Epel Felmier X Reader - Tumblr Posts

Slide With Me

SUMMARY: Before returning to NRC you show curiosity to know what it's like to ride one of those racing sleds. All the boys offer to show you, inviting you to slide with them. You just need to choose with one you'd like to slide with.

CHARACTERS: Jade Leech, Idia Shroud, Sebek Zigvolt & Epel Felmier

TAGS: Fluf; GN Reader (reader is taller than Epel and shorter than the other three... because so am I ...)

WORD COUNT: An average of 380 words per character.

COMMENTS: I wanted to do something with the Harveston Sledathon theme. Taking advantage of the fact that it finally came on the eng server. And I thought that I would love for them to take me on a ride. I hope you enjoy ;)

Are you sure you want to choose him? Because Octavinelle's boys don't do anything without a deal. Maybe you made one with him without even realizing. Considering how smooth he is with words. Or maybe he'll remind you of this favour he did you when he asks you to accompany him on a hike up a mountain and you hesitate to say yes.

“You should go on front of me.” He will tell you “It will be easier to keep you safe if I am able to see you and if I have my arms by your side. That and, I am sure I'll assume correctly that you would like to enjoy the view.”

When cornering, you'll probably lose your balance and bump in his arms. And feel them around you without taking the hands off the handlebar, like a seat belt. “Are you well?” He’ll check. “Don't fret.I am able to keep my attention both on the mountain and on you. Fu fu.”

“Would you also be interested to know what it's like to jump over a ravine?” He will ask you if you’re having fun.

If you say no or your no sure: “This might be your only chance, you know? And I already jumped it once. I can assure your safety. I would never let you get hurt.” And if you still keep saying no: “*Sigh* Your lack of trust hurts me.” Not really. “But I'll respect your wishes.” He secretly enjoys messing up with you, especially when your afraid of something. But he won't go any further than teasing you.

If you say yes or you were not sure but decided to trust him on this: “Fu fu, I'll make sure you don't regret your decision.” He’ll tell you, amused. He loves it when your down for crazy things. He would get even closer to you, his abdomen on your lower back and his chest on your shoulders and head. If his arms were your seat belt, his torso was the back of your chair. He will not let you get hurt.

His stuffed deer will shameless asking you for petting after the ride. It gently bumps its head on your hip, as if trying to poke you with its rods, but since these are plush they bend when they go against you. “I thinks this is its way of asking for payment for the ride.” Jade deduces.

HIM? Why are you choosing him? He just offered to be polite, you know? Or at least that what he want everybody to think.

When you guys get far enough away from the others, as you get ready to start the ride: “Don't think I don't know why you chose me.” He tells you. But despite your little blush: “You chose me because I have the best racing plush. Smart move.”

“What, no! I choose you for you!” You realize you haven't spoken in your head and cover your mouth with your gloved hand. Both your cheeks and the ends of Idia's hair turned pink. “Y-your bear. Yes, I choose you for your bear, you're right!” You say completely unconvincing. “Should we start the ride now?” Idia nods, embarrassed and flattered at the same time, and finishes preparing the sleigh.

He will suggest you to go in front of him. Since he's the tallest and the expert (although he's only been doing this for a day or two) the safest formation is for the noob going on front of him. What? This is his way to say he cares about you. He doesn't care for other noobs. “Are you sulking because I'm calling you a noob? But you are. Fine, fine, I'll stop.”

He will not go to hard on you. He knows going to hard on a player that is just starting would make them hate a game they could love. The same with the ride. Both are supposed to be fun.

When cornering, you'll probably lose your balance and bump in his arms. And hear one of his "Hiep!" while he tries to protect you with his arms without taking the hands off the handlebar. You know when you almost drop your phone and suddenly realize how precious it is to you? That’s what that "Hiep!" meant.

If you want to go faster, he'll be happy to speed up. He knows that feeling. When you're liking a game so much you want to try the next difficulty. But he will NOT jump over that ravine again. Are you crazy?

His stuffed bear is shy but, after the ride, it will come close to you and nudge your hand with his nose to ask for petting.

HA! Of course you would choose him! Why choose a human... or merman turned into human, when one of your options is a (half) fay young man train by none other than Lilia Vanrouge to be a body-guard of none other than the Greates Malleus Draconia? Looks like your not dumb for a human.

“I hope you are up for the ride, human.” He’ll tell you with his smug smile “But nonetheless you should go on the front. It will be safer. That way, if your weak hands slip off the handlebar you will not pass through me.”

When cornering, you'll probably lose your balance and bump in his arms. But you'll realize he's not just using his arms to protect you. He's practically embrace you like the bodyguard he is protecting you from any danger that may come towards you. Despite his smug attitude, deep down he is taking his job of protecting you during the ride as serious as if he was protecting Malleus himself.

If he hears your laughs of fun during the ride, he will smile (since you can't see him), happy that you're having such fun with him. He'll not admit he was also having fun with you.

If you ask him if you two could jump the ravine like they did in the race, he’ll be surprised but say: “Ha Ha Ha! You sure have a dangerous amount of courage for your own good. Are you sure you can handle such thing, human?” you confirm “So get ready, because now I will not back down! And neither will I allowed you to!”

Don't be surprised if he ends up taking one of his hands off the handlebar to wrap it around your waist and make sure you don't come off the sled. The other arm exerting as much force to stay steady as when he trains with heavy weights.

After the ride, Squirshie will come up to you and stick out his chest as if proud of his work during the ride. It reminded you of Grim for a moment. When you bend down and pat him on the head, he recoils. To then approach again as if asking you to do that again.

YES! You choose him! Um... I mean, of course you choose him. after all, he is the most experienced at sledding. He he.

“I'm so happy you interested in sledding.” He'll tell you as you two approach his sleigh to prepare for the ride. “Despite the tension because of the race,I'm glad we still could show you how fun it is. I'm gonna give you the ride of your life!"

It will hurt his pride, but he will tell you to go behind him since you're taller. Your safety is way more important than his pride. “You must firmly grip the handlebar. But, um, you know, if you feel safer holding on to me, feel free to do so.”

If you choose to holding on to him, please don't mention the fact that his heart feels like is racing the Harveston Sledathon all over again.

When cornering, you'll probably lose your balance and and cling even tighter to him. This is the closest you've ever been to each other. Your chin is probably on his shoulder by now. “You’re okay?” he will ask whenever he feels you tighter your embrace. But don't think he isn't blushing every time this happens.

He'll ask if you want to jump the ravine. If you say no: “He he he. Don't worry. I was just kidding.”

If you say yes: “WHA-?! I was joking!” if you say you were joking as well, he will sigh with relief. If you say that now you want to do it. He'll need a minute to think about it. The last thing he wants is to put you in danger. But he understands you. In your position he would probably ask for the same thing. “Okay, if you really want to do this DO NOT let go of me! Don't even worry if you're hurting me. Hold on the tightest you can if you need, okay?”

Truth be told, he’s loving it! That shows how much you trust him to keep you safe even on a dangerous thing like that. And he won't let you doubt for a second that he won't be able to!

After the ride, his stuffed rabbit will start bouncing around you and wagging his little tail. And for some reason, I imagine if you pet him, he'll start tapping one of his hind legs on the ground. Like Thumper from Bambi. “Well that's new.” Epel will say, surprised.

If you would like to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

Pomefiore Masterlist

Vil Schoenheit

romantic

none

platonic

none

.

Epel Felmier

romantic

HC: how to fluster him (gn)

platonic

none

.

Rook Hunt

romantic

none

platonic

none

hii!! not sure if you take requests but if you can i request riddle, epel and azul from twst hcs of them on how they get flustered because of their s/o? like what their reactions will be and how to make them a blushing mess (sorry if my english feels wrong it's not my first language 😥)

[Hiiiiiii

Your English is perfectly fine, don‘t worry!

I must apologise there ain‘t much Riddle or Epel in this sdfsjdfio I actually don‘t have much focus on them, so even thinking of that little took a lot of time and staring at their groovy-fied cards lol]

Characters: Riddle Rosehearts, Azul Ashengrotto, Epel Felmier

No pronouns, gendered terms or description of body used for reader.

Twisted Wonderland_Masterlist

Riddle Rosehearts

One easy way to fluster Riddle is to smother him with physical affection. It’s so foreign and new to him, he just doesn’t know what to do. If you hug him, he either stops entirely or needs more time to get the words out. His arms would hang in the air awkwardly before he rests his fist on your back. He’s too shy to actually-actually touch you.

The pout he gives if you point it out to him is absolutely priceless.

Azul Ashengrotto

Heartfelt compliments is the way to go with Azul. He may say good things about him and his ability, but having it actually reinforced by someone he holds so dearly is going to make him melt. Don’t only say good things about his present self, do the same to his past self. Tell him you love him. And that includes the little octomer too.

It not only flusters him, but also makes him emotional. How much of that he showcases to you shows how comfortable and safe he feels with you.

He stutters and fumbles for a while, eventually ending it with a voice crack, “AaAh!” before he excuses himself. He stays hidden from public eye until the redness in his face subsides completely and he looks put together again.

Azul will halfheartedly avoid you for a few more minutes after that, just because he knows he’ll melt again if he comes too close to you.

Mention it in private?? Oh boy, he buries his face in your neck, your chest, or your shoulder. He wants to hide so bad, but he also wants to be close to you. Seems like this is gonna turn into a cuddle filled with little whines. Please, you’re killing him.

Epel Felmier

Acknowledge Epel’s cool side. He won’t notice how adorably red he becomes. This reaction truly is only reserved for you. For anyone else it’s like “Hah! See? Told you!” But for you it’s more “Omg you think so?? Yeah, I’m real strong, I can protect you!”, as if he was still a boy with a little crush, and not actually your boyfriend.

Epel switches it up fairly quickly though, taking it as motivation to do even better.

Pomefiore Journal Entries

-------------Rook hunt---------------------------------

-We’ve met truly in sam’s shop

-his stocking tendencies are certainly….concerning

-literally he doesn't need to be waiting outside my window 

-this makes me question how long he has been doing this

-the necklace barely tracks him which explains why nothing much happened when i was around

-didn’t even vibrate once 

-unless he’s 1 inch close to touching me

-other then he’s kinda weird, he is really gentleman like

-definitely can be very helpful when it comes to finding things or tracking down grim when he stole something of mine again

-he has this whole things around the pursuing of beauty which it’s cool 

-sometimes there’s a minor language barrier as he likes to switch to french every now and then 

-he likes to compliment people in french often

-based on experience with the others, asking about how he died might be a sensitive subject 

-rook and the others were popular in the 20’s and there deaths were compleat mysteries

-still haven’t yet to ask him

-----------Vil schoenheit-----------------------------

-I thought he’ll be meaner 

-not saying he’s not on the sassy side of things but he’s nice at the same time

-kinda like a nagging mom

-he likes to see if I’m doing well health wise

-if he see me not looking my best when i come in i automatically dragged by vil, epel(my savor) helping me escape the queen's wrath, or rooks huntting me down by vil’s orders 

-”just dress and look nicely, have good manners and posture and you should avoid his wrath”-epel

-well he gives me a reason to use those fancy outfits that i would wear only once 

-but that doesn't stop him for the need to dress me up in his old clothing

-”someone has to put them in good use”-vil 

-possessive and controlling in a understatement for this guy 

-he never likes when i bring people around and more vocal about it then the people in heartslabyul 

-always holds some sort of jealousy with other people of the living

-he has this aura which acts like a narcotic 

-apparently he can activate this toxic air at will 

-i did ask him why he knocked me out before but it turned into a scolding session on my sleep schedule and my overall health 

-Don’t mechonded his rival 

-AT

-ALL

-Neige leblanche is a actor and model who only risen to fame recently and “stole”(vil’s words not mine) the title of “the most beautiful person in the world”

-Rook likes Neige a lot and it pisses Vil a lot to a certain degree  

-he likes to talk about his past accomplishments and sometimes even the true reason why he performed in such ways or why he made that song

-definitely more meaningful than a documentary

-”they only have one part of the main story” he said 

-he sometimes call me sweet potato when he needs something or feeling affectionate

-definitely have to be cautious around

-he’s just as addicting as the poison drugs he makes  

-sweet and dotting as he is, he definitely has some red flags 

-----Epel Felmier------------------------------

-don’t call him cute. Period. Not even as a complement(he wanted me to write this down) -away from vil’s gaze he has a cute cool country accent -he often asked me to help him to tend to the gardens and his apple tree -love to talk about his family and his life before meeting Vil -He can’t stand Vil and 100% blames him for his death -i managed to piece together that some poison was involved by vil himself -i didn't ask any more then that -i understand his rightful anger tho -he teaches me how to handle vil’s poisonous aura by offering me a bottle of apple juice which had herbs that combat the smell -Vil taught him how to make it and instructed him to give me some -when he’s not busy doing whatever task vil needs him to do, he likes to explore the other properties along with me when i do my rounds -other times he likes to watch and play sports -one winter he taught me how to use a sled using whatever animal was around to help us.(it was fun)

Pomefiore Journal Entries

-------------Rook hunt---------------------------------

-We’ve met truly in sam’s shop

-his stocking tendencies are certainly….concerning

-literally he doesn't need to be waiting outside my window 

-this makes me question how long he has been doing this

-the necklace barely tracks him which explains why nothing much happened when i was around

-didn’t even vibrate once 

-unless he’s 1 inch close to touching me

-other then he’s kinda weird, he is really gentleman like

-definitely can be very helpful when it comes to finding things or tracking down grim when he stole something of mine again

-he has this whole things around the pursuing of beauty which it’s cool 

-sometimes there’s a minor language barrier as he likes to switch to french every now and then 

-he likes to compliment people in french often

-based on experience with the others, asking about how he died might be a sensitive subject 

-rook and the others were popular in the 20’s and there deaths were compleat mysteries

-still haven’t yet to ask him

-----------Vil schoenheit-----------------------------

-I thought he’ll be meaner 

-not saying he’s not on the sassy side of things but he’s nice at the same time

-kinda like a nagging mom

-he likes to see if I’m doing well health wise

-if he see me not looking my best when i come in i automatically dragged by vil, epel(my savor) helping me escape the queen's wrath, or rooks huntting me down by vil’s orders 

-”just dress and look nicely, have good manners and posture and you should avoid his wrath”-epel

-well he gives me a reason to use those fancy outfits that i would wear only once 

-but that doesn't stop him for the need to dress me up in his old clothing

-”someone has to put them in good use”-vil 

-possessive and controlling in a understatement for this guy 

-he never likes when i bring people around and more vocal about it then the people in heartslabyul 

-always holds some sort of jealousy with other people of the living

-he has this aura which acts like a narcotic 

-apparently he can activate this toxic air at will 

-i did ask him why he knocked me out before but it turned into a scolding session on my sleep schedule and my overall health 

-Don’t mechonded his rival 

-AT

-ALL

-Neige leblanche is a actor and model who only risen to fame recently and “stole”(vil’s words not mine) the title of “the most beautiful person in the world”

-Rook likes Neige a lot and it pisses Vil a lot to a certain degree  

-he likes to talk about his past accomplishments and sometimes even the true reason why he performed in such ways or why he made that song

-definitely more meaningful than a documentary

-”they only have one part of the main story” he said 

-he sometimes call me sweet potato when he needs something or feeling affectionate

-definitely have to be cautious around

-he’s just as addicting as the poison drugs he makes  

-sweet and dotting as he is, he definitely has some red flags 

-----Epel Felmier------------------------------

-don’t call him cute. Period. Not even as a complement(he wanted me to write this down) -away from vil’s gaze he has a cute cool country accent -he often asked me to help him to tend to the gardens and his apple tree -love to talk about his family and his life before meeting Vil -He can’t stand Vil and 100% blames him for his death -i managed to piece together that some poison was involved by vil himself -i didn't ask any more then that -i understand his rightful anger tho -he teaches me how to handle vil’s poisonous aura by offering me a bottle of apple juice which had herbs that combat the smell -Vil taught him how to make it and instructed him to give me some -when he’s not busy doing whatever task vil needs him to do, he likes to explore the other properties along with me when i do my rounds -other times he likes to watch and play sports -one winter he taught me how to use a sled using whatever animal was around to help us.(it was fun)

☆┊WILL YOU MARRY ME? ..FOR THE FOOD OF COURSE

SUMMARY: a friend on the inside told you that this restaurant gives out free food to guests who propose.. well what better way to get free food than to get your crush in on this?

CHARACTERS: all (+RSA and ROLLO)

WARNINGS: none

NOTES: ignore the fact it’s a ton of highschool students getting proposed to

reader gender is not mentioned, reader could be yuu

THINKS ITS STUPID ; YOU PROPOSE

so let him get this straight. you want to fake a marriage proposal with him just to get a free dinner at a fancy restaurant? are you joking? why would you want to go through the hassle? he could literally cook or get someone to cook you a meal twice as good! also for free! you’re so lucky he likes you too. i mean what. anyways, reluctantly, he agreed to the plan.

as you got on one knee, he couldn’t help his heart from pounding. it’s fake, the boy reminded himself, trying to suppress his painfully obvious heartbeat. you slide the ring on his finger, the applause around him being the only to pull him out of lala land. at first he thought it was dumb, but next time, he wouldn’t mind doing this again so long as you don’t go back on your word.

he forgot about the food and barely ate.

ace, riddle, leona, azul, jamil, idia, sebek, rollo

HESITANT, BUT AGREES ; HE PROPOSES

proposal? like, marriage proposal? oh. oh seven. SERIOUSLY— wait, no, a staged one. whoops. haha, you got him. gosh darn it.. you want to do this with him though? you could’ve asked anyone else! what an honor it is to pretend to marry you.. it’s like a dream come true! sort of. hold on, what if he gets carried away? jeez, it makes him nervous just thinking about it.. can he do this? is this morally correct? well you asked him first.. okay, he’ll do it!

the ring box rests in his pocket, waiting for your signal before he can ask for your hand. as he got on his knee, he could feel his hands tremble, begging not to screw up or accidentally drop the ring. his eyes meet yours, as did the audiences. the heat in his cheeks rose immensely as he uttered the four magic words, your acceptance gaining cheers from the crowd. that.. that felt good. he’ll definitely propose to you again! but the next time he does, it won’t be for show.

he was sad when he remembered this was fake. the food didn’t taste good anymore.

deuce, cater, trey, jack, ruggie, epel, malleus, silver

HE GETS REALLY INTO IT ; HE PROPOSES

there was no convincing involved at all. the moment you said “let’s fake a proposal” he already agreed. and please let me tell you how into it he got. he went through rehearsals, wrote down heartfelt poems, and even got all dolled up just for the occasion. he showed up to your door with a bouquet of flowers, lifting your hand to brush against his lips, escorting you by the arm to his transportation, just the whole thing. like damn you’re not even in public yet. relax.

at the restaurant, he grabbed your hands suddenly, turning you to face him. he began to go on about how much he loved you, and how much your moments together meant to him. he lowered himself onto one knee, pulling the velvet box out of his pockets. you are presented with a REAL ring (not the fake one you offered, nono), with a glittering stone on top. this was an act, yet even you believed it was real for a moment. you accept his proposal before he suddenly pulled you in with his lips nearly against yours.

he pulls back, the sounds of tears from the waiter and compliments from other customers being the only sounds made in the moment. he plays it off like it was nothing, yet you felt yourself overheating at his bold acts. if this is how far he’ll go for an act, imagine how far he’ll go for the real thing.

ate his meal like nothing happened. you were the one who couldn’t eat.

jade, vil, rook, lilia che’nya

YOU HAD HIM THE SECOND YOU SPOKE ; YOU PROPOSE

yes. you didn’t even need to finish your sentence, it’s a yes. he’ll do it. ohhh propose! sure! he’ll do it right now! what? later? okay! wait, just pretend? ah. he sees now. while a little disappointed that this was just for a free meal, he’ll still do it. it’s basically real if you act like it is, right? whatever! you asked him to do this, meaning you must like him enough right? he’s excited now just thinking about! don’t worry about anything, he’s got it all figured out!

or he thought he did. you grab his hand as you wore a charming smile on your face. you spoke of fond memories you had of him and moments you’ve had together (that didn’t actually happen) which just gave him butterflies. he was such anice outgoing and cheery person, yet, this is the first time he just can’t find the words. as you asked for his hand in marriage, he felt his heart skip a beat before accepting gracefully. as you both hear your congratulations, finished your meal, and left the restaurant, he refused to take the ring off of his finger. he’ll wear it forever. it’ll look very nice with the real one he got you when it’s his turn to propose.

pookie please take the ring off it made a dent in your finger

floyd, kalim, neige

YOU HAD HIM AT FREE FOOD

free? food? now those are words ruggie likes to hear in the same sentence. AND ITS A FANCY RESTAURANT? sign. him. up. there’s proposal involved? cool. while he’s also really into that, he seemed more interested in what kind of foods they give out for free yknow what im saying?

will it be authentic sunset savanna dishes? scalding sands dishes? foods from the shaftlands? cmon, just spit it out. it’s not that he doesn’t care! you actually did catch him off guard with that proposal bit. he’s just really excited for the food part. when he saw the restaurant, he could already tell the food was going to be good.

as the proposal goes along, yada, yada, yada, the dinner is presented on the table. was he in heaven? did he die? cause holy crappp.. getting to become his crushes fiancé while also eating good was his idea of paradise! and this was just one restaurant that did this? what about the others? you can’t just leave em hanging! when you guys actually propose to each other, he’ll definitely want to do it in another fancy restaurant.

ruggie

A/N: hey guys im back (god damn that’s a lot of tags)

date published: 8/16/24

© temiizpalace — do not copy, steal, or put my work into ai. thank you!

now I'm actually invested in this idea. maybe I'll write a full length fic someday idk... for now I have short hcs

parts 1 | 2 | 3 | kalim | bad ending

summary: crowley decides to "give away" yuu to the highest "donation" for financial reasons type of post: headcanons characters: all nrc students additional info: can be read as platonic or romantic, except malleus is pretty romantic, second person pov, yuu is gender neutral, maybe a little ooc I wrote this as soon as I got up

crowley has had his fair share of "what the fuck" moments from you but this was really taking the cake

he acts so... casual about it?

swaggers into ramshackle one morning and says times are tough and your personal expenses are straining the budget so he's decided to "put you in someone else's care"

"The screening process will be vigorous to make sure you end up in good hands!" like you're a cat or something "Your expenses will be covered and you'll have somewhere to go during break!"

okay great. pretty obvious you have no say in this, so you don't even argue. what's the worst that could happen?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Ace, Deuce, Jack, and Epel find you the next day to say they're pooling their money to buy you

"To what?"

Epel shrugs. "Oh, well Crowley said we need to offer a donation to prove we're capable of supporting you..."

(you think that if not for the laws of this land you would have slaughtered that old fart)

Jack goes on a really long tirade about how shady and underhanded this is, making sure to reaffirm that he believes you should be free to make your own choices

"So you'll let me go once you get me?"

"Uhhh..."

Ace thinks once they buy you you'll have no choice but to do all of his homework for him

Deuce says that's not really how it works- and even if he tried, Riddle would kill him

(they've already gone over this twice before finding you)

Epel happily volunteers to take you home with him over breaks, probably the only positive in this mess

even if he thinks the whole thing is kind of funny

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

incapable of keeping his mouth shut, Ace accidentally spills the plan to Riddle, who is understandably aghast

you can't just give away a person under your care like a toy!

of all the irresponsible things...

of course, he'll have to put up his offer, too

purely for your sake! with a nicer room and a brand new copy of the dorm rules, maybe you'll stop getting yourself into trouble

he's got some family money (doctors, naturally) and considers this a worthwhile purchase, for his sanity and yours

of course, Trey and Cater overhear and may or may not be pooling their own cash for a chance, too

going behind Riddle's back on this is a risky venture, but hey, someone's gotta be on your side, here, right?

I mean, between a bunch of sixteen year old boys, the housewarden, and them, who would you choose?

actually don't answer that

...not that it's much of a secret, anyway. Cater's already got their gofundme equivalent link in bio

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Leona initially plans to have you become a live-in lackey like Ruggie

but then he really starts thinking- and, hey, the possibilities are endless, right?

for one, you'd make a really good pillow

he might have to kick Grim out for your full attention, but you could learn to live with that

and malleus would hate it

...that's reason enough for him

plus, he's got money to burn, so why not?

either way, he sets his bid at a reasonable (maybe too confident) price and sits back to watch the chaos unfold as everyone scrambles for a piece of the pie

news travels fast around school, after all

then Ruggie finds out that you could dethrone him as Leona's #2 and is understandably a little annoyed

that's his cushy post-grad job gig, thank you! he's worked hard for that!

besides, why should Leona get to hoard you? the guy can barely take care of himself!

so, Ruggie ends up outsourcing to a few dozen classmates for the necessary funds at a steep I-owe-you price

he's gonna be eating nothing but dandelions for a while...

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

now, Azul is annoyed

once the news goes school-wide, it's all anyone can talk about

talk about good marketing...

why didn't he think of such a brilliant scam? he could have negotiated with Crowley to have a café brand deal tie-in!

of course, he's already set his bid, with Jade and Floyd offering to pitch in as necessary

it's a risky investment, sure, but a worthwhile one

Azul tells everyone that with the prefect's "obvious" popularity, having them at the café a few nights a week would drive sales through the roof

though that's really just what he says to shirk suspicion

a likely excuse coming from him, though, really, it would just be nice having you around

and if not for his own affections, Floyd's incessant begging and Jade's subtly manipulative comments about "how nice" it would be having a new face around would be enough for him to cave eventually

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

"Kalim, no," is the first thing that Jamil says

"I strongly advise against this. It's another one of Crowley's silly scams and you could end up a target bec- are you even listening?"

hint: he is not

the second Kalim found out that he could get to take in his favorite magicless student like one of his treasures, he was all over it

(AKA infinite sleepovers)

and for what? a little optional donation to prove he's got the funds? he's got cash to spare!

he's already got your new room in Scarabia set up before he even puts his bid in

right next to his of course :)

and despite what Jamil insists, he himself might be working behind the curtain just a little to ensure he's the one who ends up with you

after all, why should Kalim get everything? this might be a valuable learning opportunity for him

You don't always get what you want

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

as much as Epel tries to keep the rest of his dorm from finding out, it's inevitable

he's actually a little surprised that the news didn't get to Vil sooner

with Rook around campus, surely he must have said something...

when Vil does find out, though, he just sighs

oh, of course. what next, will everyone meet each other in the arena and fight to the death over the prefect?

of all the silly, immature things...

oh? what's that? he's bidding anyway? of course he is, silly potato. he can't have some unwashed miscreant making you sleep on polyester bedding

(really, he's the only person on campus worthy of your time)

Rook has also been mysteriously absent from the dorm lately, though his initials on a poem and a strangely large sum of money end up in the donation pile

but really, that could be anyone... Rook would never dare betray Vil again, right?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Ortho finds out directly from the other first years and sends Idia the details immediately

with a little note of encouragement, of course: "could be excellent for improving your social skills!"

Idia understandably freaks out

"WTF!!!! nooo way! this is a person, not a chatbot we're talking about here! I can barely keep virtual pets alive!!!!"

(liar)

(...but this is still different)

the conversation ends there, but semi-anonymous bid from someone named "gloomurai" gets cashapp'd directly to crowley

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

everyone in the room immediately turns to Malleus

"For the record, I think it's wrong to be bargaining over a human being," Silver says first. "But if anyone could handle it with grace, it's you."

Lilia laughs. "Oh, you're just saying that because you like the prefect so much!"

"Father, you're the one who likes the prefect so much,"

"Oh, right! carry on then. After all, I'm sure we could share,"

Sebek is the only one relatively against the idea, though Lilia luckily manages to get him to lower his voice after his third speech about how you aren't good enough for his liege

Malleus is rather quiet through the whole evening, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with any of the points made

he disappears for a short while, and when he comes back he seems a little more confident

though, of course, he goes to you first

seeing him at Ramshackle in the middle of the night is a familiar and welcoming sight after all of the chaos of your week

and he's in a great mood!

"Child of man! I've come with news," he says. "I have heard of your predicament and have come up with a solution!"

you immediately sulk. "Oh, no. You know I think this whole thing is terrible, right?"

"Yes, Silver mentioned you might not like the idea of being bought and sold like a trinket. But worry not, I do not plan on paying for you in money,"

you pause, at a loss for words, and then tentatively continue. "You're not...?"

"Of course not. What a primitive idea, I was baffled to hear it myself. My proposal will be more traditional: a modest sum of treasure, and a generous amount of livestock and the finest crop Briar Valley can offer,"

certainly he's not this naive, you think

"You really think Crowley is going to accept that over money? I'm pretty sure Kalim just bid away an entire country's worth,"

he laughs. "You speak as if this is some kind of business deal! I'm quite confident that my dowry will be best,"

huh. that was a strange way of putting it

but then again, you still didn't really understand how things work here, so you go along with it

and you allow yourself to relax. he seems confident in his offer, and he doesn't even see you as some kind of prize to win!

"Oh, well, alright. Thanks! I'm glad you're on it,"

he smiles. "Rest assured, child of man, you're in good hands. My dowry will far outshine the others, and the wedding will be even better,"

"I was honestly getting a little nervous for a momen- wait- wedding!?"

nrc students reading aloud

SUMMARY: Pick your favorite NRC boy(s) and have them read out loud to you! What could go wrong?

CHARACTERS: All NRC Students.

WARNINGS: None!!

COMMENTS: i was working on this for a while and ultimately decided to just publish all of them together since i finished them all!! i've been yearning for azul to read to me because im really tired so here we are. also hey epel you want to read to me in your country accent hahah???? hahahaa.a......asking for a friend lol......................haha.

Heartslabyul

Riddle reads it all perfectly. I don’t know what you were expecting, but his mother probably drilled reading out loud into his head. Also, he’s amazing at public speaking and probably didn’t fumble once. He’ll be as rigid as a board so if you want to rest your head on him good luck.

Trey is much more entertaining. He makes funny voices to go along with the characters and sometimes he’ll throw in hand gestures. He’ll let you rest your head on his shoulder and snuggle as close to him as you want. He doesn’t stumble either, but it’s because he’s so used to reading bedtime stories to his siblings.

Cater thinks he’s got it but he ends up stumbling occasionally. He’s not horrible, but you can see his face turning pink when he tries to pronounce something and fails. He’ll also let you rest on his shoulder, but his voice is so nice to listen to that you might fall asleep (he wouldn’t mind.)

Deuce is so precious but there’s no way he’d be able to read out loud. He’s shaking at the mere mention of it, even though it’s only you. His face is beet red after a few seconds, the occasion “uh-” or “um-” breaking the sentences. He’ll get even more nervous if you lay your head on his shoulder, sweating nervously at your close proximity and mind blanking. Was he reading? What book is this? is it upside down? Help!

Ace is another one who thinks he’s got it. He does moderately okay, except for the fact that whenever he doesn’t know how to pronounce a word he purposefully says it in the most incorrect way possible. He’ll also make funny voices, but his are so outlandish and disturbing that your laughter will slowly turn into crying. Don’t rest your head on his shoulder, he’ll do the opposite of Deuce and tease the heck out of you.

Savanaclaw

Leona refuses. If you beg, he may read you one sentence. It’s just not worth it to him, plus he knows you’re trying to embarrass him. You could read to him though, he says, because your voice is soothing. He’ll keep going until you’re so flustered you stop bothering him.

Ruggie is going to tease you. There’s no getting around it. He’ll ask if you want him to read you bedtime stories, but the second you pull out a snack for you two to share he’s sitting down and grabbing the book. He insists that you feed him, since he can’t possibly eat the food when he’s holding the book, and uses the break you two take to eat together to add commentary to the stories. It’s very much a “character a was so stupid what was that” discussion.

Jack is really sweet, so he’d agree immediately. Quietly mumbles to himself under his breath when he doesn’t know how to pronounce a word because he doesn’t want to disturb you by asking what it means. If you end up falling asleep he’s going to wake you up as gently as possible, and now he’s concerned about your sleep schedule.

Octavinelle

Azul will not read to you for free unless it’s lesson materials. Lucky for you, you two regularly study together. He’s going to turn bright red if he messes up a single word, so be patient with him if he suddenly goes quiet. He’d prefer if you read some parts to him too, and may wordlessly push the book towards you if that’s the case. Thankfully, he rarely messes up so you won’t have to deal with your study buddy running out of the Lounge.

Jade wouldn’t mess it up. Ever. It makes you wonder if there’s anything this man can’t do (besides handle heights during flight lessons, not take a picture of every mushroom he sees, etc.) He’ll be flattered by your praise, brushing you off with his normal demeanor. He will let you rest on his shoulder, and if he likes you enough he’ll rest on you as well.

Floyd is almost impossible to make read. If you ask him that at all, he’s likely to throw the book and say he doesn’t want to if he’s in a sour mood. If you catch him in a good mood, he’ll refuse if he thinks it’s not interesting. You have to find the right book and get him on the right day, and even then you wouldn’t be able to rest on his shoulder because he’d squeal and squeeze the heck out of you.

Scarabia

Kalim would be wonderful at reading aloud. He has a nice voice and is naturally entertaining, so you can count on character voices and hand gestures. He’ll look up from the book sometimes to see if you’re enjoying it. He’d totally let you rest on his shoulder too, clacking it up to you just being tired and needing a break from everything. He’s happy to be your sanctuary!

Jamil also wouldn’t mess up a single word. His voice is so nice too, if you fall asleep I wouldn’t blame you. He’ll let you rest on his shoulder, but he acts like you’re not even there. He’s focused on the reading while subconsciously acknowledging your presence, which is nothing new to you.

Pomfiore

Vil doesn’t know why you want to hear him read a story of all things, but he will not refuse. He reads a bit slowly, but his voice makes every word sound beautiful. You suppose it’s to be expected, since Vil constantly conducts himself with pure beauty in mind. He’ll let you rest on his shoulder for a bit, but will wake you up if you fall asleep.

Rook would much rather listen to you read, but who is he to deny your request! The words that fly from his mouth are nothing short of dramatic. He makes everything sound like poetry, and it’s like the writing is swirling around you like a tornado. It’s amazing how Rook can see the beauty in everything, and share that view with you just by speaking.

Epel immediately thinks about Vil and what he told Epel to do about his accent. Epel tries his best to tone it down, and he really doesn't want to get yelled at by Vil again over reading something to you. But when you confess that the entire reason you want Epel to read to you is so you can hear his accent, he flushes. Fine, he thinks, he’ll do it for you. And he does. Hesitantly at first, but slowly getting more confident, he slips into the sound of his voice that says apples and strength and hard work, instead of using the one forced upon him by a man who wanted to turn him into something he didn’t want to be.

Ignihyde

Idia is going to have a heart attack. He’ll type the story to you in a text to speech thingy if you want to hear it so bad! Idia lovers already knew how this one was going to turn out…you are not getting him to read out loud. And if, on the off chance, you did, he’d throw the book and hide away in his room for weeks if he got one word wrong.

Ortho is a sweetheart and would read to you without hesitation. Well, maybe with a little bit of hesitation because he doesn’t quite understand why you want him to read it out loud. Once you explain your reasoning, no matter whether it's logical or emotional, Ortho will nod in understanding and begin reading. It’s weirdly soothing, while also being a bit unnerving because he doesn’t mess up a single word. He won’t let you rest on his shoulder though, because he knows it’ll be uncomfortable and you may get a neck cramp!

Diasomnia

Malleus takes your request seriously. You want him to read to you? He’s visiting late as per usual, so he might as well help you to bed, right? He tucks you in and pats your head, making sure Grim is comfortable too. Then he stands right above you and begins to read, his voice so monotone you'd think you were a lecture. It’s not boring, it’s quite the opposite, and both you and Grim sleep very well because of it.

Lilia is used to reading bedtime stories since he’s adopted like three children, so he’s got the funny voices and hand gestures down. If you want to rest on him for a little while, he’ll rest you. If you’re good he may even give you One (1) Single Headpat. But only if you listen to his story all the way through and don’t fall asleep!

Sebek loves to read. He thinks you made the right choice, coming to someone like him to read you something. His voice is very intense as he’s reading, proof of how focused he is on the material. He doesn’t mess up once, and his tone is as dynamic as the writing itself. You hear it when he gets angry or when he’s beginning to get excited, and it’s the most wholesome thing you’ll probably ever get out of him.

Silver will try for you. He really will. He’ll probably fall asleep on your shoulder in the middle of reading to you. If you fall asleep before him, you’ll wake up with his jacket draped over you. If you fall asleep after, you can just use him as a pillow. He won’t complain. He’s probably doing the same anyway.

since you guys liked my idea so much here it is: WAYS THE NRC BOYS WOULD MAKE YOU WORSE

reader's personality is based more off of in-game yuu than anything? this set of hcs is a bunch of hypotheticals basically. this can be read as platonic or romantic idk each guy is written as if they are the closest person to you, friends or otherwise.

IF YOU SEE A TYPO NO YOU DONT

mentally preparing myself for the "i wouldnt do that!!!!!" comments...and post.

Riddle increases your attentiveness to the rules tenfold. No matter how meek you are, he makes your voice strong—and oh boy does it carry. You’re yelling at people for running in the halls, chastising them for not doing their homework, and opening your mouth wider when you speak. For a school full of troublemakers like Night Raven, the entire student body is so disappointed there’s another Riddle.

Trey makes you more passive, less likely to speak up when you see something. He’s always stood back in the shadows, watching over everything without saying a word, and it’s seeped into your personality, too. You’re spineless now. This world is unfamiliar, why should you try to do anything? You’d only stand out. You don’t want to be outstanding. You want to be as normal as possible. So you stand back.

Cater gets you wrapped up in the hype of social media. It started out as a way to indulge his interests but now you’re on Magicam all day, scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. You send things to your friends and say “hey, we should do this” but never make any actual effort to connect with them outside of that. You fall easier into jealousy because you’re surrounded by glamor.

Deuce makes you reckless. He’s so willing to throw himself into things and it spurs you to do the same, no matter how many times your teachers or potential upperclassmen tell you not to. You can’t hear anything but Deuce and his yelling, his enthusiasm and terror for whichever situation you two find yourselves in, knowing that you’d follow him anywhere.

Ace makes you all the more prickly, your sharp jabs and irritating smugness a product of spending too much time with him. You two are two peas in a pod, but to an outsider you two just seem...irritating. You have a talent for getting under people’s skin and have definitely gotten better at lying.

Leona thinks its so cute how you try to defend him at every twist and turn. Like no, he is as dastardly as everyone is saying. Why are you trying to deny it? You’re suddenly seeing reason in the most massive ego-ed people this side of Sage Island and Leona honestly doesn’t know if he should be concerned for you or be amused because of you. (This one in particular was inspired by @loser-jpg LMAO)

Ruggie could have made you prioritize yourself more, but you think he took it a bit too far. See, now you’re snatching cafeteria items and worksheets right under people’s noses, giggling as they demand you give it back. Sometimes they don’t even notice you, but even if they did you’ve learned how to be lighter on your feet.

Jack and you are incredibly uncooperative people (unless you owe someone, of course.) He’s guided you away from asking for help, insisting that the people here will take advantage of you then turning around to say that he doesn’t care, he just doesn't want to get wrapped up in your mess. It’s like you can’t trust anyone but him and your Heartslabyul friends anymore.

Azul has given you one nasty sense of perception, allowing you to key into every little detail and find loopholes in the things people say in a second. He’s turned you into a deadly asset, one he treasures just as much as the student body fears. You read over his contracts and point out what you would do to get out of them, and he adjusts accordingly. What a fine team you two make!

Jade makes it clear that his morals are less than savory, and will often encourage you to partake in things you really shouldn't. You rationalize it as Jade helping you go after the things you want, to finally take and take and take from people when you’ve been so selfless all your life, because it's what you deserve isn’t it?

Floyd will often rope you into his schemes, and it's not wrong before you start doing the same. Once a model student, attending every class, you now skip class and watch with amusement as Floyd threatens another student, hiding your smile behind your hand. They may plead for your assistance, but who are you to stop Floyd? This poor soul clearly owed something.

Kalim instills you with a sense of jealousy and helplessness. He has money to solve all of his problems, his life must be so easy. You’ve lived through so many overblots and received no help from anyone, but Kalim has always been so kind and generous to you. It makes you resent him a little, and anyone else who tries to help, because they all have things that you don’t and that's just not fair.

Jamil twists and bends your mind so much that you can do the very same thing to others. You’ve caught onto his little game and he knows it, eyeing you with anticipation whenever you speak in the same honeyed tone he uses when he wants something. You’ve gotten scarily good at hiding it too, shooting him a smug grin because you know he knows, but nobody else does.

Vil brings out so much confidence in your abilities it’s borderline arrogance. You know you’re capable, so why doesn’t everyone just let you handle this? You can do it, they can’t. So they should just step aside. You’re not doing it to be mean, so why are they getting so annoyed at you? You’re just better.

Rook has some eccentricities, and you’re well aware of them. They put you off at first, but now you’re used to him. It just seems normal now. You’re not sure why everyone makes such a big deal out of his tendencies, that’s just how he is. He’ll stalk you, hunt you down, but he’s having fun! Don’t spoil it for him!

Epel is actually the perfect fit for NRC, you think. He’s a troublemaker, he’s stubborn, and he’s so, so angry. But he’s right! Why should you respect people who claim to be above you? It’s so irritating that they walk around with those annoying smirks on their faces. You two should do something about that, don’t you think?

Idia has a very specific way of talking that can not only be confusing, but can also irritate the hell out of people. Of all things you could pick up from him, you picked up his smug jabs and insults, accompanied by a tooth grin and a laugh. It’s unnerving how much he’s rubbed off on you, a true testament to how close you too are much to the chagrin of the rest of NRC.

Malleus finds so much delight in being your bodyguard, your most trusted companion, that he doesn’t even bat an eye when you use his magic for your own gain. You’ve gotten soft, molding to whatever shape Malleus wants you to be just so he won’t leave. You’re helpless without him, only he has the will and the magic to protect you. So won’t he please stay?

Lilia has a way of dodging the truth, putting a smile on his face even when he’s hurting. It makes you think that, if he can do that, why can’t you? Lilia is smart, he knows how to go about life, so you should follow his lead and bury your problems until they’ll never see the light again.

Sebek has done nothing but berate you for being human since you met him, and even if you’ve gotten closer to him over the course of your stay in Twisted Wonderland, you’re starting to think he’s right. If you had magic, if you weren’t human, you’d be more powerful. It’s a fact. You could do so much more if you weren’t so weak.

Silver has made you complacent. He takes each step carefully, protecting both you and Malleus, so why would you need to protect yourself in any capacity? It’s so nice, having this safety net. If you could, you'd rely on Silver forever, never facing the cruel realities of the world that are blocked by his strong arms.

May I request Great Seven Yuu with no filter? Maybe the other students are just TESTING THEM that day and with a little prodding from their darling parents, they just say what’s on their mind for the day

Yuu + The Great Seven

Note: This is different from my other great 7 fics as I don't focus on what the 7 say as much here, this also aint the canon unit yuu for this. Anyways enjoy

Cws: Gn!Yuu, Rook is clowned on cause he's French, implications of Crewel/Crowley but in a divorcee way, some cringe ig, minor changes to canon, first years are ur homies, sebek has moments where he yells in all caps cause he's cringe, Lilia knows Maleficent, Trey isn't slandered as much as he should be, Starts off Crack, turns to angst, then fluff. 6k Words

****

Since arriving at NRC, you have been playing your role well, excellent even. You played the role of a magicless, weak, and gullible prefect that knew nothing of the world you were in. The mirror said that you “had too many souls to judge” and that you had no magic, which was technically true as the magic you had was borrowed from the seven sealed within you.

It was going to be perfect. You can finally lay low and research this world to give your dear seven parents and their familiars bodies again, then make your place in this new world… or so you thought. 

Right after the disaster that was the entrance ceremony, you ended up being roommates with the cat and crashed it. Fine, you could work with this. Then the very next day, the cat got into a fight with a pathetic bully which caused a statue to get burned, which then caused another person to get involved, which then caused a chandelier to break, and then you had to go off into a hidden mine to fight a monster late into the night, and you get the story.

It has been consistently difficult to pretend you had no magic, or to make the excuse that “someone else must have casted that spell”. When you eventually had to explain that you were a magician, there went the first half of your plan. Now Crowley and everyone seems to expect more from you, at least you were able to pretend it was weak, you guess. And as if it could get any worse, the seven seem to be encouraged to give these brats a taste of their own medicine and stop holding back. Oh how you would love to but putting up with everyone after, especially the number one pain in your ass, Ace, would be so fucking annoying.

The aforementioned pain in your ass poked you, interrupting the mental conversation you were having with the ensemble in your head, and you had to hold back the urge to use Hades’ flames to set him ablaze. You shut your eyes tightly and tense up before slowly turning to him. “What?” Your eyes narrow as Ace looks over at you with the most infuriating neutral expression that turns to a pout. 

“Were you even listening to me?” “Look, it’s nothing personal, it’s just how I am.” Ace’s lips pursed as he raised a brow. “Really?” Deuce nudged Ace. “Hey, be nice, you know they don't mean to space off like that, it's their condition.” Deuce was truly a blessing. “Seems to me like Yuu is just a space case,” Grim snickered and Sebek nodded his head. “I completely agree with Grim! Honestly, how could you and Silver be so complacent? Do you lack discipline?”

You mentally groaned with the seven at Sebeks scolding. “They don’t lack discipline,” Jack interrupted, “Yuu says they have a condition that delays their thoughts, they need extra time to process what you said.” “Thank you, Jack.” You smile, and feel Ortho glide right next to you and look up at you. “Having a condition like that must be hard… I can't imagine my processor lagging…” Ortho trails off and frowns, “Oh but I’ll try my best to look for a fix for you!” The child beams. Epel looks over at you.

“That is one hell of an issue huh? Some days you're just as quick as anyone else but then sometimes you take forever, it's a fickle thing.” Epel hums and Ace rolls his eyes at everyone defending you. “Tch, yeah what's that about? Sometimes I even hear you talking to yourself, weirdo.” Ace playfully nudges you and you narrow your eyes at him. 

Something within you snaps. Maybe it’s because of all the stress of hiding it. Maybe it's because you have to interact and pretend everything is fine to the students who have bullied, harassed, and tried to kill you resulting in god awful PTSD finally making you snap. Or maybe it's just because you want this damned asshole that has wormed his way into your heart to shut up.

“Because ‘thought processing disorder’ isn’t the best way to actually describe my condition, Ace, but it's sure as hell easier to explain than ‘I have several voices in my head judging me and telling me what to do all the time and no medication cannot stop it no matter what I do and all of your stupid comments and questions makes them erupt in a 10 minute yelling match making it impossible to hear my own thoughts!” 

You sneer at them all as they look over with a mix of surprise and pity, Ortho looks like a kicked puppy. You sigh, “I’m sorry, I just…” “Nah that's nothing to apologize for…” Ace sighs, and you know he wants to apologize but pride won't allow him. “Y’know what if you just say what the voices want to say?” Deuce suddenly asks out of the blue.

“O-of course, I don't know what they say so maybe it's not a good idea but…” “Actually, it may give Ace some patience for once.” Jack gives a small smirk. “We all know he needs to learn to think before he speaks.” “Hey!” Ace huffs. “Fine then, bring it! I can take whatever you throw at me.” And the ginger smirks as if he didn't just say some famous last words.

“You're serious?” You blink. “Do you even think you could handle it?” Sebek scoffs, “I can take anything a measly human dishes out, it is nothing compared to fae!” Epel shuts his eyes in annoyance. “Oh you three don’t even know what you’re getting into, yet you’re already signing up for trouble.” Ortho beams. “Actually, this might help me collect some data to help you, Yuu!” “You four don’t even know what you're getting yourselves into…” Epel corrects himself.

“Okay okay.” You sigh. “Tomorrow, I will allow whatever they say, happen… to an extent at least…” You mutter, making Hades and the Queen of Hearts in your head boo you. Last thing you need is an Arson charge….

****

You laid down on your bed later that day as the sun began to set. “Okay guys… there are only a few ground rules. No murder, and no major property damage, small fires are okay, okay?” Before any of the seven and their familiars could respond or complain, you heard Grim.

“Who’re you talking to? Oh wait, you speaking to the guys in your head?” Grim asked, jumping on the bed and cuddling up to you. “First the mouse in the mirror and now you have some voices in your head, what other secrets are you keeping from me, hmm?” 'A lot actually', you think as you stroke Grim’s fluffy head. “You’ll see tomorrow.” You smile and your excitement made it difficult to sleep that night.

****

You got up, did your daily routine that Mama Grimhilde has laid out for you, before exiting the house with Grim in your arms for breakfast. Of course you haven’t forgotten the deal you made today at all. ‘Pssst, hey small sib~’ Flotsam chuckles darkly in your head, ‘Can I bite someone today?’ You chuckle, “Only if they deserve it.” Grim peeked up at you. “Oh yeah, you’re talking out loud today.” Grim smirks, “I wonder how Explodey-Head’s gonna react to that!”

Slinking into the cafeteria, you get into line per usual, getting a tray of whatever was free that you liked, you had to pinch your pennies this week. Sitting down, you notice that your usual squad was there, including Ace and Deuce, who usually took their time to arrive, and Ortho who usually had to deal with his brother. “Good morning.” You say settling down. “Morning, Yuu!” Ortho beams, “I got here early so I can start the data collection! I'll try to record as much as possible!” 

‘Oh how precious.’ Ursula purrs in your head, and the seven’s consensus on Ortho, even if they didn’t appreciate anklebiters, is that he wasn’t half bad. “So, today you're going to embrace your issues, I SAY BRING IT ON!” Sebek yells, making everyone wince, and Epel shoots a tired glare. ‘Tell that boy to silence! I am trying to nap!’ Scar huffs.

You nervously sigh, “Well first off all, they said to shut up please, it's not even 7 in the morning.” Sebek looks offended for a moment, but a very familiar voice interrupts, sending shivers down your spine. “Oh Koebi-Chan~” A wry voice purrs, making Grim hop off of you to hide. Everyone in your head went ‘oh no this guy again.’

You honestly didn’t mind Floyd, hell, you dare to consider him a friend, but you really were not in the mood for his antics today. “Hey Floyd,” You sigh, “look dude, I’m not in the mood today, can you please leave me alone?” You ask, and your words just make Floyd beam. The seven seem annoyed, but then you feel their excitement; your first victim. 'Humiliate the boy…' Jafar whispers to you.

Floyd drapes himself over you as you eat, occasionally leaning over to try and steal a bite from whatever was on your fork. “Ehh? Little shrimpy’s feeling bold today!~ How fun! Whatcha gonna do about me?~” His arms wrap around you to squeeze around your rib cage, “Especially when I squeeze…” 

“Dude, leave them alone.” Deuce says before freezing at the glare he was shot. "…Please?” He adds. “Look Floyd,” Jack sighs, “we’re trying to get Yuu some help today with an illness, Ortho is trying to get data on them, you aren’t helping.” Jack interrupts, trying to keep your condition vague for your privacy. Seems like Jack forgot that Floyd ignores reason when he finds it funny.

“Ooo~, is the little shrimpy sick?” Floyd says backing off of you slightly and poking you in the ribs. “You know Azul may have a remedy for it, you should come on down.~” “He does not, and for the final time there is nothing he can offer me that would make me want to make a deal with him. Please go away.” You warn one last time and Floyd leans in, pushing his luck in hopes to see you squirm. Ortho glares and prepares to get up and send him away but you hold out your hand to tell him to stop.

“Whatcha gonna do lil shrimpy?~” Floyd smirks. ‘Is it time?’ Hades asks, ‘Please tell me its time.’ You smile and mentally reply, ‘it’s time.’ You keep your calm smile as you look at Floyd. “Probably something my father taught me.” “And what's that?” Floyd says, grabbing the back of your neck. 

“This.” Suddenly you erupted in the brightest blue flames the world has ever seen making half of the cafeteria turn to stare. Your friends at the table all jump back and Ortho flashes red as he scans you. As quickly as the flames came to be, they disappeared. Floyd pulled his hands away, waving it off to cool it down. He wasn’t burned, at least nothing major, but the sleeve of his uniform was singed and he stared at it in rapt fascination.

You expected him to get annoyed, or to maybe start a fight, or something, but Floyd was in a good mood, and he laughed. “I didn’t know little shrimpy could do that! I thought you could only summon an ember, eheheh!~ Seems little shrimpy has more secrets than we thoooought~” Floyd muses, and suddenly another familiar face comes in, one that looks exactly like Floyd.

“Floyd, I believe the prefect doesn’t want to play anymore. Come on now, we should go.” “Aww but I wanna keep playing!” “I know brother dearest, but it seems that the cruel and unwavering Prefect doesn't want to,” Jade faked a frown and sighed, “How awful, if only they could have an ounce of compassion for my poor, poor brother… However, ” Jade opened his eyes back up and smirked, staring directly at you with a twinkle in his eye. “I think it’s best to leave them alone for today, especially since whatever ailment they have seems to make them erupt in flames at any given moment…” 

The eel’s voice drips with faux concern and Floyd snickers, Azul is gonna have some wonderful intel to ponder over later. You decide to say exactly what all of your fathers thinking. “Go eat shit and die for all I care.” And Jade’s eyes widen ever so slightly before the gleam with amusement, having never seen this side of you. “Of course prefect! If this ah… ailment continues to cause you trouble, please do let us know. We at Octavinelle love to help the poor and unfortunate.”

You watched the two slink off before turning back to your meal as all of your first year friends gawked at you. “What the hell was that! You never said you could do that!” Ace sputtered. “Yeah! You nearly cooked me!” Grim whines, making the audience in your head relish in their surprise. Ursula and The Queen of Hearts seem particularly amused. 

“Magic like that requires a lot of skill.” Sebek ponders, “To cast a flame cloak and not burn yourself requires a lot of concentration, furthermore it requires a high amount of magic potential on par with fae. Didn’t you say you have none, Yuu? HAVE YOU BEEN LYING ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE? OR PERHAPS YOU WANTED TO HIDE IT TO SKIRT OUT ON EXAMS!” “Volume!” Deuce whines, and Grimhilde mentally thanks him.

“Oh… whoops…” “WHOOPS??” A few of the first years yell and Epel shoots you an ugly-baffled expression. “Whoops?? Whoops?? Is that all you have to say about that? You performed some of the most advanced defensive magic without a second thought and you just say whoops??” Epel’s accent threatens to slip out.

“Hey, Ortho, what's their magic reading, you look concerned.” Deuce asks as Ortho looks at the screens he’s projecting with a calculating expression. “I think there is an error in my system, I have scanned them 5 times and it says they have no traces of magic at all, but there is also no trace of any dampening magic used to hide or change that reading. Furthermore, the technique they used is no longer in use, records show it dates back more than the era of gods! That version of the spell they casted cannot be duplicated at all!” Ortho says in amazement before turning to you.

“Just… what are you?”

You blink as they all stare at you expectedly. “I'm a human.”

****

It was time for class, you said that you were gonna use the bathroom first, so the others should go without you for now, you’ll see them with Crewel. You didn’t think that anything eventful would come from it. You were wrong. This is NRC.

Coming out of the bathroom, a few Savanahclaw chuds cornered you. “Can I help you?” You asked exasperatedly to the NRC equivalents of Beavis and Butthead. “Tch, you know why we're here!” “…No, I don't.” You blink rubbing your eye, which just pissed off the duo even more.

“You made a fool out of our dorm during the spell drive competition!” “Oh god, is that what this about, dude that was nearly a year ago.” “Yeah and we came back to settle the score.” You just raised a brow and a small smile crept to your face.

‘Oh! Oh! Can I bite now? Please please please can I bite now! Come onnnn I’ve been such a good eel!’ Flotsam pleads and you hear the familiars speak. ‘Me want bite!!’ Ed whines. Raven caws, ‘Yeah me too!’ Iago agrees. ‘We wanna join too!’ The imps laugh. ‘I will… stay here…’ Diaval sighs.

You blink. “Sick em.” You say, making the two idiots make a face at you. Flotsam immediately lunges for the ass. “AIIIIEEE!” One yells and you hold back a snort as the others join, Iago and Raven both grabbing onto the members hair and pecking at them. Jetsam basically lassos around one, making him trip so the hyena trio can rough him up. The imps both transform into a blue and red cat respectively and continue to add to the looney tunes violence of it all.

The two run off and the familiars return to you, except for the eels that slither miserably in place on the smooth, frictionless floor. “Help us up.” Jetsam scoffs. “No I think I’ll stay like this a bit longer.” 'Angelfish…' Ursula warns. "... yes mom…"

…

..

.

On your way to class you run into Crowley who attempts to stop you and unload another issue for you to deal with. Instead you say what your familiars wanted to say. “You are gay.” You say, making the man just stare at you as you walk off. “And Crewel also has weirdly complicated feelings for you.” 

“FEELINGS YOU SAY?? WHICH ONES?? WHICH SORT OF FEELINGS YUU?? YUU!!!” You speed walk off regretting that decision, but you admit it will be funny to see those two get divorced. Crewel deserves better.

****

Animal Linguistics was always a bit of an annoying class, and this time, Trein has invited a few of the more advanced students to the class to help you freshmen. Ace let out a deep sigh when he saw Ruggie, knowing this guy will only do the bare minimum for his grade and charge any lesson extra.

“So when the cat goes ‘mrrrp?’ You're good, usually you should try to respond with a ‘mah Ah’” Ruggie explains to your group. “Do we always have to talk to cats and mice? I feel like we should also practice some other creatures too…” You sigh. 

Trein overhears you and responds. “Your birds don’t count, Yuu. They are able to speak.” You sigh. “Okay…” You sigh and Ruggie gives you that stupid shit-eating grin. “Aw, you not satisfied with my lesson?” “No.” You glare, which surprises Ruggie, unused to your assertiveness. “I can speak to animals already and I’ve been teaching these boneheads, we're fine here.” 

“Yeah but you say things that don't make sense…” Grim complains. “It doesn’t make sense because you guys are not used to the accents animals have. You know what, hold on, I‘ll get some real good ones to practice on.” “Huh what are you—?” Ruggie gawks when he sees three whole hyenas appear out of nowhere along with two eels around your waist. 

“They are not allowed to speak in their human voices. Knock 'em out, guys.” “Yuu! Where did you even…” Trein sighs. “Fine, fine, they can stay as long as they are well behaved…” The hyenas cackle and the eels snicker. Deuce nervously looks into the crossed eyes of Ed who winks in response.

Ace seals his lips to hold back a laugh until Banzai leans where he stares nervously. “Seduce me bro.” “AYO???”

****

Soon history class came, and once again a special guest was brought in, Lilia. The lesson went fine. Your sass wasn't needed. You kept quiet as you took a few notes here and there, and the end bell soon rang out. You stared at a particular note you took. 

‘The Thorn Fairy’s wings were leathery and bat-like, much like a dragon.’ 

You looked down at the note, and Maleficent herself seems to hum. ‘Seems like he is still following orders years later.’ She says and doesn’t elaborate. As students begin to pack up and leave, you wave down Lilia, who puts a hand on his hip and waits for you.

“Oho? What is it, prefect?” Lilia beams as you look at the note you took in your open notebook. “I have a question about what you said about the Thorn Fairy.” Lilia nods, “Well yes, what is it? It always warms my heart to see youngsters value history.”

You look at the note again. “You said that her wings were leathery and bat-like.” Lilia nods his head. “But aren't they feathered?” Lilia’s smile drops. “In fact she lost her wings too but got them back at some point, right? Did they become leathery during those years they were gone? Is that what you mean?”

Lilia looks at you, a bit of shock in his eyes, before he quietly speaks to you. “How do you know that?” “Know what?” “The Thorn Fairy only disclosed that information to two people, her raven, Diaval, and me…” You freeze for a moment and then Diaval appears on your shoulder to caw at him. 

Lilia stares at you, then at the raven, then back to you. “Diaval, is that you…? Why are you with… wait does that mean—" Lilia was cut off. “Yo, Yuu!” Deuce calls out from the doorway. “You coming?” You clear your throat and nod. “Yeah, I’m coming!” You look over at Lilia, “Thank you for your time.” He could only stare as you walked off and Diaval cawed an apology 

***

Towards the end of the day, you and your first year friends were all going to hang out at Heartslabyul to study together, which you know was code for ‘get distracted halfway and hang out’. You walked down the main path to the mirror chamber when you felt a familiar presence nearby. You were being watched.

“Come out Rook, I know you're there.” You look over at one of the apple trees, and narrow your eyes when you see Rook pop out from behind it all theatric. “Très bien, Trickster! You found me, that is a feat not many can achieve!” The weirdo beams. You nodded. “Yeah, you don't need to stalk me by the way. I am happy to get to know you through talking…”

“Non non, Trickster, you say that however I believe you don’t truly speak your mind!” The French man smiles. “I notice that you are not true to yourself! Always holding back your strength and what you mean to say, when I caught wind you were going to be yourself for a day, I could not help but try to study you!” Okay wow, he has you read.

“You can learn so much more about a person through their actions, but alas, you are so good at concealing those too, mon dieu, you are quite the mystery that I hope to uncover, and the most challenging one to date!” Rook says in awe. “I enjoy a good hunt, and this one has been most enthralling!” “I’ve always been able to sense when you're there, its why I tend to slink off not long after.”

“Merde! Is that so?” Rook smirks, and you sweat, you fucked up. “Aha, I knew you knew of me! Oh how fun! I have never had such good prey before!” You narrow your eyes slightly as he continues. “Would you dare to tell me how you are able to detect me so easily? Ah– but of course, if you don't that makes things much more magnifique!” 

“Um… I honestly actually don't know how I do, I just do?” Rook seems pleased, “How effortless! Tres bien! Beauté! I must hone my skills as a hunter more! Until next time, Yuu!” Rook begins to walk off before pausing and his smile drops for a moment.

“And even if it is not me, I do hope you can truly open up to somebody someday. Anyone would be lucky to have that level of trust with a Trickster such as yourself! Holding everything in does you no good! Au revior, little trickster, or perhaps I should call you le Chevalier Mystère?” Rook has that small sparkle in his eye.

“Switch it up now and then, keep it interesting.” You nod at Rook “À bientôt!” He says, and he seems to be muttering some weird French poem about strangers and beauty as you leave.

****

You were stopped yet again on your way to Heartslabyul as you passed the mystery shop. The door was open and you see Trey ponder how he’s going to carry the groceries he brought back to the dorm. “Hey Trey,” you walks in and wave, “you look conflicted, something up?”

“Ah prefect, I am actually,” Trey wears that smiley-wincing expression that Trey has when he’s in deep shit. “I'm sorry to bother you, but could you help me carry some of these bags back to my dorm? It may take a few trips but I promise a treat in return.” “You don’t need to Trey, I’ll help you even without one, you’ve been kind to me.”

Trey’s brows raise slightly and he adjusts his glasses, looking away awkwardly. “Ah, well, thank you, Prefect.” Trey rolls up his sleeves, revealing his forearms as he prepares to grab a bag. "Those bags of flour and sugar are quite heavy, so be careful— wuh?” Trey stared dumbstruck as you lifted 500 pounds worth of dry ingredient bags in one arm. “I- how are you— Is that not heavy?” 

“It is, but I’m used to it.” “At least let me help—“ “No, no  fine, lets go.” “O… kay…” Trey adjusts his glasses and you both walk off to Heartslabyul, making a lot of people turn their heads as you pass by. 

Entering the dorm, you notice Deuce and Grim gawk at you. “Give me a minute, I’m helping Trey!” You shout as you walk everything to the kitchen and set it down on the counter. “There.” Trey stares at the pile you put down, mentally going through all the times before you acted so weak. “Ahem, thank you prefect, Ace told me you would be over in the rose garden to ‘study’ right?” “They never study.” Trey gives that 'Trey sad smile' from earlier. “You got that right.”

****

Exiting the kitchen, you look into one of the mirrors hanging on the walls of the dorm, adjusting your appearance when yet another annoying voice interrupts you. “O-M-G! It's Yuu-Chan!” Cater shouts with his typical manufactured smile. “Heyyyy!” He waves and you feel your brain melting in your skull. “Hey Cater, what's up?”

“I have a questionnn!~” He smiles, pulling up something on his phone. “Are these you?” You sweat and look over to the images he pulled up. There was one of you in flames in the cafeteria, and another of you in the hallway wheezing at the pack of familiars all jumping the two chuds. “Yeah… yeah you caught me…”

“They’re trending locally right now and you know I just have to get in on that! Mind if we take a pic?” “Go ahead.” You sigh and Cater immediately snaps a selfie of him and your exhausted self. “Me and the bestie! #NRCProblemChild #NRCConspiracy #IsekaiProtag #ExtraTerrestrialPrefectConspiracy! Aaannnd post! Thank you, Yuu-Chan, I’m curious though what was that about?”

“Those two assholes were trying to beat me up and don’t worry about the other one.” “Don't worry?” Cater scoffs as you adjust yourself in the mirror again. “Helllooo the magicless prefect, turned slightly magical, turned to god-like mage suddenly does that within a year! That's gotta be something!” Cater beams and then looks over at you and sweats.

You were glaring at him, but the mirror in front of you had several eyes also glaring at him. “… Who’s that?” “Who’s what?” “That!” Cater points to the mirror and when you turn to look it disappears. “That's me, Cater, I know I look a bit different since first arriving, but I don't think I look half bad.” You gave an insincere smile.

“My friends are waiting for me Cate, seeya..."

****

You left the hangout early, not liking all the questions probing into your mind or your past at all, in fact you left pretty upset with some insinuations and accusations of your insincerity. “Are we even friends, Yuu?” Deuce frowned. “Have you been lying to us?” Jack glares. You sigh, and walk randomly, no destination in mind. 

“Why aren't you opening up to us?” Ace huffs. “I mean you trust us right?” Ace’s frown turned to offense when he saw you look away. “Dude come on! When have we given you a reason to not trust us?” You snap at him. “Our very first meeting was you insulting me and since then you have been roping me into trouble!” 

Ace looked guilty there. “Yuu…” Epel frowned and Ortho shot a glare at Ace. “Human, Ace may have had a rough meeting but what about us?” “What about you? What about you?” You dragged your hands across your face. 

“There's a lot about you guys actually! From Mr. Don’t-Be-Friendly-Cause-We’ll-Never-be-Friends over here to Mr.Internalized-Racism-Against-My-Kind here! And let’s not forget I-Cause-Half-Of-Your-Problems-And-Sometimes-Leave-You-WIthout-Food-For-A-Few-Days Grim! Yeah I have no clue! It's almost like I tried opening up to you all before but I was brushed off. It's almost like I have been telling you that I have been having these prophetic dreams since arriving and have been telling you about a man living in my mirror and calling out to me constantly! And everytime— every fucking time its nothing or no big deal!”

You wipe away tears. “I have been trying to talk, but nobody's listening. It’s like I’m made to understand and not be understood! I have been having to put everyone else before myself and solve everyone’s else’s problems without a thank you or someone to lean on since day one! I mean, all these blots have given me fucking scars. Physical fucking scars! All while I was being berated for being a weak little human too! And what? I still am expected to bend over backwards for the people that tried to kill me? Everything’s swept under the rug for everyone else but me, huh? No one ever checks on me, hell, I am not even acknowledged half the time when I’m in the same room as someone, so yeah I also wonder why I don't talk.”

You push yourself up and grab your things. “Wait!” “No, no! Leave me alone, for once will you leave me alone willingly!” “Yuu come on! We’ll listen.” You pause. “Yuu isn’t even my name.” You glare. “It isn't…?” Grim asks. “I have been called ‘You’ this entire time here because no one bothered asking my name and everyone assumed it was ‘Yuu’. I don't even get to introduce myself anyways when I do get asked. I am not my own person, and you never made me feel like my own person.”

You walked off. Looking back now you regret it. You’re embarrassed, you sounded so stupid. You wipe away a few tears and feel a presence appear, Cerberus. The three heads nudge and cuddle you as you sob and you can feel the sevens hands all trying to soothe you. ‘There, there’ one says. Let it out.’ Another responds. ‘Poor thing.’ 

“Come on, boy, it's been a while since you’ve been on a walk…” You mutter, and think back to what Rook said to you earlier. Opening up to someone was a Herculean task on its own, but someone understanding you was impossible. Even telling people the truth can get you or them in trouble…

You lead the way down to the Ignihyde dorm. No one in that dorm leaves their room anyways, it's safe for your good boy to walk around there. 

***

There was in fact a certain dorm leader there, who was just as shocked to see you and a giant dog. Idia punched in the number to a snack at the vending machine, turned around and gawked at the giant dog behind him. He then looked over at you.

“Yuu? Is that-? I mean is he—? Ortho said you—… Is that the real…?” Idia sputtered, not sure what  to ask first. “Shut it weeb, no ones gonna believe you.” Idia gawked even more. Since when were you so sassy? No seriously, you were also so overly kind to everyone it unsettled him.

“…Sorry…” you mumble. “You can pet him… he’s… soft…” Idia blinks and offers out a hand. One of the heads sniffs it before nuzzling into him. “Holy shit…” Idia whispers as he immediately starts fawning over the dog.

“Who’s some good boys, who’s some boys? Oh that's a great pupper! Oh yes you all are!” It’s strange to see Idia all smiley to himself, but it’s pleasant. “How did you—“ “I can't answer that.” You respond. “So dont ask…”

Idia goes quiet leaning back from the heads that licked him, his flaming locks dancing behind him. “Ortho said you haven’t been feeling well…” “I haven’t been, not for a while, I guess it finally all came out to the point where it’s noticeable…” “Ah, I feel that…” Idia trails off awkwardly.

“I know we're not friends, but I appreciate you.” Idia mumbles. “You make Ortho very happy, and I love seeing my little brother happy… He says you're like another sibling and insists we would get along. He really wants me to get to know you… and uh.. We don't have to, but… yeah… Thank you, I guess…’ Idia looks like he’s about to die, but he speaks again.

“Ortho says you make him feel human, and that you’ve been helping him learn more about how to find out who he is more than anyone else, more than me, even, probably cause you got out more… He told me you were upset, and he’s worried about you. So uh… please reach out to him?”

“Thank you, Idia…” You sigh. “Yeah I will, I will reach out to him, its not his fault, I just… I just need time to think… I don't even know who I am, or what comforts me…” “Um, I don't know what you like… but uh… actually, give me your number. I know a pretty cool site with a lot of free shows, I think there’s a few you’ll like.” He offers an attempt at a smile. “And also maybe you try a few video games? If you haven’t tried them already… who knows maybe we can play together…” You smile and open up your contacts. “Yeah, I would like that actually…” 

A new contact was added: ‘Gremlin.’

****

Walking off to your dorm, you dare not go in. You don't know if your friends are all waiting for you inside, or if Grims there. You sorta don't want to deal with that right now still. The corners of your eyes catch a familiar sight. Fireflies dance through the night, coming out of the grass and surrounding you.

“Hey, Tsunotaro… Heh, maybe I ought to call you ‘Firefly’ or king of the fireflies, maybe.” You wipe your eyes as you turn around and there he is, your Tsunotaro. You both don't know each other's names, but you don't need to. Tsunotaro and Child of Man work just fine.

“Greetings, Child of Man, it’s always good to see you but…” The fae frowns, “are you alright, Child of Man? You seem troubled…” “I… Yeah I am… I just… don’t know what to do…”

Your friend carefully reaches out to you before retracting his hand. “Do you want to talk about it?” “I think I need a distraction…” “I can do that,” Tsunotaro offers his hand. “Come with me.

You have never seen so many pretty colors before as Malleus casts a few spells, making the forest into the most beautiful light show you’ve ever seen. Mushrooms glow from where they sprout, leaves swirl with beautiful patterns, and the fireflies dance through the sky against the stars. You swear you can hear music from them.

“This is… This is beautiful…” “I am glad you enjoy it,” Malleus watches as you watch each step you take, the leaves below you glowing with each step. “Are you feeling better now?” “Yeah, I am… You know…” you pause nervously.

“Yes? What is it?” “It feels like… you're my only true friend…” The lightshow around you flickers for a moment. “Is that so…” Malleus stares wide eyed. “Yeah… Just… I can be kind to everyone… but I can't be friends with anyone. They all don't really get to know the real me, you know?” Malleus stares off.

“I do know that feeling well… You are my only friend…” You pause and look at him. The lights behind you turn to a more pinkish hue. “That's hard to believe, you are a wonderful person.” “Likewise, Child of Man. I would think someone as kind as you would have much more.”

You sniff, “I’ve been helping so many people, but it feels like…” You sigh. “I have seen the hard work you have put into everything. Not a lot of people can say they have gone through what you have gone through and won. You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

Malleus takes your hand. “I am sorry that others do not acknowledge that. I hope those around you soon start to realize what a blessing you are.” You squeeze his hand. “Come on, why don’t we both enjoy this light show?” 

…

..

.

At the very last waltz, your legs feel like jelly, and you cannot tell if it's because of how happy you are or because you've been standing too long. You pull away gently. “Thank you Tsunotaro, for everything.” Malleus nods. “It was nothing. Thank you for being my friend.” He stares off to the sky for a moment. “Farewell, Child of Man, may the night be full of promise for you.” 

The fae starts to fade away and you reach out, using a spell of your own. “Wait…” You hold onto Malleus’ arm making him appear again. The fae looks at you with shock. “You overrode my magic…” Malleus whispers, and his shocked face turns to one of awe and his eyes hint towards excitement. “No one has ever been able to do that… Just what else are you hiding, Child of Man?” 

“I want to give you my name.” “Your name?” Malleus looks shocked once again. “My real name.” “Don't you know of the stories about giving your name to Fae?” “I know them, but I trust you. I know you would never hurt me.” Your expression and voice is so sure it nearly overwhelms the fae.

“You trust me that much? I could smite you with lightning in an instant.” “Then smite me.” Malleus paused and nothing happened. “See? I know you wouldn’t hurt me. You’ve had opportunities this entire time and you haven’t.” “You really want to tell me Child of Man? When I have not even given you my name?” Malleus' voice nearly shakes.

“You don't need to. But if you do, no matter what name comes out, I won't be afraid.” You take his hand, and for the first time since arriving, you introduce yourself, and you tell him your name, your real name.

“I see, what a wonderful name… I supposed I shall finally tell you mine as well.” The fae smiles, “Draconia. Malleus Draconia…” “Malleus? That's not too bad for yourself…” Malleus lets out a laugh at that. “I suppose not.” He smiles then looks off again. “Well then, friend… Thank you for everything tonight. I have not been this happy in a long time…” 

“Good night, Malleus. I hope to see you again soon.”

“Good night, Child of Man…” 

He fades out and you hear Maleficent speak to you. ‘He likes you.’ She says, and you hear a few voices teasing you. You chuckle and find the strength in you to go back into your dorm and confront tomorrow. Rook’s words from earlier echoes through your mind. You have found people you can truly open up to.

PROBLEM SOLVED BUT YOU GOT ANOTHER ONE RISING, MAKE IT FIVE [ FIC / FLUFF + SLIGHT NSFW ]

NRC FRESHMEN X FEM!READER

WORD COUNT: 2.1K WORDS

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I WONDER IF ANYONE COULD TELL THERE'S A REASON WHY THE TITLE IS NAMED LIKE THAT ( ◜‿◝ )♡

Looking yourself up in the mirror, you let out a satisfied hum at your choice of clothing. Like any other weekends, you've finally planned out your trip to Pyroxene, suggestions given by Cater himself that there's a wonderful shop that sells clothes AND pastries.

You wanted to spoil yourself rotten given the past circumstances that gave you zero chances of going out for some required alone time. There's nothing wrong with your friends, you love them dearly but sometimes having to chat and meet up everyday socially drains you.

So you had to plan out a trip without them, a tinge of guilt brewing in your heart. Shaking your head, you cursed the damned feeling as you know that they would understand your reason of doing so and will give you plentiful of space if told. You know them far too well despite living in this world for a short time.

As you were doing the last finishing touches to your attire, your phone blasted out your designed ringtone, accompanied by the loud buzz from it vibrating against the table. You rushed towards the direction of the table , hastily picking it up in your hands before answering the call. Unfortunately for you, your ears weren't prepared to be served with loud yelling, the sound of what seems like wood breaking in the background set an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach.

"P-Prefect?! Are you there?! Can you hear me?! We're having a problem and looking at how things are going, we need more hands!!"

"M-more hands?! What the hell did you guys-"

"Sorry, can't sweat the details right now! Just- Head to the school corridor!! The one near alchemy class!! Quick!!"

Within a second, the call was cut right off. It seems like this world LOVES pissing you off in a multitude of ways. You can't go out looking like this! Not when you're about to head out for your trip! Your precious clothes are bound to be dirtied once the problem's solved and you'll have to either throw it into the trash or throw them into the laundry, depending on the severity of damage done to your clothes but nonetheless, the day's ruined!

With a groan, you decided to suck up and went out the door with your current clothes since there's absolutely no time to change out of it! All you could think right now is the urgency of the matter at hand and the safety of your friends is top priority! Minutes passed by and from the moment you've entered the west wing of the school, there were vines crawling everywhere, growing rapidly and ensnaring any pillars in its wake. More and more as you head towards hallway of the alchemy classroom, the vines grew number in size to the point that they're piling all over the floor. You nearly tripped in your run but luckily you caught yourself in the nick of time, proceeding on with your journey.

Coming to stop, you've finally reached your destination. Hair sticking to the back of your neck due to all the sweat you've accumulated, the muscles in your legs burned with ferocity and were desperate for rest. Maybe you should thank Mr.Vargas for all the intense training he run you through- Nevermind that, you should focus on what's happening in front of you

From the looks of it, it seems to be a case of a plant upsurge, thankfully it's not one of the poisonous plants that Mr.Crewel that asked everyone to steer clear of. Thinking back, didn't Mr.Crewel asked the five of them to remake that growth potion...Did they messed up that bad remaking it?!

"Is everyone-Woah!" you yelled, stumbling mid sentence before latching on to the broken door hinge for dear life as the vines on the floor came to life, gleaming with a mysterious light before swelling erratically. The sudden jerky movements sent you down to your knees yet it made you tighten your grip more.What seems like an eternity finally came to an end. The large bulbous vines thinning out akin to an inflatable pool being punctured with a needle, leaving only flabby and dried out vines strewn across the room

The six of you were greeted with silence, still too stunned from the sudden cease of onslaught done by the plant. You steadily rose up to your feet, hands still clutching to the door hinge for support before letting go. "What a drag.." you muttered before sighing softly. The condition of your clothes was a tad bit dirty with some soil splotches here and there but thankfully no tearings, in to the washing machine it goes!

Scratching his head, Ace couldn't help but let out a whine. The potion messed up, a part of this designated school floor is covered in vines meaning that he have to clean it up, his labcoat's covered in soil and whatever that came out of the plants! Well, at least nobody knows that it was his fault for putting too much auxin powder into the cauldron-

"Could've been worse but anyway! Now that you're here Prefect, let's- oh damn, look at you. All prettied up for what cause I wonder?" The redhead whistled at the sight of you dressed up in clothes he'd never think he'd see you in. Licking his lips in anticipation as his red eyes trailed your form up and down. "Why the hell are you whistling at- P-Prefect?!" Just as Deuce was about to raise his hand to smack Ace's head, his face blossomed into a bright shade of red the moment he laid his eyes on you

Curious to what's happening to the both of them, the tall wolf decided to turn his head to your direction. Golden eyes taking a glimpse of your form sent electric jolts all over the wolf's body, a feeling that's entirely new to him. Jack was quick go turn away, his canine ears pining to the back of his head while faintly cursing at his tail that was swishing from side to side, unable to hide the excitement brewing in his gut and somewhere

Though, not everyone's reaction was the same as them. You found yourself being roughly yanked on the arm by the lime haired freshmen. Instead of being flustered by your new look, he had rage written all over your face. His sharp canines glinting under the light as he gritted his teeth in anger. "Don't you have any shame for yourself, human?! Your way of dressing is-" He stopped abruptly, breath hitching in his throat as he started to register at how breathtaking you looked, your plump lips looked so divine and its so close for him to just come and bite it

Scoffing, Sebek pushed you away from him. The frown on his lips isn't as evident as before but you can still tell that he's angry, judging how his eyebrows are still furrowed. Shaking his head in a disapproving manner, he promptly took off his coat before placing them on your shoulders, gloved fingers already working on their way to button it up (you swear, this crocodile bastard is so impatient that he didn't give you time to slip in your arms into the sleeves of the coat-) "As your friend, I'm obligated to protect your honour AND dignity, human. Be grateful for it" said Sebek. Vaguely, a slight growl could be heard when he turned his heels away from you, leaving you stupefied from the swift withdrawal.

The coat was large enough for you to easily shift and slip in your arms to occupy the sleeves section. Though the stained clothing was comically large on you, the hem of the fabric reaching up to your lower thigh as to remind you the vast size differences you have against towards the male. "Um..(Y/N)..?" Looking over your shoulder, you were met with mesmerizing ocean coloured eyes that seemed to glitter with pure adoration. Epel smiled now that he have caught your attention as you certainly did with his as well

"Please don't mind Sebek! I don't find your way of dressing to be shameful! In fact, you look wonderful! Beautiful even!" Said the lavender haired male. "Did you always had those clothes tucked away in your wardrobe or did you recently bought them? Ah, they compliment your eyes so perfectly too!" With each question he asked, Epel ends it a compliment. The boy couldn't help it after all, you looked so ethereal that you deserved to know how alluring you were to them so he decided to shower you with praises.

Shyly, Epel took out his phone from his pocket as he looked up to you with puppy-dog eyes. "(Y/N)...could you unbutton the coat? You look amazing with that outfit so I can't help but want to take a picture of you in it.. That's okay, right?" His words seemed to ooze with sugar as they sounded so so sweet to you. Just as you were about to give your answer, you were immediately cut off by the sound of Ace's booming voice

"Hey, hey, hey!! No pictures until we're done cleaning, Felmier! (Y/N)'s isn't in her perfect sexy glory if she have all of those patches of dirt on her clothing!" Not a second after Ace yelled those words, a loud smack came soon right after along with a loud 'fuck!' sputtered by the auburn haired male. The smacker was no other than Deuce, who's fist was curled up almost like he was ready to punch the lights out of his dorm mate.

"You DO NOT disrespect (Y/N) by calling her sexy!" Deuce hissed "So what?! You're telling me she's not?!" Ace barked right back at his navy haired freshmen. Briefly, his gaze collided with yours and again, his face turned bright red. Lips forming a straight line as he muttered something under his breath before clearing out his throat. "She looks... attractive" he exclaimed. The features on Ace's face scrunched up in disagreement. "No wonder you're not a hit with the girls, your compliments are dry, Juice" "Say that to me one more time and I'll punch you right here and now Trappola"

"Both of you quit it already! And don't try to drag (Y/N) in this, we're the ones who screwed up the potion so it's on us to clean it up" Jack huffed, clearly annoyed by the argument between the two Heartslabyul students. In response, Ace stuck out his tongue to the wolf beastman. "That's lame! The more hands, the more better you know!" He whined.

This comment was met with stern gazes that seem to bore into his figure, clearly not amused. "The more hands, the more better my ass, Trappola. You're going to skimp on the work and pass it on to (Y/N), weren't you?" The beastman growled lowly, veins threatened to burst if the red eyed male in front of him decided to add any more comments of you wanting to partake in the clean-up session

Sheepishly, Ace looked away from the stern gaze, opting to look at the ceiling as if it sparked some kind of interest in him. "Maybe. Just a little" Like a joint choir, everyone in the room except Ace let out a sigh as they figured about his intentions on why he was keen on you to help out. As the boys went off to start cleaning likewise how Sebek started on tugging and pulling the vine off like a breeze, Jack spun to your direction.

His tail eagerly beginning to swish from side to side. "Then..(Y/N), you can sit this one out and head back to your dorm to change up or if you want, you could just stay...M-Mainly because it's for supervision reason! I trust you enough to keep the cool in here because I'm sure I would have beaten someone into a pulp" With the last few words being exclaimed loudly, clearly directing it to Ace who replied with a quick 'fuck you!' before going back to peeling off the vines from the walls

"Obviously I'm not going anywhere, you guys are up to each other's throat when I'm not around" Jack's golden eyes seemed to brightened up even more when you agreed to stay, ears perking up as a soft smile appeared on his lips. Nodding, he turned to look at Epel who was beside you who got his message.

Carefully, he wrapped his arm around yours, tugging it gently as to motion you to come and follow him "You can sit over here, (Y/N)! The place's clean so you don't have to worry about your clothes, I promise!" The ocean eyed boy assured you not before tapping a finger on his pocket where his phone was kept. "Remember! We'll take pictures okay!" Epel walked away, seemingly bouncing in each of his steps

"CLOSE YOUR LEGS WHEN YOU'RE SITTING, HUMAN!" Just as you were about to get comfortable sitting by shifting your legs open, you were reprimanded by no other than Sebek. How quaint of him to do so

NRC FIRST-YEARS ── as school romances

You've convinced yourself that ACE TRAPPOLA has only gotten into the esteemed Night Raven College by some form of nepotism alone, never mind the fact that students are picked out by the magic mirror rather than a board of directors. He's far too lax in his studies and spends half the time in class playing Papa's Pizzeria and the other half bothering you, much to your misfortune. Unfortunately, even the teachers (who are ever so aware of his carefree nature) cannot do anything about him. No, his parents haven't reached out to them with a bribe to let Ace pass his classes. Yes, he's scored higher than you even though the closest you've seen him studying is him sleeping on his textbook. Believe me, they're just as irked as you are. He's not an outstanding student like Riddle or Azul by any means, but he gets by well enough. You think he does have the capability to score higher in the student leaderboard; unfortunately, Ace seems more content with passing you notes and sending you pictures of your focused expression ("l-o-l, nerd spotted," he types) in the middle of class.

Ever the opposite of his partner in crime (never willingly), DEUCE SPADE has all the motivation to becoming an academic weapon, only to become an academic victim when he sits down for the first midterm. He's certainly not lacking in effort or motivation, everyone knows this; he's just a little… slow. There's no other way to put it, really. You do feel bad; sitting next to him in class lets you see his notes which are, albeit messy, as detailed and concise as can be. He genuinely does enjoy learning when he finally gets ahold of the concept he's supposed to be studying, but the journey to that point is hard and miserable, even for you when you watch him. Perhaps that's why you take up the noble affair of tutoring him… as best as you can, really. You're still a student, after all, and by no means an academic weapon. But Deuce seems to think you are, all bright-eyed and eager whenever you come by the Heartslabyul dormitory or the spot in the library that had somewhere along the lines began to be known as "yours". Whether that makes your heart flutter, you can't really bring yourself to admit with your hectic schedule── but perhaps during school break, you'll give "this" a proper shot.

Your relationship with JACK HOWL had a rocky start, as all random classmates who are coincidentally paired up in every single project do. He was by no means a terrible partner or even a mildly annoying person; no, Jack was, in fact, endlessly polite and mindful of your boundaries, not to mention an efficient student and, by extension, the best project partner when it came to actually getting the work done. The awkward nature of your early relationship was based solely on the fact that neither of you had known each other prior to your first ever project, and for good reason. You shared no common interests, belonged to different dormitories and social circles─ the list went on. So imagine your surprise when your friend rushes to you, red in the face as they tell you about the Jack Howl's crush on you. You almost don't believe it, not until Jack approaches you himself the next day, an odd flush to his cheeks and his friends' colourful heads rustling about in the bushes behind him. Good-looking, he calls you, alongside other simple and sweet adjectives that should not make your heart sing as much as it does. He asks to spend more time with you, to know you better in such a way that is so considerate it nearly brings you to tears. In the end, how could you have said no?

EPEL FELMIER is a daydream in velvet, with the big blue eyes and cherubic expression of every ingenue; the object of a knight in shining armour's affections, the sort of person other guys would climb up a tower for or slay a fire-breathing dragon. This is how you've known him, though you yourself have never participated in the word of mouth of these rumours, simply a bystander. It is not until you first meet Epel when he is without his sweet, doe-eyed facade that you realise the rumours are far from the truth. He curses like a sailor when you practically barrel into him in the middle of the hallway, sending papers flying and the two of you careening towards the floor almost cartoonishly, and you discover how those pretty features of his can just as easily contort into a nasty scowl that would make any 5 year-old cry. You also learn that Epel has just as much little regard for his torn dorm uniform as he has distaste for being nagged at by his dorm leader, and that he is quick-witted in all the wrong ways, seeing you as an escape route. One thing leads to another, and you find yourself playing hooky with the last person you ever thought capable of such a thing─ perhaps the first of many occasions, though you don't quite know this yet.

SEBEK ZIGVOLT is loud. You don’t know him well enough to say that he means nothing bad by it, but you aren’t so chummy that you’d say it isn’t a bother either. Still, the volume of his voice never posed much of an issue to you until your final examination week. Sebek, had he known you earlier, might have blamed your poor time management, but that could have done nothing to change the fact that you were in cognitive overload from trying to jam a whole term’s worth of lessons and lectures into your head on the night before your exams. Capable as he is as Malleus’ vassal, he has no idea what to do when you burst into tears and begin wailing in the middle of the corridor. Of course, his first action is attempt to get you to stop crying, which is essentially not synonymous with actually comforting you; nevertheless, he doesn't directly tell you to shut up and tries to pat your back (albeit a little roughly), so you suppose he deserves some credit. You sniffle, too sleep-deprived and upset to register that you've begun to release all your recent frustrations to poor Sebek── or that he's pulled you to the side of the empty corridor, and now he's just crouching down next to you awkwardly as you ramble on. You find that he's a good listener, and capable of a surprising gentleness when he shares some of his own struggles with you. It's a night not so easily forgotten── and the following morning is the same for your friends when they see the notorious Sebek Zigvolt speaking quietly with you at the door of the exam hall, his ears tinted pink as he stiffly wishes you luck on your exam.

Twisted Wonderland Characters Signing Your Shirt

So when I was in primary school, on the very last day of term, the year 6 leavers would sign each other’s white school polo shirts with felt tips as a sort of parting gift before we all went our separate ways to secondary school. I thought it might be cool if the reader shared this tradition with her friends at NRC.

Warning: I write reader as female

I literally had no idea what to write for bat grandpa and Silver so I just didn’t write them. In return, I’ll add snippets of Trein, Crewel, Vargas and Sam

Word Count: 8k+

Masterlist

Keep reading

"Met a boy who likes my body

with Epel Felmier"

As you spun around for him, he looked mystified. Absolutely infatuated by your figure in your formal attire. The two of you were meant to go to a ball hosted by his dorm, but now he was having second thoughts. Perhaps he wanted to keep you all to himself.

"Well, I'll be! My [name] is gonna be the apple of everyone's eye." With his hands crossing over his chest, he looked so charming towards you, hiding his dread in a sweet tone. "I might just have to hide you from the rest of 'em."

It was no secret he tried to keep that he disliked sharing you with others. You always chuckled at the way he glared at any guy who talked to you, and even yelled at some who got too close. He was so loving towards you, not many would expect him to get so angry with ease.

"Epel," you grabbed his hands in your own, "you are the only man on that floor that I could possibly want." With red forming at his cheeks, a smirk crossed his features. He didn't often need your reassurance, or want it, but he adored when you said things like this. Claiming he was yours, and you were his.

"Then let's head out, darling."

Hi

This is my first time requesting here, and I humbly come to you with a request for some headcanons. Hear me out: The first year squad finding a doodle of them with little hearts around it in the reader's notebook

SUMMARY: The first year squad find a doodle of them with hearts around it in your notebook! How do they react?

WARNINGS: None that I am aware of!

COMMENTS: THIS IS SO CUTE I LOVE THIS PROMPT!! I hope you like this!! Sorry if any of these are out of character, I haven’t written half of these characters before haha. Enjoy!

Ace’s reaction would depend on whoever’s around him.

If you were there, for example, he’d desperately hope you don’t notice how red his ears are or how his voice trembles slightly as he teases you. If you love him so bad, why not just confess already? Seriously, Prefect. You’re so shy it’s almost cute. Please ignore how hard he’s blushing.

If he was on his own, however, it would be a different story. Being left with your sketchbook on his own, he’d decide to flick through it. Seeing your cute little drawings is like an arrow straight to his heart. He’ll need a minute or two in private to recover. Does this mean you like him too?? Wait, “too”? He doesn’t have a crush on you… does he??

Instant K.O, no matter the circumstances. Wow, he never realised how good at drawing you were! And… you drew him?? Deuce isn’t self conscious, but he knows he’s not the most attractive guy around. And yet you wanted to draw him? AND put all those hearts around it?? This will not leave his head for the next 7 years.

He hopes you’ll forgive him, but he’s definitely gonna take a photo. He has to show his mother immediately! He’ll spend the next 2-3 weeks rambling to her at any given opportunity about anything about you. His mother will begin teasing him lightly about when he’s gonna marry you, and oh no, he didn’t realise he liked you that much. Does he??

At first, you thought he was uncomfortable. Then, you see the signs. His ears twitch and his tail start wagging, as he makes some excuse and leaves the scene. He doesn’t mean to offend you, but the way you were looking at him, and the drawing— a guy’s heart can only take so much!

He definitely starts to pay more attention to you from then on. Not that he was ignoring you beforehand! But from now on, you start noticing little things he does for you - carrying your bags for you, mostly, along with quietly leaving cactus flowers on your desk. He doesn’t say it’s him, but who else do you know who grows cacti?

Huh?! That’s supposed to be him—?! Ah, wait, he didn’t mean it like that! Your drawing is good, really, he just wasn’t expecting it! As someone who has issues with his appearance, his reaction will definitely depend on how you draw him. But no matter how you draw him, one thing won’t change:

He is definitely flustered.

I mean, you drew him with hearts for goodness’ sake. Hearts! What else could that mean?

Over the next week or two, Vil and Rook are charmed and delighted when a contrite Epel mumbles—

“How do I ask someone out?”

You are going to go deaf.

The moment Sebek sees those drawings, he’s going to yell in shock. Why in Twisted Wonderland would you draw him like that?? He’s confiscating that notebook. No, it’s not so he can keep the picture! It’s so you learn not to draw people in such an incredibly silly manner! Stop asking him if he wants you to draw him more often!

(Although the answer to that would be yes, but he’d never admit it.)

He shortly learns that taking the book back to Diasomnia was a mistake. Lilia immediately steals it, and, upon seeing the pictures of Sebek, immediately shows Malleus and Silver, much to Sebek’s embarrassment. Cue endless questions about when he’s going to ask you out.

♥Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed it!!♥

This is my first time requesting here, so...

Hi! Mind if I send in a request? Hear me out: the track club bois, the basketball club bois and the spelldrive club bois getting a kiss on the cheek from the reader after a successful game/track meet

A KISS FOR THE VICTOR

SUMMARY: After a successful club meet, you give them a kiss on the cheek! How do they react?

WARNINGS: Some of these may be out of character (I’m sorry I still have no clue how to write Jack, Leona and Floyd)

COMMENTS: Hi! Sorry it’s taken me so long to get to this request, there were a lot of boys hehe! I hope you don’t mind but since there are a lot I did shorter headcanons instead of a full thing for each boy. Also, since I have no experience writing kisses yet, I just did their reactions. I hope that’s okay! This is such a cute prompt though, thank you so much for requesting it!!

Also, if you enjoy this, please consider checking out my 200 followers event!

TRACK CLUB

Jack froze, his eyes going wide. He coughed into his fist and looked away, desperately trying to regain his composure. A herculean feat, considering how adorable you looked gazing up at him like that. He smiles at you hesitantly - a small, wavering smile, before his cheeks go pink and he turns away to talk to his teammates. Although it seems he does not care, a keen eye will notice how his ears won’t stop twitching and his tail keeps wagging. 

Poor boy stopped responding immediately. He tripped on the sidewalk and almost fell over, he got so flustered. He can’t concentrate on anything now. He’s really sorry, he’s trying his best to listen to what you have to say, but his mind is replaying that kiss over and over… He can’t look you in the eye for the next few days. The moment he gets to crash in his room, he calls his mum. He briefly talked about his match, but mostly talked about you. How does he talk to you again after that?? He might be a little awkward over the next couple of days, but know that you’re constantly on his mind and in his heart.

BASKETBALL CLUB

Oh? You’re gonna give him a kiss? Well tough luck, he expects one every match from now on! So what if he doesn’t win? He wants one anyway! That’s how you can cheer him up after a match from now on!  But in the moment, he’s picking you up and spinning you around. His face is very red - whether from the exercise or from you, it’s hard to tell, but the bright red ears are a dead giveaway. He’s not gonna forget what you did, and loves to remind you - in the hopes that you’ll do it again.

Time stops for him and he stares at you, dumbfounded. His face heats up and boy does he wish he had his hood right now. He can’t talk to you or face you for the next hour as he struggles to figure out what to say. He does however feel really smug. Everyone in the match did super well, but he was the only one who got a kiss! From you! Ha! …wait. He was the only one who got a kiss. From you. He’s confused and flustered all over again. Please confess to him before he goes insane.

Ehhh~? Shrimpy’s giving him a kiss? Only one on the cheek? Screw that, he’s gonna give you an actual kiss! And a squeeze to boot. The moment you give him a kiss he registers that kisses are okay in whatever relationship you and he have and boy is he gonna abuse that. What are the two of you? He doesn’t care as long as you don’t, but if he makes you uncomfortable then he wants to know. Like Ace, he’s going to be expecting one for every match now, but if you don’t give him a kiss for some reason that won’t stop him giving you one~!

SPELLDRIVE CLUB

You thought Ace was bad? Leona’s gonna be so much worse. He doesn’t tease you quite as much, but he’s going to be incredibly smug, both after the track meeting and for the next couple of weeks after. Please be prepared for suddenly more Leona in your life, as the moment you press a kiss to his cheek he’s going to take that as a rite of passage to be almost constantly around you. He will encourage you to ditch class with him as much as possible. He just wants to spend more time with you now, and after that kiss, surely that means you want that too, right?

Ruggie nervously laughs it off, his cheeks going bright pink as he fumbles for something to say. He honestly, genuinely wasn’t expecting it - you managed to catch him so off guard that he doesn’t quite know how to act. Ah, but he’s not upset! He’s exactly the opposite of that, if anything. Elated, maybe? Who cares, his crush just kissed him! He is going to be bragging so hard to Leona and anyone who’ll listen afterwards. Maybe he’ll start giving you a couple more snacks - with a kiss as payment of course! Shishishi.

LET’S FREAKING GOOO. wait. Did you just kiss me-? Epel was in such a good mood after his match that his brain didn’t fully register that you just kissed him. He takes a break from celebrating for a moment to double check. When you confirm that yes, in fact, you did kiss him, his cheeks go apple red and he starts celebrating way harder. Calm down? He can’t calm down, this is the best day of his life! He won a match and got a kiss from a cutie to boot! The only thing that makes him calm down a little is Vil threatening to smack him with his shoe.

♥Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed it!!♥

How Do You Cheer Up/Apologize To Them After Making Them Upset - Epel Felmier

You regretted saying to Epel that he was "slightly feminine", but you meant it as a complement, not an insult. However, Epel took it the wrong way and yelled at you, saying he is a boy not a girl, and stormed away from you in a huff. You wanted to go after him, but you decided to leave him alone and let him cool off, and began walking back to class. After Crewel's class had ended, you began looking for Epel, so you searched the cafeteria for him, but he was nowhere in sight. You saw Rook, sitting on one of the tables asked him if he knew where Epel was. Rook told you Monsieur Pommette went into the forest to pick some apples. You thanked Rook, and began to leave the cafeteria and make your way to the forest. Further down the path, you noticed the row of apple trees and also saw what looked to be the Pomefiore gown further up on one of the trees. As soon as you arrived to one of the trees, you could see Epel standing on one of the branches, with a basket in his hands and grabbing apples one by one, sunlight shining on his lilac hair, which only seem to enhance his beauty tenfold. "Epel-kun!". You yelled his name, and he jumped in shocked and turn to look at you, wondering what you were doing here. Due to you distracting him, the basket he was holding began to slip from his fingers, landing directly on your head. Collapsing on the grass, you grabbed your head in pain, and began to feel a wet substance on your hand, mostly likely blood. " DANGNABIT!! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Epel screamed as he began to climb down the tree and ran towards you, kneeling down on the ground to observe you closer. "I'm alright Epel, ouch!" You tried to play it off, but the aching pain from your head and blood on your hand was evidence enough that you were not fine. Epel grabbed your hand, and saw the blood, his breath hitching and eyes widening. "BAKA! YOU ARE BLEEDING, AND ARE CLEARLY NOT ALRIGHT! Come with me, I'll take you to the infirmary. You felt an arm wrap under legs, and without any difficulty, Epel was carrying you princess style back to Night Raven.

You both arrived at the infirmary, but saw no staff there. "Darn it, no one is here. Well looks like I'm going to have to treat your wound for you." Epel said as he laid you down on one of the beds before making his way to the medicine cabinet. He came back with some bandages and healing ointment "This might sting, but bare with me okay?" You nodded, while you winced from the medicine being applied, but you bared with it, while staring at Epel, admiring his features. Finally, Epel finished and wrapped the bandage around your head. After that, he put the supplies back, and started to wash his hands. Remembering what you intended to do before, you muttered an apology. Confused, Epel turned his head back, "Whatcha sorry about? It's my fault for dropping the basket on yer noggin." You shook your head and said that you were sorry about before calling him feminine, and thanking him for carrying you to the infirmary, saying you were impressed with his strength. Epel flashed you his smirk and said dang right he is strong, he's a manly man, not a girly girl. Smiling, you said to Epel, "When I said you were feminine, I meant it as a complement, not an insult. I have never met someone like you before, beautiful and cute, but also strong and cocky. You're unique, and I don't care if you are boy or a girl, manly or not manly, I still like you for you."

Realizing what you had said, you turned your head away, cheeks flushed from embarrassment at having said all of this to him. Epel was speechless, his body stiff from shock from what you had said, then after about a few minutes he came back to his senses and smiled at you, while you continue to look away from him. He began to walk closer to the bed, taking a seat across from you. He then leaned his head on your shoulder. Surprised from his actions, you stared at him, but he said nothing, eyes closed with a peaceful expression on his face. You then felt his hand grab yours, interlocking your fingers together, and softly heard him mutter a "Thank You". Smiling to yourself, you leaned your head softly against his, happy he had forgiven you.

First Years with a reader who sings like the Japanese singer "Ado"

Thank you @fightmeucowardlmao for the suggestion of doing the First years for the Ado reader. Enjoy everyone :)

Ace Trapolla🍒

🍒Ace reaction was literally the shocked pikachu face when he found out that you were a singer. This whole time he has been friends with you since you first arrived to this world, and he find out NOW THAT YOU WERE A FAMOUS SINGER?!??

🍒He was a little bratty with you that you didn't tell him at first, but he got calm down after a while. You thought he was annoying at first, but he turns it up a notch to a whole other level with you as he's going to be popping up all the time whenever you are recording a song. He will literally be in the corner of the room, making silly faces at you to make you laugh or doing random card tricks to distract you.

🍒Despite that, he will be a bit more supportive and make sure you are good after a session or event since he can imagine being a very popular singer will come with problems and stressed. Expect to find a lot of notes with silly/sweet writings on them, along with some cherry flavored candies to help soothe your vocal cords.

🍒Your voice constantly plagues his mind now wherever he goes. He spends more of his time listening to your songs in class and during basketball practice then actually paying attention (but lets be honest, Ace isn't paying attention to ANYTHING in class).

🍒His favorite song of yours is a cover that you did called "Overdose" , he enjoys the beat of the song. He gets that the song is about a toxic/additive behaviors of a relationship, but that's not gonna stop him from enjoying the song.

Deuce Spade♠️

♠️It was actually accidental when Deuce discovered your talent. You were in your dorm room, hitting a high note as you were recording one of your songs until you heard the door open and saw Deuce standing there, like a dear in headlights. The both of you just stared at each other, until Deuce snapped out of it and ran out of your room yelling "SORRY".

♠️He did come back after a while and kept apologizing for disturbing you, but you said it was fine. He shyly said your singing was beautiful and you smiled and thanked him. You both chatted a bit more and he then discovered that not only did you sing very well, but that you were a very famous singer.

♠️Deuce already thought you were amazing to begin with, and now that he just discovered your singing talent, he basically idolized you. He couldn't get over how different you were when you sang, it almost reminded him in a way as he had two sides to himself (his honor student side and his delinquent side).

♠️This boy was basically a cute bodyguard for you, he would always be there to make sure you were doing well and making you some dishes that his mom always made for him, but he would also be very protective of you if a big fan ran up to you and started talking to you.

♠️His favorite song of yours is "Show", He loves seeing confidence that you display when you sing this song. Not only that but he loves the main message of the song is just being yourself and stepping into the spotlight

Jack Howl🐺

🐺Jack realized right away there was more to you that meets the eye, especially after Leona's overblot. He observed how kind and naive you were, but very strong-willed, and he respected that. Jack discovered your singing during one of his morning runs, as his ears twitched upon hearing the sound of someone singing.

🐺He scouted for where the sound was coming from, and he saw you leaning against one of the trees, with a pad + pen out, humming to yourself. Shocked was the first emotion that Jack felt when he discovered that sound was coming from you, as he had no idea that you could sing, and so beautifully at that.

🐺You heard the sound of swishing next to you as you looked up and saw that Jack was a few feet away from you with a surprised look, and his tail wagging like crazy. Smiling, you greeted him and ask if he was okay cause his tail was moving quite rapidly. Jack jumped and immediately, grabbed his tail to stop it from moving, saying it was nothing, but also looking away from you, saying that you sang really well, with a flushed face.

🐺After telling him that you were a very popular singer, Jack became more interested in your talent. He usually wasn't very interested in things other then sports or working out, but you were beginning to change his mind. Your music videos were very well animated and your voice range was insane.

🐺He would always check up on you whenever he saw you, making sure you were healthy and not straining your voice too much. He may seem like a tough guy, but his tail would always betray him whenever he saw you. His favorite song of yours " Ashura-chan", he liked how powerful your voice was in the song and how the song was about breaking free.

Epel Felmier🍎

🍎Epel could only described your singing with one word, BADASS! He was not expecting you to have such an amazing voice, and not only could you sing really well, but you could hit many different genres with your voice.

🍎Epel thought you were just a cute and delicate gal, like many people thought he was, but when he discovered your singing, you proved him dead wrong. He saw how wild and full of life you were when you singed, which he kinda envied since he couldn't be like that because of his dorm. He could sing too, but he wasn't as good as Vil or you, so he wouldn't mind learning some singing tips from you.

🍎He wonder why you didn't show your face in the music videos or concerts that you held. It worried him that it was probably a self-esteem thing, but you told him that it was what made you comfortable, so he left it alone.

🍎You offered him backstage concert tickets for your show, so he could enjoy them as well as not being noticed by someone he knew from his dorm or rook for that matter. Your concerts were the best as it was the only time he could be his true self and rock out to your songs.

🍎Epel would send you yummy apple treats + warm apple cider for you as little acts of kindness and to also check in on you since last thing he wanted was your wind pipes to be sore from performing. His favorite song of yours is "FREEDOM", he liked how it was about embracing your true self and breaking out from what people expected out of you.

Sebek Zigvolt⚡️

⚡️Hmph, Sebek wasn't really impressed with a meager human like you. He still couldn't fathom how you were still at this school, despite having no magic whatsoever, but he had seen how determined you were with certain things and also noticed how Malleus would brighten up whenever he saw you, so he suppose he could tolerate you, as long as you didn't cause trouble for the Young Master.

⚡️He discovered your singing talent when he arrived to your dorm, to return a book you had lent to him, only to hear the sounds of the shower running and you singing coming from the bathroom, and it left him stunned. Once you left the bathroom, you were surprised to see Sebek standing in the middle of your room, with shining eyes like he just found the most amazing thing ever.

⚡️Sebek ran towards you and lifted you up in the air, with a huge smile on his face. "HUMAN!! YOU DID NOT TELL ME YOU COULD SING SO WELL. I'M A THOROUGHLY IMPRESSED. OH YOU MUST SING FOR THE YOUNG MASTER WHEN IT IS HIS BIRTHDAY. IT WILL BRING HIM MUCH JOY!" After about a few minutes of him yelling in excitement and shaking you, you told him if it was possible to put you down, which he did with a red faced as he realized he probably made you a bit uncomfortable.

⚡️You told Sebek that you were happy he liked your singing so much, and that you wouldn't mind singing for Malleus for his birthday and that you could also sing one for his birthday if he wanted. Sebek widen his eyes at that as he didn't think you would sing for him as well, and he looked away, red faced saying he would enjoy that in a soft tone that shocked you as you expected him to yell that out.

⚡️Sebek later found out that you were a famous singer from your world and that you had music videos that he could watch if he wanted. Sebek wasn't into the arts/technology all that much as he was more fond of magic and strength, but he would feel it would be rude to if he didn't, so he decided to try it out.

⚡️Sebek later went from being a slight acquaintance to your biggest supporter. He would often leave very long comments in all caps on your music video showing his support, which made you smile, and he would arrive to your dorm whenever he had time to see how you were and not to push yourself since you were still human and didn't want suffering from an ailment.

⚡️His favorite song of yours is the cover of "Senbonzakura". He found the lyrics to be very beautiful and how it was about war and revolution.

(art credit to kaaaa369 on danbooru)

When your Prince Charming arrives || First Years x Reader

What if someone from RSA seemed to be your dreamed lover?

Ace Trappola

It isn’t easy to make Ace seriously worried, about something that wasn’t caused by his friends, wanting to get revenge on his poor—as they defined them—jokes.

From the first sight he knew, that a boy, who “accidentally” bumped into you, was a danger. Some kind of.

He seemed just… too perfect: tall, muscular, with beautiful hair and natural charm, charisma. His clothes complemented the colour of dark as cosmos eyes, and his manners were impeccable. Ace started doubting that even Vil Schoenheit himself could point out anything to him, but he wouldn’t bet on his arm.

With each trait, something was pushing Ace away from the boy more and more.

If he hasn't paid much attention to him, then you definitely did. By the time the day was over, you managed to tell him ten times how he helped you get up—"You fell because of him," Ace replied while rolling his eyes—and characterized the boy verbally, so that no teacher would complain about not enough words on your opinion essay.

“Agh, enough-!” Ace got upset when, even while playing cards, you didn't talk about anyone else but that handsome hero who helped you get up faster than Ace did. He got up from the floor. “Marvel at him in his face! He will certainly want to hear all these compliments in person.”

He stormed out of the room before you could stop him.

His arms were shaking once he got out of the dorm, to the Rose Maze. He emanated with anger and grief; he swore to himself, that he will kick this guy from RSA the time he sees him. Though he wasn't sure... would you be mad at him...?

“Wait, Ace!” you had to run as fast as you could to catch up with the boy and bump hard into him. You hugged his waist tight, worried that he would run away as soon as you loosened your grip. “Sorry. I really didn't mean to upset you.”

Ace turned around to see your eyes. The corners of his mouth quivered before twitched into a weak smile.

"It's alright," he said, but his voice slowly cracking. “The better one wins, right?”

"Of course," you tightened your embrace so that your cheek was pressed tightly against Ace's body. “I won't be with any guy who can't destroy a chandelier with friends.”

The boy took a deep breath before finally wrapping his arms around you.

The warmth he felt from you and the one inside him caused a strange feeling in his stomach and chest. He didn't know exactly what he felt, but he didn't mind at all.

“Out of my advantages, you chose this particular one?” He said, his face showing a mischievous, a bit mocking, but still friendly smile. "I guess it was at the top of such a long list as ‘Advantages of Ace’"

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎

Deuce Spade

Deuce didn’t know what feeling was responsible for twisting his stomach, once he saw you and a boy from RSA, introducing him to some NRC classes.

Does his dark, rebellious side finally want to see the light of day?

Not as much as he wanted to hit that boy, he’d rather preferred to take you somewhere far away from him. From everybody.

“Someone's jealous!” Ace laughed when Deuce told him about his worries.

“Again, why did I come to you with this...?” The dark-haired man sighed, placing his hand on his hair and tightening it tightly. "You really think I'm, uh, jealous?"

“And not?” Ace tucked his hair back, laced the fingers of his hands together, and blinked several times. “Oh! My hero!” He said in a squeaky voice. “I will have to give up my lovely Deuce for you because you helped me up. A~aah!”

Deuce snorted and slapped Ace on the forehead. He fell onto the bed. The redhead burst out laughing as he looked at the nervous, sulking Deuce.

“Go Deuce,” he said, sitting down on the bed, still with an amused sparkles in his eyes. “Fight!”

Without waiting for any further words of encouragement, Deuce ran out of the room, towards the school. He went through all important, busier spots in the school before he found you in the cafeteria.

Of course, with that RSA guy.

He felt his body tighten like a tight string as you spotted him between the heads of the other students and waved at him.

"This is Deuce, my boyfriend," you introduced the boy to your dinner companion, and the dark-haired man looked away. So what if you guys were dating for months? The title "boyfriend" always made his heart run wild. “And this is [Boy's Name], a student from RSA.”

"Nice to meet you." Deuce reached out his hand and squeezed the boy's hand. He did it with such force that you could almost hear the crunch of bones and a soft gasp as the student jerked his hand away. “Now, I'm so sorry, but I have to take [Name] with me.”

He felt a twinge of guilt as you walked away, and the RSA boy was massaging his hand. However, now-not-yours prince charming will definitely go to the nurse, and on the way, he will surely run into one of the most beautiful students in NRC. It’s always like that in fairy tales.

You have to fight for your true love, right? They both have to find and keep the love of their lives.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Epel Felmier

Just give him a chance, and he'll definitely try to kick that fop in the knee so hard he won't get up again.

"Fight fire with fire," Vil advised him during their usual dinner at Pomefiore. Even though Epel had said nothing about his worries, Vil could still sense a depressive aura from him that was definitely ‘not beautiful’.

The Pomefiore leader was also not very happy with the arrival of some students from the RSA. But until they were more beautiful than he was—not that anyone like that existed—their presence did not irritate them that much.

Of course, you didn't forget about Epel—you felt so drawn to your new acquaintance's aura that you sometimes lost track of time, but you make sure not to skip your meetings.

He felt like a pawn in a game of chess, not a player. He was attractively dressed, and now standing next to that RSA boy who had attracted your attention all too often. He took you with him a lot, that one day he almost offered to take you with him to the RSA. It would only require some paperwork, wouldn't it?

“[Name]” Epel turned to you, his voice trembling with anxiety and anger. He took a deep breath but didn't feel any cooling down. “The final decision will always be yours. But I want to say something about it here.” He pointed at the visitor and glared at him.

He felt a sudden need to straighten his hair and his clothes as silence fell around him. All the witnesses waited for his next move, and even though no one was saying anything, he felt like he was the new hot topic of gossips.

He went over to you and locked you in a hug as if he didn't want to watch all those onlookers.

"I know you may not believe me, but I really am not sure if he can bring you the happiness you expect," he blushed here. “I-I mean… I don't know if I can offer you a life only filled with happiness you want, but… I will try… So, uh, please don't go with him…!”

“Huh? There's no way I'm going with him,” you said, tearing away from him. "I'm addicted to apples and a certain apple boy, and I won't survive without this combination."

Epel breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his cheeks flush with shame, and memories of words that even sounded too serious for him.

Even though he felt terrible in this elegant garment, he couldn't think of it as his feelings exploded in his body.

Ah, yes. He couldn't want to love anyone else that much.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Jack Howl

Jack never wanted to stop at anything other than "true love".

When you two started dating, he saw no other way than planning his future with you... But this RSA guy was never included in your plans.

"He's joining us," you told your new friend, pointing at Jack. He had his arms crossed and he was at least a head taller than the boy, so the boy had to raise his chin to see Jack's ears. “He offered to help us with cleaning.”

"Ah, yes," [Boy's Name] cleared his throat, trying to remain indifferent. He felt overwhelmed by Jack's presence and Jack made no effort to make it easier for him. Because what was he supposed to do? Squat down so that he doesn't feel trapped like surrounded by tall rocks? "We'll definitely need someone strong."

Everything went very agile and neat.

Even if you and the RSA student previously thought it would take a long, long time, in half an hour you managed to do more than you were allotted to. Maybe it's because your loved one didn't allow too long conversations between you and [Boy's Name]?

It would certainly have been hours if the two of you were left for each other. Ideally, a lot of time to make another appointment, exchange phone numbers, cancel your joint vacation plans with Jack and change your school, right?

“Thank you for your hard work” you put the broom in the storage box. Cleaning with magic was definitely simpler and easier, but as long as you can clean, magic can feel a little sloppy while comparing the cleanliness of rooms.

"Thank you for your hard work," [Boy's Name] replied, dusting his hands of the fluff. "Maybe... you'd like to go together, just the two of us," he stressed the last words, "to the cafe?”

"I'm sorry," you smiled apologetically. You looked at Jack who was just coming back and started walking towards him with a smile on your face. “You may not see it, but this one needs a daily dose of hugs because later he will be very sad.”

Jack silently denied as he turned his head to the side out of intimidation as you hugged him tightly.

… For moments like this, the existence of people like [Boy's Name] is needed.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Sebek Zigvolt

“We need your assistance, [Name]” just after taking the left corridor, Sebek appeared in front of you and a student from RSA. The green-haired man had a stoic expression and his hands were behind his back, what made him seem much more composed than he thought himself. There was so much going on in his head that it would be easier to talk about what he wasn't thinking about. “It's urgent.”

Without further ado, he grabbed your wrist, knocking the RSA student's hand off your shoulder. He gave him a frightening look before he turned on his heels and you and you walked far, far away from this place.

"Hey, Sebek," you broke the silence that had been with you since you stepped out into the uncrowded corridor. “Something happened?”

“What do you mean?” He replied in a gruff voice and picked up the pace.

"For example," you panted, trying to keep up with him, "you're almost crushing my hand."

As if on cue, Sebek immediately let you go, doing it as quickly as if he had touched hot coal. With a surprised look, he glanced at your wrist, which turned slightly red from his tight grip.

"Ah, uh, forgive me," he muttered, rubbing his temple. "I still feel sick to see that human from the Royal Sword Academy."

“You mean [Boy’s Name]?” you asked, and Sebek made a face at his name. For him, this boy will always be "human" in the worst tone and sense of the word. "Some have described him as ‘so sweet that he is so bland’”

“It suits him.”

“You don't like him too? Too cute by Diasomnia standards?” you guessed jokingly. “Or were you jealous, hehe?”

“T-that's not the point!” He growled, feeling his face flush red. You looked at him in shock, now sure, you guessed it, and Sebek felt even more exposed by it. "It's just that this human looked at you so... so strange! I didn’t not like this.”

"There is a way," you said, smiling frivolously at him. “You can invite me to tea and vice versa, and then we will not see him anymore.”

If that's okay could i request it for Epel?

How to win the heart of Epel Felmier?

a/n: Thank you for requesting~~ Dear Readers, while I am not a native English speaker, I wrote this ff in the English-pronounciation (?) mindset that “Epel” and “Apple” sound very similar. If it’s not all that similar, may Reader be too obsessed with apples to have that selective hearing when it comes to Epel’s name or let’s blame it on the Harveston’s dialect, haha

Be a zealous apple lover.

You envy this boy’s name.

“Apple”? What a majestic word to be named after. The first time you’ve heard a woman calling someone like that, you remember stilling in place and whooping your head at a ten-year-old boy who yelled that he was coming.

And he… doesn’t look like an apple. Maybe you weren’t expecting a walking apple, nor a boy with red hair dressed in all browns, carrying a big basket of apples (and of course, eating one in the other hand) like a character created for a show whose audience is a tad younger than you, but none of the apples you know turn purple.

Never have you imagined someone with such a beautiful name would move so wobbly in snow, the sledge he dragged behind definitely too heavy.

The realization of how unfitting this name was makes you lose a grip on the basket of fabric you got from one of your new neighbours. Well, everyone here is “new” if you just came into this little village just three days ago.

That boy notices you. He must have heard the news because a flash of recognition paints itself on his face. You didn’t return a shy smile at the staring, even if you wanted to. You remember your cheeks prickling from the freezing wind when you bolted home as the apple boy looked like he wanted to say something.

“He doesn’t look like an apple,” you argue with your mother that night, as she kisses your temple goodnight.

“Maybe not. But I would have loved you two to be friends…” Your mother stops in her words as you roll your eyes at her and pout with all your might. She suppresses a laugh that you would take to your heart. “…But, maybe I should be glad he doesn’t resemble an apple at all? You would have fallen head over heels in love with him if he did.”

Yeah, your mother doesn’t need to look so happy as you grew agitated.

“I wouldn’t!” You protest loudly and bury yourself deeper into bed sheets even if your face grows hotter. Maybe of the embarrassment, maybe of the fury, but surely not because of the boy. “I would never fall in love with a boy like him. And I don’t want you to talk about this to anyone!”

You remember your mother’s eyes twinkling with utter amusement. “Yes, yes, all right.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

2. Challenge Apple to a sled race.

Maybe it’s the fault of far too many action films being aired on TV, yet the idea of being able to win anything a fight was stuck in your head.

Some limited part of your brain thought that, hm, Apple might just give up his name to you if you won in this town’s most famous activity: the Harveston’s Sled Race. It seemed only appropriate for you to pick something the boy must know, even if you had only got your first sledge barely two weeks ago.

“Ya… want my name?” Apple blinks as you grow irate when you repeat your offer once again. You remember rolling your eyes ostentatiously at him, and Apple huffing loudly at you. “What does it even mean, duh?”

He crosses his arms and glared at you. He has the advantage of being just a little bit taller than you, but thankfully, his The-Great-Seven-Better-Bless-Her grandmother never ceases to dress him in fluffy, puffy clothes, always in pastel colours; the cute pompom on top of his beanie and shawl in the adorable pink shade made him much less imposing.

“Whoever wins in this sledge race will be called Apple,” you repeat. Apple squints his eyes at you. “I like this name so much, you have no idea. Please give it up to me.”

“Oh.”

You have no idea why his face slowly turned red. If you knew better, you would have used this opportunity to tease him, but little you didn’t want to mock a newly met boy, even if you just threw down a gauntlet for his name.

“It’s a normal name….” He mutters, and before you can protest, he draws his eyes to you, somehow redeeming you speechless. “…But I’ll challenge you if that’s what you wanna do.”

Huh. You weren’t expecting him to agree so easily.

…Nor were you expecting him to glide on the snow with his sledge. He looked frail enough to not care about things like rides and thought that it would give you the advantage. It did not. Apple flew or used magic, or illusions because he rode so fast the snow beneath him barely left a trace.

That was some cool skill, even if you hated how awed you were.

It seems like you challenged the wrong boy because this one wins with ease.

“Sorry,” he says with flushed cheeks, and his deep breaths create little warm clouds in freezing air. He lays on the snow, and his fringe sticks to his forehead. He has won, and it was a tough victory yet a well-earned one. “I will still be the only Epel in this town.” He shifts his gaze on you. “So. What’s your name?”

Well, he is a (treacherous) winner. You give your name to him.

He smiles slightly, he repeats it slowly and goes quiet. You look over to see him open his eyes from reverie and bright lights dance in his eyes.

“It’s nice. I think it suits you well.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

3. Have some baking skills.

“Epel, dear. We’ll be having our little neighbour helping us this year’s festival, so please show how responsible can you be and teach [Name] how to prepare apples for the pies.”

Ugh. If only Grandma Marja wasn’t so kind, you would have been protesting more.

Apple looks at you and you frown slightly as he sighs at your sight.

“You again?”

And because Grandma Marja already left, you feel free to announce your displeasure with the situation as well. Sadly, there are no other kids your age in this village, so you are probably bound to accompany him for the rest of your whole life here as he’s your only peer.

“Unfortunately.”

Apple hands you an apron, before ordering you to wash your hands. Because the kitchen island is too occupied with other dishes and too high for any of you without a stool, you take a seat next to a coffee table that was impractically set between the salon and kitchen, leaving just enough space to create a narrow route from one room to another.

“Have you ever baked an apple pie before?” He asks and you shake your head. His brows furrow slightly as he thinks whether you will be a help here at all. “So, it will be a long day…”

He better not write you off before you can even start.

You cross your arms. “Test me first, complain later... if ever.”

“I’m not complaining. But we have a knife and a peeler. Oh, and it hurts if you get cut. You should take it slowly and be careful,” he adds and hops to the other room to grab a basket full of apples. He lays it between you two.

Apple doesn’t let you use a knife.

“I am older than you,” he says and takes an apple from you to cut it into even pieces. You don’t notice the skill he has to make careful cuts precise and clean, as you glare at him.

“Barely.”

The few-month gap in your age isn’t enough to stop you from insisting that you can do more complicated things than just peeling apples. That’s some arduous work, especially when the peeler doesn’t cooperate and the thin fruit’s skin gets stuck between the blades.

So, Apple, who couldn’t contain that last annoyed sigh, finally lends you a knife. He instructs you, but after several times that you tell him you know what are you doing, he hesitantly goes back to his work. You could feel a worried gaze at you nonetheless, and at one time you looked over your shoulder to see him staring at you.

And that’s when the knife slips from your hands.

You don’t scream, but a gasp and a sudden flinch gives you away.

“Aaaand that’s what I was saying,” he immediately drops the apple he was taking care of, and stands next to you, scrutinizing the cut. It’s not bigger than a paper cut, yet it’s a bit deeper and stings as much. You quickly hide your hands from him. “Go take your hand under the cold water. I will get some bandages.”

He gets some. He then orders you—” I am the older one here and I was right before, so I am in charge between us two,” as you were told—to sit on the sofa as he carefully wraps one bandage around your finger. The gesture it’s almost cute from him, but it doesn’t lift your foul mood at all.

“I made more trouble than I’ve helped,” you say quietly. Epel looks at you, a bit surprised.

“You sayin’ that this little cut is making you quit?” And now he has that stupid smile on his lips that makes your blood not boil, but warm up at least five degrees. “Awh, poor thing.”

You get up in a hurry.

“…I didn’t say that.”

“Then don’t give up like that,” he chastises you, but he can’t hide a (still very stupid) smile when you pass him to get to the kitchen counter. “But be more careful from now. No one wants to eat a bloody apple pie.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

4. Get into NRC and survive a shock.

Over the years, you’ve become friends, close enough to plan to go to college together, if the opportunity arises. It did.

“Cheers!”

The perfect way to celebrate getting into NRC is with a soft drink, sparkling soda and a big plate of snacks. Although you bought chips for the occasion, your and Apple’s parents prepared a pile of homemade goodies and they couldn’t compare to those store-bought.

Your can clinks against Apple’s and you take a sip.

“It’s not like I ever thought of Night Raven Collage rejecting the best candidates ever,” Apple says with a sigh. Only today you can notice how stiff he was before; although he’d been playing it cool, he was tense all the time. “But that’s one burden off your chest.”

You nod in agreement and look at the acceptance papers once again. When a time will come, carriages with Gates will come for you two… And that’s a thrilling thought.

“This document looks so official,” you say. “What a pretty paper. It looks so elegant.”

Apple empties his can and briefly glances at you.

“Nothin’ special about it…”

And because you want to see the comparison (maybe there are hidden hints where you might be allocated to by the Dark Mirror?), you take his document. The first thing that crosses your mind, is that there is something wrong with his name.

“Wait,” you shriek loudly, and Apple shudders from surprise. He would chastise you for screaming so loud if you didn’t look so worried. “They spelled your name wrong!”

“Huh?” Apple feels a pang of horror, the same you feel when you tap your pockets in search of your phone. As if he found it, once he reads the top of the document again, he relaxes. His lips form into a thin line: he thinks you are pranking him. “No way. Everything is correct.”

“No, look here. Your name, Apple!”

“It’s… Correct.”

“E- P- E- L. And your name is A- P- P- L- E, no?”

“…What?” Epel, not Apple, looks surprised but not as surprised as you. “You thought my name was ‘Apple’ for all those years?!”

You bite your lip to not question it. Is it not? Your cheeks burn from embarrassment, and your heart feels heavy as if you have just betrayed your best friend. It never crossed your mind to have him write down his name, and there wasn’t a reason for him to do so: in this small town there is no school, neither are there the tests you need to sign.

“…I’m sorry.” You stutter, and Epel brushes the crumbs off from his blouse and gets up.

“Goodbye,” he says, making his way towards the door. He doesn’t seem that upset over the whole thing, as much as confused. Tomorrow everything will return to normality, but Epel will have a top-tier teasing material for years. “That’s too many revelations for today.”

“Wait, Epel!”

“Go to ya Apple boy.”

“No!! I said I’m sorry!”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎

5. Get sorted into any dorm but Pomefiore.

“Stop laughing.”

“I can’t…! Ha…”

You take a big breath to calm yourself down, but once you look up at Epel and his grimace, it’s impossible to not burst out laughing so loud and so breath-taking you drop to the floor. Epel nudges you. You might be in his room, yet he knows if he’ll be too loud, someone will come to shush you two.

And maybe they will punish him, but Epel isn’t familiar with Pomefiore’s customs, so he doesn’t know what to expect.

“How come you got sorted into another dorm, while we are practically the same?” Epel mumbles, lying down on his bed. The sheets are heavy yet comfortable, luxurious like the whole room. It feels like a museum here, where each item is more valuable than your life and you need permission to rearrange the interior.

To Epel, Pomefiore is the worst dorm. He remembers you teasing him about getting sorted to Pomefiore, but neither of you thought it would come true. It’s too stiff, too restrictive and cares too much about appearances. Epel’s heart feels heavy at the thought of the next four years here.

“Maybe Dark Mirror doesn’t sort the dorm judging by the alikeness of two last brain cells but the shape and colour of the soul,” you nudge him back, waking him up from his reverie.

“Or maybe it didn’t get any input of brain cells from you.”

“Well, your desire to be the prettiest boy in the town got to it, so I think it functions well.”

You chuckle at the dead glare he throws you.

Epel finally sighs.

“…I would like to change the dorms.”

“I don't know whether the Dark Mirror accepts complaints,” you tease him. The gloom is abruptly replaced by irritation, and that’s nice. An angry Epel is better than a devastated Epel. “But if you ever want to escape for a while, you are welcome in my room. We can have a sleepover whenever you want.”

“…Thank you.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

5.5. Sorted into Pomefiore exception.

“You ain’t elegant at all, though.”

“It seems like my elegance bleaks in comparison to yours, pretty boy.”

“You are blind.”

Epel tries to push you away, but you sidestep while giggling. He glares at you, and thankfully, his eyes don’t seem that sad. When he returned to his seat after getting sorted to Pomefiore, he looked bewildered, as if he suddenly wasn’t in the NRC he dreamed of but some other, less-dreamlike school.

You remember him blinking back tears, but maybe not from sadness—thankfully, Epel doesn’t pity himself—but melancholy, as if he just lost something he didn’t even have. Maybe also fury and confusion.

“It will be fun to stay here together,” you prompt, and Epel sighs but a trace of a smile appears on his lips. Thank Great Sevens for the little lights that brighten the azure tones in his eyes.

“Guess I’m stuck being your neighbour forever.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“No?”

“Of course not. You already know how great friend I can be.”

“…I guess you’re right,” he sticks out his tongue. Vil will have a lot of work if he wants to make him a fine gentleman. Well. You will take any version of Epel, even the pettiest and most teasing one, so it’s Vil’s burden to bear. “Kind of.”

You pout at him, but a quiet smile breaks your coolness. “So petty.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

6. Listen to your manly man complain about Vil.

After several weeks in NRC, you could tell Epel still hasn’t gotten used to Pomefiore, and especially its leader.

“I can’t handle him pointing out each… well, everything!” He hides his face in his hands and sluggishly rubs his eyes; he looks tired enough even if Pomefiore must have those eight hours of sleep every night mandatory. “He would find wrongdoings in the way I breathe.”

“I would too. You don’t breathe as much through your nose as you think you do. That’s so very unhealthy, Epel. Your skin will be ruined in the next week of running.”

Epel throws you a warning look as if you had hit the nail with your talk. “Stop or I will strangle you with a pillow in your sleep. I already have Ace on my list.”

You chuckle at a threat, and Epel rolls his eyes. “How dramatic.”

“I have enough drama in my life,” he continues, and you can feel from his tone that he either suppresses the sigh. No apathy or fury anymore, though. Pomefiore must be slowly growing on him, and you take it as a good sign. “My two upperclassmen are going to be a death of me. I don’t know how could I end up in Pomefiore. This kind of lifestyle doesn’t suit me.”

“You complain about them a lot, but, in reality, you look up to him, no?” You tease. “Even you can say the beauty he possesses is influential and somewhat powerful.”

“He might look majestically but it doesn’t make him any less annoying. Now, let’s stop talking about him.”

“Why not? I might become Vil Schoenheit’s fan.”

He clasps his hands on your mouth, so you have to fully focus on his glaring.

“You can’t. You are my fan.”

You pout but after he takes his hands off you, a lopsided smile cracks your lips. “I guess you’re right.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

7. Argue, duh.

That’s a hobby of you two, although a risky one. It always leaves a weight on your heart, because you cannot not care for Epel. While jokes and sarcasm are never intended to hurt any of you, and you can almost always distance yourself from teasing comments, his every word is precious to you.

“Don’t be a killjoy,” would make you roll your eyes if Epel didn’t look so serious. Your smile falters, and something in your stomach twists. You know this conversation was going to end in an argument even before he glowered at you.

“Hey, don’t say it like that,” you stutter the words, placing a hand on his arm. It would come as a reassuring gesture, yet Epel made an effort to move a seat away, and your arm fell aimlessly, sadly. “I am just worried about our grades. That have. Uh. Dropped marginally.”

You stare at your shoes because listening to your best friend being displeased with you so greatly is heartbreaking.

“We have the whole weekend ahead of us to study,” he argued. “Be serious. You don’t want me to go, because you weren’t invited, isn’t that so?”

You sigh. You’ve never expected to be invited to each of their meetings: they are Epel’s friends, and you have yours.

While you knew Ace and Deuce were delightful company, you always thought Epel would choose you over them, even if you suggested something as unentertaining as studying because you would do the same.

You were wrong, after all. Maybe that’s the difference of willpower between a just-a-friends mindset and having a crush on him. Do you really have a crush on him, though? Or maybe you’ve expected too much from a childhood friendship.

“Well, no. I mean, I would love to be invited, but—”

“We don’t need to hang out together every time we have a spare afternoon,” he said, and while it was a true statement, it hurt. If you weren’t able to somehow steel your nerves, you would know you wouldn’t be able to bear the prickling in your eyes. Epel’s next suggestion comes as a whisper. “Sometimes… We should take a break from each other, ya know? And I need to figure, uh, something out.”

The news shocks you so much, that you don’t notice how he visibly abstains from lifting a hand to his chest.

Well. You always knew you were a hopeless romantic.

“Breaks from each other, huh…”

You take in the phrase in silence. Epel takes this chance as an opportunity to gather his things and pack them.

“…I’ll be leaving. Good luck studying or whatever.”

“…Alright. Have—” fun, you wanted to say, but the door shut and Epel left you alone.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

8. Go through the silent treatment phase.

After a week of awkward conversations, Epel has forgotten about that talk. The pain in your chest dulled and you were growing indifferent as if you were watching a show—your life—that started to bore you, not engaging you at all.

You stared blankly at the screen of your phone.

— today —

Epel: Hey

Epel: are u free todya?? you’ve been so absent last weeks >:((

Epel: Grim and prefect invited us for gaming night

Epel: dont ya DARE do skip it again

— seen: now —

…Yeah. You feel nothing, maybe only a little sad at the memory when you felt so vivid and happy when you got a message from Epel.

“No, sorry, I am busy with studying lol,” you type, and while you know that excuse will wear out in the next few days, for as much as you’ve been using it for the last week to avoid hanging out with Epel, your (ex-?) best friend starts to type something. He will protest and argue and try to convince you, but you don’t want to talk today. “Maybe next time.”

So you turn off your phone, sinking deeper into the pillows on your bed.

You don’t have the energy to confront Epel right now.

And that’s it.

…

You fell into a slumber deep enough to not hear the hesitant-turned-frantic knocking to your room.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

9. Let Epel hear the advice of unreliable gurus of love.

They are really unreliable, look messy, and they judge you. The worst kind of people to go for (love?) advice, but Epel assures himself that he needs honesty, not a pat on his back or a shoulder to cry on. He also is out of other options.

Moreover, he would like to cry nowhere near Ace, who would obviously mock him. Even now it’s hard to have a heart-to-heart conversation when he and Deuce chomp on some type of dessert and some awfully happy music from videogame plays in the back of the room. “So? What did you do?”

“Ace,” Deuce is kind enough to elbow Ace in the stomach when Epel’s stoic expression falters.

His shoulders drop. “No, he… He is kinda right.”

Ace throws a winning smile but moves too far away from Deuce to have him punch him for the cheekiness. “’ Kinda’?”

“…Totally right,” Epel finally admits. “[Name] has been avoiding me and I have no idea what should I do,” He throws his arms on the table, and almost hides his face in the palms of his hands. Instead, he moves away the strands of his unruly hair. “Ugh. Why I am even asking you guys to help me? You’re even worse at this kind of thing.”

“Speak for yourself. And Deuce,” Ace cuts him off. And before Deuce can do anything else than glare at him, Ace shifts closer to Epel and throws an arm over his shoulder so he has to hunch. “Epel, question: what is “this kind of thing”. You mean… as in friendships or dating?”

Deuce looks shocked, even so more than Epel. “Dating?!”

“Why are you even so shocked?” Ace asks him, furrowing his eyebrows. When Deuce starts to ponder over his words, he rolls his eyes. “[Name] probably have had a crush on this imbecile”— he points his fork at Epel—” for damn years now, if I had to guess”.

“Years?!”

“Thank you for the dramatic echo effect again, Deuce,” Ace snarls and finally focuses on Epel. Too distracted with a bickering between his friends, his spirits lift up a little. “And you, Epel. Pull yourself together. Do you want to sever the relationship? Do nothing. Do you want to be friends? Apologize to [Name] and try to patch the bond. Do you want to be in a relationship? …Welp, figure out that for yourself.”

…

“Amazing advice, Ace,” Deuce claps his hands theatrically.

He sticks out his tongue and winks. “You could never give a better one.”

Epel gets up from his seat.

“Thanks, you two. I… will do something.”

“Good luck,” Ace waves at him as Epel makes his way over to the door. “If it works out, you owe us a free drink. Especially me.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

10. Have Epel fight for your love!!

It’s hard to find someone when the person knows your schedule and actively tries to avoid you. Choosing more roundabout corridors and sacrificing your wallet to have most of your meals in Monstro Longue instead of the cafeteria are only some of the things you did to avoid encountering Epel.

But he didn’t give up, and maybe his tenacity is what makes you oblige Epel once he finds you.

You don’t question him when he grabs your hand and asks you to skip the last lesson with him that feels almost unimportant as his intertwined fingers warm yours. You don’t comment on how his grip is stronger than usual and how he doesn’t let it go when your hands begin to sweat.

But as you leave the main building of NRC, the curiosity gets the better of you.

“Where are we heading to?”

Epel looks over his shoulder to blink at you. “I…,” he stammers, as confused enough to leave you wondering what is your final destination. Or what was your final destination, Epel seems to have forgotten whatever plan he had in mind. “I guess it can be here.”

He ushers you into one of the side alleys, a bit distanced from the main street and sits you down on a bench. You eye him curiously as he slowly lifts his hands to your face—and that is the first time he let go of your hand—and cupped your cheeks.

“Let me be clear. I- really like you,” he said loudly, gazing into your eyes. “And I know I… overreacted earlier. I’m sorry. I don’t want you to avoid me.”

You breathe out slowly. The heat from the “I really like you” moment prickles and makes your face hotter. It doesn’t help that Epel doesn’t shift his gaze from you nor that he has his hands firmly on your cheekbones as he awaits your answer.

“I’m… sorry. I shouldn’t have been getting between you and your friends.”

Epel eyes you, bewildered. “Why are you focusing on that part?”

“Huh?”

“Ah. Maybe… I will phrase it differently,” He hesitates and his tone wavers, but he says the words without a stutter, as if he’s been practising them in front of the mirror, effectively. “I love you.”

“And I- I want to be friends even if you don’t feel the same.” He rushes with an explanation when you don’t answer as your mind goes blank. “Because. I don’t want you to… avoid me anymore. A-actually, you don’t have to rush with your answer. Just, decide, someday, in the near future, haha? I will wait.”

He glances at you and you know he won’t be able to bear long without hearing your answer. As he rushes past you, you think you heard a hushed whisper.

“Dear Sevens, I said it…!”