Aether X Reader || Glaze Lilies

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.”

How to win a heart of Riddle Rosehearts?

1. Fail an exam.

You stared in horror at the paper sir Train just handed to you.

The big, red mark was nothing but visible and disturbing, like the hard to swallow nut in a fluffy cheesecake. A low score like that could bring death to anyone who cared for their grades.

„Uh-oh,” Cater gasped slightly, shifting his gaze from the grade on your test to your frowning expression. Even he felt the distaste and pressure of getting only a few points, but the thing that terrified you both—and eachas the Hearslabyul's people—the most, was a dorm leader who was capable of murder; the harsh one in case of lowering Heartslabyul average. „So, what are you going to do about Riddle?”

You couldn't help but sigh at his question.

„I just need to get rid of the evidence,” you answered, squishing the test in your hands. Then you threw the paper into the trash—or at least you thought that you threw it correctly, not wanting to look at the test ever again—and quickly started to pack your books, ready to take your leave and stop thinking about the failed exam.

At the same moment, the infamous redhead walked into the room, catching the moment when you threw the paper away. He picked it up from the floor, sighing, and went to bin it properly. If it wasn't only for the Train's red marker, which caught Riddle's attention, maybe you would still be safe and sound.

Cater gave you a side nudge, with a slight but jerky movement of his head pointing towards the door. The look he gave you mirrored what happened behind you. You didn't have to turn around to know who is there, what are they doing and what will happen.

„He found you,” Cater whispered, halfly trying to make his voice dramatic. It didn't help to keep your breath calm, as Riddle slowly turned your way and started walking towards you.

Even without Cater's attempt, it was dramatic enough already.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

2. Survive one—hour lecture.

After giving you a lecture Riddle would give up... your last moments of freedom.

“[Name]!” his voice echoed through the halls, followed by the taps of his hills against the tiles. You could swear it sounded like the ticking of the clock, counting down to execution. Your execution. And the executioner was quicker than you imagined, despite you fastening your pace. “Wait, you! How dare you skip the preparations for the unbirthday party!?”

You halted, mentally scolding yourself for forgetting. You smiled awkwardly, maladroitly turning to the dorm leader. “Sorry... I... was studying for the exam. You know, dorm leader, your words really motivated me to study.”

Perhaps Riddle heard these words many times as an excuse because he looked even more irritated.

“Ha! Studying the same way you got your last grade?” he asked, his voice showing off something you could (poetically) describe as a 'cold amusement' that gave you a shiver. Before you could even reply, the annoyance in his gaze returned. “I am not letting you off this time, [Name]. You need to re-do that exam. And you can't neglect your duties.”

“Yes, yes, I understand,” you nodded at his words, something in your stomach started to twist. Now you felt nothing but discomfort when Riddle glanced at you.

So cold.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

3. Don't underestimate him.

“[Name], like, what can he do?” your classmate commented, taking another cookie from your plate. They were Scarabia student and were supposed to help you with revising your notes, however, when you put the cookies on the table, nothing and no one could get more attention from them than these sweets. “Only magic is making him scarier than he actually is.”

“Oh, stop,” you quieted them. “You know nothing about our dorm leader.”

They shrugged but tried to read your thoughts from your face. You winced playfully at that and got a loud 'tch' back. “Well, I know that he is giving you a hard time with keeping your grades high. Isn't he forcing you to study even if that was the only test you failed? Duh, you have great grades! You even helped me with retaking my test!”

You smiled softly at their words. It was kind of unfair. But you also knew that people much more consider other's flaws rather than flaws. In NRC everyone knew that and daily used that judging system.

“Hah...” you breathed out. “I know it is wrong, judging someone for just one thing. But, you know, even if I don't like studying when someone tells me to do so, maybe I will be able to improve my grades that way? Maybe dorm leader has good intentions... or something.”

“Keep telling yourself that, keep telling,” your friend laughed your response off, waving their hand at you.

That laugh, even if they were laughing at you more than with you, cheered you up somehow. Another mystery of Scarabia students: their laugh was infectious.

“Whatever. I am going to retake the exam and show Riddle that I am capable of writing my exam right. I will get a better grade than him!”

Little did you know that Riddle himself heard your declaration. It wasn't that hard to hear each conversation in an almost empty library.

He, just a bookshelf away, where there weren't any walls or soundproof barriers, could overhear the whole meeting. He couldn't help but smile. He also couldn't tell why. Something between amazement and proudness pierced his body.

Having a rival in a field he is excellent at? And increasing dorm status at the same time?

He couldn't wear the smile on his face off.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

4. Bribe him with strawberries 🍓

“Dorm leader, could I not participate in today's croquet?”

Riddle lifted his chin, tearing his gaze away from data, he got from Crowley at today's meeting. Some lines were already underlined with markers and completed with bright red notes Riddle scribbled.

“And why is that, [Name]?” he asked, shifting his whole attention to you. You could feel its weight on your muscles, which stiffened in few seconds. He used a type of tone that almost made you take back your question. Almost, since you bit the back of your cheek and loudly swallowed saliva before answering.

“My friend asked me for help and I already told them I will be there... I may bring some strawberries later,” your left hand wrapped around your wrist, and started playing with the sleeve's fabric. You fidgeted in the result. Oh lord, where you should put your hands? Were they always there?

Riddle looked at you carefully, and the silence between you two during a while that you almost didn't expect the answer from him.“...Is that a bribe? The part with strawberries.”

You widened your eyes at the question, but also a smile appeared on your face. You did your best not to show how his input lightened you up. However, your muscles relaxed visibly.

“Yeah, that's one of my tactics to take over the world,” you replied sarcastically, allowing yourself to make that joke. Riddle didn't question nor disapproved your answer but nodded in—false, you assumed from the too theatrical expression on his face—acknowledgement.

“Well then. You may go.”

“Thank you, dorm leader!” You bowed. It was hard to believe that it wasn't a dream and Riddle loosened. You could only suppose that the overblot event sometimes had its breakthrough points. Or Riddle was trying to master the modern humour. “I will bring you as many strawberries I can carry!”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

5. Remember few random rules.

“Don't you dare drink that!” Riddle warned you in a loud cautionary tone that made you spin around. You didn't even notice that he was in the kitchen until he spoke up. You also hoped for no one to notice you, preparing yourself a night snack. Now, you weren't sure what's worse—if your roommates nagged you to share your food with them or meeting the dorm leader here.

Cater, who was searching for popular drink recipes, while sitting next to you, was already one person too much in this kitchen.

“What?” you muttered the question, and the dorm leader gave you a lopsided look while pursing his lips and frowning.

“Rule 256 says you cannot drink lemonade honey past 8 pm,” he recited, accenting with devotion every word. He still gave you an unimpressed look. “And what are you holding in your hands? Lemonade.”

“And rule 622 says that you must drink something citrusy at the weekend,” you answered quickly, curious for Riddle's reaction. That Heartslabyl law was one of the few rules you remembered past the first hundred—at least you hoped you knew that much. One time you just browsed through the list of all rules. And you (accidentally) memorised that one. “And we still haven't drunk anything like that.”

Knowing the rules that included food was usually a life-saving knowledge if someone liked to eat. You did.

Riddle raised his eyebrow, as Cater for once lifted his eyes from the phone. A weak smile, forming as the surprise sank in, appeared on the dorm leader's mouth. “Oh? I am surprised you remember that rule.”

You struggled with a reply. “Of.. of course, I do. I am Hearslabyul student, am I not?”

Riddle only nodded silently. Once again he looked at you, at drinks, and Cater, before he turned his back to you and walked away, saying 'goodnight' to you two. After placing two cups of lemonade on the table, you finally sat down next to Cater.

He flashed you a grateful smile that quickly turned into a smug.

“You totally remember all the rules, [Name]-chan. With like 50 gaps between every one you remember,” he said after tasting his drink. It wasn't sweet at all. Much more, it was sour and refreshing and cold and that was the thing which lured Cater to pick that recipe.

You kicked him lightly under the table, receiving a small chuckle in return. “Sheesh, I tried to look good... Be thankful for having a lemonade.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

6. Teach yourself how to brew tea.

“Dorm leader! Would you like some tea?”

Riddle stiffened for a second, his eyes aimed at you as his gaze travelled from you to the teapot. He was on his way to check the condition of the roses and didn't expect anyone to be here. It wasn't rare for to somebody having tea on their own when they feel like it, but, nevertheless, Riddle still was surprised. Pleasantly surprised.

“Can you brew it well?” There was some genuine curiosity in his voice as he walked to the table. “I haven't seen you making tea at all.”

“I practised it especially for you! And also, it will help me to stay awake... I hope!” You gestured to the pile of books and notes stacked next to you. Riddle recognized not only your handwriting; he guessed that you probably asked some people for their notes. That was a good tactic, since people while listening to lectures note different things. “You can see how hardworking student Hearslabyul has!”

Riddle only gave you a smile in response. He took an empty seat at your left, and you poured him a cup of black tea, which he didn't drink until it cooled. The pleasant silence interrupted by the occasional twitter of the birds and rustling in the bushes was stretching between you two before he lifted the teacup to his mouth and started speaking again.

“Hey, [Name]... Would you mind if I asked you to stop calling me by a title..?” That was a question that lingered in his mind for some weeks. And even with many good moments during these weeks, he chose the one when he took you by surprise. If you were drinking tea at the moment, you would surely choke on it.

You answered as quickly as the first shock sank in. “...So by name then? Wait, what was your name again, dorm leader...” You theatrically pressed your hand to a forehead, as if trying to recall his name. And perhaps you were a good actor because his whole body tensed. “I am joking, I swear!”

The sudden burst of steam from the kettle distracted your attention.

You refilled his cup. “Well, here is your tea, Riddle.”

“Thank you... [Name].”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

7. Feed flamingos while wearing pink.

Cater sometimes could be too harsh when it came to you wearing something “outdated”—out of actual trends that changed once a month—but if you ever needed any fashion tip or piece of clothing to complete your outfit, he would always be there.

“Isn't that Cater's jersey?” Riddle pointed out, seeing you in a very oversized, pink sweatshirt with dark, printed letters 'TWISTED AND WONDERFUL'. It was stylishly oversized for Cater, but on you, it just looked... too big. You had to pull your sleeves up once every three minutes, and you surely were frustrated, since feeding flamingos without making any mess was near impossible.

“It is,” you shrugged, dusting your hands off. “I couldn't find any of my pink clothes, so I borrowed them from him.”

Riddle nodded slightly, his slate grey eyes wandering to your hands, wet and with sticky animal food remnants. He reached into his pocket and took out the handkerchief he handed you. You welcomed it with gratitude and relief.

“Be careful not to dirty it, or he will be complaining all the day about it.”

You gave him a cheeky smile.

“Then next time you need to give me pink clothes,” you stated, watching as Riddle stands a little bit straighter. “Or will you grumble too?”

“I- I won't,” he replied quickly. If he was able to take his mind of thoughts of borrowing you his clothes, he would glare at you with a gaze that both electrified people and stuck them to the ground. But he wasn't able to look up at you, as he turned around to leave. “Anyway, don't be late for classes, [Name]..!”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

8. Play chess.

You re-did your exam. And after studying the notes and textbooks for so long, you were happy that you had the light feeling blooming in your chest when you exited the classroom.

And, as the feeling predicted, it was a great score. 98 points out of 100. Sadly, Riddle didn't make any mistake on that test, so you couldn't celebrate as much as you wish to.

“Checkmate,” Riddle moved his chess piece, white knight, and trapped your king without a way to escape. The dark king on your side magically keeled over, indicating Riddle's victory.

You sighed, as all pieces themselves started to return to their original places. The dorm leader's win wasn't a big surprise. He was known for being good at chess since some rules required him to practice it at weekends. Second, whenever you thought you made a good move with your piece, Riddle's move proved to you that you could have done better.

You sighed again, and Riddle didn't pay any attention. He got used to your sighing whenever it was his turn. “Don't you want to let me win sometimes?”

“No.”

“So cruel!”

“You are clever, [Name],” he said, his voice soft and thoughtful, even if he didn't look directly at you. “You can figure your tactic by yourself.”

“Thank you... but I hope I won't win anytime soon. I would be disappointed if I won against you, who is pride and joy of our Hearslabyul, just after starting to play chess.”

“Don't worry about that, it won't be that easy,” you got a little chuckle in response. This time your chess pieces were white and the honour of making the first move belonged to you. Riddle waited patiently for you to make up your mind, as he spoke again. “You've retaken your test already, right? Even though I adore your spirit, it won't make up the two points you lost to me.”

You let him continue, which you regretted a moment later.

Something sparkled in his eyes. As much as he was stern about most of the mistakes on every test, the one you made, amused him. You weren't sure if him being angry wouldn't be better. “Hm, wasn't one of them lost, because you forgot to sign your test? Should we practice writing your name?”

“Dorm leader-! Riddle, don't you dare start teasing!” You squealed. That made Riddle smile even more. “I can't take that!!”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

9. Try to bake and burn a cake.

“So, what were you doing with Trey?”

The aroma of strawberries and the sweetness of baked cake were filling the kitchen. There was also something bitter, ashy, but that scent seemed to be covered under other fragrances.

On the kitchen counter, there was a glass epergne with creamy cake on it. The dessert was beautiful and rich in every way as always; just by looking at it, you knew that it was a flavour bomb and decorations made by the experienced hand of a confectioner hid that sweet danger.

“A cake for unbirthday party,” you answered Riddle's question. It wasn't a lie, considering that you helped with the cake that soon will be on one of the party tables. But were there much more to this short answer? Of course.

Riddle winced, and you weren't sure if he raised his eyebrows or frowned.

“It took you so long? It always takes less time,” he noticed. His hand rested on his cheek as he was sitting next to you and idly browsing through the cookbook full of sticky notes with Trey's comments. Though his posture suggested he was uninterested, his voice was sounding opposite; it was slow, but as if he were analyzing your every word and saving in long-term memory.

“Well, I asked Trey to help me with something,” you replied wanting him to stop questions here. But somehow, he didn't stop asking. You were almost surprised that he needed such a specific description of what you were doing in a kitchen with Trey and few fellow students.

“Something like..?”

“Something that certainly isn't a cake that I wanted to give you tomorrow, but burned in the process.”

That finally caught his attention. His whole body shuddered before he became breathless. The thoughts were occupying him that much, that he couldn't function properly.

“Y-you... you wanted to bake a cake... for me?”

You hadn't noticed before, but now, when Riddle was surely flustered, and his cheeks reddened to the shade of red that resembles strawberries on the cake, he stuttered. You couldn't help, but think that was rather charming.

“I just said 'isn't'!” You protested, sounding offended, but there is a big, heartful smile on your face. “But, yes. I will ask him again to help me with it.”

There was some pause before Riddle asked another question. Not about the cake this time.

“May I help you with it this time?” He struggled with forming a sentence, but his voice sounded somehow steady. You couldn't tell the same about the face, cheeks still hot and red, eyes running on the floor, not knowing where to stop. “I know I am not as good baker as Trey... but we can make it together, following the recipe of your choice.”

“Okay... Okay, then!” You smiled at the question. Warm, fuzzy feeling exploded in your chest, leaving your face and ears in the cherry shade of red.“I look forward to my cooking class with you.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

10. Break the rule.

“Where is [Name]?” Riddle asked Trey and Cater, his gaze shifting from one student to another. It was the third time he regarded each student that attended the party, and still, he couldn't find his favourite—in his mouth replaced by 'in need of attendant who will stop you from doing anything stupid'—student.

“I have no idea,” Cater looked around, and even considered calling you, before spotting your phone next to an empty plate, one seat from him. “Maybe they have sneaked out of unbirthday party or something. Should I go search for them?”

Riddle shook his head. “I will go. Trey, Cater, please look after students when I am not here.”

He got a nod from Trey before he headed further into the gardens. Going through the Rose Maze was the quickest and most discreet way to get to... just anywhere in Heartslabyul gardens. And not only, since some passages led just to NRC—no one knew why, but the portal was the most stable way to get there—it didn't mean that there weren't other ways.

“[Name]!” Riddle called you, as he recognised the similar silhouette. You turned around, “Why aren't you at the party?”

Panicked, you looked up at Riddle. Truth be told, you spent whole daydreaming and somehow starstruck. You didn't really know—you only had a suspicion. “S-sorry... But I have a great reason!”

...

You didn't have a good reason.

“Like?” Riddle asked, crossing his arms.

“Uh,” your gaze fell, sticking to the ground. “Like... like...” And you said the words that repeated in your mind for so long. They weren't supposed to be spoken here, but now you weren't thinking properly. “I... I love you?”

As much as Riddle reddened whenever you did something affectionate, now he was pale, not less than a sheet of paper. He looked as if he was too faint, and inexplicably the tears glimmered in his eyes.

“W-what? And... and it- is that a question?”

“Do you love me?” You asked, now really not knowing what to do. You quickly bring your hands to cover your mouth, before panicking again. “W-wait, no! Ahaha, please treat it as a joke. I... I am sick I guess. I will go to the party, right now. I am okay.”

You quickly turned on your heels, ready to run away from the scene. From Hearslabyul. From Riddle.

“W-wait-!” He cried out, grabbing your sleeve. He used his whole strength in arms, to draw you closer. “I- I do. I do love you.” He said it loudly and clearly but also panicking. After realizing what he said, his grasp loosened, but you weren't trying to escape anymore. “A-a-at least I think so.”

You opened your mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out. After a short while, you encouraged yourself to speak.

“O... Oh, great!” You imitated cheering, but you were still stunned. The only thing that sank in, was that Riddle didn't reject your sudden confession. Could your heart take that much happiness at once? “'Cause I wasn't joking about loving you. It was a lie when I said I... was joking.”

“Please don't lie about that,” he whispered so quietly, and you could only hear him because you were still closed in his tight embrace. You smiled lightly, your eyes filling with tears as well.

“I won't.”

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.”

Hi! uhhh I don't really know if rqsts are open so you can just discard this if you want. n e wayssss can I get a oneshot of a dense fem!s/o who isn't really dense but she just pretends to be because she's scared of heartbreaks. make it a vil please! (btw she is so dense to the point where vil is almost making a fool of himself just to get a shred of affection from y/n) and again if the rqsts are closed please just dismiss this thanks!

a/n: Sorry for a month-long (??) delay!!

Vil Schoenheit x Pretending to be dense in terms of love! Reader

There were times when Vil thought you were doing that on purpose. You never got a hint. You never noticed that you always had his eyes follow your every move, orbs light up whenever you greeted him and darken with worry whenever you laughed your head off with another student. Vil couldn't really remember the times when he thought of you as a friend. Perhaps he never did so; in childhood times, when you were one of the kids that stuck to his side and without a complaint respected his limited time to play with other children, you were just an acquaintance and neither of you put any effort nor time to tighten the bond between you two. And three years ago, around the time when he entered Night Raven Collage walls, you two were almost inseparable. Messaging each other every day, getting fashion tips from him every morning and sincere compliments (or whining) from you in return. He supposes that you were already someone more than “acquaintance”, maybe even more than a “friend”. With his entrance, he promised himself that he will figure out his feelings by the day he graduates from NRC. Now he is in his third year, and still has no idea what the hell is going on in his mind. Why it's so hard to keep composure with you around? Is your heart so sensitive around him too, ready to jump out of your chest whenever he seems to care about you? Then, why do you never look interested in him? Should he just confess to you... and risk your relationship that he cherishes so much? Why is he the one that fell in love? It would have been easier if you were lovestruck. It is torture and Vil believes it will still be one. As much as obliviousness was a cute trait of yours—or so he thought, when he was still thinking of you only as an acquaintance—now it made him feel despondent. “What?” Vil recognizes your voice and halts. As much as he wants to just walk past the overhearing area, he can't bring himself to. He just stays quiet as you continue talking to Epel, who just spotted Vil next to you two. His muscles tense, and Epel seems like he wants to jump to you and stop you from sating anything more, but isn't fast enough. “I am not in love with Vil. Why would you think that?” Epel's eyes widen a bit, a concern fills his eyes that turn into a stormy-grey timbre. You use sudden diversity as a sign to turn around and look straight into Vil. …

He is the first one, who starts speaking. He thanks himself for his ability to control emotions. At least on the outside. Saying “disaster” would be an understatement of the turmoil tugging his heart. He just knew that there was no point in figuring these feelings anymore when they weren't going to be reciprocated. “...Good morning, potatoes,” he says after a pause, forcing himself to keep calm. “Why aren't you heading to the laboratory yet? If you will be late for classes, I will have to put you for extra etiquette lessons. No one wants that, no?” “Ah, yes,” Epel replies quickly, casting you a subtle glance. “I mean, we were planning to go there just now. [Name], hurry up, and let's go-!” “I- I think I just lied.” There is an almost visual hesitance in your voice. You tightly grip the hem of your uniform's shirt, almost poking holes in the white fabric. “About.. uh, my interest in Vil,” you continued, your voice quieted with each word. “I am not saying I am in love... and even if I am, I would like to keep such a... precious person like himself by my side even... even as friends.”

It doesn't take a long time before Vil speaks. “I think,” he says, his mind that filled with different thoughts, that he could as well have an empty space in his thoughts, “that Vil would be really happy if you risked your relationship with him. I can see him... almost struggling with confirming if your feelings are mutual. He does his best to see if he has a chance.” You look at him with surprise. “He does?” “I do,” Vil says, his smile lustres with gratitude and bliss. “And I assure you that I will use it properly when the time comes. You may expect it very soon... but this time not with a close audience.” He looks at Epel, who winces at his remark, somehow still overenthusiastic and stunned by the (half-)confession. “Am I at fault for just standing there?! You are the one who interrupted our very walk to the lab!” The ringing bell engulfs his last words, and Epel shifts uncomfortably as you dither if you must go to classes right now. Vil places his hand on your head, but in a way that doesn't mess up your hairstyle. “Try to focus on your classes today... And wait for me until I will ask for your heart officially.” With these words, he gracefully turns around, and you aren't sure if Crewell will be able to get your attention in a while.

If i'm not bothering could i ask of you still do the series how to win the heart of?

Sure!

I wish to write “how to win a heart of” guides for all twisted boys, but if you have a favourite character, ask without any hesitation!

I will be more than happy to write something for you! 😊

How to win a heart of Floyd Leech?

a/n: Someone requested this; ask got deleted by accident! Hope you will like it, Anon!

Warning!

Once you start walking through the specific points of the guide, your life will be exposed to the presence of Floyd Leech. Interrupting the action at one of the stages may cause many problems; F. Leech categorizes stopping as "boring", which puts the user of this guide in great danger.

The only way out is to get to the very end. Or not to start at all.

You act at your own risk.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

‏‏‎ 

1.   Be an easy new target.

To one’s surprise, it is much harder not to catch his attention.

You can easily become another entertaining target of Floyd, mostly by doing silly things or him just considering them as ones.

And to automatically get labelled as “silly”, you just need to fall into one of his traps—he prepares them for someone else, maybe for goldfish, maybe for another person given a sea-inspired nickname, expecting to enjoy watching how familiar face twitches with terror as he jumps into the scene and tightly embraces passing student.

But no. You were the one who showed up in the wrong place and time as Floyd jumped out from his hideout, scaring you half to death. With a strangled yelp, you sharply backed away. After gaining a slight flush on your cheeks, you recognised who you just bumped into and quietly gasped.

However, he was much more bewildered than you were.

He had never encountered somebody who wouldn’t just freeze under his touch. Jumping away, gasping, muttering half-hearted apologies and flushing? That’s new.

That’s also entertaining.

Even after your quickly disappearance from the scene, his gaze somehow inexplicably started returning to you.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

2.   Visit Mostro Lounge often.

“We’re looking for someone who would like to work part-time for Azul~” Floyd said, sliding poster across the table. He popped up in front of you unannounced, having your thoughts return to dark reality.

“Oh,” you replied quietly, packing your things faster. “Good luck with it.”

You got up from your seat, but the thought of letting you go just like that didn’t even cross Floyd’s mind.

“Ehh? Shrimpy, aren’t you going to try?” he asked, frowning. You winced a little at the nickname he called you, not sure how to feel about it. “You know, you won’t work there for free.”

Azul will grant your wish.

You fidgeted a little, questioning your response. You heard—who didn’t?—rumours that Octavinelle leader could fulfil any request for a certain price. Ones were working for it, others were paying, and lasts were trading their request with Azul’s one.

The thought of having anything just by working in some café made you consider the offer again—this time quickier.

“I will go,” you decided.

“Hooray!” Floyd smiled cheerfully, just as if he won some grand prize in the lottery. “But what could Shrimpy possibly wish for, to change your response so drastically~?” he wondered but didn’t get any answer in return.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

3.   Be honest.

“Shrimpy...”

You passed Floyd, without sparing him a look. Anyone who has known you for a while would notice that your movements were a bit stiff and creaky.

Once you heard Floyd’s voice, a wave of tiredness struck you as if you didn’t get any sleep last night after working your shift in Mostro Lounge.

There were so many people to serve, so many things to do... and yet, you couldn’t help with anything, still not knowing how everything works, messing up with orders and breaking some plates in process.

Floyd buzzing around you, asking you some random questions (“Shrimpy, have you done it before?”). You answered them quickly, but each of them bumped you out of rhythm, making you forget what you were doing. It also didn’t help that Floyd certainly liked you being disoriented, replying with a shrug and grin on his face at your thundering glances.

So now, after gaining a little trauma from working in Octavinelle’s café, all you could do is ignore Floyd’s presence, silently accusing him of your infamous fiasco.

“Hey, Shrimpy!” he called you again, catching you up. “Are you mad?”

“I am not mad,” you snapped and took an unstable breath. “Look, I just started working, and on my first day I made already so many mistakes—”

“Yeah,” he replied indifferently. “And what with that?”

“...I couldn’t even correctly serve drinks—”

“Oh, stop!” Floyd muffled your mouth with his hand, an annoying look on his face. “I know where it is going. And no, you can’t quit a job, after all my efforts to get you there. It will get boring again!”

“But—”

“Stop, stop, stop,” he corrected his hand on your mouth, now not letting even a sound get through his fingers. “Azul knows that you tried your best. And for these plates you broke, he already added them to your paycheck. You need to practice! Not to give up, Shrimpy!”

You looked up at him, quite stunned by these words. Perhaps he quoted someone from the book or heard someone talking like that...

But it was encouraging. In some way, considering that you couldn’t protest, having your mouth covered. But still, it was encouraging.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

4.   Take classes together.

You can have the power of controlling Floyd’s behaviour, making other students’ life easier. Or you two can be a walking disaster.

Turning alchemy lesson into putting random ingredients into a boiler and praying that the mysterious mixture won’t explode.

History classes started being a regular pinching ritual to keep yourself from falling asleep (you are being pinched more, even when you don’t feel sleepy).

In contrast, flying lessons are peaceful. Nor Jade, nor Floyd, nor Azul are fond of these classes. Floyd is much eager to stand both feet on the ground, watching you practice or having you sulking next to him about heights.

However, if you are a calm, shy, or tranquil person, exchanging little notes or drawings will be a little habit of yours. Handing them discreetly under the eye of sir Crewel is quite a challenge, but it also gives satisfaction once the note was given.

Floyd throws away most of your paper conversations, but the ones he really likes, he cherishes them by keeping them with him, stuffed in his pockets. He will be irritated if anyone would like to see what you two were writing about, even if the talk was about new strawberries delivery for the new recipe.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

5.   Being ticklish or not.

There are two possible scenarios, whether his new, lovely target is ticklish or not.

If is: prepare for being touched a lot. Observing how you quiver with surprise, when he lightly—he especially makes his touch less fierce, knowing very well that tickling isn’t violent—wraps his hands around your waist, making you hold your breath.

He would tickle you a lot, very often making you cry out of laugh and pain that follows sharp writhing and fidgeting, but never that much, to seriously upset you. That’s some luck in such unlucky situation.

If not: he will try to find other weak point. Or will try to make you ticklish—his hands are particularly cold and pressing them to your warm skin, might make you give him a reaction he would enjoy.

Albeit, if you also won’t return any expression even then, he will seriously search for some other weakness. Slightly biting an ear lobe, whispering next to your ear or anything that could make his smile appear, once he made you put him somewhere between “I despise you with each and every cell” and abstract mumbling with the heat on your checks.

Oh, he loves your reactions so much.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

6.   Learn all nicknames he gave other people (you will unlock an option to slightly dish other people).

“Oh Lord...” you muttered to yourself, as your gaze followed scribbled list of names that Jade just passed to you. He willingly connected all student’s names with pseudonyms Floyd gave other people and handed the roaster over to you once you helped him with some kitchen cleaning.

“There are so many, right?” Jade replied with a polite smile on his face. “I’m sure you already memorised some of them, being around Floyd that much.”

You nodded mindlessly as you tried to get names into your head. You mouthed them soundlessly one by one, motivated to learn them by the end of the week.

The chuckle that escaped Jade’s lips startled you, and you realised that he still was in the room. Or that you didn’t leave the Lounge even after your shift has already ended.

“My brother surely didn’t exaggerate anything about you,” he said, his tone a bit more buoyant than ever, although you couldn’t be sure as the thick air of mystery still echoed in his voice. “I wonder how it will finally end?”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

7.   Always share your takoyaki with him.

“What are you hiding, Shrimpy?”

You shuddered at a voice that you did not want to hear at this moment, not for all the world. Unless that the world included a chest filled with takoyaki, which you could give to certain somebody.

You felt that instead of a shashlik of tasty balls, you were holding a knife in your hands, a veritable proof of a crime you had committed. It weighed heavily in your grip, and Floyd's approaching footsteps did not make your situation any better.

It was a time to hide the evidence.

You pushed as much as you could into your mouth and swallowed a few balls without even gnawing them much. You almost choked on them.

“Me? I?” you asked innocently. You sincerely hoped that no sauce or a stray piece of cake was left on your face. “What could I possibly hide?”

"Hmm, hmm~," he drew closer, and you needed all your will gathered, to make yourself stay where you were. Even without looking in the mirror, you knew you were all pale on the face. “With my little eye, I spy something...”

His gaze went down, just to your hands, which you tried to hide behind your back.

Not giving him a clear look at your palms or wooden stick, you turned around on the heel and run with all your might. Your muscles felt somehow stiff as if they also didn’t see a chance to win this race.

Now Floyd was sure you are hiding something, and there is no chance he’ll let it go.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

8.   Watch him at his basketball practice.

81:30 for the blue team!

“Floyd once again started playing wild,” Ace breathed with clear regret in his voice. He glanced your way, frowning at you. “It’s your fault. Please come at practices when Floyd is in my team, not otherwise.”

You laughed awkwardly as he walked away.

A moment later, Floyd reached for a bottle with water and a towel you bravely guarded through the whole practice. He smiled wholeheartedly, happy with the win, water, and your presence.

“How did you like the game?” he asked once he changed from PE clothes and you two started heading towards Octavinelle.

“It was really fun!” you admitted, a speck of amusement appeared in Floyd’s eyes. “The red team didn’t have much time to capture a ball before you got hold of it again.”

“Hehe~ I’m glad you liked it,” he said. “I really like to play basketball, even more than ever, when I know that you are watching! That’s why,” he added, sincerity well-heard in his voice, “you need to come even more often!”

You nodded happily.

You just couldn’t mind it, all that accompanying him.

It was... fun.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

9.   Dance, dance, dance!

Heels tapped on the floor and the sound of these steps would probably have spread through the room, if not for the jazz music pounding through Mostro Lounge’s speakers.

Floyd pulled you closer, letting a playful smile on his lips stretch even more. You couldn’t help but smile back, before gasping as he spun you around your axis. You lost balance and would fall if not steady grip around your waist, as Floyd leaned on closer to you, making you bend on one leg more and entirely rely on his touch.

Last notes of melody faded, and you still were in that pose, facing each other. With each second, Floyd’s face was changing from some form of amazement to amusement, finally letting you properly stand.

“Ha... When did you learn to dance so smoothly?” you asked smiling in wonder.

“Hehe~ With legs you can dance a lot more than in the sea,” he answered. “On land, it’s super fun~”

You nodded at his words.

Floyd was a wonderful dancer.

But you can’t be sure if being a good dancing partner is the only thing that made you feel all warm and fuzzy because butterflies still didn’t leave your stomach.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

10.            “Let’s do something fun!”

“Here is your paycheck,” Azul handed you a white envelope, sealed with a stamp with the Octavinelle logo. “And you, [Name], was also working for some request, right?”

You nodded as you stared at the envelope.

Somehow, knowing how stupid the lingering thought in your mind was, you couldn’t bear to look up. If you would, your gaze would probably ignore all the elegant furniture of the room, even the owner of the room, Azul, just to settle on Floyd.

If you saw anything more than his shoes, that stupid thought would make their way outside, turning plans into action.

And Floyd unknowingly did everything to make them come true.

“Shrimpy,” he cupped your face with his hands, judging by his voice he seemed quite... worried? When he made you look in his olive and gold eyes, you started holding your breath. “Are you okay?”

With that question, your strong will to wish for something expensive or practical was broken.

You started fidgeting more, not knowing how to express your thoughts in words. “I think I have a request... a question for Floyd, rather than for you, Azul...”

Azul nodded at first uncertain and the room has fallen into silence once again until you spoke.

“Well, Floyd,” you turned to him, trying your best not to wander your gaze away from him, “Please, take your time with answering, but I want your response to be, uh, honest.”

You were tripping onto your own words, embarrassment soaring in your body as you started to think that you should’ve kept quiet. But Floyd was patient with your answer, as well as Jade and Azul who observed the situation as if they predicted it before.

“I mean- Okay, just answer the question.” You took an erratic breath. “Would you like to—”

“Sure!” Floyd interrupted you before even hearing the whole question. “I would like to do everything with you.”

You stood there, all confused. But, by Floyd’s expression you knew that he guessed what you wanted to say. Face heating up, you forgot about Azul and Jade, who hid a chuckle by turning his head to the side.

“How fun,” he said as Floyd wrapped his arms around you, as if shielding you from other people in the room.

“I won’t share Shrimpy with you, Jade. Not a chance.”