Unbirthday parties at NRC always follow the rules—the oh-so-“questionable” rules of Heartslabyul—but for some reason, whether it’s the music or the sheer number of another dorms guests, the tension released after finals, or maybe just the chaos of other dorms sharing food, sweets, and drinks right in Riddle’s territory, this party doesn’t even feel… unusual anymore.

Maybe it’s also the fact that Ace is way too quiet in the corner, hunched over himself, trying (and failing) to hide a rather large vial in his hand. You know that when Ace has that mischievous smile and not a shred of remorse in sight, nothing good can come out of the redhead; and this occasion won’t be an exception. Especially not after you saw him pour that very vial into the punch bowl.

“Trappola tradition,” you hear him say. It seems his older brother has passed down the baton for the worst prank.

Whatever Ace poured in there, the air gets sweeter, tinged with a rainbow of colors, with that feeling you get when you finally come of age and know exactly what you want and desire, and that hint of something not entirely legal for a school campus.

Someone, probably Floyd, starts chanting, “Chug! Chug! Chug!” and Epel’s already on his second drink, trying to prove he can handle alcohol better than anyone. Grim, meanwhile, is busy fishing out slices of floating fruit, muttering about the injustice of being banned from the dessert table.

Riddle tries to keep his composure, doing his best not to think about the countless rules being broken in his own lounge, but the blush on his cheeks and the way he wobbles from side to side give him away—he’s not immune to the spirit of the party… and maybe he’s already had a taste of the punch.

You try to take it easy, but it’s hard when everyone keeps handing you drinks, plates of fruit, little candies with mysterious fillings. The world feels slow and slippery, like honey running through your veins, and suddenly you’re part of a tightly packed crowd in the lounge, shoulders pressed together, glasses raised, clinking them to the beat of a song nobody quite remembers the words to.

You catch Ruggie stuffing three types of chocolate into his pockets—not before slipping a couple into your hands, though. “Eat up! Or you’ll regret it tomorrow.” Kalim drags you onto the dance floor, his laughter easy, his hands never still, bracelets jingling as he spins you through the crowd.

The drinks get sweeter, the candies and fruits stronger. You lose track of how much you’ve had after the third glass. Laughter floats in the air, yours mixing with theirs.

You remember Vil’s perfume enveloping you as his knuckles brush along your cheek, making you shiver. “Having fun, darling?”

You just nod before walking to the other side of the room to separate Ace and Deuce—apparently both are on the verge of causing nuclear disaster in the middle of the lounge over who can fit more marshmallows in their mouth. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot Leona sprawling even lazier than usual across the sofa, and Malleus… well, laughing and making the air tremble a little.

Everything that came after you remember in lazy waves: laughter blooming warm in your chest, the tickle of someone’s breath on your ear; someone tucking a wildflower behind your ear—was it a white or red rose? It doesn’t matter, 'cause seconds later someone else snatches it away with their teeth and a grin that’s barely even trying to be subtle.

The music pounds in your ears until, at some point, everything settles and you’re wrapped in silence. You remember flashes in that quiet: lips tasting of chocolate pressed to yours, teeth biting your throat, hands brushing your skin under your clothes, laughter melting into moans.

Your hands are everywhere, entwined with someone else’s, tangled in soft strands of hair, clutching a shirt as you fumble with the buttons, at a belt, at the bedsheets, everything is heat, color, and taste. The world tilts and spins and you let go, trusting in the madness of it all, in the hands gripping your waist, in the mouth claiming you, in that lovely sensation of being wanted, claimed, and utterly ruined all at once and in every possible way.

When you finally wake up, the light is all wrong and comes in without asking permission, your thighs feel heavy and there’s that pleasant tingle between them, something itches at your neck, and you’ve got hair in your face.

Your head hurts—no, scratch that, your head is pounding and trying to open your eyes is a very bad idea right now. You take a deep breath and the pain’s still there, hammering away, demanding you face the day.

╌╌╌╌╌╌𖤐☽༓☾𖤐╌╌╌╌╌╌𖤐☽༓☾𖤐╌╌╌╌

Trey

When you slowly turn your head, you find Trey sleeping on his stomach, one lazy arm under the pillow, hair a mess but annoyingly attractive. You assume his glasses are on his nightstand, the sheets dangerously low over his hips.

His hips… bare.

His chest is bare too.

You look down at your own body and—bingo—you’re naked too.

And these aren’t your sheets, this isn’t your pillow, and obviously, this isn’t your dorm bed.

Holy… fuck.

You try to remember, even with the pounding headache, half mortified, half… half what, exactly? Surprised? Embarrassed? Or just utterly satisfied to have such a god lying next to you?

Flashes hit you without warning: the warmth of Trey’s hand guiding you away from the crowd, his soft laughter by your ear, both of you laughing at some joke only the two of you found funny, stumbling together until you crashed into bed.

The taste of icing and the sweetness of strawberries on Trey’s lips when he kissed you fiercely; did he feed you with his fingers, or did you steal the flavor right from his mouth?

His hands roaming every inch of you, his palms warm; his tongue scandalous, licking you slow and deep, teasing your clit, sliding between your wet folds, holding your hips so you couldn’t escape.

Him straightening up, wiping his mouth with his thumb, looking you right in the eyes.

You felt the tip of his cock pressing against your wet pussy, sliding in slowly, panting against your lips, deep strokes, but completely sensual.

“You like how I fill you up, right? You’re so wet, so beautiful,” he’d murmured against your ear, holding one of your legs up over his shoulder to push even deeper.

The way he held both your legs over his shoulders, folding you in half, thrusting over and over, deep, hitting your sweet spot, probably making you scream.

Trey’s name on your lips when he made you cum, slipping two fingers inside you to stretch you even more while his cock was still buried deep.

The moment he held you after it was all over, the fingers of one hand tangled in your hair and the other lazily drawing circles on your back.

Trey shifts, stretching and opening one eye, still half-asleep. He gives you a small, crooked smile when he sees you—serene… and breath taking.

“Good morning.”

Goddamn, even his voice is too sexy...add that rough, low tone and you’re already wet again.

“Did you sleep well? Headache?”

Is it that obvious?

“Uh… yeah, yeah, a little.”

Trey sits up and the sheets slide dangerously lower, lower, on his hips. You try not to look… but fail.

Obviously you fail, who are we kidding? The view of this man’s torso alone is enough to make you start drooling. Those strong arms from all that kneading, the abs, the broad shoulders, and…

Marks?

He has marks on his neck?

Some are obviously hickeys… others look like the start of scratches that trail down his back.

You bite your lip, desperate to look at his back, to see the scratches you obviously left, and see how strong his muscles are there.

“Did we…?” It’s a dumb question—you obviously had sex—but you need to hear it from him.

“Yup… several times, actually.”

The heat that rushes to your cheeks is uncontrollable, almost the same shade of red as his bed curtains.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

“Are you regretting it?”

Please, this man can’t be any sweeter or he’d cause diabetes.

Trey kisses your temple when he realizes there’s not even a hint of regret, or fear, or doubt.

Then, he gets up and starts looking for something to wear before going to get breakfast.

OH MY GOD THAT BODY!!!

And the scratch marks from your nails down his back, and his ass… and his cock, half-hard.

Trey notices you’re basically devouring him with your eyes… “Do you want breakfast, or do you want me to jog your memory with another round?”

He winks at you before pulling on his glasses, boxers and uniform pants and leaving the room to get you something to eat and something for your hangover.

Ah… you could die peacefully in that bed.

Leona

It’s the heat that you notice first—something heavy and solid pressing against you from behind, half-sprawled over your side, as if you were a possession. His possession

Your nose fills with a musky, warm, spiced scent, with hints of something… wild. It’s accompanied by the soft, steady sound of breathing.

You try to open your eyes, but the light only makes things worse, so you’re forced to rely on your other instincts and sensations.

You feel something wrapping around your leg, something soft, moving, tickling you lightly with part of its fur.

Wait… fur?

Is he holding you with a tail?

A TAIL?!

You force one eye open and the first thing you see, in all its glorious splendor, is Leona’s bare chest pressed against your back, one arm wrapped around your stomach.

You follow the line of that arm and realize you’re naked too…

You lift the sheets. Yep. Very naked.

Your skin tingles and your hips ache, your thighs feel like jelly, clear evidence that the bed wasn’t used just for sleeping.

You try to move, but Leona’s arm is like an iron bar, stopping you from even sitting up, his fingers tightening possessively on your hip. A shiver runs down your spine when you feel his tail slide upward, his ears twitch.

“Going somewhere, little mouse?” His voice is deep and rough right by your ear.

You turn your head and meet the lion’s wide green eyes, far too awake for this early in the morning. He gives you a half-smile, one fang showing, dangerously smug and a little arrogant… well, very arrogant.

That look is unmistakably that of a predator about to pounce on its prey.

You pull the sheets up to cover yourself a bit more, as if there were any way to hide a nakedness that had clearly already been explored hours ago for… quite a while.

“What happened last night?” Your mind is racing and your heart feels like it’s about to leap out of your chest.

Leona growls softly, though he doesn’t seem to care in the slightest that you’re covering your “modesty.”

“After how loud you were all night, I figured you’d remember at least something.”

Your face goes nuclear red. You clutch the sheet tighter, but it’s useless. You’re in his bed, in his territory.

“Did we… sleep together?”

“Sleep?” You hear a low, amused scoff from his chest. “Oh, we did more than sleep… want me to remind you?”

He doesn’t need to. Your body does it for him.

Not only do you feel the dampness between your thighs, but there are bite marks along them, already starting to bruise, traitors that reveal just how intimate last night was.

You can feel a few on your neck and collarbone too; they don’t hurt, but you know they’re going to be bright red well into the morning.

Your own memories begin to surface: your hands in his hair as you both devoured each other’s mouths in the hallway, his low, rough voice murmuring when he finally pulled back, “Do you want me to take you to my bed, or do you want me to wreck you right here in the hallway?”

His lips moving from your shoulder down to your breasts, massaging one with his large palm while he trapped your nipple between his lips, licking it and making you arch your back.

“Say my name, again. Do it again” every time you moaned with each thrust. Your face buried in the pillow while he took you from behind, relentless and unhurried, panting heavily over you.

His hands roaming your entire body, strong, confident, taking what he wanted without asking; his teeth grazing your neck. Was it just one bite he left, or several?

His name on your lips every time he made you cum, even when he was nowhere near finishing himself. Pride mixing with hunger as he felt you clench those soft walls around his cock.

The boldness in your voice when you begged for more and more. “Please, harder… harder, Leona” How could he possibly say no?

You remember being on top of him, legs spread wide as you rode him desperately, thighs shaking; him leaning back, hands behind his head, enjoying his private show.

His strong hands on your ass, “helping” you move faster, impaling you with every thrust.

Leona coming inside you, holding you tight against him. “That’s it, little mouse, fill yourself up with me”

“You were wild—I barely managed to get your clothes off,” Leona pulls you out of your thoughts as he props himself up on one arm without a hint of shame, his body fully on display.

“Not that I’m complaining. You were pretty insistent when you rode me and asked for a second round. And a third.”

You let out a small squeak and cover your face with both hands. “Please, stop.”

Leona straightens and takes your hands in his, pinning them above your head against the pillow; he flips you onto your back with ridiculous ease, looming over you with a feral grin. You’re caged, completely at his mercy.

And gods, his body lit by the morning sunlight is far too delicious.

“You look incredibly tempting.” His gaze roams over your face and body, barely covered by the sheets.

He gives your shoulder a small bite and laughs when you let out a little yelp. “Want another round? Or breakfast so you don’t pass out on top of me?”

You glare at him, cheeks burning; you want to strangle him. Or kiss him. Possibly both.

“Breakfast… then we’ll see.”

He pecks your lips softly. “Good girl.” And then he gets out of bed without the slightest bit of modesty, tail swaying, letting you admire the scratch marks trailing down his back.

Jade

Why does the silence feel like you’ve been swallowed by the sea?

And why does it smell like seawater? And sea salt?

The room is so dim that the few rays of light filtering through the curtains make strange patterns on the bed.

And it’s a kind of dimness you haven’t seen in Ramshackle for a long time… which means, this is not your room.

Everything hurts; your throat is raw, your lips are swollen, your body heavy, like something squeezed you until there was nothing left.

You try to move but there’s a hand on your belly, a thumb lazily drawing small circles on your bare skin.

Bare skin…

BARE SKIN?!?!

You sit up—and it’s a very bad idea. The hangover slams into your head and you bring your hand up to your temple.

“Ah… looks like you’ve got a hangover, and considering how eager you were last night…”

You turn your head to find Jade’s smile—small and polite, but absolutely terrifying.

“Does my pearl need something to make her morning… more productive?”

“Jade…” your voice comes out hoarse and rough, and you cough, trying to clear the discomfort.

“Ah, I warned you I might wear you out. Seems I was right, hm?”

The memories hit you so hard they make your headache worse:

Jade pulling you away from the party, an astute glint in his eyes and his voice serene yet venomous, coaxing you into the comfort of his room—his bed.

His hands stripping away every piece of clothing until you stood naked before him, his fingers mapping your sensitive skin, anticipating every tremor, seeking out what made you sigh, moan, or arch.

Your boldness as you made him sit and you knelt in front of him, your lips around his cock, trying to take him deeper and deeper. His praises made your pussy wet and made you want to do better, his hands in your hair guiding you, helping you choke on him.

Your eyes brimming with tears when you looked up and saw him smiling, pleased, fingers caressing your cheek before plunging you into a fast, unkind rhythm, the tip of his cock hitting the back of your throat.

Your own mouth screaming in pleasure as he took you from behind, you on all fours on the bed, ass up, completely at the mercy of his hands and hips.

“Come on, little pearl, cum for me” the authority in his voice, impossible to resist, every word a praise tangled with a command.

Your climax hitting so hard it left you sprawled on the bed; Jade grabbing your head so you couldn’t move, your screams muffled by the pillow as he found a better angle to fuck you, making you cum again.

The taste of his cum when he made you take him back into your mouth and spill inside.

You swallow, trying to speak, but all that comes out is a shaky, ruined, “holy shit”

He runs his thumb over your hip bone, where the bruise from his grip is already fading… only to grab you there again, just as hard as you barely remember.

“Overwhelmed, maybe? Though I must say… you were so hungry for me you nearly made me mistake you for a predator.”

Jade sits up and the sheets slide even lower on his hips. He’s so tall it feels like he could cover you completely. He admires the bites and marks he left all over your chest, shoulders, and neck.

You’re his own personal canvas, and the fact that there are still places left unmarked… it’s intoxicating to him.

He pushes you back, slipping between your legs again, hands running along your sides before gripping your thighs and positioning them around his hips.

“Dare to tell me you regret it, little one.” When you shake your head, terrified but just as aroused, he adjusts your legs around his hips, letting you feel how half-hard and hungry for you he still is.

“Excellent,” he kisses the tip of your nose before rolling his hips, brushing against your clit. “So, do you want another round or some tea for that poor throat?”

You shiver, completely lost to his movements and the pleasure slowly building inside you.

“I won’t let you surface just yet, my pearl”

Jamil

For a few blissful seconds you think you’re safe in your own bed, within the walls of Ramshackle… until the scent of countless spices fills the air. Clove, cinnamon, something deep and intoxicating, spicy.

Yeah… you’re not in Ramshackle.

Is it wise to open your eyes with the sunlight filtering in through the window? Unfortunately, you’ll have to.

Eyes open and a hammering headache, you recognize the décor: elegant, gold details, Arabic architecture… Looks like you ended up in Scarabia.

Okay, one problem solved; now… who’s breathing against your neck, slow and steady?

You turn just enough to see the mess of dark tousled hair belonging to Jamil, splayed across the sheets and pillow. He’s on his stomach, facing you, eyes closed but with a small smile on his lips; his arm stretched out across your hips, giving you slow, gentle caresses.

You blink—once, twice, three times.

One more, just to give your brain a chance to process that his torso is bare and the sheets are dangerously low.

You freeze, memories hitting you in dizzying flashes through your hangover: his eyes shining in the half-light, pinning you with his gaze from across the lounge, like he was drawing you to him with nothing but his eyes.

Your body pressed to his while he whispered something in your ear that had nothing to do with the party, but still made your cheeks flush… more than they already were from the punch.

His hands, so careful with everything he handles, guiding you into a different kind of dance—one that didn’t need music or an audience; your laughter mixing with his before finding your lips, his mouth hungry.

The taste of spicy spices, and a hint of mint, with every kiss and stroke of his tongue across your skin, intoxicating and making you shiver.

Jamil kneeling at the edge of the bed, grabbing your feet and pulling you toward the edge so he could run his tongue along your soaked folds and slip it inside. Sucking on your clit until you were shaking.

The cry of his name when he made you cum with his fingers inside, curved and massaging your most sensitive spot.

His voice in your ear, soft but commanding, ordering, “Look at me, habibti” every word coaxing you closer to the edge. Sharp images of your wrists pinned above your head by his hands, of how he made you arch for him, Jamil’s long hair falling over your face as he watched you from above, his pupils blown wide and a bead of sweat trailing down his neck.

Your legs shaking, the pressure of his hand on your throat while he pounded into you again and again, his hips driving hard, his abs rubbing against your belly; his movements calculated, slow when you were desperate, brutal when you begged.

You let out a whimper, and that’s when Jamil opens his eyes. He blinks, then his gaze sharpens, lazy and sly.

“Morning”

Your mouth is dry, cheeks blazing. “Oh my Sevens… what happened last night?”

Jamil kisses your shoulder, moving up to your collarbone, your neck, up to your jaw before giving you a little bite.

“You don’t remember anything?”

“Fr-fragments.”

You feel his hand sliding down your thigh… and realize you’re also naked under the sheets.

Okay, yep, we fucked… got it.

“You were bold. Even eager.”

His hand slides up, up, reaching the wetness between your legs. Your skin lights up and a jolt runs down your spine.

“I regret not doing this sooner,” is all he says before claiming your lips again, his fingers slipping inside.

You moan into his mouth, biting his lower lip, heart stumbling—but all you care about is melting in Jamil’s arms.

“Let me take care of you, habibti,” he murmurs, stroking your cheek with his thumb. “I’ll make you forget about your hangover”

And when Jamil pulls you back under the sheets, you’re pretty sure you don’t want to remember anything but this.

Idia

The silence in the room is so intense it feels like you can hear your own breathing and heartbeat.

The first thing you notice is that the bed feels… off—not the pseudo-comfort you remember from your bed in Ramshackle.

Second, your head is about to explode; third, you’re naked and there’s a chill in the air, as if warmth doesn’t exist, making every hair on your body stand on end.

You crack one eye open, grateful that the blue light is diffuse and not too harsh, though it still hurts to look at.

Blue light… you turn your head and see a glowing skull. On the other side, way too many monitors crammed onto a single desk, one of those screens has thirty code windows open.

You bolt upright when you realize you’re not just in Idia’s room… you’re completely naked in Idia’s room.

There’s a groan beside you, the creak of bedsheets, and movement.

You turn around; a chaos of blue hair, pale bare shoulders, and a pair of yellow glowing eyes blinking at you from behind a curtain of messy hair.

Idia stares at you, mouth open, emitting a high-pitched, static-like whine; the ends of his blue hair turning pink, then pure red from embarrassment.

There’s a sound like a computer blue-screening right before Idia lets out a strangled squeak, scrambling backwards to put distance between you...then promptly falls off the bed with a loud crash.

“HOLY SHIT, IDIA!! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

“N-NO!! I’M NOT OKAY!! Wh-what did we do last night? Ohgodoh godohgodohgod—”

Idia grabs a pillow, but no matter how hard he tries, he’s bigger and taller than it.

He’s about to combust

“I died last night and on my way to the dorm something hit my head and I died again, and got isekai’d to some forbidden erotic world…”

You reach over and pinch his arm hard to bring him back to reality. “Ow!”

“This is real, Idia! We actually had sex!”

Heat rushes up your neck as flashes of last night come back: your hands on his, surprisingly warm, pulling him close to you in the middle of the party. Shy smiles, nervous giggles.

Idia’s inexperienced lips on your neck, his hands awkwardly squeezing your hips until you taught him how to hold you right.

His monotone voice now a whisper, full of need and want, “Are you sure? I-I’ve never—” and yours, suddenly bold, telling him you want him now.

The blue fire of his hair lighting up the darkness of his room and the naked skin of you both; the nervous way he looked at you and touched you, learning with every move of your hands over his on your hips, your breasts.

His eyes going wide as you guided his fingers to your clit and whispered in his ear how wet you were for him; his long, slender fingers working magic between your folds, barely realizing what he was doing.

Idia stammering as he tried to put on the condom backwards and failed—twice—begging you for help between gasps and awkward laughter. “Why is this so complicated? This… never happens in doujins…”

The exact moment he entered you for the first time, his breath hitching, a sharp, surprised moan as he felt himself inside you—slick and completely ready for him to go deeper, harder; to be entirely his.

Him finishing ‘embarrassingly’ fast (according to him). But all it did was make you want another round, and another, and another.

His lips traveling down your neck and, in a moment of sheer daring and lust, squeezing your breasts together to suck and bite your nipples at the same time, making you arch your back to give him more and more.

The way he moaned your name when you rode him for the first time, desperate not to finish too soon again, but absolutely mesmerized by the sight of your body so free and needy for him.

You taking complete control, hands on his chest, grinding your hips to rub your clit against his pelvis and clench your soft walls around his cock.

Idia groans with embarrassment, interrupting your lascivious memories.

“I-it’s not like… I mean, I’m not complaining or anything, it’s just… this is… max difficulty! Like, y-you’re like a goddess… most beautiful OP character… y-yeah and I—”

“And you’re Idia… was it at least good for you?”

His voice turns to static and he locks eyes with you in a rare burst of confidence.

“Good?! It was… it was overlord level. Uh. You were… really… really—”

Another memory hits: Idia clutching the sheets with every roll of your hips, moaning in time with you. His hands grabbing your hips, squeezing your thighs and holding on to you like his life depended on it.

After a while, still avoiding your gaze, Idia returns to the bed, hiding behind the pillow again. It’s almost cute...

No, it’s very cute. And funny.

You take the pillow away and let him curl up beside you again. For now, both of you log out of reality outside his room and let Idia melt under your touch.

Game over for virginity, am I right?

Silver

You wake up with the weight of an arm draped across your waist and the warmth of a body pressed against your back. The bed is way too comfortable, and your body… way too happy, though aching and with a hangover that could flatten you in the sun.

Little memories float to the surface: lights, very loud music, punch spiked with alcohol, a whirlwind of colors… and something silver blurring your vision.

Silver’s hair between your fingers as you kissed, his eyes—clear and bright—locked on yours in the middle of the chaos, giving you a look that told you both to take this moment somewhere else.

The feel of soft, sweet sheets on your bare skin stops your thoughts in their tracks, making you open your eyes and turn your head to the side.

Girl… you’ve got Silver, completely naked, behind you. His strong, well-trained arm pinning you against his chest.

Ahhhh… his chest; bare, rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He’s beautiful in that fairytale way that only storybooks promise.

How can someone, even while asleep, look so utterly tempting?

Why is there a tingling between your legs? And why can’t you feel them? Or rather… why do they feel so wet?

Your heart skips several beats. Holy. Shit.

I slept with Silver. I slept with Silver.

You can’t stop staring at the perfect physique of the man beside you, so muscular, drinking in the view, flashes of the night before returning in blinding white bursts:

Your laughter muffled against his shoulder in the middle of the makeshift dance floor, his voice low but steady whispering sweet things—and something that made your pussy throb, needy and expectant. The warmth of his hand on your waist as he led you to a deserted hallway to devour your mouth right there.

The taste of his lips, sweet and a little shy at first, but no less hungry and full of desire, his tongue sliding into your mouth and both hands gripping your thighs to lift you up and pin you to the wall.

His fingers playing with every button and fold of your clothes, peeling you out of each layer until you were completely exposed for him; the pressure as they slipped inside you and a moan escaped your lips.

His warm, solid body over you, until he sat you on his lap; face to face, your breasts pressed to his chest, your nipples rubbing against his skin as you bounced with each thrust of his hips, his arms holding you tight against him.

Gentle, noble kisses on your cheeks, your shoulders, even your knuckles; kissing you softly, slowly, savoring you and making you feel wanted and loved.

His cock sliding in and out of your dripping pussy with ease, not too fast, not too slow, wanting to set a pace that could last all night.

But your moans and pleas for him to go faster—“More, Silver, please, more”—made it a little difficult.

“I’ll give you everything, beautiful, just hold on tight”

And you did; to his shoulders, his arms, even to the sheets themselves when the pace sped up, laying you down on the bed, your legs thrown over his shoulders, the new angle making you cum again and again and again, so easily it was almost ridiculous.

You feel the tingling intensify down low and you shift.

Silver stirs and blinks awake. A few seconds of confusion before he notices your face, your bare shoulders, the way you’re clutching the sheet… adorable.

“Good morning beautiful”

And he says it with the most natural, gentle tone in the world.

“Are you alright?” he squeezes your waist and pulls you a little closer.

Boom, straight to the heart.

For a moment, he hesitates, thinking maybe… maybe, there’s regret in your eyes, maybe even shame.

Finding none, he gives you a soft kiss on the forehead and settles you against his chest; he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear.

“You look so beautiful in the morning, I want to wake up like this every day”

A soft kiss on your cheek, then another on your nose, then one more on your neck.

And, to finish, one slow, sweet kiss on your lips—savoring the promise of more in the future.

“If you want me to stop, just tell me.”

Anticipation shivers under your skin.

“Don’t stop”

╌╌╌╌╌╌𖤐☽༓☾𖤐╌╌╌╌╌╌𖤐☽༓☾𖤐╌╌╌╌

Ace … and ... Deuce

You wake up with the worst hangover of your life—moving is a lost cause and opening your eyes isn’t even an option. You feel like you might throw up at any second and then just go back to sleep.

There’s a pounding behind your eyes, the kind that makes you swear you’ll never drink punch again… never drink punch that’s been tampered with by Ace; hell, you’ll never go to another party again.

You roll over and two things hit you: first, you’re naked, like, obscenely naked; second, someone is snoring rudely right in your ear.

A sharp flash stabs through your skull. You remember being squished from all sides while dancing, multiple hands on your waist, and two pairs of lips on your neck.

Turning left, you see Ace waking up. Looks like the hangover is killing him too. He grabs his head as he sits up, elbow propped on the mattress, lets out a heavy sigh and tries to open his eyes—and they lock with yours.

God knows how, but this bastardly redhead manages to give you the cockiest, most infuriating grin that makes you want to punch him right in the face.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty”

“Call me that again and I’ll shove your uniform shoe up your ass, Ace.”

Ace just grins wider and lets out a little laugh… followed by a pained groan as he closes his eyes, keeping the pain under control.

You smack his arm to wipe that smile off his face...and realize he’s just as naked as you.

“Ace… what the hell did you do?”

You blush, covering yourself with the sheets as much as you can, actually, even more. All that’s left is to cover your face and you’d be a mummy.

“Aww, don’t make that face, you’re the one who climbed on top of me after the punch.”

“You’re the one who spiked it!!”

“Didn’t hear you complaining when you were begging us for more—”

You smack him on the head with a pillow; your shrieks and his, plus the loud thump of the pillow, echo through the whole room.

“What the fuck… why are you two so noisy?”

Deuce’s voice sounds from behind you, raspy and just as hungover as you two.

You look at him… he looks at you… his eyes travel down to his own equally naked body… Confusion turns to horror, horror into high-pitched groans.

“What happened? What did we do? Why are we naked?!”

Between the throbbing headache and Deuce’s panicking, you try to remember a little more of this… wild rebellious night.

You remember being with the dynamic duo on the dance floor, Ace whispering dirty promises in your ear, Deuce pulling you closer to him. Then both of them trapping you between them.

Their taste—Ace like candy and mischief, Deuce like cinnamon and adrenaline.

The three of you running through Ramshackle’s halls, stumbling, sometimes collapsing in a tangle of laughs, hands, and feet.

The bed—Sevens, the bed. Sheets scattered everywhere; Ace’s mouth on your neck, Deuce’s trembling hands pulling off your clothes, both fighting over who would take off the last piece.

Spoiler: both of them did it with confident hands before lunging for your lips, your breasts, your legs.

Kisses mixed with laughter, limbs tangled, the chemistry between these two as they made you cume; sloppy at first, then more assured.

The pressure of one sliding between your legs, spreading you open and burying himself deep; the other opening your lips to take him in your mouth. Both working as a team, building a rhythm, admiring how your body adapted to being fucked from both ends.

“Look how we’re breaking you, baby. You’re so wet… I could drown in here,” Ace groaning, rough and loud, grabbing your hair and pushing you down on Deuce’s pelvis with every thrust.

“That’s it, pretty, just like that, don’t stop, swallow it all,” Deuce murmuring as his cock slides down your throat, robbing you of breath for a few delicious seconds.

The way they took turns—one in your pussy, the other in your mouth… but you also remember a sharper pressure at your ass.

The moment when they both wanted to be in your wet pussy together; when one pulled out, the other pushed in, stretching you until you screamed their names, rubbing together inside your softest, most sensitive spot.

The moment you didn’t just cum with both their cocks inside, but, thanks to the pressure and the delicious way they filled you...you squirted, soaking the bed, your belly, and probably Ace’s too.

You moaned, screamed, writhed; the boys turned on by seeing you so free, so full of them, Ace twisting your already-sensitive nipples, Deuce running his tongue over your dripping pussy.

Dizzy flashes of being held in the air, legs around Deuce hips, hands and arms held by Ace, your arms wrapped around his waist too. Each of them fucking you from a different end, watching your tits bounce with every thrust; a mess of spit, sweat, tears, and their cum leaking from both your holes.

The three of you collapsed in bed, panting; Deuce’s arm wrapped around your waist, Ace curled around your chest, fondling your extra-sensitive tit in a playful way—until he switched to gentle caresses. Both seeking your warmth and your touch.

Your breath catches with all the memories. The heat rises not just to your cheeks, but a lot, lot lower.

“I’m never drinking your punch ever again,” Deuce growls, holding his head.

“Don’t you wanna know how good we are at sharing this pretty princess?”

Deuce tosses a pillow at him, but with no force, Ace catches it with one hand, laughing.

The redhead just gets cockier, trapping you in his arms, your back pressed to his chest. You feel his lips leaving little kisses on your nape and cheeks.

Deuce, still hungover and dying of embarrassment, scoots in front of you, wrapping you up with one strong… very strong… arm.

Both of them attack you with twice as many kisses.

Your back is pressed against a cool, slightly wet, smoothed out rock— body splayed out against the surface while your lower half is forced hovering over the dark blue, salty and sticky, ocean water by a blushing, octopus merman’s tentacles. Your tender skin is warm to the touch, slick and glistening from sweat, sensitive from the overwhelming pleasure. There’s a small puncture on your neck that appeared when Azul bite into the flesh to mark you only to end up accident injecting venom that made you completely paralyzed at the mercy of a needy cecaelia— the lustful, intense, and vulnerable feeling was an after effect of the venom.  

Thick, large, eager, and restless tentacles of Azul wrap around your plush body in a firm grip; thighs, legs, and ankles are wrapped by the slimy appendage as the suckers taste the sweet flavor of your skin. The small, scattered spots on the tentacles change in an unpredictable manner, their color alters between soft lilac, baby blue, and dark purple. The biology of the cecaelia would be quite hypnotizing if you were able to focus on anything.

“Haah—! Fuckk. . A-azul!” You whine out his name in a breathless, broken, loud, and exhausted voice.

You gasp out weakly, squirming lightly from the overwhelming stimulation. . in response, the tentacles around your lower half tightens to keep you from writhing as they kneed and squish at your body. Azul cries out your name when your gooey walls spasming around his thick length, his cheek dusted in a mixture of light lilac and blue. Those greedy hands of his dig into the soft flesh of your hips, thumb pressing into the tender skin of your belly. 

Azul grips onto you tightly as his hip snaps into yours, causing his deliciously thick and long hectocotylus to plunge deep into your drooling hole. With each relentless and rough thrust he does, his length stretches your walls wiide open; it has your eyes rolling back and lips parting to moan out his name in ecstasy. Your boyfriend gazes deeply at you, eyes dilated in pure bliss as he drinks up your fucked-out expressions; eyes rolled back, brows furrowed, cheeks flushed, drool seeping from parted lips, and the slight change in your eyes.

You look beautiful like this. . Your body jolts and shivers in pleasure, gooey walls quivering around his length— helplessly creaming around his hectocotylus until you feel like you’re drowning from overstimulation.

“Ohmygod. .! A- azul —mmhp. . b- babe!” You babble out loudly, sweat covered thighs trembling in his tentacles when azul presses perfectly against your g-spot.

“Haah. . m-my sweet pearl —nghh! D- don’t squeeze me s- so tightly!” Azul whimpers out, tears dripping from his glossy eyes as he babbles out his confession of love to you. . in a very shameless manner.

Another one of his tentacles lifts from the salty water, suctions hovering over the twitching and engorged bundle of nerves above your filled hole.

“Haah—! W- wait. . azul! Ca- can’t take it —nngh! Too biggg” you squeal out loudly, hands attempting to find purchase on his tentacles.

In response, Azul’s tentacles dart to wrap around your wrist.

“Mmhp! N- no, don’t squirm from me, my s- sweet pearl” he cries out, moaning softly at the delicious flavor of your skin melting onto his tongue.

The suction on your clit has you wailing louder than ever,  the poor bud sensitive from how the needy octopus was dragging his thick tongue against the hood— lips wrapping around it to suckle gently until you were gasping out his name. Azul was insatiable, slurping and lapping at your syrupy pussy as if it would save him from his rut. . drunk off the flavor of your addictive flavor. 

“M- my pearl. . pleasepleasepleaseplease” Azul chants out, tentacles wrapping tighter around you as his hectocotylus presses into your gummy walls. . twitching  and throbbing as it leaks inhuman amounts of precum inside your already white- covered walls.

“—please. . lo-love all of me, I beg of you” he whines in a desperate tone, angling his hips to pound into your g-spot until you're losing your breath. 

His cum makes everything sound even more nasty, the wet sloshes and squelches of your pussy as Azul easily slides back into your pussy from the wetness. But it’s too much. . a copious amount of his thick cum dribbles around the base of his hectocotylus, creamy white sliding down the curve of your ass. You’ve both created such a mess, a mixture of mostly his and your cum coating the surface below your body.

“Oohfuck! ‘M c- cumming again! Nnghh!” You wail out, eyes rolling back, back arching as you squirt around his thick length.

You want to squirm so badly, but you can’t, Azul’s venom runs through your blood. . keeping you pliant. He moans out your name, burying himself to the hilt of your velvety walls there’s a pleasurable tingle in your lower half. The grip on your hip tightens as thick ropes of cum shoots into your creamy walls, your stomach looks bloated, the excess cum spilling from your poor, abused hole.

The cecaelia leans in close, effectively trapping you against the ground as he kisses and laps at your marked up neck, hectocotylus still throbbing in your slick walls with need even though you’ve been fucking alll night. 

“Wahh. . haah, on- one more time, my beloved pearl” Azul pants out, slowly pulling his length until he watches his cum bead from your hole, only to push himself to the hilt of your cunt with a wet plapp. 

Azul drives himself slowly into your pussy, hectocotylus dragging against your walls. You murmur out his name, melting from the pleasure as he uses your body. If anyone was to visit the beach at this late hour, they would only hear the wet squelchh and sloshing sound, loud, high pitched moans and whimpers of someone’s name.

₊˚.༄ JADE LEECH

Moray eels actually don’t have an established mating season like octopuses— instead, when the temperature above Coral Sea turns blazing warm, Jade becomes clingy and attached to you

Like moray eels; Jade ensures that he feeds his dear mate more than enough food, preferring to initiate a sweet, dizzying dance with you

Your back arches from the smooth, completely soaked, mossy surface of the grotto—trembling against the ground as your lower half is submerged in the salty ocean water, plush thighs parted wiide open to accommodate the large, transformed eel that’s between it. Your tingles from the sweet abuse of overwhelming pleasure; plush body  covered in deep, bloody bite marks, covered in bruises from the eager and greedy hands of Jade, a mixture of sweat and dried cum coating your tender flesh. You feel as if you tried to fight a deep sea creature, only to lose miserably.

Jade has himself wrapped snuggly around your warm and soft skin, webbed fingers pressed between your connected bodies to roughly rub at the bundle of twitching nerves above your stuffed hole. His fingers are precious and nimble, rolling your puffy clit with the perfect amount of pressure to have you quivering around his length. His lips are pressed against the skin of your neck, hungrily slurping, lapping, and sucking at your tender flesh.

“Haaah—! Nghh! Too muchh, Jade!” You gasp out loudly between broken and breathless moans, gasps, and whimpers of the eel’s name.

His sharp nails dig into your plump hips, eliciting a hiss of pain when blood prickles from the puncture. Jade snaps his hips into yours, driving his thick, long, and deliciously big cock deeper into your gooey walls. With each mean and rough thrust of his hips into yours, an obscure, wet squealchh of your sopping pussy fills the grotto.

Jade sadistically grinds at the helpless expression on your face, thick cock bobbing in your velvety walls— his lips find yours in a passionate and needy manner, long tongue dragging against yours in an eager manner. He ruts deeper into your creaming cunt, faster and deeper— his nimble fingers rubbing slowly, firm circles over your swollen clit until it has your thighs trembling from the overwhelming stimulation. Underneath your body, a pool of cum that’s a mixture of yours and mostly his gets larger and larger from how globs of cum drips from the curve of your ass to the surface below.

In a honeyed voice, he groans out your name when your velvety walls quivering around his thick length, squeezing him so tightly it has his breath hitching. Through hooded and clouded eyes, Jade peers out a blissed out face, grinning when he sees the helpless expression on your face; fat tears dripping from your glossy eyes, swollen lips parted as sweet moans of pleasure leave them, and the delicious peak of your marked up neck from his sharp teeth. . god he could get addictive to the sight of you all pliable for only him. His thick cum, stuffed deep in your pussy, allows him to slip into your cunt with each thrust, a wet slosh echoing throughout the grotto.

“Oh, my sweet pearl” Jade purrs out in that honeyed tongue, his larger form cages you against the mossy ground as the inhuman cock bullies its way in and out of your dripping pussy with a wet sloshh.

“Q- quite the mess you’ve made —mmhp. .” He mutters between velvety groans, webbed hands pressing harder into your clit it has you choking on a moan.  

“Try not to waste my seed, my d- dear. . -haaah” Jade groans out, every thrust had his hips slamming into yours until your thighs ached from being forced apart. 

Jade presses himself harder onto you, burying his face deeper into the space between your shoulder and neck— warm breath fanning on your exposed. You let out a high pitch whine when his sharp teeth digs into the flesh of your neck, blood oozing from the puncture on the neck. He’s quick to drag that slimy, thick, and long tongue against the tender flesh of your neck— lewdly slurping at your skin as your blood coats his lips and neck. 

“Nngh—! F- feels too good! Mmhp. . J- jade!” You gasp out between moans, wailing loudly when his free hands digs into the soft flesh of your thighs.

That heat in your lower belly snaps unexpectedly, white hot heat as you lewdly squirt from the pleasure for the nth time tonight— juices spraying onto his lower stomach. Jade groans out your name from how your gooey walls spasm and tighten around him, hips flushed with yours as his cock bobs and throbs violently. He keeps himself buried deep as thick ropes of cum coats your already whites-covered walls, fat globs of white cum drools from your messy pussy. . dripping onto your ass. 

Jade slowly pulls out, tons of strings of arousal forms between your bodies, slamming his hips back into yours with a wet plap— pushing his cum back into your velvety walls. 

“My sweet pearl —haah. . do not waste my hard work. . ngh” he says simply, setting a pace; slowly pulling out a seeing the way your hole quivers around his inhuman cock before plunging himself back into you, roughly. 

Perhaps if you ignored your boyfriend’s honeyed voice cooing out to you. . begging you to help him with his upcoming rut, you might not have been pliable and overstimulated. After all, moray eels don’t have a scheduled mating season.

₊˚.༄ FLOYD LEECH    

similar to his brother, Floyd courts you in the traditional style a moray eel would; giving you a filling and delicious meal, dancing with you until you feel dizzy, soaking you in all his attention and affection

However, his favorite way to court his shrimpy is by opening his mouth and closing it repeatedly towards you 

Floyd is cruel when it comes to mating, soo eager to finally claim you that it comes out rough and borderline manhandling in his own passionate way

Compared to his brother, he prefers to mark every single inch of your body with his teeth, tongue, nails, and hands— he really gets addicted to how soft and supple your body is compared to all those other guppys in the Coral Sea!

The dark ocean’s cool, salt-laden water clings onto your exposed, flushed, and sensitive flesh— with each gentle wave of water that crashes onto your body has your skin tingling. Your breath is ragged and heavy from exhaustion, desperately trying to catch your breath as your head barely remains above the pitch black surface of the ocean. It’s hard to breathe when your son cries of pleasure interrupts you everytime; loud moans, shrill gasps, honeyed whimpers of Floyd, breathless mewls. 

It’s even harder when a certain moray eel merman seemingly can’t survive a mere second without his lips pressed firmly against yours; the intense flavor of metallic from your blood and salt from the ocean water lingers on Floyd’s lips. . coaxing you to eagerly reciprocate the way his snake-like tongue darting to flick against yours. What was originally supposed to be an exciting beach date with your dear boyfriend led to the cyan colored hair boy becoming more touchy, sweetly aggressive, overwhelming for your full attention. He opens his mouth as wide as he could in a barely concealed excited manner, gifting you the sight of the two rows of pointy teeth.

It was a repeating cycle; he’d unlatch his jaw wiiide, stare at you, close his mouth and pouts when you give him a confused look. . perhaps this was a moray eel trait that someone failed to inform you about. It was until you finally parted your lips to show Floyd your mouth that he instantly brightens up as he coos out your name in a honeyed voice, cackling at that dumbfounded expression on your pretty face. He quickly transform into his natural form, swimming further and further away from the sandy surface— peering at you with an expectant glint in his eyes. 

Within the few seconds of you being in the deep part of the ocean with Floyd, he’s already hungrily pawing and tugging at your swimsuit— the loud rippp of the fabric being torn from greedy hands. His eyes are dilated and clouded with unhidden intense desire— slowly swimming around like a predator stalking its prey. At first, your slick back was pressed against a rough rock that hadn’t appeared above the ocean’s surface— plush thighs parted wiide to allow the needy merman settle between them. . causing a pleasurable ache in your legs.

Those webbed hands of his digs into the soft chub of your thighs, sharp nails poking into your flesh until small dots of scarlet pools from your skin. . eliciting a honeyed gasp from your swollen lips. Floyd’s tongue— long, thick, and sloppy from eagerness drags against your cunt. . parting your syrupy folds. That eager tongue of his presses into your drooling hole, the wet muscle having a kind of its own as it drags against your pussy until you’re dripping a mixture of salvia and arousal. 

Floyd would moan shamelessly into your core, giggling when you tremble from the stimulation of his lips engulfing your buzzing clit— suckling hard until you just squeal out his and loudly. You’ve never seen the eel so excited like this before; he’s determined to drag out every little reaction from you, from the twitch of your hips to the gasp ripped from your lips. He whines into your honeyed folds, addicted, hungry for more of your sweet taste. . tongue flicking, licking, smearing, and dragging along your heat to coax your body to produce more and more of your sweet juices. 

“Mmhp! Shrimpy taste soo sweet!” Floyd giggles out against your puffy clit, grinning ear to ear with his lips and chin glistening from your sticky arousal.

And now, he has his flexible body wrapped firmly around your body— squeezing you tightly as he presses his throbbing cock agaisnt your puffy folds. Floyd ruts his hips back and forth in a dizzying manner, cock dragging and bumping into your poor clit. He’s already reduced you into a shivering, sobbing, and overstimulation mess.

“Ngh! F- Floyd! Haah—! feels goodd. .” You drool out, eyes squinted and clouded in a haze of ecstasy. 

Floyd giggles, smushing his lips against your swollen ones, sharp teeth nipping at the puffy flesh as his tongue darts to drag against yours in a passionate manner. He moans into your lips as his length stretches your drooling hole, the wet squeak muffled by the salty water around yours both. 

“O- oh fuck! To-too muchh!” You gasp out between loud moans, tongue darting to lick at your blooded lips. 

At the feeling of him pressing even deeper into your spasming and creamy hole has you shoveling and squirming from the pleasure.

“Shrimpy is so, so, sooo squirmy!” He giggles, tongue darting to kick a broad strip along your marked up neck. 

In your velvety walls, Floyd’s thick cock throbs and spurts out thick beads of precum into your already white- covered walls— the excess pouring from your stuffed hole and mixing in the sea water. The sweet burn of pleasure felt addictive and amazing, the way his inhuman cock drags and massaged along your gooey walls— the drag of his length in your cunt is heavy, the bulbous tip pounding into your poor g-spot with such force. . it feels amazingly perfect. His cool skin is pressed firmly against yours, sharp scales on his tail digs into your lower half— each rough snap of his hips has water spraying everywhere.

“Ya’ feel g- good? Huh? Huh, sh- shrimpy?” Floyd stutters out, those nails of his digging greedily into your hips before gently scratching find your back until you squeal from the mixture of pain and pleasure.

Weakly, you try to find purchase on his shoulders only for the natural slime substance on his skin to make it hard. . you’re completely dependable on Floyd. With a loud sob of his name, you tremble in his hold as you gush around his shaft for the nth time tonight— creamy walls spasming and quivering around his thick length. 

”haah! Nngh! O- oh fuckk!” You drool out, eyes rolling back. 

Floyd moans out, pressing his lips onto you again, ignoring his you moan out from exhaustion, tongue dragging against the torn flesh of your lips. . happily shoving his tongue to smear against yours— thick and endless ropes of cum shoots into your overstuffed pussy.

˖°༄All work belongs to only me, @/yuuna-iridescent-scales!! Translating, plagiarism, copying, posting on another website, claiming as your work will not be tolerated, instant block  .｡꒰☆꒱ ⋆

੭      ֹ   AUTHOR NOTE    🥥

Hiya hiya, cuties! Sorry for such a late post, I’m on vacation and had such limited wifi I wasn’t able to post ໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১ alsooo, 240+ followers?? Tysm (˃̵ᴗ˂̵)!!

Also, I wanted to say; please read my rules before requesting and I only use you/your pronouns for reader POV  but have afab anatomy! ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ btw, shout out to the random person who gave me enough luck to get a Deuce card(*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)

#1: You have a stupid crush on Jade Leech, arguably one of the worst people to have feelings for. Jade Leech is the type of person to leverage any crush for his benefit, let alone a crush on him. And confessing is the quickest way to get rid of your pesky feelings, something you’re very eager to do.

#2: After this, summer break will begin and school will be out of session. ‘Distance makes the heart grow fonder’, as they say, and your feelings will absolutely compound if you don’t confess now. The break works in your favour though, as you won’t have to deal with repercussions until September comes back around. Best case scenario, everyone will forget by the time you return to school. Worst case scenario, you’ll at least get two months free of awkwardness and teasing. Which leads to:

#3: Jade will 100%, absolutely, undoubtedly reject you. He’s the type of person who only makes choices that benefit him, and you have nothing to offer. And though humiliation sucks, a one-and-done micro-moment of mortifying rejection is a small price to pay for emotional freedom.

It’s not that you want to confess to Jade Leech. It’s that you have to.

So with that airtight reasoning in mind as the ceremony finally comes to a close, you rush through the sea of eager students, your destination not a where but a whom.

The moment he’s within reach, you grab his sleeve. “Jade.”

He freezes; the crowd doesn’t. Even Floyd and Azul vanish in the flow of people. Still, though students shove past you ceaselessly, you stand strong.

“Prefect?”

You realize you’re cooked when Jade turns to face you. His eyes are wide in shock—adorably so—and surprise is a rare expression to see on Jade. It’s affecting you more than you’d like to admit.

“Um, could I talk with you?” you ask sheepishly, just as someone shoves you from behind. Luckily, you manage to right yourself before crashing straight into Jade, sparing yourself the extra embarrassment. “Preferably somewhere less busy?”

His expression morphs back into his usual: a coy, composed smile with eyes too scrutinizing for anyone’s comfort.

“Of course.” You repress a smitten grin at the sound of his voice. Soon, you won’t have to do that consciously anymore, and that thought is exhilarating. “Let’s be on our way, then. Stay close to me, Prefect.”

And you obey, never once dropping your grasp of his sleeve so as to not lose him.

It’s in the courtyard, beneath the apple tree, that Jade finally stops and you release his sleeve. With most students staying in the hallways and subjecting themselves to traffic jams by foot, only a sprinkling of smarter students pass through.

“What is it you’d like to tell me?” Jade asks, heterochromic eyes glimmering in the dappled sunlight. For a second, you almost forget that you’re here to be rejected.

Besides him, the scene isn’t picture-perfect: trampled apple blossoms decay beneath your feet, a brawl has broken out in the hall nearby, and you’re coated in sweat from being smushed in the crowd earlier. It’s pathetic and imperfect, which makes it perfect for your purpose.

You take a deep breath and brace for impact.

“Um…” you start, looking anywhere but his perfect face. “Well, y’know…”

Jade doesn’t rush you, doesn’t even raise an eyebrow. He’s perfectly patient.

“You probably know this already, but—oh Sevens, I’m regretting this even now—so I… ah, fuck it.

“I have a crush on you,” you blurt.

…

…

…

“Do it quickly, please,” you add once the silence stretches five seconds too long for your liking.

“...Do what quickly?”

Jade’s seeming ignorance simultaneously baffles and infuriates you enough to make you look back up at him. The cunning smirk that you expect is nowhere to be found. In its place: pure, genuine confusion. Which confuses you.

“Uh… reject me?”

“Did you not just confess that you liked me?” he questions slowly. “Why do you want me to reject you?”

“Why wouldn’t you reject me?” you counter. “Just get it over with.”

And with that, the confusion washes from his face, and the composed smile you’d been expecting in the first place reappears.

“And if I were to decline? What would you do then?”

“Then I’d be fucked!” you think aloud accidentally.

The cutest chuckle leaks from his lips and rattles your heart in your chest. You slap your hand over Jade’s mouth before he can inflict more emotional damage on you.

“Oya oya?” you hear muffled against your palm, Jade’s eyes crinkling with mirth. “Quite forward of you~”

With your other hand, you hold an authoritative finger in his face. “Stop it. Quit being charming and cute. Just turn me down, please.”

As you feel his lips pull into a sharp grin, your hand flinches away on the off chance that he bites you à la Floyd. But Jade is quicker, catching your retracting hand in his own.

“No.” He says it firmly, a stark contrast with how gently he strokes the back of your hand with his thumb. “I’ll see you soon, Prefect.”

Jade leaves you with a pat on the head, a rejected rejection, and a mess of thoughts and feelings. Somehow, in all your overoptimistic deliberation, you’d neglected to take into account your crush’s stubbornness and affinity for playing the long game.

Kicking at the wilted apple blooms under your soles reveals the small mushrooms sprouting underneath.

Fuck.

Deuce is the first of your friends to find out how unsuccessful you were in your mission, him and his mom having very generously offered you and Grim a place to stay for the summer.

“You’re cooked,” Deuce helpfully comments while you’re settling into the spare room. Grim, on the other hand, has already crashed on the floor. “Jade’s totally stringing you along!”

You groan your entire soul out your throat. “I know.”

“Just DM him and reject him yourself!”

“mMMmmmm…” you whine. “Fiiiine…” You unlock your phone for the first time since passing through the mirror at NRC and open the Magicam app. For all the mental and emotional turmoil that Jade put you through today, you don’t expect him to spare you the satisfaction of replying to your DMs right away.

Well, it's not the first time you've been wrong about him.

Jade messaged you first. 42 minutes ago, to be exact.

Good evening, dear Prefect :) Where would you like to go for our first date?

You place your phone face-down on the dresser and place yourself face-down on the floor.

You lie there for a good minute before Deuce’s concern catches up to him. “Uh, Prefect…? You good?”

You flop about like a fish. “uUurGghhhHhh.”

“Wait, is he blackmailing you? If he is, I’ll teach him a lesson.” Bless Deuce’s sweet delinquent soul. “Just tell me. It’s okay.” 

“No, it’s not that,” you groan into the hardwood before lifting your head. “It’s worse. He’s asking me on a date.”

“WHAT?!” Deuce practically screams. “He’s totally playing you! Or else he’s gonna bring you up a mountain and we’ll never find your body! Tell him no!”

“Yeah, I know,” you sigh. “Okay.”

Jade, I'm gonna have to reject your rejection of my rejection. Sorry for bothering you. Have a good summer break 👍

“Done,” you update. “I think he’s literally in the ocean so he’s probably gonna leave me on sent—oh Sevens he read it!”

Deuce leaps across the room to see your screen.

“Oh fuck, he’s typing!” you shriek, causing your friend to glance around warily and Grim to flip over in his sleep. “Oh shit, oh fuck.”

You shove your phone into Deuce’s hands. “W-What? What do you want me to do?” he sputters.

“Just—! If he sends something bad,” you instruct, “don't tell me what it is, just block him.”

“Okay, I can do that.”

You wait in charged silence for what feels like an eternity. Then:

“Prefect?” Deuce treads carefully.

“…what.”

“What counts as ‘bad’?” And slowly, he turns the screen toward you.

It’s a single sentence.

Even if I want to date you as well?

Yeah, that's bad.

Really bad.

Your first date is at a summer fair in a coastal town of the Kingdom of Roses.

You try to bail on Jade, really, you do! Or well, you try to convince yourself to bail on him.

He’s taking advantage of your naïveté for his amusement, whispers your brain as you agree on a time and place.

Tell him you don’t like sleazy schemers like him, it advises while you thoughtfully pick out your cutest outfit.

Say you got food poisoning and can’t meet him; the thought rattles through your mind on the 1-hour bus ride to the date spot.

Even as you arrive at your destination, your self-preservation endures. Even at the sight of Jade in a casual t-shirt and jeans, checking his phone for messages from you, It’s not too late to turn around!

Unfortunately though, your heart has been a whole lot louder than your mind lately. That fact becomes especially clear when Jade spots you: his eyes gain a twinkle to them as they meet yours, effectively shutting down every blaring alarm in your head.

“Hello, Prefect. You look lovely.”

“Um, thanks,” you respond choppily. “So do you.”

And because you’re in the palm of his hand and he knows it, Jade holds out said palm for you to take. “Shall we?”

It’s your Cinderella moment; of course you take it. If you’re this deep into a bad decision, you might as well go all in and enjoy yourself before the clock strikes twelve.

The date is… really nice.

You make pleasant conversation. About your hobbies, about your summer plans, about the shenanigans of the past school year. You tell him about the summer job you got to earn your keep at Deuce’s, and Jade tells you about the mesocosm he’d made with flora from Sage’s Island. He’s voluble when it comes to his interests, and you’re equally receptive when your guard is down. Together, you’re peak yappers.

“Are you hungry?” Jade asks when you (try to) subtly eye the food stalls.

You chuckle bashfully. “Just a little. It smells really good.”

“Good. I’m quite hungry myself,” he replies. “If you don’t mind finding us a seat, I’ll be back in a moment.”

And so you plop yourself down at a clean table for two, and wait for your date to return. With little else to do, you pull out your phone for the first time since meeting up. The notifications you’re met with—both the nature and the quantity—give you whiplash.

96 missed calls, 114 texts from Deuce, 201 from Ace, 1049 from your first-year group chat and counting. All spread across the past two hours, all with the gist of: ‘ARE YOU STILL ALIVE???’

You simply open your camera app, stick out your tongue and shut your eyes in a play-dead face, and snap a selfie. Into the group chat it goes!

baymax!: Prefect! Hi! ass: oh tahnk sevens he hasnt killed them yet doos: Are you in danger????? Do you need help???????? 🍎: damn i lowk thought deuce was lying about you going out with jade lmao You: no deuce i’m chilling dw he’s actually super sweet got that DAWG in him: You don’t know what he’s thinking. Call us if you feel something’s off “WAKASAMAAA”: DO NOT let him take you to a secondary location. You: guys i’m fine lol [ass started a video call] You: bruh what do you want ass: just pick up dude ass: gotta make sure

When you do pick up, everyone’s already there. “Hiii~” you greet.

Your friends collectively sigh in relief. And then they start drilling you with questions.

“WHY???”

“Did he make you sign an NDA? Or some other life-binding contract?”

“He hasn’t poisoned you or anything, right? Don’t eat anything he gives you!”

“Guys, it’s fine,” you laugh. “He’s getting us food now.”

“Don’t let your guard down! That’s how he’ll get you.”

“Oh Sevens, they’re cooked. He’s stringing them along.”

“You sure have a lot of faith in me, huh?” you sigh. “It’s just one date, guys. We’re not dating.”

“Is that so?” Jade’s voice croons from behind you. You scream. Your friends scream. Jade chuckles, laying out a feast-worthy spread of street food onto the table.

Your stomach drops at the sheer amount of stuff he bought. “Jade—this is so much. How much did this cost?”

“It’s my treat,” he assures you quietly, while your friends yell at you through the screen not to fall into his loan shark trap. “Don’t worry about it.”

“PASS US TO THE EEL,” Ace articulates loudly, but Jade gently takes the phone from your hand himself. “Listen here, Leech,” the redhead threatens. “If you do anything to the Prefect—”

“You’ll be sleeping with the fishes,” Deuce finishes, “and not literally.”

“Of course,” Jade smiles politely, and you groan in pure mortification. “Rest assured that I have no ill intentions with the Prefect. I’ll do nothing against their will.”

“That means nothing! It’s you, so they’re gonna be willing either way!”

“ACE!” you scold, snatching your phone back from Jade. “Appreciate the concern guys, but I’m fine. BYE.” You hang up and bury your face in your hands, quietly screaming. Jade laughs, whether at your friends’ passion or your mortification or both, you’re not 100% sure.

“Your friends care very deeply about you,” he giggles, finally taking the seat across from you.

“Yeah. Um, just ignore everything they said. They’re really spirited,” you plead. “Sorry about that. I didn’t think you’d be back so soon.”

“No need to apologize,” Jade reassures you. “I find it very endearing.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s the truth.”

A particularly loud growl cuts you off before you can refute him again. From a stomach. Your stomach.

“Please, dig in,” Jade invites, unfazed. “I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

Despite everything, your embarrassment quickly dissipates as you two work through the buffet, exchanging reviews for each dish as you go. Even when you’ve eaten your fill, Jade is still ravenous. It’s impressive how a cute boy like him can have such a boundless appetite and daintily pat his mouth with a napkin like he didn’t just effortlessly Kirby-inhale three times as much as you did.

It’s annoyingly charming.

Bellies full, you slip back into easy conversation, and before you know it, the sun has nearly fully set. Lingering copper sunlight skips across the rippling surface of the sea, tinting the town with warmth (as if your rose-tinted glasses weren’t enough).

“The last bus back to Clock Town leaves in 40 minutes,” Jade alerts you. “Would you like to check out the rest of the stalls before we part ways?”

“Sure, let’s do that!” You slip your hand into the crook of Jade’s elbow as he offers it, the gentleman. “We still haven’t seen the vendors or the game stalls.”

You browse the pop-up vendors selling magical trinkets, handmade charms, jewellery, all sorts of wares, but nothing catches your eye nor Jade’s. And as you walk through the area of game stalls, you begin to think that you might have the same luck here, too.

Except a gasp from Jade stops you in your tracks. Like you, he’s equally frozen to the spot, but his gaze is trained on one particular game stall: what looks to be… Dance Dance Revolution? Well, to be more specific, it’s not the game that entrances him, but the prize.

It’s a jumbo mushroom plush. Like, you-sized-level jumbo.

“Wanna try?” you ask him.

It takes a moment for Jade to come back to his senses. “Ah, no, no need.” But the stiffness in his posture betrays his reluctance.

“C’mon,” you coax, tapping your fingers on his elbow. “Let’s do it.”

Unfortunately for Jade, his two years of experience with legs never prepared him for the impossible gauntlet that is Dance Dance Revolution. Five seconds into the game, it becomes clear to everyone that Jade’s dream of winning the mushroom is nothing more than that: a mere fantasy.

Well, not if you can help it. The second he steps off the platform, you’re up. Failure is not a possibility, let alone an option.

Your legs move unlike ever before. Even as you’d run for your life from overblot monsters, your legs never had this speed. Even as you were training for your VDC audition, your legs never had this level of coordination and precision. The omnipotent Spirit of Dance Dance Revolution has possessed your body.

And so, naturally, you win the game. The stall owner’s jaw is dropped, the passersby are applauding, and your date stares at you with so much wonder that you chuckle a little.

Jade is so adorably awestruck when you pass the mushroom to him, you almost forget how bad of an idea he is. Well, either way, at the moment, he’s perfectly harmless with both his arms wrapped around the giant stuffed stalk.

“Thank you,” he whispers, more tenderly than you’d ever thought possible for him.

“It’s my pleasure. You’re the one who bought me an all-you-can-eat buffet earlier, anyways.”

“Fufufu, I’d told you it was my treat,” he hums. “There was no need to repay me.”

“It’s alright, I’d rather not leave with debt anyways.” You do, after all, know that being indebted to the trio from Octavinelle is bad news, regardless of how sweet Jade seems. “Speaking of, my bus leaves in 10 minutes, so I should probably get going.”

“I’ll walk you to the bus stop, then.”

And so, as your bus approaches in the distance, your Cinderella moment comes to a close. Both of you got this date out of your systems, so now Jade’ll find you boring and leave you alone, and now you can die knowing what it’s like to go on a date with Jade Leech. All’s well that ends well, right?

Except, you find yourself thinking that it wouldn’t be so bad to miss your bus if it meant spending a little more time with Jade. The next bus comes at 6 in the morning; you know that would be a seriously bad idea. But you also think that if Jade asked you to, you’d still do it.

So in a last-ditch attempt to save your soul, you ask again, “Can you reject me now?”

He laughs. “No.”

“Hm. Worth a shot.”

“Instead, actually…” Jade starts, his hold tightening around the mushroom, “would you be interested in doing this again sometime?”

You waste no time in your reply.

“Yes. I’d love to.”

Approach/avoid, try and get romantic, but if the advances aren't immediately reacted to, get distant, then try again later.

This was infuriating. Ruggie was obviously into you, but before you could make a move back, he'd run off! Not once, not twice, not thrice, but a near uncountable amount of times, Ruggie has approached you, with obvious romantic interest. Getting sweet with you, getting you exclusive things and opportunities, even getting you gifts- both handmade and from his limited income- and yet! Right before you can pay him back for all he's done, he ghosts you, ignores you, and blatantly ignores you if you enter a room. That dumb grin, what was he trying to get out of you!?

-----

Ruggie knows the courting rules as well as he knew the back of his own hand, his grandma wouldn't have it any other way. "If the one you're trying to court isn't immediately reciprocal, try again later, they aren't into you." Ruggie has been trying his hand for months with you, his labors of love coming from hand to pay check. Waiting. Yet for some reason, you just weren't taking the bait! Ruggie was sure he had memorized at least your basic interests down, yet when he presented you with a gift, you'd just smile and nod. Nothing in response. Not physical affection, not trying to hang out later, not trying to gift him something back (though he didn't really blame you for this, he didn't want to make the gifts predicable enough for you to gift back the next second.) If you weren't into him yet, he wasn't set on giving up now!

AZUL ASHENGROTTO

Show dominance, power! But be incredibly cautious, always be ready to run away at a moments notice.

Azul had been looming over your shoulder for what felt like forever. The octoboy had been basically following you everywhere, offering a job at his questionably moral lounge occasionally. He'd flaunt his 'status' at any chance he got, how much the lounge earned, how the other students feared and respected him, along with various other accomplishments you couldn't dare to keep track of. It was honestly getting pretty.. annoying. It seemed like he was just trying to recruit you, but at the same time it felt like he was just trying to flex his resources because every time you even attempted to comment on his resources- boom, he'd scamper away. was he just trying to taunt you with his power?

-----

Azul was nervous when the thought of courting even crossed his mind, was he so smitten to even attempt it? Growing up.. 'less desirable' didn't particularly help with his confidence. Its traditional in the coral sea to show off what you have, to show that you're powerful enough to protect your possible mate, obviously that didn't completely translate onto land but something similar should work... right? So that's what Azul did. He's follow you around, showing how capable, how suitable he was for you. However, when you poked at his methods, his nerves would get the better of him. Old habits die hard, no matter how smooth he tried to be.

JADE LEECH

Zapping you.

Jade was certainly more sadistic than he seemed, all you could do was simply exist in the same room as Jade, and you'd earn a little zap from the eel. Eating? Zap. Walking next to him? Zap. Doing your work diligently? Zap. It seemed like anything you did, it would earn you a small shock, seriously, what was his problem with you? He never did it to anyone else, just you! It was annoyingly constant- at some point you'd gotten used to tensing up every time Jade got close to you, preparing for the inevitable electric rush that came with his presence.

-----

This was funny. Jade knew land dwellers had way different ways of showing affection, but it was just easier doing what he was used to, that's to say, a playful little zap right when you weren't expecting it. It was pretty cute to see you jump when he barely did anything. He wasn't trying to be cruel by any means, Jade just wanted to tease you a little, don't take it to heart.

FLOYD LEECH

Zapping you.

You knew Floyd enjoyed toying with people, but did he seriously NEED to zap you every five seconds!? If you dared to breathe the same air as him, zap, zap, zap! Cruel or down right rude, Floyd just wouldn't leave it! Honestly it might just be more efficient to run away from Floyd to avoid getting minorly electrocuted... did he really have an issue with you? enough to continuously do this at least. He seemed to be pretty happy around you though, ugh, this was making your head hurt to much to worry about it.

-----

Floyd couldn't help it, you were just too cute not to zap! Sure, humans have different customs, but who was Floyd if not a rule breaker? A little buzz, a little zap, it was a cute tease to see you get all jumpy. Its not like he meant to hurt you ever, it was just fun to see you squirm because you weren't expecting it.

KALIM AL-ASIM

Being affectionate in public.

PDA is a big no-no, it unprofessional, its inappropriate, its rude, really there can be an infinite amount of reasons PDA shouldn't be a thing. You'd think Kalim would know that, coming from a very strong and extremely profitable bloodline, only to be disappointed. You didn't particularly mind the sentiment itself, it was cute even, but he really shouldn't be hanging off your arm half the time... it was like he was trying to embarrass you!

-----

Kalim loved you a lot, that wasn't something to be doubted. Klaim liked being around you, holding your hand, brushing shoulders, he felt secure knowing you were so close. It was kinda romantic, but dating takes awhile to actually settle... For now, Kalim was willing to just be at your side until you made a move.

JAMIL VIPER

Having a "chaperone" in private spaces.

Trying to figure out of Jamil was into or not was certainly its own kind of hell, it had to be! Every hang out that was supposed to just be the two of you, Kalim was there. Is Kalim was busy, some other random student was. Did he hate you so much that he couldn't stand being alone with you? He defining seemed to be into you, he'd given you special treatment, let you have first dibs, all the kind-of-romantic gestures, yet he just couldn't be alone with you!

-----

Jamil looked himself over in the mirror. Kalim was absolutely glowing with excitement. Jamil sighed "Kalim, I'm hanging out with my crush, but you're acting like its your date." Kalim laughed. "Sorry, sorry! I'm just so excited! This is like- your first time ever trying to get a partner! By the way- still really happy that you chose me cause like you could have anyone present-" Jamil internally sighed, listening to Kalim ramble on. Jamil valued the opnion of his family in terms of partners, unfortunately, his family wasn't very close to night raven, so Jamil had opted for a substitute- Kalim. Was Kalim the best choice in this regard? Sevens no. But it was close enough for Jamil to feel secure.

SILVER

Being "overly subtle".

Was Silver dropping hints, or just teasing you? Silver treated you differently than anyone else, but it still felt like he wasn't putting a crazy amount of effort. It was so irritating- how could he act so into you but so disinterested at the same time? You technically couldn't blame him for somethings due to his sleeping issue, but it was totally intentional when he offered to share some of his lunch. Maybe you were reading too much into it, and he just wanted to be kind, make sure you were eating right? It was seriously irritating how everything that could be perceived as romantic could ALSO just be Silver being a good friend.

-----

Silver was laying wide awake. He was mulling over the interaction he had with you today. Was he too obvious when he asked if you wanted to share some of his lunch? He didn't want to seem desperate, but he also didn't want you to think that he wasn't into you.. Silver rolled to his side, sighing. He didn't want to be blunt with his feelings, forcing his emotions on you was the last thing he wanted. So he'd wait until you made a move back, then he'd get more obvious. Or would you prefer if he made the first move? Thinking about it was just making Silver exhausted. He should train more after school, think about it some more, maybe ask Sebek? Lilia?

AN: inspired off their animal/og movies culture, some inconsistencies bear with me... your english is perfectly fine btw I understood loud and clear! Might do pt. 2 with them trying to fix it 😛

ℛiddle ℛosehearts ! ೀ

he was mid lecturing when you mentioned this; ace and deuce practically pressed to the wall as riddle yells—a normal day in heartslabyul in all honesty, yet no one was prepared for your compliment.

"...riddle, has anyone ever told you how pretty you are?"

the entire room froze, silence echoed louder then any yell or cry. ace and deuce stare at you while riddle whips his head in your direction.

"i beg your pardon?" he wasn't, mad, just flustered. cheeks slightly pinker then the flamingos.

"i said," you spoke again, readjusting in your seat, "your pretty~"

riddles whole face turned scarlet, he sputters for a solid thirty seconds before finally clearing his throat.

"well...i very much, appreciate your compliment, prefect." he adjusts his collar three separate times.

ace, immediately starts grinning—leaning close to tease his housewarden. "oho, you've got a little something on your face, housewarden—"

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

"WAIT, IM SORRY!"

𝓐˙zul 𝓐˙shengrotto ! ೀ

you've entered the mostro lounge while azul was by himself, you find him sorting throughout different papers and contracts some poor unfortunate souls signed.

"azul," you spoke softly, appearing beside him while he hummed in response. "ah, prefect. what is it you need?"

you didn't say anything at first, just admiring his face and the way his hand held the pen, smiling gently, you finally replied.

"your...really pretty, azul."

the said pen stopped writing and the housewarden froze. "..come again?" he spoke flustered, "oh, i just said you look really pretty<3"

his glasses practically fogged up, cheeks hot and ears tinted pink. he's never once thought this moment would come, he's spent all his life worrying about his appearance that he can accept compliments usually.

for some reason, he wasn't prepared to be called "pretty..?" he echoed and you nod, still smiling.

he clears his throat, adjusting his glasses and clicks his pen closed. "well, you're quite pretty yourself, dear prefect." he tried to maintain business posture but his composure was slightly cracked.

end notes: riddle, im so sorry — it's like ive never written anything before (it's been months) ....shrjwhsjw am i back?

A pause. Then, a soft sigh. Trey stood. For a moment, you thought he was giving up, finally going to bed without you. The thought left an unexpected hollowness in your chest.

But then, after a few minutes, he returned. You smelled the milk before you saw it—the faint scent of vanilla and honey curling through the air. When you cracked an eye open, there he was, sitting on the floor near the couch, a mug in his hands. He held it out to you.

“Here,” he said. “I know you have trouble sleeping when you’re upset.”

You blinked at him, heart squeezing against your ribs. “Trey…”

He didn’t push, didn’t insist. He just waited, his eyes gentle, patient in the way only he could be.

And just like that, your frustration melted. You took the mug, letting the warmth seep into your fingers. Trey didn’t move, just watched you with that quiet steadiness. Then, softly, he asked again,

“Come back to bed?”

This time, you didn’t hesitate.

You set the mug aside and sat up, only for Trey to immediately wrap his arms around you. His hold was firm, grounding. He buried his face in your shoulder and murmured, “I’m sorry.”

Your fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, holding him just as tightly. “I’m sorry too.”

Neither of you moved for a long moment, staying there in the quiet. Eventually, Trey pulled back just enough to press a kiss to your forehead.

“C’mon,” he said, voice low, warm. “Let’s go to sleep.”

And this time, when he led you back to bed, you followed without hesitation.

Ruggie Bucchi

The couch wasn’t comfortable. You knew it, and Ruggie knew it. But right now, your stubbornness outweighed your need for a good night’s sleep. You yanked the blanket over yourself, muttering under your breath as you tried to arrange the cushions into something remotely acceptable.

Across the room, Ruggie watched you with wide, calculating eyes. He hadn’t said anything since you stormed off, but you could feel him thinking. And then—

“You remember when you ate my last donut?” he started, voice small.

You froze, narrowing your eyes. “…What?”

“My last donut. You ate it, and you said—” He changed his voice in a mocking impression of you. “‘I owe you one, Ruggie, I swear. Anything you want.’”

You groaned, burying your face in the pillow. “Oh my —”

“But it’s fine,” he continued, so dramatically forlorn you almost threw the pillow at him. “I guess I’ll just be all alone in that big, cold bed. No warmth. No love. Just me. Shivering.”

You lifted your head, ready to tell him off, but then—oh, no.

He hit you with the look.

Ears drooping. Tail flicking. Wide, guilt-inducing eyes that shimmered just enough to make your resolve crack.

You exhaled sharply, dropping your head back down. “You’re the worst.”

He didn’t respond. Just fidgeted. Shuffled his feet like he was actually nervous you’d say no.

And that? That got you.

With a groan of defeat, you sighed and opened your arms. That was all he needed. Ruggie practically launched himself onto the couch, slotting himself beside you in a space absolutely not designed for two people. His weight pressed against you, his tail flicking lazily as he tucked his head under your chin.

“…Knew you couldn’t resist me,” he mumbled, voice muffled by your shirt.

“Shut up.”

His arms tightened around you. A quiet beat passed, then—

“Sorry.”

Your hand found its way into his hair, carding through the strands. “Yeah,” you murmured. “Me too.”

Ruggie hummed, content. Within minutes, his breathing evened out, and despite the ridiculousness of it all, sleep found you too.

Jade Leech

The couch was lumpy. Or maybe you were just too angry to get comfortable. Either way, you buried your face into the pillow, inhaling deeply through your nose to keep yourself from snapping again. You just needed some space. Needed to not be in the same room as Jade and his infuriating, calmly amused expression.

“I can’t be around you right now,” you had told him before marching off, voice tight with frustration. And for once, he didn’t push. Didn’t smirk or throw another veiled comment your way. He simply inclined his head, watching as you all but collapsed onto the couch.

Now, wrapped in a too-thin blanket, you willed yourself to sleep. You were almost there—drifting, fading—when fingers ghosted over your hair.

Your breath caught, but you kept still.

Soft strokes. Careful, reverent, as if he thought you might break. It was so unlike him, so gentle, that you almost cracked your eyes open to confirm it was really happening. Then—

“…I’m so sorry.”

The whisper was barely there. But it wasn’t the words that made your heart lurch—it was the way his voice shook.

Jade Leech, ever unflappable, sounded unsteady.

He pulled back, and you knew he was about to leave. That should have been fine. You should have let him go.

But your bleeding heart had other plans.

Your hand shot out, grabbing his wrist before he could slip away.

He barely had time to react before you yanked him back—maybe a little too hard, because the next thing you knew, he was crashing onto the couch with you. A rare, wide-eyed look of surprise flashed across his face, so fleeting you almost thought you imagined it.

And then you pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Jade froze.

“I’m sorry too,” you murmured. “We can talk in the morning.”

For a long moment, he just looked at you, something unreadable in his expression. Then, slow and deliberate, he dipped down and pressed a lingering kiss to your cheek.

“…Very well,” he whispered.

His weight settled beside you, and this time, when you drifted off, it was to the sound of his steady breathing, warm and close beside you.

The couch standoff had been going on for way too long.

“I’m sleeping here,” you declared, arms crossed as you planted yourself firmly onto the cushions.

“No, you’re not,” Jamil shot back, equally stubborn. “I am.”

You narrowed your eyes. “I’m not taking the bed while you sleep out here.”

“And I’m not letting you sleep out here while I take the bed.” His arms were crossed now too, mirroring your posture, his sharp gaze unwavering.

For a moment, the tension held. Then, something about the sheer ridiculousness of it all hit you—both of you too annoyed to back down but too caring to let the other suffer the discomfort of the couch.

A laugh bubbled up in your chest before you could stop it. You covered your mouth, but the moment you let out even the smallest chuckle, Jamil’s eyes flickered with reluctant amusement. He exhaled sharply through his nose, shaking his head.

“This is stupid,” you admitted between giggles.

He sighed, running a hand down his face. “Yeah. It is.”

You grinned. “Bed?”

Jamil didn’t hesitate. “Bed.”

The moment you both settled under the blankets, the last traces of tension melted away. His arms instinctively curled around you, pulling you close, and you let yourself relax into his warmth.

“Sorry,” you whispered, pressing your forehead against his shoulder.

His grip tightened, lips brushing against your hair. “Me too.”

Neither of you said anything else. You didn’t need to. The steady rhythm of his breathing and the way he held you just a little closer said enough.

Rook arguing with you was already unexpected. That he let you march off to the couch without a poetic declaration or dramatic plea? Unheard of.

You cocooned yourself in the blanket, stubbornly facing the back of the couch. The silence felt unnatural—too quiet for someone like Rook. A part of you expected him to suddenly recite a Shakespearean sonnet about lovers quarreling.

Instead, something even more ridiculous happened.

You shifted slightly, just enough to glance toward the floor—and there he was.

Laying down right beside the couch on a thin blanket, arms crossed behind his head as though he had chosen the most luxurious sleeping arrangement in the world. His golden hair fanned out on the hardwood floor, and despite the clear insanity of the situation, he looked perfectly content.

You stared. Blinked. “Rook.”

“Oui, mon amour?”

“You’re on the floor.”

“Indeed.”

“You’re going to get sick.”

“Then I shall suffer beautifully, just as you do now, exiled from the comfort of our bed.” His eyes twinkled, completely unrepentant. “If my beloved must endure the cruel fate of sleeping alone, then I shall share in their hardship.”

You pressed your fingers to your temples. “Rook, go to bed.”

“I am in bed.”

“No, you’re on the floor, being dramatic.”

“Dramatic? Ah, ma chérie, I am simply a devoted man.”

You groaned, throwing your arm over your face, but the warmth in your chest betrayed you. It was impossible to stay mad when he was like this. Ridiculous. Completely, helplessly devoted.

Sighing, you reached out and flicked his forehead. He gasped theatrically, touching the spot as though you had struck him with Cupid’s arrow. Before he could say something absurd, you leaned down and kissed the spot gently.

“Come to bed, you idiot.”

His eyes widened slightly before his lips stretched into a dazzling smile. Without hesitation, he stood—and then immediately scooped you into his arms.

“Rook—?!?”

“Ah, mon amour, such sweet mercy! Allow me to carry you away from this exile!” He spun dramatically, pressing an exaggerated kiss to your forehead before striding toward the bedroom.

You should have expected nothing less.

You sighed against his shoulder, shaking your head. “You’re impossible.”

“And yet, you adore me.”

You couldn’t argue with that.

Lilia Vanrouge

You had firmly decided that you weren’t going to sleep in the same bed as Lilia tonight.

You needed space. You needed time to cool off. You needed—

Blink.

One second, you were wrapped in your blanket on the couch. The next? You were in bed.

You shot up, heart pounding. Lilia stood at the bedside, arms crossed, looking far too pleased with himself.

“Lilia.” Your voice was dangerously even.

“Yes, my dear?”

You narrowed your eyes. “Did you teleport me?”

A smug smile. “Would you rather I carried you?”

Oh, you were about to start another argument—

But then you noticed something. In his hands: a pillow and his own blanket.

You frowned. “What are you doing?”

Lilia hummed, casual as anything. “If my beloved insists on sleeping elsewhere, then I shall take the couch in their place. I have endured far worse in my lifetime—” his eyes twinkled mischievously “—but I’d hate for you to wake up with an aching back.”

You groaned, flopping back onto the mattress. “That’s so unfair.”

“To be this thoughtful and charming? I know.”

You shot him a look, but he simply smiled. You hated how sweet he could be even when you were still irritated.

With an exasperated sigh, you sat up and grabbed his wrist, tugging him toward you. He followed easily, his blanket forgotten as he slipped into bed. Without hesitation, he wrapped himself around you, chin resting atop your head.

His voice softened. “I’m sorry, dear.”

You exhaled, tension leaving your body as you relaxed into his hold. “…I’m sorry too.”

His lips brushed against your temple, and with that, the night’s quarrel was put to rest.