Chapter 2 - AZUL'S FIRST KISS?!?!?
Jamil shot him a sidelong glance, his sharp eyes narrowing under the hood. "Keep it down," he hissed. "That thing out there doesn't care about how strong you are, it'll rip you to shreds anyways. It's not here for deals—it's here to tear us apart." His fingers lingered a second too long on Azul's chest before dropping away, the residual warmth prickling his skin like an unwelcome spark.
Azul's eyes gleamed in the low light, undeterred, his calculating mind already spinning threads of nonsensical logic. He leaned in slightly. "Ah, but that's precisely why I must ask. You, Jamil Viper, the ever-unassuming vice-housewarden of Scarabia, why risk your neck for me? Surely not out of the goodness of your heart. No one at this college operates on pure altruism." His voice gained a notch in volume as he warmed to the topic. "There must be something you want in return. A favor from Octavinelle? Or perhaps access to my… unique services? Name your price, and we can negotiate right here, right now."
The beast's distant growl seemed to swell in response to Azul's rising inflection, claws scraping nearer. "I told you to shut up," Jamil repeated, growing increasingly irritated.
"Come now, Viper. Let's be practical. You've saved my life—at least temporarily and in my line of work, debts like that don't go unpaid. Imagine the possibilities: a contract tailored just for you, granting whatever ambition you've buried under that hood of yours. I could make you shine, or keep you hidden, whichever suits." Azul's tone lifted further as the beast's sniffing huffs grew louder, drawn by the sound of a voice.
Stress coiled in Jamil's gut like a serpent ready to strike, his family's ingrained caution warring with the immediate threat. Years of biting his tongue, of holding back for Kalim's sake, made this outburst feel like a personal affront. Azul's words echoed too loudly in the confined space, pulling death closer.
"Stop. Talking," Jamil growled, his hand shooting out to grip Azul's shoulder, fingers digging into the fabric of his suit with restrained force. Azul's eyes widening fractionally, Jamil's pulse racing from more than just fear. But Azul only tilted his head, that sly smile returning, mistaking the tension for haggling.
"See? There it is—the spark of intent," Azul continued, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial hush. "You're holding back something valuable here. Let me draft the terms. What do you say to a simple exchange? Ask for anything you want and I can make it happen."
Years of restraint, of swallowing his frustrations for the sake of duty, boiled up now. Azul's relentless chatter a needle pricking at the edges of his control, drawing the danger nearer with every syllable. Jamil's fingers tightened on Azul's shoulder. "You're going to get us killed," he whispered, irritated at this yapping octopus-man.
"Now now, no need to be so shy," Azul kept speaking like the inconsiderate ink-spewer he was, instead he was good at spewing words too. "Just name it and it'll be yours, okay? I won't tell anyone, if that's what your worried about. I mean, if you're not going to speak, I can offe—"
Jamil pressed his lips against Azul's to shut him up for good but perhaps he got a bit carried away because the next thing, he knew, they were full-on making out with his fingers tangled in Azul's hair as Azul's hands laid gently on each of his shoulder.
Jamil snapped back into his senses and pulled away from the kiss, strings of saliva connected their tongues. He wiped his mouth and just turned his back to him without saying a word as a shocked Azul just stayed speechless for a moment as he reached out a gloved hand to touch his own lips, where Jamil's lips had once been. Then, of course, the shock subsided and he stirred up again.
(AZUL IS AN INCEL, VIRGIN WHO'S NEVER HAD A FIRST KISS BEFORE AND PROBABLY CRIES DURING SEX- ANY OBJECTIONS?
eeeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuuggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh shut this octopus up istg)
