In honor of Rollo's birthday, my friend commissioned me this, so I wanted to share it. Enjoy!
Rollo is a man that has a routine, and always follows it to a T. One of them includes waking up at 5 in the morning. He stood and went to the bathroom to get himself ready for the day.
Once he finished with his shower, he passed by the sink mirror. He stared in the mirror, at the reflection of himself, before sighing, exiting the bathroom to get dressed.
☔
At exactly 6:30am, he exited his house and the first thing he did was checking his mailbox, as he usually does. There's a few letters from his family, but he'll read them once he gets home. And of course, at this time his neighbor, a gentle old lady, was outside watering her plants and noticed him.
“Oh dear, good morning Rollo! Off to school now?” She greeted him cheerfully. He nodded, returning her greetings with a short one of his own. He doesn't see the need to ask, they always see each other every morning, yet she keeps repeating the same greetings, and he always responds with the same answer.
Not that he'll say that to her, though. He always made sure to keep his manner of speech polite.
With another curt nod to his neighbor, he set off to school.
☔
As soon as he stepped into the school ground, other students he passed by greeted him. He politely greeted them back, even if it annoys him. Really, why does everyone seem keen on exchanging greetings as though they don't meet every day? If you ask him, it's a waste of time. Those times they spent on greeting each other could be used on doing better stuff.
He sat at his desk in the student council office, and immediately started working on sorting the paperwork from the previous day. He still has time before class starts.
☔
By sunset, he had finished all necessary documents and had handed them to the dean, and he decided to take whatever he had yet to finish home, lest he feel restless with nothing to do. Of course, if he could, he would love to stay longer to finish all the remaining work, but alas, the school forbids entries after the usual working hour to all personnel, and he's no exception.
Thankfully, most students had already gone home for the day. He would rather not spend more time on idle chatter or small talk.
His house and the school are fairly close, so it doesn't take long for him to get home. As soon as he stepped inside, he immediately made his way to his study to finish the remaining work.
But he didn't get to take more than a single step when someone knocked on his door. He wasn't expecting anyone, so the sudden intrusion annoyed him.
At first, he decided to ignore it and went ahead to his study. If it's not urgent they can return another time. But the person is very persistent, knocking not twice, not thrice, but four times, with only a few seconds in between each knock. By the fifth time, it's clear they aren't backing down.
With a heavy sigh, he dropped his bag onto the living room sofa, and unlocked the door. He thought it'd be the vice president or other student council member, maybe even his neighbor needing his assistance with switching the lightbulb again.
He certainly didn't expect the prefect to be standing in his doorway.
You perked up as soon as you saw him. “Rollo! It's been a while!” greeted a very familiar voice. He looks down to see Grim, who's holding a gift box, smirking, “The great Grim is taking the time of his day to see you, you should be honored!” He said smugly.
Rollo’s eyes caught the big white box you're holding, alongside boxes that's wrapped beautifully under it, (he won't admit it but he's a bit impressed you're balancing it all in your arms without any of it slipping) but before he could say anything, you interject.
“Happy birthday!” You cheerfully exclaim, slightly holding up the boxes in your arms, carefully as to not drop any. “We're here to celebrate your birthday with you!”
He blinks. Right, it's his birthday, he had forgotten. It's nothing unusual though, he never really cared to celebrate it.
“I don't celebrate birthdays.” He stated blankly, unsure what to say. It didn't deter you, though. “Too bad, because I do.” You responded, your smile unmoving even at his cold demeanor. “We brought cake and gifts! Can we come in?”
‘No, leave.’ is what he would've answered had it been any other Night Raven College student, but this is the prefect, a magic-less person and someone, if not the only person, he tolerates.
And Grim, because of course. They're a package.
“Fine,” He said begrudgingly as he stepped aside, letting them both enter. “It would be rude not to.”
☂️
Once they're inside, he closed the door behind them. Grim seems to already make himself at home, floating around the house, looking around.
The prefect, on the other hand, put the boxes of, what he assumed are gifts, on the living room table, before moving on to the kitchen. He followed closely behind you.
“What are you doing?” He asked with his hand crossed as he watched you scavenging around his cabinets to take out some dishware. “Don't you know it's quite rude to intrude on someone's living space without asking?” He said with a raised brow, finger tapping on his forearm.
You simply hummed. “Well, you can't eat the cake without plates and utensils right?” you stacked the plates and put them aside as you opened the box, revealing a white cake with strawberries on the top.
“I wasn't sure what flavour you liked, so I went with the classic, vanilla.” You smiled. Pulling out a chair, beckoning Rollo to sit on it. “Today's your special day, so sit tight and I'll handle the serving!”
Rollo frowned. “I'm not a big sweet person.” He said, but sat down nonetheless. He's not sure why, he usually hates being around others for a long period of time, but he doesn't hate it when it comes to the prefect.
You unboxed the cake, carefully as to not damage or ruin it, and placed candles on top. You placed the last candle and stepped back to inspect your work. Grim hovered nearby, already eyeing the strawberries with blatant hunger.
“Can't we cut the cake already?! I'm starving!” Grim complained, flailing his hands.
You laughed, “Patience Grim, only one more thing!” You said, slapping Grim's hands(paws?) away as he keeps trying to steal one of the strawberries.
Rollo's arms crossed as he leaned back on his chair as he watched the scene. He watches as you take out a box of matches from your pocket. You light up one of the matches, missing how Rollo tensed up, and light up the candles.
He quickly relaxed his shoulders, not wanting to show any sign of distress. The soft glow of the candle reflected faintly in his eyes. Usually, the sight alone would make him feel…. unsettled, reminding him of that day. And while the unsettled feeling is present, it surprisingly doesn't feel unpleasant, unfamiliar, maybe, but certainly not unpleasant.
You stand back, smiling at your handy work, “Alright,” you turn to him. “Make a wish!” Rollo raised a brow.
“That's unnecessary.” He replied immediately. “I don't believe in ‘wishes’.”
You tilted your head, “Humor me.” you said, your smile undeterred. “Or, you don't have to wish for anything, just think of something you want!”
‘Isn't that basically the same thing?’ Rollo thought, but didn't say it out loud.
He hesitates, for a moment, he considered refusing outright, but seeing your expectant expression made him rethink.
“...Very well,” he said, at last.
He leaned forward slightly. Not closing his eyes like people usually would. Nor is he clasping his hands. Instead, he stared at the crackles of the fire (that is oddly soothing), mind racing.
Then, he blew out the candles, leaving traces of faint smoke in the air that left as quick as they appeared.
You clapped your hand. “Happy birthday Rollo!” You said cheerfully.
Grim jumped happily. “Finally! Now hurry and cut the cake, hench-human!” He demands. You chuckled as you began cutting the cake and plating it.
You passed one to Rollo first, your hand accidentally brushing against his. It was a small touch, barely a brush, barely noticeable.
Yet, Rollo stiffens.
You also paused, “Ah–sorry!” you said sheepishly, face tinted red in embarrassment.
“It's fine,” he said quickly, though he didn't pull his hand away immediately, ignoring the way his heart jumped.
Grim, oblivious as ever, immediately dove into his slice. “Mnn! Now that's what I'm talking about!” He cackled as he stuffed his mouth full. “See! Birthdays aren't so bad!”
Rollo ignored him. His attention diverted to the slice in his plate, before taking a tentative bite. You watch him do so with an expectant expression.
“... It's acceptable.” He admitted after a moment.
You smiled, “High praise coming from you.”
They engaged in small talks, but mostly stayed in comfortable silence. Well, other than Grim’s loud chewing and occasional comments.
☂️
Grim sighed contently, rubbing his stomach. “Now THAT'S some good stuff.” He cackled, patting his stomach before yawning. “All that food makes me sleepy. I'm gonna take a nap!” He announced as he floated to the living room. Probably to nap on the sofa. Rollo didn't even bother to scold him for being too comfortable, he simply tapped his finger on his forearm irritatedly.
You chuckled as you watched him float away, before standing up to collect the plates and stacking them. Rollo raised a brow at your action, silently asking, and of course, you noticed his questioning look.
“I can't let you do the dishes on your own birthday.” You said, carrying the stack to the sink. Rolling your sleeves, you're about to turn on the tap when a shadow looms over you. You turn around to see him already standing next to you.
“It would be rude to leave it to guests.” He said.
“I'm already here aren't I?” You counter, already starting to wash the dishes under Rollo's watch. He didn't say or do anything else, simply watched you. Instead, he takes a dry cloth, gesturing for you to pass the wet dishes to him. You did so wordlessly.
You stood side by side, working in a rhythm. You're close enough that he could feel the warmth of your presence. Each time you handed him a plate, your shoulder brushed against his.
This time, though, neither of you moved away immediately.
As you passed him one of the last plates, his hand worked slower. “You didn't have to do this,” he said quietly, eyes fixated on the plate.
“I know,” You replied just as softly, “but I want to.”
He turned his head to you before he knew he was doing it, realizing that you were closer than he thought. Close enough that he can see the slight curve of your lashes, the way your lips parted when you breathe.
Neither of you moved.
The kitchen felt smaller than it had a second ago. Too still, too quiet. The only sound was the drip of water from the tap. Even the distant ticking of the clock suddenly seemed too loud.
Rollo realized, distantly, he had stopped drying the plate in his hand.
Your movement had slowed too. The last plate hovered between you, waiting for him to take it off your hand. When you looked up, your gaze met his steady, unreadable one, unmistakably focused on you.
You were close.
Too close, by his standard.
Yet he couldn't help but focus on things he usually won't dwell on. Like the faint warmth rising to your cheeks, the way your breathing had gone shallow without you seeming to notice.
Without thinking, he leaned in.
You did the same.
For a moment, the world feels smaller.
The distance between you narrowed until it was measured in breaths. Your forehead almost aligned with his, the space between your faces warm and fragile, like glass stretched too thin. Rollo’s eyes flicked down for half a second, just long enough to realize how dangerously close your lips were.
The realization struck like cold water.
He stiffened, stepping back abruptly, the plate clinking softly as he set it down on the counter. His expression returned to something composed, his familiar expression, though his ears burned faintly beneath his hair.
“This is…sufficient,” he said, clearing his voice with a cough, making him sound steadier than he felt. “The dishes are done.”
You blinked, startled, then nodded, a small smile tugging at your lips. “Yeah. Looks like it.” you said, a hint of teasing in your tone as you tried pretending your cheeks aren't flushed from earlier.
An awkward silence followed, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. If anything, it felt…unfinished.
Rollo turned away first, hanging the cloth with more care than necessary. His thoughts were… unsettled. Not unpleasant, no, he would not describe it that way, but undeniably disruptive.
Once he dried his hands, he turned to walk back to the living room.
As he walked back toward the living room, he spoke again, quieter this time, without looking at you.
“…Thank you. For today.”
You turned to him in shock, wondering if you had misheard him somehow, but was only met with his retreating back.
It wasn't a grand gesture per se, but it's enough to make your heart flutter.
You finish drying your hand and quickly catch up to Rollo in the living room.
Book 8 is implied to be the international game of nrc vs rsa right? so imagine yuu meeting the rsa headmaster and when they told him about their problem/ trying to find their way back to their world, the headmaster was like "ah, but there is a way to send you back." Or something, like an ancient ritual or maybe just a simple high level spell that headmasters like himself or Crowley can achieve, and it turns out Crowley was hiding it from us.
Okay so I was talking with my friend about how the student council know Rollo as the type that likes to be by himself. And the first time he smiled among the group was while he talked to yuu (and grim)
And I imagine he barely show any emotions in front of them, so imagine their surprise when he smiled in front of the prefect.
"WHOA DID PRESIDENT JUST SMILED???"
And then it'll be a hot gossip among the stuco, to the point they even talked about it in their group chat.
"Our president smiled at one of the NRC student!!!"
"NO WAY?!?! He doesn't even smile at us!"
"Dude, should we really be talking about that here? President is also in the gc..."
"Nah it's alright, he never opened the gc in the three years he's been in it."
And Rollo, being chronically offline as he is, never understand why the students whispered as he passed them
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