✦the boys suddenly cracked a naughty, suggestive joke
✦you guys really loved the “You are NAUGHTY!!” Series so what if we switch it up and the boys gonna surprise you this time!?👀
Trey Clover
You were just baking together, things were perfectly normal. Flour smudged your cheek, his sleeves rolled up, the kitchen smelled like vanilla and sugar. Then he suddenly leans in and says, casually:
“You know… if you keep looking at my hands like that, I might start thinking you want me to knead you instead.”
Your jaw drops.
Your brain short-circuits.
Did TREY just say that?!
“T-Trey!!”
“What? You like bold flavors, don’t you?”
He just chuckles, unbothered. Keeps going like he didn’t just ruin your soul with that line. And if you try to protest. He’ll lean closer and murmur
“Your cheeks are redder than the jam we’re using… cute.”
He’s so chill but absolutely enjoying watching you fall apart.
Cater Diamond
You were scrolling on his Magicam, casually cuddled on his bed, when he suddenly pointed to a blurry selfie and said:
“Hey, we should totally take a thirst trap together sometime. Like… you on my lap. My hand on your thigh. Caption it: ‘who needs dessert when you’ve got this snack?’ 🍑✨”
You drop the phone.
“C-Cater—!”
He grins so hard and wiggles his brows. He lives for this. Especially the way your face is heating up faster than one of Trey’s ovens.
“Aww~ look at you getting all flustered~ You’d look so sweet. Just say the word, cutie~”
You try to hide behind a pillow. He steals it and takes a selfie of your flushed expression.
“#CursedButHot #ShyBabyEnergy”
Leona Kingscholar
You were sitting together in the greenhouse. It was quiet. Peaceful. He was laying on the grass with his arms behind his head when, without even opening his eyes, he murmured:
“Y’know, if you keep straddling the line between cute and sexy like that… I might have to pin you down and show you what happens to teases.”
Silence.
You choked on air. Your entire face lit up like a tomato.
“W-What did you just say?! I didn’t even do anything!”
He cracks one eye open. Smirks.
“Heh. Look at that. One sentence and you’re already redder than Riddle after a rule-break.”
You stammer. He yawns.
“Come here. I’ll cool you off. Or warm you up. Dealer’s choice.”
You are not surviving this man.
Vil Schoenheit
You were trying on outfits with him, modeling in his room, doing your two private fashion shows. Vil stepped forward, adjusted a strap on your shoulder, then whispered near your ear:
“Darling… if you look this good now, I can’t imagine how divine you’d be wearing nothing but my lip gloss and your confidence.”
You gasped. You literally forgot how to breathe. You couldn’t even form words.
“V-Vil—?!”
He pulled back with a dazzling smile, like he hadn’t just murdered your entire nervous system.
“What? It’s a fashion suggestion.”
Your hands flailed. You made an inhuman noise. He chuckled softly, brushing a lock of hair from your face.
“Mm, I should make you blush more often… it's a stunning color on you.”
Rook Hunt
You were out on a nature walk with him when he suddenly grabbed your hand and spun you under the dappled light.
“Ah, my darling~ Even the sun envies the way you glow… but I envy your clothes most of all.”
You tripped. He caught you with a chuckle.
“Oh? You blush so easily~! Like a rose kissed by morning dew!”
You tried to escape. He followed, twirling you again with flair.
“Shall I write an ode to how divine you’d look draped only in moonlight?”
You are not making it out of this woods walk alive.
Idia Shroud
You were helping him adjust something on his console when he quietly muttered under his breath, clearly not meant for your ears:
“...God, if you bend over like that again I’m gonna need a moment to reboot my systems…”
You blinked. Slowly turned.
“E-Excuse me?!”
Idia's hair flared up like a bonfire and turned completely pink. He absolutely lost it.
“NO WAIT—THAT WAS—THAT WAS A THOUGHT!!! A PRIVATE THOUGHT!! IT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO COME OUT!!”
He tries to crawl under his bed, hoodie over his head, wheezing like you just hacked his server. You’re flushed. He’s panicking. And then, you stammer something like:
“...W-Well I didn’t mean to distract you...”
His head bonks the floor.
“YOU’RE KILLING ME.”
Later? You’ll both blush every time you lean over for anything. Ever.
Malleus Draconia
You were walking in the moonlight, having a peaceful chat, when Malleus suddenly turned to you and said:
“Do you think the stars envy me, my love? For while they must shine cold and distant, I am allowed to hold the sun in my arms.”
You melted a little… until he took your hand and continued:
“...And if the night allows it, I would like to burn in your warmth until dawn.”
Your brain: error 404.
You nearly tripped on nothing. You squeaked. Literally squeaked. And Malleus, ever amused by your reaction, smiled faintly.
“Have I said something bold? Forgive me. I merely speak the truth.”
His voice was low and intimate, like velvet smoke. You were barely standing.
“You are divine, and I am quite undone.”
He knows exactly what he’s doing. And he’s not stopping.
Lilia Vanrouge
You were helping him tune his guitar when he suddenly leaned down, his voice a purr in your ear:
“You know, I’ve got a few songs I’ve never played for anyone before. But for you, I might make a private concert… clothing optional.”
You dropped the tuner. Screamed internally. Possibly externally.
“LILIA— WE ARE I. THE CLUB ROOM!!”
He cackled. So proud. Zero shame.
“Aw, don’t go shy on me now~ You started hanging out with a fae general and didn’t expect a little mischief?”
He’ll chase your flustered face around the room, teasing and winking until you flee. He will literally hover over you upside down just to see you blush harder.
“Oh? Speechless already? Shall I start the encore?”
𐐩 The Headmage has once again "forgotten" to provide you with your monthly allowance for all the tedious tasks you've done for him. It's the only form of compensation you get from doing all the work he avoids doing himself. And how else are you going to pay for Grim's tuna addiction?
You've dialed Crowley's number various times only for the call to go straight to voicemail and he's yet to call you back. The couple of times you've managed to catch him outside of his office he slips away from your grasp saying he's got places to be and things to do. Never mind the stutter in his voice when he realizes you're set on getting your money. He sputters a hundred excuses and manages to always leave you waiting.
"Don't hold your breath" You tell yourself as your text message is left on 'Read' by Crowley. The HEADMAGE of all people is leaving you on read. This would be most embarrassing if anyone found out which is why you keep it to yourself.
It's nearing the end of the month and your wallet is feeling lighter by the day and Grim won't stop nagging at you to restock his snack cabinet. Does he think money grows on trees?? But you need to get yourself some food too, you can't go on living off of the leftovers from the cafeteria forever and it's not even guaranteed you'll get to them before Ruggie does. And it won't be long either before Trey's leftover baked goods start making you feel sick if that's all you eat.
You figure Crowley won't give you the money anytime soon, maybe not ever. And you're in no mood to be doing favors for anyone who could pull the same stunt. You would ask around for a job but it seems your lack of experience in this world prevents you from getting an interview. Well, it seems at least Twisted Wonderland and your world have something in common when it comes to hiring people.
However, one day you spot an ad for a new cafe that needs employees asap in preparation for the opening day. You apply without reading the entire flyer through because the requirements were to literally just be a functioning person with at least two braincells.
You were relieved when you received a reply back informing you were hired! It wasn't until the day before the opening date that you went in person to get some basic training.
The person in charge explained that this was actually a pop-up limited time cafe where they would serve exclusive drinks and food. Miscommunications had happened along the way and much of the original personnel wouldn't be able to work, which is why you were hired right away.
You didn't pay much attention to their words, it was just like any other cafe, right? All you had to do was serve clients and be polite.. easy.
However, the next day when you arrived you were confused that instead of a regular shirt and pants.. your work uniform was a frilly dress and stockings?
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the theme of this cafe-"
You so wanted to strangle your boss but at the rate you were going unless you wanted to be eating stones off the floor like Grim you'd have to suck it up and put on the headdress.
I mean, it was just an outfit, right? Other than that the job should be like a regular waitress job.
Then why are you suddenly being taught all these phrases and hand gestures?
➝ Heartslabyul...
Of course someone like Cater wasn't going to miss out on a pop-up cafe. Think of how many likes his posts would get if he uploaded photos of the exclusive and limited menu items!
So it wasn't much of a surprise to see him enter. Now, what was a surprise was to see that he had brought along Riddle and Trey. You stiffened upon seeing them, you even forgot to greet them along with the other maids when their arrival was announced. Another maid had to elbow you to remind you to greet them.
You hoped your hair would partly hide your face enough so that they wouldn't notice you. Never would you be able to look into any of their eyes if you were assigned to serve their table and forced to do the spell when giving them their food.
You dodged and pretended to be busy serving another customer so you wouldn't get called to attend them.
But you were wondering what Riddle and Trey were doing at a maid cafe of all places. Perhaps they only heard the 'Cafe' part and expected to go to a normal cafe instead of being served by cute girls in maid outfits.
You watched as an energetic maid came by to take their order. Cater seemed to know how these types of cafes worked and his energy matched that of the maid. Trey and Riddle were the ones who looked a little unsure of what to do.
Thankfully, you were able to avoid their table for most of the hour by staying on the other side of the cafe. That is until you had to serve a customer who happened to sit right by them.
As you approached with food you kept your back to the trio. Your hair was styled differently and with the maid uniform they wouldn't recognize you. And if Cater hadn't ordered for a cheki then he wouldn't know you were even here, right?
But of course Cater just so happened to have bought the full package online when he booked his visit. It was the only one he could get as all the other bookings were sold out and it was unlikely that the cafe could accommodate walk-ins with 2 or more guests. The package deal included a drink + meal per customer plus a cheki with a maid of their choice.
You prayed they wouldn't see you on the list of maids available when they were handed the booklet. But Cater spotted you right away.
His eyes went wide as he saw your picture next to the other maids. Trey and Riddle noticed.
"What's the matter, Cater?" Asked Riddle, putting his teacup down. He had been able to get used to how the maid treated him after Cater did some explaining.
Before answering, Trey looked at the booklet himself and was equally as shocked as Cater.
"It seems the Prefect is here.." He said adjusting his glasses.
"Ah, are they also visiting this cafe? I didn't expect them to come to a place like this.." Riddle turned his head, as if expecting to see you sitting at a table nearby. Did you perhaps enjoy coming to these places?
"No, Riddle-"
"We want a picture with this maid." Cater said smiling to the maid; pointing to your picture as the maid nodded, saying she would only need a moment to prepare and walked away.
You were bringing back empty plates to the kitchen when a maid approached you.
"Ah, there you are Yuu!" Her eyes sparkled when she found you.
"Is there another customer?" You asked, already putting down the plates and readjusting your apron. Readying yourself to go charm the Master or Princess.
"No, a group of costumers requested you for their cheki. Come along now~"
She barely gave you time to process the request before she took your arm and pulled you along.
Up on a small stage you were handed a microphone and a card with the names of the three customers you were supposed to call up. Your eyes widened when you saw the names. You wanted to turn and run, another maid could handle this. But you knew you couldn't do anything about it. So, taking a deep breath and clearing your throat, you called out Cater, Trey and Riddle.
"Please come up onto the stage for your cheki..."
You squeezed your eyes shut as you wished for this to simply be a weird dream, a really weird one.
But, before you knew it three figures were standing before you.
"Yuu! What a surprise-" Cater began.
But you didn't listen to the rest of what he said because you were trying so hard to maintain your composure as you forced yourself to make eye contact with Trey and Riddle.
Riddle was... to say the least shocked to even be here and much more to see you dressed the way you were.
With your hair and makeup done plus the maid uniform stylized in a way that was meant to appeal to customers.. yeah no wonder there was red tinting his cheeks.
Trey kept adjusting his glasses and Cater's talkative ass just made you all the more nervous.
The other maid had no idea how awkward this social interaction was as she stood there wondering why you weren't acting cute and engaging in light conversation with the customers who requested you specifically. In her eyes, you should've been over the moon.
Wiping your sweaty palms on your pristine apron you cleared your throat and asked in a sweet voice who would like to take a picture with you first.
You still toned it down a bit with the 'cuteness' factor but kept it polite enough so that you wouldn't get questioned by another maid later.
Of course, Cater wanted to go first.
Even in a situation like this, he was still wanting to strike cute poses for his pics. You had no choice but to oblige as you made half a heart with your hand to complete his heart sign.
Riddle went next and he was unsure how to stand next to you. Feeling the maid's eyes on you, you suggested doing a 'V' hand sign. Leaning in a bit closer you were glad he didn't say anything about it. But had this been on campus at school... no chance Riddle would be doing this.
Next was Trey, and you were both avoiding looking directly at each other. He could only smile apologetically as he adjusted his glasses which gave the maid taking your picture the brilliant idea for you to copy. That was your pose. Pretending to adjust your glasses in sync with Trey.
Since you were still on the clock, you also had no choice but to see them off as they left. You avoided the doing the whole "pretending to pout and be sad that your 'Masters' were leaving 'home'" which was humiliating to say the least. Instead, you guided them to the exit with a completely straight face.
Until, the maids stationed at the front gave an energetic goodbye complete with cute poses and pouty faces, which automatically made you sync with them.
And man did Cater have a blast seeing that. He was practically beaming at your reactions even if they weren't genuine. If it weren't for the cafe rules he would've loved to have gotten it on camera. You, on the other hand, were glad the cafe banned customers from taking videos or photos of maids. Surely, Cater would have uploaded it to Magicam with a caption that said something like "Visiting the world's cutest maid!".
As soon as they left your smile vanished and you ran back inside with your face buried in your hands. You were NEVER going to live that down.
It also didn't help that Ace and Deuce heard about it from Cater when he posted the cheki he took with you (obviously tagging your Magicam account). Ace especially was torturing you with his relentless teasing when you returned to campus.
➝ Savanaclaw...
One person who couldn't miss a new source of income was Ruggie. So it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he could possibly be working at the same cafe as you. Except he's lucky his job is simply washing dishes, unloading boxes of ingredients off of trucks, and not having to wear an apron and greet every customer with a sugary sweet smile.
You swear you feel like your face now has a smile permanently etched into it. Is this even your natural smile anymore?
You're on your five minute break in the kitchen talking to Ruggie as he washes dishes. You've taken your headdress off, your apron is tied loosely and your feet are already killing you despite still having 3 hours of your shift left.
"I don't know how I'm going to get through this, Ruggie.." You admit in defeat. It had never crossed your mind just how hard this job was. Maids had to be good at engaging in conversation with customers. They also sometimes sang and danced. You hadn't been expecting to do all of that when you signed up for the job.
"With every customer that comes in they require a unique interaction. There's only so many compliments I can come up with..." You slouch on a crate, using it as a chair as you prop up your aching feet on a nearby box.
"Okay but," Ruggie paused, wiping his hands with towel. "Don't you earn extra if the customers like you enough that they even pick to take a cheki with you?"
If a customer liked a maid enough, they could pay to have more interactions with that specific maid. Given that you were liked enough that is.
"Well.. yeah but-"
"I'd do it if I could... but as far as I know I don't meet the qualifications to be skipping' about in a skirt so.." Ruggie gave you a lookover. "..you're lucky. Make the most out of it."
You get what he was trying to say but at the same time it was hilarious trying to imagine him in a maid uniform with stockings and bows. Honestly, his eyes and ears would add to the cuteness factor.
"Yuu! A new customer is here."
The voice of a maid yelling for you cut through your thoughts and immediately you stood up.
"Coming!" You yelled back then turned back to Ruggie.
"Well there goes my break.." You mumbled, retying your apron and putting on your headdress.
"Aaaand off you go~" Ruggie placed two hands on your back and gently pushed you out through the kitchen door.
Grabbing a menu on your way, you walked towards the entrance and bowed.
"Welcome home, Master!!"
When you stood straight again and looked at your customer your smile faltered.
"L-leona!?"
Standing before you was Leona Kingscholar looking like he'd rather be anywhere else but here. He looked around for a while before his eyes set on you, his gaze indifferent.
"Didn't expect to find ya here, herbivore."
"Wh-.. what are you doing here?!"
Leona sighed as your voice made a few customers and maids look over at you.
Clearing your throat and adjusting your tone to a much quieter one you rephrased your question.
"I mean, why are you here?"
Rolling his eyes Leona crossed his arms.
"I'm not here to be entertained, I heard from Jack that Ruggie is working here."
Leona cast a glance around as if half expecting to see Ruggie in a maid uniform serving customers.
"Ah, he's in the back. Do.. do you need him for something?" You were desperate for any excuse to walk away from this.
Leona's eyes settled on you once again, he seemed pensive for a moment before responding.
"Nah, I'll just leave." And he turned around.
You sighed, about to go back into the kitchen you were surprised to see Ruggie peeking around a corner, observing the entire exchange.
He looked completely serious as he made desperate hand gestures from you to Leona. You tilted your head trying to decipher what he meant.
It wasn't until Ruggie mouthed something like "money" and pointed to Leona that you understood.
In reference to the conversation you two had earlier about a maid earning extra; you understood what he wanted to get at.
Ruggie wanted you to convince Leona to stay and if you managed to convince him to spend enough money then...
Yeah, Ruggie was probably going to make you split the money between you both for giving you the idea.
"Smart Ruggie, real slick of ya."
Turning around you run after Leona to drag him (and that wallet) back into the cafe.
Leading him inside you remind him to watch his step. Pausing momentarily you hesitate.
He gave you an odd look and you only mouthed 'Sorry' before picking up a bell and ringing it.
"Master has returned home, everyone!"
In unison, you + the maids, no matter what they were doing, turned and bowed, greeting Leona in an overly expressive manner.
Seeing Leona have any expression other than the indifferent or sneering looks he switched between sure was amusing.
You turned your head the other way to avoid meeting his eyes.
After sitting him down you handed him a menu.
"What?"
"You seriously gonna pretend like you didn't just pull that stunt back there?"
"I've no idea what you're talking about!" You smiled innocently.
Leona scrutinized you, knowing you were probably hiding a smirk.
"Oh, loosen up! It's a maid cafe after all."
After prompting him to sit back and relax, (and 5 minutes of him questioning why only two of the menu items had meat) you finally tricked convinced Leona to buy a full package which he would pay for at the end.
Of course, the description you provided was vague so he didn't know what exactly he was getting into.
After reporting to Ruggie in the kitchen of your plan he high-fived you and set to making Leona's food. He assured you he would even create something different for Leona just to make him drop a little more coin.
As you attended other customers who came in, Leona observed from his seat at the back. His eyes flickered to each table and noticed how much attention the maids gave to the customers.
Were these interactions always so... lively? You wouldn't try this on him now would you?
Before he had too long to contemplate upon this, you arrived with his food. He muttered a 'thanks' and was about to pick up his fork when you wagged a finger in front of him.
"I have to add the ketchup! What do you want me to draw for you?"
"What?"
"I can draw almost anything, you know. I've gotten the hang of this-"
"I'm not a kid, herbivore."
"Well.. yeah I know. This is just part of-" You sighed, "just go along with it, okay?"
Leona's eyes narrowed but he stopped protesting. This was enough of a green light for you and without his answer you knew what you would draw anyways.
Biting your bottom lip you concentrated on trying not to squeeze the bottle too hard so the ketchup wouldn't splatter all over the dish. Leona watched as you drew one circle, then two smaller ones... a face and ears?
You added a two eyes, a nose... whiskers? Finally, you finished and turning the plate you pushed it to him.
"Guess who it is!"
"...I came here to eat not to play games."
"This guy..."
"I drew you. Is it that hard to guess?"
"Last time I checked I didn't have whiskers." Leona crossed his arms and simply stared at you, his gaze set on you. He wasn't even paying attention to his food anymore.
Had Ruggie's plan backfired?
"I don't think you can 'moe moe kyun' your way out of this one, Yuu."
Even his voice was already expressing his- wait.
You turn to find Ruggie right next to you looking as distraught as ever, holding a trey with Leona's dessert.
"There goes my money.."
"You mean our money?!"
In the end neither of you got Leona to pay for more than the meal he was served but didn't touch.
➝ Octavinelle...
Azul and Jade were once again dealing with Floyd's mood changes. On a rare day when they had closed Monstro Lounge, they had come out to do a few errands which they had been putting off for some time now.
They browsed many stores before coming to a wide street. Advertisements and banners hung outside of shops inviting customers inside.
Amongst the people walking down the bustling street, you stood outside the cafe in your maid uniform handing out flyers to anyone interested. Your arm ached with the pile of flyers you have been clutching tightly, lest the wind scatter them for you.
"Damn job.." you muttered under your voice as yet another person ignored your outstretched hand.
So far, only a few people had taken the flyer you offered them. You could only stare down at the ground between your feet as it neared noon and you hadn't gotten a single customer to come inside. You'd rather be anywhere but here... suffering in this weather.
Isn't this the ultimate form of humiliation? Being paid a miserable wage in exchange for your labor and pride.
Just then a large shadow loomed over you, blocking you from the sun. Three sets of nicely polished shoes came into view. The shine on them almost brighter than any jewel.
Immediately, three people came to mind... and honestly you didn't know if this was the state you wanted them to see you in. You raise your head only to be met with the exact three people you were NOT planning on seeing today.
Azul with both tweels at his sides were currently looming over you. They had those looks on their faces. Eyes locked onto you preventing you from moving as their grins showed how fortunate it was to encounter this moment.
"Shrimpyy, I didn't know you were working here."
"Just great.."
Floyd seemed intrigued, and when something caught his attention it was difficult to try to distract him from it.
And unfortunately, Jade and Azul seemed to follow.
"My, what have we here?" Azul mused. "You know, if you were this desperate for money.. I doubt it was because you knew a better alternative."
Obviously, you get what he was insinuating. But you vaguely recall a very lengthy contract coming to mind whenever you considered him as an option.
"Free performance included when you purchase a meal + drink.."
You turn to see Jade has picked up a flyer that had slipped out of your pile. Noticing the way his eyes skim over the paper you snatch it out of his gloved hands.
He only gives you an eerily calm smile.
Just then a maid walks from out of the cafe. She's the one that you were supposed to switch turns with every hour or so. Except the whole morning had gone by and this is the first time you see her coming out.
Either way, it couldn't have been at a better moment.
"Yuu, it's time we switch. Oh?" She raised an eyebrow at seeing the group.
"I see you have managed to attract customers." The corners of her lips went up into a small smirk, but she turns to look at the trio with a much nicer smile.
"What?" You deadpan.
"Then I see it's not a mere coincidence that we have met here today." Azul started.
"As luck would have it, we were just beginning to feel a bit hungry ourselves. Isn't that right?" He doesn't even need to look over to neither Jade nor Floyd to know they also agree.
Jade goes along with Azul. "Indeed, it would hardly be courteous of us to turn down this offer you have so generously extended us."
"I have made no invitation of any sor- Urgk!" You clutch your side in pain. Before you had the chance to correct Jade and Azul the maid had elbowed you in the ribs.
"We would be most delighted to have you come inside! Please, there will be warm tea waiting at your table for when you enter."
You took notice of how the maid sugarcoated her words excessively to get these three inside. Little did she know these three didn't need any of her prompting. Of course, you couldn't entirely blame her. For in her eyes she only saw three well dressed gentlemen who looked like they could afford to spend an hour or two at the cafe.
And they, under the facade of being "persuaded" by the maid, entered the cafe much to your annoyance. Not only that but as they walked away you had sighed in relief, at least you wouldn't have to deal with them anymore.
Well, the maid insisted that you be the one to serve the trio. Pushing the remaining flyers into her hands you lead them inside.
Popping a piece of candy in your mouth you mentally prepare yourself to do the entire charade for them. They're 'touched' by your attentiveness and servitude as you play the role of maid and they, in turn, assume the role of masters.
"Will there be anything else you'd like?" Managing to smile at Azul this time, you offer your assistance after picking up their plates.
"The tea and snacks were delightful, wouldn't you two agree?"
"Shrimpyyy, I didn't know you could make food taste so good." Floyd's sentence made you cringe.
"You know the 'spell' I casted on the food isn't real, right?"
"No matter, a disposition as sunny as yours ought to make anything you serve taste better. You know.. we could implement this method at the lounge.." Azul trailed off, already thinking of how to monetize the idea.
"Ah," Jade who had been sitting pensively for a moment suddenly let out a small sound as if having realized something.
Azul, having his train of thoughts broken, looked in Jade's direction. "What is it, Jade?"
"If I'm recalling correctly, didn't the flyer mention something about a performance?"
Your smile dropped. With little experience in dancing in front of crowds, you were hoping you wouldn't be subject to this embarrassment.
"That's.."
"Shrimpy, Jade is right." Floyd slid into the conversation. "So, you gonna perform for us or nah?"
When you only eyed him warily he adopted a frown on his face.
"I'm boooredd."
Groaning, he splayed his upper body onto the table, slumping in his chair as his arms almost knocked over plates and cups.
"Woah- Floyd!"
"I'm afraid they're both right." Azul's voice cut in. You look up to see him smiling down on you. "When working in a business, Yuu.. customer satisfaction must be guaranteed above all else. And aren't we your customers for today?"
That did it. Azul delivered his killer line and it left you without solid ground for you to stand up against him.
They all watched expectantly as you lined up with the other maids for the performance. It was simple enough but doing it in front of a room full of people was the dreadful part.
As your parts came up you sent hand gestures their way, like hearts and such. It's customary for a maid to send kisses or gestures towards the table they served. Knowing your wage was on the line you bid farewell to your dignity.
As they watched the performance, Azul's mind started running. The cogs turned and he got the idea to perhaps do something similar at Monstro Lounge. He would only need to get people to do it. And you already seemed to have gotten the hang of it... expect a letter in your mailbox within three business days.
➝ Scarabia...
One thing that was different about the maid cafes in Twisted Wonderland was that unlike the ones in your original world the "spell" they cast here when the maids served the food did actually use magic. Obviously, you didn't have magic back home and neither did you here.
Some maids were able to cast magic spells as they said the iconic lines out loud to make the food appeal more to the customers. While this spell was harmless in both worlds, it did not fool Jamil not even for a second.
That day had actually been quite strange for Jamil, starting off like this...
It was a day off for everyone. Thanks to some repairs happening around school most classrooms would be closed. Both teachers and students would have a free day to rest, study or do as they wished.
Lunchtime was nearing and Jamil had gone into the kitchen to start preparing meals when Kalim rushed in.
"Jamil, let's go! Let's go! We'll be late and I don't want to miss it!"
"Kalim! What's gotten you in such a-"
Jamil wasn't able to finish the sentence he had barely started when Kalim dragged him away insisting they hurry lest they "miss it". What were they late for? Jamil had looked over the schedule for that day and Kalim didn't have anything important coming up soon.
"You dragged me away... for this?!" Jamil asked, staring incredulously at the cafe Kalim had brought him to.
Kalim opened the door, beckoning Jamil to walk inside. Kalim had actually known you would be working here. You had told him this when the day before he had wanted to invite you to come over to his dorm on the school's day off. It was then that you explained you couldn't because you had a j o b.
He was curious to know what place you'd be working at. And oh the interest in his eyes when he found out it'd be a themed cafe! He had never been to one like this one before, and although the act of being served wasn't necessarily an experience he was unfamiliar with he still had wanted to go and bring Jamil along.
Kalim knew very well what it was like being waited on hand and foot everywhere he went and for everything. But Jamil had never experienced it before. So, Kalim thought it'd be something fun if he dragged Jamil into it. He also wanted to support you on your working day.
The bell above the door rung as Kalim and Jamil entered. The atmosphere was pleasant; the decorations were elegant as if they belonged in a mansion, someone was playing the piano as guests mingled in conversation and enjoyed their food, and maids walked by with treys carrying beverages and desserts.
You spotted Kalim and smiled as you made your way towards him. Kalim beamed upon seeing you but also noticed the way you were dressed. He couldn't help but compliment you on how nice you looked in your maid uniform. It was frilly and paired with cute accessories. You looked like a cute and merry maid.
You offered to escort them to their table.
"Everyone," you called the attention of everyone. "The masters have returned!"
Jamil's eyes widened. Masters as in plural? Kalim was the only one who out of the two should've been addressed like that.
He looked up, hoping to catch your eye but you only continued facing forward. Jamil then witnessed being in a position he had never been in before. All the maids stood up, bowed and addressed both of them as 'masters'.
He wanted to correct them but you took them straight to a table. As he walked by tables he overheard other customers being addressed as 'master' or 'princess'. Perhaps they were as those titles stated but, just what type of cafe was this?
He hadn't ever been to anything like this before. Sure, he'd been to cafes a couple times before but never had they treated him with such accommodations.
Visibly uncomfortable he sat down at the table you led him and Kalim to.
"And now, I'll give you an explanation of our rules and menu."
Jamil mostly zoned out as he looked around but tuned in in time to catch the next sentence.
"Here is the license of your majesty! You can keep this even after this limited cafe is closed and bring it to our other branches that are open all throughout the year."
Jamil raised an eyebrow at the card you presented to them.
"It can be upgraded to silver or gold cards depending on how many times you visit!"
Kalim took up his card and pocketed it.
"Next is our menu." Taking a heart-shaped menu you opened it to the first page.
"These here are our drinks," you pointed. "And these are our meals and desserts. You can choose to buy one item or buy a full-course which includes a drink, food, dessert and also a commemorative photo."
Kalim didn't hesitate and ordered the full-course while Jamil eyed the menu warily.
"Is this all you have?" He turned to you.
"This is a limited pop-up cafe..so I'm afraid the menu only consists of our exclusive items."
"Fine, given that I missed preparing my own lunch today I'll order the full-course as well."
You thanked them and were about to leave when you suddenly remembered.
"Oh, and also if you need anything else you can call me by ringing this bell and I'll come running over!" You pointed to the shiny bell in the middle of their table.
Jamil was left thinking about this when you left.
Kalim went on saying how delightful this place was turning out to be, but to Jamil this was nothing more than strange. Of course, for someone so used to serving he didn't know what to do when someone treated him like Kalim, even if it was pretend.
Glancing around, Jamil noticed the maids interacting with other customers.
They played some short games, took pictures with customers and even took part in some strange spell-casting ritual when their food was served.
He noticed one maid encouraging a customer to repeat after her to 'sprinkle love' into their food. And at the end the maid actually cast a spell to make the customer's drink change color. It was a harmless and simple spell that even a child could do.
You returned a short while later with their drinks and meals.
"Here's your honey milk along with sugar cubes.. this is your soft drink. And these are your meals. Now before you eat I want to make sure you enjoy these even more."
Kalim and Jamil hadn't ever been to a maid cafe so they were unfamiliar with the phrases or cute gestures you were about to show them.
"When I say 'moe moe' you repeat after me, ok?"
Making a heart shape with your hands you said the first part and Kalim had no trouble following.
"Now 'kyun'!"
And with a final cute gesture being making a heart symbol towards the drink, the phrase was complete.
"Now please enjoy the meal while the love we just cast on it lasts." Kalim right away took up his fork and was about to dig in when Jamil took the plate away from him.
"Hey.." Kalim protested.
"Remember I have to taste test any meal I didn't prepare myself." He looked at Kalim's face and added a "Just in case."
After Jamil took a bite and found nothing strange or wrong with it, he slid the plate back to Kalim who went on eating without any problems.
Having Kalim engage with the wordplay was easy, Jamil on the other hand...
"Is this really necessary? Infusing my meal with 'magical happy powers'. You are magicless, remember?"
Your eye twitched.
"It's simply to make the customers interact with the maids. It's nothing weird.."
Jamil rolled his eyes but obliged.
"So, make a heart with both hands.. and we're going to go from side to side as we say 'moe-moe' and then when we say 'kyun' we do it towards the drink."
Jamil practically mumbled the words but got through it. You clapped afterwards as he made the heart gesture and motioned for him to try the drink. Of course, it tasted no different, and not even the color changed but it was all about the "experience".
After the meal was over, you came around and told them to prepare for their chekis.
"Our what?" Jamil asked.
"You both ordered the full-course set which includes a photo with me! Or another maid."
"Come, we have multiple props you can choose from."
After moving them to the stage, you held out a box with animal headbands, a couple of bows and headdresses. Kalim didn't mind picking an accessory even if it felt silly wearing one.
Jamil on the other hand... you had to practically put it on for him.
The cheki was cute but trust Jamil was going to hide, if not burn, the one photo of him wearing bunny ears next to you and posing.
He did however keep the license card you gave him. Perhaps to visit again in the future..?
➝ Pomefiore...
Vil had wanted to teach Epel the importance of keeping proper etiquette even in public spaces. And what better place to practice than at a cafe?
From the outside Vil could tell this was a fancier than most cafes. He was attracted to the elegance the cafe gave off even from the outside. It met all his requirements with the staff waiting for clients at the entrance.
"Yes, this will do." He said quite pleased as he ushered Epel and Rook inside.
You were a newbie maid. Despite the many times you went over the lessons taught by the full-fledged maids it still felt overwhelming. There were so many rules and even something as simple as serving tea was to be done carefully. Some of the apprentice maids shared some advice and tips which you appreciated very much.
Still, you couldn't help but feel anxious as you waited nervously by the entrance. You watched as more experienced maids greeted customers and seemed to serve them flawlessly. Even the 'clumsy' maids had a certain cuteness to them that charmed the customers. They didn’t overdo it and seemed to know exactly how to get each customer to smile and laugh.
Whereas you didn't know what personality to adopt; unlike them you weren't nearly as beautiful and elegant as the experienced maids, but you couldn't act cute and clumsy like the apprentice maids. You constantly fixed your "in-training" tag, kept looking down to make sure you were holding the menu correctly, touched the bow tied at your back to make sure it hadn't loosened, and so on. You just wanted to make sure you looked well kept and wouldn't ruin the cozy aspect of the cafe.
The maid who had been assigned to keep an eye on you for the day came to stand next to you.
"No more delaying this, you will take the next customer that enters."
"Okay." You nodded, not wanting to upset her.
Shyly, you steal a glance at her. Despite her being there since early morning serving customers, her makeup had not melted off in the slightest. You'd have to ask her later what foundation and mascara she used. Her hair wasn't frizzy or messy in the slightest despite already having performed at least once today.
You on the other hand had already worked up a sweat by the sheer amount of people you had seen, and not to mention the grueling training.
"Here they come."
You straightened and looked ahead at the sound of her stern voice.
You saw a group of three walk in.
“Just great..”
It wouldn’t be just one person you would be serving it'd be three, which made your palms start sweating.
Clearing your throat you stepped ahead and bowed to the trio of customers stepping into the cafe.
"Welcome home, masters!"
"Ah, trickster. How lovely do you look!"
That voice. It invoked a sensation similar as the one you get when you feel as if you're in danger. It made you freeze, a voice so strong but unaware of its effect. You certainly had not expected to be addressed directly.
You look up to see the most gorgeous eyes that seem to shine brighter than the stars in the sky, you're cursing yourself for still being blinded by the beauty of Pomefiore dorm students after all this time.
Yet, you managed to contain yourself, barely.
You meet the eyes of Rook who seems to be enjoying seeing you in a new setting like this, Vil hadn't been expecting you but in his gaze that others deemed icy but to you there was warmth he showed upon seeing you. Finally, there is Epel who looks like he's more fit for this job than you are, but you won't tell him that.
Keeping up your role as maid you invite them in.
Remembering the set of stairs at the front you remind them to watch their step whilst almost tripping yourself.
The maid is observing you like a hawk as you pick up the bell. The ringing resounds throughout the cafe, the clear noise cutting into the air in the room and drawing the attention of the other maids.
“Our masters have returned!” You announce. Then in unison you follow along with the rest of the maids.
“Welcome home!”
In reality you mouth that last part. The voices of all the maids cover for you as you pretend to say it along with them.
After they’ve settled at a cute table, you introduce yourself, doesn't matter if they already know you or not. Remembering that you’re only their server, you slightly bend your knees to appear even smaller than you are. It’s something you’re told to do, especially if a customer is short. (Looking at you Epel)
You stutter through an explanation of the menu which Rook seems to pay full attention to. Vil doesn’t order any of the desserts or meals yet but decides they should start with some tea and light snacks.
Closing the menu, you nod and are just about to put their order in when Vil calls out to you. He didn’t ring the bell at the table, didn’t call you by your role but called you by your name.
You turn and notice THAT look in his eyes. The scrutinizing look he gets when he sees something that requires fixing. He beckons you over and as you lean down he grabs you hastily and turns you around.
You’re facing away from him, confused as to what he’s doing when you feel him undo your bow.
“Vil-“ you begin.
“Don’t move.”
You feel him tug.
“That’s not a correct way to tie a bow. I don’t know how no one else noticed this before. Look it’s all wrinkled...”
He fluffed out the bow as he retied it, all the while going on about how you could get in trouble for not being attentive to your appearance. Once the bow around your waist was tied neatly in the back, Vil gently pat your back and nodded for you to go on.
You bowed politely in thanks and went off to get their order. While you were waiting for their tea to finish being prepared you took a look at yourself in a full length mirror by the restrooms.
The bow looked a LOT better than when you had tied it yourself. It was perfect, similar to the bows on gifts. You made eye contact with your own reflection and in that moment you felt the most self-conscious about your appearance. Just a few moments ago you had been looking at the epitome of beauty that Vil is, and to suddenly go from that to this was...
Perhaps you could borrow some lip gloss or something...
"Yuu! Order's ready!"
Taking one last look at yourself you hurried off to where the maid was waiting for you. She handed you the trey and emphasized how careful you must be when serving the tea.
You nodded and walked off, careful that you wouldn't falter in your steps and cause the tea to spill. As you approached their table you heard Vil lecturing Epel with Rook chiming in.
Picking yourself up a little, you walked with a little more confidence and straightened your back. Maids had to look energetic all the time after all.
Cracking a nervous smile you set down the trey and placed a teacup in front of everyone. You begin pouring the tea but since all conversation had come to a halt your fingers can't help but tremble as you try to hold the teapot steady.
You take a deep breath and line the spout of the teacup and begin pouring the tea. Too focused on the tea to notice, Rook who was closest to you had almost reached out to place his hand over yours to steady the shaking. He was afraid you would spill the tea, but not because the table could get dirty. The tea was hot, and he simply didn't want you to burn your hand.
Thankfully, you managed and so Rook had no need to act. Epel, despite begrudgingly coming to the cafe, observed all of this. Their actions appeared to be done naturally almost as if done by little effort but still so thoughtfully.
He looked from Vil to Rook, pondering for a moment.
After bringing snacks you left them to enjoy their refreshments. As you attended a new customer you felt a little more confident. Reaching back to touch the bow Vil had tied, you couldn't help but smile.
A maid's call made you snap back to reality as you were summoned to serve the new customer who had just walked in. Right from the get-go there was something "off" about this customer. As you stuttered to explain the rules they seemed uninterested.
Then as you led them to a table you noticed they took out their phone and started filming around the cafe. You politely reminded them that the cafe rules prohibited filming the maids or other customers due to privacy reasons.
"If you want to film it's required you seek permission prior to your visit."
The customer only scoffed but put away their phone.
You assumed that was the end of it.
But the reason of their visit became obvious when you brought their drink and attempted to cast the spell.
"Okay, got it? Repeat after me please."
You cleared your throat before continuing.
"Furi-furi..!"
This was the part they were supposed to repeat after you. But the customer only stayed silent, staring.
You swallowed uncomfortably but continued.
"Shaka-shaka!"
"..." Again they didn't repeat. You were about to continue before they burst out laughing. Their laughter disrupted the tranquil ambience of the cafe. Customers and maids turned to look over, clearly uncomfortable.
It was only then you realized this person was a tease and was only here to disrupt. From the moment they walked in they had no intention of immersing themselves into the role. You only grimaced and attempted to calm the customer down. But to your dismay the customer didn't take you seriously. They pushed away the drink you had worked hard on making them, spilling it onto the floor and dirtying your uniform as well.
Before any of the maids could interfere you see a flash of light, soft purple hair.
"Why ah oughta.."
"Epel!"
Unexpectantly, he had heard the ruckus and seeing Rook and Vil exchange glances as if preparing to do something, he charged first.
The customer took one look at Epel and wasn't the least threatened, until Epel released a series of sentences no one really understood but somehow still got the point across.
And before Epel could let his anger get the best of him the manager came along and kicked the rude customer out. What was left was the spilled drink and your soiled uniform.
But more disheartening than the sticky residue left by the spilled drink and the (probably) now permanent stain on your uniform, were your crushed spirits. You had felt so upbeat prior to that rude customer, so why did they have to ruin your shift?
"Yuu, are you alright?"
You look up to see the trio of Vil, Rook and Epel standing over you. You simply nod and attempt to go back to cleaning. But Vil extends a hand to you. Staring at it for a moment you decide to take it. Helping you stand up he offers to take you to the restroom to take care of your uniform while Epel and Rook clean the mess.
Thankfully, a maid who was ending her shift had seen what happened and passed you her uniform (which luckily was your size). Vil, who always carried makeup products to touch up with, helped you redo your hair, ribbons and makeup.
By the end of it you were feeling better and were able to see them off with a warm smile in gratitude for their support.
➝ Ignihyde...
Idia shouldn’t be here. He doesn’t go out. No matter what his #1 rule has always been “if you can get it/do it online then don’t bother going out”.
So why has he been standing in front of the cafe entrance for 20 minutes clutching his bag and tablet? Strangers are giving him looks as they pass by, he can feel their stares digging into him.
'What a weirdo.'
They’re probably wondering what the hell a guy like him is doing here. Surely they think he’s a creep that visits maid cafes all the time.
But his favorite anime just had a collab with this cafe and the only way to get the merchandise was to come in person. They wouldn’t be accepting any online orders because of scalpers.
He hoped he could just enter the shop, get what he wanted and get the hell out. It should be easy; the merchandise was sold in the front store before you could enter the cafe.
Entering the building he kept walking until he reached the 'Enter' sign inviting guests to come in.
His eyes darted around and found the anime x maid cafe collab merch. Immediately drawn to it he started geeking out. Giggling and talking to himself about how good it was they hadn't sold out of his favorite character, he didn't hear the footsteps nearing him.
"Excuse me?"
He flinched so hard he almost jumped out of his skin.
Standing up, he wasn't aware of how close this person who had called out to him was. Idia stumbled for a bit as he almost bumped into.. you!?
"Yuu?!" He exclaimed horrified.
He hadn't recognized you at first, your hair was styled, your makeup done a certain way and your outfit... You were cosplaying his favorite character! He needed to say something..anything. But his voice wouldn't come out and he didn't even remember his tablet was inside his bag.
You blinked at him, not understanding what he was so worked up about or why he was just staring at you. Then it dawned on you that he probably just got surprised, it sort of reminded you of how you'd seen horses get spooked when you visited the equestrian club. Riddle had always made a point of never coming up behind a horse because when a horse was surprised there was no telling how it may react. You had to tread carefully or else rider and horse could get injured.
Maybe you could apply some of that logic here? It was rare to see him out. Thinking back there were a couple of times you saw him alone visiting stores but even then you didn't bother him. You didn't think Idia was the type to like coming to maid cafes because of the type of interaction involved.
"Idia, hello!" You smiled, wanting to seem nice and not scare him away.
Still, Idia didn't move and his mouth only opened and closed, not knowing how to respond. But you noticed, felt how his eyes flickered up and down your entire body. His amber eyes rested on your hair and then outfit, a sparkle in them as if he had realized something.
"You're..." He began, his fingers fiddling with something.
"Hm?" Tilting your head, you awaited his response.
When he didn't answer you looked down at what he was fiddling with. In his hands you noticed merchandise the cafe was selling. Remembering Idia was a fan of... many things, you decided to take this opportunity.
"Did you know we also made a menu just for the collab? It'll only be available today and it comes with exclusive randomized merch depending on what you order."
Idia's wandering eyes immediately met yours upon hearing that. Within his gaze you could see the interest he showed in your words.
Seeing as you almost had him convinced you leaned in to whisper.
"I'll even make sure you get the character you like."
And that convinced him.
After letting him know of the rules you led him inside. You were about to ring the bell before stopping yourself short, Idia would likely sprint before you'd be able to announce his arrival to the other maids.
Deciding to pass on that, you looked around for a table and found a free table that didn't have many people near. After seating Idia you noticed he visibly relaxed. Thankfully, the atmosphere at these maid cafes were calm.
Secretly, Idia was thankful you were his maid. At first the thought of someone from NRC seeing him at a maid cafe terrified him. But you wouldn't think he was weird, no you were perhaps the only decent and most considerate person at that school. Not only would you let him pick out the merch he wanted but you wouldn't overwhelm him with too much 'moe'.
"Tbh, the less socialization the better." He thought to himself as he drank the beverage you had brought him.
Not only did you bring him the merch of the character he wanted but you didn't say anything or give him weird looks when he got excited over finally completing his collection.
You even suggested taking a cheki with you if he was alright with it. Except how would he bring up the fact that he would rather only want a picture of you and not be in the frame himself?
Noticing the way he hesitated you spoke up.
"You don't have to by the way..."
Idia shook his head.
"Or... do you not want to be in the picture?"
He nodded.
"So, is it alright if I just give you my picture?"
At that he nodded again quickly.
Smiling sweetly, you told him you'd be back in a minute but not before also asking him if there was a certain pose you should make for the picture.
Idia pulled out his tablet and began scrolling through before finding what he wanted and showing you the screen. It was a pose the character commonly struck in the series. After that you left for a moment.
You must've been an angel because Idia sighed in relief as he leaned back in his chair. He had been sweating, worrying you wouldn't understand and he would have to just swallow his request.
Before he left the cafe you gave him the cheki you took. Idia mumbled a 'thanks' before walking away. But once he had walked a considerable distance from the cafe and probably from where you could see him, he took out the cheki. Not only had you gotten the pose and even facial expression just right but you had also decorated the polaroid in the character's signature color and wrote a line they commonly said.
When Idia got back to his dorm Ortho noticed right away that Idia was smiling. Thinking it might be because of the bag full of merch he was carrying, Ortho asked if he had been able to snatch all the merch before it sold out. Idia, who usually would've taken this as a chance to talk nonstop, only nodded and responded with a content "yeah".
Ortho thinking Idia was likely still dazed by all the social interactions he had to go through just to get his merch, left him alone in his room.
Once his brother was gone, Idia took out the cheki you had given him and immediately took a photocard sleeve out of his desk drawer to put it in. He was about to put it in his photocard binder too before stopping himself. Swiveling around in his chair he looked around his room before spotting an unused acrylic photocard holder.
After putting it in, he held it in his hands for a moment. Then, setting it down on his desk he decided perhaps he'd leave it on display for now.
➝ Diasomnia...
This had all been Lilia's idea.
Malleus was unfamiliar with the pop culture references and therefore was unaware of what was done at these maid-themed cafes. But Lilia couldn't possibly resist inviting Malleus on a day off to spend some time outdoors. It was while wandering about late in the evening that they spotted the cafe.
Malleus had been curious about the outside aspect of it. Huge banners hung of both sides, advertising the cute and beautiful maids. He wondered why the cafe, a place where the importance should be the food, they'd rather advertise the waitresses.
He didn't know much about business, that was Azul's specialty, but it struck him as strange. Lilia decided it was time they rest for some food anyways, and asked Malleus to try it out. He did want to encourage him to try out new things after all.
Upon coming closer and observing the banner, Malleus was surprised to see your picture displayed amongst the other maids. He pointed this out to Lilia when the latter noticed him staring.
"Hm? Why this is a most interesting predicament. Malleus let's go inside. Perhaps we'll see them."
Malleus, being intrigued by seeing your face on the banner, relented.
He knew nothing of this place which piqued his curiosity. And for some reason, anything involving you always proved to be compelling. Certainly, this was worth his time.
The signaling of the ringing bell caught your attention as the maids at the front immediately bowed in greeting.
But upon seeing Malleus, you stilled. There was a certain air around Malleus that changed the ambience he was in. Whether that was good or bad was left to be interpreted to every individual. To you, it was nothing foreboding however. This was simply the guy who frequently visited your dorm to bask in its solitude. His royal blood was only something you came to know of recently, and not even that changed your view of him drastically.
He was still 'Tsunotarou'.
You had just come back from break and changed into your maid uniform, so another maid had gone ahead to take the next customers. And those customers just so happened to be THE Malleus Draconia and Lilia.
The maid stopped short, she seemed to recognize who he was. Taking a step back, you noticed her awkward behavior. That was your cue to take over.
"Tsunotarou! I didn't expect to see you here." You cheerfully greeted him as always.
"I'll take this one, thanks." You whispered to the poor maid who seemed to be frozen stiff and gently pushed her in the opposite direction.
"Child of man, I am the one who was rather taken aback seeing you here. I was on an outing when I spotted your face on the banner out there. Mind explaining?"
"Ah, it's just a job I picked up for today."
"Work?"
"Yes, Crowley hasn't been very accommodating as of lately.."
This got Malleus thinking. "Has he now?.."
"But since you're here would you like for me to get you a table?"
Lilia knew Malleus would probably decline, taking into consideration how the maids reacted when he first walked in. But he barely got a word out before Malleus answered.
"Yes."
"Malleus?" Lilia turned to look at him, incredulously.
"If the Child of man offers me to dine I'll accept."
Smiling, you take the bell and ring it. The maids instinctively bow again and welcome Malleus and Lilia properly.
"Welcome, home masters!"
Malleus is mostly unfazed by this, it's not rare for him to be addressed formally. But the switch up was... unexpected. Only sparing the maids a glance, he follows you.
Taking a menu you lead the way. Since it was late in the day, not many customers were still in. The busiest hours had passed and now all that was left was the quiet, but comforting ambience. It was what the cafe specialized in, making you feel at home.
Once they settled in, you presented the menu options. You put special care into explaining how this cafe worked. Lilia wasn't unfamiliar to this but Malleus hadn't ever been in this sort of place before.
He wouldn't know of any of the charms or interactions. He probably assumed this was an average cafe.
"So, you're saying.. we are 'roleplaying'?"
"In a way.. yes"
"Interesting."
He didn't seem displeased, at least now he understood why the banner he saw outside featured the maids. This was a place one came to for the experience and interaction, the food was simply an added point.
"Then I'd like to try this." He pointed directly at a menu item. It was the omurice a customer could request for a maid to draw on for them.
Lilia seemed to take on pretty quickly and placed an order of his own.
Feeling happy that Malleus was enjoying his visit so far, you went off to put their order in. You even made sure that none of the other maids would try and talk to them or disturb their table. As of now, your focus was creating happy and warm moments for Malleus. He had taken the initiative of coming here, and despite you only being a maid for a day, you would try your best to provide him with a positive experience.
You got your first opportunity when their food was ready. Placing their orders on the table you took up a ketchup bottle and asked Malleus to request a drawing. When he left it up to you to decide, you decided to draw a dragon. He'd appreciate that, right?
Channeling all your focus you carefully worked. You even put a little more effort despite feeling tired from already serving multiple customers that day.
Next to the dragon you had drawn with the ketchup you also wrote his name.
"Please excuse me if it's not to your liking. I'm still training but I did my best."
You truly did put your heartfelt effort into that dragon drawing.
Malleus took a look at it, feeling a pleasant sensation starting to spread within his chest.
Turning to Lilia he requested a bat on his latte. Putting the same amount of effort as you did for Malleus' drawing into Lilia's drawing, who was also delighted at your cute attempt at a bat.
Despite a customer's stay only being limited to an hour, you decided to ignore the rulebook and not say anything when Malleus kept requesting you to make more drawings, teach him a new hand gesture or simply engage in conversation.
You could see it in his eyes, how he was indulging without care in this lovely moment. And Lilia seemed to observe this too, his eyes softening once he realized how much of a good time Malleus was having.
Soon, it was near time to close the cafe. You brought this up to Malleus and Lilia, but Malleus especially seemed disappointed.
"But the good news is that since you ordered multiple items, we can take up to three chekis with a maid of your choice." Here you gestured to yourself.
When Malleus didn't respond right away you remembered his dislike of photos.
"Ah, sorry you don't take many photos, do you? We don't have to if you don't want to I was just offering-"
"Alright."
His short response ended your rambling.
"Malleus- er, Tsunotarou are you sure?"
"I am most certain. If it is only a memory shared between us I see no problem with it."
Lilia couldn't have felt or looked prouder.
Leading them to the photo area, you let a maid come to take the photos. Knowing Malleus wasn't familiar with many poses you suggested a simple pose. Remembering the cafe rules of not getting into a maid's personal space, Malleus respectively kept his distance enough so that he wouldn't make you uncomfortable. Even though you told him it was fine since you already knew each other.
Making heart signs and holding things up, three chekis for Malleus were taken. Next was Lilia who seemed to outdo you in the cuteness department. If he really wanted he could easily become a premium maid within less than a year thanks to his looks.
Once you got the chekis you made sure to add the date to them before handing them off to Lilia and Malleus who pocketed them without sparing them a glance.
Departing the cafe and arriving at the dorm, Malleus took the pictures out in the privacy of his room. His eyes swept over the both of you in the cheki. You truly were fearless. While the other maids seemed at a loss for what to do, you stepped right up and pulled him in.
Too bad this was a limited time event.. he surely enjoyed it. He was in such a merry mood after that and even though Sebek and Silver questioned it, Lilia seemed to keep the reason to himself.
➝ Bonus...
After a long day of serving customers and running around in your frilly clothes, you are ready to drop dead. Walking out with your money safely tucked in your pocket you decide to visit the store on your way back to get some snacks for Grim. He'd surely be hungry by the time you would be arriving to your dorm. You are spotted leaving the cafe in your maid uniform. Photos of you circulate around on NRC's campus. Eventually the teachers get ahold of it.
Despite there not being any reports of bullying or harassment, the school's only magicless student making headlines isn't exactly okay with any of them.
And this is brought up next time the teachers meet.
"This is unacceptable behavior, the Headmage should not have allowed Yuu to do this in the first place."
"I don't think any of this is the Prefect's fault. It is like any other job, we have to ask why they had to take such measures in the first place."
"I thought Crowley was covering their expenses?"
Just then Crowley walked into the teacher's lounge. He was as blissful and ignorant as ever. He probably hadn't even heard or seen the pictures of you circling online.
Trein, Crewel, Vargas and even Sam locked in on the Headmage. They surrounded him, demanding answers.
"Did you not cover their expenses?"
"Why would you let Yuu do this?"
"Were you even aware of what was going on?"
"Think of the school's reputation! If people see students having to take up part-time jobs just to attend school, they'll think of us as money-hungry!"
Crowley was pestered so much by the professors that he relented. You were surprised to be called into the Headmage's office first thing in the morning. Not only did he hand you the money he owed but apologized for not "taking better care" of you as he had promised when you first arrived to Night Raven College.
To you it was random but that was only because you were unaware of just how much the other professors looked after you.
"i'm a huge freak who likes maids more than anything else in the world all my favorite books are about maids i visit maid cafes every single day and i collect maid figurines too my heart races every time i play maid dating games and then in my spare time i dress in maid costumes and breathe heavily while i stare at myself in the mirror see ya" is what was going through my mind as i wrote this
btw i wrote this with my idia plush dressed in a maid outfit w/ cat ears sitting next to my laptop & now my next idea is to write them working at a butler cafe
₊˚ପ Congratulations! You've acquired a child and you have no idea where it came from. Whom will you summon to help you look after it for the time being?
𐐩 In the soft light of the early morning hours, you stirred; unaware of the havoc that would befall you on this day.
Taking care of Grim was a responsibility you could only compare to caring for a child. A very troublesome toddler if you were asked. One you did not conceive nor really agree to taking care of. Accountability of him was sort of just thrust upon you without your agreement.
If asked, Grim would refute, say he was the one looking after you. Other students secretly disagreed and knew who carried most of the burden. And out of all the bothersome tasks Crowley assigned you, whether you were capable of attending them or not, the one you received today was the one that crossed the line.
Staring at the babe, who was staring back at you, several questions and doubts came to mind but three main ones stood out among the others:
Who lost their child? At SCHOOL of all places.
Will they come back to collect it? And WHEN?
And who's gonna look after it while it's here?
The first two not even Crowley himself could provide answers for (not surprising). He was just as flustered as you to find another unexpected visitor wind up at his institute of all places. But... he did have an answer for the third question and you did not like how he was looking at you.
"It will only be a temporary solution while I find the person responsible for this! Please, I urge you to reconsider!" Crowley pleaded.
"Yeah, sounds a lot like their current living situation!" Grim shot back. "It's been MONTHS and you have yet to find a way to send them back."
You admit Grim made very good points even if he was using your unfortunate situation as an example.
Crowley waved him off, a gesture he meant in a 'do not worry' way but to you it felt more like 'yes yes, whatever'.
"I will be very quick about this. I ensure you it will not take long and there is no one else I could trust more to handle this issue as efficiently as you."
"Mhm.." you eyed him warily. Annoying and incompetent were not enough to describe Crowley. Oh, but you couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the child. It certainly didn't choose to be here.
"Just don't take too long." You answered, sighing in defeat.
Crowley practically flew out the door once you gave him the green light with promises of working fast to get the matter off your hands soon.
Grim got up from the spot he was lounging on the couch.
"Well, what're we gonna do?" He asked coming closer to take a look at the baby himself.
"I don't know Grim..." You admitted, coming closer to the baby and taking it into your arms.
"You're lucky you're cute..." You mumbled to the baby. Already, you were racking your brain for who would be of help. Well, if you were going to suffer you weren't going to do it alone.
➝ Heartslabyul...
Well, if there was someone who could set order amidst chaos it was Riddle. Even if he had a strict manner of doing things, it was still better than nothing at all.
Honestly? You weren't sure what he would do, but already having decided, you took the child in your arms and set out to Heartslabyul's dormitory where your friends were. It would probably also be one of the safest options considering... other dorms.
Riddle used to be against how frequently you visited the dorm as you often made Deuce and Ace forget their tasks. But overtime it no longer angered him to see you walk in. He'd never admit it but he came to enjoy your company too.
So, seeing you stroll in simply made him shake his head before he nearly choked on his tea and had to do a double take. He can't be mistaken can he? You've just strolled in with a child in your arms. Usually, it would be Grim you held.
You heard clattering and turned to see Riddle hastily putting his teacup and plate down to make his way over to you.
"Where..." He begins, not knowing how to phrase everything running through his mind.
You open your mouth but no words leave your lips when the sound of metal falling onto the ground; the clanging loud and deafening startles you. Trey had just walked out of the kitchen, holding a tray of freshly baked goods before he dropped them in shock.
Then in walked Ace and Deuce who both stared, Ace nearly tripping and falling flat on his face. Then Cater found himself almost dropping his phone.
It was chaos.
"Geez, this is who we came to looking for help?" Complained Grim who was a step behind you.
He was right. What help were you expecting to get from them?
After a very complicated hour of explaining how this happened (took so long because of the frequent interruptions and questions) you stared at their stunned faces. Riddle was for once looking dumbfounded, Trey was still processing the information as his glasses were slipping further down his nose, Cater had even put his phone away not even bringing it out when a notification came in. Deuce was mumbling something about Crowley being so shameless for dumping this responsibility on you and Ace was catching flies with how he had dropped his jaw and didn't pick it back up.
"Well, guys..." You said exasperated. "I expected something from you all.."
"Oh, no way... us?!!!?" Ace blurted. "Crowley really went too far this time. You should've refused. Let HIM handle his own problems instead of him taking it easy by having you do it!"
At least you were glad someone shared your frustration.
"Yes.. but I don't know how much I could trust Crowley to take care of a child.." You cast a glance to the baby. "I doubt he has any experience with kids."
"And do you?" Asked Trey, adjusting his glasses.
"Well-" You admit you weren't the best babysitter out there but you remember having babysat a couple times before in your original world. Perhaps you had siblings you helped take care of or maybe you were used to looking after kids to prevent them from getting into trouble.
"Babies are quite difficult... I'm not entirely sure if I'll be able to keep this little one safe." You held up the baby for emphasis.
"We'll help you!" Yelled Deuce and Ace in unison, to which they both glared at one another.
"A-are you sure?!" You asked surprised. You hadn't expected them to be so willing to help.
"Of course! Why wouldn't we?" Said Cater, smiling. His smile had a way of putting you in a daze from how bright it could be, you could only stand there dumbfounded forgetting to thank them.
"Wait." Riddle's voice cut through.
With his head held high and an unwavering gaze he walked right up to you. You swallowed as the others watched.
A thought occurred to you just now.
Surely he wouldn't outright refuse to help, right? He wasn't unreasonable like that.
"Have you considered what would you do if this takes longer than you've anticipated?"
"What?"
"Clearly, you haven't thought that far ahead. But if this..." he cast a glance at the baby before continuing, "if this.. child doesn't have a home or parents. You do realize you'll have to come up with a permanent arrangement for them?"
Why did he sound more worried about this than you or Crowley even?
"Riddle" Interjected Trey.
"I'm sure it won't get to that point. The necessary steps have been taken. The Headmage is aware of the situation and whatever the outcome is..."
Trey's eyes meet yours, transmitting a gentle warmth and security.
"I'm sure it'll be fine."
The rest of the day went by in a mostly smooth manner. Cater had seen plenty on online tips and tricks for keeping fussy babies happy. It was thanks to him that nothing harmful was fed to the baby, and Trey was able to come up with something to keep it from going hungry. Deuce, bless his heart, tried his best to be of good use.
Even if he was a little clumsy or awkward he would hold the baby when your arms got tired or you needed a break to use the restroom or eat. Ace mostly watched but even his antics along with Grim kept the baby from getting bored. All day long giggles were heard, apparently Ace was quite entertaining for the baby.
And Riddle? He seemed to keep his distance at first, only observing from afar.
"I'm just making sure everything is order." He responds when asked why he's still sitting there. He was free to leave if he so wished, you had all the help you needed.
Still, he stuck around, coming close every once in a while to observe not only the child but you as well.
"?" To when you caught him observing your face.
His eyes widened in surprise when you caught him and you think you just saw him blush a little too.
"Y-you seemed a little tired is all." He turned away, unable to keep eye contact. "You should let Deuce or Trey hold the child for a bit."
Eventually, Crowley came to see you again. He wasn't angry to see you at Heartslabuyl dorm at all, he was delighted to see 'students coming together to help even in unforeseen circumstances' (literally his exact words).
Everyone in the dorm saw you visibly relax when Crowley announced he had found the caretakers of the child. Picking up the baby in your arms, you gestured for Grim to follow as you thanked them all for their help.
You think you've caught Ace looking a little sad but you decide to not tease him for it. You're just glad this is over, although it wasn't so bad...
➝ Savanaclaw...
"And you thought it'd be a good idea to bring that here?" Leona narrowed his eyes and you felt a bead of sweat roll down your back with how he was practically burning a hole into your face with his glare.
"I-I didn't... didn't know where else to go." You admit now that maybe coming here wasn't your best choice.
"I allowed you to stay here once. That did not grant you permission to bring others in and expect me to allow their stay, herbivore" He flicked his tail.
Ruggie, who had been playing with the child whom you let crawl around, glanced up at Leona.
"Hey, it's not too bad.. looks it's quieter than most." He held up the child. Jack who is next to Ruggie is quick to nod in agreement.
"I've dealt enough with Cheka to know that thing will be nothing but a nuisance. Not in my dorm." Unfortunately, Leona is still pretty firm with his no.
You frown, crossing your arms. "Alright, then what do you suggest I do?"
Leona gave you a deadpan. "Figure it out yourself."
"That's a bit harsh." Jack points out. "After all that Yuu has done for us, don't think you could let them crash for a couple of hours?"
"It's only until Crowley comes up with a solution. He said he was taking care of it." You point out.
"May I remind you how he's been 'working endlessly' on your case for months now herbivore and yet you're still here? In my hair?" Leona frowns.
You sigh. You may have to resort to the lowliest of methods…
Clasping your hands in front of you, you lower yourself to the ground in front of Leona’s feet as you look up at him with the most innocent, pleading look on your face.
“I’ve got nowhere else to go. There is no other dorm I could trust to provide safety and comfort for us. Ramshackle is too shabby and dangerous for a young child. I will not cause trouble, you won’t even know the baby is here!”
“Hey-“ Leona starts but is quickly interrupted by Jack who can no longer stay silent.
“It’d be lowly of me to watch you turn them away, it is our duty to protect those who are weaker. I will assist in taking care of the child.”
And before Leona can respond to THAT Ruggie is beside Leona, poking him in the ribs.
“You seriously can't handle being within a 5 mile radius of a kid?”
Leona raises an eyebrow at Ruggie but doesn't say anything as his gaze settles back on you. Then he looks at the baby, then he looks back at you. Leona's eyes narrow, as if calculating all the possible outcomes of this situation.
"Fine."
You get up quickly, dusting yourself off before saying how thankful you are.
"Yeah, yeah." Leona rolls his eyes, waving you off. "Don't let this become a regular thing."
You were about to run off to find a spot to lounge but Leona caught your arm.
"And I better not be woken up, disturbed or even hear it from my room. Got it?"
You swear you thought you were about to get wrecked so you nodded quickly.
He let go and you immediately take the baby from Ruggie and run to put as much distance between you and Leona as you can.
You ended up setting camp in the furthest spot away from Leona's room in case the baby got fussy or made too much noise. You felt a presence behind you and turned to find Jack had followed and was standing behind you.
"What're you doing here?"
"Thought I'd see if you needed help.." his eyes rake over the blanket you've already laid out and the big backpack you've got.
"What's in there?" He asked.
"Oh, I stopped by Sam's before coming here. I didn't expect it but he had some stuff I found useful. Not sure how much of it I'll use but thought it wouldn't hurt to keep it just in case, right?"
"You paid all that with your own money?" Jack asked incredulously.
"Yep. It wasn't that expensive. Sam said it was stuff that didn't sell a lot so I got it at a low enough price."
"You sure bought a lot considering you probably won't have to take care of the baby for more than a day."
You paused. "I know... but I sorta panicked. Crowley just dumped a whole BABY on me and it's not like I can wing it like I've been doing with Grim this entire time." You and Jack turned to glance at Grim.
"Hey! I heard that!" Yelled Grim.
"Yeah I get you." Jack sat down beside you, staring at the baby.
The baby caught sight of Jack's ears and soft, fluffy tail. It cooed and reached up with its' small hands, attempting to reach the silky fur.
You couldn't help but giggle.
"I think she wants you to hold her."
Jack hesitated but with some encouragement from you he was able to hold the baby in the gentlest manner. He was especially careful with how he held the baby's head, not wanting to accidentally hurt it.
You were watching the baby but decided to sneak a peak at his face to see the corner of his lips quirking up until he finally let that smile show.
Thanks to Jack, the baby kept quiet for most of the day until it just started getting fussy, moving, and biting even.
"Is she still biting your thumb?" You asked.
"Yeah, and she's got me good. Won't let go." Muttered Jack as he attempted to remove his finger from her mouth.
"Don't you think she's hungry?" Asked Ruggie, he had joined you after Leona stopped sending him out on errands.
"You sure you're not hungry?" You teased.
"Maybe." He threw you a lazy smirk. "But I think we're all hungry. Baby included."
"Well, let's see what we got." Rummaging through the contents of your bag, you searched for something edible for the baby.
"The only food related item I was able to find suitable for the baby is this carton of milk. Got anything else?" You raised an eyebrow at the guys.
"We mostly eat meat here. I don't think you'll find anything useful for a human baby."
"Ah, right."
Ruggie sighed. "I'll warm the milk up. If you have a bottle in there we'll use that to feed it."
And so between the three of you, Leona wasn't able to find any reason to complain.
"It's like we weren't even here!" You chirped happily when Crowley had come knocking to collect you and baby together.
"I certainly didn't think Savanaclaw was the dorm I would find you at..." Crowley stared on as you bid goodbye to Ruggie, Jack and Leona.
"Oi Crowley, stop giving them useless tasks if you can take care of it yourself. Came over here disturbing my peace...tsk."
Looks like Leona was still pissed off for that.
"Thanks Leona, for letting us stay." You flashed him a sincere smile, you meant it for letting you stay. Even the baby smiled at Leona.. surprisingly.
Leona rolled his eyes, not saying anything but Ruggie noticed the change in body language. He wasn't as mad as he looked.
➝ Octavinelle...
So like did you think and maybe ask yourself...
"Hey, if most people go any lengths necessary to steer clear of the twins in order to avoid being squeezed.. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING GOING TO THEM YOURSELF WITH AN INFANT?!
But it wasn't your choice. No, you had wanted to try to make it to Sam's store to see if there was a possibility he had something useful for babies in stock. You took the child along, of course, you couldn't leave it alone with Grim. He didn't have hands and he might accidentally scratch the kid's cheek if he tried picking it up.
It was still very early so the halls were mostly clear of students, still, you were careful. You were well on your way until you rounded a corner and nearly bumped into Floyd.
What he was doing up so early wasn't your concern so much as hiding the baby. Thankfully you had wrapped a blanket around it to protect the baby from the cold morning air. You kept your gaze steady, meeting his eyes as your hand quickly covered the baby best you could.
"Oh... uhm" you cleared your throat and tried to come up with something, anything to say. But as preoccupied as you were with trying to keep the child hidden it wasn't long before Floyd noticed something in your arms.
"That's just Grim!" You blurted out as soon as his gaze shifted to the bundle in your arms.
"..." A pause too long and you knew you were done for. Grim had been following you, accompanying you on your trip to Sam's store so he was also beside you.
A series of curse words left your mouth and next thing you know you're in Octavinelle dorm. Floyd had been quick to get excited over a baby, getting too close to its' face for your liking. He was very unpredictable so you were trying to push him away, forgetting he is for one.. HUGE and had no trouble lifting you up and running saying he just HAD to show Jade and Azul.
So here you were plopped onto a seat in front of Azul and Jade. They both stared, eyes wide at the baby in your arms as Floyd stared too but with hearts in his eyes.
To see Jade with such an expression on his face was something for sure. You still weren't used with how easily he composed himself. Although, he was mostly surprised at how you ended up with this child.
"It's not mine by the way." You don't know what could've pushed you to say that other than the puzzled look Azul had while his eyes kept looking between you and the baby's face.
"Yes.. that much I figured." He sighed, adjusting his glasses.
The baby said something incomprehensible and you felt a rush of wind as Floyd all but rushed over to your side.
"It said something! Isn't it absolutely adorableee?? Look at how TEENY TINY it isss"
"Floyd... you'll scare the kid." Azul said. Jade nodded, agreeing as he too, stepped closer.
"Perhaps we should offer it something to eat. Is it hungry?" Jade asked.
"I was actually going to buy it something..." You shrunk under the attention of twins, with Floyd leaning down a little too close for your liking and Jade staring so attentively.
Azul stood up after having stayed quiet for some time; contemplating.
"You may stay here if you wish. Jade and Floyd could assist with taking care of it for now."
"We get to keep it?!" Floyd asked excitedly.
"Again...Floyd." Jade reminded him about his volume.
"Aw, right."
The rest of the day was a lot calmer than you had expected. Floyd was surprisingly good with the child. Somehow managing to not scare it to tears. Jade was also very helpful, his calm demeanor kept you grounded when you had one too many scares whenever Floyd would snatch the baby from your arms.
Azul asked how you ended up with the child in the first place and once you explained he mumbled something about getting to Crowley later.
"Hey, Azul! Wanna hold 'im?" Floyd neared Azul with the baby in his arms.
"O-oh? No. Floyd, that is beyond-"
"Come on!" And Floyd shoved the baby in Azul's arms. His shoulders stiffened, his posture slumped forward a bit, afraid he'd drop him. You noticed he held the baby at a certain distance, almost as if afraid to hurt it if he brought it too close.
You couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.
"Azul, relax." Standing up, you came close and helped adjust his posture. He let you fix his hold on the baby as he focused on one very important task: do. not. drop. the. baby.
Jade hid a growing smile behind his hand. Floyd was delighted.
"Awww, he almost reminds me of when Azul was a kid. It's those chubby cheeks of his."
"Hey!" Azul's head suddenly whipped. "The baby is adorable, I will admit."
You and Floyd exchanged a look.
"Nobody said having chubby cheeks was bad..." you mumbled.
Once Crowley came by to collect both you and the child, Floyd seemed the most upset.
"Do ya have to go?" He seemed to have formed an attachment for the kid.
"Yes, we must return the child at once to his parents." Crowley said.
Floyd bid goodbye to the child and you thanked them endlessly for their help. Azul seemed to jump at the opportunity of you being in their debt.
"Well, if you ever feel the need to repay us-" You didn't let him finish before you rushed giving them your thanks and turned away to follow Crowley.
➝ Scarabia...
Surely, Jamil could provide some assistance, right? He was efficient when looking after Kalim so surely he could make this a lot easier for you. Plus, you needed to have some of his cooking if you were going to get through the day.
You wasted no time in making your way over there.
You realized you most likely looked like a poor beggar when you knocked on Scarabia's dorm door. A student opened the door and stared in shock like they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Uhm, hi. Could you get Jamil?"
They nodded slowly before another student walked to the door.
"What's wrong-"
"..."
"Vice Housewarden!"
From the looks of it...this was going to be a long day.
"And that's why you're here?" Jamil stared at you with a 'I'm not paid enough for this' look in his eyes.
"..Yes"
Closing his eyes, he allowed himself a moment of silence as he sighed, deeply.
"I don't suppose you know how to care properly for an infant?" He asked, opening his eyes and setting them back onto you.
"Uh-"
"Exactly." Jamil said as if he had just confirmed something or made a point. He stood up, swiftly walked over and took the child from your arms. You didn't protest as you let him.
Jamil was better than you expected. He wasn't exactly coddling the kid but it made no fuss as it sat on Jamil's lap being fed. Grim had also been calm since he got food. You were able to catch a break, finally.
But then Kalim came running in...
"WHERE'S THE BABY?!"
Jamil winced as the baby startled.
"Don't yell like that! You'll scare the baby."
Kalim followed Jamil's voice and immediately spotted the baby. He could barely contain his excitement as he started pestering Jamil, and it wasn't long before you were being bombarded by questions too.
Whichever dorm member made the mistake of letting the news slip around Kalim would surely be getting in trouble with Jamil later on.
Jamil couldn't help but worry like a parent when Kalim mentioned how the baby would SURELY enjoy a ride on the magic carpet. You were certain he was to faint from the mere thought of Kalim possibly dropping the baby.
To your surprise (and Jamil's relief) Kalim wasn't serious. He was actually quite careful himself. Jamil and multiple other students had to hold Kalim back from making a huge purchase of cradles, toys, pacifiers and who knows what else. Thankfully, anything the baby needed was covered.
Not only did the dorm members pitch in to help (some of them voluntarily) which made your day go by smoothly for the most part, but it also meant the child was pampered and having its' first taste of this lavish lifestyle. You weren't sure if it had this sort of lifestyle where it originally came from.
"I told you not to get attached." Said Jamil when it was time for Crowley to take the child back.
Kalim held back tears as he pouted. "But I miss it already!"
You stifled a giggle as Jamil took the baby from Kalim's arms and handed it over to you. And despite Jamil's poker face, you were certain you caught a glimmer of dejection in his eyes.
You made a mental note to make it up to Jamil later. If it weren't for him, you weren't so sure you would have been able to survive this ordeal alone.
➝ Pomefiore...
"Epel, you don't understand. I can't even handle Grim on his own. How am I supposed to look after BOTH?!" You half whispered half screamed into the phone.
"Yuu, it's not-"
"Epel." That sharp voice. You didn't have to hear it in person to know who was reprimanding Epel.
"Ah! It's not what it looks like-"
You weren't there to see what was going on but you were sure Epel had just had his phone taken away before having the chance to hang up.
"Sneaking off to talk to your friends over the phone? I expected better of you."
"..." You held your breath, afraid that if you made a noise you would receive a lecture from Vil too.
Unfortunately, before you could press that 'mute' button or hang up, the baby started crying.
Then, silence. As if the world was holding its breath along with you.
"Shit."
"Yuu? Don't tell me.. is that-" Vil's voice came in clear through the phone.
"..Hi, Vil."
"Don't ignore me! Was that a BABY crying?!" Demanded Vil.
"Trickster?" Came a voice behind you.
You laughed nervously.. oh boy this was going downhill real fast.
"Explain. Now." Vil's eyes scrutinized you, Rook stared awestruck looking as if he could burst in delight but held back by Vil's command. Epel smiled sheepishly at you, still feeling sorry about the incident earlier.
As soon as Vil caught wind of what was happening he grilled Epel, but upon receiving no answers which could satisfy him. He quickly ordered for Rook, who had coincidentally run into you, to bring you to the dorm.
So here you were, feeling as if you were in front of a court awaiting to have your case judged. After stuttering over a recount of what lead you to your current predicament, did Vil redirect his annoyance to Crowley.
"I can't help but pity you." And with a snap of his fingers, Vil sent Rook and Epel flying to help you. You were confused, not expecting such benevolence from Vil out of all people.
Of course, during all this he didn't do anything himself, he let Rook and Epel do the dirty work. Rook was, as always, enthusiastic to help. He found the child quite adorable and resorted to calling it by many cute nicknames you had no idea how to pronounce or what they meant.
Epel shot you a small smile as he stayed by your side. He kept you company (not that you lacked it) and didn't mind holding the baby for a bit. It reminded him of his younger cousin back home.
Thanks to Rook's... zeal, you were able to keep fatigue from taking over completely even when night came and Crowley still hadn't come for you or the baby. You were quite amazed that it had been hours and Rook hadn't yawned nor shown signs of being tired despite all the tasks he was ordered to do.
Even when you felt like you were on your last straw Rook swooped in when you were nodding off while "watching" the baby.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but Rook would actually make a good father.." You whisper to Epel as you both turn to watch Rook pry a small object from the baby's hands.
Much to your dismay, Rook heard that and his neck might as well have snapped with how fast he whipped his head in your direction.
"Trickster! I've never heard such words said about me before!"
You were horrified forgetting how good his hearing is.
Epel simply rolled his eyes. "What is Crowley even doing..." he muttered, not being able to take anymore of this nonsense.
Vil wasn't all too fond of potentially losing beauty sleep but obliged to you staying. You did bring up the fact that you and Grim could just return to Ramshackle if the baby got too fussy during the night, but all three of them were quick to shut that idea down.
Just as you were settling down for the night Crowley came in. He praised you for picking Pomefiore dorm to stay at. You only bit your lip as you looked over to Epel, you both shared a look that said 'As if I had a choice!'.
➝ Ignihyde...
You're not surprised when Idia doesn't answer your call. Opening your messages you find his contact.
Yuu: "uhm... SOS"
Idia: "??"
Yuu: "what wud u do if you like idk found a baby"
Idia: "leave it alone tf?"
Yuu: "if the parents aren't around?"
Idia: "where r u going with dis"
Yuu: "crowley found a kid and left it with me while he 'looks' for its' parents"
Idia: "..."
Yuu: "i was thinkin u could help or smth"
Idia: "wtf nah"
Yuu: "idia pls idk what else to do"
Idia: "what would i even do?! u crazy if u think im gonna help you AND don't even try to come into my dorm, ok?"
Yuu: *typing*
Idia: "i've MAXED out the security so there's no way u're getting in"
Yuu: "too late i told ortho he's lettin me in"
Idia: "WHAT"
"C'mon Idia let me innn" You banged on his door.
"Never!" You heard him yell from within.
Sighing, you turned to Ortho who was beside you.
"I could use force to open it if you'd like" He helpfully input.
"ORTHO! NO!" Idia responded, desperate to prevent such thing from happening. "J-just wait- wait a moment!"
You heard sounds of a chair scraping across the floor, then his hurried footsteps as things were thrown about and drawers opened and closed.
The door unlocked, a silent indicator that you could come in.
"I'm coming in then." You said, opening the door and stepping into the darkness.
It took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the darkness and the soft glow of lights coming from screens. It didn't take long for you to find Idia standing off to the side as he gaped at the baby in your arms.
"Idia, you're going to catch flies-"
"I-it.. is.. it..IT'S REAL?!"
"First, don't yell like that. Second, yes Idia 'it' is real." You walked over to his bed, setting down your bag and baby so your arms could take a break. It had only been about 10 minutes and you could feel your arms aching. Whoever was the caretaker of this kid surely fed them well...
"Why would you bring a BABY here?! Do you know how many limited editions figurines I have?"
You forgot how easy it was for Idia to start freaking out over the smallest things, but honestly this wasn't your average "I found a stray what do we do?" type of situation. No, this was an actual, human baby. Frankly, it was quite unrealistic for Crowley to expect you to do this all by yourself. He didn't even offer assistance!
"I'm sure you and your gooner figurines will be FINE. I only need your assistance for a few hours. I thought maybe you could help in figuring out where this came from since I doubt Crowley is doing shit." You gestured to the baby sitting on Idia's bed looking between you both like a child of divorce looks at his arguing parents.
The tips of Idia's hair were simmering, as if preparing to have an outburst. He opened his mouth to counter but you shushed him.
"If you won't help then you'll have to watch the baby while Ortho and I try to figure this out."
Finally, Idia agreed, but not before letting out the heaviest, loudest sigh you've ever heard.
"Dramatic much?"
"Whatever. Let's just get this over with."
Thankfully, Ortho didn't mind babysitting. He was quite delighted to be of help and especially since he can easily scan the child's wellbeing it wasn't hard for him to figure out what the baby wanted when it cried.
You and Idia buckled down and got to work keeping a tab on Crowley and searching the internet for any signs or posts about someone looking for their missing child.
"Sooo, where'd you say you found it?" Idia leaned back in his chair, taking a break from typing.
"Crowley just showed up with it." You shrugged. "I woke up to someone knocking at the door and when I opened it there was Crowley and that cutie."
Both you and Idia turn to look at the content child sitting on the floor playing with Ortho.
"And what are you getting in exchange for babysitting? Must've asked for something nice-"
Why wasn't it until now that Idia mentioned it that you realized you could've or should've pressured Crowley into giving you a few days off, or have Ramshackle fixed or some new clothes?
Dropping your head in shame, you let out a groan which told Idia everything he needed to know. He could only offer his half-empty bag of gummy worms as comfort.
Before you or Idia could smash your heads against the keyboard, Crowley came back. You wanted nothing more than to strangle that man but you held back when he tripped over the extension cords Idia had lying about on the floor.
You made sure to give Ortho a hug and thank him, telling him you'd hang out with him whenever he wanted. He was overjoyed! Idia on the other hand was practically hiding under his hoodie once he realized the Headmage was in his room, probably judging him.
He barely nodded to you when you waved goodbye on your way out.
➝ Diasomnia...
You don't know what possessed you to make you think going to Diasomnia dorm would be a good idea. You reckoned that with the constant looks and questions other students kept sending your way, you wouldn't be bothered at the most guarded dorm in NRC.
You had assumed you could relax a little in the quiet lounge of Diasomnia dorm... but boy were you wrong.
The moment you walked in, Lilia had locked eyes with you and you noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes.
In an instant he was all over you and the baby.
"My! What have we here?"
Lilia took the child from you and then floated up towards the ceiling out of your reach.
"Lilia give him back!" Your voice desperate as you jumped up, arms flailing as you attempted to reach the child, you must've looked hilarious trying to get to Lilia.
"Oh, do not fret." He said cradling the child in his arms lovingly. "I've raised plenty of children in my lifetime. And look at how they've turned out." He gestured towards the lot of Malleus, Silver and Sebek who had come out of their rooms and were observing.
You raised an eyebrow at that statement. "No, yeah. They've turned out just fine."
Nothing weird about them or anything.
"What is the matter, Child of Man?" A deep voice asked beside you, you looked up to see Malleus looming over you suddenly.
"Uh, nothing." Your mind had gone blank the moment you met his gaze.
"Ahem!" Someone dramatically cleared their throat. "What is the meaning of this?" You knew it was that green haired booger Sebek already interrogating you.
"Where did...?" A gentle voice behind you had started to ask. You didn't have to turn to know it was Silver inquiring.
In a matter of minutes, you had been surrounded and you wondered if it was too late to seek refuge from another dorm.
Lilia wasn't bad at all when it came to children. It's just.. you've seen him play so many pranks on you and other students that he doesn't exactly inspire confidence. You were already on edge but this just made you seem tense.
Meanwhile, you're sitting in lounge trying to control your headache as Sebek sits on one side asking questions and demanding to know why you have brought a child into the same room Malleus is in.
Malleus still seems confused and is asking if the child is somehow related to you? And Silver is intrigued by how Lilia is taking care of the baby wondering if that is how he was cared for when he was that small.
You're about ready to walk out before you hear pots and pans being moved in the kitchen and your eyes fly wide open.
"Malleus... who is in the kitchen?"
Malleus blinks. "I believe I saw Lilia go in there with the child in one arm. He mentioned something about hunger, hmm.." It took you, Malleus and Sebek three seconds to put two and two together.
In unison, all three of you leapt from the couch.
You walk in to see Silver coughing up something into the sink and Lilia (with baby still in his arms) hovering over him asking, "How'd it taste?".
If it weren't for Silver sacrificing himself and offering to taste whatever Lilia burned you fear for what would have happened to the baby.
And by miracle it seems Crowley did something right for once because he returns in time before another accident could happen.
You walk out of Diasomnia dorm horrified as you wonder how Malleus, Silver and Sebek have managed to survive.
Cakes, tarts, donuts, And every sweet imaginable always seemed to be in a neatly tied box on the doorstep of Ramshackle, for someone so experienced in their craft Trey seem’s to be messing up measurements quite a bit recently, always having extra to give you. His locks don’t seem to exist anymore as the moment you have a problem his door is always open to talk and his shoulder always free to lean on, seriously, please lean on it, he’s so close to caving and just throwing a bouquet of roses at you and sweeping you off your feet to have a date in the garden…That’s starting to sound like a good idea to him actually
Ruggie doesn’t share food. It’s a rule as solid as newtons laws. Yet for some reason nobody on the entirety of the Isle of Sages can figure out why he seems almost excited at the prospect of sharing food with you. The hectic life of what’s basically an alien turned unpaid office assistant for the Headmage is suddenly a lot more mellow with your laundry always neatly done and folded, your meals cooked, and class notes delivered to your doorstep all curtsy of the hyena next door. But don’t be mistaken you have to pay him back of course, yet the greedy thing seems to be less interested in money as of late, after all everyone knows kisses are a whole lot more valuable.
There’s a multitude of different love languages, who’s to say loud and brazen isn’t one of them? For reasons the half fae can’t explain Sebek wants to guard you with his life. Which is ridicules because he is nothing if not Malleus’s loyal retainer. Expect many loud scoldings on your health and taking care of yourself properly and for the fae to be sent into a frenzy every time your usual stroke of bad luck gives you another odd injury. Lilia thinks he’s going to have to give the boy the talk he’s been dreading… Romance 101 and how not to be emotionally constipated about it.
Subtle wasn’t in the dictionary for the confused Kalim he was enamored by you yet to the dismay of Jamil and the treasury the boy wasn’t quite yet familiar with feelings of romance, so for now he was simply spoiling his dear friend absolutely rotten to see more of that smile he was so enraptured by. After he was finally talked to and came to terms with his feelings for you? It gets worse. You’ll find the concerning yet comedic scene of a large parade being shooed backwards by Scarabia students and a very hyper Kalim being physically restrained and dragged the opposite direction of your dorm by Jamil and a few others. The vice housewarden can only pray you didn’t see the glittering ring in the boys hand.
If Rook is not romantic than he’s not Rook. The textbook definition of a French lover boy I fear, Romeo could never. Poetry on scrolls of paper the track and field club would get winded trying to run the length of, Bouquets of flowers that you have to drag inside with no clue of how he lifts them, and love songs in the rain in which grim is close to biting his head off for. He has notebooks upon notebooks dedicated to everything about you, You are the ultimate beauty in his longing eyes and he fears he may genuinely go psychotic if he cannot call you his soon. The way he’s been twitching after getting no responses from you has the oh so composed Vil slightly afraid for his life, please hurry up and kiss the man before the public safety committee has to get involved
People keep saying they want Morgan and Karadec to get together already, and they are missing the point. They need at least 2 ndes, one relationship failing because of the other, a divorce era. Someone here needs to be buried alive or driven of a bridge and Karadec needs to have a going of the books for Morgan's kids plot. Someone definitely needs to get shot. We haven't had a cop slow burn like this a while, let them hit the tropes before getting a dramatic getting together after one of them tries to quit in 3 to 4 seasons.
Home is Where Our Heart Is (Yandere Twisted Wonderland X Reader)
Summary: There's a rumor going around that Crowley found a way to send you back to your original world, and, well, the boys aren't taking the news well.
AN: First time writing yandere stuff. I originally wanted to have this out near Halloween to keep with scary stuff, but as long as it gets done eventually, right?
Cros-posted on my AO3 TheGhostInTheKitchen
Warnings: Can be read as romantic or platonic, possessive and obsessive behavior, spying, conspiring to poison, fighting - physical and verbal, AFAB reader with she/her pronouns.
“There’s something important I want to tell you guys,” (Y/N) said.
Ace and Deuce lifted their heads to look at her. The four of them, (Y/N), Grim, Ace, and Deuce, were all huddled together on the floor of the alchemy classroom, heads bent low as they worked on untangling long threads of manticore mane hair, the most recent punishment from Professor Crewel for some misdemeanor they probably deserved but still complained about.
“What’s up?” Ace asked. He grinned wickedly. “Did you fall through another rotten part of the floor at Ramshackle and need saving again?”
(Y/N) scowled as she swatted him with the back of her hand, without any real malice behind it. “No, and shut up. Maybe I won’t tell you.”
“Ignore him,” Deuce said, picking at a particularly stubborn knot. “What’s up?”
(Y/N) hesitated. “Actually, now might not be the best time.”
“Is it that thing you were talking to Crowley about?” Grim asked, gnawing at the hair. “Pah! Gross.”
“Keep that out of your mouth, you don’t know where it’s been. And yeah, that. Now that I’m thinking about it, though, it might just be easier to tell everyone all at once.”
Ace and Deuce looked at each other. “Everything okay?” Deuce asked slowly.
(Y/N) shook her head. “Oh, yeah, fine. Just kind of important, I think. And I’d rather do it all at once. Sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned anything. Actually, I think I’m going to have a big dinner this weekend, invite everyone over. Ease the blow, maybe.” She chuckled mirthlessly at a joke only she knew.
Ace and Deuce looked at each other again, jaws tense and rising panic building behind their eyes. Their minds raced in tandem, putting together the puzzle pieces of the piecemeal information (Y/N) had told them. Something important involving Crowley, something she would want to keep on the down low until she was able to confront everyone at the same time. The Headmage himself didn’t really seem to carry especially important information. Considering all the work and responsibilities he dumped on (Y/N), they often wondered what exactly he even did at Night Raven College. But there was one thing he had supposedly been focused on since the beginning of the school year: finding a way to send (Y/N) back to her original world. But that couldn’t be it, right? There was no way the bird brain had actually mastered interdimensional magical travel, right? And, even if he had, there was no way (Y/N) was actually just going to up and leave, right?
Right?
The room was quiet for just a beat too long as the two Heartsabyul first years communicated silently. (Y/N) looked back up, her eyebrows scrunched together in worry. She opened her mouth to say something, but Ace cut her off with his signature troublemaker smirk and said, “Ooh, so mysterious. You sure you don’t need saving again? You have that bad habit of throwing yourself in danger every chance you get.”
With that, the tension was broken. (Y/N) swatted at Ace again, laughing. They chatted aimlessly as they continued their tedious work. But, the moment (Y/N) lowered her head to pull tangled hair from Grim’s claws, Ace and Deuce looked at each other again, faces set and serious. An agreement passed between them. They were going to need help.
~~~
“But did she say she was leaving?” Jack asked, voice tight but trying to remain calm.
Ace, Deuce, Jack, Epel, Ortho, and Sebek were in the quad near the wishing well. Other students milled around, going to clubs or studying, their voices drifting meaninglessly around the small group. Epel was pacing, fists balled at his sides, gnawing at his lower lip. Ortho stared, unmoving in that way that reminded people that he was in fact made of metal and wires and not flesh and blood. Sebek was standing soldier straight with his chin up. His mouth was pulled down in a frown, but that was so often his standard expression that only someone who knew him well would be able to see the actual distress on his face. Jack’s foot tapped restlessly, hands clasped together so tight his knuckles were turning bloodless.
“No,” Deuce said. “Not specifically. But what else would she be talking about, you know? We don’t keep secrets from each other.”
“But we don’t know anything for certain,” Jack said. “Maybe we-”
“This is bullshit!” Epel shouted. Several students walking by startled, hurrying away with their heads down. His accent came out strong. “She’s just gonna up and leave? After everything? Everything we’ve done and been through? Did none of it matter? Does she not even care about us?”
Deuce winced. “I mean, I guess she misses home-”
“We’re her home!” Ace hissed. “Epel’s right. She doesn't belong back there, whatever that place is.”
Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair and tugging. “Well, what are we supposed to do? Keep her here?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Sebek said. The others turned to him. He was looking off in the distance, eyes unfocused. When he felt their gaze, he turned back to them, blinking twice and clearing his throat. “Ahem, I only mean that Lord Malleus has grown rather fond of (Y/N) these past few months, for whatever reason. As his retainer, I couldn’t bear his distress if such a close friend were to vanish with no way of contacting them.”
“Lord Malleus,” Ace said. “Sure.”
“I would anticipate that the Prefect's absence would cause a rise of at least 75% in stress levels at Night Raven College. Accompanying this would also be an increased chance of Overblot by a minimum of 35%.” Ortho put a hand to his temple as his eyes flashed with calculations. “40%. 43%. 50%. 60%.”
“Right, right, we get it,” Epel said.
“Alright, we just need to think this through for a second,” Deuce said, standing and holding up his hands. “We can just explain, right? (Y/N)’s a good person, she’ll hear us out. We’ll just explain why we’re worried and, and…”
“And what?” Epel said. “You think we can somehow convince her to stay here?”
“Prefect (Y/N) technically doesn't exist in this world,” Ortho said. “She has no records outside of Night Raven College, no citizenship or birth certificate. Outside of the Night Raven College campus, she’s not even a ghost.”
“So,” Sebek said, eyes going glazed over again. “It would be simple for her to disappear from the rest of the world.”
A heavy silence fell over them. Immediately, everyone’s mind went to the same place, formulating a plan with the same end goal. Their hearts began racing as they started conjuring up ideas and methods of execution, solutions for technical problems that might arise. (Y/N)’s reaction to these plans didn’t particularly matter at the moment. After all, it would all be worth it in the end, right?
“Okay, wait, hang on,” Jack said, trying to quiet his racing thoughts and the dark places they were going. “We - we need to think this through. It’s not like we can just kidnap her or anything.” “You’re right,” Deuce said. “We’ll need help. If we want to pull this off we need resources.”
“We’ll need people to back us up,” Ace agreed. “Getting her somewhere in the first place is the easy part, but we wouldn’t want to scare her for too long, you know? If we can convince her we know best it’d be easier in the long run, right?”
“Lord Malleus has access to many fine manors in the Briar Valley,” Sebek said.
“All the way to the Briar Valley?” Epel said. “Isn’t that place still hostile against humans? We can go to Harveston, it’s in the middle of the mountains. My uncle has a hunting lodge out there, it’d be perfect.”
“The Isle of Woe is also an isolated location,” Ortho said. “And it would be much easier to keep (Y/N) under surveillance.”
“Wait!” The others went silent, watching Jack.
“Jack,” Ace said. “We’re either all in this together or not at all. Come on, how many times have we needed to save (Y/N)? How many times has she had to save us?” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Would you really be okay with never seeing her again?”
Jack rubbed the back of his neck, eyes shut tight. They waited with bated breath for him to speak. Finally, he sighed. “Leona has resources. He has people, power, money. And I know he would want to know about this too. We’ll need other people to help with this. If she just suddenly vanished without warning I can think of several people who would look into it. And if they find out we planned something without them it would just make things more difficult.”
The others smiled, relieved that one of the hardest people to convince was unequivocally on board.
“Okay, so,” Ace said, clapping his hands. “We need a plan. Anyone have a good idea?”
The others were quiet, the holes in their initial imagination growing bigger and bigger.
“Well, no,” Deuce said. “But I know someone who might.”
~~~
The atmosphere in Octavinelle always walked the tightrope between cool and calming and cutthroat and calculating, but maybe that had more to do with the first year's previous experience than the actual building.
“Well, well, well,” Azul said smugly, leaning back in the plush chair in his office. “I didn’t expect to see you both back here so soon.”
Ace and Deuce squirmed in their seats, trying, and failing, to look nonplussed by the looming Jade and Floyd.
“Of course,” Azul continued. “I’m more than happy to assist any poor, unfortunate soul who should need my help. For the right price, of course. But, well, we’ve been through so much together, I’ll even give you a discount! What can the Monstro Lounge do for you today, boys?”
Ace cleared his throat, warily eyeing Floyd’s wide grin. “Actually, there’s something we could do for you.”
Azul raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Oh? Do tell.”
“We think (Y/N) is going back to her world,” Deuce spit out, cracking under pressure. “We have a plan, well, kind of a plan, we’re coming up with ideas, but we know she’d be better here, happier here, we just need time to convince her, you know? So we, Ace and me and the other first years, we’re wanting to keep her here, maybe not at NRC but somewhere, until we can convince her, make her see reason. And we thought, we know you guys like her too so we thought you would want to help or-”
“Shrimpy’s leaving?” Floyd said. His face was scrunched in confusion. Even Jade looked surprised, wide eyes and hand curled in front of his mouth. Azul had visibly paled, so much so that they worried he might faint.
“I-” Azul’s voice cracked.
“That’s quite the rumor,” Jade said, covering for Azul. “I could see it being very damaging if it was spread around in malice.”
“It’s not a rumor,” Ace said. “She basically told us yesterday.”
“Shrimpy’s leaving?” Floyd repeated. His face flashed from confusion to hurt to anger. Without a word, he snapped up, stalking to the door. He threw it open so hard it cracked against the wall leaving an indent from the knob in the plaster.
“Floyd!” Jade called after him.
“No!” The other twin snapped. He barreled through the Mostro Lounge, patrons and waiters jumping out of his way with wide and appropriately afraid eyes.
“Floyd, wait!”
“No!”
The others caught up with Floyd halfway to the mirror portal to the main campus. Jade caught Floyd by the elbow, ducking in a practiced way when Floyd’s other elbow swung back.
“No!” Floyd shouted again. “She’s not leaving! You’re lying!”
“See?” Ace said, waving his hand in Floyd’s direction. “You don’t want her to leave either! But no one’s going to like it if you just go up there and start freaking her out!”
“We’re telling everyone,” Deuce continued. “Well, not everyone, but the people important, you know? We’re planning a meeting to figure this out. We can’t let (Y/N) leave. We can’t.”
Floyd had calmed down enough that there wasn’t an immediate danger of a fight, but he was still seething. Jade still kept a tight grip on his brother’s arm, but it was more to anchor himself than keep Floyd from sprinting away again.
“A plan,” Azul said. “You need a plan. Or, perhaps, a certain magical way to prevent (Y/N) from doing something… inadvisable.”
“Yes, exactly,” Deuce said.
“We know it might be hard to get (Y/N) to sign one of your contracts given what’s happened before,” Ace said, giving Azul the side eye.
“But we need every resource we can pull together,” Deuce finished. “We’re setting up a meeting tomorrow. We can count on you guys being there, right?”
The three merpeople looked at each other. Unspoken conversation passed between them, the benefit of having known each other for the majority of their lives.
“I’ll start drafting a contract immediately,” Azul said, golden light flourishing around his hand as he kicked up his signature spell.
“I do believe there are certain species of mushroom in the nearby forest that could induce temporary paralysis,” Jade said, smiling slyly. “It might be worth it to have the Mountain Lovers Club take an unplanned execution.”
“Hey, if nothing else,” Floyd said. “I’d love to give Shrimpy a big squeeze.”
~~~
A pair of Pomefiore students were walking down the hall of their dorm, mindlessly chatting. They both froze as they heard a scream, followed by a loud crash. They crept to one of the sitting rooms, nudging the door open just enough to peek inside.
Vil, their fearless, elegant, always poised house warden screamed again. He picked up a vase, at least one hundred years old and filled with beautiful hard to cultivate lilies, and threw it against the wall, shattering into a thousand pieces. Reclining in one of the plush purple velvet chairs was the vice house warden Rook. His posture didn’t betray any concern or stress at Vil’s outburst, but the smile stretched across his face caused shivers to run down the spines of the two observers. Rook was tightly holding an arrow, his quiver at his side, tapping the sharper than usual point. Epel stood off to one side. He was hunched over, something that usually would have earned a scolding from Vil. He was carving an apple with single-minded determination, stabbing the soft flesh and discarding pieces with a flick of the wrist. Somehow, the stillness from the rambunctious farm boy who would jump at any chance to throw down was even more intimidating than if he was coming at them fists swinging.
The two students looked at each other before quietly closing the door behind them and rushing from the scene. Knowing the penchant for chaos NRC students had, whatever was going on was way beyond their pay grade.
Vil roared again, unending a long coffee table. It flipped twice before landing upside down, the papers and decorations on top fluttering in disarray. Vil took heaving breaths, facing a vanity on one side of the room, tightly gripping its sides as his nails carved tiny divots into the soft wood. He took one last deep breath, straightening and smoothing out his hair. He turned around, only a slight red flush any indication he was in distress.
“Alright,” He said. “Rook, my book.”
Rook jumped up, retrieving an intricately decorated purple and gold tome from where it had fallen. He handed it to Vil like a supplicant offering a sacrifice to a vengeful god, head slightly bowed and hands outstretched.
“What are you looking for?” Epel asked.
“I’ll know when I see it,” Vil said, not looking up. He flipped through the vellum pages. “A sleeping potion would be a temporary solution, at least as an easy way to secure her to another place. An Iron Stake spell is a possibility, but that would only secure her to one specific place and cause illness if she left the designated area, so that would be too restrictive. A potion to induce Hanahaki. If we can convince her she has a magical based illness, then she would need to stay somewhere she could receive magical treatment.”
“We were wanting to gather everyone in one place,” Epel said. “To come up with ideas.”
Vil scoffed. “As if half of those fools can even look farther than their own nose. I don’t trust anyone else to treat this issue with the delicate hand it needs.”
“Perhaps,” Rook said smoothly. “But we must consider that our dear Trickster has made a place in the hearts of many others. And while your methods would obviously be far superior and much more beautiful, we can’t discount the interference of well meaning interlopers.” Rook gave Epel a wink as he skillfully directed Vil into cooperation.
“Hmm,” Vil hummed, snapping the book shut. “Unfortunately, you have a point. Very well. Epel, we will attend this conclave. If nothing else than to emphasize that we know what’s best for (Y/N), despite what those uncultured miscreants might think.”
Epel set his apple down, stabbing his knife upright. He grinned wickedly. “Absolutely, House Warden.”
~~~
Jamil was cooking. Which, in itself, wasn’t that unusual. Jamil cooked all the time. Special meals for Kalim to ensure nothing was tampered with, feasts for the almost weekly Scarabia parties, just to have something other than the repetitive cafeteria fair. But whatever Jamil was doing now caused the gathered Scarabia students to stay out of the kitchen, watching in concern from their hiding places around the door.
Jamil was staring straight ahead, not paying attention to the incredibly sharp knife in his hand. He methodically chopped fruits and vegetables, not paying any attention that they were already in minuscule cubes, juices dripping down the counter to pool at his feet. A pot on the stove was close to boiling over. Even the fridge had been left open, cold air escaping into the warm room.
“Hey, what’s up?” Kalim asked, seeing his dorm mates crowded around the kitchen entrance. He sniffed the air and smiled. “Ooh, Jamil is cooking something good! Are you all waiting for it to be ready?”
“Uh, House Warden?” One of the students said tentatively. “I think you should check on Vice House Warden Jamil. He seems…”
“Stressed?” Someone offered.
“Distracted,” Another said.
“About to Overblot again,” A third muttered under their breath. The boys around him shushed him.
“Don’t worry, I’ll see what’s up!” Kalim said cheerfully. He waved them away, coming into the kitchen with the same happy-go-lucky free spirit he did everything with, not noticing the warry looks the departing students gave him. “Jamil!” He greeted, slapping Jamil’s shoulder. “What’s up?”
Jamil barely flinched, still looking at something in the far distance only he could see. “(Y/N) is leaving.”
“Hmm? Do we have a vacation coming up?”
“No, she’s leaving.”
Kalim’s smile started to falter. “Is she transferring or something? Like to Nobel Bell College?”
“No.” Jamil slammed the knife down, lodging in the cutting board. “She’s leaving. Leaving Night Raven College, leaving Sage’s Island, leaving Twisted Wonderland, leaving m-” He cut himself off. With a sharp pull, he yanked the knife out of the board, sliding over a sweet potato to dice. “She’s going back to her world. Crowley must have found a way. Ace and Floyd told me at basketball practice today. They’re organizing some sort of meeting with the others to talk about it. Whatever good that will do.”
“Oh.” Kalim blinked, thinking. “That… would be bad.”
Jamil laughed dourly. “That’s an understatement.”
Kamil smiled again. “Well, that’s fine. You can fix that easy, right?” Jamil stopped, turning to Kalim with a quizzical look. Kalim tapped his temple next to his eye. “You know, with your unique magic! You can just tell her not to leave, like you did with me.” He didn’t say it with any malice, not blaming Jamil for their past misadventure.
“I…”
“Oh, come on,” Kalim said, jumping up and coming over to Jamil, leaning against the counter and plucking at the desiccated food. “Don’t tell me you didn’t think of it. I know Snake Whisper doesn't last for too long, but if we bring her to one of the Asim chateaus, you know, maybe in the middle of the Scalding Sands desert, you can just recast it whenever, right? Oh, unless that wears you out too much. I bet we can find another way to keep her around while you recover though!” Kalim popped a date in his mouth nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t just suggested kidnapping and hypnotizing their friend for an undetermined period of time.
“You…” Jamil started, trailing off. He laughed, shaking his head. He turned down the stove on the boiling pot, scrapping the chopped vegetables into a bowl, and kicked the fridge door closed. “Well, if I have your permission, then who am I to argue?”
Kalim just smiled, eating another date.
~~~
Idia was typing so fast his hands were practically a blur. On his multi-monitor computer setup, footage from the multiple hidden cameras around campus zoomed by as he searched for specific information. He gnawed on his thumb nail.
“And you’re sure she said that?” He asked Ortho, resting in his charging station. “The Bird Brain found a way for her to go back-” He almost said ‘home,’ but that word didn’t feel right when talking about you. This was your home now, right? It was. It had to be. “Back to her original world?”
“Prefect (Y/N) was speaking to Ace Trapolla and Deuce Spade, so I didn’t hear her exact wording or was able to monitor her vitals for evidence of deception,” Ortho said. “But she had invited us and the others involved in the various Overblot incidents to dinner this Saturday, which aligns with the announcement they said she wanted to make.”
Idia kept clicking, following (Y/N)’s movements the day before she dropped a bombshell on Ace and Deuce. The world sped by at 10x speed on the screen. Idia’s hair sparked with red and orange as his concern, rage, and betrayal simmered underneath the surface.
He slowed the replay speed down as (Y/N) approached the Headmage’s office, meeting Crowley outside the door. There wasn’t any audio, Idia cursed himself for not installing that feature ahead of time. (Y/N) indicated the office and Crowley held the doors open for her with a flourish. He cursed again that he hadn’t managed to sneak any cameras in the office.
Idia sped up the footage again, scrambling when (Y/N) and Crowley left the office only a few minutes later. He would have thought a conversation about her possible return would have taken a lot longer. Crowley dramatically mimed wiping a tear from his masked eye, shaking her hand with both of his. As they were speaking, Professor Trein and Professor Crewel both walked up. Crowley waved them over, animatedly speaking to them, waving at (Y/N). Crewel patted her head while Trein gave her a warm smile and nod. Idia could just read Crewel’s lips as he said, “Good luck, pup.”
‘Good luck’? Why would she need good luck? She had all the luck she needed if she stayed here. How else would you explain all of the incidents that had happened all year while still escaping unscathed? You would only lose that luck if you went somewhere else, somewhere far, too far, away.
Idia bashed his hands against his keyboard, his fire-like hair engulfed in red, hitting the keys to pause the video. The video had stopped on a shot of her face, smiling, eyes crinkled at the corners, hand up in a silent goodbye.
No, not goodbye. Not if he could help it.
“Ortho,” Idia said. “Send a message to Mom and Dad. We’ll need a guest room set up.”
~~~
“And you told Azul before me?!” Riddle raged.
Ace and Deuce cringed back, subconsciously guarding their throats in case Riddle unleashed his unique magic.
The two first years had corralled Riddle, Trey, and Cater in one of the tea rooms at the Heatslabyul dorm. While Riddle had already started the impromptu meeting annoyed, there were rules for setting an assembly, priorities quickly shifted.
“Riddle,” Trey said, trying to keep his voice even and calm. “Would you want (Y/N) to see you like this?”
Riddle flinched back at Trey’s statement. He forced his shoulders to relax, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “One, two, three,” He began counting.
“What’s he doing?” Deuce whispered.
“Counting,” Riddle said, voice still steely. “To try and calm my nerves so I don’t do something you’ll regret!”
“Don’t you mean ‘something I’ll regret’?” Ace asked. Deuce glared at him.
Riddle smiled coldly. “Yes, you will regret it.”
“Cater?” Deuce asked. The ginger-haired boy was humming tunelessly, tapping on his phone what a vacant look on his face. “Are you okay?”
“Of course,” Cater said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because (Y/N) might be leaving and we’ll never see or hear from her ever again?”
Cater only stared at him, blinking, eyes lost in a thousand yard stare. He suddenly perked up. “Oh! That reminds me. (Y/N) and I were going to go to the Glass Slipper Gala this summer! It’s pretty much impossible to get tickets to the actual event, obvi, but there are all these side parties where people dress up for the theme that year. Totally Magicamable and sups adorbs.” He lifted his phone and took a selfie, retreating back into his own world as he kept tapping on the screen.
“I… think he might be in denial,” Trey sighed. “It is a big change, I suppose.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Ace said, spreading his hands. “It doesn't have to be! When we meet up with everyone tomorrow night-”
“Everyone?” Trey asked. “The more people involved in this, the more likely it is to get out of control. Especially with the, uh, strong personalities we have here.”
“So,” Ace said. “That’s why we’re telling you guys now. We’re obviously the best people to handle this. Sure, we let the other dorms think they’re in control, but that’s only the first part of the plan. You got to appeal to their egos, you know? And after that…”
“We swoop in with Heatslabuyl style and save the day!” Deuce finished.
“We all know she likes us best, anyway,” Ace said, leaning back with a confident grin. “And if we ‘save’ her from whatever those guys have planned, say we need to lay low for a while…”
“Then she not only depends on us,” Trey said, picking up the thread. “But she’ll also feel indebted to us.”
“And if anyone else tries to swoop in and make a nuisance of themselves,” Riddle continued. “She’ll be hesitant to trust anyone from the outside.”
“What’s that saying?” Deuce asked. “A gilded cage is still gilded?”
“Not exactly,” Trey said. “But, I’ll admit, it has the making of a good plan.”
Riddle humphed, hands on his hips. “Well, then, we don’t have very long. We need a strategy going into this meeting. Here,” He arranged parts of the tea set around the table, assigning each of them to one of their cabal. “We can use this to start visualizing a scenario.”
“Maybe we can wear matching outfits,” Cater said dreamily, still off in his own world.
~~~
Leona leaned back against the tree, crossing his arms behind his head, eyes closed. “So?” He said. His tail twitched restlessly beside him, the only sign of agitation.
Jack frowned. “So? So (Y/N) might be leaving and never coming back. We have to do something about this.”
“So, if she wants to go and throw away everything she has here, everyone who cares about her, everything she’s built, fine, go ahead. No skin off my nose.”
Ruggie’s ears were flat back against his head. “You’re such a liar.”
Leona cracked one eye open, glaring. “What was that?”
Ruggie jumped to his feet, gnashing his teeth. “Don’t just sit there and pretend you don’t care! Don’t act like this isn’t your fault! You act so laissez-faire all the time, like you don’t care about anyone or anything. You just push people away, you’ve pushed her away! And now we’re all paying for your inferiority complex!”
Leona lunged at Ruggie so fast Jack’s eyes couldn’t even track it. One second they were a yard apart, Leona pouting with not a care in the world, Ruggie standing, fists clenched tightly at his side. The next they were tumbling over each other, Ruggie snapping his teeth at Leona’s obviously superior strength as the House Warden held him down. Jack watched in shock, torn between wanting to pull them apart and respect for his seniors.
Leona pushed Ruggie face first into the dirt. Ruggie still snarled, letting out short breathed barks like an angry cackle. Leona hefted him up by the back of his shirt, biting down hard on the scruff of Ruggie’s neck. Ruggie immediately went limp, like a rag doll in the hands of a petulant child. Leona dropped him, standing over his still body and huffing hard.
“You,” He hissed. “Don’t get to challenge me. You don’t get to tell me how I’m meant to react. You have no idea how I feel, about her or anything else.”
Ruggie looked over his shoulder, glaring daggers, but said nothing.
“I-” Jack started. His voice caught in his throat in a lump at the withering look Leona gave him. “I told the others you would be able to help. No one is doubting you’re a good leader,” His eyes cut to Ruggie on the floor, who scowled but said nothing. “We all know it. We also all know you care a lot more than you pretend to. You’re clever, an amazing strategist, and you have abilities and resources none of us could dream of. Be honest with yourself. After everything that’s happened, after your Overblot, would you really be fine with (Y/N) disappearing?”
“And do you really want Malleus scooping her up? You know he will.” Ruggie mumbled.
Leona stalked around the glade, ears back and tail thrashing. He ground his teeth, fangs cutting into his lower lip. He roared, hand striking out, claws raking across a tree to leave deep gashes. He huffed, straightening and turning around. With little effort, he picked Ruggie up by the back of his vest and set him on his feet.
He looked at the two of them, face set in determination. “Alright. (Y/N)’s not going anywhere.”
~~~
The sky around the Diasomnia dorm cracked with green lightning. Students ran for cover, dodging torrents of hail, sleet, and needle-like rain. Dark clouds swirled around the spiky towers of the dorm, threatening to turn into tornados.
Silver, Sebek, and Lilia trailed behind Malleus, futilely trying to catch up with his long strides. Lilia hopped up and quickly flew in front of the dragon prince.
“Now, just a moment, Malleus,” Lilia pleaded, hands up.
Malleus evaporated in a cascade of green sparks, reappearing several feet behind Lilia, continuing his determined march without a pause in his step. Lilia sighed and rolled his eyes, catching back up with the two knights in training.
“We don’t know for sure if she’s leaving,” Silver said, trying to act as a voice of reason.
“What other conclusions would you draw from that?” Sebek snapped. “His majesty deserves to have every piece of available information to make the best decision for all involved.”
“Which is why we need to slow down and think things through.”
“Are you doubting Lord Malleus’s desition making skills in the time of crisis?”
“She shall be kept in the highest room in the tallest tower deep in the heart of Briar Valley,” Malleus said, almost to himself. “I’ll lock her in shackles of gold, give her a collar of diamonds and pearls, line her cage with velvet. No one shall take my child of man from my side, be it herself or any one else.”
They looked at each other, quickening their step.
Just as Malleus was reaching for the front door, ready to burst through to the mirror room, Lilia jumped in front of him, arms splayed wide. “Hold it!” He shouted. “Hold everything!” Malleus frowned, crossing his arms and glaring. Lilia put a hand to his chest, trying to catch his breath. “Honestly, I can’t keep up with you young ones anymore.”
“I suggest you think carefully about what you say next, old man,” Malleus said coldly.
“And I suggest you think carefully about the consequences of your actions, not to mention those around you. Really, do you think any of us want to see (Y/N) leave? Of course not. That’s why Sebek came to tell you in the first place. He trusts you enough to know you would be able to deftly handle the situation. And if you would stop to think for a moment, you would realize marching up to Ramshackle, spells blazing, would only create a rift between you and our dear Prefect, yes?” Malleus pressed his lips together, obviously still annoyed at the interruption, but understanding Lilia’s perspective. “As the future ruler of the Briar Valley, you need to learn how to handle matters with finesse as well as brutality. You don’t want to show (Y/N) a darker side of yourself, right? She already thinks the world of you, we all know that, don’t we, boys?” Lilia motioned Silver and Sebek, who nodded. “Simply telling her what you want and expecting no resistance might, well, damage her option of you, however misguided she might be.”
“She is misguided,” Malleus said. “And a wayward subject needs a firm hand to direct them.”
“But (Y/N) isn’t a subject,” Silver interjected. He had to stop himself from physically taking a step back at the sudden heat of Malleus’s gaze. “At least, not yet. It’s like… Frogs. Remember, Father?”
“Frogs? Oh, yes! How clever, Silver!” Lilia said, clapping his hands. “If you put a frog in a pot of water and slowly turn up the heat underneath it, the frog won’t realize the water is boiling until it’s too late.”
“So, acclimation?” Malleus said.
“Exactly!” Sebek said. “That was our original plan! We keep her here just long enough to convince her this is the best place to be. And, of course, who wouldn’t want to stay in your glorious presents, Lord Malleus?”
Lightning continued to crackle across the sky, but the deluge had reduced to a mild thunderstorm.
“I will not lose her.”
“Of course not! None of us want to, we would never dream of it!” Lilia said.
Malleus closed his eyes in thought for a moment before turning to Silver and Sebek. He called their names and they stood at attention. “I have a list of ingredients I need before this… meeting. I trust you will be able to procure them for me quickly.” He manifested paper and a quill pen from the air, the list writing itself midair before tearing in half and splitting between the two knights. They left with a salute.
As they went to search, Lilia hummed, floating next to Malleus. “That is quite the potion you want to brew.”
“Reassurance and reinforcement,” Malleus said. “In case someone wants to try and make things difficult for us. After all, dragons are naturally jealous creatures.”
~~~
They congregated in the House Warden’s meeting room under cover of night. It was all cloak and dagger, literally in some cases. Tensions were high, the atmosphere in the room could have been cut with a knife. The House Warden’s took their seats around the round table, the others standing dutifully behind them.
Everyone looked at each other with suspicion. Why should they have any say with what happened to (Y/N)? They weren’t as close to her, didn’t deserve her as much as the other party. They would only hurt her in the end. ‘No, our plan is the best,’ Each group thought. Although they had originally arranged to create one master plan with every dorm involved, the meeting quickly descended into shouting voices, a cacophony of accusations, declarations, and split tensions.
The din only subsided briefly when the door to the meeting room was opened. Sebek and Silver both held one door open for Malleus to stride through, looking for all the world like the crown prince he was. Lilia floated behind him, giving a small wave as they entered.
“Oh, dear,” Lilia said. “I hope we’re not too late.”
“Not at all,” Riddle said through clenched teeth. “We were just discussing what we should do at the dinner tomorrow when (Y/M) makes her announcement.”
“There is no discussion,” Azul said. “We need to make a move before that! I’ve drafted a contract that would-”
“Again with your contracts,” Jamil interrupted. “And how exactly are you planning on getting her to sign it? She’s not as easy to trick as some more gullible people.”
“Hey!” Ace shouted. “Don’t act so high and mighty! Everyone on campus knows that we’re her best friends!”
“That’s right!” Deuce said. “We only brought you all in as a courtesy. We should be the ones who decide what happens next!”
Arguments broke out again, everyone talking over each other, spells aching to be slung.
Malleus took his seat and watched the growing chaos. He swept his eyes over the tables, taking in the faces of all involved. For a moment, he was touched. You had truly ingrained yourself in the lives of everyone present in such a short amount of time. They were all willing to do so much for you, risk everything, all for your benefit. And you didn’t even realize it.
But, of course, his love was the purest of them all.
Cooly, Malleus plucked a vial from his front pocket, setting it on the table without a word. He leaned back in his chair, waiting for their reactions. As the participants took note of the new object, talk dwindled to silence. The air went still as every eye focused on the small bottle Malleus set on the table. It was no bigger than three inches tall, frosted glass, with a ball shaped stopper. A light pink liquid sloshing around inside, seeming to swirl completely independent of any outside influence. It glowed slightly, casting their astonished faces in a sickly sweet light.
“A love potion?” Vil said breathlessly.
“That is… highly illegal,” Riddle said.
“I’m sorry,” Malleus said. “I thought we were looking for solutions.”
“Can you even call it illegal for a person who doesn't legally exist?” Jade thought out loud.
“Hang on,” Leona said, standing. “A love potion would only work on the first person she sees after she drinks it. What are you trying to plan here, lizard?”
Malleus looked down at Leona. “It would be best if she were to be with the one who is able to take the best care of her. Unless you’re suggesting you could do better?”
“I think,” Vil interjected before Leona had a chance to start another fight. “What Leona is saying is that we all care deeply about (Y/N). That’s why we’re all here, isn’t it? And if she were to be, let’s say, connected to only one person, it might defeat the whole purpose of us coming together to find a solution to our mutual problem.”
“If it’s the first person she sees,” Kalim said. “Well, we’ll all be together for dinner anyway, right? Is there a way we can have her see us all at the same time?”
“If Prefect (Y/N) is standing at the head of the table,” Ortho said, holding his hands out to visualize the situation. “Then it is possible to have multiple people in her field of vision at the same time.”
“Hang on,” Trey said. “I know we’re talking about essentially kidnapping here, but isn’t a love potion a little extreme?”
“Maybe we could consider that a last resort?” Idia said. “Especially since we’re already planning on trying to convince her to stay in other ways.”
Malleus plucked up the vial and tucked it back into his pocket. “If that is the general consensus, I’ll agree for now.”
“For now,” Leona echoes with a glare. Malleus smiled pleasantly at him.
The introduction of the ultimate ultimatum seemed to cool tensions in the group. Eventually, a tentative agreement was reached. Of course, whether or not everyone would actually follow that agreement day of was up for debate. The factions retreated to their dorms, waiting for the next day with both trepidation and anxiety-riddled anticipation.
~~~
(Y/N) felt like something was off. On the surface, everything was normal. Well, as normal as it could be for this particular group of magic students. Everyone seemed to be chatting pleasantly enough, sitting around a long table (Y/N) and Grim had pulled into the Ramshackle guestroom. But, the more she paid attention, the more stiff everyone came across. She felt like everyone was watching her, that there would be a group pause whenever she spoke. It made goosebumps spring up on her arms.
She supposed it might have been a general reaction to her sudden invitation and the announcement she had said she wanted to make. She thought she should have found out a better way to tell everyone at once, maybe something that would have caused less stress. She had hoped that having good food and good company would make this less stressful, for her and them. But, possibly aside from Ruggie and Grim both scarfing down whatever they would get their hands on, almost everyone else seemed to be picking at their food.
‘Well,’ She thought. ‘No time like the present.’ She stood, shivering a little when everyone’s head snapped in her direction. Even if she already had their attention, she still cleared her throat to prepare for her announcement. “Hello! First, I want to thank you all for coming! I know everyone values their day off, so I appreciate you all taking the time to come see me.I also wanted to say how much you all mean to me. I came here with nothing, no idea how I got here, no magic, obviously. And I’ll admit there have been some really intense and scary moments, but I’ve been able to get through everything thanks to all of you. And I wouldn’t want to be stuck here with anybody else. I’m so happy I got to meet you all.” At this, her voice cracked a little, eyes going misty. Grim jumped into her arms and she pulled him close in a tight hug. “Right, anyway, sorry, I’m getting sentimental. So, as I’m sure you all know, Crowley has been looking for a way for me to go back to my world since I came here. And the other day, well, I told him to stop. I’ve decided I’m going to stay here, in Twisted Wonderland. I know it will be hard, and to be honest, I’m not really sure how a lot of it will work out. But there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
All was silent, a spring coiled ready to snap. Then, Cater burst into tears.
“Cater?” (Y/N) asked, worried. She rushed over to him and he slung his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug.
“I-I thought-thought that you-” Cater tried to say through sobs. “I’m so happy!”
And with that, the room relaxed. A collective breath was released as everyone finally seemed to come back to themselves.
With the tension finally broken, (Y/N) felt her shoulders relax. She wasn’t totally sure what reaction she was going to get, it definitely wasn’t what she was expecting from Cater. For the past few days she felt a heavy miasma building over her, a sense of dread that kept building but she couldn’t find a source for. As she watched her friends chat, passing plates between each other, clinking glasses, she smiled. She should have known there wasn’t anything to worry about. After all, she had everyone here with her. She knew she could always trust them to have her back.
After the party meandered to a close, (Y/N) made the rounds of saying goodnight to everyone as they got ready to leave. Although, as they might say in her world, it definitely felt like a ‘Minnesota long goodbye.’ Everyone was lingering, coming up with just one more thing to talk about, putting on coats only to take them off again, wondering out loud if she was really sure she didn’t need help cleaning up, and it was already dark out, would it maybe be easier if they just stayed the night? People seemed to linger tonight, an extra touch on her shoulder, a hug just a second longer than usual, a turn on phrase that hid something (Y/N) couldn’t see. But, considering the tense atmosphere at the beginning of their dinner, she tallied it up to whatever strange mood had taken her friends.
(Y/N) puffed out a breath as Ace unexpectedly crashed into her back, throwing his arms around her to pull into a backward hug. “Geeze, (Y/N)” He whined without any real heat. “You sure know how to make something dramatic, huh? Got us worried something bad was happening for a while.”
“Don’t be mean,” Deuce said. He smiled. “Seriously, we’re really glad you’re deciding to stay, though. You’ll let me know if you need any help, yeah?”
“You’ll let us know,” Ace clarified. (Y/N) missed the glare that passed between them. “Speaking of, next time you - Ack!” Ace was cut off with a heart-shaped collar suddenly appearing around his neck, Deuce sporting a matching one, his eyes downcast and lip wobbling.
“You’ll have to excuse us, (Y/N),” Riddle said, tugging at Ace’s collar. “These two are late for a lecture on causing unnecessary panic.” With Trey comforting a still misty-eyed Cater and Riddle dragging away the other two first years who waved goodbye with resigned compliance, they departed into the night.
“Thanks for having us,” Jack said. Ruggie’s arms were piled high with plenty of Tupperware loaded with leftovers. Leona stood behind, trying to look disinterested, but keeping a sharp eye on anyone who tried to get too close to their conversation.
“Of course! I’m glad you guys could come. I was just thinking - Oh, Ruggie!” (Y/N) gasped, reaching out for the red circular mark on the back of Ruggie’s neck. “Are you okay?”
Ruggie’s hand shot up, covering what suspiciously looked like a bite mark. From over her shoulder, Leona shot him a glare that could turn a man to stone.
“Oh, yeah, fine!” Ruggie said quickly. “Yeah, just-”
“Just doing something stupid,” Leona cut in. “That won’t be a problem in the future, right?”
Ruggie’s ears went flat as he narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, you got it, House Warden.”
(Y/N) opened her mouth to ask if everything was alright between them when Jack cut her off. “We’ll see you tomorrow, (Y/N). If you have any trouble now that you’ve decided to stay, you can always come to Savannahclaw first.”
(Y/N) blinked at the sudden stoniness of Jack’s voice. “I’ll… Keep that in mind. Thanks, Jack.”
As she waved them off she felt a familiar prickle at the back of her neck. With half a second to spare, she quickly sidestepped, dodging Floyd’s incoming hug. He stumbled a little bit, turning to glare, but the effect was ruined by the wide cheerful smile on his face.
“Shrimpy~” He said in a singsong voice. “You’re not trying to escape me again, are you?”
“Again?” She said. “What-”
“What my brother means to say,” Jade said. “Is that we’re very happy we’ll continue to be blessed with your presents.”
“Sure,” (Y/N) said. “I’m happy, too.”
“And of course,” Azul continued smoothly. “If you happen to have any difficulties settling in, we would be more than happy to assist you. Why, I’d even be so inclined to offer our services at a discount! For old times sake.”
“Or,” Jade said, slinging his arm around her shoulder. “You could just move to the bottom of the sea with us.”
“You would get used to the cold,” Floyd said, wrapping his arm around her other shoulder. “We could just squeeze you real tight to keep you warm.”
“Thanks for the offer, guys,” She said, shrugging out of their constricting embrace.
“If you want to stay somewhere warm,” Kalim interrupted, grasping her arm and pulling her into him. “Why won’t you come to Silk City? I bet my family would love to meet you! Right, Jamil?”
Jamil had an unfocused, faraway look in his eye, only snapping back when Kalim said his name. He moved to put himself between them and the Octavinelle trio. “Right,” He said. He tilted his head down, hair falling in a curtain to separate them from the rest of the room, Kalim’s hug tightened as his smile sharpened. Jamil met (Y/N)’s eyes. “(Y/N), look at me for a second. I-”
“(Y/N)!” She was yanked out of Kalim’s tightening constrictor hug into an equally smothering embrace, heady with the scent of lilac and apples. “There you are! I’m so happy to see you!” Epel continued. He was using that formal voice, pitched higher to emphasize his naturally cute appearance that Vil had been training him in.
“Oui, mon trickster! We couldn’t bear to leave without complimenting what a wonderful party you put together!” Rook continued, snatching her out of Epel’s arms into his own. (Y/N) was starting to get dizzy from being thrown in between people so much. As Rook took her full attention, Epel sneered at the Scarabia duo, sticking out his tongue before melting back into the perfect picture of polite sweetness.
Vil interrupted (Y/N) getting smothered with a gentle but definitive touch on her shoulder. “I can’t tell you how pleased your decision makes me, (Y/N),” He said. (Y/N) sometimes forgot that outside of NRC, Vil was ranked as one of the most beautiful people in the world, a five-star actor and model. At this moment, with him looking down at her with every ounce of that carefully cultivated deminor, it took her breath away. She would have done almost anything he asked of her at that moment. Which was exactly what he was banking on.
“I’d love for you to consider spending the summer in the Shaftlands with me. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be all alone here on campus, and I could use an assistant during filming.”
“Or,” Epel said sharply. “You can come with me to Harveston! We could always use a couple extra hands in the orchards. And you know my grandma would love to see you again. You liked it there the last time, right? She’d be so disappointed if she didn’t get to see you.”
“The Hunt family always love visitors!” Rook added.
“Thanks, guys,” (Y/N) said, twisting out of their grasp. They snatched at the air where she was, fixing their faces back to pleasant smiles when she turned to face them. “I appreciate it. I’m not really sure what it’s going to be like when the school year is over, but I’ll let you know!”
“If you’re talking about traveling,” Ortho said, taking her hand and pulling her over to Idia who was stabbing at his tablet, eyes darting as she came over. “You can come with us! The Isle of Woe is unlike anywhere in the world! And we’ve got a ton of cool tech that Idia’s been working on, right, Idia?”
Idia stuttered to life, pressing the tablet to his chest to hide the screen (Were those images of the rooms around Ramshackle?). “What? Oh, yeah, sure! It’ll be better than the last time, probably. I could probably convince Mom and Dad to get you an internship.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think I’m half as smart enough to know anything about all that stuff you guys work with. It’s all sci-fi as far as I can tell. But I wouldn’t mind visiting, if that’s okay! I’d love to be able to explore everything when we’re not worrying about Overblot Phantoms. Uh, sorry.”
“You shouldn’t have to apologize for something that’s true,” Sebek said, stepping up, shoulders back, hands clasped tightly behind him. He and Idia exchanged knife-sharp looks, Idia’s hair sparking red at the edges. Ortho quickly swooped in, giving their goodbyes and pushing Idia away.
Sebek’s eyes trailed them with military precision as Lilia swept in to distract (Y/N). “Oh, I can’t tell you how happy you’ve made me!” Lilia said, exaggeratedly sniffing and whipping an invisible tear from his eye.
“We know it might be hard to adjust,” Silver said. “But we want you to know that we all care about you and we’re more than willing to help.”
“And we do mean anything,” Lilia said. “You should definitely come to us first, okay? No need to waste time on anyone else.”
“‘Waste time’?” (Y/N) asked.
“What Father means is,” Silver interjected. “We want you to know you can rely on us. With making sure a big change, there’s bound to be some uneven footing. You’ve proved you’re more than capable over and over again, but still…” His hand drifted out, trailing along her sleeve, before catching himself and snatching it back, gripping the hilt of his magical baton tightly.
“We should go,” Sebek said. He looked sternly at (Y/N). “Don’t do anything stupid, human.”
“I try every day.”
~~~
The night air was warm as (Y/N) stood on the front steps of the old house, waving goodbye as her guests departed for the night. As much as she loved to see them, she admitted to herself that it was kind of nice to finally have Ramshackle to herself for the night. Well, herself plus Grim and the ghosts, but whatever. Malleus stepped out next to her. He nodded at his dorm mates, giving them a look that (Y/N) missed.
(Y/N) stepped back inside, starting to pick up plates and leftovers. Malleus stood in the doorway, horns brushing the top of the doorframe, unmoving except for his eyes which tracked her.
“I’m glad you came,” She said, stacking plates. “I mean, I knew you would, but I’m still happy.”
“Of course,” Malleus said, fully stepping into the room. “I would come whenever you call.”
“Sap,” (Y/N) teased. She paused, plates clinking against each other. “I’m glad I’m staying. And I’m glad everyone is so willing to help. I mean, I know we’ve all been through a lot together here, but this is a lot all at once. It’s kind of scary, you know? There’s so much basic information about this world that I still don’t know. I mean, I’ve been pretty lucky that I’ve been able to visit so many places like going to everyone’s hometown and everything. But it feels like everyday I learn something totally new that rearranges my whole perception of the world, and everyone else just treats it like normal. I…” She trailed off. “You know Rollo and I have kept in touch? He asked if I would come visit during spring break. Fluer City is supposed to be beautiful that time of year, but I think it’s probably beautiful any time of year. He’s tried to convince me to transfer to Nobel Bell College a couple of times, but I told him I like it here too much. But Professor Crewel said he might be able to get me an internship at a fashion house there, did you know he used to be a designer? Anyway, it’s something that doesn't need magic, so it could be a good fit. And now everyone is offering me a place to stay after graduation. Hey, maybe I’ll do a full Twisted Wonderland tour! I’ll have to start figuring out where I’ll be after school anyway, right? A degree from Night Raven College might be prestigious, but not having any magic can only get me so far, you know? I’ll need to take whatever opportunity I can get.”
Malleus froze, turning her words over in his head. He stepped forward. “You work so hard, dear Child of Man,” He said. He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Please, sit, you deserve a moment of respite. Here, drink this.” A mug of some steaming and sweet smelling drink appeared in Malleus’s hands. He pressed it into hers, insistent.
“Oh, thanks, Hornton,” She said, taking a long sip, not noticing the slight pink sheen of the steaming liquid.
[You don't need to knock the next time you come in.]
[Yandere Hyperreal!Lee x Reader]
With how close you and Lee have gotten the past ever since the events in the hetero tower, to the point that lee confessed to you being the optimal solution to a problem he refuses to disclose. Even then, despite not knowing what his problem was, you were still happy to know that you've helped him. Given his nature of keeping things.
You've always been respectful of his boundaries. Especially when it came to his personal space. Out of the three constructs, Lee was the one that it took time for you to get close to. For starters, he was a guy, and along with that Lee's personality back then, wasn't exactly the friendliest. You're happy with how things have turned out with them. Yet.. it doesn't lessen the unease when you walked into Lee's room to see pictures with you circled in glaring red. Along with a physical notebook that is out of place in Lee's room.
"He's not here.. I should just leave." You turn around to leave only to end up bumping into Lee by the door frame. He holds you by the shoulders to steady you, rubbing circles on your shoulders. Asking politely as to why you were in his room. "I wanted to ask how you were doing since the recent mission. But, now I'm just wondering about the pictures, and the notebook."
The expression Lee makes is indiscernible. You can't tell how he feels from you asking that question, and that makes you feel uneasy once more.
"Those are my personal observation notes, and for the pictures.. They are just all the pictures we have together with gray raven. I circled you in red since you seem to dislike being in center frame, if anything you seem to dislike being in pictures with us." He answers calmly, then raises a brow.
"Why don't you like taking pictures with us? You seem so adamant on keeping memories of us yet you refuse to be in them. It seems counterproductive if you're not there."
You relax a bit, after hearing his answer.
"I just don't think I look particularly nice in pictures and I'm better at taking them. I like taking pictures of others. Not so much myself really. Unless its a special occasion."
"I see. Then when its my activation date, I'd like for us to have a picture together." He started looking at you as if he found a solution. You laugh a bit at his serious request.
"Sure, if you really want it that much. Should I dress up too? Honestly I was thinking you'd want something else from me."
He sighed at your response. "If it makes you want to take more pictures with me then go ahead." a pause "I do want more things from you, but this is what I want now. Just more memories with you in a tangible form."
The serious response makes you feel sentimental, yet you have another question that needs to be answered.
"I'm wondering what those are, but we'll get there at some point. I'm surprised you're hanging them up however."
You see Lee smile at your response and you can't help but feel strangely relaxed by it. His smile is something you wanted from him outside of the early retirement and reclaiming earth.
"Does it bother you my Commandant? I'd rather not take them down. After all your pictures give me some reassurance."
"Haha, it doesn't. Just surprised if anything. Anyway, got to go and do the paperwork. See you later Lee."
You leave and close the door to go to work. Unbeknownst to you Lee looks at your retreating figure then takes the pictures of you circled in red. Caressing it as if it was you instead.
"I don't understand why you're so surprised by it. I love you after all. My commandant, my solution, my one and only love."
Lee looks at his notebook, while it was initially meant to be observations, it ended up being a way for him to write out his deepest desires and praises of you. Every single little thing about you that he adored and wanted to keep to himself.
That's what he wanted the most after all.
Everything about you to himself and no one else.
The gifts you've given him, have been safely stored away.
He wishes he could keep you safe and hidden away the same.
However he knows that would be met with resistance. So he'll wait until you decide to let him keep you, or if he feels when it's necessary. But for now he'll shadow you to the ends of this life.
Because he hopes one day you will stay with him.
In this room, that you don't need to knock for, since at some point:
He'll lock it so that you'll stay and never leave him.
Authors note:
I wrote this a while ago after spiralling hearing Lee's dorm line. Initially I wanted to write something nsfw but somehow it went to the yandere route instead which was a pleasant surprise. I want to continue this, in fact I have a draft but unfortunately I don't have the time nor the words to write it out. Saving it for my academic papers. I hope you enjoy it even a little.
Just wanted to say thanks for thinking about it. Honestly, me too, and I have ideas on what will transpire. I'm just really busy atm to write the next part. Hope you'll enjoy it once it comes out, although it's really late.
𑁍ࠬܓ [activation day special] ᴡᴀʀᴍ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ — lee x reader
ㅤㅤyour whispers, sunlight;
ㅤㅤcold hands feeling for mine
syn. ; lee finds comfort in your arms after a long war.
a.n. - I'm sorry I'm super late TvT its defo my fault bUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEE I LOVE YOU THANK YOU FOR COMING HOME TO ME I HOPE U GET A NEW FRAME SO I CAN SIMP MORE!! also I'm really sorry for the slow and bad updates, I was busy for the past few months due to busy sched (eyy thanks uni) and my poor baby lappy unfortunately had her fan broken down so pray she gets her swift recovery soon 🙏🏻🙏🏻 qna: will chrome get his own activation day special? a: HECK YA qna: when? A: yeah imnida
pairing - lee x f!commandant
words - 3,573
content warnings - MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. NSFW content: cunnilingus, handjob soft sex eeeyyy. mostly soft lee cuz he deserves it after *TOOOT* HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEE
divider/s by @/saradika-graphics
Warmth. An unfamiliar word, an evading emotion; one that Lee was devoid of for the remainder of his human years.
It was something hard to find. If ever he had it, he would unconditionally give it to his younger brother, in order to make him safe and happy. Even in the darkest days of his human life, until he breathed his last, it was a feeling that avoided him. Would he ever find it? Who knows.
Maybe someone does. Maybe it would be manifested into someone he was long familiar with, apart from Murray, someone who makes his mechanical heart shake. Someone who was then standing by the doorway, whose figure he had long memorized in his M.I.N.D.
You, his precious commandant of the Gray Raven, stood there, bright eyes brimming with curiosity, shaking a familiar brown bag in hand.
“Lee, what is this?” You sighed, with a little laugh, “Can I have an explanation?”
“Good evening to you, Commandant. I am nearly done with my work.”
Sauntering to your desk, which Lee resided in, you eyed him carefully. “Right. Can I ask why you are here, then?”
He held your eye contact for a few seconds, before looking down at the papers, “I am merely just helping with your paperworks. You seemed to have some problems with it earlier.”
“So you decided to distract me with, this,” Shaking the bag, you continued, “... whatever you planned, it’s working quite well.”
It made Lee chuckle. “I’m glad you think so.”
You mirrored his laugh, before pulling out the little trinket in the bag. It was a little blue robot, L-33, one that seemed familiar—a mixed, mini version of Lee and Punchy—that seemed like a toy.
You tapped its head. “Good morning, Commandant.” Echoed an automated Lee's calm voice, “Here are your mission details for today.”
He smiled. “Oh, you found out its features.”
“Of course I did,” you puffed out your chest with pride, “I spent the whole two hours examining him. Watch this.”
Cerulean eyes intently watched as you expertly pushed around a few buttons, promptly triggering the secret sequence. The amusement on his face dropped.
“You…figured it out.”
“Commandant,” the robot cooed, its next few words that were dreadful for Lee to hear, “there’s something I’d–.”
When you blinked, L-33 had shut off, Lee pushing the off button. “–you heard enough.”
A small laugh escaped your lips, “we’ve been teammates for a long while now, Lee,” you teased with a wink, “You think I wouldn’t know your tricks? I also figured out that you purposely gave me L-33 to distract me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You distracted me so you could do my tasks. On your birthday. Traitor.”
The situation was funny. Activation dates—promptly called that way, not really birthdays—were just like any other day. For Lee, there’s nothing special about it.
“The Science Council may have said it’s considered a small break for Constructs. I took it, didn’t I?”
“And you gave that one to me. This is treachery! You were supposed to use that day to spend it with your loved ones!”
Lee pointed at the robot in your hand. “You can spend the day with L-33. Did you read my letter well? I modified its AI to fit your needs. He can answer well.”
“That’s true, Commandant,” chimed L-33, who somehow woke up halfway through, “Please, hang out with me.”
Lee knew you well. From the way your eyes would sparkle when you’re hit with a good idea, or how your eyebrows would knit together when you’re focused on your battle plan, to the shade of pink in your cheeks when you’re flustered by sweet words. The confusion in your face then was something Lee was also familiar with, and he knew how to counter that.
“You’ve rarely gotten any quality rest, Commandant.” Lee spoke, “please use today as a reward.”
Warmth, again, was something Lee had avoided, and if he had it, he was willing to give it to you.
But alas, like the rock that hindered the gears in your head, you were unshakeable.
“...?”
Putting L-33 on your desk, you stomped your way to the nearest chair, sitting down. Bright eyes still not breaking eye contact to look at cerulean ones.
“Since you won’t heed my request,” Emphasising the word, you grinned, “I may as well just stay here, then. I am not in the mood to argue.”
Lee’s patience strummed a chord. Attempting to change your mind, you quickly raised your hand, shrugging, “Ah, didn’t I say I didn’t want to argue?’
Closing his mouth, Lee decided to just drop it.
It took a few minutes—the scratch of pen against paper, the flickering desk light, the soft hum in your lips, and his little childhood melody—before you shuffled to sit closer to the desk.
“...Commandant?”
“Yes?”
Knowing you, Lee decided to dismissed his thought, resuming to what he was doing earlier. It didn't take long. Your humming grew louder, almost ghosting in his ear. Lee sighed, leaning back to welcome you, slithering your leg across his lap, sweetly smiling at him.
“Lee~,” you purred, hands clasped on his broad shoulders, “thank you for the seat.”
Rolling his eyes, he smiled at you. “Whatever makes you happy.”
You were perfectly slotted in his lap, content in how tiny you were that he could still do his work with you. The smell of vanilla permeated his senses, your breathing music to his ear, even and comforting to Lee. He might have had to lie about it, but you were perfect, you were enough—like the piece in a jigsaw puzzle.
“...But I’m not.”
Lee stopped writing, opting to look back at you. “Really?”
Your lips were in a small pout, lipgloss shining in the lights, “Really. I mean, how could I? Imagine taking a break outside; walking around Babylonia, walking around the streets, but you’re here instead.”
“Commandant,” He shook his head, “We talked about this.”
The hands on his shoulders curled, nails rarely scraping his jacket. Seeing your face turn into a sad frown as you bite your lip, a hint of guilt knocks on Lee’s chest.
“...you gave me a gift even though it's your birthday,” Softly, in the cold light, you muttered, “shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
Lee prides in his stone heart. But oh, it was hard to say no when it comes to you. “Well, in a way, it’s still our duty as Constructs to bring our Commandant joy and happiness.”
You sighed, “But I don’t see you that way.”
Lee looked at you in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
“I don’t.” You smiled, “Lee, you may be a construct, but you are different to me.”
Your hands, dragging through his shoulders to his jaw, cupped his cheeks. Lee was a construct—blue blood, robotic joints and bodies, built for destruction. But you, human as you were—simple, frail, fragile—and yet, your warmth was far too contagious. He nuzzled your hand, afraid that he’d lose your heat.
“...[Y/N],” Lee rarely called you by your name, but when he does, his voice breaks, turning to kiss your palm, “[Y/N], you are too kind.”
You leaned closer to him, lips leaving butterfly kisses across his cheeks, “I am treating you the way you should be, Lee.”
Like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle, you were a perfect fit for Lee. Kisses on his cheeks, down to his jaw, to the shell of his ear. You breathed into him, ghosting his ear, that made Lee shiver in your touch. His hands found respite in your hips, kneading the area to aid in your movements.
“...by seducing me though?”
You giggled. “Is it working?”
“Mm, a bit.” He sighed in your shoulder, resting there, “But I still have to finish this.”
“No, don’t.” A small whine escaped your lips as you subtly grinded yourself on his lap, “Can’t you see your birthday gift needs your immediate attention?”
A sly little fox, that you were. You had, unknowingly, slipped closer to him, that your warm core was directly on his semi-hard bulge. As you shifted in your seat, Lee groaned at the friction.
“You will miss a lot of these paperworks if I—ugh—can’t finish this…” Lee’s grip on your hips tightened. “What should I do with you…?”
“Do me,” you purred in his ear, “Do me, your gift, Lee.”
Ah, he’d have to use his gift thoroughly.
Warmth was the feeling, the light at the crack that separated your thighs. One that Lee could drown in as he diligently licks at your cunt.
With a harsh tug of his hair and the sultry whine that slipped past your lips, Lee could die in between your thighs and he’d regret nothing. In the dim light of your room, Lee was nestled nicely down there as you were spread in your bed. Small, kitten lips at your throbbing clit, before lapping at your folds. You forgot how long you’ve been at his mercy, yet the dampness that pooled on your bed could say otherwise.
“L-Lee, ha—haah—wait–” You moaned out loud, “slow down, p-please!”
Pussydrunk, Lee moaned at the feeling, eating you away with no sense. You cried out from the overstimulation, desperately trying to push Lee away. But Lee’s hold in your hips were relentless.
“One more,” he groaned, “give me one more.”
His pants were aching from the tightness, but he was better off rutting his cock at the edge of your bed, focusing on your pleasure first and foremost.
Lapping at your juices, Lee realized why addiction was so potent—if they had seen the way your pussy clenched as he licked you clean, they’d be a devout addict. But he’s lucky, this sight was only his. You, your pretty little, soaking wet pussy was all his. No one else could make you cry out this loud, or the way your face contorted in pleasure—it was all Lee’s.
“C’mon, [Y/N], you can do it, do it for me,” Lee whispered between your soaking wet folds, “be a good girl, you can do it.”
A sharp shiver ran through your spine. Bubbling deep in your stomach, you cried as you felt two of his fingers slip deep in your pussy. “A-ah, Lee, w-wait—”
Sucking at your pearl, Lee’s fingers curled upward, hitting a spongy spot that made your pussy clench hard. With a loud cry of his name, you cum hard for the third time, sticky liquid coating his mechanical fingers. Lee fucks you through your orgasm, mesmerized in the way your eyes rolled back, crying as you arched your back.
“Good girl,” he cooed, “good girl, [Y/N].”
Amidst your orgasm, your pussy answered by squeezing the fingers that were still inside of you. As Lee pulled away, you noticed his chin shimmered with your slick in between the haze, which made your heart flutter. Watching through lust-blown eyes, his cerulean eyes were glowing brightly in the dark, and your only thought was—
“Pretty…”
“Hmm?” Lee chuckled, taking your hand to his lips, “Who is?”
“You,” you lolled, “It’s you…”
You opened your arms to welcome Lee, kissing in spite of his state. It’s hot, brightly burning with passion, humming as you mindlessly kissed Lee again and again, fueled in the heat of the moment. Yet you realized soon that his fingers found themselves grazing your overstimulated cunt, lightly rubbing it.
“A-ah, w-wait,” you whined, weakly pushing Lee away, “not yet…”
“Why?” Lee kissed the shell of your ear, “Is there something wrong?”
Your wandering hands finally found the thing you were looking for. The prominent bulge, sensitive enough that made him groan even as you grazed it with your hand.
“It’s not fair,” you pouted, “let me take care of you, too…”
“[Y/N], I’d much rather help you—”
“—Lee, please,” you pleaded, fluttering your eyelashes, “I want you to feel good, too…”
The fly was already down before he could nod, springing his long, thick cock. Lee breathed out a sigh of relief, but the itch was yet to be itched. Fortunately, your fingers were already running through his shaft, cock twitching from your teasing.
“See,” you sat properly, urging Lee to mirror you, “doesn’t it feel nice?”
You grabbed his shaft, enclosing your hand and jerking him lightly. Lee could hardly contain his moans, cheeks and ears blooming red from your ministration. You couldn't take your eyes off, too—your pretty boy, your Lee, feeling the same kind of pleasure that he had always given you.
“Does it feel good, Lee?” You asked, moving closer, “Tell me if it’s too much.”
“Good, ugh,” Lee managed to say, “You’re doing so—hah, really, g-good.”
You’ve seen him naked a lot of times, no surprise to see his long and hard cock, heavy in your hand that you had to use your other one to help. Watching the way Lee’s face contorted as you jerk him off almost makes your own pussy throb, another set of wetness pooling in your thighs. Thumbing his slit, precum sliding off, you wanted to dip your head down and suck him off.
“You really should let me do this, Lee,” you hummed, leaning closer that your lips were leaving kisses on his jaw, “You should see how pretty you are when I’m touching you like this, mm?”
“[Y/N],” a sensual moan of your name rolling off of his tongue, your pussy clenched around nothing in response, “God—hah, don’t stop…”
Gritting his teeth, grasping your sheets as you jerked him harder. Your heart was beating wildly, like how you were too entangled with Lee—too wild, too indecent.
But your movements were halted, Lee’s hands wrapped tight around yours.
“Huh?”
“No,” Lee shook his head, ignoring his hot red dick throbbing, moving your hands away, “I can’t cum like this…I need to be inside of you to do that.”
For what it’s worth, Lee had always been wanting to bury himself deep in your cunt before the fun was over. Giggling at his answer, you pecked his lips. “Okay, okay.”
Thinking it wasn’t enough, Lee pulled you closer to kiss you better. Blind hands sought for the dip of your hips, leading you to his own. With twin moans, your pussy was pushed flush on the shaft of his aching cock. You even had the nerve to drag your soaking folds against the sensitive pulsating vein on his shaft.
“You’re teasing again,” Lee warned as he pulled away for a moment.
“I’m only letting you know how much I want you.”
With lips never leaving yours, you reached for his manhood, angling the tip to your awaiting hole. Lee helped in grounding you, gripping your hips hard as you shallowly fucked yourself on the tip.
“I can taste how much you want me, [Y/N],” his voice dripped in your ear, making you shiver, “Look how desperate you are for me.”
“I am,” you whined, feeling the bulbous tip finally slip past your tight ring of muscle, “I am fucking desperate for you, Lee.”
You sobbed as Lee’s cock was fully sheathed inside of you, already hitting your sensitive spot. Burying your face on the crook of his neck, Lee took the time to caress your shaking back.
“Even after we’ve done this a lot of times now—ngh—you’re still too tight for me.”
Your pussy fluttered around his shaft. “G-glad you think so.”
Attempting to rock your hips to move, Lee stopped you. You pulled back, noticing his gaze.
“As much as I want to move,” He whispered, “I’d like to take the time to admire my gift, please.”
You awkwardly laughed, “I thought you’ve done that before.”
“Mm, yeah, I have.” He inhaled, “but it’s different like this.”
Thoroughly content like this. Amid the dark room, moonlight found itself splattered on the floor, on your bed. Lee took your hand and held it back to his lips, gently kissing the back of your hand. Without looking away, his glowing cerulean eyes held too much emotion; there was lust, but they were love and adoration. Watching as he kissed every finger, from the pinkie, to the thumb, kissing one particular finger, lips lingering longer there. A display of emotion, one that Lee has long reserved only for you.
“Did you enjoy your gift, Lee?” You whispered, minding the wild flutter of your heart.
“How could I not?” He said, “You are the best gift I could ever receive.”
Despite everything, Lee is yours. All the pain, all the fear—the Tower, the red tide, the war raging outside of your door—and all you could do was rest your other hand to his chest, the metal cool as you feel the mirroring throb of his mechanical heart.
“Do you know why I love you, Lee?” You asked. He shook his head.
“I don’t.”
“I used to think that we wouldn’t be able to have the luxury for love.”
Looking away, you watched the sea of stars outside of your window. They were twinkling, shimmering; somewhere, constellations blanketed the universe, but they were hiding. You couldn’t care less, but the thought made you think so.
“We’re always sent to battle, and you were made to fight the virus. I didn’t think I’d be able to make a valuable connection, unless it was for the better of the majority.”
Flashes of your graduation from the F.O.S., to your first mission, Kowloong, the church, the Tower—it made you curl your fingers, grasping for Lee’s hand.
“But the Gray Raven…but you, it all changed.”
In the haze of memories, the only clear vision was Lee. Cupping his cheeks, thumb grazing the outline of his jaw, you laughed.
“It’s honestly funny. Gray Raven changed it for the better. But you made me believe that love…it exists, even in this damned world.”
Lee mirrored the smile on your face, as you traced his eyebrows, the shape of his eye, the bridge of his nose. Grazing his lower lip, you lightly left a kiss.
“I’m glad you exist, Lee.” You whispered, “Everything you went through was proof of your existence. I cannot imagine how painful it muat have been, but I want to use all the years of my life proving you that you are loved, that you are deserving of it.”
You’re already pressed flush against one another, but if you could, you’d collide closer to Lee.
“I love you, Lee.” You confessed, “I love you, I will live for you. If you stay on Earth, I’ll crawl out of heaven. Wherever you’ll go, I’ll follow. I never want to be apart from you. Just let me spend all the years with you, to shower you with all of my love.”
Lee took pride in his stoicism. But for you, oh, may that be damned.
Warmth was something he’d not have, but sometimes he covets. But you, you who deserves it all, somehow wants to share this warmth with him, out of all the people. You, who selfishly, gave a warmth unlike others. You, you, you—warm blood, flows freely within you, and you were his, as much as he was yours.
“That’s my line.” He laughed, leaning forward to kiss you, “I’ll love you for all the years, too, [Y/N].”
Every kiss with Lee felt like healing. Grasping at whatever to hold, at whatever skin, you never want to be apart from him. Lee started to move his hips, causing you to moan in between your fervent kisses.
Lee loves you. Lee makes love to you, precisely and deeply plunging his cock inside of you, hitting your sensitive spots. It doesn’t take long though, when your pussy spasmed as you cum through the pressure, crying out Lee’s name.
Lee followed shortly, groaning as he painted your walls, filling you full.
Labored breaths echo throughout the room, two lovers entwined, without the need to break away from each other.
“I love you, [Y/N].” Lee nuzzled in the crook of your neck, “I love you so much.”
“Mm, I think you made me lose the ability to walk at the moment…”
“Consider it a reward. Thank you for being my gift.”
It took a while to settle back into your bed, with Lee wanting to wash you up, but you insisted to stay until the numbing feeling in your legs disappeared. For now then, you were content with Lee on his back, and you sprawled on his chest.
The thump of his mechanical heart was a lullaby.
“Don’t doze off, [Y/N]. I still need to clean you up.”
“Lee,” you yawned in response, “Let’s get married.”
“That’s quite random,” you heard him laugh, “Why the sudden proposal?”
You gently brushed his empty ring finger, “Well, I don’t know what will happen next time. I’d rather have the proof that I’m already taken, and I’d rather have the rest of my life with you.”
“...Unless you like another?” You smugly added, looking up.
But Lee, with a chuckle, only pulled you up, kissing you.
“...We’ll get married, then. Whenever you want.”
“What if I want it tomorrow?”
He’d have to humor you for now, noticing the droop of your eyes. “Alright, sure.”
“I love you,” you dawdled, the last echoes of your consciousness drifting into the sea of dreams, “Lee, tomorrow, okay…?”
“Tomorrow.”
“...mm, don’t forget tomorrow, too…spend your birthday with me…”
“...Yes, I will.”
Lucky for you, a certain ring awaits near your table.
