Prompt: 'How Protective Are They? Continuation! -- Jade Leech, Rook Hunt, Lilia Vanrouge, and Jamil Viper Requisitioner: Rin! Warnings: None! Words: 4022! (Purchase: Custom Fiction.) A/N: Hello everyone! We've got another commission to be shared, requested over on my ko-fi! This one comes to you by the sponsor 'Rin!' -- Way back in the day, I wrote a fic detailing the TWST housewardens on a protectiveness scale in regards to their s/o. Rin asked me to bring that prompt back to surface and write for four characters of their choosing. Ah...I remember when I made that first post. I was reading the comments in the back of my calc II lecture and surely not thinking about solving proofs. Good times. If you would like to submit a commission of your own, feel free to check me out HERE! If you'd like to learn about my medical journey, view my rates, or learn why I'm accepting commissions. Click: HERE!
Jade Leech
9/10
Jade is often considered the more ‘reasonable’ Leech. That is the first mistake people always make. They assume that because he smiles politely and speaks with indoor manners that he is somehow the ‘safer’ twin. More approachable. Less…ah, driven to extremes.
Incorrect. Catastrophically incorrect. Need we be reminded that as youth, Jade was the more difficult son for his parents to handle.
You see, he is rather the possessive sort in a sense that by the time you realize how serious the situation has become, it’s already too late.
One day you realize he has memorized your class schedule. The next? He is silently appearing beside you before you even noticed someone else was there to be a bother. It is genuinely unsettling how quickly he materializes whenever you are uncomfortable. Sometimes before you realize the feeling is about to settle in.
You carry a shadow that is towering, one that swamps your own in broad daylight.
Physically, Jade is not clingy in the traditional sense. He is not hanging off your shoulder or demanding affection in public. In fact, he is oddly respectful of your space…which somehow makes him more overbearing? He simply has eyes in the walls. You grow accustomed to the sense of being watched over with time, as he is worse than a helicopter mom at disney world.
A hand on the small of your back while walking through crowds. Casually steering you away from danger like you are a shopping cart with a broken wheel. If someone becomes too loud or aggressive near you, Jade inserts himself into the situation before you can speak.
And seven help the sad sack who touches you without permission.
Jade does not explode like Floyd or bark threats like Leona. No. He politely dismantles people with a shark-took grin. One warning is spoken with that overly pleasant customer service voice and suddenly the entire room feels humid.
“Oh dear. I’m afraid you seem to have mistaken my partner for someone interested in your attention. How embarrassing for you.”
People at Mostro Lounge learn very quickly that your name is not one to use carelessly in conversation, unless they want Jade’s attention - and trust me, that is not a fun prize. Gossip in his domain? Unless he thinks it is relatively harmless and might yield a cute reaction from you…nuh-uh-uh.
Jade understands social warfare better than nearly anyone at NRC. He knows secrets. Everybody has secrets. Azul collects contracts but Jade collects information, and if someone threatens your reputation? Congratulations. They have just volunteered for psychological warfare against a man who enjoys sampling poisonous mushrooms in his free time. Very Mao-Mao from ‘Apothecary Diaries’ core.
If someone DOES spread rumors about you? They tend to disappear before they gain traction. It is almost magical. One moment there is gossip circulating around NRC and the next the students involved are apologizing to you with sweat dripping down their backs while Jade stands nearby smiling like a proud parent at a piano recital.
You never find out what he did to make it happen. Snitches get stitches, you can ask whomever you like. No one is about to get on a Leech’s bad side. Especially anyone from the Coral Sea…they like having their gills intact, thank you very much.
In fact…your social circle seems to thin out. No one you’d miss, certainly. Anyone worth keeping around is already known by you before Jade’s fancy was stuck, after all. He just has a ‘quality’ that keeps bottom feeders away.
Jade is significantly more possessive than he pretends to be. He acts amused when people flirt with you. Smiles. Tilt his head. You’d think him entirely unbothered, if not for the slight twitch of his lower eyelid.
Meanwhile he’s mentally ranking the best burial locations on his usual mountain trails. He won’t do it. Just…let him tinker. He can only tolerate so much audacity from these people after all.
Unlike Floyd’s explosive jealousy, Jade’s comes in the form of increased politeness. That’s how you know he is upset. The sweeter he sounds, the worse the situation is. If someone is heavily flirting with you, Jade becomes attached to your side for the rest of the day. He won’t intrude unless you explicitly ask – discounting the times you’re unaware of his presence – but he does expect you to shrug the plebs off. Make an effort or his ire might have you backed up against a wall later that night.
Make no comment when he casually mentions your relationship status every three sentences either. Subtly, as he watches the offender making a move on you crumple like the trash they are and evaporate from his sight. Yet…if it continues beyond flirtations? If someone dares to make a vulgar comment at you?
His terrariums gain new fertilizer.
No, because seriously. There is no situation where he’d let any sort of objectification or crude remark slide. Not interesting. Not funny. The only tolerable admiration is watching bottomfeeders deflate as they realize he’s already got the best pickings of the land. He can and will cut their tongues out.
“My, what a vulgar thing to say. I do hope for your sake that you simply misspoke…though judging by your expression, I suspect not. How unfortunate. Shall we continue this conversation somewhere private? People do become rather forgetful when they are trying to impress someone who is already spoken for, don’t they? ”
Jamil Viper
7/10
Jamil does not WANT to be protective.
That is important to understand first and foremost.
He already has enough responsibilities. Enough people depending on him. Enough stress. The last thing he needs is another person to worry over and yet somehow…there you are. Sitting comfortably in the center of his thoughts like you pay rent there. Mm.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
He’s a bit of his own worst nightmare. Jamil finds a partner who is competent insanely attractive. Nothing gets him going like a show of power…but his brain doesn’t have an ‘off’ switch. So he naturally tries to take charge in most situations and has a terrible time letting his guard down.
Because now he has to think about things like whether you ate today. Whether you got enough sleep. Whether Ace and Grim dragged you into another near death experience. He catches himself scanning crowds for your face automatically and gets irritated every single time he realizes he is doing it.
Just his luck that he’s fallen for the person with the self-preservation skills of a mosquito…ha..haha..hahaha.
Physically, Jamil is surprisingly attentive. Not overbearing, but hyperaware. He notices exhaustion before you say anything. Notices when your social battery dies. Notices when you are forcing yourself to smile through discomfort. He’s used to reading people.
He is the type to silently pull you away from overwhelming situations under the guise of something casual.
“Come help me with this for a second.”
Suddenly you are outside getting fresh air while he pretends to sweep the outer courtyard. .
Jamil is not loud about protecting you because loud attention is dangerous in his mind. He prefers subtle control over situations. Strategic positioning. Standing between you and someone sketchy without making a scene. Steering conversations away from topics that upset you. Making sure you get back to Ramshackle safely even if he acts like it is an inconvenience.
And yes. He absolutely keeps track of where you are. Give him your phone so he can add you to Life360. Just do it.
Not in a creepy way. In a “if something happens to you I will have a stress-induced migraine” way. He gets pissed when Grim takes your phone though. The headmaster seriously has you both sharing one? Just…look, take his old one. Don’t tell Kalim either. He’ll 100%% get you the newest model with an unlimited data plan, but Jamil isn’t about to have someone else doing what he can do for you just fine. Especially Kalim.
He especially hates when you wander around NRC late at night alone. This school has entirely too many weirdos, overblot incidents, and students with magical superiority complexes. The moment he finds out you went somewhere dangerous by yourself he is giving you ‘That Look’.
You know the one.
Socially, Jamil is vicious in the pettiest ways possible.
He does not have the authority of someone like Riddle nor the intimidation factor of Leona, so instead he weaponizes competence. If someone is rude to you publicly? Congratulations. Jamil is about to make them look stupid in front of everyone.
Not directly, of course. That would be messy.
But suddenly they are fumbling their words during class presentations because Jamil “helpfully” pointed out inconsistencies in their work. Suddenly they are losing arguments they thought they could win. Suddenly every flaw they have becomes painfully obvious because Jamil knows exactly how to press people until they crack.
He has years of experience surviving court politics. Some random teenager is light work.
The thing is, Jamil gets especially protective over your image because he understands what it feels like to have people make assumptions about you. So rumors? Harassment? People trying to paint you negatively? He…is guilty of doing that to others.
So he is able to detect the early signs of someone scheming. No one’s ripping at your confidence. He’ll end them.
Not only because he cares about you, but because he genuinely cannot stand unfairness directed toward someone he loves. You become one of the very few people he allows himself to prioritize emotionally and he takes that seriously.
Now jealousy?
…Yeah. Yeah Jamil has issues.
Not outwardly at first. He tries SO hard to play it cool. He tells himself he is being irrational. That you can handle yourself. That he trusts you.
Then he sees someone flirting with you too comfortably and suddenly his eye is twitching.
Jamil’s jealousy manifests through hovering and passive aggression. He starts inserting himself into conversations uninvited. Interrupting. Pulling you away under flimsy excuses. Offering to do things for you before someone else can. Oh, he is burning. That ego he tries to keep under a tarp is coming out at full force.
And the sass?
Unmatched.
“Oh? You suddenly developed interest in my partner after ignoring them for months? What a fascinating coincidence…sorry, what’s your name again?”
The worst part is that Jamil absolutely notices when people are attracted to you before they even realize it themselves. One lingering glance and he is already annoyed.
He also DESPISES overly touchy people around you. No one gets a pass. Kalim really pisses him off, but he has to bite it down. At least there’s the comfort of knowing it’s strictly platonic but still.
Your little first-year group? He has so much beef with Ace it isn’t funny. That ******* knows exactly what he’s doing whenever he slings an arm over your shoulder. Floyd? Every basketball practice is one where Jamil is tempted to spike the ball at the back of his head. He tolerates Grim, knowing that the menace is going to be there until the day you both die.
And if someone thinks to pass a vulgar comment? A cat-call? Mm. Patience isn’t always a virtue.
Jamil’s entire expression flattens like someone turned his emotions off manually. He gets cold in a way that makes people instinctively backpedal. Unlike some of the others, he is less likely to threaten violence and more likely to verbally flay someone alive with frightening precision.
He knows exactly what insecurities to target too. Doesn’t matter who it is. He can pick them apart in a few short moments.
“You know, confidence is attractive in moderation. Unfortunately for you, this is just embarrassing.”
Rook Hunt 8.5/10
Dating Rook is like accidentally befriending a very affectionate cryptid.
One day you are minding your business and the next you hear rustling in the trees followed by an enthusiastic Frenchman praising the way sunlight reflects off your hair. There is no such thing as privacy anymore. Not because Rook wishes to control you, but because he genuinely enjoys your existence so much that he cannot help orbiting around you constantly.
He is EVERYWHERE.
The scary thing? Half the time you do not even notice him until he speaks.
“Ah! Trickster! The way you leap away in surprise reminds me of a startled doe. Magnifique!”
Cardiac arrest. Immediate cardiac arrest. He ceases for the rest of the day but then is right back at it the next.
At first his protectiveness does not even register because Rook treats everything with fascination. He watches everyone. Compliments everyone. Appears out of nowhere for everyone. So naturally, you assume his attention toward you is just part of his personality.
Then you realize he has been tailing you across campus for three hours because you mentioned feeling unsafe walking alone after dark.
Romantic.
Terrifying, but romantic.
This man has the instincts of a hunting dog and the perception of a military drone.
You are never unsafe around him.
Ever.
Physically, Rook is actually extremely protective. Far more than people expect. Underneath all the theatrics and poetry is someone with terrifying awareness of his surroundings. Rook notices danger instantly. The shift in someone’s body language. A suspicious movement in the crowd. The subtle signs someone intends harm.
A student reaching for their pen? He sees it. Someone following you through the halls? Already aware. Suspicious noises outside Ramshackle at night? He is perched somewhere nearby like a Victorian gargoyle with a bow in hand. Sorry Malleus. This one is not fit for your club to study…unless?
Ahem. You genuinely cannot sneak up on this man.
And because of that? Nobody sneaks up on you either.
The issue is that Rook treats protecting you like an act of devotion. He enjoys it. Not in a creepy controlling way but in a “the hunter safeguards what he treasures most” way.
And unlike some of the others, Rook is willing to get physical FAST if he thinks you are genuinely threatened. People forget that beneath the dramatic monologues and layers of concealer is a man who hunts for fun.
For FUN.
One second someone is getting too aggressive with you. The next Rook is suddenly behind them smiling with their wrist pinned up against their back.
“Ah ah~ I would reconsider your actions, mon trésor’s comfort is far more important to me than your pride.”
The thing about Rook is that he rarely ‘sounds threatening. Which somehow makes him infinitely worse. He says horrifying things with the same tone someone would use to compliment flowers.
And LORD help the poor soul that genuinely hurts you somehow.
Rook becomes the physical manifestation of “I know where you live.”
His little ‘Oo la la~’ pitch that carries in the wind like fallen leaves suddenly turns into Krampus incarnate. Deep, guttural, and spoken directly into the perpetrator’s ear with a promise for something much worse than a beating with a straw broom and some coal in their stocking.
“Aha. No. We are not looking at mon coheur in such a manner. You may apologize now, or I will be forced to consider alternative persuasion. Un, deux, toi –”
Socially, Rook is extreamly supportive rather than controlling. He absolutely hypes you up constantly. Shamelessly….it’s very much the ‘Wear whatever you want, my darling. I know how to fight’ dynamic amped to maximum overdrive.
He will praise you in front of literally anyone with zero shame. Your intelligence, your beauty, your habits, the way your eyes crinkle when you laugh—nothing is safe from his admiration. At first people think it is exaggeration because surely no one can speak this poetically about their partner twenty-four hours a day.
No. He means every word.
The issue is that this also means he becomes deeply offended when others speak poorly of you. Rook values beauty in all forms and to insult someone he treasures? Mon dieu. The audacity.
Rook does not argue normally. He psychoanalyzes people like he is peeling an orange. Someone makes fun of you once and suddenly Rook is smiling thoughtfully while pointing out all the hidden insecurities fueling their behavior.
In front of everyone.
“Oh? Such cruelty toward someone so radiant…could it be envy, perhaps? How unfortunate. To possess eyes capable of witnessing beauty and yet remain unable to appreciate it.”
Murder. Actual murder.
And because Rook is naturally charismatic, people listen to him. He can spin social situations terrifyingly fast. One minute someone is mocking you and the next they are being publicly pitied by half the room while Rook comforts you dramatically like the star actor of a tragedy play.
But jealousy? Hah! Listen.
Rook is a strange creature because he simultaneously understands why people are attracted to you while also wanting to put them in the ground for acting on it.
He appreciates beauty. Of course others admire you! How could they not? To him your existence is practically artwork.
So when others pursue you, he does not see them as something to dismiss. No. No. He will acknowledge their challenge…and you will find no one more competitive. He wants to win.
Which means the flirting somehow becomes worse. He is a peacock spreading its feathers while aiming a shotgun with its beak.
You think one person complimenting you is bad? Congratulations. Rook is now reciting poetry while kissing your hand in front of them with enough intensity to make bystanders uncomfortable.
He becomes unbelievably touchy too. Draping himself over your shoulders. Holding your waist. Tilting your chin toward him while maintaining eye contact with whoever dared flirt with you. If they want you, then they’ll have to offer you better than what he can provide. Which is impossible, because Rook spares no effort in ensuring you have everything you could ever want.
And if someone says something vulgar about you?
…they have a ten second head start.
Rook does not mind admiration, he encourages all beauty to be appreciated, but crude lust disgusts him. In his eyes it reduces something precious into something cheap and tawdry. He takes it personally, like someone smeared mud over a painting.
He merely teases the brim of his hat, ducks his chin low, and fixes the offender with sharp eyes and the terrifying realization that this man could absolutely hit a bullseye through their skull from fifty yards away.
“You speak of them so carelessly…how terribly sad. To witness something so precious and reduce it to vulgarity. I highly suggest you choose your next words with greater care, monsieur. ”
Lilia Vanrouge
6.5/10
At first glance, Lilia does not seem protective at all.
If anything, he encourages chaos.
Go explore dangerous places! Fight strong opponents! Experience life! Make reckless memories! Half the time it feels like he is actively encouraging your bad decisions while Sebek is somewhere nearby having a stress-induced aneurysm over it.
Lilia is not controlling. Not even remotely. Rather than stop you from pursuing danger, he’s walking into it at your side.
He does not hover over your shoulder monitoring who you speak to or where you go. He will not cage you up “for your safety” because frankly? That sounds dreadfully boring to him. Lilia fell in love with YOU. Your spirit. Your freedom. Your ability to live fully despite fear.
Why would he take that away?
No, if you are with Lilia then you are expected to spread your wings and enjoy life to its fullest. He wants stories. Excitement. Late night walks, spontaneous adventures, troublemaking, dancing on rooftops because “the moon looks lovely tonight.”
He treats love like something alive. Something meant to grow unrestrained instead of being locked away. He’s waited seven-hundred years for this chance and will not waste a second of it.
Which honestly makes people underestimate him terribly.
Because while Lilia is not overprotective in everyday situations…
He IS an elder fae. Even those of lower status are raised not to take matters of the heart lightly. Your soul is an extension of his own.
The man could probably locate you in a foreign country with nothing but a vague description and a prayer. You will be halfway across campus thinking you're alone only to hear his voice from a tree branch.
"My, my. Fancy seeing you here."
He truly is an extension of your person now. While not tethered for centuries, he is quite fond of being a phantom limb of yours.
Which becomes obvious the moment someone truly threatens you. He does not mince his words or offer mercy to those who threaten his family. Kingscholar was very fortunate to be spared after targeting Malleus during the spelldrive tournament during your first year in wonderland. Remember how brutal Lilia’s words struck.
There is a massive difference between Lilia finding your recklessness amusing and someone else harming you intentionally. One earns laughter. The other earns silence.
And silence from Lilia Vanrouge is one of the most terrifying things a person can experience.
Because Lilia does not posture.
He does not threaten.
He does not growl warnings or puff out his chest.
He simply decides that someone is dangerous.
Then acts accordingly.
People often forget that beneath the jokes, the gaming addiction, and the culinary war crimes is a former general. A man who spent hundreds of years protecting a royal family through actual conflict. Lilia has survived war. Buried friends. He knows exactly how far he is willing to go for the people he loves.
Which is as far as his body can take him. Lilia would die for you without hesitation.
Not in the romanticized “I’d take a bullet for you” way either. In the very literal, non-negotiable sense that he has already accepted the possibility long ago. Loyalty is woven into Lilia so deeply that protecting his loved ones is practically instinctual.
Which is why anyone who thinks otherwise, dares to even tinker with the thought of harming you, is scheduling an audience with General Vanrouge.
Socially, Lilia is surprisingly relaxed. He has lived too long to care about petty gossip (although he does enjoy hearing it). Rumors roll off him like water because honestly? Most students at NRC are children to him mentally. Why would he value their opinions over yours?
That being said, he DOES care if the rumors genuinely hurt you.
Not because your reputation reflects on him, but because he cannot stand seeing someone he loves feel isolated or targeted. Lilia knows what loneliness feels like better than most people ever will. He still will not intervene though, not beyond offering a distraction to make you smile.
Honestly? He finds caring about that sort of thing silly. With time you’ll understand and think the same, of that he’s certain.
If someone dislikes you, they dislike you.
If someone talks badly about you, then they are showing their own character.
Most of the time he laughs it off. "Mhmm. Are they finished? Goodness, they seem to think about you more than I do."
Now jealousy?
Pshh. Manageable. A dime in a dozen.
Lilia feels secure in your relationship. He does not panic over every passing flirtation because he trusts you and frankly finds some situations funny. Watching younger students awkwardly attempt to woo you while he sits nearby smiling into his tea is genuinely entertaining to him.
He especially enjoys making them nervous. “Oh? Trying to court my darling? My my, how brave~”
Although he is not against blipping in if harmless flirtations progress to crude vulgarity or a breach of boundaries. Which is unfortunately common with youth that possess egos with more concentrated power than the sun. The moment someone dares to say something genuinely degrading about your person, he eases in with the air of someone far superior and reminds the offender to view a specific chapter in their history textbook. He normally isn’t fond of his pictures in those books, but surely they have their uses.
“Tsk, what an ugly thing to say. Careful now…there are far crueler creatures in this world than me, child. You ought to learn some manners before you meet one.”
