ramshackle dorm's hard workers

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[shrimpnetwrk]

SHRIMP NETWORK ; where we can celebrate together

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005. general writing & general art

006. character masterlist

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[spadecentral]

🪞 Cells Interlinked | Yuu

>> requested: no >> a/n: erm... hey guys... please read...

>> masterlist: ramshackle >> summary: there's a conversation that seems onesided >> reader prns: they/them >> warning(s): none

??????: "Cells."

The coffin’s suffocating, stuffy feeling is one of the many things on your mind as you try to escape from it. You don’t know if it’s supposed to be airtight or if you’re just hyperventilating as your vision blurs around the edge. It’s a horrifying experience as you push up against the wood and it doesn’t budge. You can hear a latch rattling, and despite the morale you have to keep going, your arms weaken with every push.

Y-U: "Cells."

??????: "Have you ever been in an institution? Cells."

Night Raven College feels like a desolate place, made up of dark walls and tile floors. The halls are illuminated by candles hanging from the walls and ceiling, but the light from them never fully reaches the center of the floor. As your footsteps bounce around the hallways you walk through, the place seems to encroach further into your personal space until you step foot into a small courtyard. The sky is dark as you look up, and you don’t know whether you feel free or more oppressed at that moment.

Y-U: "Cells."

??????: "Do they keep you in a cell? Cells."

The dust that flies open with every door opening in Ramshackle makes you cough and forces tears down your cheeks.  The ghosts poke their heads through the walls and watch as you explore the abandoned building, bars blocking random windows and boards block several doors. Your first look at the room that you assumed would be your own made you cringe, and you couldn’t tell whether sleeping on the floor would be more sanitary than the mattress that was provided.

Y-U: "Cells."

??????: "When you're not performing your duties do they keep you in a little box? Cells."

It’s hard to tell if your job cleaning the campus is actually something you’re going to get paid for. You’re barely regarded around the campus, like an embarrassment or an afterthought that no one wants to look at. Grim nagging at you to go into every classroom you pass while they’re being used falls upon your deaf ears, but also deters other people from getting near you. Dirt and cobwebs seem to be your only friends on the campus—or at the very least are the only things that you see that aren’t pestering you or avoiding you.

Y-U: "Cells."

??????: "Interlinked."

Meeting Ace and Deuce was something totally unnecessary and yet their presence has become something you somehow can no longer live without. Arm-in-arm with the duo is a common sight on the NRC campus. Shared classes become places where giggling and snickers are always heard and the courtyards become your personal playground. Sharing the same thoughts and actions between the three of you, acting like a continuous form.

Y-U: "Interlinked."

??????: "What's it like to hold the hand of someone you love? Interlinked."

Grim is never far behind, either. Usually, he’s in front of the three of you, rambling about nothing that important. Ace is always mocking him, but no one would ever dare to tell the cat-slash-raccoon-slash-monster. You can’t help but pinch his ear, in reparation for the animal that calls you his henchman.

Y-U: "Interlinked."

??????: "Did they teach you how to feel finger to finger? Interlinked."

Ace and Deuce treat you no differently from anyone else, however that also means they seem to forget that you don’t know half of the stuff you should. Teaching you about geography and history, they look at you strangely whenever you make connections back to your home world. Soon enough, you began to remember more of the Twisted Wonderland history than the history from your own world. You can’t tell whether they care or not.

Y-U: "Interlinked."

??????: "Do you dream about being interlinked... ?"

Nightmares, if you could even call them that, plague your nights. Rulers, or otherwise important figures of places, seem to share their stories with you. And for no reason, you can always pin them as being similar to someone you know. These people, these classmates that you recognize through your dreams, you can’t help but want to know them. Even when it bites you in the ass.

Y-U: "Interlinked."

??????: "What's it like to hold your child in your arms? Interlinked."

The ghosts in the dorm seem to want you around all the time. You get greeted when you get home from classes, and almost interrogated every time you want to leave after dark. Despite the annoyance that they posed, there’s a sense of security that they give whenever they ask about where you go. It’s almost like a makeshift family. Almost.

Y-U: "Interlinked."

??????: "Do you feel that there's a part of you that's missing? Interlinked."

Your friends back home are wondering where you are, with missing posters littering bulletin boards and posts on social media decaying. They sit in your room sometimes, questioning anyone they know of that has had contact with you. They’re starting to lose hope, and if you don’t come home soon, they might give up all of their belief in you.

Y-U: "Interlinked."

??????: "Within cells interlinked."

You don’t know how your whole life became Night Raven College. Your mental health is declining, your grades are steady, and your friends don’t seem to want to help you get home. There are moments where you don’t know if you can go home anymore. Without magic, you know you can’t survive here. 

Y-U: "Within cells interlinked."

MIRROR: "Why don't you say that three times: Within cells interlinked."

The halls are empty and echo with every step as you walk towards the mirror. You can’t help but relate.

Y-U: "Within cells interlinked. Within cells interlinked. Within cells interlinked."

>> twst taglist: @tulipluvlettr | @strawberry-hyacinth | @oseathepebble | @wisteriainslumber | @villaim

@pastelmages | @xphantasmagoriax | @atlasnessie | @divinesapph | @ze-maki-nin

@ezr4n | @l1vyatan | @savanaclaw1996 | @enigmatic-pers

[cross-crye]

ᴛʀɪᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇʀʀᴏʀ

or: when Malleus has to overcome cultural differences in order to ask you out; MINOR B7 SPOILERS wc: 1.9kps. i can’t write kiss scenes sorry :((

Malleus had always had the misfortune of being estranged from social norms. So it was only natural that once he'd fall in love (despite how unexpected that was in itself) that he’d be clueless as to how to manage it. His only exposure to romance of any kind had been the few stories he’d heard about his parents. Which ultimately proved useless in the endeavour of pursuing your affection. As a result, Malleus could only attempt to emulate the few traditional Briar Valley courting methods he was familiar with, all while showing his love in a rather draconic way.

I

As a species, fae had a tendency to dedicate their time to what they perceived as truly valuable. Due to their long lifespans they had begun to appreciate the fleeting beauty of the world surrounding them. While some trees don’t even reach maturity during a fae’s lifespan, the full bloom of a flower lasts but a second when in contrast to their long-lasting existence. For this reason fae are the most avoidant when it comes to wasting their time, especially the younger generations who’ve begun to be influenced by the world outside of Briar Valley.

The way in which this manifests towards other’s is in receiving an abundance of attention. Prolonged periods of time spent either with, or admiring the object of one’s attention would be such a manifestation of affection. In Malleus’ case, this meant he’d spent a long time longingly gazing at you like the lovesick fool he was. Making eye contact as often as possible, which was often accompanied by slow blinking motions, to hopefully indicate how reluctant he was to tear his gaze away from you, even to do something as necessary as blink. Unfortunately for him, you’d remain clueless to his intentions. Unknowingly to him though, you had picked up on the slow blinks. But had mistakenly likened them to a reptile, assuming them to be the consequence of his draconic lineage as he was the only one to posses it. However those blinks should have been likened to the ones of a cat showing its affection (as they truly were a consequence of his infatuation).

II

Due to their past as recluses, the capabilities of the fae are often surrounded by misconceptions. One such misconception (which Lilia’s many pranks and quite a few of Sebek’s outbursts have managed to disprove) is the notion that the fae cannot lie. There are various other odd stories regarding the fae. One such story being the one regarding the effects of fae food on non-fae. Due to its high magical potential, eating fae food uninvited can have dire consequences (it is important to note however, that eating Lilia's cooking has horrific results simply due to his abysmal cooking skills rather than any affecting fae magic)

It came as a surprise when Malleus begun inviting you to the bi-monthly Diasomnia dinners, but it was an invitation that had brought you joy nonetheless. It begun after his enrollment in the culinary cruciable. He had taken great care to mention that he was in fact the one responsible for the dinner preparations (which seemed like assurance that it wasn't Lilia who was cooking). In fact, it was another attempt to court you. Due to various misunderstandings and assumptions, yet another of Malleus’ courting attempts went unnoticed. If only you had known about the true significance behind his actions; or rather hadn’t assumed the myths regarding fae food weren’t unwarranted stories you’d carried over from your world by mistake. Unlike some of the more dramatic stories about fae (like many myths regarding changelings and kidnappings) this one happened to be founded in a cross-dimensional truth. And so, Malleus’ attempts at ‘making his way to your heart through the stomach’ (as Lilia put it) had failed.

III

The need to protect what they hold near and dear to their heart is a very common one amongst fae, which is especially evident in Malleus who has already experienced so much loss. Malleus already posesses an extrordinary ammount of power, and as a fae with draconic lineage he’s even more compelled to use said power to ensure the security of all he finds precious. You were one such thing. As a result, he was seemingly hard-wired to protect you.

It started out small and barely noticeable, like most of his courtship attempts. At first, it was minuscule gestures, like magically removing hazardous rubble before you could even notice it during the occasional midnight walks spent in (objectively speaking) decrepit ruins. It escalated in a similarly subtle way. Evolving to guiding touches on the small of your back or the crook of your elbow. Then, it was his presence, clearing paths for you in the schools busy hallways, crowds dissolving at the mere sight of him. This was even more apparent once he’d begun joining you for lunch in the cafeteria. Coincidentally, on one such day a food fight broke out (curtesy of certain troublesome 1st year students sat a few tables away), one which you miraculosly escaped clean and unharmed from. What had seemed to be mere gestures of friendship and goodwill to you, had been much deeper to him. In truth, it was a declaration: You matter to me and I care for you so deeply that I will always ensure your protection, at any cost.

IV

Fae have many peculiar capabilities. Their magical aptitudes expand much further than any other species’, often manifesting in numerous walks of life. From an affinity for wildlife such as Silver’s (which stems from the blessing he received) all the way to enhanced senses and increased sensibility to magic, fae have developed in a different way. Their physiology is deeply tied to their magical capabilities, which often manifests as additional rare capabilities. Similarly to a unique magic, although much more common, these capabilities drew from the person’s respective characteristics. In the case of particularly powerful fae however, it unsurprisingly manifested as the ability to grant blessings. Blessings just like the one Malleus had granted you.

You’d suddenly found yourself to be luckier with each passing day: managing to get the last piece of your favourite cafeteria meal even though it was usually long gone before you even got in line or Crewel being late to the classes you were already late to so you ended up being marked as having been on time. These things, amongst many others, were a direct result of a certain blessing bestowed upon you (without your knowledge of course). However, you’d simply credited them to becoming more used to the way of life in NRC and your capability to integrate. After all, whose first guess as to a better quality of life would be a magical blessing from one of the most powerful beings in creation? The one thing you couldn’t quite explain however, was the rather abrupt decrease in Sebek’s outbursts. You’d eventually chalked it up to his gradual acceptance of the reluctant friendship he established with the rest of the 1st year group (which was also partly true, despite the fact that he’d never willingly acknowledge it). In actuality, fae blessings left a magical trace of sorts, one which was easily noticed by ones with an increased sensitivity to magic such as Sebek. Just what he managed to infer from said traces was something you’d remain unaware of, as he wisely decided it was best to leave things unmentioned. (The more powerful the caster, the more powerful the blessing, and more stongly felt magic. There certainly aren’t that many who could cast a blessing as strong as the one left on you. Sebek was in state of perpetual shock that stopped him from adressing it, while Lilia simply wasn’t a snitch. As a result, another one of Malleus’ gesutures went unnoticed.)

V

It’s a well known fact that whenever humans possess characteristcs drawing from animals, they tend to inherit certain urges and behavioural patterns. These behaviours range in both degree of effectivity and obviousness. These features are most obvious in beastmen (Jack’s tail wagging whenever he’s happy, similar to his canine counterpart), then mers (Azul having blue blood which would result in a purplish-blue blush due to his cephalopodic origin) Surprisingly, dragons in twisted wonderland deeply resemble the ones in this world. This is most evident in one aspect: the hoarding instinct. Both dragons, and dragon-adjecent beings have an innexplicable urge to collect things of value. (They’re like the British with other countries’ historical artifacts)

Intuitively, you cana determine that a dragon’s hoard would be their most prised possession; one they’d spare no effort in protecting and maintaining, especially after having spent possible centuries constructing it. Being so previous and valuable, these hoards are well hidden and protected, speculated to be the stuff of legend as they’ve never been witnessed to exist by a human eye. This suggests that the absolute highest honour anyone could receive would be to see this hoard, or even more so, touch an object part of it (the notion of being gifted something that had once been part of the hoard wasn’t even dreamt of).

You could only be surprised when trinkets of all sorts started showing up, seemingly out of nowhere. One day there was a beautiful shining gemstone on your windowsill. Another, a flower enchanted to never wilt. The gifts got more extravagant with each passing day, only further fueling your confusion (and slight irritation at the fact that despite all your efforts, this secret admirer still evaded your attempts to catch them in the act of leaving something behind) While this certainly hadn’t been Malleus’ intention, he’d narrowly missed you every time he’d left you behind a gift. Without any additional clues it had been impossible for you for to determine who had been leaving the gifts, resulting in yet another one of Malleus’ courting attempts to fail.

VI

Courtship amongst the fae (and various other residents of Briar Valley) was done in steps, increasing in the degree of affection the pursuant would display towards the object of their affections. After all, every relationship begins with small doses of affection before declaring full-blown “i love you”’s. The ultimate approach to courtship was an outright declaration of intent (which traditionally consisted of a first stage of reciprocal correspondence, followed by seeking the blessings of the other person’s family) Due to the situation at hand, Malleus resigned himself to expressing his deep infatuation feelings through a letter, deciding to leave it accompanied by another gift.

The following night, he’d shown up in the usual burst of magic at Ramshackle’s front porch. Just as usual, you threw on your coat, opened the door and went outside greeting him in a soft voice. What deviated from your usual routine however, was the fact that you were tightly, albeit carefully, clutching a letter in your hand. Further deviating from the norm, you begun to hold eye contact with him instead of immediately setting off on your walk like usual.

“I read your letter. All this time, I… I can’t believe that, well, you, umm…” you took another breath to steel your nerves before asking:

“You love me?”

“Irrevocably.” he answered with such a certainty that it seemed he was recounting an infallible truth

In that moment you leaned towards one another sharing a shy and hesitant, yet deeply loving kiss, all while interlacing hands with one another. Separating with matching grins, turning towards the path, going on the first of many nightly walks turned dates.

cross-crye © 2025

no reposting, stealing, copying, translating my works or feeding them to AI

reblogs, comments and likes are all highly appreciated

[spadecentral]

🙌 Fidget Fingers | First Years x Reader

>> requested: yes, by anon >> a/n: this is like. 1000 words long. damn. ALSO FINALLY WORKING ON THESE

>> masterlist: twst ; 1.6k follower event >> summary: PLANET : absentmindedly playing with your hair >> reader prns: they/them >> warning(s): reader uh. has hair?

Your face buried in a book, Ace Trappola has given up on trying to annoy you into giving him any sort of attention. He huffs as he lays next to you on your bed, pushing Grim closer to the edge of it with his feet. 

“Don’t do that,” you say, barely glancing up to watch as Grim gets moved out of the spot of sunlight he was laying in. “He wasn’t even bothering you.”

“Ehh,” he shrugs, a proud smirk evident on his face. “‘Bothering’ is such a subjective word.”

You raise an eyebrow before saying, “I didn’t know you even knew what subjective meant.”

Ace’s brow furrows for a second, sputtering and gasping in shock. You give him a sideways stare for a moment, before rolling your eyes and plastering your face with a smirk of your own.

“Wow,” he drones, an unamused tone taking over. “Okay, I see how you view me. I see how it is.”

“Love you, Ace,” you respond, trying to ease the situation.

“Mhm,” he responds as he sticks a hand in your hair and pulls out his phone with the other. “Whatever.”

Sitting on the floor, you’re positioned between both of Deuce Spade’s legs as you two watch a show together. He’s not sure why you decided not to sit on his bed next to him, but he doesn’t mind. The two of you have his dorm room to yourselves, as none of his roommates care much for being in the same room as the two of you when you’re watching shows.

As Gilmore Girls plays on his computer that’s sitting on a chair a little ways away from the bed, Deuce doesn’t know what washes over him as his hands move subconsciously over to your hair. Hands hovering over your head, his restraint breaks easily as he sticks his hands in your hair.

You hum at him, a silent question asking him if everything’s alright.

“Don’t worry,” he’s quick to respond, “I’m okay.”

You nod in response, your hair running through his fingers. As soon as your head stops moving, his fingers start, which he doesn’t even realize. Just moving around slightly, the action is therapeutic for the both of you.

Gilmore Girls and running his fingers through your hair. That’s all he could really ask for anymore.

The two of you are laying down on one of the ratty couches in Ramshackle, exhausted from the school day. You’re splayed out on Jack Howl’s front, head resting on his chest and listening to his heartbeat. Grumbling, you frown.

“I can’t sleep,” you whine, a tired twinge in your voice.

“Good,” Jack responds, before adding, “then you’ll sleep better tonight.”

“But I don’t care about sleeping tonight,” you say, your frown turning into a pout. “I want to sleep now.”

Jack heaves a sigh, not bothering to respond to your antics. He pulls out his phone from his pocket, scrolling through different news feeds that he follows. When nothing interesting shows up, he turns off his phone and just stares at the ceiling. Heaving in and out, your weight brings a sense of comfort to him as he lays there with you.

As his mind runs through the day, he doesn’t even realize his hands are in your hair until you give a serene hum that you usually do before going to sleep. Looking down at your tired figure, his hand in your hair is a new scene for him—you’re usually the one with hair in your hands—but it’s a welcome one all the same.

Epel Felmier would let your hands be in his hair if it wasn’t for the fact that the two of you were sitting in the Pomefiore dorm room, and that Vil nags him if his hair looks anything less than perfect every day.

You huff whenever he swats your hands away from his face and tells you to look back at whatever you’re doing on his phone. He thinks you’re currently going through his Magicam account, looking and reposting different animal images and other shitposts that make you giggle. He knows he’ll probably spend a good chunk of his free time deleting all of them, so that he can try to retain some aura. But to be honest, he probably has none.

His jaw almost drops as he watches you scroll right past a monster truck post, but instantly repost a video about baby bunnies instead. Sighing, he tries his best to forget about it, and vows to find it later. Watching you scroll more, his chin finds its way to your shoulder, which you welcome with a hum. But also somehow, his hand makes it to your hair. You don’t tell him to stop, and since you don’t have a housewarden to yell at you, he keeps it there.

It’s uncommon for Sebek Zigvolt to be anything less than loud, but when he watches you stress over homework, he knows immediately to shut his mouth. He doesn’t know much of what to do besides that, as most of what he knows consists of yelling at other people and fighting them.

Slowly, as if not to frighten you, he comes up behind you and peers over your shoulder at whatever you’re doing. You don’t tell him to go away immediately, but he can see you tense up at his lurking. He frowns, body stiff and lanky as he watches. There’s a twitch in his fingers that he usually gets when he’s itching to pick up his magic pen to fight someone. But there’s no one to fight, so he ignores the feeling altogether.

That is until moments later, as he peeks at your work once again, he feels something thin running through his fingers. Looking over, his eyebrows jump up in surprise as he notices his hands running through your hair. He’s about to put his hands down before he notices that you heave a sigh, slumping forward and relaxing. He doesn’t move them at all.

!!!like and reblog to support my work!!!! X3

>> twst taglist: @tulipluvlettr | @strawberry-hyacinth | @oseathepebble | @wisteriainslumber | @villaim

@pastelmages | @xphantasmagoriax | @atlasnessie | @divinesapph | @ze-maki-nin

@ezr4n | @l1vyatan | @savanaclaw1996 | @enigmatic-pers | @queerlordsimon

@kyraxiyn | @rayisalive | @monochromepalette | @oheyfox | @oepionie

@ruggiethethuggie | @nem0-nee

[spadecentral]

🤛 hit & kiss | deuce spade x reader

>> requested: no >> a/n: i was thinking abt delinquent deuce guys. ALSO TYSM FOR 1700 FOLLOWERS THATS INSANE BRO

>> masterlist: twst >> summary: deuce shows up on your doorstep a little bloodier than usual >> reader prns: they/them >> warning(s): none

Deuce Spade showing up at the door to Ramshackle is not uncommon. On a normal day, he’ll show up with his backpack slung across his shoulder and a smile spread across his face. But today was anything but a regular day.

His head is turned away from you as you open the door, the wood creaking being the only sound between the two of you. His hair—that’s usually combed—is spiked up in odd ways, and his tie is pulled loose. Looking down, you can see how his hands are turned palms-forward, as if he doesn’t want you to see the backs of them.

“Deuce?” you say as you scan over him. He doesn’t tilt his head up as you say his name like he usually does, and you know something’s off.

“Could I, uh, come inside?” he asks, his voice more awkward than usual. And softer, too.

“Yeah,” you say, leaving space in the doorway for him to come inside.

“Thanks,” he says, and you can see just a small flash of teeth from a smile he gives you as he walks by. You lock the door haphazardly as he walks over to your living room and sinks into a couch, its old memory foam cushion not supporting him at all.

Standing in the doorway, you stare at him as he fidgets with his fingers and stares in front of him. As you watch him, you notice just how red his knuckles are. And that paired with the way he’s tilting his face away from you gives you all the information you need to know. It’s not like you weren’t expecting something like this, especially after connecting the dots that the legendary Cold One Duke from the visit to his hometown is actually “Cauldron Deuce”, which is a less terrifying—but all the more endearing—nickname. Turning on your heel, you head up the stairs and into the only usable bathroom, before opening up the medicine cabinet to grab your medicine kit.

“Myahh, human, what’s all the ruckus about?” Grim asks you as you leave the bathroom, his voice carrying out of your bedroom and through the hall.

Poking your head into your room, you spot Grim curled up on your bed, one eye open as he sunbathes. “Nothing, just grabbing something from the bathroom.”

He purrs in response, drifting back off to sleep like he didn’t hear you at all.

Laughing silently to yourself, you open up your phone to snap a photo of the cat monster. You notice there’s no notification from Ace, which usually always happens when something—anything—goes on. Frowning, you shoot him a quick text to try and maybe get a gauge of the situation before you go ask Deuce about it. 

you (4:14 pm): hey what happened to deuce? hes over here beat up bro

When there’s no immediate response you sigh, turning your phone off and making your way back downstairs to the couch where Deuce is still seated. Walking into the room, you take a seat across from him on the dusty coffee table, setting the first aid kit down next to you and opening it up.

“C’mon,” you say as you hold out a palm.

Deuce looks at you skeptically before complying, placing his beat up hand on your clean one.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, almost like he didn’t know how to say it.

You respond by pressing a little harder on his hand with an alcohol swab, making a wince appear across his face. “For what?”

“...Showing up,” he responds hesitantly, shrugging. “Here.”

“Mm,” you hum, thinking about what to say in response. There’s a beat of silence, and you can tell that Deuce is getting more uncomfortable by the second. “What even caused this in the first place?”

“Someone… said something,” he pauses, trying to figure out what words he wants to say.

“About you, or…?”

There’s a soft groan that escapes Deuce, one that he usually makes when he’s frustrated with classwork. “No. It was about, uh, you.”

Your hands stall for a minute as you take in that sentence, before starting back up again, now on his other hand. “You didn’t have to, y’know.”

Deuce finally looks up at you when you say that, and through the bruise that’s forming on his eyelid, you can see him reeling and trying to form a sentence that’s not abrasive. “What do you mean?”

“I mean like, you didn’t have to get in a fight because someone said something mean,” you tell him, now focusing on his face. Pushing his hair away from his face and pinning it back with a random hair clip you had laying around on the table from one of your previous sleepovers with the rest of the first-year group. As you poke around, you can feel his face start to heat up under your touch. “Are you getting a cold?”

“What?!” he splutters, pushing your hands away from his pink-tinted face. “No! No, I’m not. And of course I had to do something, I li—”

He cuts himself off, which is truly a sight to behold. You almost giggle as his face contorts into a look that seems painful. But you let the silence settle as you wait for him to say something.

“Sorry,” he says, a hand coming up to rub the nape of his neck. “I shouldn’t have—”

You don’t know what else to do but to cut him off by pressing your lips to his. He makes a noise of surprise, and not being experienced in the subject of kissing, he doesn’t know exactly what to do. As you lean away, he follows you for just a second before reeling back, a look of shock evident on both your faces. 

“Uh— sorry,” now it’s your turn to flush red.

“No! No it was…” he trails off, unsure of how to finish his sentence without sounding totally stupid. “I– I liked it.”

He sounded stupid anyway, but you didn’t care.

“I like you, Deuce,” you tell him. “It’s probably pretty obvious now, haha.”

“I, uh, I like you too,” he responds, lifting one of his bruised hands to caress your cheek. “Can we uh… do that again?”

This time you laugh at him, but not in a mean way; never in a mean way. “Of course.”

Your phone buzzes on the coffee table next to you, but you’re too caught up to notice as you lean in for the second time that afternoon, and leave all your worries for another moment.

idiot central (4:23 pm): no

idiot central (4:23 pm): also can u 2 pls like kiss b4 i kms so i dont third wheel forever

>> twst taglist: @tulipluvlettr | @strawberry-hyacinth | @oseathepebble | @wisteriainslumber | @villaim

@pastelmages | @xphantasmagoriax | @atlasnessie | @divinesapph | @ze-maki-nin

@ezr4n | @l1vyatan | @savanaclaw1996 | @enigmatic-pers | @queerlordsimon

@kyraxiyn | @rayisalive | @monochromepalette

[spadecentral]

😠 Everything You Wanted | Leona Kingscholar & Malleus Draconia

>> requested: no >> a/n: i was listening to we hug now by sydney rose..

>> masterlist: here!! >> summary: leona and malleus both cant see what the other one can >> reader prns: n/a >> warning(s): none

Leona is jealous of Malleus. He can't stand his stoic demeanor and how he can't be bothered to treat everyone else like they're even remotely human. How Malleus treats everyone else, how he treats Leona like they're just specks of dirt and he's the sun. He envies how people trail after him like he was everything they aren't.

He thinks every day about how he's always one-upped by someone else. When he first got into NRC, Leona didn't think that he would be a 20-year-old third-year who could care less about graduating. He thought he would soar, finally getting out from the shadow his older brother cast over him. He didn't.

Meeting Malleus was Leona's greatest downfall, second only to being born. The first, second, and third time they dueled, Leona still somewhat believed in himself. After that, he only fought because of the bitterness he had.

He wishes he was as strong as Malleus;

Malleus doesn't understand Leona. He doesn't understand how someone could fight for themselves for so long. He's confused at how people could still want to be around him, despite being irritable all the time. He's jaundiced by how people can bear his attitude, and how people aren't as scared of him than they are of him. He's bitter that those same people will grow and laugh with him.

He still remembers their first encounter like it was yesterday. He was still seventeen, and yet Leona was not. Looking upon his young features for the first time, he was confused by how someone so young looking was so strong. Fighting him was slightly amusing for Malleus; he's dealt with worse, and yet found this entertaining. It wasn't a bad fight, it was decently matched, but he would end up winning. He always did.

The next year, when he looked at Leona for more than a minute, he noticed the differences. The hair length, the crease in his brow, the frown grazing his lips, the entourage that followed him. And the year after that, the cortège this time with even more people. When the year after that hit, and Malleus was still there, but so was Leona, he was confused. He had spark, or at the very least a drive. He'd overhear the talk and concern from teachers about Leona. The humanity was lost on him.

He wishes he was as human as Leona.

>> twst taglist: @tulipluvlettr | @strawberry-hyacinth | @oseathepebble | @wisteriainslumber | @villaim | @pastelmages | @xphantasmagoriax | @atlasnessie | @divinesapph | @ze-maki-nin | @ezr4n | @l1vyatan | @savanaclaw1996 | @enigmatic-pers | @queerlordsimon | @kyraxiyn | @rayisalive | @ravenlking | @nem0-nee | @cupids-chamber

[cross-crye]

𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖞 𝖕𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊

a/n: back again for ur monthly scheduled smaus!! merry christmas to all who celebrate (ig this post is like a lil early gift or sum lol)

when you're asking for a favour

incl: Malleus Draconia, Idia Shroud, Rook Hunt, Vil Schoenheit

cross-crye © 2024

no reposting, stealing, copying, translating or feeding my works into AI

reblogs, comments and likes are all highly appreciated

[h2llish]

⁀➷ ˖ what a show

notes ─── happy birthday @floydsteeth! love youuu

FLOYD LEECH ─ secrets that aren't secrets.

warnings ♡ fluff, male reader, lowercase intended, shenanigans ensue, floyd's a loser in love /aff, reader can sew

there's something so amusing to jade as he watches his brother experience his first time having romantic feelings for someone ─ before and after he established a relationship with you. (and while jade himself has never experienced such attraction, he knows his brother, and he can tell this is nothing like when floyd catches an interest in someone or something. ─ yes, this is different.)

floyd may not be the easiest person to get along with ─ mood swings that remain hard to predict, his intimidating appearance, and of course, the threats. but you made it seem like it was no trouble to get along with someone so many tended to avoid. (and jade found it almost funny, how quick you were to match floyd's energy. perhaps that's why floyd liked you so much.)

before you two started dating, jade had made it game between himself, tallying everyday as he watched the two of you interact ─ waiting to see if his brother would notice his feelings towards you. and, if he was correct in assuming you felt the same way towards floyd, if you would notice your own towards his twin. the count began the moment he noticed floyd's feelings; and for the longest time there was no clue towards any change between the oblivious dance his brother was unknowingly leading. ─ and well, it sure was a show.

but while things did change when you two finally realized your feelings ─ it wasn't all that different from before. jade still found it funny to watch.

even more so when it seemed as if your friends were completely unaware that you two were dating at all. ─ perhaps because your attitude towards each other weren't so different from when you guys were still friends and unaware of your feelings. perhaps because you guys never outright told anyone; simply let it happen as it was, for people to figure out on their own. ─ the only thing, is no one was quite figuring it out. (save for jade, and perhaps rook, as nothing goes past the hunter. and he's sure there were others, but those close to you, well, they seemed clueless.)

"where were you? what are you smiling about?" azul asked as floyd entered the mostro lounge, a grin that was much too wide to be deemed comfortable on his face. azul was eyeing him with suspicion, while jade approached with a knowing smile upon seeing his brother return after floyd had skipped out on his duties in the lounge. (he knew his brother too well ─ that was no smile of mischief, but rather an eel who was feeling prideful and maybe even giddy.)

jade folded his hands in front of him as he looked between azul and his twin, "my guess is the prefect."

of course, azul knew about floyd's relationship with you, there's simply no reason for him not to ─ it's one of things floyd doesn't shut up about when he's working. jade is quite sure all of octavinelle is aware (which begs the question, how your friends weren't). azul however, chose to face it with a sigh and a complaint every time floyd skipped out on his duties at the lounge to be with you.

floyd didn't appear or express annoyance at the immediate interrogation of his return, rather it seemed as nothing could quite snuff out his giddy mood. he was carefree as he often appeared when he was teasing someone or having fun, "hey i'm gonna borrow the kitchen, okay, azul?"

"for what? it's late." azul asked. floyd didn't answer him, marching past him, and both azul and jade were sure he was giggling to himself.

jade chuckled at his brother's behavior while his twin disappeared into the kitchen. ─ floyd's attitude and his question no doubt influenced by something that had to do with you, he's sure. he and azul could hear the start of floyd beginning to cook ─ what and why, they weren't sure.

azul stared at the door to the kitchen with a frown, before shaking his head and turning away to begin towards his room, likely to begin turning in for the night, as many of their peers had already begun to do.

jade remained in place for a moment, his smile amused as he listened to the sounds of his brother in the kitchen. he didn't know the context of his behavior, but you were the most reasonable answer. ─ with a hum, jade turned to begin towards his own room, knowing floyd would join him when he was done with whatever it was, he'd busied himself with making.

it turns out what floyd had been so giddy to make, was lunch for you and him to share outside of the cafeteria together. (a date, floyd called it. ─ his brother was just so amusing, jade thinks.) the reason was a compliment to his cooking while you two were spending time together the day before, after floyd skipped out on his mostro lounge duties once more. you'd learned it was him often in charge of cooking, and you complimented him. leading to the giddy behavior the night before when he returned to the dorm.

(and perhaps he sent you a message about the affect you had on his brother when it came to compliments, in the guise of a complaint from azul ─ because it was all that more amusing to him.)

jade wonders how your friends might've reacted; if they haven't caught on, realized, when you'd told them you were going to have lunch with floyd instead.

he gets his answer come lunch time.

"[name]'s been acting weird, don't you think?" ace asks, chin in his hand and elbow on the table as he addresses the table of first years, minus the usual you, who often sits beside your dire beast other half. (jade wonders how grim took it, when you decided to leave him with your friends to have lunch with foyd. he's quite sure grim wasn't happy, if the pout on his fuzzy face is anything to go by.)

"no kiddin'!" grim whined, throwing his paws up and stomping his foot on the table before a grabbing a pawful of the food on his plate and stuffing it into his mouth. he spoke through the mouthful of food, much to the disgust of his peers sitting with him, "ditchin' me and leaving me with you losers."

deuce scolded grim for a moment about talking with food in his mouth, before turning to ace and scratching his cheek, "i guess he's been a little weird."

"a little?" epel scoffed.

"i don't think it's any of our business." jack said, "he seems happy."

"i agree!" sebek nodded, arms crossed over his chest. ─ a reasonable reaction from both; it would've been the most respectful opinion if you were actively trying to hide your relationship with floyd.

ace was visibly displeased with their words in reply to his, choosing to brush them off, "you think he's hiding something?"

silence.

and then deuce asked, "what would he have to hide?"

ace didn't have an answer.

(and who is jade if he didn't take this opportunity? ─ really, it's not his fault your friends have proved to be quite dense.)

"forgive me for being rude." jade said, standing behind ace as the party at the table flinched. neither of them heard or seen him approach. "i couldn't help but overhear."

"jade?" ace asked, or rather, gulped, as he looked over his shoulder and up at the leech.

jade didn't seem fazed as he continued, a hand to his chin with a faux look of concern, "floyd has been acting quite strange as well." ─ not a total lie, perhaps, ─ "i don't suppose you think his behavior and the prefect's are connected?"

his underclassmen went silent, glancing at each other with expressions better explained as shocked.

"prefect did ditch us to go have lunch with floyd." epel said, "do you think─"

"floyd's tryna steal my hench-human!" grim yelled, or rather, screeched.

"grim─" but whatever deuce intended to say to the dire beast was interrupted as grim had already hopped off the table and bolted towards the cafeteria doors on all four, likely in search of you.

with some complaints and a few groans from the group of first years, they had all stood from their chairs to chase after grim, their trays forgotten for the ghosts to clean up later. jade wondered if they chased because they too were curious, or simply to stop grim, or maybe even both; either way, jade made the decision to follow, deciding he simply couldn't not do so, after such an entertaining reaction.

how grim managed to find you both so quickly was anybody's guess ─ but it's not like you were actively trying to hide, sitting on one of the benches in the courtyard under the shade of a tree. the box of lunches floyd had made empty and sitting beside you forgotten. ─ before anyone could stop him (and not like anyone had tried), grim pounced at you, yelling your name. you jolted, but before he could land in your lap, the scruff of his neck was grabbed and now the dire beast was dangling in front of floyd, who didn't look too happy.

"hey there, baby seal." he said, perhaps a bit bland in greeting as he stared at grim with his lips threatening to form a frown. "what are you doing here?" grim struggled in floyd's grip, grunting at him, and trying to claw free, but floyd remained unbothered. eventually grim stilled with a huff and took to pouting and glaring at the leech.

with the dire beast no longer yelling, you decided to speak up, "grim?" ─ you glanced up as the rest of your friends and jade joined you in the courtyard, staring at you and floyd, and the eel's jacket in your lap, that you had been busy stitching up, a tear in the sleeve obvious to them. "what are you guys doing?"

ace placed his hands on his hips and sent you an accusatory look, "we should be asking you that."

"what?"

"you can't steal my hench-human!" grim interrupted, pointing a claw at floyd, who still held the dire beast, but floyd only continued to look at grim with a look of boredom. (perhaps a bit upset that his lunch date with you was interrupted.)

you sent grim and ace an odd look, "what are you guys talking about?"

"you've been acting weird and that obviously has something to do with floyd, and we want to know why!" ace explained.

you stared at him, your confusion apparent as you didn't say anything more, the thread and needle in your hand forgotten for a moment in favor of trying to understand what he was talking about.

floyd seemed to catch on before you as he turned to jade with a frown, "you know why they're here. you could've told them instead havin' them come all the way over here to bother us."

"why, i haven't a clue what you mean." jade grinned, his voiced lilted in a way that proved he was lying, and enjoying the scene, that he didn't bother to hide. "i only wanted to know why you've been acting so odd as well."

it was then that you understood, "hold on─" you shook your head and looked between your friends and grim, who still dangled in floyd's grip. "you guys are saying you had no idea we were dating?"

"what?" there was a chorus of surprise to which you flinched. grim was finally released by floyd as a barrage of questions were thrown your way.

"you're dating him? since when? why?" ace sputtered.

floyd frowned, narrowing his ace on the heart with a not-so-pleasant expression. (well, this isn't quite how you expected the rest of your lunch to go.) "you got a problem, crabby?" floyd grumbled, and you almost laughed at the way ace shrunk, and the rest of your friends quieted.

"nope, not at all," he managed to say, grinning in a way that didn't hide how much the leech intimidated him, "actually, you guys look great together."

it was then that any further conversation was put to a stop as the bell rang, and lunch was dismissed. ─ meaning you were likely going to find yourself at the end of more questions on your way to class once floyd wasn't at your side.

you glanced at the jacket in your lap and sighed, "i'll have to finish this later, just try not to rip it anymore, okay?"

floyd's frown was quickly replaced with a grin as he wrapped an arm around you and nuzzled against the side of your face almost aggressively, (but you knew it was all affection). he didn't seem to care as your friends watched on in shock.

"[name]'s the best!" he praised, to which you raised your hand to pet his hair, laughing at his actions as he continued to nuzzle his face against your cheek. (and your friends were, best explained, horrified.)

yeah, you were definitely going to have a lot of questions to answer.

do not repost, translate, copy, or run my writing through ai.

[evleonights]

jamil fans where u at (i gave him some headcanons too. just a hooked nose and some piercings)

@taruruchi @honeyedpearcrushh @teighveepao @boopshoops @scint1llat3

@h2llish @viperbunnies @buttholesparkles @oya-oya-okay @cheerleaderman

@qsoap @angelwishess @gimmeurmoneyagh @skriblee-ksk

[evleonights]

IDIA?

I DONT KNOW WHAT JUST HAPPENED. I WASNT GOING TO KEEP DRAWING FOR THE NIGHT AND THEN SOMEONE ON TWITTER ASKED ME TO DRAW IDIA AND I? LOCKED IN OR SOMETHING? I DONT KNOW IVE NEVER DRAWN HIM THIS WELL I FEEL LIKE I GOT POSSESSED PLEASE SEND HELP

taglist:

@taruruchi @honeyedpearcrushh @teighveepao @boopshoops @scint1llat3

@h2llish @viperbunnies @buttholesparkles @oya-oya-okay @cheerleaderman

@qsoap @angelwishess @gimmeurmoneyagh

[evleonights]

anatomy practice w/ leona

more to come, just posting this before i call it quits for the night. rambles utc

sometimes i wonder how someone who isn't even real can be so beautiful, enough to change the trajectory of someone's life. for almost a year now i have spent every waking day, hour, minute, and second, thinking about him in some way or another. he has me in a chokehold that is addicting, one that makes me drunk off just the sight of him. i dont really know whats gotten me in this mood; maybe its that i'm improving in how i draw him? regardless, i love him dearly

taglist:

@taruruchi @honeyedpearcrushh @teighveepao @boopshoops @scint1llat3

@h2llish @viperbunnies @buttholesparkles @oya-oya-okay @cheerleaderman

@qsoap @angelwishess @gimmeurmoneyagh

[h2llish]

⁀➷ ˖ spooky, scary, probably

notes ─── happy halloween i guess. i was hit by a wave of inspiration and wrote this in like an hour.

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR | VIL SCHOENHEIT ─ you want to really lean into the "spooky" of spooky season.

warnings ☆ fluff? (or perhaps crack? it's silly and short), read platonic or romantic, gender neutral, lowercase intended, reader may or may not be yuu

"hey, can you help me with something?"

leona would often times tell you to get lost, to leave him alone and let him sleep. but after peeking an eye open to look at you, that wasn't what came out of his mouth ─ "what are you wearing?"

"it's my costume." you answered simply, glancing down at the clothes that look like you took a pair of scissors and tore at it until it looked shredded and unwearable. (and that's exactly what you did, sort of; it was already old and worn, you just made it even more so with a few extra aggressive tears.)

leona sent you a questioning look, lips curled up in a mamner you knew meant he was judging you, but you weren't all that bothered. "what are you supposed to be?" ─ he didn't let you answer as he sat up and examined you from where you stood at his door, following up the question with another ─ "and what is on your face?"

you knew he was talking about the makeup made to look like gauges and blotches in your face to really sell your role in your costume. it was well done too, you had gotten help from someone you deemed an expert beforehand. it took a while before you made a decison on the look, but in the end, you were happy with the results.

you stared at leona for a moment, waiting to see if he'd ask anything more, and then you answered, "i'm like a zombie. and it's makeup. vil helped me. he's pretty good at it, actually."

leona stared at you, more bemused as he eyed your diy costume from head to toe, "you look ridiculous."

"i look great," you corrected him, as if that's really what he meant, "you think it'll scare people? i was hoping to spook the others, or at least some of them."

leona scoffed, but chose not to comment on your decision to scare your peers as he referred to the reason you came to see him, "what do you want?"

"oh, right," you held up a decently sized bottle of red, what looked like, paint. "i need you to help cover me im this fake blood."

"i take it back, you're ridiculous."

"rude. so yes or no?"

"fine. but not in here."

vil has learned that when you set your mind to things ─ ridiculous as they may be ─ you tried hard to fulfill them. sometimes you failed but, then there times you went through with them, completed your self-given mission.

he was used to hearing about these ideas you just had to go through with (your words). ─ like right now.

"so skeletons are scary right?"

vil glanced at you as you took a seat beside him on the bench, looking to be deep in thought. (and he had to stop himself from sighing.)

"what?" he asked, closing the script he was reading (one written by you for his film research club) with his thumb in between the pages.

"skeletons," you repeated, "they're common for halloween because they're scary, right?"

a rhetorical question, he realized ─ but he answered anyway. "yes. that's right."

you nodded thoughtfully and hummed, bringing a hand to your chin and going silent. vil prepared himself for anything you might say ─ and he knew it would likely be ridiculous, because that's what your ideas often were; ridiculous and lacking sense, but nonetheless, in a way, thought through.

"what about, if it was the muscles?"

"the," he paused, "the muscles?" ─ he asked, as if to be sure he heard you right.

"yeah," you nodded, your face showing just how serious you were in your words, and vil wondered just where you were going with this. "like skeletons are pretty scary. but what if, say, you suddenly just see fully intact human muscles coming towards you. wouldn't that freak you out?"

vil asks himself often where you come to think of such things, and yet, he still does not know. ─ "well, i suppose it would."

you nodded again, "i think i could make it work. with a little help from magic and makeup, i'm sure i could pull off a convincing costume."

of course that's where this was going ─ you were going to dress up as the muscles in the human body, just like one would when dressing up as a skeleton.

"you think you could help me?"

vil sighed, "alright."

─ it's never a dull moment with you, he thinks.

do not repost, translate, copy, or run my writing through ai.

[spadecentral]

🎃 Halloween Costumes | First Years

>> requested: no >> a/n: inspired by this post

>> masterlist: ramshackle (misc.) >> summary: you want to match with your s/o >> reader prns: they/them >> warning(s): none

>> twst taglist: @tulipluvlettr | @strawberry-hyacinth | @oheyfox | @oseathepebble | @wisteriainslumber | @villaim | @pastelmages | @xphantasmagoriax | @atlasnessie | @divinesapph | @ze-maki-nin | @ezr4n | @l1vyatan | @savanaclaw1996 | @enigmatic-pers | @queerlordsimon | @kyraxiyn | @rayisalive | @monochromepalette | @oepionie | @nem0-nee | @ruggiethethuggie

[rosietrace]

『 “All eyes on you” 』

| Aldrich Edelweiss and Victoria Shard | 🗡️ + 🪞 |

✎ᝰ. synopsis : “I love you the first time, I love you the last time— Yo soy la princesa, comprende mis white lines.”

✎ᝰ. content warnings : aldrich himself, dark romance, stalking (from both parties), allusions to murder

✎ᝰ. genre : romance of the dark variety, fluff but in a messed up way, oc x oc

( ˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥) a/n : As the president and only member of the Aldrich Edelweiss fanclub, I miss writing for his silly demented ass 😔 so I hope Revington is able to enjoy this piece, even through the potential ooc moments, just as it had been an enjoyable (yet tortuous) process writing it 🥰

✎ᝰ. : reblogs > likes

Aldrich found entertainment in a great, many ways. A more recent one came in staring at a respectable distance— close enough to see her, far enough to not be deemed conspicuous.

Marvelous, he thought behind one of the trees of Pomefiore’s forests, having slaughtered every woodland critter who'd tried making his presence known to her. Absolutely marvelous.

Over the past week, Victoria Shard had caught the attention of Aldrich Edelweiss; prince of Edelweiss, and leader of his troop of witch hunters.

Aldrich couldn't recall when this fascination with her began, but the prince couldn't be bothered to retrace his footsteps as to when it had happened— his focus remained on her, her and her alone.

He quietly sighed, blissful and dreamy at the sight of her. Sat atop a rock, humoring the desires of the woodland critters fortunate enough to encounter her, and not him.

Her movements were poised, precise. As swift as a blade slicing through to the apex of the heart, and aiming as true as any arrow. Akin to a princess, Aldrich thought with eerie satisfaction.

“So, so beautiful... so perfect...” he complimented her in a hushed voice, his canines digging into the flesh of his bottom lip, and yet he didn't care.

Inevitably, his lips bled the longer his teeth stabbed into its flesh. And as his blood slowly slipped down from his chin and onto the grass below his feet— finally, Victoria felt the ever-distant feeling that she was being watched.

A rabbit laid asleep on her lap, its snow white fur gently caressed in between the fingers that combed through it. “How sweet…”

“Although, I have this feeling,” Victoria said, her free hand below the chin of a doe, as if expecting it to react or reply to her observation. “Am I being watched? Or have I truly come to my wit's end?”

Aldrich felt the hitch of his breath against his throat, one foot taking a step back. Should he dare approach? Profess his loyalties and all that he desired unto her?

Or would he remain a twisted, broken-minded coward — whether he acknowledged that as fact or not — and flee like a stray?

He fled. Of course he did, it was his only option left on the table. The last time an encounter in the forest happened between him and his savior, she'd threatened him; used her magic against him while he'd been vulnerable, without a knife strapped to his side.

It was the most gorgeous sight; the way the sun’s bright fixtures illuminated her at her back, looming over him as though she were a goddess reborn. A saint exempting him from the land of promise to repent for his sins.

He'd wanted to kill her, then. Strangled her throat until her face was comparable to the purple of her hair, until her eyes ceased to open again, and until he could cut out her heart and display it in his room for only him to see.

Since then, he'd dreamed again, and again. Of her. In the good dreams, he'd hunted her down like a starved cat on a search for its next meal.

In the bad dreams, he embraced her and never wanted to let go; her fingers in his hair, her lips against his, their arms wrapped eternally around each other.

In the far off distance from where Victoria stood, her words somehow echoed throughout the forest— reaching far enough for him to hear her and the melodious song her voice had elicited.

“Strange… ever strange, indeed.”

“He's looking… again.”

“Pay no mind to him,” said Victoria to Zenith, the former appetizing on a box of dark chocolate brownies as her dessert. “I can assure you, he isn't of your concern.”

But Zen was not so easily convinced. “Sure he isn't.”

“He is of little importance, Zen.”

“Yeah, well, important or not, I am not enjoying the way he's looking at you.”

Victoria sighed. “... You want me to send Mephisto after him, don't you?”

Now that got Zen to grin a little more than before. Maybe, his eyes suggested, filled with mischief and a need for entertainment.

“No.”

“What? Why not??”

“Aldrich isn't a threat.”

“Aldrich Edelweiss. Not a threat.” He looked like he could burst into laughter any minute now after a statement like that. “Very funny, Tori.”

Victoria deadpanned. “He isn't.”

But it isn't looking like he's going to relent, she thought with a tiny and barely concealed frown as she assessed Zen and his expressions.

Mephisto— Victoria's loyal, obedient, little corvid she'd inherited from her late grandmother — was exclusive to keeping an eye on those Victoria personally deemed a threat.

To her, Aldrich didn't qualify as one. He checked off some boxes, sure, but a threat? That's the last thing Victoria would ever call him.

But Zen was relentless. After this, she knew he'd continue to pester and convince her into spying on Aldrich through Mephisto— a nice sentiment on his end, but one she'd consider inconvenient.

Inconvenience, however, wasn't enough to stop a sigh from escaping her lips at what she was to say next.

“... I'll see what I can do about Mephisto.”

Zen smiled. Satisfied, she'd call the expression, and before she could mumble at how he wouldn't allow a no out of her, he pulled her in for a hug.

“Good to know, Tori,” Zen murmured in relief.

And that was enough to prevent her from getting any more annoyed than she already was.

This damn bird, Aldrich thought to himself the more it became clear that Mephisto just wouldn't leave him alone.

For the past four weeks, he hadn't been able to get even a fraction close enough to where he wanted to be— to keep his sights on Victoria was a form of entertainment as much as it was a twisted show of his devotion, and he couldn't even have that.

His patience thinned, as did his sanity. Clueless to who the crow that's been stalking him like a circling vulture waiting to take whatever's left, Aldrich had taken a few extra measures into making sure it stopped following him.

He'd shot arrows, dabbled in throwing his blades right at the damn creature, hoping that one of them could land a hit.

But it wouldn't let up, always somehow returning to him unscathed when he'd been so sure that he'd targeted them dead more than once.

The damn bird even stole his prized dagger right out of his grasp. And every night since, he dreamed of cutting it open with that same blade, presenting the contents to his savior as a sacrifice worthily presented.

He found solace tonight, knowing that Mephisto was seemingly nowhere as he watched Victoria. At first he found it odd, considering a forest deep into the long hours of midnight would be an almost perfect location for a crow to lurk and sneer.

Aldrich Edelweiss, however, hadn't bothered to care too much about it. Not while he admired Victoria — a closer distance than they'd usually be — singing a symphony even the coral sea sirens knew never to compete with.

The animals adored her, sitting by her, having the pleasure of having their head on her lap with their fur combed through by her fingers.

His hand twitched, a wave of longing crashing over him as it always did; the temptations of reaching out and having the attention of all those fur-faced and like-minded winged creatures taken away and directed unto him.

His compromise was a quiet sigh, a hand over his heart. A silent duet they shared, a wordless melody only they knew the lyrics of, even when one didn't notice the presence of the other.

But the sound of a familiar caw brought an end to a moment of entrancing quiet. Bringing Victoria to her feet, and Aldrich with his guard up, bow and arrow in hand and a quiver strapped to his back.

This time, he'd make the shot.

“Mephisto.”

So that was its name. Even so, all too late, Aldrich didn't even process the hand that reached out to the corvid as he fired a single shot.

Just as it was about to pierce through his tormentor, it froze like ice and dropped to the ground. Shattering like broken glass in its place.

The prince's broken, lovesick heart sank at the sight of his savior’s hand reaching out to let his tormentor perch on it like a throne, her fingertips gently caressing the underside of its beak.

“There you are…” Victoria hummed. “I should feed you more, you've been flying slower as of late. Do you think Pallas has any spares left?”

Mephisto gave out another caw straight from its hazardous beak. Victoria frowned. “I forgot to restock. I've been… busy. You know that.”

At long last, Aldrich's heart stopped in its beat. And yet as quickly as he did, Victoria and her corvid’s heads whipped to his direction— staring down at the trees he'd been using to keep cover.

Victoria scrutinized it, her sharp sapphires for eyes suddenly squinting. She scoffed, her soft fingertip tickling Mephisto's beak.

“Go.”

Then and there, Aldrich bolted the opposite direction, racing into the darkness of the forest with no way of knowing where he'd end up— his eardrums ringing in torment, his breathing shallow as he pushed his legs past their limits.

Mephisto followed suit, its crowing mocking at him like laughter. Aldrich shrieked, hands going to the sides of his head to pull at the hairs in hopes that would distract him; little success came of that.

He felt tired. So tired. His chest heaved while his throat burned the longer he ran.

You could imagine the drop of his heart when he — mid-sprint — had all of a sudden, frozen in place. Aldrich's breath finally came to a prolonged, shallow halt.

Her footsteps were so slow and she drew nearer, and nearer. As though she were taunting him, she also took her time in getting closer.

Slowly, treacherous, and calculatingly, she finally reached him; her chest to his back, a shadow towering over his own.

Her arms weaved seamlessly on to his shoulders, a tight hold on them under the impression that if she didn't, he'd run off.

Is this it? Aldrich brought that thought to the forefront. If it were, he supposed it wasn't the worst way to die.

To die by the hands of his savior was better than to die dishonorably by a heretic. But she'd once been that for him, too.

“Kill me,” Aldrich demanded in a soft, tight voice. He clenched his fists at his sides and closed his eyes shut. “Kill me, if you must.”

“I don't plan on killing you, anytime soon.”

Her grip loosened. And with it, her melodious voice went lower in its octave, barely counting as a whisper with each word she spoke.

“I know you've been watching me, Edelweiss.”

The dagger Mephisto had stolen away from him returned to him, at long last. Slowly, Victoria gave a sideways glance to Aldrich while he remained in her grasp with his dagger back in its sheath.

Aldrich shuddered under her grasp— not from her admission, nor from the familiarity of his dagger back in his possession, but the feeling of her breath against the shell of his ear. “I—”

“You don't need to explain yourself for me,” said Victoria. “I'd be a hypocrite if I judged you for it.”

Her hand gently caressed his jaw, adjusting it until his eyes met hers right above. She towered over him, a titaness overcasting him— an undeserving mortal.

She smiled wryly, as though the dazed look in the prince's eyes were humorous. She turned him on his heel and pinned him to a tree, one hand right over his head.

A sight so beautiful it made him want to reach out in ways he'd never even think of doing leading up to this.

In a flash, her eyes broke their gaze with his and looked above at Mephisto circling them from above. “If you must know…”

“... I've been having a certain bird, a confidant if you want to call it that, keep tabs on you for the past… what was it, four weeks?”

At the sudden question, Aldrich nodded rapidly. He couldn't get a word out; that, on its own, was worth his own shock.

“... Why?” His voice was soft, too soft. From one moment to the next, his gaze shifted between meeting her cold gaze and the soft lips mere inches away from his face.

“Why?...” It disappointed Aldrich to see her pull back from the question. He'd expected many things to happen next, not a single one of them equating to an unnatural chorus of laughter.

Her cackles echoed about the forest. Maybe it scared the animals that treated her like a princess, or maybe it didn't. He didn't know.

And he didn't want to care.

“Let's just say a friend saw you as a threat, and I humored them by keeping Mephisto's eyes on you.” Thinking over it, Victoria shook her head. “In retrospect, I can understand the uncomfortable undertones of stalking someone, even if they were watching you back.”

“Admittedly, however… you've instead brought on an interest for me to take apart until every meticulous detail is truly understood.”

“... I do not quite follow.” He did. He absolutely did, and it thrilled him more than it should have, and he wanted nothing more but to hear it from her lips.

Victoria could read that bluff from a mile away. Why she didn't address that, Aldrich didn't understand. He much rather focused on what she said next.

“What I mean… is that I find you interesting, your highness.” Your highness, a silent scoff left her. Unfit for a man so cruel, and twisted. And yet…

“You're a twisted, broken mess. One doomed of disrepair with no one befitting enough of your standards to give you peace.”

The words pierced at his heart. But then… “Unfortunately, I suppose I am equally irredeemable.”

One hand, the one that wasn't resting above his head, intertwined with the limp hand hanging by his side. She smiled at him, and for once, he knew it was sincere.

His eyes flickered from different directions, all trying to pull at his puppet strings and direct his attention onto them.

The moonless sky, the stars that danced over it.

The shadow it cast over Victoria's form; her eyes, sapphires deeper than the abyss of the first water, shining brighter than starlight.

He only had one thought, then. Beautiful as the moon.

A moon that wasn't there to guard either of them. And never will.

“Because a part of me is as cruel, and broken, and imperfect as you are. And if you'll have me… we can both be broken together.”

【 Taglist / Credits 】

↳ In order of OC appearances/mentions

Aldrich Edelweiss – @revivemyreverie · @revolllutionary

Victoria Shard – Me 😈

Zenith Devi – Also Me 😈

Mephisto – Also (2) Me 😈

@starry-night-rose | @jasdiary | @authoruio | @fumikomiyasaki | @nem0-nee | @sakuramidnight15 | @hallowed-delights · @terrovaniadorm | @twsted-princess | @geminiiviolets | @lueerhythm | @valse-a-mille-temps

[evleonights]

uhhh something something fem azul I REALLY LIKE OCTOPUSES

taglist (ask to be added!): @taruruchi @honeyedpearcrushh @teighveepao @boopshoops @scint1llat3

@h2llish @viperbunnies @buttholesparkles @oya-oya-okay @cheerleaderman

@qsoap + @gimmeurmoneyagh cus of that insane reply you gave me HAHA

[evleonights]

the most beautiful boy in the world

[shrimpnetwrk]

So my twst blog is a side blog whereas my main's my personal acc. Would that be a problem in any way? I'd just prefer my personal acc remain private (I don't mind following this network obv), I just want to make sure.

I hope this made sense 😅

this is no problem at all! when we reopen admissions you can do this and there is no fault. plenty of people have twst side blogs and personal main blogs don't worry!