Phainon, who got so nervous asking you out that he meticulously planned out everything months in advance, only to suddenly blurt it out one evening when he was sleepy and he thought you looked too pretty (not that you always weren't, but with the moonlight framing your face and the quiet atmosphere, he couldn't help it). Even when you say yes, he insists on asking you out "properly" anyway.
Phainon, who is so excited to show you off to everyone he knows. He always holds your hand in his whenever you're both walking down Marmoreal Market, always kissing your cheek even when you're embarrassed from the public displays of affection.
Phainon, who, for all his confidence and teasing, blushes incredibly easily. That man cannot take even the slightest bit of flirting from you without turning bright red and stammering. This is something you like to take advantage of, especially to tease him in front of his friends who already know how absolutely down bad he is for you.
Phainon, who was — and always has been — a lover boy at heart. He writes you letters while he's away on long missions, letters that would put the most renowned poets to shame. Not once would he let you doubt that he's found someone else or that his love for you was fading. If anything, he was the one afraid of you falling out of love for him, and he expresses this very clearly in his letters. When you receive them, it always came with a little gift. A flower he found by the road, a cool coin he found at a ruin… whatever it was, it always made you smile with how excitedly he wrote about it.
Phainon, who is so, so soft with you. He knows how physically strong he is, so he tries extra hard not to hurt you. It's especially evident during late nights when you're spiralling as he holds you close, head to his chest, as if he could take away everything that's bothering you. He whisper quiet reassurances, fingers running through your hair to drown out the thoughts.
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↬ Pairing : Phainon x Reader
↬ Synopsis : Starting to settle into your new environment, your life was finally starting to look up. You've met a new friend, been on the academic grind, and Phainon has been less of a pest than he usually is. At least, that's what you think.
↬ Tags : uni!AU, modern!AU, gn!reader, no use of y/n, academic rivals, academic rivals to lovers, reader hates his guts at first, phainon is a little shit, fluff, very cliche sorry in advance, self-indulgent, possibly ooc, mydei and reader ily, loosely inspired by "I Hope This Doesn't Find You" by Ann Liang, cross-posted on ao3
↬ Word Count : ~ 2.2k
↬ A/N : Introducing some of the other Chrysos Heirs! Sorry that Phainon isn't in this as much, but he will be a bigger character next chapter I promise. ☆⌒(ゝ。∂) Also impulsively changed it from past to present tense just because. But I will edit the first chapter to fit!
⟢ Masterlist / Chapterlist
For the last few weeks, you've been avoiding Phainon like the plague. Not to say you weren't keeping tabs on him, of course. You stalked every piece of social media you could find the night after seeing him again, and the fact that he was in your psychology class made him a particularly difficult person to ignore. Every morning he would walk into class with a stupid smile and two cups of coffee: one for himself, and the other for his friend that you would soon find out to be Castorice.
Castorice was, to your surprise, an enjoyable person to be around. She was sweet, a little quiet, but good company nonetheless. A week ago there was a writing assignment that required partners, and she gave sound suggestions. Your writing style and hers complimented each other, so immediately she became one of the better partners you've had in your life. It made you wonder why someone as sweet as her would choose to hang around someone like him. Were they dating? It could be likely, since, due to your prior investigating, Phainon posted her a lot on his social media. You almost felt a little bad for her, another victim to Phainon's whims. Seriously, she could do so much better…
Phainon never dated anyone in high school. He got plenty of confessions (you recall being annoyed at the copious amounts of chocolates he received on Valentine's Day), but he always turned them down. He was already relatively popular in high school, but over the summer he seemed to get even more popular. His followers tripled since the last time you checked, all because during the break he started posting silly little gym videos and gained some muscle, which, in your opinion, did not warrant getting 3 000 more followers. He’d also lost his glasses, which made his eyes look too big — so now he wore contacts. As much as you hated to admit it, he put in effort into his appearance and was objectively more attractive than before. It's no wonder there was that huge crowd at the bus station.
"You." A harsh voice snaps you out of your reverie. You look up, seeing a very disappointed Professor glaring at you. Oops. It wasn't like you at all to have your mind wander like that. Professor Anaxagoras — or as some students call him, "Professor Anaxa," something he absolutely despises — was notoriously one of the strictest professors at the university, and one of the harshest markers. You've heard the horror stories of past students where the majority of the class failed, and he didn't care at all. Even some of your classmates around you seem to be past students of his redoing the course judging by the hollow looks in their eyes. "Are you done daydreaming? If you had time to do that, surely you can answer the question on the board, hm?"
You were so lucky that you read over the material the night before, otherwise you'd be dead. With as much confidence as you could muster, you quickly wrote your response on the board, explaining the concept. Professor Anaxa nods and looks satisfied enough, the relief washing over you too, at least until you notice a pair of beady little eyes staring right through your soul in your peripheral vision.
Yeah, you miss the glasses. He looked unnatural like this, in a way.
You expect Phainon to say something about your explanation, raising his hand and saying something along the lines of "erm, actually" like the nerd he is, but he hasn't said a word. Truthfully, he hasn't said anything to you at all this entire year ever since the incident at the bus station. It was entirely different from high school where he would constantly challenge you for every little thing you said in class. It was almost… suspicious. What could he possibly be plotting? He was your equal academically and the only person in this university that’s known you since grade school, there was no way he wasn’t aware of how much this was messing with you. There was no way he suddenly had a change of heart, right?
…What were you even saying? Why did this matter to you so much? You were already using far too much brain power on Phainon than he deserved. Maybe this was his plan, making you so suspicious and paranoid that you wouldn’t be able to do well in the course, making him once again, the top student!
Not today, Phainon Khaslana.
Picking up your pencil, you took a breath in, willing away unwanted thoughts of him.
── ⟢ ・⸝⸝
You manage to finish the rest of your classes without any other mishaps, and as a little reward, decide to try out a new cafe you've heard about. It was on the opposite side of the campus, so it was a little bit of a walk, but you didn't mind. Titans know you needed a bit of exercise. The academic toll paired with sitting for hours on end was certainly not healthy for you.
Once you get there, you take in how cute the cafe is. “The Garden of Life,” its name is perfect. Flowering vines wind up the pillars, and there are so many plants it really does look like a whole new biome from the inside.
It’s sure to be expensive as hell.
To top it all off, adorable little chimeras ran around, awoo-ing at customers that walked through the door. Smiling to yourself in spite of seeing the very obvious prices on the board (seriously, who pays $12 for a latte?), you crouch down, petting a grey and white one with wide ocean blue eyes. Its head leans close to your leg, clearly taking a liking to you.
"That's Vigethos. He usually takes a while to warm up to new people, but you seem to be a natural. Do you have any chimeras?" You look up and see a blond man with the tips of his hair dyed red. For as welcoming as his question was, he didn't look the part. He almost looks like he belonged in a different timeline, straight out of a textbook as an ancient Greek warrior.
"No, I don't." You reply, continuing to pet Vigethos. "I've always wanted one, though, but I don't really have the means to take care of one right now." You pause. "Do you work here?"
The man shakes his head. "Not technically. I just take care of the chimeras sometimes as a volunteer."
"That's so cool! Erm," you look at the name tag on his shirt. "Mydeimos?"
"Just Mydei is fine." For someone so stoic, he felt out of place in such a cute cafe. It was endearing, in a way.
"Mydei, then." You beam. "It's nice to meet you."
After ordering yourself a drink, you chatted a bit with Mydei. You learned that he also went to Okhema University and was also a first year just like you were. He used to live in Castrum Kremnos before moving to Okhema, his father owning a small business there, as he described it. (You wouldn't tell him that later that evening that you casually searched up his last name on the internet, only to find that the "small business" in question was the leading tech production company in all of Amphoreus. Why was this city full of such odd people?) His presence was enamoring, and, by the time the the sun began to set, you had his number in your phone. For the first time in a while, things were finally starting to look up in your life.
You weren't really close to anyone on campus, opting for a single dorm instead of having a roommate. Now, looking back, you kind of regret that decision. It was getting a little lonely. So when you started coming to The Garden of Life everyday, Mydei became a constant in your life. Your first real friend here at Okhema University, and you were ever so grateful.
── ⟢ ・⸝⸝
Soon enough, the first snow fell from the skies. It came earlier than it usually did, only a few weeks after orientation, and if it were any other time, you would've been happy. Winter meant sledding, skating, warm hot chocolate while watching your favourite shows… but now winter also meant spending days on end at your desk, studying for exams. Sure, it was a little overkill to study so far ahead of time, but you wanted to do well on your first year, and Mydei — the workaholic that he is — influenced your work ethic greatly.
You two were studying in the library one morning, the air still quiet except for the occasional questions you asked the other. You've been here for nearly 5 hours now, feeling the effects of the caffeine from your coffee starting to wear off.
"I'm gonna go get another coffee. You want anything?" You ask Mydei. He gave a short nod, hardly looking up.
"A coffee and a sandwich, please. I'll pay you back—"
"There's no need!" You cut him off. "You already do so much for me, Mydei." Before he could protest, you went off to a nearby coffee shop. Their coffee isn't great, but it definitely gets the job done. You wait near a window, scrolling mindlessly on your phone. People weren't joking when they said you wouldn't have time to doomscroll anymore in university, but hey, at least you don't miss it that much. Your life right now was significantly better than before despite the heavier course load. More so because a certain white-haired man was not butting into your space every chance he got…
"Order number 336!" The barista calls your number and you grab the drinks and snacks and thank them. The walk back was uneventful, but at least the sights were pretty. Okhema was a pretty city in general. Legend has it that the city used to house all the citizens of Amphoreus because it was a shelter against a huge catastrophe.
The university was no less extravagant. It was one of the reasons you chose it, after all. Tall, marble columns that towered over you, each one full of history. Lush gardens that lined every sidewalk. Statues of warriors that made any person walking by stop for a second just to admire them.
When you get back to the library, you were about to turn left to where your table was, but stop in your tracks the second you heard an all too familiar laugh. You carefully peek your head over the wall to see what he was doing here, and, to your horror, he was laughing with Mydei. And even worse, Mydei seemed okay with it! As you were contemplating your entire friendship with Mydei, you didn't even notice that Phainon crept up behind you.
"Boo!" You yelp, a bit too loud for a library, and the librarian gives you a dirty look. Phainon, on the other hand, looks like he was going to burst from holding in his laughter. His face looked awfully punchable at the moment.
"Phainon, I swear I'm actually going to kill you one day—"
Mydei tilts his head. "I didn't know you knew Phainon."
"Oh, you have no idea." Both you and Phainon say at the same time — you with clear irritation, and him with glee.
"The better question is how do you know Phainon, Mydeimos?" You interrogate him.
"He's my roommate. I've mentioned this before, no?" Roommate. Roommate. Your only friend is roommates with your worst enemy. Phainon and Mydei, Mydei and Phainon. Talking everyday. Were friends, by the looks of it. You feel like you’re going to be sick. It always leads back to Phainon, doesn't it? His grip on your life was too big for you to even realize. You were never, ever going to escape this man. Even if he wasn't actively egging you on in class, his mere presence pissed you off. "Is this a problem…?"
"I mean—"
"Anyway, now that you're here," Phainon cuts in, innocent looking eyes observing you, "What'd you get for the last psychology test?"
"A 99%." You answer smoothly. You've had this same conversation a million times with him before, and you were certain he didn't do better since all of your classmates were talking about how difficult the test was.
His whole demeanour deflates, and for a second you thought you won. "You're not even going to ask what I got?"
You scoff. "Surely not surpassing me. Professor Anaxa said that the highest score was a 99—"
"One. Hundred." He interrupts you, pronouncing each syllable in a sing-song voice. "I talked to the Professor after class and he marked a question wrong for mine."
You stand there, too stunned to speak. He giggles. "Does that mean I've beat you 52% of the time now? I'll have to do the math…"
You jinxed yourself saying that everything was going fine. That you were past the whole "academic rivals" thing. Turns out, he was just waiting for the right time to strike again.
Chapter 1 - perpendicular lines only meet once- oh wait...
↬ Pairing : Phainon x Reader
↬ Synopsis : The moment you've been waiting for has finally come. After finally escaping the horrors of high school, Okhema University felt like a fresh start. Unfortunately, things don't quite go as planned, as an old rival stumbles into your life once more.
↬ Tags : uni!AU, modern!AU, gn!reader, no use of y/n, academic rivals, academic rivals to lovers, reader hates his guts at first, phainon is a little shit, fluff, very cliche sorry in advance, self-indulgent, possibly ooc, loosely inspired by "I Hope This Doesn't Find You" by Ann Liang, posted on ao3 also
↬ Word Count : ~1.4k
↬ A/N : First fic after not writing for a longgg time yay (and also my first multi-chapter one)! This is also my first fic on tumblr so... hey........ :D After writing only research papers for like a year, it's fun to get back to writing stories. As stated in the tags, this is very corny since I've never written fluff like this before, I've only ever written angst. I am also not in university just yet so I'm betting a lot of the finer details are wildly inaccurate… constructive criticism is appreciated! ⸜(*ˊᗜˋ*)⸝
⟢ Masterlist / Chapterlist
"Student Support is closed today! Thank you for understanding."
A bad day, you decided, as the words posted on the door glared right at you mockingly.
Clutching your textbooks closer to your chest, a wave of dread hit you. Only the first day, and everything was already going terribly—
SPLASH!
You could barely react as a bike whizzed on by, drenching you from head to toe with murky brown water from the previous rain the night before. The cyclist yelled out a half-hearted apology, not even slowing down to see the damage he caused.
“What the fuck is wrong with you–” You cut yourself off. First impressions, first impressions…
Blinking, you tried to gather yourself together. Eventually, you sighed, looking down at your soaked outfit. It was what, barely 8 in the morning? You couldn't catch a break. Bad luck wasn't something you really believed in, but you were beginning to think the universe was trying to prove you wrong. You had spent so much time preparing for this day, hours upon hours of planning to make your first day at Okhema University perfect. Every grueling moment spent in high school, days of your life spent pouring over the deadlines and essays and applications, all the work you had put in to get to where you are now… surely this is a bad omen.
Ah, but at least the atmosphere was nice, you supposed. Everything felt like it came straight out of those stupid romcom movies you can't help but watch. Warm autumn air danced with the falling leaves, mixed with the faint excited chatter among the crowds — it was undeniably infectious. For a second, it could be perfect, at least, if you closed your eyes and ignored the pitying looks and whispered comments other students gave you as you passed by.
"Everyone has a bad first day experience," you murmured to yourself, breathing in deeply. "I can't let this get me down." If there's one thing you've learned about yourself, it was that it would take a lot more than a little water to bring down your mood. Especially after having to deal with… him… for 17 years of your life. Even the very thought of that man makes you shudder.
Phainon Khaslana, the very man who had tormented you since you could remember. Teachers and parents alike adored him, and every student practically worshipped the ground he walked on. He was known for being smart and helpful, a kindhearted soul who could do no wrong. But you knew better. You knew that behind that carefully crafted mask was pure evil.
…Well, as evil as a normal high schooler could be. Regardless, you could only take so many "what did you get on the test?"'s and "second place? that's cute"'s. He was your sworn enemy, doing everything in his power to one-up you without even having to try. How could no one else see it? How cunning he was, how he used his good looks to get what he wanted, how he was toying with you for fun? When you found out he was going to a different university far, far away from Okhema, you dropped to your knees and thanked every titan in the sky.
Just the thought of him spoiled your mood again, so you shook your head and decided to walk to your first lecture. As you were about to head inside the building, you noticed a crowd of students gathered near the bus station, all focused on something within the circle. They spoke in hushed tones, but you couldn't really pick up on what they were saying. Admittedly, curiosity got the better of you as you squeezed past the growing mass of bodies to see what the fuss was all about.
"Oh, watch out over there! Don't want you dropping your coffee."
You stopped dead in your tracks.
That voice…
You recognized it all too well. Memories flooded back in like a tidal wave, recollections of a past you thought you left behind coming back unannounced.
No, there was no way. He was supposed to be gone. Hundreds of kilometers away from you where he couldn't disturb your peace ever again. Where you wouldn't have to see his damning blue eyes or repulsive white hair or that infuriating smile—
Those very same bright blue eyes met with your own. And, to your utter dismay, they widened in recognition.
In just an instant, he's in front of you, in all his aggravating glory. He smiled. "Well, look who we have here." He exclaimed with delight, tilting his head, and you wanted to throw up. "I can't believe I'm seeing you again! We didn't even have a chance to say goodbye, you know? I was simply heartbroken. After all, we've basically spent our whole lives together. Don't you think that warranted even a little bit of tears?" He batted his eyelashes.
You stood there in disbelief, not believing that a grown man, in public, was openly pouting! The crowd that gathered around were giving each other looks, and you couldn't help but want to just die right there and then and take Phainon with you. No, scratch that. You wanted to murder him first, a slow, painful death, before killing yourself.
"Phainon," You started slowly, the words said through gritted teeth, "What a pleasant surprise." Unfortunately, it was improper to kill someone on campus. You couldn't afford to ruin your reputation not even a day in, much to your dismay. "Did you lose your way to your fancy school, or…?"
He laughed, the sound too kind for the likes of him. A manipulator, that's what he was. He had everyone wrapped around his little finger since the day he was born. "A change of plans." He shrugged. "I missed the Okheman air and everyone here. Especially you!" He put his arm around your shoulder, a little too harshly to be unintentional. You wanted so badly to wipe that shit-eating grin off his face, but instead you held your ground and smiled just as sweetly — two can play at that game.
"Still the same as always, aren't you?" You leaned in close so that only he could hear your words. "When are you going to drop that 'princely' facade? You're not as charming as everyone thinks you are, and it's only a matter of time before people find out."
"Same goes for you, friend. I know very well that you're not as shy as you make yourself out to be. In fact, you're so mean to me sometimes! Remember that time I answered a question wrong in front of the class? You wouldn't drop it for an entire week!"
"Well only an idiot would get a question like that wrong! For someone so smart, you'd think you knew that."
He blinked, obviously not expecting that. Scoffing in offense, he finally removed his arm from your shoulder. "It was one time! Also, must I remind you that 51% of the time, I was the one who scored the highest?"
"Wow, how mature of you to obsess over small statistics like that. You've grown so much since then."
His eyes narrowed. "You—"
A cough. Neither of you even realized that your voices grew louder and the whole student population now knew about your history. In fact, you and Phainon were now in the center of the crowd, whether that was from fear or intrigue. Both of you straightened up immediately, and a flush grew on your face.
"This was all ages ago, right, Phainon? I hope that we've both changed since then, mostly on your part." You muttered the last few words. He caught them, rolling his eyes slightly so that only you could see. Even now, he was trying to save face as the golden boy.
"Yes, that's right. I hope we can be good… friends from now on. Let bygones be bygones, hm?" He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
With that, you went your separate ways, both weaving your way through different directions of the crowd, trying not to pay attention to their stares. It was fine, right? There were so many students, there was no way your schedules would align. It was very possible to never even see his face again!
Only, when you entered your first lecture, those same blue eyes filled with thinly-veiled disdain looked right back at you.
↬ Tags : uni!AU, modern!AU, gn!reader, no use of y/n, academic rivals, academic rivals to lovers, reader hates his guts at first, phainon is a little shit, fluff, very cliche sorry in advance, self-indulgent, possibly ooc, loosely inspired by "I Hope This Doesn't Find You" by Ann Liang, cross-posted on ao3
The moment you've been waiting for has finally come. After finally escaping the horrors of high school, Okhema University felt like a fresh start. Unfortunately, things don't quite go as planned, as an old rival stumbles into your life once more.
» Chapter 2 - wishful thinking
Starting to settle into your new environment, your life was finally starting to look up. You've met a new friend, been on the academic grind, and Phainon has been less of a pest than he usually is. At least, that's what you think.
