie on top of him on his bed, no further explanations given. Not very sure of what he has in mind but eager to find out, you make yourself comfortable on top, a folded leg on either side of him. Leona doesn’t offer anything more than a small grunt, and soon enough, you feel his hand land on the small of your back to angle your torso closer to his face. You brace the fall by quickly supporting yourself with your forearms against his pillow, but he had positioned you in a way that your chest was at level with his head. “How do you expect me to suck on your tits if you don’t come closer?” He’s so annoying, but you don’t linger too much on the thought because he hooks his fingers beneath your shirt and rolls it up, bunching it on top of your breasts. At the clear absence of a bra, Leona sends you an amused glance as he pinches a nipple between his fingers and rolls it. “You were eager for this to happen, weren’t you?” “Please, I know you’ll enjoy it as much.” Leona’s hand encloses around a breast, almost purring at the softness, before his tongue drags upwards in slow motion, your nub becoming taut from the stimulation. Without letting go of you, he opens his mouth wide to taste more than just your nipple, tongue tracing around the areola and savoring you. Soon, he finds himself seeking more, growing greedy and sucking at the sensitive spot—not covert enough in how he keeps teasing you with his fangs each time he draws your nipple into his warm mouth, slathering more and more saliva the longer it goes.

ʚ⁺˖↪ JAMIL

Lips in a straight line and impassive eyes—Jamil’s expression hasn’t changed since you brought this up. However, the longer you look at him, expecting him to say something, you see his cheeks taint with a reddish hue. When you try to take a better look at him, he faces away and pretends to need to do something before retaking the conversation. He doesn’t get far with that little ploy, though, as you’re familiar with his tactics. He’s another one that needs a gentle push in these endeavors. Not because he’s timid (although there’s some level of unease given his limited experience with intimacy) but more so because of his tendency to hold back his desires. Nevertheless, it’s not too difficult to get him to plop on the velvety cushioning of his bed. At first, Jamil allows you to take the lead when you get on top of him and kiss him with the intention of alluring him. In some way, he’s like a cat that tolerates your advances as long as it’s within his terms yet the moment you tiptoe out of it, he readjusts the dynamic. Jamil’s rather sensual without meaning to in the way he caresses your body. His intention is to maintain a degree of self-control by first sliding his hands from your hips to your sides, lips pressing into the side of your neck. His lips are soft against the tender skin, taking his time to descend upon the sliver of skin exposed by your shirt. Ever the observant, Jamil considers that your enjoyment of him taking his time with you is a plus even if this gentleness comes from another intention. While garnering your reaction, his thumbs brush the sides of your breasts. “You might lose balance if you keep writhing like that.” “It’s hard not to when you’re touching me like this, you know?” His mouth is still attached to your skin when his hands snake under your clothes, feathering the tips of his fingers along your waist until his thumbs end up brushing your nipples. Despite it being a faint touch, it was enough to garner a breathless reaction from you, rewarding you with another trail of his fingers on them. Jamil massages them with upwards and downwards motions, alternating with circular caresses. It reaches a point you can’t hold it back any longer, and you take it into your hands to undo the buttons of your shirt, urging him to do something about the dizzying ache. Jamil’s aware of the speeding thrum of his heart at the sight but remains collected on the outside. His eyes are closed once again when he leans closer to you, lips fluttering down your collarbone and in the direction of the center of your chest, where he prefers to nuzzle his face while both hands get to work. He maps the overall shape of your breasts with his palms, the softness, and any textured blemishes that stand out to his digits. Once he’s had enough of it, then he latches onto that taut nub that has been standing for attention.

ʚ⁺˖↪ MALLEUS

Therefore it is ABSOLUTELY VITAL to be as touchy as possible with him AT ALL TIMES!

Listen. He needs it

And seeing him internally panic (with that same poker face he puts on for everything) every time you get too close is just TOO funny

He's a blusher, I know this, and so he's red down to the neck whenever you so much as brush shoulders or link arms

Not even his handkerchief can hide it

He is like... PAINFULLY easy to fluster. He SUCKS at being a tsundere

Even the smallest gesture and he's reconsidering all of his life choices

Not that he doesn't enjoy it... he does. He just can't comprehend what's happening in his body when you hug him

Anyway. He would like having little flowers put in his hair (and if anyone says anything about it he mentally crushes their diaphragm)

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Fellow Honest

Attention whore

Listen.

Unlike Rollo, Fellow has no qualms (or SHAME) about being doted on

Maybe there was like, two minutes of apathetic resistance, that "I don't need love/support/etc I'm a strong independent hardened criminal raised on the streets" schtick

But like. Look at him. Do you think anyone has ever sought comfort or closeness with him without being paid to do so?

At the end of the day he both:

#1 Enjoys feeling special and appreciated by someone sweet

#2 Enjoys rubbing that in everyone else's face

He would get pretty smug walking around campus with you on his arm, wearing signs of your intimacy like a badge of honor, making those boarding school brats seethe with jealousy that a weak nobody like him could get so close and personal with their beloved Prefect...

Fellow also just enjoys closeness, though, and he's pretty touchy on his own (though he's more of an "arm around your waist/hand on the small of your back" kinda guy)

Also he has cute ears for petting and foxes wag their tails when happy. Just something to consider...!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Skully J Graves

YOU being touchy? What about HIM being touchy?

This is the guy who kissed you immediately upon meeting you that we're talking about!

Skully is an old-fashioned gentleman, and he would be beside himself with shame if he weren't offering to hold your hand or link arms when escorting you

He's got no sense of personal space to begin with, no boundaries, especially when it comes to the things and people he adores!

With time, his standard set of manners could easily evolve into a private sort of intimacy, reserved only for you...

Frequent hugs and kisses and gestures of his undying (haha) devotion!

Yeah I got nothing more to say, this is basically canon

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Swing

Now, I know you're wondering: is there anyone on this list who wouldn't be over the moon for some good ol fashioned loving?

And the answer is NO!

because Mr. Swing is also playing on the "no boundaries" team, and if he likes you, or just thinks you're cute, then he's certainly already made it known

Whoever said he's like an overgrown house cat was right on the money tbh

No impulse control, no inhibitions, strong sense of "I want it, so it's mine" entitlement...

He is a HUGGER

Let's hope you have a good set of lungs and a strong back, because he's not letting go for a good while

It's not so much of an "allowing you to" situation as it is a "demanding you to" situation

You WILL be putting cute ribbons and flowers in his hair

You WILL be holding his hand