rosesilverangel's blog

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 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

Darkness greeted you before anything else—a thick, suffocating void that swallowed up a light that had a chance of entering, an absolute void on all sides of you. Shadows bled into each other until the world became a formless abyss. And, to be fair, there was nothing else. You stood in the center of nowhere.

But how did this happen? Were you dreaming? It didn’t feel like a dream- no, no, this felt very much so real. But… how?

It wasn’t as if you’d performed some grand ritual or done anything extraordinary at all before sleep claimed you. Actually, it was quite the opposite, since hours earlier, you’d listlessly scrolled through your TikTok notifications on Twisted Like Heaven’s main account, sifting through comments about the new update—nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that should have summoned you to this place. Freshly graduated and rolling in money, your days blurred together in a haze of idleness and dissatisfaction, each moment more hollow than the last.

This place… You weren’t even sure if this was reality, and if this was happening, wherever you were wasn't a figment of your dream-like imagination– the drop in your stomach felt more real than wherever you were.

You took a step, and then another; your body felt like mush, almost like a really bad hangover that had you slow and groggy, and left you with a dull, aching pain that seemed to sit in every bone of your body.

You couldn’t think; you could barely move. Your steps were tiny, fractured, and it took all the strength in your body to move barely an inch from where you began. 

What. the. Fuck. Was. happening.

[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…] Welcome, Player.

Loading route data… Loading protagonist…

ERROR: “YUU” NOT FOUND

No protagonist found.

Attempting replacement. 

Reassigning narrative anchor…

…

What the hell does that mean?

…

….

[NARRATIVE INSTABILITY DETECTED]

[PROCEED: ENTITY RECOGNITION FAILURE]

[RESOLUTION: IMMEDIATE RECONSTRUCTION INITIATED] 

[SIDE CHARACTER ROLE: LOCKED]

What—

That’s it. Literally, your vision completely cut out, there was no more liminal space, no system updates. Just… nothing. It was eerie in a way, the calmness that settled in your chest, which felt like it shouldn't have been there, but was. It was peaceful; you had no control over it, yet you didn't care. You weren't thinking about your dream, or not-dream, or anything at all. It was all just nonexistent— like all your worries from before had evaporated.

…

This vague calm, of course, did not last long.

Immediately, confusion rushed through you. You could hear laughter; you could hear it, yet you couldn't see it. You couldn't see anything. There were footsteps, and then more, and people talking in some distant place– a place that you couldn't see, only hear— almost as if you were there with them, and yet, you weren't. No space was attached.

Where were you?

You blinked, and in that half a second, the inkiness in your gaze disappeared, and you saw it– the dots covering your eyes melted away, showing… a hallway? A big one, with green lanterns– not even lanterns– fire in places of torches; there were people dressed in strange uniforms,  and speaking things that you couldn't comprehend. 

Why did this feel so real? 

You blinked again, and thin, glitching lines cut across your vision for a split second before vanishing. Your body still barely responded. You couldn't move. You couldn't feel. You could only gaze numbly and watch.

An abrupt chill hit your body, like, really fucking cold. Sharp and immediate, it was like the air stabbed into your skin with tiny little bullets; you felt the flesh prickle, your body shook like it was covered in ice. You shifted your head slowly. It still ached to move, but not nearly as much as before. You pulled your arms in, instinctively wrapping yourself uselessly in your own feeble attempt at an embrace.  Why was it so cold in here?

 Your body finally began to catch up—still sluggish, stiff, and wrong– but you could now look around, no matter how aimlessly, and take your surroundings in. Girls and boys were rushing through the corridor like a stream; some looked happy, laughing with their friends— all of whom were wearing similar strange uniforms- and others resembled stone-faced students who just wanted to get to class.

You stared down into your hands for a moment, then around again.

You gaped at one of the large, mahogany doors, the intricate designs that ran down each one— the grey astragal that connected the two was large and ornate— just like everything else around you. You took in the stone-piled walls that surrounded each door that descended down the hallway; all four sides of you seemed to loom over your figure. You felt exceptionally small as your feet carried you forward. This was an expensive high school.

You scanned over the faces of the people again, but this time, your breathing stopped. For a fraction of a second, only a moment, everything halted. Foots ceased to move, mouths seemed to have been frozen mid-conversation, and for just the slightest moment, every single head in the hallway turned slightly towards you. Not watching, not exactly, but almost as if they were all collectively checking if you were there.

You took a step back. There was definitely something wrong in this place. Everything turned back to normal in just a second. 

SYSTEM CORRECTION: RESUME NORMAL ACTIVITY 

Everything resumed instantly, almost like nothing had happened. Footsteps carried on, and people chattered up once again, turning away from you completely. Except you saw it! Why were those words in front of you? Why couldn't anyone else see them?

You were so enraptured in your own- what would you even call it? Hallucination? Weird system talking to you? Whatever the fuck just happened, you were too overwhelmed and distraught, you missed the person next to you almost completely.

He was tall, blonde, handsome, even– and maybe you would’ve noticed that if you weren’t already in total shock. 

“Hey, you there, [Na–” his eyes glaze over. Silence. “Forget it.”

And then he walked away. Just completely stopped talking to you and walked away! Your heart felt like it might explode from the speed at which it hammered in your chest, and your breathing was shallow and ragged.

“Excuse me?” You breathe out.

He keeps walking.

You didn't even realize someone was walking right into you before it was too late… No, like, literally through you. They didn’t even flinch. No reaction or acknowledgement… it was almost as if you weren’t even physically rendered as an obstacle. You didn't know how to react. Why was there so much going on right now?

Another moment, and all the sounds of chatter drop; the scene shifts slightly back to how it was before, and all the lights around you go back to normal– like reality rewound for a second and then snapped back into place.

COMPENSATION COMPLETE. 

A sharp impact jolts your shoulder. It’s not violent enough to hurt properly, but enough to prove two things— whoever did that was an asshole, and the fact that you were physically here now.

“—Tch. Move.”

A tall figure brushes past you, adjusting his course at the last second like you were a random person he didn’t want to or need to give a second thought about.

You stagger half a step, but he pauses his footsteps, stopping vaguely. “…You there?”

The voice is low. Controlled. Annoyed, but not emotional in any real sense.

You look up at the male, momentarily regaining your senses. He’s tall. Dark hair falls onto his shoulders as you look into his sharp, steady eyes. Well-put-together in a way that felt intentional.

He studied you for a moment too long and you shrunk under his gaze. “…[Name]?”

For a second, nothing happened. There’s no system interruption and no error. Just the question hanging there. You hesitated before responding; you don’t trust your own voice enough not to sound shaky just yet.

“…Yeah.”

A pause. Then a faint exhale through his nose—almost a whistle, almost amusement, but not quite either.

“Lock in,” he says flatly. “Crewel’s going to have your ass for skipping the past few days.”

He starts walking again, like the conversation is already finished, like it was never important. And like you were never unstable to begin with.

Wait. Crewel–?

—————————————————————

Finally, finally, you gathered your bearings. 

This school was like a maze —no, this was worse than a maze. Mazes at least made sense if you stared at them long enough. This place just… repeated itself. You were completely and utterly lost, genuinely. How could a building have so many twists and turns, and why, by God, did everything look the same? Every time you passed a framed portrait, you swore—swore—it changed when you looked away. A blink too long and the face wasn’t the same anymore. A tilt of your head, and the eyes weren’t looking where they were before.

Or maybe you were just losing it. That felt equally as likely.

A sound brushed the edge of your hearing—almost laughter. Almost. The kind of noise you weren’t sure you were meant to notice.

You stopped walking for a second.

Nothing changed, not even a little bit. Shut up, brain, stop freaking yourself out here.

You were going to give up; this was just too much. Your head throbbed violently in the corner of your skull, an intense, buzzing static pounded in your ears, and your legs felt like wood being dragged through a current. Every step was just one moment closer to absolutely losing your shit. You couldn’t even find a bathroom properly, to throw up or cry; you didn’t know which, probably both; whatever way your body chose to betray you this time.

You closed your eyes and leaned back for a moment against the cool stone walls, taking a deep breath through your nose, the chilled air now calming you just slightly. People were beginning to disappear into their classes, while you remained. 

The air shifted, not dramatically, just something changed.

The hallway sound didn’t stop, exactly. It just… delayed. Just a half a second behind, like a lag, and the sound was catching up. A student brushed past you—and for the briefest moment, their steps didn’t echo. And then they did.

You slowly opened your eyes, barely peeking through your dry eyelids. The corridor was still full. Still normal, definitely still alive. Just off. You couldn't look at this shit anymore. No matter where you went, something abnormal would happen. A faint pressure pressed against your awareness; it wasn't a voice or a sound, it was almost like a notification, but inside your head?

[ROUTE ASSIGNMENT COMPLETE]

You were exhausted; you didn't want to keep walking, your eyes flickering closed as you breathed in the newly empty hallway. The air was suffocating, or maybe you were imagining that, too?

“…[Name].”

You flinched, opening your eyes at the sharp tone. Lord, it momentarily brought you back to high school when a teacher caught you skipping class. Eugh.

The corridor resumed like it once was before, like it had been released, much like the deep breath you had been holding in. The green lights flickered down the halls, the once-blurred signs on the doors returning to something more normal— and readable. You turned your gaze to the figure— a fluffy black-and-white striped coat draped over his arms caught your eye instantly; the red velvet behind it seemed luxurious, and definitely out of any teacher's pay grade in your world. A similarly dyed side cut, matching suit with a sleek red tie, and matching dark eyes with an unimpressed frown on his face.

Oh. Oh no…

Crewel didn’t move immediately. His gaze stayed on you a moment too long—sharp, assessing, like he was calculating how bad he wanted to whip you for your disrespect.

"Professor…" you sigh, barely meeting his eyes. What a mess.

“…Strange.”

You hesitate, fidgeting with the sleeve of your uniform. How did you get yourself into this shit? “Excuse me?”

His whip lowered slightly, not relaxed—just no longer needed for the moment. “No recorded attendance for the past seventy-two hours, and you finally decided my class is important enough to attend- is that right, [Name]?”

Silence.

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing as if something on an invisible list wasn’t matching up. “And, in a gesture of your very apparent care for your academics, you arrive late."

Your stomach dropped. “I— I’m just lost, I was trying to find—”

“Enough.”

It was only one word, clean and final. But not angry, per se, more corrective than anything. He exhaled through his nose, like this was an inconvenience he had dealt with before. “…Your negligence is becoming intolerable.”

His eyes sharpened once again, making you feel small under his gaze. What is wrong with you, [Name]? He's just a teacher. Well, yeah, but this wasn't exactly a normal circumstance. Sigh… what to do..

“You will accompany me to class.” You knew that wasn't a question.

"Broaden your mind," he huffed. "And use your inner eye to see the future."

Your feet moved before you had time to fully process it. This situation just kept getting worse and worse, but your panic was caught in your throat. Crewel could see you, say your name, and even order you around like he would anyone else. At least now, for the first time since you got here, you weren't wandering.

"This way. You will face your punishment at a later time."

You let out a breath and follow after him, his fur coat waving dramatically as you enter the room behind him. The classroom itself was nice— and unfamiliar— potion bottles lined the sides of the room, and piles of books just beside them. The students were chatting loudly just like before any class; it was normal. The first and almost only normal thing, it felt, since you got here.

Well, jokes on you, because would you look at that! Every single seat was taken by one person or another. Great, your day just kept getting worse and worse by the minute.

Crewel strode over to the front of the classroom as you walked the front aisle slowly. You felt small and out of place, and you just wanted to go home. You glanced around one more time, making sure the only place left to sit was… right next to Floyd Leech and Epel Felmier. Why, oh why, did the universe hate you?

You took your seat slowly, noticing the bag on your shoulder for the first time in the entire past hour. Was that always there? Whatever, you sat down in your seat, keeping your head down in the slightest way.

[SIDE CHARACTER POSITION CONFIRMED]

You freeze, obviously, and groan internally.

Cool. Fantastic. Whatever the hell that means. Was this thing gonna keep popping up every time you do anything? Right, okay, side character, alright, you get it. You glanced around, praying for the love of everything good, not to have Floyd Leech notice you. The last thing you needed right now was that menace breathing down your neck, or worse, trying to squeeze you.

Nothing happened, thankfully; no one stares at the UI message or anything like that. Nothing glitched or exploded; it simply faded away. That almost feels worse, almost.

Crewel set down his books loudly and cleared his throat with an ehem!. The whole class went silent with impressive vigor, straightening themselves and looking towards the teacher— yeah, maybe Night Raven College was a bit different from high school after all.

"...Since some of you seem to believe punctuality is optional..." His eyes flicked toward you for half a second.

"...I trust no one will repeat today's display."

Hahaahahaahahah! Great! Awesome! Public humiliation in the first hour of the day! Ten out of ten, truly.

Okay, [Name], get a grip. Potion class. Easy. Lessons in Twisted are normal.

The lecture began, and you rolled your eyes and cried to yourself. You already finished high school! You'd already forgotten what a bore it was. Whatever. What choice do you have anyway?

The lesson dragged on, Crewel's voice droning on and on about some mystical plant(?) Really, you were more focused on doodling in your notebook than actually paying attention. You couldn't focus on some potion lesson even if you tried. To be fair, you'd been magically transported to Twisted Wonderland of all places, and honestly, that didn't seem like the worst possible thing. I mean, it could've been like Chainsaw Man or something. Now that would've been a nightmare.

Regardless, Crewel's voice droned on and on, which really only served as background noise to your inner turmoil. Yuu not found, huh? It was crazy, you still weren't completely positive you weren't hallucinating all this. But in some way or another, it really just felt like you were trapped in some unstable, potentially unfinished version of the game.

"Leech," Crewel called suddenly.

Floyd, who had spent the better part of the lesson absentmindedly spinning a glass stirring rod between your fingers, didn't even bother looking up.

"Hm?"

"If your attention has drifted so far from today's lesson that you believe yourself qualified to teach it," Crewel drawled, resting one hand atop his desk, "perhaps you'd like to explain the proper preparation of a Sea Witch's Bloom."

The classroom went silent.

Floyd blinked. "...Nope."

"Then kindly refrain from demonstrating to your classmates the remarkable hereditary talent of the Leech family to occupy space while contributing absolutely nothing."

Your pencil stopped moving.

No.

No fucking way.

Discord — #intro-build

papameatstoe: canon crewel isnt enough of a menace highk make him a bit meaner

thatgirlname: LMFAO alr

papameatstoe: Make him sound like a total ass like a mr. hemlier in chem when he'd fuck with ppl for no reason

thatgirlname: BRO DONT REMIND ME… the incident….

thatgirlname: and yh bet i got u

"Then kindly refrain from demonstrating to your classmates the remarkable hereditary talent of the Leech family to occupy space while contributing absolutely nothing."

papameatstoe: OMG ID CRY

silverfish: POOR FLOYD DUDE THAT'S SO SCARY

thatgirlname: dada crewel will be a dick

The memory vanished as quickly as it appeared, your heart dropping to your stomach in an instant. There was no way, right? You stared blankly at the front of the class.

"No…" You whispered under your breath.

That line was not written by Disney, it wasn't even in Twisted Wonderland. That was your line; you wrote that. Not inspired by it, not similar— literally word for word. A cold knot twisted itself inside your stomach. You could be sick right now.

If you were the one who wrote that, and Crewel just said it to Floyd, of all people. This was Twisted Like Heaven.

Also known as the unfinished build, the one with placeholder routes.

The one your friends had spent months stuffing with inside jokes, dialogue rewrites, hidden flags, and two hundred different ways to be killed, get other people murdered, kidnapped or imprisoned.

…

Oh, you were so unbelievably screwed.

The lecture resumed as it should have, and you stared blankly at the wooden desk in front of you. You couldn't even doodle anymore. The scratching of lead against paper filled the air as students took their notes, class clinked softly against tabletops, and behind you, Floyd laughed obnoxiously at something Epel muttered under his breath.

Everything continued exactly as it should, but your brain just refused to.

That wasn't canon. We changed that.

...We changed a lot of things.

Your fingers slowly tightened around your pencil. "...Shit."

How much had made it into the final build? How much had made it into the leaked build? How much had your friends written while you were asleep? Because you only handled parts of the dialogue!

The routes, the hidden endings, and the event flags.

Someone else had balanced affection values. Someone else had implemented bad endings.

Someone else had...

Your blood ran cold.

...I don't even know half this game.

Hai guys!! Ive been getting a lot of replies about the taglist, which I’m so glad you guys are liking the content! To make it easier for myself, there’s a taglist forum in my bio you can use, just to help me organize!! Love u guys🐰🐰

============================

Fun fact! did you know that if you feel sleepy around someone you love it isn’t boredom but a biological sign of deep emotion safety. Your brain interprets their presence as secure and safe so it turns off its own alert mode which in turn allows your body to rest (ㅅꈍ﹃ꈍ)

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Afternoon sunlight spilled through the warped glass of the ramshackle dorm windows, dust motes danced slowly in the air as the sun casted a warm golden hue across the wooden floorboards.

There was an old oak grandfather clock in the corner of the lounge room, one that had presumably been there for decades…the golden pendulum that sat dead center of it swung slowly from side to side, causing it to tick away in a steady and hypnotic rhythms. It was the only sound breathing the comfortable silence between the two of you

Truly this was a rare pocket of time you were gifted, it was peaceful and quiet which was a big change from the usual chaos loud you experienced in your new day to day life and you absolutely cherished it!

You were supposed to be studying for the latest history test coming up, you had to! With professor trein making the latest assignments excruciatingly difficult for no apparent reason you knew the test wouldn’t be any different!

Unfortunately this was the last resort…fortunately, you had the best study partner in the world! who also just so happened to be the guy you were practically head over heels for

Your textbooks and notes were open and sprawled out on the wooden coffee table but your attention had long since drifted from the messy notes and books in front of you, instead your gaze kept wondering to the body that sat besides you on the worn out sofa

He had insisted on coming over under the guise of helping you study, this was a big test coming up after all!…or perhaps it was to keep you company, to have an excuse to hang out with you alone..hm maybe even both!

Over the past hour his usual sharp focus had begun to slowly slip. You watched, thoroughly endeared as he fought a losing battle against his own exhaustion. His eyelids fluttered shut and his breathing would even out before he stubbornly jerked awake not even a moment later, blinking repeatedly at a spot on the wall before the cycle repeated itself. Occasionally he would let out a soft mutter, one that was meant to be a reply to questions you had asked but even that began to slow.

Finally, with one soft, quiet sigh that sounded entirely too vulnerable, he surrendered to his own exhaustion. His head tipped to the side for a moment before coming to rest against the plush back of the couch before eventually falling asleep

You hadn’t noticed as you were reading over some of your own notes, referencing one of the textbooks to make sure you had the correct information

“Ohhh…oh! Okay so I think I got it now, the queen of hearts would play croquet using flamingos for mallets and hedgehogs for balls..? Well what about…”

Slowly your voice trailed off as you finally looked over at him, expecting to see him wide awake instead you were met with the surprise of his sleeping figure. He looked truly ethereal as his chest slowly rose and fell, breathing evened out as he slept peacefully

Slowly you set the notes down, the urge to study was completely thrown out the window. Without the burden of his past weighing him down, his duties, and just the basic everyday stress that fell upon him to keep up with classes, his features were completely transformed into something that was the equivalent of calm..

The air in the room suddenly felt thicker, it was charged with unspoken tension that had been building up between the two of you for months before this

-The lingering looks that lasted for a second too long

-The “accidental” brush of hands in the halls as he walked you to your next class

-The way he seemed to gravitate toward you in a crowded room, completely ignoring everyone else around him

-The way he looked at you like you hung the moon just for him…a look he saved only for you.

All of these things others around you seemed to catch. They knew how you felt about him I mean you even knew how you felt about him! Your heart would always do a frantic little dance against your ribs just by him being in the same room as you!

You were almost certain he felt the same about you

Almost..

Your eyes traced the curve of his cheek, the shape of his nose, focusing on the tiny details on his skin as you smiled to yourself before letting out a soft sigh

You wanted to let him rest, you could finish up studying by yourself and hey, just having him here with you no matter if he was asleep while you studied wasn’t so bad!

Without thinking too much about it you shifted closer, slowly moving as to not make the old and rusty springs of the sofa cushions creak. You hovered just inches from him, close enough to feel the faint warmth radiating from his skin before you leaned in all the way, pressing a quick but oh so tender and lingering kiss to his skin..

============================

Riddle Rosehearts 🌹 (cheek)

The second your lips leave his cheek his eyes snap open. It takes him only a second to process that you the first person he’s ever pinned over just kissed him

That second that he process things he quickly bolts upright, so quickly in fact one could assume he’d just been electrocuted

His cheeks immediately flush, the color that dusts his cheeks and travels all the way up to his ears rivaled the red of his hair. His mouth slightly agape as he stares at you with wide eyes

"What..what on earth do you think you're doing!?" He stammers out quickly as his voice was an octave higher than usual. He wasn’t mad by any means! No no..he’s just completely flustered and it’s so painfully clear.

He scrambles backwards, pressing himself into the armrest of the sofa that creaks slightly under the sudden shift of his body, his hand finds it’s way to his cheek as he touches the spot you kissed

“One must not!…you simply cannot…unsolicited..!” He scrambles for words, blurting out anything that came to his mind but all he can think about is the kiss, one he wished he could’ve been fully awake for, one he wanted to initiate more than anything…not that he would admit it

There’s a furious fluttering of his heart, one that’s much too distracting as he completely gives up on trying to speak for a moment. Truthfully he didn’t know how his heart didn’t jump out of his chest and run out of the room right then and there!

The moment he registers that soft and amused look you’re giving him he let’s out a soft huff, gaze moving over to look at the table for a moment before looking back at you

"T-this is highly inappropriate and unacceptable for a study environment, prefect! If you do not wish to study anymore I will be taking my leave!" He mutters out as he stands up, frantically grabbing his notes and textbooks with trembling hands

His usual put together composer was…well it was completely broken!

Before he practically sprints out of the door he stops, his back faces you as he looks down at his feet for a moment, arms tightening around his books and notes

"Ahem, Prefect..I believe we can study another time. Please clear your schedule for this saturday. I would...like to host a private tea party. Just the two of us so l expect you not to be late!" With that..he takes his leave, he knew he’d have a lot to discuss with you the upcoming saturday and he was nervous…

Though past that nervousness the thought of opening a new chapter with you only made his heart flutter more

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Leona Kingscholar 🦁 (temple)

A fun little secret here..he wasn’t actually asleep! Fun right? He was simply resting his eyes, enjoying the quiet as you scribbled things down on a loose sheet of paper…that was until you leaned in

The second your lips brushed against his temple his hand swiftly shoots up, his fingers loosely but securely wrap around your wrist as he keeps his expression the same, his eyes not opening as he stays silent for a moment. His tail swishing slowly from side to side before stopping.

The passing moment was one that seemed much longer to you than it actually was

“Oi. You’re getting awfully bold, herbivore.” His voice is thick and vibrating with that smug satisfaction that makes your stomach flip

A triumphant smirk slowly tugs at his lips as he opens one eye to look at you, his gaze was more gentle than usual as he kept a hold of your wrist

A second passes before he lets out a soft chuff. You freeze at his touch, your cheeks heating up as you try to pull away only for him to not let go…Instead he gently tugs you forward with ease

He shifts his body with you so his back head is against the arm rest of the couch with you landing on top of him with a soft thud

Your head laid snug against his chest as he adjusted himself just a little more for your comfort and his

“Think you can just sneak up on me like that and get away with it?” He murmurs as he wraps one arm securely around your waist, both of his eyes are open now as he looks down at you

You can feel his eyes on you, slowly you look up just enough to meet his gaze, to your surprise THE leona kingscholar’s cheeks are flushed with a rosy pink, his pupils slightly blown as his tail wrapped around your leg protectively

He closes his eyes again, allowing his head to lay against the arm rest again as he let’s out a content sigh

“Look. Screw the studying I can always just give you the notes for this anyways. You owe me for this little stunt you pulled so just lay down. When we wake up we’re gonna have a long talk about this so don’t even think about moving.”

With that he goes silent for one last time before slipping into unconsciousness, his arm still wrapped around your waist as his tail stayed curled around your leg

The textbooks and notes were long forgotten on the table as you laid your head back down on his chest, you knew what he wanted to talk about and honestly? No words could explain how nervous you were…

Despite that you slowly followed in his footsteps as you felt yourself getting sleepier. Melting into his touch you drifted off in his arms

He’d never admit it but he’s also nervous…but also proud. Proud that he’d soon be able to call you his.

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Azul Ashengrotto 🐙 (forehead)

Due to his naturally cautious nature and the fact he’s a sensitive sleeper thanks to the fact he’s still not quite used to sleeping in places that aren’t hallow and hard he feels the shift in the air before you even lean in

By the time your lips press against his forehead, he’s very hyper aware of your every breath and movement, his body tensing up slightly as he keeps his eyes closed

You’d think he was a statue as he remains perfectly still, maintaining a flawless and almost oscar worthy illusion of a deep sleep…unfortunately for him the tips of his ears betray him as they burn a rosy pink, a shade that matches his flushed cheeks!

Internally, his mind is racing a million miles a second as he tries to calculate exactly what this means the both of you. Alongside that he wonders if you meant to do that..

Sure no one has really ever accidentally kissed someone else’s forehead like that but what if you did! What if it wasn’t an accident though? Did you do it as a way to taunt him? No..no that wasn’t you. He knew that wasn’t you but unfortunately those thoughts lingered at the back of his mind

It takes him ten agonizing minutes to pretend that he was waking up, he sprinkled in a soft groan and soft huff just to seal the illusion that he was fast asleep..

Even if you had seen right through it

When he sits up, he carefully adjusts his glasses with shaky hands as he let’s his eyes slowly open

“Ah..my apologies, prefect.” Azul clears his throat softly as he puts on his normal put together front. He looks down at the table, refusing to look directly into your eyes lest he dies of embarrassment

There was a passing moment as he sits up straighter than before, his hands folded neatly in his lap

“I seem to have dozen off. How terribly unprofessional of me.” He smoothes down his blazer, attempting to regain a sliver of his composer

His heart is practically throwing itself against his ribs as he builds up the confidence to meet your gaze, any nervousness covered up by a calm front

A small, sly smile eventually finds a way to his lips as he nods once at you

“I would be more than happy to leave my note guide with you free of charge! And well..considering the unparalleled hospitality you have shown me today, I feel it is only right to repay my debt.”

His voice is softer than usual as he speaks, he leans forward a bit to grab just a few textbooks before he slides a neat stack of notes in your direction on the table

“I would love to see you at the lounge tomorrow evening at seven. A complementary VIP dinner, just for us. Please consider it a…well a business negotiation regarding our future”

He gives you one last nod before standing up, straightening out his uniform as he takes his leave.

The second the door shuts behind him he’s more nervous than before, already going through the motions of planning out that…vip dinner…COUGHCOUGH DATE..

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Jamil Viper 🐍 (jaw)

As a notoriously light sleeper (much like azul) who’s always alert and extremely hyper vigilant, mostly due to the fact he has to be

He’s awake the very second you lean into his personal space, the shift he feels on the cushion sending him into high alert.

Despite this the sheer unprecedented shock of the kiss you placed on his jaw freezes him entirely in his place

For the first time in his life, his mind goes completely blank..

He waits until you turn your back to grab a book before he slowly sits up. He raises his hand, his fingertips tentatively touching the warm spot on his jaw where your lips were not even a few seconds ago

His eyes widen for a moment as he realizes that just happened. You just kissed him. His heart pounds dangerously hard against his ribs, loud enough he fears you might hear it

By the time you turn back around, he violently slams his usual calm and collected facade back into place, though his dark eyes seem softer than they normally are

“So do you make it a habit of startling people while they sleep?” He scolds, though his tone lacks any real bite

He crosses his arms as he looks away, looking at anything else in the room but you. There’s a tension as the two of you sit in silence. His body is tense but slowly relaxes as he shakes his head

“You let your guard down entirely too easily. If it was anyone else..they could’ve reacted poorly to that.” He turns his head to look in your direction

When you just smile at him, that smile that makes his heart melt every time he sees it, his mouth opens slightly before he closes it again

He only sighs before standing up, gathering his belongings in a calm manner

“You’re impossible you know that right? Look I hope studying helped. If you need anymore don’t hesitate to find me.”

With that he begins to make his way to the door, stopping infront of it as he turns his head just a little..just enough to look back at you

“Keep your schedule open next week. kalims been bugging me about throwing another banquet so chances are I’m going to be stuck preparing that and in the kitchen so..swing by. You can be my taste tester. I also have practice just in case you want to go watch.”

The second the steps out of ramshackle he takes a deep breath. He knows that if he’s going to have that conversation with you he wouldn’t want it to be here.

He knows it’s going to be difficult once you two talk, with him always being busy and well just his situation in whole he knows how much of an impact this would have on you but he does want this to work so so badly

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Vil Schoenheit 🎭 (cheek)

Now vil had never planned on falling asleep. He had gotten all of his usual hours that left him feeling refreshed and ready for the day so why had he suddenly been hit with a wave of exhaustion?

Perhaps it was the steady ticking of the clock and just the overall dingy atmosphere of ramshackle or perhaps…it was your presence. Either way he had fallen fast asleep as you went over your notes

The moment you pulled back from his cheek he shifted slightly, his movements as graceful as ever. His eyelids soon fluttered open, amethyst eyes quickly finding you..

Somehow he looked even more beautiful than ever..truly like a painting that had perfection in every brush stroke. His skin was clear and almost looked like porcelain, his makeup was flawless, his hair was perfectly in place as per usual

He really was the fairest of them all

Despite his calm and unbothered exterior, deep inside his heart skipped a beat

Vil does not flush or stammer, no. That’s simply not him. Instead a genuine and breathtakingly soft smile breaks through his typical poised outside

He let’s out a soft chuff, his gaze softened significantly as he kept his hands clasped together on his lap

“How charming. If you wanted to kiss me, potato, you should have simply asked.” He murmurs, his voice smooth like silk as his smile only softens

He would never allow anyone to kiss him unprompted. It was undignified and to do that to THE vil ​shoenheit? You must be out of your mind!

Though…when it comes to you? He could let it slide

He reaches out, his cool fingertips lingering on your jawline as he deliberately tucks a tray hair behind your ear slowly. His touch is gentle as he let’s his hand linger on your skin

The way he looks at you makes your heart flutter. His eyes look over your face for a moment and to him? It was like he was looking at the most beautiful work of art he’s ever seen.

“Though I suppose I can forgive your lack of decorum just this once.” He pauses for a moment, his finger tracing your jawline before he pulls his hand back

“I suppose the rustic charm of ramshackle does bring out one’s…baser instincts”

He stands up, soothing out his outfit that was already perfect so he didn’t really have to do it…his eyes seem to never leave yours

As charming as this was, he wants to be the one to initiate a kiss, he wants to take you out on a romantic evening and confess to you the proper way and while ramshackle does have it’s…well it’s own charms

He’d prefer to set the mood before, even just a romantic spa day at ​pomefiore would do it! There’s a pause before he holds his hand out to you, expecting you to take it

“Come along. You’ve already gotten the appropriate amount of studying in today and I’d like you to walk with me back to pomefiore.”

The moment you take his hand he gives a small nod, he gracefully picks up his belongings in the other and leads you to the door

The walk over to his dorm was calm and he truly enjoyed your presence. Now all he needed to do was plan a day just for the two of you.

Much like jamil he is busy…with him being a model and actor plus a student who takes his studies seriously there’s never really much free time for him besides personal care hours

And he knows pursuing a relationship with you would mean the public going crazy over it maybe there would even be headlines but..he wanted to make it work. To finally call you his

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Idia Shroud 👾 (cheek)

Idia wasn’t even really sure how he had gotten himself into this situation to begin with..

Maybe just maybe it was how you had mentioned that you had to study for this big history test, clearly stressing over it all while playing a new fps game with him in the safety of his room

The second those words left your mouth he practically leaped into the hero role

“Pftt…trein’s class is basically just an unskippable cutscene with a massive lore dump. My int stat for that class is basically maxed out so I could totally just slide you a guide and uh..help..you study i-if you want no pressure or uh anything like that!”

Ah! yeah..it was that..but hey he couldn’t help it! Somehow you managed to plant yourself into idias life and over time he grew to enjoy your company.

Given that ramshackle was also free of those god forsaken NPCS he wouldn’t be forced to interact with anyone he didn’t want to, he was practically in a safe zone!

It had been a few hours of studying and random conversations about some random gacha banners he had recently pulled from on his favorite game before he slumped against the armrest with his eyes closed

His social battery was almost entirely dead as he let himself fully relax..That was until you leaned into his personal space and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek

His eyes stayed shut in a desperate but to fake a deep sleep but his cheeks and hair betrayed him almost instantly, the flames of his hair flared up and the tips turned pink, one that matched the growing flush on his cheeks

He could practically hear his own heartbeat drumming deafeningly loud in his own ears as he tried so desperately to process the situation

A cold sweat broke out across the back of his neck as he sat there practically paralyzed, it wasn’t unwelcomed! No no it was just so sudden he didn’t have time to prepare himself

The second he heard your footsteps softly pad into the kitchen to grab a drink he moved with a surprising speed as he scrambled off of the couch not even bothering to pick up his notes as he almost tripped over his shoes

With that he bolted out the door so fast the hinges groaned in protest

For seven agonizing days you were left on read, every text you sent asking if he was okay, if you’d be able to swing by his room to play that one game you had recently taken interest in, if he wanted his notes back all simply seen without a reply

In person was even worse, the times that he didn’t go out he’d dodge you as quickly as he could, and honestly it kind of sucked

You had no explanation on what was happening and even asking ortho if he was okay seemed hopeless as well..he didn’t know what was wrong with his big brother either

On the evening of the eighth day though as you were trying to make a few repairs on ramshackle your phone buzzed

The moment you picked it up that’s when you saw a notification from idia, a rather long paragraph but hey it was still a reply! The second your eyes scanned over the text a smile tugged at your lips

“Hey…srry for being a total jerk and leaving u on read and also leaving randomly. U must hate me and I wouldn’t hold it against you. I totally threw that quick time event lol…srry. If u want to vc tn you know I’ll be online, I also got more of those drinks u like if u want to come over to my room and hang out in person..hope we’re cool now”

All you can do is smile at his words before he begins to type again

“Btw player 2 slot is permanently reserved for you jsyk.”

“…”

“That was so cringe ignore plz.”

While idia isn’t exactly too familiar with dating (most of his knowledge from how things happen come from those cheesy romance anime’s and visual novels that are kind of unrealistic but hey it’s still something!) he does want to try

He’s a bit awkward but willing work on that for you!

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Malleus Draconia 🐉 (forehead)

Tonight it seemed there was a heavy exhaustion hanging over the fae, the calm and quiet of the evening lulling him to sleep as he let his head rest against the back of the couch

He looked beautiful. His usual sharp features softened completely in his sleep..truly it was a sight to behold!

The moment you placed a soft lingering kiss on his forehead, right between his dark horns his eyes opened, the slitted pupils dilating as he adjusted to the dim lighting of the room

They fix on you shortly after with an ancient warmth that makes your breath completely catch in your throat. Truth be told he felt the shift of the couch cushion, he could sense you were inching closer but he trusted you.

He knew your intentions with him were never ill and neither were his. Malleus was always completely vulnerable with you and even he knew that. You’ve captured this faes heart!

When you pull back to look at him fully his eyes are glued onto yours. He doesn’t startle and he doesn’t pull away. No..

Instead a warm smile tugs at his lips, your unprompted action making his heart fluttering in his chest. He shifts his weight as he sits up just enough to reach out to you and gently cup your cheek in his hand

There’s a pause as he takes a second to admire you. Really admire you. He had always found himself captivated you and this time was no different

“Child of man.” He murmurs his voice was deep yet oh so soft as he spoke

“You…you continue to be the most wondrous surprise in my long existence.”

His words are genuine, they always are. He doesn’t look flustered at all, rather, he looks as though a centuries old puzzle has finally clicked into place

And for him it had. You were the last piece, one that he had spent centuries looking for and finally there you were.

He slowly leans forward just enough to rest his forehead against yours with such delicacy as to not hurt you with his horns. He closes his eyes as he traces your cheekbone gently with his thumb

“I have lived for many centuries. I have been feared, respected, and isolated…yet, no one has ever dared to show me such gentle and fearless affection as I lay.”

He continues his movement on your cheekbone, his thumb moving in a slow left and right movement. He slowly opens his eyes, his gaze was soft and something only reserved for you

There was also a hint of undeniable certainty as he pulled back, removing his hand from your face he gently took ahold of your hands and squeezed them just a little

“I find myself captivated by your spirit. I cannot and will not keep this feeling hidden in the shadows any longer. I am completely and entirely yours if you will have me. I want to be the one you are betrothed to..”

The moment you accept his feelings he’s over the moon. His hands gently squeeze yours once more as he brings one of them up to his mouth, leaving a kiss on your warm skin in return

Malleus looks forward to your new life together! He’s constantly at your side ready to do whatever you ask. He’s smitten and as the prince of briar valley he wants nothing more than to have you be his royal consort..

============================

Another small a/n: