Hi! I know I haven't written for a few long time, but I suddenly had inspiration with my previous fantasy creature AU for Blooming Panic! Finally the reader is able to meet the fantasy LIs
Previous posts of this AU:
Fantasy LIs
Fantasy LIs First Meets
In this, MC is a magic-user. This one is also only Xyx and Toast because of how long they were becoming and I didn't want to rush Owl's and Quest's.
1.5k words. Enjoy! :)
Xyx
You were most definitely lost.
You could’ve sworn this was a path to the closest village from your cabin out in the woods. You had run out of supplies of the spell that keeps your garden in harvesting year round, and winter was fast approaching. You could see it from the way the nights came sooner, colder and darker with every day.
You had thought that the village was southeast of your cabin, but as the sunlight slowly became dimmer, you had less and less confidence. Especially when it came to the point that you had wished you had brought the lantern that guided you through darkness. It was only a matter of time til you were trying to find a clearing or cave to stay in for the night under the light of the moon.
“You look lost, coming around here.”
You had just gotten near a clearing in front of a cave when you heard the voice come from behind you in the forest. It made you whip around, one hand immediately summoning a flame, something you were hesitant to do beforehand with how little magic you had.
The warm lighting revealed a tall man just a few paces behind you, emerald eyes immediately glinting off the light. His head flinched with the new brightness, causing glimmers across his cheeks and neck, scales reflecting gold.
Dragon shifter.
“I’m not looking for trouble. Just for a place to stay for the night.” You kept your voice strong, holding back the urge to step back. It sent a chill down your spine how close he got before revealing his presence, making you take a glance around to make sure he was the only one.
He held his hands up, tsking softly at your clear guard up. “Hey, hey, no need to get all skittish. I should be the one on edge, getting real close there.” He nods his head toward the cave behind you.
You took a spare glance back to the cave, looking back to him with suspicion. It took a few moments for it to set in what the cave could be. “....That's a cave you shift or shed in, isn’t it?”
“Who wants to know, hm? You haven’t been the clearest in your intentions here, ya know.”
He had a point.
“... I’m a magic user from the northwest. I was trying to find the nearby village again, as I ran out of supplies for one of my garden spells. I’ve been traveling all day, but I seem to be lost.”
The man snorted a bit, dropping his hands at the same time that he raised an eyebrow, a grin coming to his lips. “The village? The village is a day's trip from here. Must be a terrible liar, or one to forget that the village is a multiple day trip from wherever you’re coming from.”
It hit you when he said the latter option. You had forgotten it was a multiple day walk, because last time you had help from another magic-user that lent you their broom. It had been a half day flight at your novice pace, but a two-day walk.
At seeing your shoulders slump, the man hesitated for a moment before starting to walk towards the cave. “C’mon. I can go one more night without shifting. You’ll owe me some gold though!”
Your eyes widened at such an offer from the shifter, but as you watched him go past towards the cave, you felt a sense of relief. While staying the night with someone you just met for the first time wasn’t the most ideal, being close to a dragon in your favor is the safest.
As you followed behind him, you asked, “What should I call you?”
A hum followed, emerald eyes glancing behind to you. “.... Call me X for now.”
“X? What's with the nickname?”
The grin returned. “What's the fun of giving you info you ask for the first time? You gotta work for it, just like you’ll have to make a pretty good breakfast if you want me to give you a fly to the village tomorrow.”
Oh boy… What had you gotten yourself into?
Toast
It had been a fairly quiet day at the bookshop. With the lack of customers, you had been able to tackle a good portion of the bookshop that you had been putting off since before you could remember.
The previous owner of the shop sold it to you after you had been the only worker there for years, and he had gotten tired of the maintenance that came with the mass of books. Luckily for you, you had your magic on your side, but magic could only do so much against the giant pile of disarrayed books in the far back corner. It seemed like every time you chipped away at it, it became worse.
At sundown now from coming in early that morning, you had been able to get most of the books out of the pile. Repairing damages of such books took just a tap of magic, but also required time, and so did setting them somewhere to be organized later into their already full sections. This also resulted in small stacks of books now being all over the shop. It made you sigh looking down the aisles to see them all about.
Just as you were thinking if maybe this called for the whole shop to be reorganized, the bell above the door rang. The small sound made you perk up from where you had moved behind the counter to sit for a break. You looked over to the door, shocked when you had to look a bit higher than usual to the very tall person who had come in.
“Ah… are you still open…? It looks like you’re cleaning…” They furrowed their brows as they glanced around, and you felt embarrassment that a customer had to see your shop looking a bit like a twister had gone through it.
“Oh yes! I’m sorry for the mess, I’m working on getting through a pile of damaged books, and didn’t realize we’re so overstocked.”
“Oh, I see.” The person’s eyebrows eased, only to furrow again when turning and seeing you. His pale blue eyes seemed to assess you for a moment behind his round glasses, more confused than upset. “Are you the new owner? You don’t look like that old man enough to be his family.”
Surprised by such a direct question and assessment, you nodded. “I was the only worker of the old owner, and he sold it to me. I’ve had it only for a short time.”
“I see.” They walked closer, glancing downward occasionally to make sure they didn't knock over any stacks of books, soft pink-blonde hair only kept back by the braid it was in. The closer they got, the more you had to crank your head back bit by bit, til they were on the other side of the counter. “Can I have your name?”
“No, you can’t, but you can call me [Nickname].” The automatic response surprised both you and him, making him double take. For a moment he looked angry, but then his face started turning pink, anger changing out for embarrassment as he slowly put his head in his hands and bent over the counter.
“Shit… Sorry, I didn't mean to ask it that way. Gods, that was so embarrassing, that's the first rule of asking people their names.” They grumbled before slowly lifting their head to look up to you. “I’m an elf, I promise, but I understand if you still don’t trust me with your name.”
Your eyes widened, waving your hands. “No no, it's okay! It's second nature for me to respond that way, don’t worry.”
He slowly nodded, straightening up and clearing his throat as he looked away. “I’m an old customer. I haven’t been here for a few decades, so I should’ve suspected it would be bought or passed on to someone.”
Decades? They didn’t even look like they had hit 30 yet, the barest hint of stubble on their chin. It was always hard to remember that immortal beings could look so young for so long.
“I appreciate you coming back after so long. What brings you back after all this time?”
“I had moved to a smaller village north of here, but I’ve read all their books in their shop. I was hoping you had some new ones by now…” He took another look around. “But it looks like you need more help organizing.”
You couldn’t help but agree with them. At this pace, it would take you weeks to completely reorganize the whole shop to be able to fit the repaired books, even with your magic.
“Would… you be willing to help out?” At the raised eyebrows you received, you quickly spoke to attempt to explain. “I’m sorry to ask you when we just met, but I have no one else to help me, and you need books to read.”
They looked at you like you were crazy – which, granted, you were when you had never met them before – for a moment before contemplating how much free reading it could mean to help out organize.
Hello everyone! I have been absent as of late because I am creating a game named Sailing the Divorseas! Its a game for Otome Jam 2022, where you create an otome game within two months!
Its a game about being recently divorced, and going to group therapy with other divorcees, where you have possibilities of new love! Here is the synopsis:
Recently divorced, you’ve lost yourself in a hurricane of heartache. After speaking with your therapist, it's about time for you to go after a fresh start. This leads to seeing new and old faces, all familiar heartbreak. Will your ship lose its way or will you steady the course?
My lovely co-director, lead programmer and I will be taking any questions about it on the tumblr @divorseas before the demo releases at the end of this month! Please keep in mind the pinned post!
Recently divorced, you’ve lost yourself in a hurricane of heartache. After speaking with your therapist, it's about time for you to go after a fresh start. This leads to seeing new and old faces, all familiar heartbreak. Will your ship lose its way or will you steady the course?
Welcome to the Divorseas Tumblr page! Here we'll answer your questions about our game and it's lore! Just know that this funny little game is a work in progress, with the demo coming out by the end of Otome Jam 2022!
Y'all will get what we give you until it's time /lh
Anyway, for our grand opening of this beloved tumblr page, our ask box is ready for ya! You'll either get Ty, Dusk, or Lee answering it so be warned!
Have fun!
- The Divorseas Dev Team
Okay, for anyone who doesn't know the context of this fic, I wish you luck tryna figure it out. Because I will not be giving context. Just have fun with the chaos that is this fic. Oh, and the fact that I didn't edit or beta read LOL.
Word count: 1.5k
You thought you were prepped for this spin class. Apparently, you were not.
Doing a spin class on its own was fine. Doing a spin class where you were surrounded with hot people that you had no clue how to interact with outside of the class? Not good.
It didn’t start out bad. You were invited by the instructor, Lady, who was very sure you’d enjoy this class. The word class was also more of a loose term, since while she said she was instructing, it was also a socializing thing for this particular group.
She would bother you constantly about how the spin class would be good for you to meet new people, and potentially new romance. Apparently most of the class was single, and in her words, “Need to seriously get into relationships. I'm tired of being the love life coach.”
When you were thinking about who might be attending a spin class, you thought maybe an average group of people. Just getting their work out in and chatting together if they could. Maybe make a friend or two from those who had bicycles next to you.
Oh boy, were you wrong. The entire class was immediately interested in Lady’s friend who would soon become their new friend. Which led to you discovering that they were all a friend group, and this was one of the activities they did together. No wonder that Lady called them odd names: they were all in a Discord server and refused to use actual names.
The guy with some of the biggest muscles you had seen had taken the bicycle next to you in the first class. Quest, his username was. You had to admit, when he first sat down, it was intimidating. But you were quickly proven wrong, as he had one of the warmest smiles when asking for your name.
He was kind and courteous to you, trying to help get you in the groove of the class. While he obviously did not need to, he kept the beginners-level speeds with you. He also was the one to invite you into the Discord, wanting to make sure you weren’t kept out of the loop or like an outsider. His entire presence was so welcoming.
Quest was the one that made friends with you the soonest. He gave little bits of advice in between listening to Lady, and would occasionally check on you. He felt somewhat equal to a coach himself, making sure you drank water.
The second person you made friends with was the guy that went with the user Nightowl. You decided immediately just to call him Owl, with how his head would turn this and that way to chat with everyone in the class.
He seemed very bright and happy when the classes were in the afternoon. He was practically a walking corpse the few occasions the classes were in the morning instead.
The reason he moved to the bike on the other side of you was funny to think back on. He had been arguing with one of the others, who had the odd nickname of Onion. Despite the names, they were both taking a conversation about fidget spinners far too seriously. On Owl’s side, fidget spinners should be taught about in a spin class. Onion called that outright dumb.
Anyways, the argument got so out of hand that Lady had to move Owl next to you. She gave you a shrug when she did it, basically telling you to ignore the bickering. Which was hard to do at first, but then Owl turned his head your way and started asking questions. He seemed to brighten back up the more you talked, even if he occasionally mentioned being sour about the fidget spinner conversation.
He seemed far more interested in learning about your hobbies than doing the actual spin class. He would lean forward on the bike, arms crossed on the handles as he kept his head your way. At some points, you found yourself reminding him that this was a class for them to work out in. Luckily, he understood, and continued to socialize with everyone instead of solely focusing on you.
It was around that time that Quest decided to leave the other side of you, instead going to Two’s aid, like how he had been before. He continued to talk with you through the server, however, as did everyone. He would help June encourage Two the most in the class, taking turns being supportive.
That's when you got who you least expected to join at your side: Xyx. The class-clown had mainly kept to the back of the class, making jokes between him and Salo. Salo only knew what half of the jokes meant, but would laugh anyways along with the younger man. So when he decided to take Quest’s old spot, you were in for a world of chaos.
And you were absolutely right. He would lean over occasionally to whisper jokes to you, grinning wide when you would try your best to hold in your laughter. He would raise his hands in a surrender gesture whenever someone else would call him out for it, saying he was just being welcoming to the newbie.
The most disruptive class was when he brought up how he was interested in fish. First, it was all sounding normal, talking about some beautiful fishes, or some interesting fish. You realized later it was him bringing you into a false sense of security, as he then started talking about anglerfish. He seemed to be unable to give up the fact that “a lamp that can swim is far too aggressive than it needs to be.”
It was you that had to be moved bikes the next class, as while Lady encouraged some of the chaos, she did not trust Xyx’s chaos combined with your inability to laugh quietly.
You decided a good bike to be at was the constantly-empty one next to Toast. While the person had a funny username in the server, you were glad to only call them Toast in person. They seemed a bit hesitant to welcome you to sit next to them, but accepted it anyway.
At first, they were a bit quiet, mainly listening to the chatter and Lady. But then you brought up how you didn’t see them talk much on the server, and that seemed to set off their talkative side.
He explained how he very much wanted to talk with everyone, but his keyboard broke recently and he was waiting for a new one. For the time being, he was stuck using the on-screen accessibility keyboard, which takes quite a while when you have to click every letter. He gave up after having to send five very slowly made messages and getting mocked for it by Xyx.
You were glad you figured that out, as you feared that maybe they just didn’t like you entering the friend group. It made you relieved that everyone was accepting of you so far.
Toast and you would end up having small chatter here and there, able to become friends quicker once he had a working keyboard. Made everything ten times faster and easier once he was able to use all the keys, instead of just the vowels.
For a while there, it seemed Lady had created a… circulation for everyone. You had noticed after a few more switches that she was keeping you around the main four bachelors. You were half-tempted to call her out for her not-so-speedy version of speed dating, but enjoyed the changing conversations and interactions. So left it be.
Until, of course, Lady canceled class at the last minute. Her excuse was that she forgot that it was a full moon, and had promised to one of her witch friends that she would help out with some things. You didn’t believe her until you saw her in another group chat, talking about such plans to help that exact witch friend.
The only thing is that she had canceled at the moment where it was only you and the four main bachelors at the class studio.
Oh god, Lady was making you choose who to hang out with, wasn’t she?
… Well, while it wasn’t conventional, it sure was effective. Within ten minutes of chatting with the four, they each offered their own hang out ideas.
Quest was offering to use it as a lighter work out day, where the two of you go on a walk together.
Owl was offering to make it a ‘cheat day’, where the two of you could stuff your faces full of junk food.
Xyx was offering to go on a ‘joy ride’ as he put it, reminding you that he had a motorcycle and extra helmet ready at any time.
Toast seemed the most shy with their offer, to go to an arcade and play games, or if you wanted to come over so they could teach you about Final Fantasy.
Lady, the genius of a woman, just perfectly set you up with four people.
Question for all of you: I'm curious as to why you connected to the characters so much despite the demo being very fluffy? You can respond here or in an ask 🤔
Putting my answer to the connection question here because I fear character limits LOL. I personally believe the characters were connected to so well because of not only how realistic they are, but how realistically portrayed they are.
Each character has their individual personalities, along with similarities and differences between them all. You’re able to make your own assumptions on which duos/groups would work best and which are asking for trouble.
With how all the information is revealed, too, you don't feel like you’re in a game. You feel as if you opened up the group chat of your closest friends. There's no information about the characters that's told, but it's all instead naturally revealed.
Sure, there are pieces where the player is told things, but they're not being told as they would in a book-style visual novel. They're told in the way of "oh yeah I forgot to mention this about myself" sort of feel, if that makes sense.
With the characters themselves, each one feels more like a friend than a character, as I mentioned.
I feel like I could talk for hours with Brooklyn about our collections of antiques. Like I could ask Alexei to teach me about some of his research topics. Maybe I could go to Leo to support me in a hard time, and I could go to Tobias and Rory to lift my spirits in their own ways. Milo would for sure love playing the role of lurkers with me.
It makes me adore them all not only as characters, but as people that I can slowly learn more and more about.
Overall: Wonderful writing, and wonderful characters. Thank you so much for making this game and bringing your visions to life for all to enjoy.
The lovely itograpes from the blooming panic server said I could write this, and oh boy, did I go overboard and possibly off the main idea. This is also from Brooklyn's perspective, so you're able to see his emotions almost fully!
Enjoy! ~2.5k words
Brooklyn had been serving as your butler for quite a long time. Since your public debut at 18 had been in planning. He remembered entering the palace, wondering how long it would take him to be your butler, if at all, only to be appointed the role within the month.
Most of high society, along with Brooklyn himself, wondered how he got appointed the role so quickly. Sure, he was the son of a Marquess, but he hadn’t expected his rank to rise so quickly to be considered the Crown Royal’s new butler. He was honored, however, and continued to appreciate it every day.
At the beginning, rumors surrounded him. “Favoritism” some nobles would whisper behind their fans, thinking of how the Marquess was a cousin of the Queen. “Bribe” others would say with a sour look on their faces, talking about despite the title, his house was as rich as a Duke’s. Some would outright turn their backs to him as he approached.
He felt it was stupid to allow their words get under his skin. He had been raised in and taught about high society and its rules. Instilled in his mind that he shouldn’t allow the sharp tongues and sly ways of other aristocrats to get stuck in his mind. He would need a sharper tongue and be as sly as a fox to survive fully in high society.
Yet there he was, inside a small sitting room, taking a breather while you attended one of your lessons. He had gone out of his way to make sure it was a sitting room no one else frequented. He didn’t wish for any rumors about him being too weak for the job to spread. Let alone for the elder butlers and maids to see him like this.
So it made him jump up to his feet when he heard the door creak open. Surprise and some anxiety filled his chest when seeing it was you peaking your head through. The anxiety built when your expression was clearly worried, with your brows furrowing deeper as you stepped inside the room, closing the door behind you.
“Your Highness, I thought you were still in your lesson. I apologize, I must’ve taken more time than I thought.” Brooklyn composed himself as much as possible to say those words, pulling on the bottom of his vest to straighten it. “I’ll get everything for your next meeting–”
“No, no, don’t worry about that Brooklyn.” You raised one hand to stop him. “I’m more worried about you. Are you alright?”
His shoulders stiffened. Oh no. You had caught on. He had hoped he was doing his best to hide how the rumors were affecting him. For you to not only notice, but also feel the need to talk to him about it…
“I apologize, Your Highness.” He bowed to you, resting his hand over his heart. “I see I’ve failed in part of my job as your butler. I swear to do better in the future.”
“Brooklyn…” You approached him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Please raise your head.”
Brooklyn hesitated. He wished to follow your orders to the exact. But he also didn’t want to know what your expression might be right then. He didn’t know if worry or disappointment would be worse to see in your eyes. He took a moment to lift his head, meeting your eyes when you didn’t continue talking.
Worry. Genuine, deep worry.
“You have not failed at your job. Anyone would have this reaction from the rumors surrounding this. I apologize that when appointing you, I didn’t take this into account.” Brooklyn opened his mouth to protest, but you lifted your hand once more to stop him. “I should’ve given it more time. But do not worry. This will all pass and be left behind once high society has caught their new favorite rumor. And I will never, ever regret appointing you.”
“...Thank you, Your Highness. I deeply appreciate your worry about me. It reassures me that eventually, this will all blow over.” His anxiety was completely gone with those few words. It shocked him how well they put his worries to rest. He nearly thought himself as a fool, worrying about such things.
“Of course. I should’ve spoken with you about this sooner. I will do better to keep this incident in mind if I think about doing something similar. I don’t want my decisions to negatively affect you.”
“That's very kind of you, but that is my job as your butler.” He protested, his voice firmer now. “I shall handle all that comes with being your hands and feet. Had I had the skills, I would be your sword and shield.”
This caused you to chuckle, causing the tension in the air caused by the heavy topic to be lifted a bit. It made him grateful that you could find amusement in such things.
“There's no need for you to also be my sword and shield. You have more than enough work as is. Which means that while you are here to help me with my work, it does not give you a pass to overwork yourself. Got that?”
The corners of his lips lifted, and he nodded once more. “Of course, Your Highness.”
From that day on, it felt more that the two of you were friends than employer and employee, despite how formal the conversation was. Brooklyn would have to constantly remind himself that he could not treat you as an equal, even though he very much wanted to. No matter how many times you made him forget it from the laughter shared and stories told.
After a year, the two of you knew all the spots the other would hide in when not wanting to face your respective duties. The garden was a common spot, where he would find you attempting to climb the large tree that was nearly as tall as the palace’s third floor. He would have to convince you every time to keep to the lower branches, before talking about some of the histories of the flowers surrounding the two of you.
By year three, you had gained a routine, where if there was an empty slot in your schedules, you would sit together. Of course, Brooklyn protested at first about sitting as your equal, but you were stubborn. He would prepare the tea, but you always insisted on pouring his cup stating, “You always pour mine, every single day for the past three years. Let me have this once.”
The marriage talks became worse after he had been working for you for seven years. You would ask him to give him tea lessons on particularly bad days, like today.
“How about a blooming tea today, Your Highness?” He asked, already carting in the clear-glass teapot with floral tea cups. He would make a show about the blooming tea days, as it allowed him to also involve floral arrangements easier.
“That sounds wonderful, Brooklyn. Thank you.” You lifted your head from where you had it previously rested on the desk. The tired look in your eyes from having to go through marriage talks once again made his heart ache. He had found that for the past couple years, any mention of the marriage talks weighed heavy on his mind.
“Perfect. I have jasmine blooming tea ready to be prepared, and fresh flowers I can cut and arrange.” He stopped the cart right beside the coffee table, watching as you moved from your desk to the loveseat, even if not the most upbeat.
“You always know how exactly to lift my spirits. What are the flowers of today?” Ah, the awaited question. He smoothly smiles, hoping that this was the best way to go about this. He couldn’t think of any other way that you would accept it as genuine, even if it took you longer to figure out.
“A red bouquet today. But you will have to do your own research on what the flowers are and what they mean.” He set the blooming tea pod in the clear pot of hot water before moving on to the flowers. Red carnations were the main stars today, with some white and red chrysanthemums to complement them.
“Awww, I was hoping to hear my dear butler’s knowledge about flowers today…” You sound sad, but just from a glance up, Brooklyn could tell you were teasing. He held back a chuckle, knowing you would always attempt to get him to reveal it so you wouldn’t have to do the work of finding out the meanings. Most days, it worked.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. While I have entertained it until now, today I will not fill in the research. It is an important bouquet, however.” He shrugged off his uniform coat, rolling up his sleeves to just past his elbows. He didn’t wish to get his sleeves wet or have a cut stem fall down one. He kept his gloves on as he started prepping the stems for a vase.
“I can’t do anything to change your mind, can I?” He could hear the pout in your voice. “I really enjoy hearing you talk about flowers, though… Seeing your eyes brighten up as you delicately prepare them for the vase. I can see how much you love flowers.”
Oh goodness. You were playing with his heart strings now. He kept focus, thanking his childhood for teaching him how to control his facial expression. If he didn’t have the control he had, he would have a big smile across his face right now.
“I… do not know how to respond to that, Your Highness.” Brooklyn was honest about that, he was finding it difficult to find words to describe how he felt. He just knew that his heart had picked up the pace.
“Oh? Have I finally figured out a way to fluster my gentlemanly butler?” He glanced to you to see you had perked up in your seat, eyes bright, leaning more toward him.
“...Possibly. You… Have a knack for trying to find these things.” He paused to glance at the tea, seeing it had fully bloomed and steeped long enough. He started making your cup, just how you liked it as always.
“I will take that as a definite yes.” He could hear you giggling at that, and tried not to focus on that sound too much. He finished making your cup, setting it in front of you smoothly. He hesitated at thinking about making his own cup.
“You can if you like, Your Highness. Will… you be making my cup today?” You nodded immediately at his question, standing and coming to his side. Brooklyn stepped aside as he quietly watched you make his cup.
This moment… felt right, somehow. He knew he shouldn’t have a royal pouring his cup of tea, with the difference of status and all, but it just felt right. He’d be ridiculed if anyone saw this, but between just the two of you, it was… wonderful.
It reassured him that maybe this flower arrangement won’t be too much, or stepping out of his bounds as your butler. And if it did end up being too much… he would not speak a word of it again.
“Here you are, Brooklyn. Just how you like, hopefully.” Upon hearing your voice once more, he was able to focus more on you. He smiled a bit at seeing how bright and hopeful you looked, waiting for him to taste and see if it was correct. He took the cup, taking a sip.
Despite having this cup a million times over, it always tasted better when you poured it.
“You got it exactly right. Down to the amount of honey. Thank you.”
He wished he could have a portrait of the expression you had when hearing that. He did his best to put it to memory as he finished arranging the flowers while the two of you enjoyed peaceful silence.
The arrangement stayed on the coffee table in a beautiful vase for a long time after that day. They were able to stay until the day before the ball that was meant for you to meet suitors. The ball that Brooklyn was starting to dread more and more with every passing moment.
He wasn’t able to be at your side while you were getting ready, or escort you to the ball himself. He was stuck waiting within the ballroom, his best formal clothes on. He was dressed equal to how other nobles were, his suit more resembling something seen on a prince than his butler uniform. His family’s golden crest was the same color as his eyes, placed right over his heart.
The sound of the ballroom was nearly deafening. He could barely hear the music over the sound of chatter. He could hear the whispers of rumors already starting, despite the royal family not entering yet. Will the Crown Royal marry? Will the Crown Royal ever take a lover?
It made him sick to hear.
But everything fell away as the entrance trumpets started. The world no longer existed as he watched you slowly walk through those grand doors.
All Brooklyn saw was you, looking your absolute best, glowing. Dazzling. The definition of stunning. You were all he continued to see as you walked down the steps to the ballroom floor. Memorized how the golden lighting of the chandeliers made you shine.
It came crashing down when he saw another man approach you. His heart felt like it was being ripped out as you accepted the dance. He couldn’t tell whether you wanted to dance with the man or not.
He continued to be unable to tell as suitor after suitor approached you for a dance. With every acceptance, the more he felt he would never be your lover. That he would never be able to hold your hand, hold you close, let alone call you his lover.
Was he only ever going to be your butler? Your loyal servant who will follow you to the ends of the earth, but watch you marry another person? While that is what he agreed to in the beginning. Back when he never imagined he would have these emotions, this deep of a connection with someone, a love so deep for someone.
His hope was nearly gone when a dance finished, and you said goodbyes with your current dancing partner.
An opening.
Putting all his hope on the line, he quickly started to approach. His heart was twice the pace of the music, but he was somehow able to keep a semblance of composure. He could feel the pressure doubling with every step, as did the eyes that were watching him.
Brooklyn did not stop until he was right in front of you. He bowed, daring to take your hand in his. He brought his lips to your knuckles, lifting his eyes to yours.
“Would you honor this Sir Hayes with a dance, Your Highness?”
A heart beat. Then that smile he adored so much appeared on your lips.
This is my first Infinite Blue fic, after playing the wonderful demo that got recently released! Brooklyn immediately captured my heart within the one-day game, and with some inspiration from those on the Blooming Panic server, wrote this!
Enjoy! ~1.1k words
It had taken you a long time to feel comfortable meeting Brooklyn. And even longer to feel comfortable to go see his home. When you finally got to see it, it almost made you regret taking so long.
His home was wonderful. Everything was kept in amazing condition, no matter what condition they entered the home in. When you first visited, he talked for hours about his favorite antiques and how he got them to their current condition compared to how they’re found. It was wonderful listening to him talk about the transformations some of them would go through.
After a few visits to his home, Brooklyn was getting used to you being there. It didn’t change the fact how much he adored you being there, however. He would make sure to have your favorite tea prepped and ready to be made, right in his favorite tea set.
This time, the tea was already cold when rain started to thud heavily against the window panes of the sitting room. It made Brooklyn look up from where he had been cleaning up the coffee table of any mess from the snacks you two enjoyed together.
“Ah… Looks like I should get you home soon.” He was sad to even think about it, as he didn’t want this time together to end. He enjoyed your presence, even if neither one of you had anything to say. He had been starting to realize that the mansion felt a bit… lonely right after your visits.
Maybe… He could suggest you staying the night? He had guest rooms, but he didn’t wish to push boundaries. While you had been visiting a lot, he would find himself wondering what it would be like for you to stay there.
“Oh… I hope you don’t mind, Brooklyn, but could I stay the night?” Surprise and a small bit of delight filled him at hearing your question. “I don’t want to intrude, but I heard it might storm badly tonight.”
“No, no, I don’t mind at all. I have plenty of guest rooms for you to choose from.” When seeing your relieved smile, his heart couldn’t help but melt a bit. He would do anything to continue seeing that smile.
Which reminded him of one thing he had been looking forward to.
“Since you will be staying for longer, I could play some piano for you.” Brooklyn offered, making your eyes light up.
“Oh, that sounds wonderful! I didn’t know you played piano.”
“I learned when I was younger. I continued playing because of how many of my favorite classical songs are piano.” He stood from his chair and offered you a hand, gentlemanly as always with the small smile on his lips. The smile widened a bit when you took his hand.
He guided you out of the sitting room and up the main foyer staircase as he continued. “I play a few other instruments, but I prefer the piano. I have one that's kept upstairs near the bedrooms, so I can play it if I cannot sleep.”
You nodded, immediately seeming curious on what he would play. He gave your hand a small squeeze, settling for that over patting your head.
The room that he led you into was just as stunning as the rest of his home. Large, floor to ceiling windows lined one wall. The sound of the rain was louder now, appearing as waterfalls on the panes, making the storm clouds and slowly growing strikes of lightning unclear.
On another wall, a large fireplace was unlit, but Brooklyn was already heading over to get one started. When the flames were gently roaring, it cast warm lighting and long shadows across the room, better revealing the grand piano in the center. Its lid was lifted, allowing a glance inside to see the strings.
Once he had made sure the fire wouldn’t die out anytime soon, Brooklyn walked over to the piano and sat on its bench. He looked over to you, beckoning you closer with a hand, before patting the seat beside him. It made him relieved to see how quickly you sat down with him, nearly shoulder to shoulder.
“Do you have a song you’d like to hear?” He watched your expression closely as he rested his hands over the keys, ready to play whatever you like.
“Oh, um, I can’t think of any you might know off the top of your head…” He chuckled a bit at your hesitance.
“That’s alright. How about I play some of my favorites, then?” You immediately agreed with nods of your head, making him look back to the keys.
A soft, slow song started to fill the room, slowly overpowering the sound of rain and the crackling fire. His eyes were half lidded as he watched his fingers hit the right keys of the song he had played so many times before. His heart guided them more than his brain at this point.
One song turned into two. Two turned into four. He lost count after the two of you stopped murmuring to one another, although he remembered missing a key when you rested your head on his shoulder. He was able to play it off luckily, but it took a while for his heart to calm down afterwards.
By the time it had, he glanced down to you, only to pause in his playing. Your breath had slowed and eyes closed, head rested on his shoulder as if it was your preferred pillow. The sight of you dreaming so peacefully made his heart swell.
He admired you for a few moments longer, how stunning your features looked in the two different lightings. Warmth from the fire lit the right side of your face, while the left lit occasionally from the lightning strikes outside. He wanted to memorize how this moment looked and felt, to look back on.
When Brooklyn realized he had been staring, he carefully wrapped his arms around you, bringing you closer to his chest. He slowly stood with you, carrying you delicately with your head above his heart.
He carried you across the hall to a guest bedroom, trying his best to not wake or stir you. He would hate it if he interrupted a wonderful dream of yours. Especially when he could see the hint of a smile on your lips.
He settled you carefully under the covers of the bed, tucking you in soon after. He couldn’t help but pause, then reach out and pet you head.
“Goodnight… Sweet dreams, my dear. May your dreams be as joyful as you’ve made my days.”
For BP the LIs reaction to you accidentally telling them you love them at the end of a call
Thank you so much for the ask! I didn't exactly stay true to the "end of a call" bit, but I did stay true to the accidental I love you! I hope you don't mind.
Also, so sorry about how long this took! Please enjoy it nonetheless, a little more than 1k total!
Accidental I Love You
Nightowl
The two of you had said the phrase near the beginning of your guys’ relationship, but at the realization that might put too much pressure, slowly started using it less and less. It had been a while since the last one had been said, although neither one of you could exactly remember the last time.
You both had been talkative that night on call, but had been winding down for over an hour. Owl had been laying down for a little bit now, and you had leaned in close to your computer to see if he was asleep. He seemed right on the edge of sleep, and you couldn’t help but admire how peaceful he looked.
His blonde hair was a bit of his mess on top of his head, barely allowing you to see that his eyes were closed. You wished you were in there in person so then you could admire how long his eyelashes were. How soft his skin was, press a kiss to his cheek before snuggling close to him.
You said your sweet, quiet three words, not really realizing they were uttered until hearing your own voice. You panicked for a small moment before realizing he probably couldn't hear it anyway.
Ending the call, you figured it best to get to bed too. When he heard the sound of your soft words and then the sound of him being left in call. He felt a blush and small smile come to his lips as he fell asleep that way.
You woke up to a voice message returning the sentiment in the morning, allowing you to have the most wonderful day imaginable in a while.
Xyx
The two of you hadn’t quite gotten to the freely admitting love part yet. You both knew how each other felt, but saying it verbally was a completely different story than subconsciously knowing it or showing it. It felt like everytime the words were about to be said, they would just get stuck and silence would be left.
You thought maybe in person would be best time to do it. You two were already planning for you to fly out in a couple weeks, after all. Planning currently on call made you even more excited, the two of you having big goofy grins as you talked about what could be done during the visit. Xyx, of course, was suggesting more adventurous plans, but also kept in mind your safety.
“C’mon, doll, I’m sure you'd look amazing on the back of the bike.” He teased, leaning on his hand as he grinned at you through the screen. “Imagine it. Holding onto me while the wind and cars are flying by. Gets your heart racing in more ways than one, yeah?”
You rolled your eyes a little bit, half not minding the idea, half worried about his leg. He chuckled at seeing it. “Xyx, as much as I love you, maybe getting a ride is a better way to get me from the airport.”
There was silence for a moment, making you look at the screen. It wasn’t until you saw the big blush on Xyx’s cheeks did you realize what you said. You thought twice about scrambling to cover your ass about it, not wanting to take back what was true, which made the blush on his cheeks just deepen. He looked away, unable to hold eye contact for such a sincere moment.
“I… Love you too, so I’ll be careful while you’re on the bike.” He slowly admits, so quietly that you nearly missed it. A slow smile came to your lips, feeling your heart swell.
While it wasn’t in person like you originally thought, it was just as wonderful.
Quest
It had been a relaxing call for the two of you. The server wasn’t very active that day, with at most Nightowl demanding a bit of attention earlier on in the chats. It had been a moderate date for his work, too, so he was able to stay on call while working.
That's what Quest was doing at the moment. Working on some spreadsheets and documents, his mic sensitive enough that you could hear the click clacking of his keyboard. Or maybe it was just that his keyboard was that loud, with him being the only one in the office this late at night. You weren’t completely sure.
You hadn’t been doing much while watching him. Maybe reading a book, or playing a small game on your phone. No matter what you were doing, you found yourself continuously looking back to the screen and admiring him.
You adored everything about him, it would be hard not to admire. From the way that his glasses would sometimes slide down his nose to reveal his eyes to you easier. To his scars in which you hoped to trace your fingers along one day, show him they’re not bad.
You must’ve been staring, because after some clicks could be heard, a chuckle came from him.
“Angel, why are you staring at me? Unless I’m mistaken and you’re reading something on your screen.” His question made you snap out of your adoring daze, making your cheeks heat very quickly very easily.
“Ah, I’m sorry, I just love seeing you, love talking with you and love you, I–” You cut yourself off at hearing yourself say that, heart beat immediately feeling like it doubled.
A blush came to Quest’s cheeks, but he couldn't help a laugh. “God, angel… You’re messing with my heart again. I've said it again and again, but truly, what are you doing to me here?” He leaned a bit closer, resting his elbows on his desk as he smiled at you.
“I love you, too, angel.”
Toast
After that original week, it took a while to get used to the connection between you two. Down the line, the two of you talked about how heavy the phrase might be, and decided to start from scratch with affectionate phrases. You both knew you loved each other, but wanted to make sure that saying it was just as special.
With that in mind, it had been quite a while since it was said. They had been the last one to say it, in another bout of adrenaline similar to how it happened the first time. You reciprocated it, of course, adoring seeing them so happy and full of life.
So it was more surprising in this situation. They had been trying to teach you more and more about Final Fantasy overtime, the lack of censors allowing them to be a guide for you both in game and in call. You hadn’t quite yet gotten the hang of it yet, but you were enjoying listening to them crack sarcastic jokes to help you understand.
Which lead to you laughing and saying, “I love you and your jokes, but truly, that was a bad one.”
He had laughed before he could process it fully, and when it did set in what you just said, he couldn’t help but stutter. All thoughts about trying to explain this game to you left his head for a moment, only the feeling of warmth and adoration filling him.
“I-I love you too, but…” He muttered, clearing his throat before trying and failing to smoothly move on. “My jokes are not that bad that you need to use the I love you card on me.”
You laughed more, and Toast couldn’t help but think that you using such a card on them wasn’t so bad.
Just wanted to let everyone know I apologize if me answering asks takes a hot minute! I'm keeping track of them all, I promise.
I find it funny how I did a "slowing down" post and then proceeded to post four fics/headcanons within the next 72 hours.
And I'm also frightened of all your guys' power. Blooming Weddings has reached the second most popular post of mine quite easily within a very short amount of time, while the top post (about hands), is still slowly gaining notes.
Thank you for supporting me and enjoying my work. ❤️
Dusk... its me again. Here to ask you to make little headcanons of how the LI's would react to you wanting to koala them smile
So for everyone that doesn't know what koala-ing means, it means one person latching onto another's center and just hanging out there, completely supported by the other person. And I will happily provide this one for you, Minnie, since you seem to be very fixated on it.
All Fluff
Toast
He would be a little confused at first by what you mean. He doesn’t exactly know what “koala-ing” means, but after you explain, he can't help but melt a little bit. He’s a little nervous about it at first only because he doesn’t want to drop you, so has it so then you guys are standing next to the bed just in case the first time around.
When it turns out well, Toast realizes they adore it, and asks if it'd be okay to do that more. When you enthusiastically say yes, they’re delighted. For quite a while, they only allow it if you guys are near some soft to land on. But upon finding out they’re becoming stronger with it, start to walk around the loft or doing small tasks with you still holding onto them.
They find it absolutely adorable when you would ask, too. A small blush would appear on their cheeks but be accompanied with a smile, opening up their arms and bracing to catch you easily. When you’re all secure, they look down to you with adoration in their eyes, quiet for a moment as they just appreciate the moment.
Quest
He’s also a little confused, but upon being told about it, couldn’t help but chuckle and nod. The more he thinks about it, the more he thinks it's a great idea, as long as it’s safe. At the beginning, he similarly makes sure there is a soft landing spot, but doesn’t even make a sound when you jump onto him. Just smiles at you as he enjoyed this cute moment.
Quest gets used to your weight on him quite easily, and even enjoys it. It makes him feel warm and adored, since you love latching onto him so much. He’s very grateful you don’t mind koala-ing him when he’s working out at home, as you’re a nice additional weight to his easier workouts. And a good additional challenge to some of the harder ones. You just hold on and chat with him during his work out that way, leading to some quality time you two sometimes miss.
He got to the point that he shifted his schedule around a bit so then he could have his work out times at the same time you’re home. He would double check you have time before simply picking you up to have you hold onto him. He would chat with you of course, but would mainly enjoy the feeling and knowledge that you love him so much to do this with him everyday.
Xyx
When you first brought it up, he laughed as he thought it was some sort of odd reference to his nationality he just didn’t know. When you explained, he got this cheshire grin on his face, and you immediately knew he was up to mischief. Before you could even attempt to take back the request, he was already coming towards you and picking you up.
Once you were holding on, Xyx started out normally. He walked around easily at first, but as time went on, you could practically hear the gears turning in his head as he was scheming. He hadn’t stopped grinning. So you panicked a little bit when he picked up your guys’ motorcycle helmets and headed towards the front door. Only at your protests did he laugh and admit he just wanted to see your reaction, promising he would never do that.
It takes some convincing from him for you to be reassured, but when he goes back to acting normally, you relax. He keeps in mind not to scare you with that sorta stuff, as he would be disappointed if you never asked for this again. He lights up immediately when you do ask next time, and it becomes his favorite relaxed thing.
Nightowl
He’s the one that immediately knows what you mean, and is immediately on board with the idea. He's grinning big and already getting ideas about what he possibly could do with you koala-ing him. And despite his strength being minimal along with not being as tall, he was very adamant that it would work with the “power of love”.
So when you jumped onto him and proceeded both of you over onto the bed, with a big bounce on the bed too, he was half disappointed and half laughing. Owl immediately said the two of you could try again, and was very stubborn about it for quite a while. It wasn’t until the tenth attempt had failed again did he give in to you convincing you could just do it while sitting down.
He was disappointed at first, saying that was no fun. But then when you latched onto him while sitting, basically sitting in his lap, he was immediately happy again. He was delighted to wrap his arms around your middle and play games on his laptop while chatting with you. Despite it not working out how either of you wanted, he wouldn’t trade this for the world.
Thank you so much for 100 followers! I'm actually at 104 now, so to make up for the little bit of lateness, please let me know if you have any ideas, thoughts, or prompts you'd like me to write about!
I made this for one of my closest friends because she has a headache right now and needed the comfort! Some of these can be applied to general sickness, but the main idea is that the reader has a headache. I also wrote this shockingly quickly so please excuse any errors of grammar or spelling.
All Fluff, Gender Neutral Reader
Toast
They would try to avoid having too many questions, and depending how much pain you’re in, would lay down in the bed with you and pet your hair, all nervousness gone because you're not feeling well. They wouldn’t even speak, they would just lay there in silence, staring at the ceiling at the wall as they attempted to comfort you with their presence. They wouldn’t speak until you did, basically, and then when you did, their awkwardness would show a little bit as they tried to figure out what they needed to ask to check up on you.
Or get you medication, and put some noise canceling headphones on you to play soft, gentle music. They would have you snuggle with them while they game, knowing that them holding you makes you feel better, occasionally taking one half of the headphones off to murmur check ups on you. They would be very quiet that day, even if the headphones are noise canceling because they don’t want to bother you one bit. A blanket is over the two of you to keep the body heat together in comfort, and they don’t notice you’ve fallen asleep until they check up on you next.
They don’t bother moving you, keeping quiet as you sleep, until they eventually join you in your nap later on in the chair, arms wrapped around you.
Nightowl
He would murmur reassuring words, dim all the lights within his room, make sure all the curtains were closed as usual. Then would get you under the covers with him so he could gently snuggle you close to his chest as he petted your head and rubbed your back. Depending how bad it was, he would either be quiet, or hum songs he knew you liked, or talk very quietly about things you enjoy.
When you’re well enough to talk fully, he asks if you’d like a TV show on, and puts on your favorite show on his laptop on a low volume and low screen brightness. He would be quiet while listening and watching the show with you, occasionally glancing over to make sure you were okay, along with checking that the volume and brightness was at an okay level.
If you wouldn’t want any other noise, he just talks about his day with you, keeping to cute or sweet stories until you eventually dozed off.
Quest
He would immediately make sure you’ve drank plenty of water, and then check if you’ve eaten, before setting you on the comfortable couch and wrapping you up in a blanket. He kisses your forehead before disappearing into the kitchen, trying to make as little noise as possible as he starts to make an easy and comforting soup for you. He would try to make it nutritious while also tasting good, or even make your favorite soup depending what it is.
When hes all done making the soup, he comes back out of the kitchen with a bowl and setting it in the coffee table to cool. He disappears shortly before coming back with headphones for you, picking one of his favorite softer playlists before putting them on you. He keeps only one warm yellow lamp on as he feeds the soup to you, not allowing you to take the spoon no matter how much you protest.
Once you’re all done with the soup, he sets the bowl in the kitchen before pulling you into his arms and snuggling you close as you fall asleep against his chest, laid back on the couch.
Xyx
He stops most of his jokes when you tell him you have a headache, and immediately turns his voice down as he reaches out to rub your cheek. He shoos you to the bedroom to lay down as he gets you medication and a small snack, before joining you on the bed. He scolds you gently if you try to deny the snack and meds, but understands if you say that meds don’t work.
Once he's made sure you’ve eaten, at least, he gets up and disappears out of the room for a few moments, before returning with a book of your favorite genre. Or a book that he knows will be comforting. He gets under the covers with you, himself sat up against the headboard as he pulls you close to his chest with one arm. It allows you to feel the soft rumble of his chest as he starts to read the book to you in a low voice, putting a little expression here and there to be entertaining but mainly soothing.
He reads the book until he knows you’re asleep, and then slips down further under the covers with you. He whispers words of love and comfort to your sleeping self until he falls asleep himself.
So I was given this prompt from Fruit Snail on the fanserver! I originally meant for it to be a one shot, but the introduction ended up far longer than I liked for a first chapter, and just decided to make it a chaptered fic instead.
This prologue is basically giving context to how it all got to how it starts in Chapter 1 which will be posted on a later date.
TW: Toxic Relationship, Stalking
Gender Neutral Reader x Demon!Toast
Work was getting far too exhausting at this point. But you just needed a little more hours to be able to move. Maybe ten more hours worth of pay and you’ll be able to afford to move to a different apartment. You already had one in mind, just needed the last bit of the deposit money.
You needed to get away from your horrible ex. He was still following you around since the break up, since he knew of your current address and work address. You were lucky enough to be able to request a work transfer that would line up with the move. In the meantime, you were stuck with listening to your phone ring off the hook with blocked numbers when you turned it back on while stepping out of the office building.
You sighed, staring as it rang again, then silenced it. Slipping it into your back pocket, you decided that today was a good day to take the long way home. Which meant walking around the block to check he wasn’t lurking around before getting in your car to take a complicated way home.
As you turned the first corner, you noticed a shop that seemed to just open up. You didn’t recognize it despite doing this route multiple times, so it must be brand new. It didn’t look brand new with how the whole place seemed a little run down from the outside, however. You thought maybe it was just a lease to the bookshop managers, so the outside was unable to change. But as you stepped inside to take a look around, it was nearly the same with how dusty and dim it was.
Every bookshelf, flat surface, and even chairs were filled with books. Not a single inch of free space was wasted. Eyes wide, you started slowly going through the thin aisles that were made. It looked like whoever was managing the place was very close to starting to put books stacked on the floor, but hadn’t quite yet.
You were in there for a few minutes just glancing around before a book stood out to you. It had a deep red spine that was nearly brown. It didn’t quite look like a proper leather color, maybe something different?
You made your way to it, carefully pulling it out of the jam-packed shelf. You opened it up slowly, brows furrowing when not recognizing the language written inside, starting to flip through it. You were just about to close it and put it back when you flipped one final page and saw it.
A summoning circle.
It couldn’t be anything else but that. Of course you had never seen one in real life, but you had searched on the internet and watched enough TV to know what they were supposed to look like, according to the media. And this definitely looked like one. It even had what seemed like a chant written below it, and possibly instructions on the page beside it.
You closed the book. Took a moment to think. Then went to the cash register, and bought the book for a surprisingly cheap price. You weren’t sure why you felt the need to buy the book that quite clearly has something you shouldn’t be getting involved with, but you know what they say; curiosity killed the cat, and satisfaction brought it back.
You didn’t even bother continuing to walk around the block after buying it, but instead headed straight back to your car. You didn’t open the book again until back in your apartment, skipping right past opening your mailbox. You knew it probably had “love letters” in there, and didn’t want to deal with that right now.
When you did open it again, you slowed down and attempted to study every page leading up to the summoning circle. It didn’t exactly help with understanding it at all since the language wasn't anything you recognized, let alone knew. But you were able to piece together that every symbol within the circle was explained, one by one. Meaning that every symbol needed to be made correctly to get the circle correct.
After going through the entire thing a couple times over, you said “fuck it” and looked around for if you had any chalk. It wasn’t the wisest idea to test a spell that you had zero understanding of or what it was summoning, but you were reminded of your current position. You were being stalked by your pesky ex, still a paycheck or two away from being able to move, and even then there was no guarantee the move would work. This was deemed the best bet to getting a guarantee, even if it was the most chaotic bet.
You found some chalk that looked to be something you might’ve taken from a school, and also grabbed some salt. You always heard salt was good to keep bad spirits or demons or whatever out. So after taking time to chalk the summoning circle and its symbols as accurately as possible, surrounded the circle with another one of salt. Once everything was set up, all that was left was the chant.
This is where anxiety sets it. What if it actually worked and brought a demon into your home? What if it wanted to cause harm to you instead of taking pity and making a deal? While you hated this life dealing with your ex, you couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to get rid of a demon.
But then you remembered there was no guarantee that this spell would work at all. This was just some random book you had found in a packed full, dusty bookshop, there was no way it actually had power. So while still on your last bit of confidence, started chanting what was written the best you could.
You hadn’t even realized it was working until you were near the end of the chant and saw a hole in your floor in the center of the summoning circle. Fear and shock entered your voice as you half-watched a being come climbing up and through the circle, just barely enough room to slowly stand within it. You finished the chant just as the being turned to you.
“...Alright. This is…something.” They spoke slowly, looking you up and down before around your home. “This is not the sorta place I was told I would be summoned to.”
You were in shock. A demon was standing in your home. A very tall, handsome demon, at that. Besides the horns and tail, they look almost exactly like a human. The long, pink braid stood out against the black tee they had on, and the gray sweatpants finished off what must’ve been a comfy outfit. In the moment, you could only think, do demons wear sweatpants?
“Helloooooo?” You snapped out of it when they waved a hand your way, as if to wave in front of your face. “Shit, I was told about the shock, but you seem really out of it.”
“S-sorry, I… I didn’t realize it would actually work…” You slowly close the book, trying to come to terms that you now have a demon standing in front of you. It wasn’t until they made another sound of distaste did you look back up, to see them pointing to the circle of salt.
“I don’t blame you for being cautious, but if you truly didn’t think it would work you wouldn’t have put this salt.” They grumbled, crossing their arms across their chest.
You stumbled only a little bit as you walked forward and against your better judgment, swept away some of the salt before you took a few steps back. The demon slowly stepped out of the circle, stretching their arms high above their head. Their horns seemed shorter when they stretched like that, but made the lilac color stand out more than they already did against the pink hair.
As you stared up at them, they slowly turned to you, their eyes half lidded. You notice now that their eyes are eerily light. And seemed far, far too tall despite their humanoid appearance.
Here are my headcanons for the LIs as teachers! I’m not comfortable writing anything that would even elude to student x teacher, so in my mind they would all not tolerate a student crushing on them. They might understand it’s just teenage hormones, but they’d make it blatantly clear nothing will come from it, ever.
Now that's out of the way, enjoy the headcanons!
Xyx - History
Xyx is the type of history teacher where you forget that you’re learning in the first place. Obviously there are new things and subjects presented, but with how fun he makes it, most students feel like his class period goes by the quickest. It's often a setting where he's talking and the floor is always open to interjections and questions. Sure, the subjects go by slower that way, but he prioritizes learning over speed. And with how well his test scores are, the administrators leave it be.
His favorite things to teach are fun facts, or interactions that seem small but have a large impact on history. He’s the type to teach those facts you think “why didn’t we learn this in school?” Sure, he also teaches what's on the syllabus quite well, but he always loves going on a tangent about those fun facts. He doesn’t even need a student to set off a tangent like most teachers do, he’ll just start talking about it and forget what he was talking about in the first place.
Despite Xyx’s friend-like demeanor in classes, he doesn't really allow anyone to stay in his classroom in passing periods, in his planning period or lunch. He will absolutely be there if one of his students is going through something, but it's very careful and he makes sure that he's the only one that student can come to for help before taking action. He tries to help the best he can, even if he’s not used to being the person the students come to.
Nightowl - Math
Now, despite how hated the subject can be, Owl would make math as fun as he possibly could. It's difficult at times, and has a lot of dad jokes and awkward timings involved. But most understand he’s trying his best, especially when it’s within his first couple of teaching years. As he gets used to teaching more and more, the more comfortable and smooth his teaching becomes. He also has after school hours, where he can help students, even if his classes try to be as helpful as possible.
You know how everyone says it's the English teachers that people go to if they wanna hang out, talk, or feel welcomed? This is how Owl’s class is, just filled with numbers at times, and he loves being that welcoming role the most. He welcomes every person with open arms, and often gets side tracked as he wants to hear the gossip that's going around school. You can hear it from down the hall when a student says they have some gossip and he immediately puts whatever he’s doing down to listen.
He’s the most helpful when students are in times of need. He knows how important an adult the student can trust to talk about this stuff is, and keeps his lips sealed as legally possible, with his mandatory reporting and all. Overall, he’s the teacher that many students consider to be friends with.
Toast - Science and Computer classes
Toast would be mainly an elective teacher, but has one senior year science class. He teaches classes about coding, 3D printing, basics on internet impacts and the sort. He is extremely awkward at points, which shows in how his face scrunches up just a tad when he hears a joke a student makes where he would normally laugh at, but can’t right then. But a month into the semester, he’s pretty used to everyone and what works best for the class.
Their favorite to teach is coding, as they enjoy being able to put in a few lines of code and watch as the students ooh and aww at it actually doing something within the program. They often have their screen up on the board because of how tedious and exact coding can be, but they don’t mind. They do have to be reminded at times to slow down, however, as the students are still learning while they’re half way through typing complex coding.
He’s also unknowingly become the teacher LGBT students come to when they need help, since they know for complete sureness that he would accept them. He doesn’t quite understand it at first, and then he realizes that he could’ve used a similar teacher when he was younger, and accepts it. He’s not the best at comforting them, or clearly explaining some things, but he tries his best and that's all that matters to the students.
Quest - Gym Teacher and Coach
Quest would be a very nice gym teacher and sports coach, which is very out of character for the gym teacher archetype. He’s one that explains in understandable terms why exercising is importing, walks the class through easy but effective stretches. He even goes to the extent of teaching easy workouts for when someone isn’t up to a full work out. On Fridays he likes to have “free days”, where the class can separate and all do their own little activities. Some of the class often ropes him into a mini dance class on these days.
His favorite part is when it's time for weight lifting. Quest goes into great detail about what to do for prep, how to handle the machines and weights, and how to do reps at a comfortable weight. He’s constantly walking around the weight room when this happens, and is always keeping a careful eye on things. He helps students who aren’t used to this sorta thing as much as he can, or makes sure the pro students aren’t doing weights that would need a spotter.
With the nature of the class, he's at the same time allowed to talk with the students more freely, but also doesn’t have a lot of time to do so. So when a student comes to him for help, he makes it his number one priority at that moment. He won’t even question a student if they look genuinely down and don’t want or aren't up to participating, and will talk with them very quietly when everyone else is doing activities, making sure they’re okay.
Hey hey! Just wanted to let everyone know that I'll be slowing down on my writing a little bit. I'm seriously looking for jobs and colleges right now, along with my inspiration starting to slow.
Don't worry about me though, I'm sure after a couple of weeks or a another few playthroughs of games I'll be back to normal.
In celebration of Nightowl's birthday, here is a fic just for him. It is all fluff, including found family, and of course a prank in honor of April Fools Day.
Gender Neutral Reader x Nightowl
Nightowl wasn’t really expecting anything on his birthday. He was expecting a lot of pranks, considering the line up, or maybe one of those “I thought you guys forgot” pranks. He was prepared for the pranks that could be pulled on him that day.
So when he got up and was welcomed with a lovely, big breakfast made especially for him, he was surprised. Nightowl had slowly made the switch to no longer sleeping in the middle of the day, which was quite the difference and made his username practically moot, but it was helpful in times like these when he could have a breakfast with you after getting a full night’s rest.
You had made sure to make all his favorites too, it seemed, with anything that could possibly be made into cute shapes or hearts made into them. They filled his plate and made his heart swell with love, he couldn’t help but immediately go to you and hug you tight.
“Oh my god, my cutie made this all for me? It's practically as cute as you, if that's even possible!” Nightowl praised, unable to hold back showing his affection in this way. You laughed when he did that, hugging him back just as tightly.
“Thank you, handsome. Eat up, yeah?” He nodded, but didn’t let go of you as he backed up to sit down at the dining table, causing you to laugh when you ended up in his lap. “Are you that happy for breakfast that you can’t let go of me?”
“Mmhm! How could I possibly enjoy my cute meal to the fullest without my favorite cutie right here with me?” He gave you a big grin as he turned to his meal, happily starting to chow down while singing your praises about how well you made everything. He kept one arm wrapped around your waist the entire time, leading to you leaning back to cuddle more into him.
Nightowl took his time eating, considering he asked for the day off specially for his birthday. He didn’t want to work on his birthday, and luckily with him saving up his PTO, he didn’t have to. He would be able to enjoy his birthday with you without having to sacrifice your guys’ income being affected at all, even if it was a little bit.
The two of you talked quietly as he ate. It usually took him a while to be completely awake after he started getting up in the mornings, even if he liked to pretend he was completely lively. It wasn’t until there was a knock at the door was he fully functioning and able to continue with his day normally.
You smiled when hearing the knock, slowly moving out of his lap and grasp. “Oh, they’re here early!” You moved towards the door, taking your time to get to the front door. You knew they could wait.
Owl was immediately confused. ‘They’? He thought, wondering if there was a person or multiple people waiting on the other side of the door and was expected by his partner. He certainly wasn’t expecting anyone. He felt a bit of dread at the thought of it possibly being his parents, but he had to remind himself that the two of you never gave them your home’s address. Let alone you willingly invite them over.
His curiosity was answered when you opened the door, greeted whoever was on the other side of the door before opening it wide. Shock then excitement ran through him as Quest stepped inside with what seemed to be a large box full of packages, followed by Toast holding a bunch of balloons, and Xyx with noisemakers and party games.
The three were closely followed by what seemed to be everyone else of the server, even Onion who held a large cake in his hands. He followed your instruction towards the kitchen, nodding his head to Owl, even if he didn’t smile. June was close behind with cake decorating supplies and candles, although stopped to give Owl a hug.
“Happy birthday, Owl!” She cheered, stepping back after the short hug to give him a beaming smile, the others quickly joining in with cheers of happy birthday.
“Oh my god, guys! You’re really here?!” He looked at them all with wild eyes. While he was expecting a server call at the end of the night with everyone, he certainly wasn’t expecting them all to be in his home.
“Did you think we would forget?” Xyx raised a brow at him, despite a big grin being on his face, shaking his head as he tsked the birthday boy. “For shame, Owl! We flew or drove all the way here, and you thought we would forget? Maybe you shouldn’t get the first slice of cake now.”
“Haha, I wouldn’t take it that far.” Quest laughed a bit as he set the big box of packages on the dining room table, already starting to unpack them and spread them out. “It’s understandable that he might think we would pull that prank on him when his birthday is on April Fools.”
“No shit would I think you guys would prank me! Especially after last year when Xyx sent me files of supposedly happy birthday songs, only for them to be Rick Rolls!” Owl’s defense was met with almost maniacal laughter from the troll in question, and gentle laughter from everyone else.
“Either way, we’re here, Owl. Happy birthday.” Toast spoke up, having been setting balloons in the corners of the rooms along with a few stray ones here and there, before turning to the birthday boy. “Sorry that it’s so early in the morning, everyone wanted to make sure you didn’t get worried about us forgetting.”
“I really don’t mind, thank you guys for coming all this way!” He glanced around between everyone, who seemed to be either setting up things as quickly as they could, or came over to greet him. He was surprised to see Two among them. “Even Two? Hell, thank you for coming! I’m surprised your mom let you come!”
They smiled sheepishly. “She met with Toast, Salo and Quest before I was allowed to come. They had to stay at my house for a night before she let me come with them.”
“Which was very reasonable, Two, don’t worry about it.” Quest spoke up, having finished setting all the presents out on the table, which Owl was now starting to realize was a very large amount. Quest patted his back, offering him a smile. “Happy birthday man. I’m proud of how far you’ve come since your last birthday.”
Those words hit deep within Owl. Sure, those sorta words were expected from Quest at this point. But to hear those in person, with all his friends and his lover here to celebrate his day, with presents, cake and decorations prepared that showed the deep thought they put into this? A completely different feeling.
You were quick to return to Owl’s side when you heard him sniffling, and everyone stopped what they were doing immediately, concern coming up. Salo came over, equally as worried, his brows furrowed. “What are you crying for, my boy?”
“I… I just didn’t expect all this.” Owl mumbled, wiping away at his eyes before any tears could fall. He let out a light chuckle, a big smile on his face. “I’m so grateful for you all… Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Salo chuckled, rubbing his back gently. “Of course, we are more than happy to give you a happy birthday.” He thought for a moment about his words before laughing. “Well, then its an extra happy, happy birthday.”
Half the room groaned while the other half laughed, BigLady laughing before getting everyone’s attention, Owl just now noticing that she held a very big speaker over her shoulder. “Okay, okay, everyone! Enough with the feels, let's get this party started!”
Everyone cheered as the party started, yourself smiling as you gave a kiss on his cheek. “Make sure to have fun with them all, yeah? We can have our own little celebration after everything calms down and everyone heads back to their AirBNB.”
He nodded excitedly, giving you a thank you and a peck on the lips before joining everyone in the party.
It went on for quite a few hours, where for the morning it was mainly party games, catching up with one another in person, and dancing. By lunch, Quest and June took over the kitchen to make everyone food, filling them up just enough that they could still have cake.
When it came time for cake, Two closed all the blinds and turned off the lights, as BigLady helped you light all the candles. Toast had to get Owl to actually sit still before you came out carrying the cake, everyone immediately starting. Owl had to resist from crying for a second time that day as he blew out the candles to everyone’s cheers.
Opening the gifts was the most chaotic time of the day. Especially considering the first gift Owl happened to open was Xyx’s, which immediately sent glitter and confetti flying into the air and all over Owl. It caused some groans, a little bit of scolding aimed at the troll, but overall laughter, since the birthday boy himself was laughing.
A while after gift giving, Salo seemed to have some sense and started gently urging everyone they should go back to the AirBNB. When he was guiding clueless Onion out the door, he glanced over his shoulder to give the two of you a wink, before closing the door with a firm thud. The two of you couldn’t help but laugh at the obvious hint but welcomed help from the elder man.
You took his hand and guided him into the kitchen, keeping him close as you made dinner with him. You had already planned and prepared for his favorite dish, keeping it on the smaller side considering how much he ate at breakfast and lunch.
You two didn’t need to talk much as you cooked and then ate. Simply stood side by side while cooking, and then sat holding each other’s hands at the dining room table to the sounds of forks clinking against plates. It wasn’t until the two of you had sat down on the couch and turned on a movie did the conversation pick back up.
Owl drew you closer, wrapping his arms around your waist, pulling you so your back was against his chest, setting his chin on top of your head. “You planned all this yourself, didn’t you?”
“Hmm… Well, I had some help from Toast and Xyx with the financial side, and Quest helped plan how everything should go. The rest of it was executed by everyone.” You admitted, and he shook his head at himself a little bit.
“I’m surprised you kept it hidden so well! I’m sure I would’ve noticed you all planning it on the server!”
“Oh, we had a whole separate section that Quest made for the planning.”
“That explains how thought out it felt.” He paused before giving you a squeeze, his voice turning soft. “Thank you. I know I’ve said it ten times over at this point but… I really appreciate everything you’ve put into making my birthday wonderful.”
“Of course, love.” Your own voice shifted to being soft, pausing the movie and turning slightly so you could look up to him. “Do you want to hear all my reasons for making it so wonderful?”
“Oh gosh, cutie, I can already tell this is gonna make me blush.” He chuckled, but nodded, admitting to himself that he was curious why you would put so much thought into it all.
You turned fully to him, sat up on your knees, cupping his cheeks with both your hands. “I made it as wonderful as you are. I wanted to show you how much I adore and care for you, and how much everyone on the server cares for you. If I had all the money in the world, I would have spent as much money as possible on your birthday for you if it meant showing how much I love you.”
Owl’s heart was practically beating out of his chest with your gentle words, and true to his words, a bright pink blush was on his cheeks. The softest smile appeared on his lips as he turned into one of your hands, closing his eyes for a moment. He was quiet, taking in this perfect moment with you, prompting you to ask, “Was it better than last year’s birthday?”
“Yes. Better than every birthday I’ve ever had.” He pressed a kiss to your palm, opening his eyes to meet your gaze. “I love you. I love you, a million times over.”
