The Ball At NRC || Vice Dorm Leaders X Reader

The ball at NRC || Vice dorm leaders x reader

It seemed like Night Raven College had moved to Victorian times.

An annual ball was organized for students and their families to commemorate old customs and traditions; even if the whole party was prepared by the school, each and every student was overwhelmingly excited.

There was no way not to try to impress your friends by occupying the dance floor and dancing with the most beautiful girls in the room—all jealous glances were causing huge smiles on dancers’ faces.

However...

Now you were standing there, being just a wallflower.

You stared at your elegant slippers ghosts helped you choose. In your world, that outfit would surely be a sensation, and buying something like this would cost way too much for a dress. Here, however, seeing the Pomefiore students and their partners, as well as the leaders and vice-leaders of the dormitories… you pale in comparison.

You weren't able to talk much either — everyone was so absorbed by preparations and it seemed nearly impossible to talk to anyone, so before you knew it, you couldn't ask anyone to come with you to the party.

The fact that you spent hours preparing for this ball was the only thing that held you back from leaving the room. And also good food. Very good food.

You took another piece of the cake on your fork and for the tenth time that day you reprimanded yourself: “[Name], put it down, you will be fat, a little more and the dress will be too tight... Okay, it will be the last time I will take another piece, this time for real.”

You didn't have time to swallow the pastry when the voice behind you spoke up.

“[Name]?”

‏‏‎ ‎‎

Trey C.

You almost got choked by the cake when Trey appeared next to you.

Dressed in a white suit, light pants, and green shirt, you hardly recognized him. Your heart skipped a beat at the sight of a smartly dressed boy, and it didn't make it any easier for you when he brushed his hair back.

“What do you think of these cakes?” Trey began as you both sat down at one of the tables that were placed along the walls of the room. “I assisted with some of them myself, even if we have enough cooks.”

"They're delicious," you admitted, pushing the cake into your mouth, this time without hesitation. “I will never get tired of your cuisine, Trey.”

“Thank you,” he smiled and for the first time in a long moment, he looked away from you and glanced at the buffet. “Epel gave us a lot of apples for these cakes. We could make a lot of apple cakes in the lead role: chausson aux pommese, tarte normande, tarte tatin, croustade aux pommes...”

You nodded your head uncertainly.

“Let's say I understand.”

There was a gleam of amusement in his eyes.

“You're not going to dance, [Name]?” he said suddenly. “It would be such a waste if the most beautiful woman at this party did not dance even once.”

"You're exaggerating," you laughed heartily, but a strawberry blush bloomed on your cheeks. “I don't know the steps, so there is no reason for me to dance”.

"I will lead," Trey said, and gently grabbed your hand as the first notes of the next song rang out. “Make an exception for me, [Name], and dance with me… I just don't know if I'll be able to give you to another man afterwards.” He added as you two took positions.

…Who knew Trey could dance so well?

Swaying to the rhythm of the melody, you followed the green-haired man whom you tried to keep pace with—to your pleasant surprise, you managed to make even a few turns without stumbling over the air.

Just as there are wolves in sheep's clothing, the same goes for Trey who could be a dancer in the royal court under the mask of a magnificent pastry chef.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Ruggie B.

“R-Ruggie?” you stammered out as you hardly swallowed another piece of cake.

The boy put a finger on your lips and looked around cautiously.

"Shesh, [Name]," He moved closer, "help me get as much food out of here as possible."

“Ah?”

The rules that had been repeated to you from the beginning of the preparations were remembered in your head, and you were sure that one of them corresponded to the boy's plans.

When Ruggie saw the doubt in your eyes, he folded his hands in a pleading gesture and smiled encouragingly.

“Pretty please..? All you have to do is cover me up; with all this food we will go to the balcony and through the garden, we will take everything to my dorm.”

And you've just fallen into Ruggie's plan again.

Not that you had anything more exciting to do.

Keeping out of the way, so as not to attract much attention, you packed your food into a large wicker basket that was decorated with white flowers from one of the tables—now it looks elegant! Nobody should have suspected that there were chocolate brownies inside, instead of other flowers, right?

You swiftly slipped through the hall, avoiding any people who wanted to invite more students to dance. You quickly refused every suggestion, until you finally opened the balcony door with a thud.

“Haaa, fresh air..!” Ruggie set the basket down and stretched his arms up. “Oh, the garden was also decorated.”

You looked around to see the beautifully decorated park - the nicely trimmed flowers, carefully polished carvings, and the cleared of leaves path majestically melded with the candles flying overhead.

Though the sky was overcast, the flying lights resembled a starry sky with only the moon missing.

"They did a good job," Ruggie muttered, eyeing decorations and magical flowers, slightly shimmering in the dark. “It reminds me of one of the scenes from some movie... Where a girl runs away through such gardens, because the spell has started to disappear, or something like that... Very tragic and romantic...”

“We can," you began,“ recreate this scene.” You chuckled as the boy seemed a little confused. “After all, we can run away with food along these paths to the dormitory, it will be just as dramatic.”

“[Name]. I can't imagine anyone else I would like to run away with like this” theatrically he wiped an invisible tear and grabbed the basket.  “Now, come on, let's go!”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Jade L.

“O-oh!” You jumped, clearly surprised. You turned around to see Jade with his usual perfect smile. “Hello, Jade...”

"Good evening, [Name]," he replied. “I was just wondering why the most beautiful person in this room doesn't dance. Hmm, why do you think?”

"That is the question," you said. You took the last sip of lemonade and set the cup down on the table. “I think you will find your dancing partner somewhere there” You nodded your head to the corner of the hall, where a dozen beautifully dressed ladies were crowded.

Jade looked at them, but quickly his gaze returned to you, still smiling.

“Unfortunately, another girl already caught my attention.”

“Unfortunately, this young lady does not know how to dance. Not with those monsters on her feet.”

You looked at your high heels. Dancing—walking in such uncomfortable shoes was already a challenge—was out of the question. Even when you walked to the room, you felt that you chose the wrong shoes, because, with every step, the heels were trying to slide off your foot.

"You can always take them off," Jade replied. “The floor is heated here.”

“You don't give up so easily, huh?” You sighed, but somehow you were smiling from ear to ear.

You slipped your uncomfortable shoes to the ground and happily kicked them under the table. The dress was so long that only if someone tried to look under it would you see your beautiful feet, matching Rapunzel's style - barefoot.

“May I have this dance?” Jade bowed. “It is an honor to dance with a princess who has lost not one shoe, but two.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Jamil V.

"Ah, um, hello, Jamil," you muttered, still startled by his sudden appearance. “Something happened?”

The boy seemed extremely tired. Out of breath, he leaned lightly against the pillar and was relieved to find it cold.

“Kalim. Ha... he's been trying to get me a dance partner since he found out I missed picking you up from the dorm. I honestly started to doubt that I would find you here...”

As to confirm his words, the people at the table a few meters away from you laughed out loud and some others started shouting over each other to be heard. Only the orchestra with another calm, waltz piece managed to alleviate the situation.

"It looks like Kalim has some sort of radar to detect you," you said softly, and Jamil cleared his throat in confusion. You nodded to the left of the buffet “because he's already coming here.”

Jamil glanced in the direction you were pointing, then grabbed your arm and led you to the center of the room. You understood it was a way to get away from Kalim, but nonetheless ...

When Jamil noticed the confused expression on your face, he smiled warmly and placed his hand on your cheek.

"Let me let you know that you are the only person I want to dance with at this party," he said and smiled at you as the violinists started playing a new tune.

"I hope I won’t disappoint you," you replied with a shy smile as Jamil gently laced your fingers together.

"Don't worry," the corners of his mouth raised a bit. “We will always be able to dance again if you decide you want to try again” and with those words, you and all the other couples went to dance.

"So you already know who you're going to dance with all night," you replied, and Jamil let out a soft laugh.

“I'm not going to complain.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Rook H.

"What are you doing here alone, princesse?"

You turned around to see Rook, who stood out from the crowd.

Not only was he tall, but his elegant clothes and the grace with which he moved made a lot of people’s gazes follow him.

"It's my environment," you said. Rook placed two sweet and sour punches in front of you and sat down next to you at the table. “Thank you.”

"Here you go," he smiled. When you looked into his eyes, a grin widened.“How about a little game?”

You blinked your eyes and nodded slowly.

"The rules are," he continued. “Whoever finds the Roi du Poison in this crowd first, wins. If I win, you will agree to dance with me.” He paused here to observe the change in expression on your face. “And if you win...”

“...you will buy me a cake.”

“...I will buy you a cake. Or whatever you want.”

Deal?

It was not a difficult task. Or at least it shouldn't be. Vil was constantly surrounded by a crowd of people who stopped to admire his beauty, so finding more crowded spots in this auditorium was not difficult.

And yet... at the time of the bet, they all seemed to have disappear.

You barely walked halfway across the room, and when you turned to see where Rook was, he didn't move. He only talked to Vil, who was leaning against a column that you couldn't see before... Rook was smiling at you and you were sure that there was a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes...

...he even waved at you.

"It's not fair," you said as he dragged you to the center of the room.

"No rule has been broken, have they not, mon chérie?" He said. “Time for my reward.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Ortho S.

*dancing macarena in the middle of the room*

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Lilia V.

“Are these pastries so good that it is better to give up the dancing than to leave these cakes alone?” Said the voice above you, and you almost dropped the plate of cake almost out of surprise.

Lilia chuckled at your reaction, then quickly flew past you.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food," you quoted, and the boy nodded in agreement.

“Often feelings are expressed through food. Dating takes place in rich restaurants or at cafes with cute cupcakes.”

“See how you know it?” You smiled. “And you, a creature without a cake, why don't you dance?”

“I was just looking for a creature with a cake that would agree to dance.”

“Dance with the creature? Or with a cake?”

"I'm going for the sweeter option~~" He replied and set your plate down on the table as he dragged you to the center of the room. He squeezed through several pairs so that you were closest to the exit to the balcony.

You didn't dance to the music, but doing a few random spins didn't feel out of rhythm either. At least from your perspective.

Right now, you might feel like a princess who had found her promised prince and no one else could have spoiled it. No one.

You almost regretted it when the music was over and most of the couples went to grab a bite to get back to the waltz in half an hour.

"Next time," you said, when you and Lilia were at one of the gaming tables, "when I'm in Diasomnia, instead of eating your cookies, we'll learn a more ambitious dance."

"My baked goods are delicious, too," Lilia replied in a tone of voice as if it were one of the sacred laws. “They are filled with feelings.”

You rolled your eyes and giggled, not too eager to answer sincerely.

“Your feelings are clearly... dangerous.”

I love your writing so much and I need to thank you. Your "how to win the heart of" series actually helped me accept my crush on someone close to me and to build up the courage to confess. We are now a couple. Thank you a lot. I hope you do well in life.

Ohh—! Congratulations! I'm glad I could be a help (even if it was a type of passive help, haha!)

And, also thank you for sending this message—reading it was a striking experience in a very positive way. Very wholesome. Thank you!!

I wish you a great life!

Idk if you open your reqs, if you felt comfortable then could you write "How to win a hear of" for Rook please? You could ignore it if you felt uncomfortable though.

How to win a heart of Rook Hunt?

1. Be.

Blink, blink. Inhale. Exhale.

...

You can't really prove anything, but you are sure that the clock that hangs above Train's desk is broken. Its hands are still staying in the same place, but when you doze off and check the time again, they seem to stay in the same place, if not going backwards.

You can't recognize any words from Train's monotone speech. Whenever he raises his tone, socking some poor student who sits at the front desk, is the only time you look up from your doodles scribbled on the cover of your notebook. They were getting more swirled with each minute; since this class, among the quick sketches Lucius, there appeared a weird-looking elephant in question and some fancy cake. Though, there is still a space for another decoration on the icing.

Luckily, Trein doesn't overlook class notes.

…

You muffle your yawn discreetly by covering your mouth.

After that, the sleepy and dull atmosphere should have just continued.

But no. There is some tension on your arms as if your body reacted by instinct, the one that turns on when you feel like you're in an unknown zone, carefully trying to make your way out of that internal Tierra Incognita.

And there it is. That irresistible impression of being observed, which brings an overwhelming feeling; almost suffocating and sticking to every part of your body, but warm, as if filled with adoration and joy.

...You will have to judge yourself if having such an admirer is a good thing. Especially if the admirer is Rook Hunt himself.

2. Lie.

"Could you stop that?" you ask aloud. "Rook Hunt."

To be completely honest with yourself, you aren't sure if he's around. In those few days, you almost got used to the gaze that follows you like an animal who is curious about a new human being, you. But also, you could never forget how each wild animal would effortlessly take you down.

From behind you, bushes don't rustle, when Rook Hunt steps in. You turn around to see him with a bright smile on his face. He seems very proud of something, and for the first time, you are sure that he was the one who followed you for days.

He stands in front of you as his gaze caresses every part of your body. He doesn't seem uncomfortable with open starring, but your arms stiffen a little.

"My, what a surprise!" He says after his eyes land on your face. You already know that he is the type of guy who never averts his gaze when talking to someone, but at first, that gesture is slightly intimidating. "Never have I supposed that you could actually spot me, Trickster-san!"

"So it was you?" The question arises before you can think of a better answer. Rook gives you a smile anyway. "Oh, well... Now that you're here, I can complain to you personally."You take a big breath. "Stop following me. I feel uncomfortable when I know that I can't relax anywhere."

"Oh, ma faute! I severely underestimated your observation skills...! However, I never noticed you feeling any negative emotion other than awkwardness when you spotted me. I think you smiled more." At this thought, or to visualize you the situation, his corners of mouth quirk up. "I am dazzled by you and I feel like I wouldn't be wrong if I guessed that you were happy with that attention. Didn't you like it?"

And there comes that lie, that contradicts the whole truth you have acknowledged by last week.

"No."

3. Show that you're willing to talk to him.

Your gaze lands on his silhouette, as he with the charm of every Pomefiore student, takes notes. He always seems upbeat, wanting to agree and conclude with the teacher's every word, but listens in silence.

There is no power in you to tear away your gaze. Again, for the third time in this lesson.

"I went crazy!" You think to yourself as the ring of long-desired bell fills the hallway and students leave their classes. "Did I guilt-trip myself or something, to think about him that much AFTER I missed a chance to befriend him?"

As you glance from your desk, you notice how Rook already left the class. Although you knew it will be really hard to find him now, after classes ended and bumping into each other is almost impossible, you quickly threw your books into the bag and run out the door.

...

Never have you known that Rook could that skillfully blend into the background.

Of course, you heard rumours. His posture, the way he entered classes and actively participated on each topic always gleamed with agility and grace. And mysteriously, he always knew you were looking at him. Back then, the smile never left his face.

Gravel rattled under your feet and you knocked a few pebbles away with your foot. After twenty minutes of searching, you weren't convinced that your childhood hide-and-seek talent was really as impeccable as you thought it would be. Rook Hunt wasn't hiding behind any of the bushes you passed.

He was above you.

Perched on a tall but sturdy branch, he can't help but stare at your distant figure littering the outside of the NRC. His eyes sparkle when you accidentally—or maybe not? Maybe these were those childhood skills—you lift your head up, and your gaze immediately lands on Rook's purple uniform.

"Looking for me?" He speaks in his melodic voice, smooth and clear as honey. "Moi, I am truly honoured!" His smile changes. It's hard to tell from the distance, but instead of his usual smile, there is now something resembling a smirk. "Perhaps I caught your attention~?"

4. Become a hunter

And by “hunter” there is no meaning of graduating NRC and travelling around the world to chase after animals of exotic species. No, the type of hunter that Rook needs and desires is a person who would challenge him and play with him a little.

The rule of the game is simple; find others' weaknesses first.

It isn't a friendly competition but isn't the enemy one either. It's a competition between rivals who don't want the duel in the end.

The rook may be awfully good at this game, but you will be a better target. Uncatchable. You hope so.

...

"I'd like to stop our little game," a familiar voice greets you as you open the door to the corridor from your room. Making way for you, he takes a step back with the grace of a dancer rather than a student or hunter.

You look at him in surprise. It takes you a moment to process his words and come up with an answer. "Huh. Are you changing your... 'target'?"

You can't hide the disappointment in your voice, and it echoes so loudly that you surprise yourself. The unexpected mix of feelings on your face makes Rook chuckle elegantly.

"Oh, no, no! After making a reconnaissance among most of your community circles, would you like to know what I found? Saying it works rather against me, but apart from a few unfair opinions, I found only your qualities..." He sigs with resignation he did not feel. A smile is painted on his lips, sincere though not wide enough to show his teeth. "I find it difficult to keep up this game when I can examine you personally."

"Uh?"

Rook grasps your hand. More than gentlemanly culture would allow, he takes your arm and pulls you away into a side corridor. "Would you like to go on a walk? I'd love to talk to the person I've been hearing from a lot lately." Another smile. What is with these smiles? Neither seems identical to the previous ones, just like snowflakes are never the same. Each one makes your chest burst with different emotions. "Not that I regret it."

5. Be, but be yourself.

You really don't want Rook Hunt in your room. There are so many things you hope you have already thrown away, but knowing your rotten luck, Rook Hunt will find something that will you have forgotten. You'll probably end up embarrassing yourself when trying to explain anything.

After all, your room is the place that almost defines you. Once you knew you will be staying in your dorm for a while, you started buying the decorations, placing most of them after only second thought and two more items in your shopping cart.

Now you realise how many items you bought impulsively.

"Please, don't," your muffled voice behind the closed door makes Rook smile. You glance around the room trying to find some reasoning. But will you be convincing? That's another thing. "My room is a mess."

"No need to worry, I already know how organized you are," he says smoothly, leaning on the door's handle and making you use more strength to keep the door closed. "Perhaps you are hiding something?"

"From you? Never!"

"Fufu~ Well, I believe that. I already checked your room—" these words make you hold your breath and crack the door open a bit, just to see how amusement glints in his eyes, "—and I don't believe you could create any big mess in just three hours."

"Never know," you glare at him, before examining the locks on your door. "I may surpass your expectations someday."

"You already do," he corrects you.

You can't hold back the sigh.

6. Spend some time together.

Can you and Rook call yourselves friends? "Yes," he would answer if someone asked him. And you, though you didn't think about it any longer, would nod in the reply given the amount of time you two had spent together.

Even if your rivalry is now gone—the idea of spending time with each other to discover each other has faded after only a few months of knowing each other. Rook probably still remembers the rules, the date and time of the game were re-write, but he also seemed to enjoy the change.

Now he has no qualms about dropping into your room at midnight to show you some nocturnal insect that you were talking about during the break.

Eventually, a certain, constantly developing routine had formed between you;

In the morning you are greeted by a new flower on your desk. You put it in a vase, your other hand flicking through an encyclopaedia of plants. You bought it when some student from the alchemy circle made you realise that this could be the language of flowers. He was not wrong.

You have at least one class a day together, you eat meals together incredibly often—never in the cafeteria. Always at the Botanical Garden or on an outdoor bench, you enjoy eating from the outdoor cafeteria.

Somehow, Rook can sense when you're in trouble. Mostly with some classes or tests. He's always eager to help, and more often than not will tell you the whole topic in an accessible way and add his own opinion or juicy facts off-topic.

"Good night," was never said 'just by'. Rook has made sure of that. He forces you to look him straight in the eyes, where tiny stars shine. "I'll see you tomorrow."

7. Have insecurity.

If you thought you could never surprise Rook Hunt, you were wrong.

He is shocked. And you aren't really sure why.

"That's unbelievable!"

You can't find a trace of dishonesty or sarcasm on his face when he starts asking questions. His brows furrow from worry and he isn't going to keep quiet about anything that just crossed his head. He opens his mouth to say something, but when he notices how you evade his gaze, he holds his breath, before bringing your hand to his lips.

Your heart flutters when he plants a kiss on the back of your hand. The place he kissed you is already burning with pleasant warmth—an invisible stamp of his lips that leave you with a vivid memorial of his touch.

Knowing he has your attention, he smiles lightheartedly. "If you could only see yourself just as I see you..."

8. Daydream.

The pages of your notebook that is supposed to be full of notes, is blank. You stare at the wall vapidly, while your mind is focused on anything but a lecture.

The chime of ring ending a class isn't enough to drive through thought haze.

"What are you thinking about, hm~?" Rook spoke up. There was amusement in his voice and his eyes brightened, though his hitherto hidden presence would have startled most other people. Not you, after so many situations where Rook had perpetuated your belief that he was some incredibly handsome type of phantom that could appear anywhere.

Living in fear that Rook Hunt would scare you while you were pouring hot tea into your mug and lead to tragedy, has strengthened your psyche.

This time he is on a thick branch of a tree growing close to the school building. You aren't sure if he had climbed it on the trunk itself or if he had jumped down from the window of one classroom to get there.

You turn your head up to look at him. Or rather, at his darkened silhouette, as the autumn sun, which pierces through the branches and tinted the leaves with warm colours, illuminates him from behind. "Would you like to try and guess?"

A sincere smile appears on Rook's face.

"Oh, so we are playing that way?" He runs his hand over feathers attached to his hat, not taking his eyes off you. "Fufu, what kind of secrets may conceal such a lovely heart of yours?"

9. Have that cliché romance in your head.

Tap... tap, tap...

Rain is gently falling down on the window glass.

You can't believe that it started now when you were spending your break outside, ten minutes of walk to the campus. Twenty, whenever you'd like to walk while using your bag to cover your head (you knew that it would not prevent you from getting all wet, and probably some of your books might get destroyed) or you could run for your life, trip on the now slippery path and come to your dorm being anything but fine or clean.

"And here was I wondering where my favourite was," you don't need to look up to know whose hand is placed on your shoulder. You haven't realised how your body got colder by the evening breeze until the warmth of his touch comforted you.

When your eyes finally lay on him, you notice how his hair ends are wet, uniform saturated, shoes and a hat—rain-soaked. He tightly holds an umbrella that is still not extended, even if the rain started a while ago.

"Did you run here...?" You ask, now quite concerned he might get sick. Emphasis on might, because you still don't know if his immune system isn't actually immortal, based on how he gets out of most of the collage-dangerous situations unscathed. But still concerned.

"Thought perhaps you could use some helping hand," he says with noticeable softness in his voice; it makes your heart melt, even when it's that cold, windy evening. "Or an umbrella."

"...Thank you."

He doesn't hand you an umbrella; he opens it, makes you hold his arm, as he covers you two from the rain with an umbrella.

The air is brisk, and it's getting pretty dark. Rook navigates you through the school grounds paths and warns you about every obstacle. You may not recognize each way when there's only a little light, but you're sure this way certainly doesn't lead to school.

"I am taking the longer route," he says, when you ask him. "A walk in the rain...! How romantic! I've been waiting so long for this moment."

"Really?"

"Of course!" Rook smiles at you. "I even stole all your umbrellas to make this moment happen."

10. You can't run away. Not anymore.

He is everything.

How did Rook manage to be everything you could ever want and need? How could he got to your heart, not break it and keep it as his treasure?

("Oh, did you see that? That was my Trickster! They are full of surprises, aren't they?")

He is always there to help you,

("Calm down, calm down, I am here... I will treat that wound right away, so don't move around much, mon chéri.")

fight for you,

("Don't worry. I will just check how guys that hit you are doing," you still remember the cold smile on Rook's lips when he was reassuring you.)

appreciate you,

("My, what a great day! To see such a beautiful individual right in the morning? Such a blessing it is!")

care for you,

("What am I doing at midnight at your window, you ask? Fufu, I might tell you if you're so interested! I wanted to see how the most interesting person in our college is doing because you smiled three times less than yesterday. So? Who shattered your heart today, mon chéri?")

and love you unconditionally.

"I love you," he says as each part of his body screams it. His eyes are filled with hope, sunshine and moonlight, arms move unconsciously your way as if he wanted to reach for your warmth. "And since you know that..." He moves his hands back and places the right one on his chest. "This is the heart I offer you. Will you take care of it for me, mon chéri?"

Aether x Reader || Glaze Lilies

"This one is delicious too," you said, swallowing another piece of the dish. “Paimon would probably create another stomach for these miracles.”

Aether chuckled softly as he bites off another piece of hot roll filled with traditional Liyue-rich stuffing. “I guess even that is not enough when the competition is the Sticky Honey Roast that Amber offered her.”

You smiled in response.

Late fall in Liyue was a beautiful time of the year.

The city was always full of red and gold colours like towns straight from fairy tales, but in this time, when the leaves have already turned dark orange and the air was carrying an aroma of seasonal seed cookies, Liyue looked even more breathtaking.

You were sure that it was Amber who made it possible for you to go somewhere on Aether's day off from doing… everything. Normally, you would be sitting in some restaurant watching Paimon heartlessly ordering all the dishes from a menu without looking at the number of zeros of each price.

But when Amber heard you mention dates accompanied by beautiful, falling leaves, she blushed as the flame of pure determination appeared in her eyes. In the evening she appeared in front of Paimon and offered her to go out to the city for one day.

Oh, if she only knew how much it will cost her...

"[Name], stay close to me, or I will lose you in this crowd." Aether gripped your hand tighter.

"Getting lost in such a big city would be romantic, wouldn't it?" you giggled.

"Getting lost and being found in the wrong place and time wouldn’t be," he replied. “Every city is much more dangerous when the night comes.”

You turned into another street to finally reach the viewpoint in Liyue.

You could see a lot more from there, but less people could see you. Who would twist their neck to see two little dots on top of a mountain?

"It's going to rain soon," Aether nodded at the clouds, which were moving quickly toward the city. He clicked his tongue. “If we don't want to get wet, we should be getting ready.”

"Oh, isn't that Aether?"

You turned around to see a girl approaching you two.

She was gorgeous—her long blonde hair waved in the breeze as if it existed only to be an effect for them. She had every girl's dream figure, bright, sparkling eyes, and rosy cheeks.

Perfect girl.

And the perfect person to compare yourself with to create a trillion complexes about your body.

She had a very charismatic, attractive aura around her, but the way she behaved towards Aether was slowly starting to bother you. Of course, it might just be some kind of funny, totally wrong prejudice against her, but ...

“[Girl's name]?” Aether muttered, not noticing your pleading gaze saying: ‘let's get out of here.’ “—What are you doing here?”

"I was just passing by," she laughed, her voice soft, pearl-like. “I couldn't go without saying hi, haha!” Then she looked at you and fixed you with a stare. It wasn't a cold look, but it wasn't friendly either. “And who is that?”

"Ah," Aether shook his head, as if only now remembering that he had not come here alone. He put his hand around your waist. “This is my girlfriend, [Name]”

“I didn't know you had a girlfriend! You always have to be so mysterious?” Aether rolled his eyes at her words, even if he smiled slightly. Then she turned to you. “Could I kidnap him for a moment? I need help moving my luggage to my new apartment.”

She grabbed his hand without waiting for your answer, as if it were a rhetorical question. As Aether released his hand from your waist, you felt as if you were left alone in a foreign land.

“I'll be back in a minute!” After these words, he turned to the blonde and at an equal pace, they turned around the corner of some house, behind the wall of which you could see an extremely high pile of boxes.

"It probably won't be a minute," you sighed.

You leaned against the railing and stared at the toes of your shoes, telling yourself that you should have opposed her. Would that be selfish? You've been dreaming about a date with Aether for so long, without third parties, and now that the moment has come, it turns out that someone will take from you your boyfriend anyway.

Five minutes passed... eight minutes... ten... thirteen...

After fourteen minutes, you got up and decided to check how much was already packed. Some of the super-heavy boxes seemed to be gone, but that was up for discussion since there were dozens of them here.

You couldn't find a familiar face in sight. Did... they just leave you here? More likely, they were just carrying some luggage into one of the nearby houses, but you couldn't knock on every door to find them—it would take hours.

You felt yourself slowly breaking down.

You knew you were a little (a little very much) jealous of this girl, but more depressing was the fact that this was going to be yours and Aether’s day. COMMON. Now you thought you were the loneliest person in the universe.

"I'm not going to get upset," you repeated aloud, trying to motivate yourself to leave this place. "I'll go... I’ll go somewhere and have a good time... alone."

With a quick step, as if you didn't want to think about this anymore, you turned back and followed the alleys you and Aether had previously travelled. You came to the food stores that you had only glanced at before, but you didn't have time to taste anything else because you were in a hurry to get to the viewpoint.

It is true that you ordered take-out rolls, but the whole range of different types of food seemed very tempting despite the filling bread.

And the smell of such highly seasoned dishes was tempting—very much.

"Sorry," a young girl approached you after you shoved a piece of meat into your mouth. You swallowed it quickly, almost choking on it. “Would you like to buy some flowers?”

“…Why not?” you replied.

The girl put the money in the pocket of her dress. Instead of putting a flower on your hand, she came closer and gently braided a glaze lily into your hair near right ear.

"Here you are," she replied and looked at you. A smile beamed across her face. “You look really pretty!”

"Thank you," you replied. You noticed that this was the last flower in her basket, and because of that, the ten-year-old girl seemed proud of herself. She walked away, thanking again for the purchase.

I think that one more on the other side and all would be perfect...

You glanced at the setting sun and concluded that you could give Aether a similar lily. Wouldn't that look cute on him? There was still some time before it will get completely dark. Even the rain clouds that had previously seemed to be crossing the sky at an alarming pace now seem to have stopped.

You finished eating and walked briskly towards the Danyu Ruins, hoping to find some pretty lilies on your way.

The silence, or rather the sound of the wind and the leaves rustling against each other, were the only thing that accompanied your footsteps since you left Liyue. It seemed relaxing at first, but now that the skies were a deeper blue than orange, you concluded that a travelling companion would not be a bad idea.

“They're here!” you finally found two lilies that glistened slightly in the dark. You collected them quickly and turned to head back into town.

…You were surprised when you encountered many, many roads, each of them unfamiliar.

"I should have left a trail of breadcrumbs," you joked, though panic had already paralyzed your legs.

Your problems were not diminished by the fact that you heard mad laughter near you. You felt your heart leap into your throat, tears welling up in your eyes as a figure emerged from behind the bushes.

Abyss mage.

You have heard about them from the stories of Aether, who sometimes told you about his adventures when you tried to bandage his wounds with a bandage, herbs, or other medicines.

As soon as your heart was beating, so quickly the magician saw you. He teleported a meter away from you and you started running.

Faster, faster, faster.

Before you ran a hundred meters, a mage appeared before you. You didn't even have time to stop when he waved his hand, and a large ice crystal formed in front of him. Huge and pointed towards you.

Almost as soon as it was launched, a certain force pushed both of you backwards. You felt pain in your left leg, but somehow you didn't fall. Strong arms held you and made you be in a comforting, familiar embrace.

You looked up to see Aether running towards the cliff to finally jump, open his gliding set and take you two away from the icy monster.

You didn't say a word to each other all this time.

As soon as you touched the ground, you stepped out of his embrace, as if feeling that you had abused his closeness too much. Instead, he grabbed your wrist, turned to face him, and initiated a long, passionate kiss.

He didn't pull away until you both were breathless, and your cheeks were burning like hot coals. You couldn't say you were cold anymore.

“Why?” He took a deep breath. However, his voice still trembled. “Why didn't you wait for me? If I did not make it on time—"

“I was waiting for you!” You interrupted him. You bit your lower lip as you tried to contain the tide of frustration. “It's you who disappeared somewhere. You went somewhere with that girl. I already thought you weren't coming back.”

Aether, an intelligent boy, immediately paraphrased your words "I was maybe jealous". At the thought, he smiled apologetically.

"Sorry," he said, scratching his neck. “I accidentally dropped a box on her leg and, oh, it was hard to treat someone who screams in pain before even a finger touches them…”

"Oh," you felt a deep flush of embarrassment coming up to your cheeks. Indeed, the previous redness of the cheeks did not disappear, but now it only preserved their shade for the next minutes. “I'm really sorry. I left you, put you and myself in danger, just to find some stupid flowers...”

For the third time since finding you, Aether hugged you tightly. He planted a kiss on the top of your head. You stood for a few minutes in pleasant silence, cuddling tightly to each other, and finally, you both relaxed completely.

You took the tangled lilies out of your pocket; one was practically worn out, but the other seemed to be in good condition. You dropped the massacred one, and you tried to straighten the petals with your fingers.

"Turn around," you told him.

He did it without batting an eye. You ran your fingers through his hair and braided his plant into a braid.

Out of the corner of your eye, you thought yours, still artfully arranged, flashed a pleasant blue light as Aether examined his looks.

"It suits you," you said. You both decided to go back to Liyue and spend the rest of the night there. You held hands all the way back.

"You too," he replied. "We are complementing each other very nicely now with these flowers ...and also without them," he added with a smile.

"So, you still think getting lost isn't romantic?" You looked at him from under your lashes.

“Still. I wish I could have you with me without any excuse that you will get lost.”

I saw this post and I was wondering if you write Malleus' too, is okay for you to make that?

How to win a heart of Malleus Draconia?

a/n: I started posting my writings here because I want to improve my English — so I technically wouldn't make this request. But! Someone on Wattpad (where I take requests) asked for the same thing, so I rolled up my sleeves and wrote this guide today in both languages. Enjoy~

1. Don't be afraid of him.

It is said that the first impression is the most important.

So when you first saw this guy walking through the corridor of Diasomnia, it was hard for you to get rid of that view from your head.

Illuminated both by the green magic flames set in the lobby, as well as by the moon, which eventually managed to break through the dark clouds and with a bright glow appear in the windows of the dormitory, he seemed... lonely and beautiful.

You shuddered as you took a step down the hallway and the dark-haired man turned to you. He measured you with his emerald eyes. And then you recognized him; all the conversations about the mysterious and fearsome Malleus Draconia flew through your head.

Everything told you to rush towards the hallway and run as far as possible, but a piece of you found it inappropriate. Or rather, no one would want to chase everyone away from themself... right?

When you realized you were looking at him for a while, you took a deep breath and nod slightly.

"Good evening, Draconia-san," you said quickly. After a while you added, "The moon is beautiful today, don't you think?”

 2. Smile a lot.

Today was a really wonderful day: the test was postponed, your favorite dish was given in the canteen, and for some reason, the last two lessons were canceled – your class had to make just a quick note about a topic and it took less than fifteen minutes.

"Something happened?" Malleus asked, seeing how almost in the jumps you walk past him. When you looked at him, he added, "You smile a lot.”

"I can stop smiling if you want," you made a sad face, but after a while, the corners of your mouth began to tremble uncontrollably and twisted up again. "Oops, I can’t. Today... it was such a good day... that I think I'm slowly using my life's happiness.”

"I didn't say that smiling is bad," he said. "You look so much better when you smile.”

"Oh," you sighed with apparent surprise. "Is it a compliment?"

"It’s rather a fact..?"

 3. From time to time visit him during club activities.

"Is this a class of the ‘Gargoyle research society club’?” with a deaf knock you opened the door. Malleus turned to you, making a break from browsing through the materials gathered in the library about the history of each of the gargoyles on the school grounds. And there were a lot of them.

"Yes," he replied briefly, getting up. "Do you need something, [Name]?"

"Not at all, my club don’t have a meeting today," you said, closing the door behind you.

You looked around: the room was as clean as ever, except for one desk, where were laid several huge volumes about statues in NRC.

“Are you here alone?” You said before you thought. You lowered your eyes to see Malleus nodding unconcerned slightly. You blinked several times trying to think of what else you could say. "This room... could be a secret base," that was the first thing that came to your mind. Malleus turned his head to one side, uncertain of your response.

“A secret base..? Why?”

"I have no idea," you admitted quickly. "But the very existence of a mysterious point is interesting, isn't it? Doing normal things, such as watching movies or just talking, seems more interesting in places like this,” After a moment of silence, you sighed. "You know what, this idea with the base is stupid”

"We can try," he replied with serious tone. You raised your eyes to see how he looked around the room. "But you'll just have to explain this idea to me in more detail. We can also tell Lilia, Silver and Sebek about it...” he smiled as if seeing your five together in his thoughts was a pleasure. "It will be surely... fun.”

 4. Get yourself a Tamagotchi.

"Look!" you spin a new key chain on your finger. You finally stopped and showed it to Malleus. "Now they are matching!”

A small electronic toy, in a dark green screen that, when it flashed, showed a virtual, pixelated animal. You were impressed with how good quality it was made, especially since you only gave the Shroud brothers a sketch of a toy that Malleus owned.

Your keychain was exactly the same, just a different color and with another pet.

Malleus pulled out his own device and put it on the table. He pressed one of the buttons and a small pet appeared on the keychain – a dragon.

"They can now be friends," you brought your toy closer to so-called Gao-Gao Dragon-kun.

"Do you think so?" He asked in a very surprised tone, but it sounded as if in a moment he were about to burst out with an inexplicably joyful and surprised laugh.

"Of course. Everyone needs a decent friend, no?”

 5. Gain the trust of Lilia, Silver and Sebek.

Lilia, one of Malleus' closest people. It is much more likely that you will meet him before Malleus. He will be very proud when he learns that Malleus has found a friend. If you become a taster of Lilia, in terms of his pastries, he will 100% like you, and at 20% you will leave the kitchen alive and well.

Silver, who has mastered the art of sleeping in any conditions. It's easy to get him into your plans, although with the craziest ones he will hesitate. Rather well-disposed towards everyone, he can cover for you when you are not in class— but he usually inadvertently falls asleep and both of you often have penal assignments after school.

Sebek, faithful to Malleus, if he doesn't like you, you won't have too many opportunities to stay by Malleus's side without a thunderous glances at you. He will recognize you if you will listen carefully to his monologues about his master and as a sign of your friendship, he will teach you by heart of all the titles and achievements of Malleus so far.

With this trio by your side, you can get a lot further than you might have imagined...

 6. Be a master in hide and seek.

You’d give your right arm that your breath was too loud.

You pressed your hands to your mouth as you crouched in the corner of the room.

From whose voices you already heard, you knew that Lilia had already found Sebek. This meant that you or Silver would still be helping cook dinner since Malleus didn’t come at the start of the game.

This may seem silly, but the ability to play classic games was one of the elements of the art of survival in Diasomnia.

It was thanks to games like ‘stone-paper-scissors’, hide and seek or tag that household chores fell on the shoulders of the losers. Lilia loved the idea, and there was always a proud smile on his lips when he saw his beloved children play together.

You heard the steps behind you and shivered.

Very slowly you turned around and looked up to see Malleus standing over you and wondering what you were doing, crouching in the darkest corner of the room.

Puns were also included in the survival pack.

Fearing that Lilia would hear your whisper, you put your finger on your mouth, asking him not to say a word. You put a begging eye into it – all but not cooking with Lilia. Not again.

Malleus nodded, recognizing the gravity of the situation, although he smiled.

Really, no one would want Malleus to be an enemy.

Or at least in such a situation.

 7. Do not hesitate to ask him for help with learning.

"In theory, you should focus on the space around you," Malleus pulled a wand in front of him. It flashed, and almost at the same time, a thin but incredibly strong protective barrier was created around him. “Weaker spells can be reflected. In turn, the stronger ones are better to block”

You nodded understandingly.

Defensive magic was not something easy to understand. Most depended on the person against whom the counter spell was being prepared. And there are countless people who walk on this Earth and want to start fights.

"Unique spells block or avoid physically," he continued. You nodded at every subsequent sentence, slowly feeling like all the lessons are eventually gaining transparency. “Using unique magic against unique magic, the stronger will win, both will lead to explosions or completely reduce.

He looked at you when you wrote down the last sentence in your notebook.

"I sincerely hope that you will only need this information in class," he said with a sigh. "If you need help, call me. I will come. I promise.”

 8. Sometimes be persuaded to wear extravagant clothes.

"Do you really think it suits me?" you turned around, looking at yourself from every possible angle in the mirror.

You were going to the theater in a few classes to see some era-related play that you've been discussing now in history lessons. Everyone, respecting the reputation, actions and achievements of theatre, dressed in their best clothes.

Malleus stood next to you.

He was already wearing a black and white outfit with green accessories. They all worked so well together and fitted him like a glove that you were sure that the whole outfit was made especially for him.

"Yes," he replied. "Everything you put on today suited you very well.”

Once again, with critical eyesight, you looked at the outfit, face and hair, before you quickly turned off the lights in the room and closed the door behind you.

Then you smiled at Malleus.

"We can go now," you said. You made your way through the portal to the main NRC building. "And... thank you for your help.

"My pleasure," he said. Under no circumstances was it just a polite formula. He really loved looking at you.

 9. Invite him to your birthday/party.

"Another break from school soon, huh?" — you muttered, leaning against the railing.

You took a deep breath and let the fresh, pleasant air refresh you.

"Are you going to home, [Name]?" Malleus asked. Green lights were still flying around him, so you guessed he’d just appeared here.

"I haven't decided yet," you sighed. "It would be nice to go home, but the break won't be very long... Ah, that's right!” you straightened up and turned to him. "How about spending another break together? As soon as I can, I will contact my family... although I cannot promise anything.”

Though he did not show it, Malleus' heart beat a little faster.

Spend free time? With someone? With someone he likes?

"Of course," he sounded less calm than he thought. He wasn’t often invited anywhere, even for the things he should have been on, so there was a lot of excitement growing in his body. "I don't see anything against it.”

 10. From "The Great Malleus Draconia-sama" to "Love".

"Ah, The Great Malleus-sama!" you sighed theatrically, taking from him a box of chocolates with a joyful smile. You could promise that because of this dark-haired boy here, you slowly become pampered. "Thank you for your generosity!”

Malleus frowned.

"The Great Malleus-sama"..?” he pondered, putting his fingers to his chin. "Did Sebek told you again to call me with this title?"

"No," you laughed softly at his reaction. "I did it out of curiosity. Maybe I could call you some cute nickname, hmm?" you smiled mischievously.

"For example?"

"By adding ‘-chan’ to your name?” you turned on your phone and typed something related to the nicknames. You started reading suggestions and struggled to hold back from laughing. ” ’Sunshine’, ‘star’, ‘flower’, ‘sweetheart’, ‘love’...

"I like the last one," he said, and the invisible force stung you to the ground.

"Would you like me to call you like that? Out of curiosity or out of love?" You laughed, but your cheeks were all red with blushes.

He smiled sincerely at your reaction.

"Hmm, I wonder..?"

Heart Competition 💕

It is the fifth pint of beer, and there is no sign that it is the last one.

Kaeya stares at the beer, its golden surface waves slightly. His hand is trembling as if the weight of the drink was too much for him. In the reflection of the glass vessel, he sees his face;  eyebrows furrowed by grief or anger – he hasn't figured it out yet – and corners of his mouth twitching, once up, to keep an impression of happy guest, once down, when his muscles refused to obey him.

Being out of control of his own body made him also incapable of flirting, the art he practised years in the bar, that some could assume that Kaeya did it mostly to get on Diluc's nerves.

Oh, right. Diluc Ragnvindr, the star of today's event.

Through a glass pint, half-filled with alcohol, Kaeya sees the distorted silhouettes of the bride and groom, in honor of which this whole party was held.

Loud, quite unexpectedly large for the groom's tastes, the event was a mixture of attempts to make the lady in the veil the happiest woman in the world, but with some balance. This party was also a sign that Diluc won't even consider future marriage offers, having such a sweet wife on his side.

[Name].

[Name] Ragnvindr, from today.

A girl who came to Mondstadt a few years ago and stole the attention of a Cavalry Captain at the first meeting.

At first, it was just another entertainment; he flirted with you, being so natural in this as if it was his personal dialect he used everyday. Well, it wasn't far from wrong. After few minutes the blush couldn't leave your cheeks, leaving your face painted with a rich strawberry scent. He teased you even more until you realised you are too engaged in conversation and cocked your head at the side, trying to hide a blush behind your hair.

And then something went wrong.

You've spent too much time together, and each moment made Kaeya fall in love with you. He didn't know, he doesn't know yet, but his heart started to be blind and slowly started heading towards you every time you smiled at him.

One day he noticed that his heart no longer belonged to him.

If he could turn back time, he would surely try not to fall in love with you. Or he would do everything not to let you meet his not-really-encouraging-to-spend-time-with-and-vice-versa sworn brother.

Really, he could give up taking you to the tavern when he knew that his red-haired relative was right there. At that point, he just felt the need to show you to everyone and wordlessly inform them "she is precious to me, and I will defend her with all my might."

Apparently, Diluc didn't notice the aura of his intentions because he was genuinely interested in a person who would stand up with his brother's quirks („These are secrets," Kaeya corrects every time someone points it out) and without a shadow of a doubt could talk about his disadvantages as advantages.

"You have quite an interesting way of looking at the world," Diluc admitted at one of your random meetings. They happened often; you two even started suspecting each other of tracking each other, but then accepted the fact that whenever any of you will be in a flower shop or going to the library, you will meet the other one on your way there.

"Or I'm pushy because I'm looking for the other bottom in everything," you said, smiling. Diluc also almost smiled in response. "You too, are completely different from Kaeya's descriptions.”

"And... what did he say about me?"

"I'm sorry, but if I told you, you probably would never sell him any alcohol again."

"There, who are you talking about, you two?" Kaeya appeared behind you.

He approached, behaving rather carelessly, though he felt like some invisible force was tightening on his throat. You two looked so good together that with every memory of your view, the needle of jealousy and desperation was sewing through his heart.

And what bothered him the most was the fact that Diluc seemed to like you very much.

Of course, he wanted you two to have a good relationship, but the fact that you spent a lot of time together was very, very, very difficult for him.

Kaeya takes another sip of beer, which this time seems extremely bitter on his tongue. He winces slightly but takes another swallow.

He must have delayed his love confession too much.

A day, no, a few hours would be enough, and everything could've been different. If it weren't for that one evening, when Kaeya decided that he must tell you about his feelings, he would definitely be better without your announcement that you would like him to help you figure out how to confess your love to Diluc.

The heart you've taken from him was broken into pieces. It being overwhelmingly delicate in your hands, was most likely destroyed inadvertently.

...And so, he helped you with your love confession.

After all, he lived with this guy for several years and knew more or less his preferences. Probably, even without his help, Diluc would have accepted your feelings without batting an eye. Kaeya spent a lot of his time watching redhead, and he could tell that these frequent glances towards yourself weren't only a coincidence.

"Only you seem alone in such a grand crowd," says Venti, who sat next to him. Like many other guests, he wears an elegant white shirt with frilly sleeves and black trousers. There is some blush on his cheeks, but even after drinking since the start of the wedding reception, he still manages to look serious.

They haven't talked very often, but as many times they sat together in the tavern and found good drinking companions in each other, they weren't as much of strangers as many could suppose.

"I am being happy for the bride and the groom from a distance," Kaeya replies with harshness in his voice that makes it sound like a growl.

Such a quick excuse could not deceive a poet as skilled in heartbreaking stories as Venti. "I know how losing someone hurts."

Kaeya doesn't ask what he meant. In his head one moment was still playing on repeat; the one when he took you to the altar. He really didn't feel anything, when he was leading you to the groom, who wasn't paying attention to anything but you.

The moment you let go of Kaeya's hand and walked the next steps in that white snow and princess-like gown was the most striking one. With every tap of your heels against the floor, the distance between you two was growing wider.

Kaeya looks at Venti, who rises from his seat and pats him on the shoulder before walking away. He could swear he saw him mouthing “good luck” before disappearing between guests.

It didn't take a minute before you appeared next to Kaeya with a beaming smile on your face.

"Are you having fun?" You ask, and he forces himself to send you a smile, even though for a moment the corners of his mouth trembled uncontrollably.

"Of course," he replies with an eagerness that he tries to raise in himself.

He starts to look for a topic that isn't going to betray his cloudy head. At least not now, when everyone should rejoice for the sake of a new relationship.

His gaze falls on a glass of white wine, which you held in your hands.

"Ah, right," you pick up his gaze. "Diluc chose these wine because he said you somehow recommend that one. He also said they are good for toast."

"Oh? Why don't we raise a toast [Name]?" Kaeya replies, pouring the wine into his glass. He turns to you, now stiffly holding crystal vessel uncomfortably between his fingers.

"What will we raise it for?"

Kaeya cocks his head lightly as if he's trying to come up with a good reason. His gaze wanders to your face, and then he swiftly looks away.

Of course, he knew what he should say in this situation and accept that fact, he wanted to do away with.

"Toast for," He raises a glass, you echo him. A few other guests start to lift their glasses as well. "The bride and her life alongside the man who won the heart competition."