Yuu: Tell Us, Is There Other Spirit In This Dorm?

Yuu: Tell us, is there other spirit in this dorm?

Ouija board: Y-E-S

Grim: Great, your portion of the rent is 1000 madols. It's due the first of the month.

Ouija board: W-T-F

In which (Y/n) manages to get kidnapped by Malleus, who has turned into a dragon after going into a frenzy because he wasn't able to find her.

Bringing her to a tower, he absolutely refuses to let go of his newly acquired treasure. There is no such thing as escape when an attention-seeking dragon wants to cuddle.

Request by @amypop122.

"(Y/n), my little treasure? I know it's late... but can I come in? I had a horrible nightmare—"

Malleus, clutching his pillow in his arms, stood in front of the door to your bedroom, his fist still raised after having knocked against the door gently. His pyjamas with little dragons printed all over the fabric were wrinkled due to the sheer hurry he had jumped out of his bed with. The poor dragon fae was still shaking from the horrible nightmare he had just been vexed by; your agonising screams as he couldn't save you from death rung in his ears, not leaving him any rest.

Malleus dreamt that you had died.

So, the first rational thing he did when waking up, his skin coated in a layer of cold sweat and his eyes ripped open as wide as saucers, was to immediately teleport to your bedroom to check if you were alright — and maybe even sneak his way into your bed if you didn't mind. After all, no one could harm you if you were right in his arms.

Waiting minutes where silence prevailed, nothing happened — not even a soft stir of your body or the crumpling of your blanket could reach his attentive ears. Growing scared, Malleus pushed the door open, a frightened expression on his face. What if you weren't in your bed? Then... then something bad must have happened, right?

As he snuck closer to the bed you should be resting in, Malleus prayed with all his heart that you were safe and sound, and that you were simply too caught up in deep slumber to react to his knocking. His feet were as light as a feather as he maneuvered over to your bedside, gently lifting up the bundle of blankets to see if you were hiding underneath them.

You weren't there.

The blanket slipping out of his hold, he remained frozen for a good few minutes. His eyes were ripped wide open in disbelief that his nightmare seemingly had managed to become reality. A blood-curdling scream escaped his lips. Malleus sank to his knees, his pillow falling to the ground, as sobs and cries escaped his lips. Clutching his head in desperation and fury, the gruelling whispers in his mind, telling him that he had failed to protect you, became stronger until he could no longer drown them out.

Letting out a loud roar, Malleus felt wings sprouting from his back. A bright green light enveloped him, hiding the maniacal expression on his face as he transformed into a beast. His pale skin was replaced by black scales, and his hands turned into paws with claws as sharp as razor blades. Soon, he wasn't human anymore but a beast that could wreak havoc and burn a whole village down with its fiery breath. His tail was big enough to almost throw over the desk in your room as the dragon quickly exited through the opened window to soar through the sky in search for his missing beloved.

That night, some NRC students and staff swore they could see a majestic dragon fly across the skies and hear distant roars, filling them with fear and the dawning feeling that something would go horribly wrong soon.

"I swear... I can't believe I have to drag you two back to the Heartslyabul dorm again..." you hissed under your breath as you continued pulling Ace and Deuce by their collars, their paralysed bodies somehow even heavier than they usually were. It didn't help that Grim was lazily sleeping on Ace instead of helping you, only increasing the weight you had to pull. Your eyebrows were furrowed in utter anger; you could have been peacefully sleeping in your bed if it weren't for these two idiots having somehow managed to get cursed with a paralysis spell.

"Sorry, (Y/n)..." Deuce mumbled, only able to move his lips and eyes. A satisfied smile curled up on your lips. At least one of the boys still possessed common sense. "We won't do it again..."

"Woah woah, no need to lie there, Deuce," Ace replied, still trying to shove Grim off of him, but always failing because he couldn't move his limbs even a centimetre. Laughing sheepishly, the red-head started to grin. "We all know we're gonna do it again..."

You let out a groan, all hope that had built up dissipating. "You two! I feel like I'm your mother—" you seethed through clenched teeth, stopping and letting go of their collars, so that their head fell down onto the cold earthy ground of the courtyard. They let out pained groans, cursing you under their breaths while you merely laughed at their suffering. Grim bolted slightly, sending out a little hiss before returning to his slumber.

"Mommy (Y/n)," Ace mused, sticking his tongue out.

Narrowing your eyes, you put your hands onto your hips. Angrily, you bent over them to wag your finger in front of their eyes in an attempt to scold them. "Stop it. That sounds weird."

"Who's the father?" Deuce asked with a little grin on his lips.

Laughing, Ace replied, "Grim of course."

"You two!" Throwing your hands up in resignation, you were about to continue scolding them until the frightening sound of a dragon roar filled your ears. Wincing when a sudden gust of cold wind was swept your way, you shot your paralysed friends an alarmed look. "Guys, did you hear that? I think it was a dragon..."

"Are you trying to scare us?" Ace mused, rolling his eyes. "Come on, we're not some little babies."

You straightened your back, arms still stretched out towards the sky as if frozen in fear. "No, I really heard something—" you hissed, fear filling your (E/c) eyes. Before you could finish your sentence, you felt a pair of big claws wrap around your arms and pulling you up into the sky. Struggling, you screamed your lungs out as the boys grew smaller and smaller the higher you rose into the sky. "Guys! What's going on!? Hey! Deuce! Ace—"

"(Y/n)!" Deuce and Ace shouted simultaneously, trying to climb to their feet so they could chase after the beast that was carrying you away into the distance until it vanished in the dark night sky. Of course, they failed miserably, which left them no choice but to simply lay in the grass until the paralysis spell had worn off. They continued screaming their lungs out in hopes that someone would hear them, but no one did — or at least no one bothered to react.

"Can you two please keep it down?" Grim yawned, covering his ears with his paws. "I'm trying to sleep here..."

"(Y/n) just got kidnapped by a dragon!" Deuce yelled frantically, his eyeballs moving into every direction out of pure panic and frustration. "The dragon just swooped in and—"

Grim let out an annoyed hiss. "So hallucination is a side effect of the spell you were cursed with?"

"Grim! Shut up!" Ace yelled, almost crying out in utter irritation. Again, he was trying to shove the cat off his stomach, but failed. "We're telling you the truth, you lazy cat!"

"The truth can wait till tomorrow morning..." Grim mumbled as he snuggled into his paws, starting to snore loudly.

Ace closed his eyes, exhaling. "Great... we're doomed..."

"Hey! Let go of me, you dragon!" you yelled as you struggled in the beast's mighty grip. He simply let out a roar, which immediately silenced you into submission. Giving up with your attempts of escape, you let out a frustrated sigh. Instead, you focused your gaze onto the ground beneath you to figure out where you were and where he was taking you.

It was a clear night, allowing you to see how far up in the air you really were. You kind of felt nauseous, and immediately decided that looking down had been a bad idea. Gulping and taking deep breaths to calm your pounding heart, you simply hoped the dragon wouldn't drop you mid-flight.

A little gasp escaped your lips once you realised that you were flying towards the Diasomnia dorm — a tall tower in the far back of the castle-like building, to be exact. You furrowed your eyebrows, almost laughing at how absurd and hilarious the situation sounded. Somehow, this dilemma made you feel like a princess from one of those medieval fairytales, being kidnapped by a dragon and locked away into his tower full of treasures until your prince would come and save you.

The dragon's wings were strong, and so in no time you had reached the tall building. He slipped right through the rather small opening of the tower, and more or less tried to lower you to the ground gently — which he rather failed at because of his large size. You fell to your knees, and immediately scrambled to crawl over to the wall of the tower, pressing your back against the cold stones aligned to form the protective walls.

"Who are you!? And why did you kidnap me—" you screamed, causing the dragon to wince in dismay. Your chest was heaving up and down in pure horror as the creature stayed still, gazing at you with bright green eyes that reminded you of someone in particular. The moment where you thought he was communicating with you was interrupted when the dragon began to fold his mighty wings back into their original places on the sides of his body to clear up some space for you.

You averted your gaze to the smooth black scales that covered the dragon's body completely, aside from the equally as black horns that sprouted from his head. You let out a little gasp upon realising how exactly big the dragon was; his head alone was as big as your torso. The tail probably was even longer than your arm span. Your jaw fell down in admiration, and you felt the sudden desire to run your hand across his smooth scales.

The dragon looked at you curiously, almost smiling as he took in the awe radiating off your eyes the more you gazed at him. Proudly exhaling his nostrils, he let out a playful roar.

The roar made your heart skip a beat in fear, and you felt your breathing stopping for a moment. Averting your eyes to something different inside of the tower, you hoped to calm your wildly beating heart. You gazed around the interior, finding the window the dragon had used as an entrance on your right, and on the far left was a door that probably revealed a staircase used for the normal way of entering the tower. On the wall across from you lay heaps and hills of gold coins, the occasional diamond and jewel, as well as shimmering jewellery, poking out from underneath. There seemed to be a magical barrier around the collection of treasures, one that you recognised as being used to prevent intruders from passing through.

You were snapped out of your little excursion when you felt something prodding your stomach. Tensing, you lowered your gaze to find the dragon's large head laying in your lap, his snout poking your stomach to gain your attention while his curious eyes were trained at your face. The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile once he knew he had your full attention. You let out a little laugh upon realising that the dragon shared more similarities with a little puppy than a monster personality-wise. Hearing your laughter seemed to make him happy, too.

Still hesitant, you raised your hand to put it onto the dragon's head. He watched your moves with big eyes, and nodded subtly when he realised that you were waiting for permission to touch his scales. Smiling softly, you ran your fingertips across his soft yet sturdy scales, causing the mighty beast to close his eyes and relax into your lap.

"Oh, you're quite heavy—" you huffed as you stopped petting him, which earned you an angry huff that immediately made you resume. Chuckling at his rather adorable antics, you hummed a soft tune that made his tail wag back and forth happily.

"Hm... do you have a name? Or should I just call you Mr. Big Scary Dragon," you asked, causing him to pry one slitted eye open, thus revealing the shimmering emerald underneath the leathery eyelids. You laughed softly. "I used to call Malleus that..." His eyes seemed to draw you in, hypnotising you in a certain way. They made you feel at ease — comforted. The effect was the same as a certain dragon fae always had on you.

That's when your eyes widened in shock and realisation, and you jumped, causing an angry growl to escape the dragon's throat.

The beast raised his head to glare at you, only to find you slowly inching away from it, just as if you didn't want to startle it again. A little bit hurt that you were still scared of him, the dragon let out a few cries and cooes that made your heart sink in pity.

"M-Malleus?" you stuttered out, shaking to your very core. "Is that you?"

Tilting his head to the side, the beast nodded. His mouth twisting into a happy grin, he carefully ventured towards you. He urged you to rise to your feet, which you did with a little yelp escaping your lips. Nudging you farther away from the wall with his snout, he let out a few assuring cooes that made your heart flutter. Hesitantly, you stumbled into the direction he pushed you into.

"Why... are you a dragon?" you asked, but received no answer. It seemed like he couldn't talk as a dragon, but at least he could understand you.

Eventually, Malleus let out a little bit of smoke through his large nostrils, turning around in circles in the same spot like a cat looking for the perfect resting place. Once his gigantic body lay on the ground, he extended one arm to tug at your shirt with one single claw. You let out a little sigh as you let yourself be guided towards him. Just as you arrived, his mischievous tail swiped right under your feet, causing you to fall right into his waiting arms. The dragon let out a satisfied breath as he wrapped his arms around you, trapping you successfully.

Your body went rigid when you felt his hot breath running across your cheek, his body warming yours and shielding you from the unrelenting cold of the tower. This was... quite comfortable, you had to admit. You were tempted to just close your eyes and fall asleep after such a hectic night, but you knew you couldn't. So, you tried your best to wiggle yourself out of his strong arms so you could sit up right and gaze into his curious yet annoyed eyes.

"Malleus..." you mumbled, reaching out with one hand to stroke his snout, which earned you quite the adorable reaction: He leant right into your touch, purring like a little cat. Smiling, you couldn't help but laugh. "I'd love to cuddle with you all night— but I need to get home... we wouldn't want Deuce and Ace to freeze to death, would we?"

As if he was jealous, Malleus stubbornly shook his head and only pulled you closer to him. A few threatening growls and whimpers escaped his throat as he nuzzled his head into your shoulder, seeking to bury himself in your scent. Sitting up again — but this time you had to put up way more effort — your hand ran along his cheek, which caused a little hitch to appear in his breath as he forced one eye lazily open. It seemed like he wanted to sleep, but would also take every speck of affection you would reward him with.

Sighing, you explained, "Come on, dear... They're my friends."

Refusing, he continued to shake his head stubbornly. Funnily, he looked like he was pouting. In a way, he looked jealous to you — especially with the way his tail angrily pounded against the ground while his arms simply tightened around your waist, almost cutting off your air-flow.

"You don't need to be jealous, Malleus~" you cooed as you evaded his paw that tried to push you down into his arms again. Instead, you leant forward to press a sweet kiss to the space inbetween his eyes. He sucked in air through his nostrils as a gesture of surprise. Then, his eyes turned soft and adoring. "You know you're the only dragon whom I love—"

Your words seemed to satisfy him very much, causing him to nuzzle his snout into your cheek. He even opened his mouth to drag his coarse and slitted tongue across your cheek, which caused you to giggle softly as you pushed him away. He snorted, breathing a little bit of fire accidentally. Luckily, you remained unharmed by ducking just in the right moment. Hopefully, he wouldn't burn your hair like he had burned Lilia's.

"Malleus!" You laughed, having trouble of not getting overwhelmed with the way he alternated between licking your face and nuzzling his snout into your neck. "Stop it! T-That tickles—"

Malleus let out a playful huff, warming your body with his warm breath.

"You never told me you could transform into a dragon..." you mused, causing him to cease his affections temporarily. "Neither did you tell me that you had a tower to store your treasures in within the Diasomnia dorm."

Sheepishly grinning down at you, he raised his long neck until he could put his jaw onto the top of your head lazily. You let out a few squeals, running your hand along his neck, which evoked a few adorable purrs from the big lizard. He craned his neck as much as he could in response to your pleasing touches. Whispering sweet nothings about how cute he was, you couldn't help but slowly feel at ease around this threatening and mighty dragon — your beloved dragon.

"Great, now I'm trapped in a dragon's tower—" you mused, continuing to run your hand up and down his neck whilst letting out a few amused chuckles. "When will my prince come and save me?"

Malleus immediately froze, not looking the slightest amused by your joke. He removed his head from on top of yours, and opted to glare at you with such intense anger that you gulped. You backed up until you couldn't any more with your back tightly pressed against his body. His face neared yours, and he looked angry — very much so.

Laughing nervously, you carefully bent forward to wrap your arms around his head in an attempt to soothe his fury. While embracing him, you pressed a soft kiss to the side of his head. "Oh well, who needs a prince if the dragon is adorable and handsome and smart and cute and—" That was enough to make Malleus calm down again. This time, he curled his neck around for it to lay stretched out across your lap, his head right next to your thighs. Now, you were indeed trapped by a large puppy.

"I love you, Mr. Big Scary Dragon~" you cooed, giggling.

Malleus let out a few satisfied cooes when you ran your hand across his horns, closing his eyes as he drifted off into peaceful slumber. He knew that no nightmare could awaken him if you were there by his side, your touch keeping the mean and nasty echoes at bay. Just for safety, his long tail snuck around your feet, holding them in place in case you decided you were brave enough to attempt and make a run for it.

You let out a little huff, seeing no chance of escape. Whenever you tried to move your feet out of the loops his tail created, his tail's grip would tighten and he would let out a little hiss. Giving up, you simply sank into his body, evoking a very content exhale from the dragon. "You really are a protective one..." you murmured as you snuggled into his body that was curled around you.

Malleus was at peace. Cuddling with his mate like this really made him forgot all about his nightmare earlier.

Grinning, you cooed, "I didn't know you always meant it literally whenever you called me your 'little treasure', Malleus."

MC: *a voice actor* *has just recently learned how to copy Malleus's voice*

MC: Sebek.

Sebek: Yes, Waka-sa— STOP!

MC: *chuckles like Malleus*

Malleus: ...

Leona: *minding his own business*

MC: *sneakily approaches him from behind and covers his eyes*

Leona: What the—

MC: I like kissing every inch of your body, Leona. *sexy Malleus's voice activated*

Leona: ...

Leona: Fuck off, Herbivore. I know that it's you.

MC: *laughs* *letting go of him*

Leona: And will you quit using his voice? You're creeping me out.

MC: Fine. Can I use yours instead?

Leona: No.

I have no clue where I was going with this. Have fun.

(Do not like without Reblogging.)

"Squeeze or be squeezed"

In which (Y/n) hosts a Halloween party! She's dressed up as a princess, which somehow automatically activates Malleus' dragon instincts.

'Kidnap the princess and put her in a tower,' his mind tells him — as cliche as it sounds — and so, he does exactly that.

I know it's not Halloween but the idea won't leave my head so bear with me aiqhsuaha

"Grim, have you put the cobwebs up, yet?"

You pranced through the lounge of Ramshackle, a big bowl of popcorn and bags of chips from Sam's shop under your arm. As best as you could, you made sure not to bump into the skeletons and hollowed-out pumpkins that stood around the room as decoration. Eventually, you arrived by the buffet table, where you threw everything in your arms onto the surface with a loud huff.

Who knew how hard it was to organise a Halloween party?

Grim came strolling in, his head held high and mighty as to not let the crown around his ears slip off his head. He smacked the bottom of his golden cane against the creaky flood of the Ramshackle lounge in exasperation. "Are you blind, or do you not see the crown on my head?" he grumbled, pulling the red cape over his shoulders with an angry huff.

"I'm sorry." You rolled your eyes, doing a curtsy for your ruler. Grabbing the billowing and swishing fabric of your (F/c) princess-gown, you said, "King Grim of Ramshackle, have you put up the cobwebs, yet?"

The cat hummed in satisfaction and began to laugh. "Much better, my princess." He marched right past you and grabbed a few cans of tuna you had specifically put there for him — but for later, not for now. You furrowed your eyebrows in irritation when he began to peel open a can; the party hadn't even started yet. The cat ignored your protests, merely replying, "And no, why would I put up fake cobwebs? There are plenty natural cobwebs there already."

You held your head in frustration, letting out a drawn-out sigh. Then, you lowered your hands again to glare at the mighty cat. "And have Ace and Deuce returned from getting Trey's tarts yet?" you asked, your fingers impatiently tapping against the surface of the buffet table.

"No, my dear princess," Grim said, putting on a posh accent, "the knights have not returned yet."

You were about to complain to the ghosts of the old building when the sound of the doorbell ringing echoed throughout the high ceilings of this place. Rolling your shoulders and putting on a smile, you happily announced, "Ah, the first guests have already arrived." Grim didn't look like he would be so kind and open the door — no, such a task was below the great king. So, it naturally fell to you. "Let me see who it is."

You made your way to the front door, making sure the little tiara on your head hadn't moved from its original position before opening the door. Your gloved hand rested on the door knob as you found the Diasomnia quartet standing on your door step.

Lilia, who was dressed like a vampire, flashed you a smile that showed off his pearly white fangs. "Good evening, (Y/n)—" he chirped, but stopped himself once he realised as what you had dressed up in. He had to hold back a chortle as he gazed you up and down. "Oh my, are you a princess?"

"A princess?" Malleus repeated, your costume somehow having managed to catch his attention. His pupils dilated into slits, and he suddenly felt something draconic awaken inside of him. A princess — perfect for kidnapping. Wait, what was he thinking? No, he couldn't do that. Malleus was snapped out of his thoughts when you stepped aside and allowed them entry to your humble abode.

"Indeed, gentlemen, I am Princess (Y/n) of Ramshackle!" you announced, doing a little curtsy that served well to entertain the three Diasomnia students. Upon straightening your back, you waved them inside. "Do come in. Do come in. I hope you'll enjoy the party."

You snickered as they walked past you — well, Silver wasn't with them since he had fallen asleep while getting into his costume. Sebek, who was dressed up as a real knight in shining armour, shot you small smile to thank you for the invitation. He immediately made a bee-line to the buffet table to get a drink for his young master, who very much fittingly, was dressed like a dragon.

You felt Malleus' stare lingering on your frame as you gently shut the door again. Before you could run off to scold Grim for not being a good host, Malleus had already grabbed you by your wrist. "You look— marvellous, dear," he drawled as he raised your gloved hand to his lips to press a soft kiss to your knuckles. "Like a true princess..."

Laughter spilt from your lips as you wholly turned around to face him properly, suddenly forgetting about how Lilia and Grim were having a sword-fight by the fireplace. "Thank you! Vil made the dress for me, and I love it!" you swooned, turning your torso so your puffy dress would dance around your ankles. The motion very much managed to entrance Malleus, and a mischievous grin appeared on his lips. "You look good yourself, Sir Dragon!"

Malleus laughed as you curiously peered around him to get a glimpse of the tail you had spotted earlier. It seemed to have a life of its own as it curled around your waist and pulled you closer to him, evoking a little gasp from your lips.

"I thank you, my precious princess." Malleus smiled, his eyes flashing in an eerie way; yet, his voice was so sickeningly sweet that it did a good job at hiding his intentions as he asked, "Say, could I kidnap you for a little while?"

"Kidnap?" you repeated, tilting your head to the side and causing your tiara to almost slip off. Malleus hummed in amusement as he let go of your hand, and extended his own hands to fix the tiara on your head. "You mean, if you could speak with me privately for a second?"

Malleus' smile grew to a size bigger than his face, and the aura he exuded turned almost cold to a point where you shivered slightly. "Yeah sure, that's what I meant," he muttered and shrugged innocently.

"Yes of course," you retorted, briefly turning around to find Lilia standing atop Grim, the heel of his boots digging into the latter's squishy stomach. Laughing and shaking your head in amusement, you returned your attention to Malleus. "I'm sure King Grim will manage just fine without me if it's just for a short while."

Malleus hummed in satisfaction, and his tail retreated back to its original position. Instead, he offered his forearm out for you to take, and you took it gratefully. He led you straight out of the front door, excited that you were coming on your own accord. "Great!" he chirped happily. "I have a fancy tower to show you."

After approximately half an hour, Ramshackle started to get fuller with guests of various dorms. Grim, being small as he was, had a hard time getting through the crowd that inhabited the lounge. He was searching for you, but no matter where he looked, he just couldn't find you. The cat was both irked and concerned at that — he just hoped you were alright.

Eventually, the cat found the first-year gang standing by the non-functioning chimney. All five of them had dressed up as knights in silver armour, even with helmets on their heads and swords at their hips — an entourage of courageous knights.

"My loyal knights," Grim yelled as he leant against Ace's leg, a little bit tired from having been pushed around by the crowd so much. They all shot him surprised looks, wondering why he looked so concerned. "Have you seen my princess daughter?"

"You mean (Y/n)?" Deuce asked, tilting his head to the side and causing the lid of his helmet to fall down with a loud clink. Everyone laughed at him, and he grumbled a few curses before turning to the king again. "No, none of us have seen her."

Sebek stroked his chin, his eyebrows furrowed like he was deep in thought. Jack, Epel, Ace, Deuce, and Grim all shot him expectant gazes, hoping he at least had a clue of where you were. Eventually, he hummed, giving in under the pressure, and hesitantly explained, "Last I saw her was when the young master led her out through the front door."

"Wait, wasn't Malleus dressed up as a dragon?" Jack asked, his ears twitching in curiosity — he was the only one who didn't wear a helmet due to his ears that would otherwise be squished against his head. Something akin to horror occupied his eyes, and the others felt a little bit unsettled by the worried look on his face.

"Yes, he was," Epel said with furrowed eyebrows. "Why are you asking?"

Deuce let out a little hum, understanding what Jack was thinking. "If— If he's a dragon and (Y/n) is a princess," he explained in a grave voice, remembering all the bedtime stories his mother used to read him when he was just a child. A worried look flashed across his eyes, and he crossed his arms. "Then Malleus might have kidnapped her! You know, dragon things; because dragons like to kidnap princesses."

"Yeah, we're not stupid." Ace rolled his eyes and punched Deuce's shoulder. Yet, his merely gloved knuckles hit the metal of the blue-haired student's arm guard, causing him to howl in utter pain as he cradled his hurt hand. The rest of the friend group snickered, but Grim looked concerned to death. It wasn't often that he showed any gratitude to his henchman, but he loved you dearly.

Grim threw his hands into the air, biting back cries of concern for his beloved human. The others shot him looks of pity that he returned with a fierce and determined glare. "A dragon having kidnapped my daughter?!" he hissed, slamming the end of his cane against the ground and startling everyone. "Unbelievable! Knights, retrieve her at once!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" they all replied simultaneously, saluting to their king.

Ace peered at Sebek. "You know where she is, right?"

Sebek's eyes widened in horror at the question. He couldn't betray his master, but neither could he lie to his friends. "Uh—" he stuttered out, his words never coherent and loud enough for anyone to understand.

Deuce's eyes darkened as he took a condescending step towards Sebek. "We'll just have to get it out of him, somehow—" Deuce said when Sebek stubbornly shook his head, having made up his mind to — under no circumstances — betray his young master.

Jack quirked an eyebrow. "I don't like threatening people— but we need to help (Y/n)." The wolf narrowed his eyes at Sebek as he quietly muttered, "If you don't tell us where (Y/n) is, I'll tell your young master about that one time you didn't join training because you were too lazy—"

"No! The young master can't know that I skipped training!" Sebek's eyes were wide in horror, and his legs began to shake — much to everyone's twisted amusement. He clasped his hands together while lowering his gaze to the floor in shame. Taking a deep breath, Sebek finally gave in and meekly announced, "I know where the young master might have brought her, if it's true that dragons like to hoard their treasures and kidnapped princesses in a tower."

"Lead," Epel yelled loudly, "us forth, fellow knight!"

"All knights have a horse," Deuce said while his gaze wandered across the other students dressed in armour. "Who's gonna be the horse?"

"Jack! Because he's the strongest!" Ace chimed as he shot around to look at the wolf with puppy eyes he hoped would make him look more convincing. He clasped his hands together and bowed as much as his chest plate would let him. "Jack, would you be so kind and turn into a wolf for us?"

Jack would have ripped Ace's head off right then and there for such a silly suggestion, but they all had a princess to save. So, pushing aside the annoyance that bubbled up whenever Ace asked him for something, the wolf sighed and complied. "Only because we need to save Princess (Y/n)."

The first-years bid a farewell to Grim before they marched towards the front door, weaving their way through the ever-growing crowd of partying students. They were pushed around here and there — especially Epel because of his height and fragility — but they eventually managed to make it to the exit... almost.

A Diasomnia student dressed up as a vampire barred their way, his arms sprawled away from his body. "Hello, children!" Lilia chimed, a big smile on his face. "Where are you going already?"

The knights shot one another a strange look before Ace turned to Lilia and said, "We're looking for Princess (Y/n), Lilia. Have you seen her?"

The ancient fae's grin grew to something scary, and a sudden gust of wind blew through the corridor that made everyone shiver uncomfortably. Then, Lilia stalked towards them, evil laughter spilling from his lips. "Muahaha, your princess is in another castle!" he exclaimed loudly, causing the others to shrink in surprise. It wasn't like he was scary — especially with his over-the-top villain behaviour — but Epel still clung to Jack like a scared baby-koala. "But before I let you continue your way to save her, I must battle you foes first!"

Sebek rolled his eyes at his fellow dorm member's behaviour and merely walked past him, waving his other friends after him. "Alright... bye, Lilia," Sebek said casually whilst he opened the front door for everyone to leave. Sebek just wanted to get this shameful act of saving you behind him. Although surprised, everyone dashed out through the door their friend had so graciously opened for them; before Sebek himself left too, he sent a little sigh to Lilia. "See you later. And don't have too much fun."

Lilia stormed out after them, but they had already disappeared, riding off into the horizon on a big wolf. "Hey, where are you going?!" Lilia yelled, disappointed that he hadn't been able to put the wooden sword on his belt to good use. "We haven't fought yet!"

Meanwhile, Malleus had brought you into a high tower at the Diasomnia dorm after a short nice walk outside. You let your eyes gaze around the interior of the tower while Malleus seemed to be busy with casting a spell you couldn't really decipher — something with 'thorns' and 'barrier'.

"That's a nice tower you have here, Malleus!" you chimed, a smile on your face as you walked around the rather small space. You approached the table placed in the centre; it was filled with sweets of all sorts, a kettle of tea and two tea cups. "And woah, you prepared tea for us?"

Malleus stopped his spell-casting, and the tower shook for a little while until everything calmed down again. Before you could ask what that was, he swept over to you and shot you a charming smile. "Of course, everything to make your stay here as comfortable as possible," he cooed and led you over to one of the two chairs at the table.

You followed him, albeit only hesitantly. "I'm afraid I can't stay for too long..." you said, a worried frown on your face. Yet, Malleus managed to coax you into sitting down by gently pushing down onto your shoulders until your behind hit the soft cushions. Still not assured that all was fine back at Ramshackle, you sighed in concern as he sat down across from you. "Grim needs me at the party."

Leaning forward to put his elbows onto the table, Malleus shook his head in feigned sadness. "Sadly, I can't let you go, dearest princess," he murmured, slowly tilting his head to the side while he let a smug smile bloom on his face. "You've been kidnapped just now."

You silently looked at him for while with a dumbfounded expression on your face, not understanding what he meant at all. Your confusion simply caused his amusement to grow even more; he basked in the way you furrowed your eyebrows at him so adorably — like a helpless little doe. That's when you shot up from your chair, an enraged scowl on your face upon finally understanding what he meant. "So you meant it literally when you asked to kidnap me?!" you screamed whilst glaring down at him with squinted eyes.

"And you said yes," Malleus casually remarked, hiding the big grin on his face as he lowered his gaze at the table to pick up the tea kettle. You watched him with disbelief-filled eyes while he silently filled your cup with tea. Finally, he looked up at you, grinning from ear to ear. "So, do you want one or two cubes of sugar, my princess?"

"Malleus! Let me go!" you hissed, stomping your way over to him so you could grab him by his shoulders. He let you shake him back and forth, simply smiling up at you innocently. "You evil evil dragon."

Malleus laughed like nothing was wrong as he grabbed you by your waist and pulled you into an embrace, so that you sat sprawled out across his lap. "You flatterer~" he cooed as he snaked his arms around your mid-section to keep you in place despite your thrashing and protests. "Now, just sit still and drink your tea, dearest." As if you were a doll, he grabbed your abandoned cup of tea and pushed the edge of the porcelain against your lips.

You refused to open your mouth to take a sip, and merely jerked your head back. "But— you can't just keep me here!" You put your hands onto his chest to push him away, but you made the fatal mistake of looking into his eyes that stared at you like those of an adorable puppy. You had a hard time not swooning at how cute he was, and so, you eventually relented with a frown. "Fine. I hate your puppy eyes."

You turned your head to the side so he wouldn't see your cheeks redden in colour. He merely chuckled, elated that his simple plan had worked.

He set the cup of tea down before that now free hand cupped your cheek and tilted your face back towards him. "You're adorable when you're angry, dear," he drawled happily; you swore you could hear his tail wagging and dragging across the stone ground behind him. Then, he once again picked up the tea cup, about to raise it to your lips again — but then he noticed the liquid's lack of warmth. "Ah, I'm afraid the tea has already gone cold... but it doesn't matter. Let me rewarm it for you."

Malleus sighed in disappointment, but he knew just the solution to warm the tea up again. Turning his head to the side, so that you wouldn't be harmed, he raised the cup into the air and opened his mouth to breathe a blast of fire that was aimed at the porcelain cup. It was only the bottom of the cup that was engulfed by the green fire.

Your eyes widened in utter awe, and you brought up your hands to shield your face from the sudden warmth. "Woah! That's so cool!" you marvelled, breathing out audibly.

Malleus merely laughed as he stopped once the liquid inside started steaming slightly. The handle was still slightly heated, and the bottom was scaldingly hot, so he decided not to hand it to you, lest you injure yourself. "Don't burn yourself," he whispered as he brought the only slightly warm rim of the cup to your lips again, and this time, you opened your mouth compliantly to take a careful sip.

The sweet tea was at a comfortable temperature, warm enough to make a fuzzy feeling appear in your stomach but not hot enough to burn your throat and mouth. After a few sips, Malleus removed the cup from your lips and set it onto the table again. You shot him an amused smile, muttering a shy, "Thanks."

Malleus nodded with a smile on his own face, having the time of his life. Your face was so close to his own, and the moonlight cast an almost ethereal glow to your skin. Having lost himself in the moment, he dreamily proposed, "So, how about you stay in this tower even after Halloween is over?" He stayed serious even when you quirked an eyebrow to test if he was joking — that didn't seem to be the case. "I'm sure we could arrange—"

Your sudden laughter was what caught him off-guard and even managed to make him stop in his tracks. Cupping his cheeks in your hands, you cooed, "Malleus, my dear and precious dragon, I absolutely adore spending time with you." Then, you took a deep breath and shook your head. "But I'm sure my friends are already on their way to rescue me from this evil dragon who kidnapped me."

Malleus grinned at your words, and he fearlessly brought his face closer to yours. You retreated slightly, not having expected such a reaction from him. "They can try to get past the thorns on the door to this tower." His grin adopted a determined and a slightly unhinged look as he condescendingly continued, "But it will be no easy feat, for I'm not going to give up my treasure so easily—"

In that exact moment, the wooden door to the tower room was flung open, and Malleus almost jumped in shock as his head turned to the entrance of the tower. A total of five knights streamed inside, making a smile break out on your face; your friends had come to save you.

"Are we interrupting something?" Ace asked, a big grin on his face. "A tea party?"

Deuce didn't seem nearly as amused as Ace, and he merely yelled, "Let her go, you cruel dragon!"

Malleus furrowed his eyebrows, not wanting to deal with such nuisances right now. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath as he lifted you up before gently setting you down onto the chair he had been sitting in. Pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead, he then turned to the intruders, his gaze suddenly not so soft anymore. "How did you get up here so quickly?"

A rare smile appeared on Jack's face as he pointed to the very nervous green-haired student next to him. "Sebek knew where the backdoor was — or better said, hatch."

Malleus looked a little bit betrayed as he turned his head to look at his very own retainer, whom he had expected to be on his side. Sebek squirmed a little bit under his young master's angry glare, and he felt shame boil in his veins. "They blackmailed me!" he cried out as he wanted nothing more than to hide under his blanket for eternity.

Jack patted the boy's head, quietly apologising that he had been so mean. Sebek didn't feel better when the wolf muttered, "I'm sorry, but it was the only way to save the helpless young maiden."

"What?!" You shot up from your chair with an angry scowl on your face. Putting your hands onto your hips, you screeched, "I'm not a 'helpless young maiden'."

Malleus raised a hand to silence you, and it strangely worked — your mouth automatically stopped speaking. "Don't worry, my princess," he murmured as he rolled his shoulders to prepare himself for a fight. "Let me defeat these weaklings so we can return to our tea party—"

He was interrupted by Epel, who had stepped forward and, without hesitation or fear whatsoever, extended a hand to slap Malleus across the face. Silence occupied the tower after the surprising sound of a hand making contact with a cheek. "Give (Y/n) back to us!" the Pomefiore student screeched, very much comparable to a barking Chihuahua, as everyone remained frozen, shocked that he had dared to slap the great Malleus Draconia.

Even Malleus seemed surprised and taken aback as he held his red cheek in pain. The little fragile boy was stronger than he thought he was. "You slapped me—" the great dragon mumbled, his voice full with disbelief and his eyes ripped wide open.

"Woah, Epel!" Deuce whispered, trying to hold back a smile. "I'm kinda proud of you..."

Ace didn't try to be as subtle, and immediately broke out into cheering when Malleus retreated to the table and lowered himself into a chair, still caught in utter disbelief. Ace, snickering, proudly proclaimed, "And thus, the dragon has been defeated by this courageous entourage of knights, and the princess has been saved from his evil clutches!"

You smiled at them, sending them a grateful nod. "Thanks, guys." Then, you shooed them out of the tower, not making any moves to leave this prison yourself. "Go on ahead and return to the party. I'll come later."

They all nodded in unison, too caught up in their victory to really care that you wanted to stay behind. In truth, it seemed like defeating the evil dragon was more exciting and important than saving the princess. "Fine, see you, (Y/n)!" Epel yelled as he was carried out by his fellow friends as a celebration of him defeating the monster. Sebek trudged behind them, his head hung in shame.

Once their cheering had died down to ensure you that they were gone, you turned to the dragon fae that sat alone at the table, a little frown on his face as he still clutched his cheek in pain.

You walked over to him, and, in an unexpected turn of events, wrapped your arms around him to engulf him in a sweet hug. Malleus seemed slightly taken aback as he slightly jumped when he felt your arms snake around his shoulders and your chin land on his shoulder. "Aw, my poor Malleus has been slapped..." you cooed in amusement while your thumbs rubbed circles of comfort onto his arm.

Malleus wasn't sure if it was the little boy's slap that hurt him, or if it was the notion itself of being slapped. He held back a sniff as he whispered, "It hurts, (Y/n)."

You temporarily pulled away from him to gently cup his one cheek with your other hand. "Ah, hush... don't think about it," you muttered before you leant forward to press a kiss to where Epel had slapped him. "There, is the pain gone now?" Malleus watched you wide eyes when you retreated once again, his fingers ghosting over the place where you kissed him.

"Yes... thank you..." he stuttered out, a smile spreading on his lips. "I'm sorry for kidnapping you."

You began laughing, shaking your head in amusement. "No no, it's alright." You appreciated his apology — at least he was polite enough to do so. Playfully wagging your finger in front of his eyes, you teased, "Just be so kind to kidnap me when I'm not busy next time, alright? So, how about we return to the party?"

Malleus' eyes widened in surprise at your proposition. "You still want me at your party?" he asked, his gaze downcast in embarrassment and shame at his actions.

"Of course!" You grabbed him by his hands and tried your best to pull him up with you. Malleus chuckled slightly, and then he finally relented, letting himself be pulled up to his feet. You hummed in satisfaction as you led him out of your tower, happily exclaiming, "Who else am I supposed to dance with if my favourite dragon isn't present?"