#ghost drabbles

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Loathe as he is to admit it, Minajael’s idea worked like a dream. Suddenly shop owners that gave Yuu suspicious looks and guarded answers were now all too eager to share their knowledge with him after sharing what he considered an embarrassing amount of information.

“Of course! You know what they say, the best way to get to a heart is through the stomach.” A vendor chuckles before they begin to list the ingredients to make Muhammara, and Yuu has to stand there, taking notes and donning his best attempt at a cheerful smile. “How's the boy you like? Does he like more spice? Or is he more of a sweets guy?”

Yuu grits his teeth. Having to share aspects about Azul to strangers feels like a betrayal of their friendship, but he pushes those feelings down for the sake of this endeavor. It's not like anyone will put two and two together anyways. “I… ah, I believe he actually would prefer a milder spice level. The last time he ate some curry our friend made he turned all red in the face…” He murmurs.

While in their stay at Scarabia dorm for the winter holidays Yuu had been able to, albeit reluctantly, taste Jamil's cooking— most of which was catered to Kalim's taste which apparently leaned towards milder flavours. Yet, for reasons that are obvious in hindsight, Azul once insisted on trying Jamil's personal curry batch once.

The aftermath was catastrophic. As soon as Azul took a spoonful into his mouth his expression shifted into one could only describe as instant and barely restrained regret. Floyd burst into laughter, and in-between his fit, he joked about how ‘he didn't know Azul could turn such a color’.  Jade wasn't much help either, gleefully watching the Octomer from the sidelines as he feigned superficial concern for his friend. Poor Azul couldn't even open his mouth to speak. The way he scrunched up his face as if he'd sucked on an especially sour lemon was somehow etched in Yuu's memory despite not being able to visualize it. It was a vain effort to keep some modicum of decorum and pretend the food hadn't affected him, but Azul’s watery eyes and bitter frown were far too pronounced to hide. If it hadn't been for Kalim rushing off to get some milk from the kitchen and Yuu himself offering his own half-filled cup of water, he's sure everyone would've just watched Azul get completely overwhelmed.

“Then I'd recommend adding slightly more walnuts and pomegranate molasses. You can skip the chili paste and lower the paprika too, but don't remove the Aleppo peppers. They're what gives the dip that specific flavor.”

“Thank you… I'll keep that in mind.” Yuu scribbles the last of his notes onto the test notebook, then turns to Grim, who's sitting at one of the barchairs and eagerly digging into the red paste with a piece of the Pita they'd gathered the recipe for already. “Anything you noticed?”

“ ‘s got lime too!”

The vendor laughs awkwardly. “It's just a little extra I put in to balance out the flavors. It's not traditional, though.”

“Lime…” Yuu murmurs as he jots down the comment. He'd realized that, if the vendors cooperate, Grim was also more compelled to fill in the gaps and provide extra information. That and his discerning palate made it so that no ingredient was missing. Even those special ‘secret touches’ chefs kept to themselves.

Was it a little dirty? Maybe, but all is fair in love and war.

“Are you done with your little adventure?”

Yuu jumps a bit at the sudden voice coming from behind. Najma Viper, Jamil's little sister. “Ah- uh-... sorry, am I keeping you back?” He turns to see her in the eye as he hoists Grim back on one of his shoulders. “You can tell me if I'm being too much.”

Najma's eyes glimmer in what Yuu assumes is amusement. “My brother's pretty annoyed. But don't mind him, he's a square in his best days.” She reaches to wipe some crumbs off Grim's fur, careful not to stain the silk keffiyeh the Asim staff managed to come up with so the little direbeast wouldn't feel left out. “But you know, if you wanted to get culinary tips you could've just asked him directly. I'm sure he could arrange for you to go to the staff kitchens.”

“Eh—” Yuu's eyes shift to the side. Avoiding the younger Viper's far too discerning gaze. “Your brother and I aren't exactly on the best terms.” He shrugs.

It was true, after all. They didn't get along that well during the winter break. And after Jamil's overblot and Yuu's subsequent befriending of Kalim? They might as well be like water and oil. Not to mention Azul's crush on that guy.

Yuu would rather swallow rocks than ask him for help.

“I thought you said you were all friends.” Najma's expression becomes more stern. Now the family resemblance was evident, as Cater said before.

“I'm more of Kalim-kun's friend, actually.” Yuu sighs. “And besides, Jamil's busy as-is. I don't want to add another detour.”

The girl's eyes trace Yuu's face before she turns back to the main group, who are chatting amongst themselves besides a juice stand nearby. “Well, you're going to have to anyway. Your horned friend is not there anymore.”

“Tsunotarō?” She's right. Now that he's paying more attention Yuu could only count three people. And it's not like it's hard to notice Malleus isn't there. He is the tallest out of all of them, after all. Where could he have wandered to?

“That's troublesome.”

“Nah,” Najma flashes him a smile, all too knowing. “My bro's got it covered.” She sounds so proud of him, kind of sweet if she wasn't talking about Yuu's incredibly irritating love rival.

“Can't blame him after knowing how Kalim-kun is.” Yuu huffs out a smile in spite of himself. He can practically feel a younger Kalim rushing through the narrow paths of the bazaar, marvelling at every stall with glee while an annoyed Jamil follows closely behind. Kalim must've gotten lost constantly. Not to mention the possible…

Yuu shivers at the thought.

“Yup. Anyways, I gotta go, but good luck with your Gourmet club book thingy! And by the by, it really wouldn't hurt to ask. My brother's a hard-ass, but he's pretty helpful when he wants to be. Buh-bye!”

With that, Najma hops out towards the rest, probably to announce about her departure to her brother. “Y'know, you really gotta ask Jamil.” Grim mentions, his tail curling up to Yuu's neck. “She's right he's usually pretty helpful. And besides, I don't even get why you hate him so much.”

Yuu glowers slightly. Obviously, he can't tell Grim about his crush lest he blabbers to whomever is nearby, but also he doesn't think he'd understand his reasoning regardless. “That's personal, Grimmy. Don't get involved.”

“Fgnahh?! What is that supposed to mean?! I demand you tell me!!” Grim's claws tug at his hair slightly, but he can't break into a full-on tantrum when Jamil quickly approaches the two.

“Camel Bazaar tour is over. Let's go.” He barely gives the two a once-over before he turns heel and briskly walks back to Cater and Trey, fully expecting Yuu to follow.

Ugh.

“Alright… let's go.” Yuu grumbles, but he really has no choice but to go with the others. He also has no option but to ask the Asim staff for help. The notebook's still barely full after all. As Jamil steers them through the crowded streets towards another area of the city, though, Yuu thinks that maybe it'd be best to wait until Kalim is back to make his request. He really doesn't want to get Jamil involved in this. He'd rather die, actually.

As they make their way through the pathways towards their next location, Yuu starts to notice the change in architecture. From humble stalls packed together in little rows to more luxurious, spacious shops and even boutiques. He mentally thanked himself that they’d already covered most souvenirs at the Camel Bazaar— at least regarding Grim’s own keepsakes.

It does take a couple of minutes, but they arrive at what looks like a large roofed neighborhood that’s lined by a more varied arrangement of businesses, from clothing shops to cookware and even jewelry. Yuu shivers as they walk by one of the more expensive-looking stores. Even breathing feels like it would cost at least ten Thaumarks. Unsurprisingly, finding Malleus amongst the crowd isn’t all too hard. His stature and the bright teal headdress was more than enough to spot him. No horns needed.

“Hey, Tsunotarō.” Yuu jogs his way up to him in front of the group, waving at the prince to catch his attention amongst the various people surrounding them. “Why’d you wander off?”

“Ah, Child of Man.” Malleus smiles easily, reaching his arm out to wade through the crowd and meet Yuu in the middle. “Did I stray too far? I was so absorbed with browsing the selection of products in this area. As much as I enjoy sampling the fruit at the Bazaar, I’m afraid I am more interested in gathering more durable gifts for my dormmates.”

Yuu merely nods in agreement. He did keep them at the Bazaar for quite a while, it would’ve been just a matter of time until somebody got bored and decided to explore on their own. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize.” Malleus nods his head slightly as his own form of reassurance. “You two seemed to be quite entertained with your research, I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Hey, Tsunotarō!” Grim perks up from his perch on Yuu’s shoulders.  “Ya found something cool? I wanna see!” He tries to climb his way from Yuu to Malleus’s arm, but the fae takes a step away from Grim’s paws.

“Don’t do that, Grimmy.” Yuu grabs his friend by the belly, catching and holding him in his arms. “You need to ask for permission before getting on someone’s shoulders. We talked about this.” Grim wriggles around defiantly, but eventually gives up as Yuu’s grip tightens.

“No fair! Tsunotarō’s taller! I wanna see what’s out there!!”

“I said. No.”

Malleus merely sighs out a chuckle, leaning towards the direbeast with a teasing glare. “You should know better than to defy your master, Grim. He’s already been kind enough to carry you on his shoulders during our walk through the Camel Market, no? It would sure be a shame if Yuu put you back in the ground and you got swept by the crowd, wouldn’t it?”

Grim’s full-body shiver at Malleus’s thinly veiled threat doesn’t fail to crack a smile on Yuu’s face, and it is a satisfying enough reaction that Malleus leans back. “Don’t tease him. He’s just upset he can’t sightsee with all these people around.” He gently chides, nudging his friend slightly. He still doesn’t get why everyone’s so scared of Tsunotarō, it’s not like he’s the only prince in NRC. “All he can see is a wide assortment of shoes and anklets.”

“Is that so…?” Malleus’s face becomes more pensive, then smiles once more as he takes Grim from Yuu’s arms and places him on a singular shoulder. “Perhaps I’ll indulge you today. Enjoy the view while you can.”

When Jamil and the others catch up to them, Yuu can’t help but relish in his mortified expression.

“What… Is Grim–”He carefully starts, but Yuu waves a dismissive hand at him.

“Grimmy just wanted to feel tall. Tsunotarō is okay with it.” Malleus nods in agreement, holding Grim steady by the paws when the direbeast wobbles slightly and grabs onto his horn for stability.

Thankfully, a carefree laugh coming from behind eases the collective shock of the group.

“That’s so cute! You wanna get on my shoulder too, Grim?” Kalim, who was just a couple steps behind Briar Valley’s heir apparent, pokes Grim’s cheek, having to tip-toe to reach him at that height.

“Hghh- no, I’m good here!” As Grim finally catches onto the teasing, he turns around indignantly and pouts, hiding his face on Malleus’s Keffiyeh.

Now that everyone was there and accounted for, Yuu’s attention shifted to the much more varied offer of products at the market. He should probably think about getting some souvenirs for his other friends, right? It’d be rude to only bring one person something. It’s not like his crush on Azul was a secret from the Adeuce duo, but he should at least not be that obvious about his bias. Plus, he should get Kunak a proper gift, too.

He’d been so good to him even when going after his Housewarden, plus he was their only other member of the Gourmet Club and was Grim’s defacto babysitter. Giving him the raw draft of his culinary investigation felt a bit too callous.

Maybe some spices? That shouldn’t break the bank. So he takes the opportunity to peruse the shop nearby when Cater and Kalim spot it.

“You’re not seriously considering giving Lils spices, aren’t you?” Cater warns when he notices Yuu starts to take a few steps towards the doorway. “You heard Malleus-kun. It’s definitely not a good idea to poke the beast– err, dragon.”

“Nah, I’m getting some for Kunak-kun. He’s the first year I told you about.”

“Ah! The one who’s in your club, right?” Kalim chimes in. “That’s sweet. Jamil will help you pick if you wanna!”

Yuu and Jamil meet eyes when Kalim mentions the idea, and they both visibly cringe.

“I’ll be fine, thanks.” Yuu forces out a smile and pats Kalim’s back. “He’d probably appreciate it more if I chose it personally.”

Plus, if he were to also get spices for Azul…

Wait, no. Focus.

But… It wouldn’t be a bad idea either… just a back-up gift, he thinks.

If his budget allows it.

Sevens, he's going to go broke at this point.

Notes:

“C’mon big boy, don’t you wanna have some fun with me? Relieve some of that pent up energy from the show?” you purr, stalking towards Mountain and gently but firmly pushing him towards one of the equipment cases resting behind a corner. Sheepishly, the tall ghoul complies, letting you guide him backwards to a sitting position on the crate, now bringing him to eye-level.

“But… I don’t wanna get caught…” he whines, shifting a bit to unstick some of the damp clothing clinging to his body. A soft chuckle leaves you as you shush Mountain with a kiss, taking his bottom lip in between your teeth and nibbling it, a whisper of a moan escaping him as his posture softens, hands resting on your waist.

With a grin, your brow lifts, cupping Mountain’s face in your hands and knocking his long legs apart with your foot, spreading them nice and wide to accommodate you easily and to show him off a little. “You’ll be okay- we’re tucked away in a corner… as long as you’re quiet, sweetheart. Do you think you can do that for me?” you trail, letting your hand wander to his crotch to palm over the taut fabric. “You’re already starting to get hard for me babe, so pretty.”

“I can… I can do it, please…” the slender ghoul agrees, lifting his head to open up his neck for you to kiss. Naturally, you let your lips work over his skin, doing what you can with the limited space poking out of his collar. You nip gently, sucking blushed marks here and there whilst pulling down Mountain’s zipper and snaking your hand in to pull out his length, gasping a little as you grip it.

“Oh… Look at this thick cock baby- so pretty for me.” you tease, thumbing at the tip a little. Firmly, you instruct him to spit in your hand; he does so, but he needs a little encouragement to be so pliant and shameless in near-public. “Good boy, my gorgeous Rubble…”

Mountain sighs in pleasure, his face softening as he hears the endearing nickname you use for him. He giggles a little, pulling you in for more kisses but stuttering in the process as you begin to stroke properly, your hand squeezing his length carefully, tracing a vein with your thumb. “Sweet Satan- p-please…” he groans, trying his best to keep quiet but gradually losing his ability to hold back.

“Please what, Mounty? Come on now… you know you have to keep those little noises in. I know you can do it, and maybe you’ll get a reward later?” you smirk, keeping up the pressure and increasing the pace of your strokes a bit, making sure to pay special attention to the sensitive head. His hips begin to jerk a little, strained whines falling from his lips as he gets closer and closer to letting go. You can tell by the way his cheeks blush bright and his chest heaves with little breaths puffing in and out that he’s almost there, so close, so you take the initiative to press your lips against his to drown out any noise.

Just as predicted, he seizes a bit, a litany of gasps and moans falling from his mouth to yours as he scatters his seed over your hand, the warm mess coating your fingers. You let him ride out his orgasm, praising him softly for behaving so well and petting his hair with your free hand. What a joy it is to see him without his mask- glorious brown locks flowing and pallid skin illuminated by the sheen of sweat from his hard work on stage.

“How do you feel sweetheart?” you coo, bringing your soiled digits up to his mouth for him to clean off, the large ghoul obediently following your silent instruction immediately, swirling his tongue around them and pulling you back for a kiss to taste him.

As the New VP

I will still wonder til the day we graduate, just how in the world I was able to become the vice president of our entire class. It was supposed to be just a joke and something to try for fun remember?  I didn’t put any efforts in my campaign, I was far from motivated, honestly I was just winging it while Nikkou and Akira were gun ho about it as my “PR team and campaign manager.”

Still, fate has the best sense of humor of us all… It I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met you.

Twas the night of the election party, or I should say- The most awkward dinner party to date. Oh how I remember all the glares and whispers of gossip so well. All the class reps were there from our grade and then it was the president’s and vice presidents from the junior and senior classes as well. I was there in a pastel lilac strapless dress and you were sitting with Yuko and some of the other classroom reps in your dusty red dress with the gold floral print. I hated it the most because Nikkou was off flirting with the junior vp and Akira was rubbing the obvious victory in the faces of the snobbish girls.

Back then I terrible at socializing… I’m not any better but i can admit where I was at my worst. We were sitting across from one another, you were on your phone and I was stupidly twiddling my thumbs,while looking around and trying to figure out if I should say something or risk looking dumb.

“I like your dress!” Such a wonderful ice breaker right?

It seemed to have worked as it got you to acknowledge me, and you said the same. Then from there I confessed my hatred of all things frilly and it had you laughing, thankfully in the good way. You learned about my clan sized family and I learned about your enthusiasm of tea and from there our shared misery wasn’t so bad… That was until dear old president Mion so graciously invited me to aid her in giving the toast for our grade…

“Shit! What do I say!?” I whispered to you in panic

“Just sound like you know what you’re talking about… You know fake it!”  Such life saving advice

She poured me some sparkling cider in a glass and we held them together. My heart was in my throat while she spoke but, I was ready to make up the most poetic pile of lies in all my life.

“I was humbled and honored to have achieved such a feat with my closest friends and now my newfound team… So as the new vice president I will be the right hand for president Asouka Mion and aid and you all so that way we can all hold our right hands high at graduation!”

It never stops to amazing me where and how I was able to pull it off, but then again maybe you were right all along…I should take up acting.

It helped a great deal watching you smirk and hold in your laughs too, I was doing you proud with my faking it skills! And hey, you were finally able to laugh when the president of the senior class and his friends invited me to sit with them and I turned into a blushing mess. Once again you came to my rescue and politely told them I was not interested.