Prompt - NRC is in upheaval. A video of Yuu singing a song has been circling around the school about her being "bewitched," and everyone is trying to figure out by who. Yuu is embarrassed and upset about her private song being the subject of gossip, so she decides to hide from everyone only for her crush to find her and reveal he has been "bewitched," by her...
Pairings - NRC Students x F!reader
Warnings - Gossip, Incredibly Shy Reader with Stage Fright, Depictions of Anxiety, Not Beta Read
When @/thegreatestmagealive uploaded a video of the Ramshackle Perfect singing a love song, to say NRC nearly blew up would be an understatement.
The song, the poster titled “Bewitched,” became an instant hit across campus, but also became the source of tension as everyone was asking the same question: Who bewitched the Ramshackle Perfect?
“20 Thumbmarks on Leona!”
“15 on Kalim!”
“Kalim? Really, no it has to be Vil!”
“30 DOLLARS ON LORD MALLEUS!”
“EVERYONE HUSH! Now Francis, how much on Vil?” The Halls of NRC were filled with gossip on who the song was about. There were multiple pots floating around of people betting on who it was about, and just as many heated discussions.
“Who says it’s a housewarden? She spends most of her time with the Freshies so it has to be one of them! My money is on the Red Head on the Basketball team, he is always hanging on her!” A Scarabia student chimed in at this corner table of the Cafateria.
“Ace? He’s an ass, no it has to be Spade! Anytime someone makes a comment about he at practice, he gets all defensive.” A Heartstyble student on the track team chimed in.
“That runt? Na, he has nothing on Jack.” The Savannaclaw student across from them chimed in.
“The Wolf? He barely says any words! Besides, the Perfect has more class than that, it has to be Epel!” A Pomefoire Student retorted getting glares from the Savannaclaw student.
“All of you are wrong, I ran the data,” The Ignanhyde student pulled out his tablet and showed them a chart, “Out of all the possibilities crossed referenced with the lyrics of the song, it has to be-“
Debates across the school were happening as people discussed who she was singing for. While some advocated for others, others advocated for themselves.
That night, in the midst of the debates, a poor Grim was looking for a place to stay the night. So he went first to Heartstyble.
Grim walked through the portal and saw *chaos*.
“CAULDRON!”
“DEUCE WHAT THE HELL!”
“Calm down you two! No one is going anywhere till Riddle gets back!”
Trey helped Ace out from under the cauldron while Cater tried to calm down Deuce who was red as roses. “Yuu’s private song was just released and all you can think about it YOURSELF!” Deuce called out to Ace as he attempted to wesal himself out of Cater’s grip.
Ace dusted himself off as Trey helped him up, “Well, it is pretty obvious! Who else could it be about? You Loosey Duece? Or maybe Mr. Magicam? Chef Dad? Or maybe, our esteemed leader? No. It has to be me, so I am going to go check on her-“
Deuce tackled Ace, again, so Trey and Cater had to dive in to separate the two.
It did not take long for grim to realize it might be best to come back later. So he went back through the portal to try Savannaclaw.
But his scruff was grabbed before he could step through.
“Heeeey, Sealie!!” Grim gulped as he knew that voice all too well. Floyd turned Grim around so he was facing the two most terrifying smiles in NRC. “Mind clearing something up for Jade and I? See, he thinks Shrimpy’s song is about him, but I say its bout me. And every guppy is saying a different name, so we wanted to get info from them inside fishie~”
“W-what are you talking about!” Grim said crossing his arms. He knew he was in deeeeep dodo.
“Come now Grim, you must know who she’s singing about?” Jade said with a sonically smile on his face, “Now, as Yuu’s close friends, we just want to know, who bewitched our dear friend?”
“Yeeeaaah Sealie, who?” Floyd sung melodically.
“I-I ain’t saying anything!” Grim kept his mouth shut. He had already made Yuu mad, he didn’t want to make. It any worse.
“Oh come on Sealie! Everyone has a price! What’s yours??-“
“What are you two doing?” Came the harsh voice of Vil, Grim’s savior. The housewarden meeting must have finished. Early as all seven, yes even Malleus, came into the hall of mirrors to witness poor little grim shiver in his fur.
“Heya Beta!” Floyd said and waved Grim around, “We’re just asking Sealie a question! That’s all!”
“I’m guessing it’s about Yuu?” Azul asked as he made his way over to his Eel’s. “How is the Ramshackle Perfect? We missed her at the meeting.”
“Yuu… wellllllllll….” Grim scratched his cheek and the other housewarden’s came over, all wondering the same thing, “She is kinda sorta mad at me. And kinda sorta threw me out for ‘not respecting her privacy’ which I didn’t mean to get her upset, I just wanted to show everyone she had a pretty voice and she got all mad.”
“We’ll if you need a place to stay, Octavinelle is always open to poor souls! And I am sure we can work out a pi-“
“We all know what you want Azul, just ask him now so we can clear this up!” Leona said, clearly annoyed at the Mers underhanded methods. “Whose the song about?”
“I-I don-“
“Why are we even asking this question? It is clearly me!” Vil said shaking his head.
“What makes you so sure Schoenheit?” Malleus asked, “I spend more time with the Child of Man and have more magical prowess, it is defiantly about me. I was just about to grab her the-“
“No way the songs about you Lizard!” Leona retorted, “She clearly-“
“The Song’s about Nii-Chan! I ran the-“ Ortho chimed in with Idia listening in on his screen.
“WILL YOU ALL BE QUIET!” Riddle yelled, somehow getting the attention of the others, “This is disgraceful! You are. All concerned with your own selfish needs when you should be worrying about our fellow housewarden whose privacy has been breached and is probably distraught!”
Kalim nodded and said, “Yeah, we need to go cheer her up! Besides, it was probably just a song about love, nothing else!”
Grim sighed and added, “Oh its about someone, You she hear the other songs she wrote about him-“
“About WHO!” Everyone asked.
“I DON’T KNOW!” Grim said and got the glares of everyone.
Azul sighed and said, “You just said you knew.”
“I said I knew she has a crush and wrote more songs about him. I never said I knew WHO it was.” He crossed his arms and looked at the ground, “And she threw me out before I could ask. I tried going back in but she sounded so… upset. When I asked to come back in and apologized she said she just wanted to be alone…”
The group looked dejected at this. Floyd let Grim go and sighed, “Poor Shrimpy…”
Azul looked at Jade and Floyd, “Let’s go, Lounge won’t run itself.”
As Azul left with his Eels, Leona and Kalim also branched off their dorms, “Jamil is probably wondering where I am.”
“Yeah, I gotta make sure Savannaclaw is still in one piece.”
Vil and Ortho branched off next with Vil grumbling about wrinkles and Ortho talking to Idia.
Riddle and Malleus were the last two left with Grim.
“Grim, your welcome to stay at Heartstyble. It might help keep Ace and Deuce in.” Riddle said then looked to Malleus, “The Perfect probably needs a night, but if you do check on her, please let her know I-… We are here if she needs us.”
“I will Roseheart,” Malleus nodded to his red haired companion as he and Grim walk through the Heartstyble Mirror. Malleus turns and before he can make his way to Ramshackle, Lilia is there. All he has to do is shake his head and Malleus knows what his mentor is trying to say, she needs time alone.
The next morning, the first years go to Ramshackle to walk with Yuu to breakfast as they do every morning, but when they got their, the ghost intervened and said she needs to sleep in. The three ghost refused to let any of them enter and even brought Grim’s stuff to the door.
Yuu did not show to any of her classes or reply to any text, and all of her friends quickly understood why. Yuu’s song was all everyone was talking about, more specifically, who it was about. All the pots from the nights before had tripled and almost every students had a guess on who it was about. Yuu has never felt more embarrassed.
By the time night rolled around again, Yuu had read every text, post, and comment about her song. People were making guesses and demanding she confess who. In the midst of the chaos and rumors, all she could think about was what her crush was thinking. She had liked him as more than a friend for a while now, but had no clue if he returned the sentiment. All the worse possibilities were running through her head.. ‘He probably thinks I’m some obsessed freak, this is so embarrassing, Grim ruined. everything, there is no coming back from this. our friendship is ruined, I can never show my face at school again…” Thoughts like this combined with her stage fright made her mood worse. She wrote songs and sang them to help her work through things, it was incredibly personal for her and she never intended to share any of them, not yet at least. Now she was lying in her bed, curled up in her blankets with her phone lighting up with text next to her. She could not bring herself to talk to anyone, she was too scared and embarrassed to.
The Ghost have been kind enough to fend off Grim (who she was still mad at) and her friends (who she was still too embarrassed to see) so she could have some time alone. They worked as her guards and caretakers, making her eat and get up every now and then. They were also the only ones who knew who her songs were about.
So when he arrived on her doorstep, the ghost decided to let him in.
Yuu was looking at her notebook, pouring over the lyrics again and again when a knock came at her bedroom door.
“Yuu… can I come in?” His voice carried through the door.
Yuu felt her heart stop. She held her notebook tightly and sighed, “I guess its now or never…”
She got up from her bed, notebook in hand, and stood in front of the door. She was shaking and as she stared at the door, terrified of what would happen next, when he cast a spell over her once again:
“Yuu, I… I don’t. know if that song was about me but I want you to know. You’ve bewitched me too.”
Note: This is the Prolouge to a small series! Be on the look out for each characters part and if you want tagged please let me know! Please Like, Reblog, and Follow for more! If you are interested in seeing more characters in this scenario or these characters in different scenarios, please let me know! (Do not Steal)
Happy 8/8 vore fans! I have an actual story for once!!
(for clarification this isn’t pt. 2 to the previous Sizeshifter!Tommy story, this is just another story for that au)
cw: soft, safe vore
“Dude, you need to sleep.” “Never. Everything is fine, I’m thriving.” Tommy grumbled, making Tubbo roll his eyes. “You’ve been up for two days, you need a break.” “Mmmmmm no.” He slurred, chugging what may or may not have been his third redbull of the past 6 hours. “I’m a big man doing big man things in order to keep my grades up.” Tubbo looked at him worriedly for a moment, before going back to his work. Ranboo was in a late night class that wasn’t set to end until 10 that night, and it was currently 8:30. Tommy had shown up to their dorm a little under 2 days ago and had promptly not slept, saying that his bedroom was “distracting” and he needed to “lock in.” Tubbo and Ranboo kind of took turns watching him, making sure he didn’t crash once he was done, but he’d just been working and chugging caffeine with a couple 10-30 minute naps strewn about. Tubbo figured at this point he must be almost done, so he resolved to let Tommy just work.
The two of them sat in silence for the next 30 minutes until Tubbo heard Tommy grumble unhappily. Expecting Tommy to start complaining about something any second, he looked over and was equally shocked and relieved to see Tommy with his head in his arms, fast asleep on his desk. Though that relief didn’t last long when he heard Tommy mumble again, this time seeing the disturbed look on his face and seeing him shrink a few inches. Then more mumbling, borderline crying, and then he dropped a solid foot in height.
A nightmare, that had to be what this was. Tommy was having a nightmare.
Tubbo was quick to act, taking his now smaller friend and pulling him up onto his bed. Tommy relaxed minimally at the contact, but kept squirming and mumbling, trying to fight whatever was in his nightmares and shrinking more and more every minute. Tubbo didn’t know what to do, he hadn’t seen Tommy get like this in a long, long time, and when he had he’d always just run to grab Phil. That wasn’t an option right now. Tommy was getting smaller and smaller, and Tubbo quickly brought his small form up to his chest in a hug gesture. Tommy calmed a bit at that, no longer getting smaller but still obviously stuck in the nightmare.
Tubbo had an idea. Now, he wasn’t the smartest man, and anyone else might consider this a little stupid and dangerous considering the fact that Tommy was obviously not consciously shifting, but he seemed to be staying at a consistent size for now. Plus, he knew that Tommy found this to be calming.
Without another thought, Tubbo lifted his hands up and gently lowered Tommy into his mouth, immediately feeling his friend relax into the heat. He slowly and carefully slicked him up to swallow him, closing his mouth and leaning his head back. Tommy slept like a rock most of the time, so he wasn’t super worried about this waking him up, but better to be safe than sorry. Tommy stayed remarkably still as he entered the throat and was swallowed down, only struggling a little bit at the tight muscles, but Tubbo was fairly certain it was from him still fighting off the nightmare.
It didn’t take long before Tubbo felt the still sleeping form slip into his stomach. His breath hitched as he felt his best friend squirm in his sleep a bit before curling in on himself. He panicked for a moment as he felt Tommy shift bigger, only by a few inches, before shifting back down again. Ok, so Tommy was still shifting a little bit unconsciously, but that was fine. He’d be fine. Plus, Tubbo hadn’t heard Tommy mumble at all since being put in his mouth, so he’d count that as a win.
He went back to doing his work, now with one hand firmly rested over his stomach. Tommy stirred less and less by the moment, and though he still shifted a bit, Tubbo learned that if he pressed against him, Tommy would get smaller again instantly, which kept him from growing to a size that would end up hurting him (though Tubbo didn’t think Tommy ever would, even by accident). It didn’t take much longer after that for Ranboo to arrive back at the dorm, dropping their bags in the doorway with all the energy of a waterlogged zombie. They did a once over of the room before sighing, moving over to where Tubbo was sitting. “I see our squatter’s nowhere to be found, did he finally decide to go home and get some sleep?” “Yes and no.” Tubbo whispered in response, feeling Tommy shift a bit bigger and automatically pressing down again, but making a move to show his roommate. “You swallowed him?” “Yeah, fell dead asleep at his desk but started to have a nightmare. He just started shrinking and I didn’t know what to do, but I figured this might help calm him down.” “Did it?” They asked, and Tubbo shrugged. “Don’t know, he was having the nightmare when I ate him, but he’s sleeping more soundly now. Just still shifting a bit.”
“You swallowed him while he was still sleeping?! He’s shifting in his sleep and you still ate him!? What were you thinking?!?” Ranboo borderline yelled, and Tubbo quickly and frantically shushed them, using the hand that wasn’t covering Ranboo’s mouth to gesture to his own midsection. “Don’t shout, you’ll wake him up! This is the only sleep he’s gotten in days!” Tubbo quietly pleaded. Ranboo stared at him like he was the dumbest person on earth. “I swear, being the only reasonable person of us three is going to kill me before I reach 30. You and Tommy are paying my funeral expenses.”
“You’re getting a minecraft coffin, I hope you know.”
“Yknow what I can live with that.”
Tubbo snorted quietly in response, laughing to himself, and Ranboo joined. The two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Tubbo working and Ranboo scrolling on their phone. Everything felt normal, but Tubbo noticed their eyes glancing over to his stomach for short moments at a time before looking away. “You ok there, Boo? Something up?” He asked, and Ranboo’s eyes widened with embarrassment when they realized they’d been caught. “I mean, it’s just…I don’t know how to put this…” They whispered to themself for a moment before finally phrasing it. “When did this become so…normal? Like, I’m not complaining, I’m just thinking about it. I remember a few years ago I’d walk in on you two like this and panic a little cause I was never sure how safe either of you were. But now? I think it just hit me that I walked into my home, was told that my best friend ate my other best friend, and I didn’t think twice about it. I didn’t even bat an eye, this is just something that happens so often in my life now that it’s completely average. Sky is blue, earth is round, one of my friends ate the other one, y’know? But then I just remembered that it’s not average and I should be questioning it, so I just wanted to put it out there?” They finished awkwardly, and Tubbo thought for a moment, drumming his fingers on his middle. “Yeah, I see what you mean. I hadn’t thought about it like that, it’s been so long since I questioned any of this.” Tubbo said, pausing. “I don’t think I care, though.” He finished, looking up at his roommate. “Whatever it took to get the three of us here. Things are…good.” “Yeah.” Ranboo agreed easily.
“…do you think we’ll ever know what he is?” They asked, voice quieter. It wasn’t a topic the three of them talked about much. Ranboo and Tubbo had asked very early on about what Tommy was and/or why he had the abilities he did, back when the idea of their friend having superpowers was still a shock, and Tommy hadn’t known. He admitted that he didn’t have a single memory from before he was 9 years old, so Tubbo and Ranboo stopped asking. It was clearly a sore spot for their friend, so much so that he was spending his college years trying desperately to figure himself out. The best they could do was not mention that they knew exactly why Tommy was studying ancient folklore and support him through it. Now it seemed like Ranboo was almost afraid to bring it up, like Tommy would suddenly wake up and be offended at the question. “I honestly don’t know.” Tubbo admitted, equally quiet. “I hope so, for his sake. I feel like if he ever found out, he would tell us. He deserves to know.” “Yeah, he does.” Ranboo nodded, lying back on the bed next to Tubbo.
“…my bet is on aliens.” Ranboo said casually after a moment of silence, smile clear in their voice. Tubbo snorted. “Aliens? That’s what we’re going with?” “That’s not what you have to go with, it’s just my personal theory.” Ranboo rebutted.
“What kind of alien theory per se? Like, you think he was abducted and mutated or you think he crash landed?”
“Good question. I think the ladder is funnier, so i’ll go with that. What about you?”
Tubbo thought for a moment. “Human experimentation. Good old ‘stolen from his family and made into a superhero’ trope. I think that fits him. Or maybe he’s a clone.”
“Oh dear god, you think there could be more of him?”
Tubbo shrugged noncommittally. “For our sakes and the world’s, I hope not.”
Ranboo barked out a laugh, and Tubbo had to cover his own mouth to keep from laughing with them and waking Tommy. And now that he thought about it, Tommy hadn’t shifted or moved at all since Ranboo had gotten back. He’d been fully peaceful.
“Speaking of Tommy, I think he’s finally out cold for the night. I don’t think he’s having a nightmare anymore.” Tubbo announced, and Ranboo looked relieved. “That’s good. Maybe now you can get some sleep without having to worry about him going full alien chest-burster on you.” Ranboo nudged Tubbo, slipping off his bed and heading over to his own. “Oh, piss off. Even if he started to get bigger, it’d get so cramped in there that he’d wake up before killing me and shift back down. You’d know that if you ate him more.” Tubbo said, sticking his tongue out at Ranboo like a child. They did it back. “Hard pass. The ice cream incident was more than enough for me, need I remind you.” They said with a shit eating grin. Tubbo bawked.
“That was years ago! You can’t still be using that against us!”
“Watch me.”
Ranboo (infuriatingly) dodged the pillow that was chucked at them as they grabbed their pajamas and flipped Tubbo off on their way to the shared bathroom to change. Tubbo flopped down onto his bed, haphazardly kicking his schoolwork off onto the floor. Tommy still slept peacefully. Even after all this time, something in Tubbo still felt warm at the idea of being able to help Tommy feel better. Lying flat on his back with a hand over his stomach, he could feel his best friend’s deep and even breaths, marveling at the feeling despite having years of experience in doing this. Maybe Ranboo was right about it being weird how used to this he was, but with his best friend so close to him, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.
The dollposting got to me. Here's roughly 8000 words about becoming, transforming, and forgetting with the help of some magic and porcelain. Enjoy!
Content Warnings For: Car Accidents, Blood, Broken, Bones, Implied Dismemberment
AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/65056150
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When I was little I used to dream of being a doll.
I’d lie in bed and stare at them all lined up in a row, sitting on a shelf mounted on the eggshell white walls of my room.
Just the thought of it was so relieving; imagining a reality where I could just… exist, and be appreciated. No asking about my future or my life or my lack of either despite a degree and years of school.
Despite breaking my back and mind to survive I still had so little to call my own. Even my house wasn’t mine; it was my grandmother’s. Still full of her things, full of her memories.
It’s no wonder that I would stare and admire them. Perfect, yet fragile things, much more perfect than me, more whole than I was at this point. Gracile arms and legs adorned in skirts and sleeves stitched full of care and details. Much more pleasing than the room they and I dwelled.
Even before she passed I’d stare up at my grandmother’s doll collection for hours. Sort through each one as I walked through her one-story brick house in the suburrbs, looking up at the shelves they were sitting on, getting a better look as I got older and taller. As a kid they were kept immaculately clean, a far cry from my own room, which my grandma refused to pick up after even before she had trouble walking. Must’ve been why she was so surprised when I started asking if I could help clean her dolls. For once she even bothered to show me how to do something instead of handing me a rag, pointing at something, and saying “Clean”.
I’d take down each one tender and careful like they were made of eggshells and gossamer instead of porcelain and hand-sewn cloth. A gentle blow and shake followed to free it of loose dust and then I’d wipe the shelf with a damp cloth, careful not to bother the others. There were dozens of them, adorning nearly every wall of every room of her home.
“Let’s clean you up little one,” I’d say to each one as I picked them off their shelves, voice as gentle as my touch, “I didn’t forget you.” My grandma taught me to say it to each one so none of them would feel left out. Ironic, given how many times she left me at home to go spend time with my cousins. Ironic, given how many times she’d talk about me in front of relatives like I wasn’t even there.
Like I was another doll on her wall. If only.
The winter after she passed, when the work days were long and the nights alone even longer, cleaning and rearranging them became a kind of ritual.
I’d drive home all the while bitching about the transmission that I still needed to get fixed, take off my suffocating work suit, put on one of my long dresses, put some frozen pre-made something or other in the oven for dinner, before then gathering my notes and cleaning supplies.
Aside from keeping track of names for all of them, I’d also rotate which dolls sat beside which and in which rooms so none of them would get bored or lonely. Demi liked the living room and sitting besides Ophelia. Candice couldn’t stand Katrina but could if Emily was nearby.
It was painstaking work, but I’d usually be done before I had to go to bed. Sometimes I wasn’t. Sometimes I’d forget to eat or forget to take my food out of the oven.
That’s how I broke my favorite, Wendy; by way of my smoke alarm scaring the shit out of me and causing me to drop and step on her with bare-feet as I rushed to stop my kitchen from burning. Being made almost entirely of porcelain except for her chestnut-colored hair, the largest pieces of her that survived were her head and torso. Even those were broken in the back like a caved in egg. A beautiful girl smashed to bloody pieces.
The others watched as I gathered her remains, cleaned the blood off, and limped her over to my dessk to try and piece her back together with superglue. It took all of an hour for me to realize there was no hope. If I wanted to fix her I’d need a professional.
I was guilt-ridden for days. Crying in the quiet moments and desperately trying not to at all other points. My coworkers became convinced I had another death in the family. I knew how to respond to these awkward condolences even less than the ones for my grandmother.
Even my supervisor told me he’d give me another week of bereavement leave if I wanted it. But only after the rumor reached him and after it became obvious my work was suffering again. Surprising, given how often I was late because of my car.
I took it. Gladly. It meant I had an opportunity to get Wendy fixed. I was more than willing to use the savings that were supposed to be for a new car for her.
But even as relieved as I was, I could see how frustrated my supervisor was. I knew then this would probably be the last bit of sympathy I got out of him before I had to start looking for another job.
The day after I called place after place until I found one that was close enough in distance and in price range with what I could afford. Unfortunately most were booked up or too busy to take something so short notice.
Except for one place I found on an odd forum I’d never heard of before. The post simply read:
<<If u’ve ever got a doll fixation that u need fixed check out this place, vera walked me through everything, fast service, discreet, still feel like the luckiest girl in the world>>
The rest of the thread was hard to comprehend. Lots of questions about the experience and how it felt, for some reason.
The linked website was… odd, they seemed to be into some New Age mysticism stuff given the lace-patterned pentagrams that served as the dot for each of the “I’s” in the business’ title. Their services were… vague as was the pricing. It was on the other side of the state but that was still better than shipping Wendy somewhere.
“Inanimate Interests, this is Vera speaking,” A woman on the other end of the phone said after the line rang twice, “How can I help you?” Her voice was smooth and deeper-pitched, something I was more used to hearing from a radio host.
“Um. Hi, *cough* hello, Vera.” I began, my throat hoarse. I couldn’t remember the last time I spoke to someone outside of work, “I-I’m calling because I have an all-bisque 19th century porcelain doll that got damaged pretty badly after I was trying to clean one day and I was wanting to see if I could get it fixed.”
“All-bisque?” Vera responded, clearly confused, “Is she… a doll, doll? The old-school kind, or...?”
It took me a few long moments to realize she wasn’t calling me ‘doll’. In that time I paced around the living room twice from embarrassment, “Uh… yeah? She’s over a century old, been sitting on my grandma’s shelf for a long while. It um… meant a lot to her and she’s not… around anymore, so fixing Wendy would really mean a lot to me-to her, I mean.”
“...Ah. I see.” Vera said, followed by an appraising silence. “I’m sorry, but that’s not the kind of work I normally accept we’re… kind of a specialty business.”
“Oh.” The embarrassment left me as fast as my confidence, as I looked down at my list of possible places jotted down on a sticky note. This was the last one within the state. “O...kay, thanks for listening then and sorry for bothering you, by-”
“Hang on, hang on, wait-!”
I stopped before my thumb could hit disconnect, put the phone back up to my ear.
“Yes?” I asked, wondering if I did something wrong.
“Just because it’s not what I normally do, doesn’t mean I can’t do it. Rent’s rent, after all.” Vera clarified with a reassuring laugh, “Tell me about Wendy and what happened and I’ll see what I can do.”
I blinked in astonishment before smiling and sitting down. The smile faded fast as I recounted what happened to damage her so bad.
“And how often do you handle Wendy?” Vera asked, the sound of a chair creaking through the tinny speaker of my phone, “Monthly, weekly?”
“...Daily?” I admitted, shame and guilt running down my neck like my attempts at growing out my brown hair, uneven and prickling, “I usually clean and rearrange my col-my grandma’s collection every day.” I half-expected to get chewed out for messing with fragile things so much.
Instead there was another moment of silence from Vera, before she asked, “Do you do it daily because that’s how your grandmother makes you do it, or because you enjoy it?”
“...Does that matter?” I asked, shame snapping down like a bear trap on the real answer, “You’re just gonna fix her aren’t you?”
“Let’s just say the answer matters for my… process. Things usually turn out better if there’s some positive emotions like love in the mix instead of just guilt and obligation. It’s kinda like... cooking!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, even as I picked at my nails nervously, “Well, I don’t really cook for myself but if it’ll help then… yeah. I do it because I like it. When I have a rough day at work which is… most days, I come home and clean and rearrange the dolls. My grandma used to just leave them up on the same shelves but I never liked to.”
“They get lonely otherwise, don’t they?” Vera asked, which earned a nod and “Mmhmm” from me, “Forgive me if this is overstepping, but, you seem to care more about them than even the person you inherited them from.”
“Yeah, you can say that.” I said, as I relaxed back on the old dusky pink sofa, “My grandma kinda got bored of collecting them after awhile, but she had so many by then that she couldn’t really just get rid of all of them without redecorating the entire place. It was dust bunnies and moth holes galore when I started caring for them. Tandy’s dress was all but eaten away by moths and Mathilda’s bonnet was in shambles… I had to learn how to sew to fix them all up.”
“You learned how to sew?” Vera asked, a little astonished, “How many pieces have you resewn?”
Before I knew it, we’d spent the better part of an hour talking. Vera would ask me about a specific doll or how I cared for them and then I’d eagerly reply. It was so rare I had anyone to talk to about it that the responses all but gushed out of me once I realized she wasn’t hanging up or losing interest. If anything she sounded more intrigued with every answer.
“A-Anyways…” I eventually stammered, after we mutually complained about how hard it was to find good craft stores nowadays that weren’t Hobby Lobby, “Sorry for oversharing, did you have anything else you wanted to ask me about Wendy?”
“Oh, don’t worry, this is all part of the process for new clients,” Vera reassured, “I have one other burning question for you though.”
“Well, shoot, I don’t wanna distract you anymore than I have. I’m sorry I just started rambling...” I said, sheepish as I glanced at a clock, “We’ve been talking for… holy shit it’s been that long, don’t you have to close?
“I have helpers don’t worry.” Vera said, a mischievous edge gleaming like sun on rippling water, “Which brings us back to my question-and again, stop me if this is overstepping… but,”
Probably just something about my grandma again… I thought to myself, Probably a “my condolences” discount.
“Have you ever wanted to be a doll?”
My phone clattered to the floor, I was so surprised. I scrambled to pick it back up just as fast as it fell.
“Um! Sorry, haha!” I hastily replied, a laugh forcing its way out that would’ve sounded more believable from a hostage being held at gunpoint, “I don’t think I heard you right, could you say that again?”
“Oh, I asked if you ever wanted to be a doll.” Vera said again. Somehow it didn’t lose any of its impact since the first time. My eyes darted around like I was searching for an escape from my own house.
“W-what kind of question is that? That’s not-” I shook my head despite Vera not being there to see it, “That’s absurd, you can’t just become a…” It was so insane I couldn’t even deign to say it. To let the whole idea sit in my mind anymore than it already clearly had.
“But you clearly admire them don’t you?” Vera asked, driving me to silent incredulous denial as she continued, “Almost everyday you care for them; you learn new skills to care for them before you. You sounded like you killed someone when you were telling me about what happened to Wendy...”
“That’s…” I shook my head again, as if this time it’d do something to banish these thoughts, these feelings, “I just feel guilty for breaking one of my grandmother’s-”
“There’s feeling guilty, then there’s paying money, likely a lot of money, to fix a broken doll that you yourself said your grandmother stopped caring for a long time ago.” Vera interrupted to say, sounding oddly resolute.
“You don’t know anything about me!” I declared, the denial boiling over into anger, “What is this, some kind of scam or a ploy, are you just fucking with me?!”
“You’re right on the first account, none of the others,” Vera answered, a ruffling of papers following, “You named… two, six-twelve different dolls throughout this entire conversation, not counting Wendy. And yet… I don’t know your name. Haven’t even mentioned it once.”
“Why the hell do you need that?!” I spat back into my phone’s microphone.
“Well, how else am I going to fix Wendy if I don’t know whose name to put down on the appointment?”
“...Wait,” My eyes widened, “So you’ll do it? When’s the earliest I can bring her?? How much-???”
“I’ll do it for free whenever you want.” Vera answered, driving me to silence, “If you answer the question, truthfully.”
I stared at the phone in my hands for a few minutes. Seeing if she’d hang up. Maybe it was a scam, some part of me said. Like someone just trying to find my security questions to the bank or my credit card. Maybe someone guessed I made them all doll-related.
“Take your time.” Vera eventually said, “But if you hang up, deal’s off, even if you call me back tomorrow.”
“...What if I just lie?” I asked pathetically, teeth and eyes grinding closed, “What if I just give you the answer you want?”
“What answer do you think I want?” Vera responded, her tone neutral.
“Yes!? You want me to say yes because you’re some fucking weirdo mystic witch or fucking nuts or…” I trailed off, unable to think of any reasons that didn’t descend into fucked up things to say to anyone. The kinds of vile garbage my grandmother said behind my cousin’s back when she wanted to go by Marcus instead of Mary.
“Then say no right now.” Vera replied, quick as a whip, “If you have no doubts, no qualms, if you’re perfectly happy and content with being the person you are right now when you wake up tomorrow and you just want to fix your grandmother’s doll; say no. I’ll still do it for free.”
My mouth opened on shameful reflex, denial chambered in my throat, my tongue cocked back.
But then, I looked around my grandmother’s house. Not my house. Her house.
It’d been almost a year since she died. I still hadn’t changed it anymore than replacing things as they needed to be replaced. She hated change, especially change she couldn’t have a direct hand in. It was why I was the one who rearranged the dolls for her for a long time.
It was why my mom hated her. It was why she left.
It was why my grandma put up with me. It was why I stayed. I thought maybe I’d be good enough for her one day.
Instead, she died. The lawyer who bequeathed this house and everything else to me said it must be because she cared about me. I never believed that. I believed it was because she thought I wouldn’t change anything. It was why it went to me and not my mom.
Sometimes I felt trapped. Like I was being suffocated by a dead woman.
The dolls were my only solace. They were in my room because they were in every room. They were acceptable because they were the norm. Me cleaning them was acceptable because helping your grandma is the norm. Maintaining them after she passed was acceptable because that’s the norm when someone dies. Telling anyone else about them felt nearly impossible. Bringing anyone here even more so.
I never admired them when she was around. I’d ignore them, instead. Pretend I wasn’t interested. Like scoffing at a life raft in the middle of a stormy ocean that reached from horizon to horizon.
Hot tears streamed down my face as I huffed, trying not to audibly sob. So much ran through me so fast that I almost forgot what I was doing, who I was talking to. The timer for the length of the call was still ticking up on my smartphone. Vera hadn’t hung up.
“Okay,” I began, the words climbing out of my throat like it was a dark pit, “Let’s… pretend, just pretend, that… I said yes.”
I could almost hear Vera smiling, this woman I hadn’t even met who I’d had the most honest conversation with that I’d likely ever had, “Already at the ‘let’s pretend’ stage, huh?”
Vera agreed to meet the next day, capping off our conversation with, “This time tomorrow you’ll realize it doesn’t have to be pretend.”
--
It felt like a dream when I woke up the next morning.
Too surreal, even though it should be simple and everyday. The sun was gleaming, clouds wafting through the air like the fall leaves. Normally I hated the colder months. But today didn’t feel so bad.
But the nightmare began fast as I fret about what to wear. Picking something for myself was a lot harder than for the dolls. Then it was breakfast, which was a bowl of near stale cereal.
Then I noticed as I was leaving the car had leaked a puddle of transmission fluid again, so I had to refill it, thus dirtying my clothes, thus making me have to change again.
I was thirty minutes late by the time I was on the road, hoping I could at least sneak out of my block before the lunch rush got bad enough the 2-lane streets clogged. It was still the middle of the work week and people were busy. Construction was blooming and booming and causing complaints from everyone who lived around there.
I rushed more than I should’ve. But I drank a coffee to stay sharp. Even had my seat belt on.
...
None of it mattered.
I didn’t even make it out of town before the transmission to my grandma’s Lincoln tore itself to shreds in a deafening cacophony of shrieks and screams.
Right as I pressed hard on the gas to snipe a left turn on a soft green.
A part of me wishes I’d picked something better than a sweater and jeans for the clothes I’d nearly die in.
Another part of me wished I’d died when that semi-truck T-boned me just so I didn’t have to have that stuck in my brain as the last thing I’d remember. That moment a beast of steel and velocity tore me from my car and into a terrible hell of TOO MUCH: TOO MUCH PAIN TOO MUCH MOVEMENT TOO MUCH CRUSHING TOO MUCH SCREAMING TOO MUCH OF ONE MOMENT REPEATING AND REPEATING AND-it ends.
Nothing made sense. The memories were more of a mess of broken pieces than I was.
Blood. Blood pooling around me like I was lying in a storm drain. The box shoebox I laid Wendy in was somehow lying beside me, soaking up the red like a sponge. Scattered pieces of porcelain laid around me like snowflakes.
My arm. I willed it to move, despite it looking more akin to a crushed ice cream cone than a limb. I couldn’t feel my legs. I couldn’t feel why my lungs struggled to breathe, just that they were struggling.
The scream. The scream of sirens, of commuters, of me.
Silence. Oblivion in a held breath. Terrible peace permeating everything like darkness when all the lights go out in a cave.
…
That voice.
--
When I opened my eyes I was laying in a bed.
None of my dolls were along the walls. But the shelves were there.
I bolted up to a sit when I realized I wasn’t laying in a sterile white hospital bed, but instead my bed. My grandmother’s house.
I’m dead. I immediately thought, I’m dead and this is Hell.
I thought right after, No. If that were the case my grandma would be here too.
There also wouldn’t be all this medical equipment. I looked around at a heart monitor, an IV pole, and other medical stuff on carts and surfaces. It looked like enough stuff to run an ER had been keeping me alive.
“...H-Hello-?”
“!” I cut myself off as I realized someone else was calling for me. Was it a nurse or…?
“Hello?-” I began to call, before stopping near immediately again. My hands darted to my neck.
That. That’s not.
“...Hello?” I said quietly to myself, despite sounding nothing like myself. I sounded… cute? I was sure I’d met a few girls who sounded like I did that I thought were cute anyways.
“...Did the crash mess up my throat along with my…” I raised my arm up.
I didn’t recognize it either. Instead of hairy skin wrapped around an arm, I stared at glazed porcelain spun and shaped to resemble the length of a human arm. However it was much more spindly, more the suggestion of a human arm than a replica of one. Where it terminated into an elbow was a rounded joint complete with smoothed corners that exposed as I bent my arm. The same ball-joint was present at my wrist. My fingers were individual pieces that overlapped like the vertebrae of a spine or armor on a glove.
I touched my fingertips together and felt the reassuring firmness of porcelain instead of the soft mushy give of skin.
As I shifted my focus from just my arms to the rest of me. To the fact that every piece of me was different. I was naked atop the sheets, which made it obvious, if just swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and onto the floor wasn’t obvious enough. They were wider at the thigh, tapering down to a ball-joint where my knees would be. Past that, my calf was thinner than any human’s could be. My “feet” more resembled the dome-top and flat bottom of a shoe than the complex bone work of a foot.
I rapped a knuckle against the surface of my chest and it sounded like a shell of porcelain. There was no suggestion of ribs, or nipples as a distinguishing feature. A smooth porcelain body, with four sockets for the ball-joints where shoulders and legs would go. And… an odd hole between my legs like something was missing. Which something was.
All in all I just felt… lighter. Like all of my flesh and organs had been soaked in the weight of my memories, and now I’d shed it all.
“...Hah.” The laugh was forced out from at first, disbelief.
I felt cleaner. Like someone had emptied out a grease trap, like I didn’t have neverending anxiety polluting my brain like a chemical plant.
“Ahaha…” The laugh rang happier with every realization.
I felt…
“Good.” I said as I stood. A little shaky at first, but it shifted fast as I got used to how it felt to not have skin covering the bottom of your feet. A little easier to slip, it turned out, as I nearly ate it just taking one or two steps on carpet.
Definitely don’t wanna be clumsy now. Otherwise I’ll break into pieces again, I thought, ...Why am I not in pieces though. Why am I…?
“...Hello?” I called into the house, plodding along step-by-step as I realized my sense of balance was off too. “Is anyone there?”
Silence. It was slow going, but I made it to the hall with the help of every wall and door frame I could hold onto along the way.
I headed for the bathroom first, so at least I could see the rest of what had changed. The only mirrors in the house were in the bathrooms, after all. I nudged the door open-
But stopped when I saw the blood on the ground. As the door crept open further I realized it was centered around the tub which looked like someone had bled a pig in it.
I whiffed the door knob twice in the process of slamming the door. I hurried towards the living room.
Unnervingly, all of my dolls were arranged on the couch, along with my notes. There was an empty section in the middle as if someone had been sitting among them. A cold, near-empty teacup was sat bside my notes on the coffee table.
I tried picking it up. Like walking it was hard getting used to my new fingers. The sensation was entirely different.
I raised the teacup to my face and sniffed. Dandelion? I definitely didn’t drink-
The jingle of keys in my front door surprised me enough that I dropped the cup. *TCHEIEEEEK* It shattered as I scrambled to get around the corner to the hall.
I heard the door open with the squeak as I faced the other side of the hall.
There was a pregnant pause as whoever was coming in likely saw the broken teacup on the floor if they hadn’t just heard me drop it.
“...Come on out, sweet thing. I didn’t forget you.” An extremely familiar voice called, her words sending a shock through my heart. Did I even have a-?, “But I will make you clean up if you make a mess.”
One hand on the wall to steady myself, I stepped out into the living room and into view, “V-Vera??”
Vera was a plump and bright woman, clad in clay-stained overalls that had one strap loose revealing the many curves of her body and the purple of the tank top she wore underneath. Dangly earrings hung from her ears; golden hoops with black pentagrams hanging from them which matched the dark color of her hair. Plastic bags were hanging from both arms like she’d been doing some shopping.
“Hope me being here isn’t overstepping,” She said as she shut the door behind her, “But I feel like letting me crash at your place is the least you could do after all the time I spent taking you apart and putting you back together.”
“P-Putting me back together?” I stammered out, glancing back towards the bathroom, “W-Why’s my bathroom look like a murder scene then???”
“Mm, I did say taking you apart, remember?” Vera asked, locking the door to punctuate the end of the question. “What kind of porcelain do you think you’re made of? Hard paste, soft paste, or…?”
“...Bone china.” I said licking my lips. I realized then, I still had lips. I had a tongue. My hands darted up to my face, my neck. There was a clear seam about two thirds of the way up my throat. A border where porcelain met skin.
“You… You-” I shook my head, staring at a smiling Vera.
“Aren’t done yet,” Vera said, setting her bags on the floor. I could see handsaw blades sticking out from a plastic bag from a local hardware store. “Honestly I’m surprised you even came to. Guess I should’ve asked Elise for a re-up on the anesthetics...”
“S-Stay away from me!” I cried, backing up as she got closer, “Stay away and I’ll just wake up because this is a dream, it’s a dream it has to be! I never met you, you wouldn’t know how to find me, you wouldn’t be here!”
“Mmm, it’s a dream and not a nightmare?” Vera asked, her playful smile coloring her words.
“It is a nightmare! You chopped me into pieces! You chopped me up and burned my bones into ash and-and…” I looked down at my body as tears gathered in my eyes. “What did you do to me?! Did you plan this!? Did you make that truck hit me?!”
Vera sighed. Stopped getting closer, which made me stop backing down the hall. “Always the same with the ones in denial…”
She raised a hand, crooked a finger. The next words she spoke were inflected in a way that made them echo through the hallway, reverberate through my body, “Come closer, sweet thing.”
“N-No way!” I spat as I started walking towards her.
“What the f-!” I began to scream as my body disobeyed me
“Silence, sweet thing.” Vera intoned, which carved the rest of the curse out of my mouth. “Don’t wanna make the neighbors think anything’s amiss.”
My jaw opened and closed, trying to speak, but all I could manage was the gross wet sounds of a mouth and tongue and lips mashing together. No sound left. All the while I got closer to her.
“Stop.”
My feet stopped when I was all but face-to-face with her standing in the living room again. My head twisted away from her, but nothing else could. I was trapped. Trapped in my own body.
Vera in the meantime circled me, appraising me up and down, occasionally running a hand or a finger along the smooth, hard material I was now made of. I just squeezed my eyes shut and tried to ignore how good it felt to be touched after years without it.
“I know you have all kinds of questions...” Vera eventually said, turning from me and wandering towards the dining room to retrieve two chairs considering the couch was occupied. She faced them towards each other in an empty section of the living room and sat in one. “And I’m happy to answer all of them. But if you start screaming, I’ll have to make you listen, understand? Blink thrice if you understand.”
Blink. Blink. Blink.
“Good. Your will is your own.”
Like a light switch flicking off, her control over me vanished.
Carefully, slowly, I sat in the chair opposite of her. It was strange. Sitting when you don’t have cushioning felt more like trying to settle a craggy rock into a seat than a person sitting. But I found what was comfortable quickly, with my “back” straight and my “feet” flat. I was glad I didn’t have to worry about the teacup shards anymore. Vera had to keep her shoes on by comparison.
A long silence sprouted between us.
Eventually, I asked, “What… did you do to me?”
“What you wanted.” Vera said with a shrug, “We talked about this, I hope you remember that much.”
“...I said hypothetically.” I said, my eyes shifting off to the side. “I never said I actually wanted to… to…”
“If you had made it to our appointment, I would’ve shown you it didn’t have to be hypothetical.” Vera explained, which drew my gaze back to her, “This is what I do. Unhappy people come to me and ask to be something else. I make them into something else. Simple as that. By trade I’d describe myself as a witch, but that’s so vague nowadays. Describes everyone from your average PENTA-GRAM user to the ones who make a life from it like me.”
“...I’d say you’re crazy if I wasn’t…” I looked down at my hands again. “...How long has it been since we talked that day?”
“About three months.” Vera said, looking up at the ceiling as she recounted, “When you didn’t make the appointment I knew something was up. Most people don’t miss this kind of appointment, and even if you had known you seemed serious about fixing Wendy at least. After that it was a matter of just looking up your area code and searching online to see if there were any accidents that happened the day of our appointment.”
“W-Where’s Wendy?” I asked as soon as I was reminded. “Is she here, is she okay, is she-?”
Vera cut me off by leaning forwards and tapping a finger to my chest, “That crash basically killed you. The only reason it didn’t is because enough of your blood, enough of you, had seeped into Wendy over the years you cared for her and from your blood after the crash. After I found you at the hospital, or… what was left of you, finding Wendy was a simple bit of thaumaturgy. Like pulling on a thread once you find one end. Took quite a bit of dumpster diving though.” She made a face, “Honestly, I feel lucky I got the smell out of these overalls.”
“After that thought, it was just a matter of tricking the right person into thinking that I was a close family member and getting your meat moved here once you were stable enough.” Vera said, eyes wandering around the place, “I’ve got a nurse friend, so I hired her to help me take care of you and help me…” She spun a hand in the air.
“...distill you.” Vera eventually said with a cheeky smile.
“…” I blinked. My hands came up to where she’d tapped.
Then again, I blinked. This time, surprised by the tears that were speckled across my new hands. By the vast cavernous churning of so, so much just rippling through me despite there being nothing inside of me. But that wasn’t true was it? Wendy was with me.
Somehow it felt like I was with me more than before.
Long hard sobs smashed into me as fast as that teacup had hit the floor.
“Aw, damn, don’t cry.” Vera said, a slight panic cracking her smooth demeanor as she sat forwards. “Damn it, Vera, no more weird jokes away from the girls…” She muttered to herself as she stood to fetch some tissue.
When she returned, I was still sniffling and wiping at my face with my hands, getting yellow-ish snot all across the porcelain. When Vera returned again with a wet towel I was calmed down, enough that she didn’t have to clean me up like she did with the tissues.
“Um sorry…” I mumbled out, before repeating myself more forcefully, “I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay, sweet thing,” Vera said, looking sheepish, “I’m sorry you woke up before I finished with you. Makes crying your heart out a lot easier when you don’t dribble snot out your nose and tears from your eyes.”
“...No, I’m…” I squeezed my eyes shut in shame, “I’m sorry… for making you do all of this. You saved my life, Vera. Without me paying you, or getting anything out of it, you… you went out of your way to save me.”
“...Haha...” Vera laughed. Remarkably more sheepish. “Well… I guess now is as good a time as any to discuss payment...”
“...Oh.” I said, surprised but also not surprised. “I mean… What do you want? If it’s money, I’ll just sell this house, honestly. Hell, you can have the house if you want.”
“Honestly, money isn’t… really an issue for me.” Vera’s smile was tight and apologetic, “Monetarily, you’ve compensated me more than enough. Luckily, Elise is as good with a scalpel as I am with a potter’s wheel, because biology was never my strong suit.”
My eyes felt like they widened to the size of silver dollars.
Vera shrugged, “Hope it wasn’t overstepping, but organs pay the bills, sweet thing. Especially young ones like yours.”
“...Okay.” I said, either feeling bizarrely okay with this or feeling way too shocked, “I guess I’m not using them anymore… so. Okay. But-wait.” A hand came up to the seam in my neck. “...If it’s not about money, or this house...”
Vera let her chin rest on the knuckles of her left hand as she nodded towards the couch.
I followed her gaze to the empty person-sized spot in the middle of all my dolls.
“Quite a collection.” Vera murmured, her tone neutral, “I didn’t mention it before, but… I have one too. Nowhere near as large, not enough room back where I live… My dolls are rather… large.”
As I tore my gaze from the couch, I realized Vera was leaning forwards, looking up at me with shining eyes. Like a kid seeing a new toy at the store. “But... I think I have room for one more.”
Another long silence bloomed between us.
Then, I asked, “...Hypothetically.” I began, hands trembling with a litany of small *clinks* as I rested them on what served as my knees. “...Could you make me forget everything from before? Not just the accident, I mean… I mean, all of it.” I swallowed. “Is… is that possible?”
A knowing smile eased its way across Vera’s face, before she stood and offered me a hand.
“Already at the hypothetical stage, huh?”
--
Sometimes, I have dreams about what it’s like being human.
What it must feel like to have to do all these rote things just to live.
Eating, drinking, shaving, bathrooms.
The sweat, the pain, the sickness.
The blood that gushed out at the nudge of a knife. The guts that were in someone’s belly. When helping with a client was in my duties I always tried to just focus on the bones that I needed to burn.
My Master says it’s certainly not for everyone, despite the fact she was human. My sisters who were once human more than heartily agree too, every time the conversation wanders there during dinner. While only our Master needed to eat, the rest of us enjoyed the company especially after a busy day. There was usually plenty to do between the shop downstairs and our home upstairs in the city we lived in.
Sometimes, there wasn’t.
Sometimes we had days when all the chores were settled and no clients needed to be taken care of that day. Days when we just got to laugh and play and nap or sing and dance and laugh as our Master watches with a cup of tea that we’d pick the dandelions for that same day. Any extra went with her when she went on a trip for work.
“Master?” I asked her on one of those lazy days after I awoke from my nap. I was sitting on Master’s lap, with my head on her left shoulder and my hand running up to hold onto her right. Our sofa was big enough for all of us, but my sisters had decided to go run some errands. Cars scared me, so I never went with.
“Mm? Yes, Wendy?” My Master opened her eyes from her light dozing, “What is it, sweetie?”
“I had another nightmare…” I whined, nuzzling into my Master’s neck.
“Aww, another one?” She sighed, “I should really tell Selice to stop watching those racing movies in the living room…”
“No, Master, about being human.” I said, a frown drawing across the carefully painted porcelain that comprised my lips. “It felt so real. I remember having a mom and a grandma, and my grandma was mean, and she made me clean and do so many things and I kept doing them wrong and I kept running and trying to rip these awful clothes off of me and-”
“Hush, hush, I’m sorry sweet thing…” My Master said, a heavier sigh following as she pet my head to calm me down. “It’s just a dream, I promise.” She paused to sit up. So she could put a finger under my chin to meet my lavender-blue eyes, “You’ve been a doll, a good doll no less, ever since the day I found you.”
I fret with the edge of my dress for a few seconds, scrunching and stretching the black fabric edged with white lace, a giddy smile on my face. The insecurity drown it out fast though.
“I… I don’t do as much as the other sisters though…” I said, looking down in shame, “It feels like I’m just always learning stuff everyone else already knows. Selice knows how to drive. Yvonne can sew and cook. Indigo is good with the client stuff and talking to people. Mai can write well and reach the top shelf…”
“We’ll get you a step-stool.” My Master pointed out with a gentle smile.
“Maa-steeer,” I whined, poking her in the cheek with a finger, “Don’t tease me… you know what I mean. It feels like everyone’s just taking care of me all day…”
“Is it wrong to be taken care of?” She asked, reaching up to flatten my poking hand and let it rest against her cheek, “You take care of me when I need it. You help the others when they need it. I don’t expect anything more from a doll of mine. Plus you’re learning faster than you think. Most people can’t learn how to sew in only a few months, Wendy, much less a toy like you.”
“Still…” I trailed off, withdrawing my hand from her cheek and folding it into my lap with the other. Instead, I kept shifting and fidgeting. Nerves and anxiety and fear and so much, just swarmed my head. It felt like I was back in that nightmare again.
“Master?” I asked.
“Yes?”
“...My head feels full.” I whined. “Can I have wall time?”
“Of course, sweetie. Let’s go.” Master said, shifting me in her lap so she could lift me like a princess as she stood. The feeling from that alone made all the bad stuff flutter and shift like leaves on a breeze.
Our home was a fairly large place. A three-floor slice of brick and glass in the heart of a city. The first floor was for Master’s store, the second the place where the kitchen and the bathrooms and the living room and Master’s bedroom was.
The third floor was for me and my sisters. Master always told me it had been an attic space before she and Indigo converted it into a what it was now. A massive playroom that spanned one wall to the other. Carpet covered the floors so none of us could slip and break. A big bookshelf of board games and a large table to play them on stretched across the largest area. A TV with a computer hooked up to it sat on an entertainment stand, with a variety of makeshift floor cushions in the form of pillows and pet beds in a loose arc in front of it.
Most importantly though, were the places for me and my sisters. Everyone got their own space to call their own along the perimeter of the third floor. Everyone put different things in them. Selice had lots of car posters and a computer with a steering wheel and pedals she can play racing games with. Yvonne kept her sewing machine and craft supplies in hers’ along with a wardrobe dedicated to stuff she was working on. Mai had a standing desk, piled high with partially written stories and books she’d read for inspiration.
Indigo and I’s were the most sparse. Indigo at least had a few mementos from her past: a guitar covered in stickers from shows she liked, a few framed photos she arranged on a shelf alongside old school books, and a few microphones she used to record songs with.
Mine by comparison, just had my shelf and my dolls. Everyone had a shelf. Including my dolls, which weren’t dolls like us, but still dolls so they deserved a shelf. Master taught me how to take care of them and which liked which. Even gave me notes to help me do it.
I didn’t recognize the handwriting though, it certainly wasn’t as bad as Master’s scrawled to-do lists.
“Hi, everyone…” I said with a weak wave as Master carried me up the stairs and into view of them, “Sorry I haven’t cleaned you today…”
“It’s okay, Wendy,” Master intoned as she approached my spot on the wall among all the others, “They understand.”
“I kno-ooow, but-”
“No buts. Dolls deserve wall time after having a nightmare.” Master said, glancing down at me with a stern look that softened to a smile in an instant.
I kicked my feet as she lifted me up and set me on my padded, painted shelf that hung from the wall. It was placed a few feet off the ground, so even now my shoes wouldn’t touch the floor. I thought it was a little scary only at first.
“Ready, sweetie?” Master asked, running her fingers through my hair to comb it out. I loved the feeling. Leaned into it and shut my eyes every chance I got. “Want a doll to hold?”
“Mmhmm…!” I said absent-mindedly as she continued running her hands through my hair, “I wanna hold Wendy…”
“…” Master stopped combing my hair and looked at me odd for a moment, before lightly poking the crest of my nose, “You’re Wendy, silly goose.”
“I’m not a goose…” I whined doubly pathetically now that I was getting teased and deprived of hair touches, “I’m a doll, and dolls don’t have names at first. You said I was named after Wendy didn’t you, Master? I wanna hold her.”
“I told you, baby,” Master said softly, taking my hand and in one of hers’, “You and Wendy were broken pretty bad when I found you and her and all the rest of your dolls. So I put you two together to make one whole doll and named you after her.”
“I know, but…” I sniffed, something strange worming its way through my torso, out through my joints, “I… I miss her? I never met her, but… I think I miss her. She was in my dream too and she was so pretty and so nice and she took care of me and...”
“Hush, my sweet doll, calm.” My Master intoned. Her words silenced mine. Made my mind slow and relax instead of race forwards. The lilt of them was so hard to ignore. Listening and obeying felt as natural as a human’s need to breathe.
“Let all that stiff stuff out of you. Out of your fingers, your feet… your arms, your legs… your joints, your eyes…”
Piece-by-piece I felt the worry wick away. The tension tying up my movements, my thoughts, leaked out of me as my Master resumed stroking my hair, straightening my skirts, adjusting my limp hands to fold in my lap. Warm hollowness replaced it. A peace that clung to me like a blanket or a fuzzy sweater.
“There you are. You’re just another doll on the wall, Wendy. And dolls don’t worry, don’t fret. They just… are.” Master said as my head finally slackened, only kept upright by the wall against the back of my head.
I felt small and far-away. Safe and warm. Like I was cuddling with Master at the beach again. Like the first day Master brought me home and my new sisters sat me on the couch to cuddle with me and dote on me. Like I didn’t have to be anything else but Master’s, her precious thing. A doll, no more, no less.
“Rest, little one.” The witch said, picking a carefully sculpted hand from her doll’s lap, and placing a kiss on the back of it. Wendy didn’t react. Didn’t move. Didn’t blink. She was a doll, right now. Probably happier than she’d ever been.
It was still so young. So new to its’ new life. But bright as a blossom. Every night the witch thanked the gods of the earth for blessing her with such a wonderful thing as Wendy. It’d only been three months. But it felt like the new addition to their family had been there for years.
“I promise, I’ll never forget you...”” Vera said, replacing the doll’s hand into its lap, as she looked up into those soulful eyes.
Even now, they were full of more life than the person who’d come before.
The road ahead was narrow and dark, Eric had his high beams on. Under the light, the beams painted the trees into a horror movie set. As unsettling as it was, they also had to worry about the fact that they were lost.
"We're not lost." Eric remarked.
Buddy trailed his fingers over the map on the route and looked up.
"Okay not lost, just...disoriented."
Somewhere along the line they made a wrong turn, which was Buddy's fault according to Eric. They were on their way back to their hometown for the holidays. A nice baked dessert paired with a nap sounded good right now.
Past the trees, he spotted a couple of buildings in complete darkness. Maybe they were in the backwards part of town? Either way it meant civilization, and they needed help now.
Eric swerved into the dirt path, passing by deserted farm style houses. He parked the car, but when he turned it off, the moon was there only source of light.
"We have flashlights right?" Eric squeaked.
Grabbing two large yellow flashlights from the backseat, Buddy passed one to him and turned his on.
He said, "Oh why don't we bring the video camera? This is the perfect place for your traveling documentary."
They exited the car and surveyed the area looking for a sign of life.
"Might as well record our last moments alive."
He set up the camera next to the car and hit record.
"Hello whoever finds this recording. If you're watching this we're dead. Tell my mom I love her, tell my dad I'll be haunting him, and tell my sister she's a bitch."
Buddy waved at the camera, "Hi and it's my fault we're dead. Don't kiss your boyfriend as he's driving."
"Thank you, I'm glad you can admit it."
With the camera still recording they explored the town. The thought of yelling for help crossed their mind but they were terrified of what it could attract. At first it appeared to be just houses, but then they spotted a post office, a general store, and a restaurant. All abandoned.
"This is a ghost town, we're not gonna find anyone here." Buddy stated.
"Oh thank god let's go back to the car."
As they walked back, Buddy stepped on a piece of glass, the noise prompting Eric to hide behind him. He stayed close by his side until they reached the camera again.
"So we discovered a ghost town off the interstate, the buildings were old and gross, end of video bye. My boyfriend will be driving now."
Summary: Rollo has been eyeing you since your arrival, seeing you as the diamond amongst coals. At the Ball, he corners you into a dance, but your BF is not going to let this slide...
Pairings: Azul, Idia, Melleus x F!reader (Y/N)
warnings: Possessive behavior, suggestive, manipulation and obsession (Rollo), established relationships, romantic ~
Note: This came to me while playing Glorious Masquerade! Let me know if you want a part 2 or any other characters. I really enjoyed writing this and hope to do more! Enjoy!
Edit: Click this link for Riddle, Deuce, Ruggie, and Jamil!
Click Here for Rollo!!
Prologue
"Who might you be miss?"
Y/n gave a kind smile and nodded her head in greeting "I'm y/n, it's nice to meet you," she stayed next to Trein as she was there as his assistant.
"Yuu is our magicless perfect of Ramshackle. She will be working as my assistant throughout the trip," Trein added.
She felt Rollo's eyes scan her and, unlike his greetings to the rest, he held out a hand. Being poilet she offered her hand as well and he lifted it to his lips, grazing her knuckles quickly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, y/n. I understand it must be difficult, being surrounded by mages every second of the day. I hope you get a chance to relax this trip."
Y/n blushed at the motion and bit her lower lip. All the while she could feel her boyfriend glaring daggers into her and Rollo.
"I-I'll do my best..." Y/n replied.
Throughout the entire trip, Rollo seemed to gravitate towards y/n and used every excuse to isolate her from the group. They chatted about her difficulties at NRC and of the festival. Due to her being Trein's assistant and the constant reminders to behave she and her Boyfriend had little time together.
This all accumulated at the Masquerade. Rollo had given Y/n a proper dress for the occasion instead of the attire his counsel had chosen. The (color) fabric decadently adorned your figure and stunned the NRC boys with its beauty. But before her boyfriend could ask for a dance, Rollo stole y/n away. He whisked her to the dance floor and they started chatting. At this point, Y/N's boyfriend has had enough of the student counsel president, but what sent him over the edge is when he takes you to the balcony and dare suggest the worst:
"Y/n, stay here with me." Y/n turned quickly on her heels to Rollo in confusion, "The fools at NRC do not deserve your purity. You belong here. with me." He has her pinned against the balcony, "This is your sanctuary."
Azul Ashengrotto
Azul could sense Rollo's eyes on you since your arrival. He tried to be civil as Rollo was a possible future ally, but even a merchant has his limits.
He walks with purpose from his hiding place and places a firm hand on Rollo's shoulder.
"You are quite mistaken Rollo." Azul said with his business smile hiding his true rage, "You see, y/n is deeply loved at NRC and she needs no sanctuary when she has me to look after her." He moves Rollo to the side with surprising strength and takes his beloved's hand, pulling her to him and grazing her fingers with his lips, "Isn't that right, Anglefish?"
Y/n smiled so bright that Azul might have mistaken her for gold, "I couldn't have said it better myself."
Azul held on to his Anglefish as he gestured to the ballroom, "it is simply criminal that we have gone this long without a dance, especially when you look this~"
Y/n nodded with a giggle and as they left Azul gave Rollo a final glare.
"One last thing before we return to the crowd." Azul pulled in y/n for a passionate kiss. All in view of Rollo who was revolting at the sight of his pure beauty being kissed by a sea mage.
After a breathless kiss, Azul led his beloved away, sweeping her onto the dance floor. They danced the night away and during a particularly romantic number, Azul leaned into his beloved's ear, pushing away her h/c hair, and whispered.
"I am sorry for letting this get too far. But I can assure you, once we are alone, I promise to show you how much you set my heart ablaze~"
Idia Shroud
Idia was never one for confrontation, but when his girlfriend was being stolen from him, well he did hate to lose.
"Where did you get the villain monologue from? A crappy kids movie?" Idia strode into the balcony and grabbed y/n out from under the creep. "The whole leave them and stay with me thing only works in ottoman games or one-off episode romances and I know y/n hates those subplots." He held y/n close to his chest. "Now, you leave my girlfriend alone, everyone knows in love triangles that the girl always chooses the hero, not the villain."
Y/n looked at Idia in awe. Her boyfriend hated confrontation, but he swooped in like Prince Charming and saved her.
"Idia's right. I love NRC. I could never leave." She said firmly and held locked her arms around his waist, "besides, I could never leave my knight in shining armor!"
Rollo stood in furry as the shut-in stole his beauty. He was shocked that the introverted mage confronted him, or that he was y/n's partner.
Idia glared at Rollo as he guided y/n away from the creep. "See ya Creep."
The moment they were out of Rollo's sight, Idia released a breath and melted into his beloved's embrace.
"Ohmysevensthatwasthescariestthingihadeverdoneinmylife." Idia nearly collapsed into y/n, but he held her tight.
"Idia, you were brilliant! I never thought you could do that, you were like a prince swooping in to save the princess." Y/n hugged Idia back. her anxiety and fear she felt from the situation finally settled in and a few tears started rolling down, "I was so scared idia..."
He pulled back slightly to look at her teats. He whipped away her tears and kissed her forehead, "I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner, He was just so... scary. But when I heard him talking to you like that, i-it got my blood boiling." He placed a hand on her cheek and pressed his forehead against hers, "I know I don't show it as often as i should, but I really do love you... uhg I sound stupid..." Idia's face was burning as pink as his hair.
Y/n smiled and pressed a sweet kiss to Idia's lips, "I know what you mean... I love you too, my star hero."
Idia smiled and kissed y/n again with a deep passion.
He smiled a toothy grin as he heard the enchanting melody seeping from the ballroom. "I know it's lame, but we are all done up in festival cosplay... care to dance?"
Y/n pressed a kiss to Idia's cheek, "I'd love to!"
The couple didn't go back to the crowd. They instead danced right there, just outside the ballroom.
As the music played, Idia leaned into his beloved and whispered,
"I wouldn't be much of a Knight in shining armor if I let my princess think she was unloved... how about I show you how much I burn for you?"
Melleus Draconia
Dragons were possessive creatures, and Malleus was no exception. He did not think much of Rollo and y/n's interaction, but this blatant display of affection towards his perfect. The sky cracked with thunder as Malleus glared down at Rollo from his place lurking spot. Rollo had the audacity to steal the first dance, now he was trying to take away the woman he loved. This would not do.
Y/n pushed Rollo away slightly and spoke up, "Thank you for the offer, but I have not intention of leaving NRC. It is difficult at times but I wouldn't have it any other way. Now if you excuse me, I want to go back to the ball."
Rollo grabbed y/n's wrist and pulled her against him. "It's because of Draconia, isn't it? He has bewitched you!" He pinned her between the balcony wall and him. "Those fiends have enchanted you, but I will free you from those chains and show you salvation! No matter the cost!"
"I think you misheard. Y/n said no." That is when Malleus stepped in. He floated above the two and threw Rollo off his perfect. He swooped y/n into his arms, carrying her like a bride. Oh, how he wished she was his bride, but not now, not yet.
Rollo scowled at Malleus, "You daemon, you and all your kind!"
Malleus' anger flared and another crack of thunder filled the air. He floated down so he was at eye-level with this monster. "If you dare touch another hair on her head, I will show you my true capabilities."
Y/n places a hand on Malleus' chest, "Tsunotarou, remember, we are guests here. What would Trein say if he heard of this?"
Malleus looked at y/n's e/c eyes and sighed. He stepped back, turned on his heels, and left the balcony and the angry monster on it.
Once they were a safe distance from the balcony, out of sight from the crowd, Malleus put y/n down and hugged her close to his chest. "Y/n, I'm sorry I didn't step in sooner. Did he hurt you?"
Y/n could feel the worry in Malleus' voice reverberate in his chest. She placed a hand on his cheek and stocked his soft skin "You saved me just in time Mal." She kissed his other cheek and said, "Thank you, my Prince Charming."
Malleus, in a surge of passion, kissed y/n deeply. He held her so close as if she might disappear if he let go. Y/n reciprocated the kiss.
Malleus parted and looked at the child of man's eyes "I hope you know how much my heart burns for you. Seeing you in the arms of another, it pains me more than anything else." His eyes were filled with a deep love for her. "I know how difficult it is to be an outcast, but I promise I will always be here for you. Even if the world is burning around us, I will hold you close and keep you safe until my dying breath."
Y/n felt her eyes water at his words. "Thank You Mal, I love you so much."
"I love you too, Y/n," Malleus pressed his lips against hers in a fiery passion. They stayed like this for a few minutes exchanging passionate kisses as the music played. Then another symphony started to play and the calls of their companions grew louder.
Malleus chuckled and stepped back, taking one of her hands and bowing to press a kiss to it,
"We can continue this later in private. For now, may I have this dance, my flame?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note: Please Like, Reblog, and Follow for more! If you are interested in seeing an NSFW part 2 or want to see more characters in this scenario, please let me know! (Do not Steal)
Prompt - NRC is in upheaval. A video of Yuu singing a song has been circling around the school about her being "bewitched," and everyone is trying to figure out by who. Yuu is embarrassed and upset about her private song being the subject of gossip, so she decides to hide from everyone only for her crush to find her and reveal he has been "bewitched," by her...
Pairings - Savannaclaw x F!Yuu (Separate)
Warnings - FLUFFF; Incredibly shy Yuu; stagefright (Yuu again); swearing (mainly by Leona); Spoilers for book 3 (Jack's part)
Leona hated the fact that he couldn't get to Yuu. He tried calling her but she didn't answer, he tried going to Ramshackle but the ghost kept him out, and when she didn't show to any of her classes or to clubs that is when his patience broke. He knew the Yuu had feelings for him and was waiting for the right time. When the song came out, he knew the time was now and he had to get her out of the stampped of gossip.
He was in an irritable mood for most of the day and by the end of it, Ruggie was ready to snap Leona's neck. Anytime Leona heard her name or the song or head and tail of the betting pot, he would snap at the closes person to him... which was often Ruggie. The last straw was the absolutely grueling Spelldrive Practice. He worked them harder than Vargas ever would and by the time it was over, half the team was crawling back to their dorms. Ruggie stayed to "help" clean up, but he had anterior motives.
Leona was toweling off after showering, still scowling from hearing the guys discussing "the pot." apparently there was a lot of money on names that weren't his... but also the sum on his name was hefty.
"Go." Ruggie said, done with the grumbling mess.
"What?" Leona spat back.
"Go. To Yuu. I'm done with this- whatever this is." Ruggie gestured to Leona, "You've been in an awful mood all day and taking it out on everyone around you. Namely ME. So Go. Talk to her. and PICK SOME DAISES. I don't care what it takes. But if you keep acting like this, I promise to make your life a living Hell if you keep all this bottled up."
Leona knew Ruggie meant and could keep that promise. And that is what he needed to hear.
"Fine." Leona threw his shirt on and grabbed his bag before leaving. "But If I hear your name anywhere near winning 'the pot', You're a deadman."
"Wouldn't dream of it!" Ruggie chuckled as Leona made his way to Ramshackle. He had no clue what he was going to say. but he had to say something.
By the time he made it to her door, Leona debated just barging in... but he knew if he did that it would make her even more scared than she already was. He knocked and called for her, when she didn't answer, decided to say what came to his heart;
"Herbavior... let me it... I wanted to tell you this sooner or later but... I've been bewitched by you for a while now."
Leona was growing tired of waiting. He had to see her, he had to know how she felt, he had to fight for the one thing he was not going to let pass him by. As he reached his hand out to the know, the door opened.
On the other side, Yuu looked completely exhausted and relieved. She looked into his eyes and asked him, "You mean it? Truely?"
Leona sighed and said, "I won't repeat myself again. So listen." He placed his outstretched hand on her cheek. "I like you. Herbavior. A lot. You're my favorite pillow and one of the few people I can stand being around. But you drive me crazy at the same time." He looked into her doe eyes and closed the gap between him. "So I need to know. Your song. Do you mean it?"
Yuu placed her small hand on top of his and her eyes pricked with tears, "I wrote that song to work out my feelings... for you."
Leona never felt more relieved. He gave Yuu a smug smile and caressed her cheek with his thumb, "I knew it."
He leaned down and claimed her lips. After waiting around patiently, listening to the chatter of his classmates, and getting radio silence for a day, he finally had her in his arms. She wanted him. No one else.
When they parted he placed his forehead on hers. He finally saw her smiling and she had a blush on her cheeks that boosted Leona's ego. "I'm guessing you liked the song?"
"What do you think?" Leona chuckled, "I was hoping to hear it in person..."
That made Yuu divert her gaze and turn around, facing her back to Leona. "I-I... I would love to but... n-not yet..."
He could smell how nervous she was. Ever the smooth prince, Leona wrapped his arms around her mid-section and nestled his head into the crook of her neck. "I'm a patient lion. I'll wait as long as you need me to, herbivore."
Leona walked her to the bed and plopped down with her in his arms. And for the first time today, Leona and Yuu were able to nap.
Leona knew it would take time for her to become comfortable enough to share her voice, and thankfully he was a very patient man. The two spent a lot of time together, and after seeing Leona's arm around Yuu's shoulders all the vultures flew away and Ruggie became very happy. Leona was a lot easier to find, and Spelldrive practices became bearable again! In his opinion, Leona and Yuu getting together made Ruggie a very happy Hyena.
Over time, Yuu began to show Leona some of her songs and hum them, but nothing more. Until one evening after Spelldrive practice, Leona was lying in bed using Yuu like a pillow while she mindlessly played with his hair. The moment was peaceful, and Yuu was mindlessly humming. Leona was about to drift to sleep when he got a pleasant surprise, Yuu began to sing, "While You Were Sleeping,"
Ruggie has an uneasy feeling in his gut all day. He was doing laundry when he heard some of his dormmates talking about Yuu's song, and his heart sunk. He knew Yuu had terrible stagefright, she told him this when directly when they were both doing chores the other day. He tried to call her and text her to see if she was alright but she left him unread. He listened to her song before bed the night before, and his gut began to twist.
He wanted to check on her, but she never showed up to class or clubs. What was worse was hearing the debates. Everyone was taking their bets and at times he would hear his name in the midst:
"It HAS to be Ruggie. They are always together! I saw them doing laundry like an old married couple the other day!" One of the Savannaclaw Underclassman pointed out. This made Ruggie start to blush and his stomach feel light.
Then, a scarbia student pointed out big wall in his way that has kept him from pursuing anything beyond a friendship with Yuu: "Why would she pick Ruggie when she has Kalim asking for her hand? Why choose a pauper when she could have a prince?"
That comment has been haunting him for weeks. Ever since he realized he liked Yuu as more than a friend. He had been able to brush off the feelings for a long time, but Yuu's song and the debate around it made him confront these feelings. He spent the day in a daze and out of it. He got his work done, but he nearly ran into a pillar twice that day and almost walked square into Jack.
During Club, it got dangerous as he nearly got hit in the head with a disk if not for Leona. Leona pulled Ruggie aside and called him out. He knew Ruggie has been crushing on Yuu, it was plane to see, but he also knew Ruggie's dilemma and was sick of it.
Leona dragged Ruggie into the locker room and threw him his duffle bag, "Go."
"What?" Ruggie thought he was being thrown off the team for a second.
"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Leona was incredibly annoyed and shook his head, "G. O. to HER." Ruggie just looked flabbergasted at his dorm leader.
"B-but-"
"If you give me that 'I'm too poor' bullshit again, I will knock your head in." Leona pinched his brow before grabbing his wallet and throwing a bundle of cash at his friend, "You work to the bone. You deserve to be happy. She makes you happy and she is happy with you. I can smell the attraction between the two of you and if I have to hear you whine about it or make dopey eyes at her one more hades-damned time. I will lock you two in a room and make you work it out." Leona sounded threatening, but Ruggie knew this was Leona's way of 'encouragement'. The lion-beastman walked past Ruggie and opened the locker room door before looking back at him. "If you are here by the time I get back and not taking Yuu out to a nice dinner. I swear you will be doing all of the teams laundry until you do." Then stormed out.
Ruggie just sat there shocked before looking down at the cash in his lap. He could only smile. Leona may not show it often, but he does care. He decided to shower really quick before leaving for Ramshackle. On his way, he tried to think of what to say, and still even after stopping by Sam to get dinner, he had no idea by the time he got to her door. He hesitated to knock but just spoke what came to him in the moment.
"Yuu. I know I'm not the... best choice. I don't have anything in the prospects of money or career besides Leona's runner, but... you've bewitched me and I don't want to get out from your spell..."
Everything was still, and Ruggies heart was teetering on the edge of breaking. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe the fleeting moments were just made up in his head. Maybe Leona was lying. Maybe she loved someone else...
He was about to walk away when he heard her move towards the door and twist the handle. As the door opened, he saw Yuu look at him with tear-stained eyes and a slightly agape mouth. "Do you mean it?" Yuu asked holding the door tightly, "You... feel the same?"
Ruggie nodded. His heart was beating out of his chest, his stomach was twisting in knots, but he pushed through those things and was able to give her a small smile, "I do. Every word." He scratched the back of his head and looked at himself then at her, "I know I don't have much, but I will work hard to give you the life you deserve." He looked her in the eyes and took a deep breath before professing his feelings, "I will work hard to be with you because you make me forget my situation for a moment. When we... when we walk together, do chores together, or even just hang out, I feel like a normal student for once instead of the hyena at the end of the food chain... So please," He reaches out and takes her hand in his, squeezing it gently and smiling sweetly, "please give me a chance?"
Yuu stared at him for a moment. She looked like she was about to cry again and Ruggie was readying an apology when she surprised him. She stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
Ruggie tensed for a second before melting into the kiss. He dropped the bag of food in his one hand and used it to gently hold the small of her back while the other still held her hand. She adjusted the position of her hand to lace her fingers with his and deepen the kiss.
They eventually parted and she was finally smiling. "Is that a good enough answer for you?" She asked with a coy grin.
Ruggie's signature smile returned to his face for the first time today. "Shishishi, I don't know, maybe I need to hear it one more time?~" This time he leaned in and kissed her deeply. She let go of the door and looped her arms around his shoulders this time.
It didn't last as long since Yuu's stomach interrupted the kiss.
Ruggie leaned back and chuckled again, "Someone hungry? Guess I made the right call." He crouched down, picked up the bag, and held it up, "Chicken sound good?"
Yuu nodded and giggled, "Sounds delicious!"
The rest of the evening, Ruggie felt like he was dreaming. Between a nice dinner, snuggling on the couch, and her falling asleep on him as they watched some TV, he didn't want to wake up.
Ruggie has never been happier. He and Yuu spent as much time as they could together between school, work, and chores. The gossip halted quickly as Ruggie made it clear the SHE chose HIM. Leona was also a smug ass for the week after and would throw smug comments at the two in the vain of "finally," and "You're welcome," that even though they annoyed Ruggie, he was grateful to his friend.
It took a while for Yuu to feel comfortable enough to show Ruggie her notebook, and it was even longer for her to start humming. Sometimes, when they are doing laundry, dishes, or some other chores alone together, Ruggie and Yuu would hum or softly sing together to pass the time. Until one night, after a particularly rough week, Ruggies was enjoying a rare night in with Yuu. They were snuggled together on Yuu's bed, just enjoying eachothers embrace. He was enjoying the peace, and Yuu's humming turned into singing, "Dandelions"
Jack was on edge all day. From the the gossip that surrounded him to his friend (who he has had a crush on since the octanvinelle situation) disappearing and ignoring all attempts at contact, Jack felt cornered all day. Anytime someone brought up Yuu's song or the bet going on, Jack's hair would stand on end and he would get tense. Epel, Ruggie, and Leona all knew Jack had a huge crush on Yuu for a while and the former two would ask him if he was alright and check in on him all day which only proceeded to annoy him. When Jack saw Grim, he had to contain himself from punching the cat. He betrayed Yuu's trust and privacy, he hurt Yuu, and Jack wanted to protect her but he had no clue how. Due to this energy and rage being pent up for most of the day, Jack was like a cornered canine all day. He snapped at his classmates, his friends, and what got him was snapping at VIL.
Jack was jogging around the school and down the main street where the Film Club was shooting a scene. They were packing up for the day and Vil was talking to an Ignanhyde student about something or other. Jack was distracted trying to think about anything other than Yuu and ran into Vil accidentally.
Due to Jack's size, he knocked Vil into the Fairest Queen Statue behind him.
"JACK!" Vil called and dusted himself off with grace.
Jack stopped and bowed, his ears flattening, "Vil, I-I am sorry." The Ignanhyde student was frozen in place and looked Jack up and down. Vil looked at the student and gestured for him to leave, which his clubmate appreciated. "I didn't see you there. I'm so sorry."
Vil looked at his childhood friend and sharpened his gaze, "It's alright." He nods for the underclassman to follow him behind the statue. Once out of sight, Vil crossed his arms and asked, "What is going on? According to Epel, you have been on edge all day. It isn't like you to not keep an eye on your surroundings."
Jack shook his head and said, "It's nothing. I'm fine."
Vil stepped closer and tilted his head, "It's Yuu isn't it?"
Jack's cheeks went red and he looked away. "No."
Vil kept pushing Jack as he knew the freshman was lying. He knew he pushed the right button when he said, "You're in love with her aren't you?"
"WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE IT!" Jack snapped at the upperclassman and immediately regretted it.
Vil wasn't phased but had a stern look on his face, "Jack. Because you are a good friend of mine I am going to let that go. But listen to what I say and take it to heart." Vil's tone was sharp and the beastman listened intently, "Go find her and tell her how you feel before it is too late." His eyes softened and he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Yuu is a shy person and you obviously have very strong feelings for her and a desire to protect her. She is probably scared right now and needs someone to lean on. Go to her and do what you do best. Make her feel safe."
Jack rubbed the back of his neck and felt small, "But what if... what if she doesn't feel the same?"
Vil sighs and says, "You don't know she doesn't until you try."
Jack nodded and released some of the tension in his body. "Thanks, Vil."
The Pomefiore Dorm leader nodded and released the freshman in the direction of Ramshackle. Jack jogged over to the dilapidated building and was finally able to get inside. He stood in front of Yuu's door, took a deep breath, and let his heart speak.
"Yuu... I'm here for you and always will be... I don't want you to feel any pressure, but I need to get this off my chest... I-I... ever since you saved everyone from Azul's contracts, you... I've been bewitched... by you."
Jack's tail never stopped wagging for the next few weeks. Anytime Yuu's scent was in the air or they were sitting together, his tail would give away his joy at having her near. The other first years did point this out (Ace), but he didn't care, and Yuu found it endearing. Vil smiled when he saw the two and Jack thanked him personally saying that he always knew they were meant for each other (Rook and Vil had known about the two's mutual feelings for a long time now, but it wasn't their place to tell).
Jack felt incredibly self-concise about his size, his hair, his smell... everything. He had no clue how to stand, where to put his hands, and his heart was beating out of his chest. He felt like he was standing there for hours and debated leaving when he heard footsteps on the other side. He looked up in time for Yuu to open the door. He looked directly in her beautiful doe eyes and saw a glint of hope.
She stood there silent for a moment, both of them searching for words. When words failed to come, Yuu hugged him. Her small frame fit snug against him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and the back of her head. He held her with such gentleness as if he was scared to break her.
Jack needed no words to express his feelings, he expressed them in the way he held her close. His large hand cradled her head and stroked it with such love. His lips barely grazed the top of her head, but that is all that was needed. He loved her. He wanted to protect her. And no words could express how much he felt for her, and no words were needed. She knew how he felt.
"... I love you too Jack ..." Yuu said softly and it made Jack's heart jump again.
His tail began to wag and a smile graced his lips. His large hand moved to her cheek and gently guided her to look at him. He stroked her soft cheek with his calloused hand and leaned his forehead against hers, "I know I am not much for words but... I promise, I'll protect you, no matter what comes our way. And I will love you with all my being."
"I know," Yuu smiled, "and so will I,"
With that, the two leaned in and sealed their promise of devotion with a tender kiss.
Eventually, Yuu had gotten comfortable enough with Jack to work on her songs while he was in the room. It was a random Thursday night, Jack was working on homework and Yuu was working on her songs. She caught Jack by surprise when she asked him his opinion on a song. He put down his homework and agreed to listen. He curled up behind her and listened as she sang the song she had been working on the past couple of weeks, all while Jack's tail lightly wagged on the side of the bed; "Lovesick"
Note: Please Like, Reblog, and Follow for more! If you are interested in seeing more characters in this scenario or these characters in different scenarios, please let me know! (Do not Steal)
Prompt - NRC is in upheaval. A video of Yuu singing a song has been circling around the school about her being "bewitched," and everyone is trying to figure out by who. Yuu is embarrassed and upset about her private song being the subject of gossip, so she decides to hide from everyone only for her crush to find her and reveal he has been "bewitched," by her...
Pairings - Heartstyble x F!Yuu
Warnings - Very Shy Yuu, Stagefright (Yuu again), Fluff, Fluff, and More Fluff
Riddle couldn't get Yuu's song out of his head. He found himself humming it at random moments in the day. Trey and Cater noticed this as well, and they also knew about Riddle's feelings towards the Ramshackle perfect. After Cater pointed it out at Breakfast, Riddle stopped and shook it off. He tried to ignore the fluttering in hie chest when he heard the lyrics or even though about them, but it didn't work. He confessed this to his friends, and they encouraged Riddle to go to her. To sedate their pestering, he agreed to go later with her work.
He was also more defensive than usual as he heard his classmates gossip about his dear friend. He had collared more students than usual for gambling and breaking the most minuet rules. His dormmates worried that he was slipping back into his old habits after making and trying so hard to change.
At the end of the day, he found himself walking towards Ramshackle. He told himself it was to give her the work she missed, but his heart was pounding in his chest. As he stood outside her door, he stole himself for a moment and dared to hope.
"Yuu... I just want you to know you've bewitched me too..."
When Yuu opened the door, Riddle could see it in her eyes. Relief. Relief and hope for returned affections.
"Really? D-do you mean it?" She said, her notebook clutched to her side. She was just as nervous as he was.
Riddle nodded and said, "Yes, I have for a long time now. I just..." He took a deep breath to steady himself, but never looked away from her eyes, "I didn't want to risk loosing you, but now, if you will have me, I would love to properly court you."
Riddle held out his hand to her, and for a second, he thought he made a mistake, but she broke that tension with a tight hug.
"Yes," she whispered into his ear.
He wrapped his arms around her, and all their tension disappeared. They sunk into each other and nearly fell to the floor. Riddle was able to keep them up, and when they parted, he could see the relief in her eyes. He couldn't help but smile and the beautiful rose who held his heart.
"By the way, you have a gorgeous voice. Like the White Roses of the Queendom courts," He said and cupped her face in his hand, "with the mind of the rhyming hatter."
This made her giggle. He had never seen her shine so bright as she did now. Her laugh made him do something crazy but that is what her spell did to him. He leaned in and kissed her in a sweep of passion.
And of all things, she kissed him back.
He may be the Mage, but she truly was Bewitching.
Weeks later, after building up a lot of courage, she asked, her now boyfriend, Riddle to come over. When he did, she sang him a song he saw in her notebook, a song for the Queen of Hearts from his White Rose: "La Vie En Rose"
Ace knew the song was about him. From the lyrics to the way she had been acting recently, he just knew! He had to tell her he felt the same. He tried to tell her that night, but Grim and his dormmates said she wanted to be alone. He tried calling and texting her, but received no answer. The next morning, he waited for her like he and the rest of the first years did every morning, but she never came out. He then waited for her in class but she never appeared. He started to worry as all his text and calls were ignored as well as everyone else's.
His mood also soured as he kept hearing his classmates bet and gossip about his friend. He snapped at almost everyone, and his temper was worse than Riddle's. He was so mad that he almost got into a fight at one point with an Octavinelle student who was collecting bets. By the end of the day, after a grueling Basketball practice, Ace had enough. He had to talk to Yuu NOW. He ran out of the Locker room, hair still wet from the shower, and darted to Ramshackle. He made it to the door, out of breath and wet, and the ghost finally let him in. He made it to Yuu's door and paused. What if he was reading this wrong? What if he was betting on feelings that were not there?... well there is no other way to find out.
He knocked on the door and paused, "Yuu. It's Ace. Open up!" He waited for a second, his confidence waining as he poured his heart out, "Please... I... I need to tell you. Your song, I... I don't know if I'm reading this wrong, but I need you to know, you've Bewitched me too..."
Ace was about to leave, thinking maybe his assumptions were wrong, but before he could turn away, the door opened. Yuu looked at him with doe eyes and he knew. She loved him to.
Wet. Exhausted. And Relieved. Yuu and Ace embraced. They stayed like that for a few moments before Yuu muttered.
"Thank you for showering before you came over..."
Ace chuckled at his shy friend turned crush finally breaking out of her shell. A side she reserved for those closest to her and the side that made Ace's heart swell.
"Jamil shoved me in the shower. Since someone has been ignoring my calls and text all day, I nearly ran over sweaty and in uniform." He pulled away to look Yuu in her lovely eyes that scared him all day, "If you ever do something like that again, I will cover you in sweat and not shower for a week."
That made her laugh for the first time all day, "You'll be punishing Heartsyble more than me. Riddle and Deuce may chase you with a hose and soap if you do."
"I'll tell them it's your fault," he said, ruffling her hair, "Then you'll have to deal with my stink!"
Yuu couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Fine, Fine, I won't do that again!" When she got the giggles out, she looked at her notebook and said, "I-I just didn't know what to say, I was-am so embarrassed."
"Why? You have a great voice!" He said and his hand moved from her head to her cheek, "I can't believe you've been holding out on us,"
She looked up at him and a blush spread across her cheeks. "I write songs to help figure out my feelings. It felt like everyone was hearing a secret I wasn't ready to tell."
He leaned into her and placed his forehead on top of hers, "Well, when your ready, I can't wait to hear all your hearts secrets, and when you do, I'll tell you mine."
Yuu smiled and placed her hand on his cheek, "One day..."
"One day... but today, I'm happy I get to finally call you mine~" Always One for taking chances, Ace titled his head and kissed her.
After relentless asking and patient waiting on Ace's part, Yuu finally felt ready to sing for him. One night when Ace was sleeping over, Yuu brought out her notebook and opened to a song she wrote about her trickster - "Golden Hour"
Deuce had been in guard dog mode all day. Anytime someone made a comment about Yuu or her song, he would flip back to his old self. Ace and the other first years had to hold him back from decking two second-year Pomefoire Students debating whether Vil or Epel were the song's subject. It reached the point where Crewel let Deuce leave class early to deliver Yuu her missing work because he "looked like a caged hound about to attack."
On his way out, someone said something that got him thinking: "Why's he all worked up? Not like he likes her or something."
This got him thinking. As he walked to Ramshackle, he started to think about Why he was so protective beyond she was "just a friend." Whenever he thought about his feelings towards Yuu for more than two seconds, it made his heart pound and head feel light. He described this feeling to his mom to try to understand what was happening, and she asked him if he had a crush. He brushed it off at the time, but now he thought about it seriously. Did he have a crush on Yuu? Did he have feelings for her? Is that why the song made his stomach flutter and cheeks burn? Yuu seemed to blush as much as he did when their hands brushed against each other so it had to be... Oh Sevens.
Then suddenly it hit him - He was Bewitched by her and She him and he had to tell her.
Before heading over to Ramshackle, he stopped at the botanical gardens and picked some flowers. He remembered his mom saying something about bringing someone flowers when they are sad and people in movies did it enough that it had to be a standard. So with a messy bouquet of flowers in hand, Deuce stood outside Yuu's door. Shaking from nerves. Heart pounding in his ears. and determined to confess his feelings.
He knocked on Yuu's door, took a deep breath, and said, "Yuu, I... I don't know if you feel the same but I want you to know. You've bewitched me too..."
It took all of Duece's control not to crush the flowers or shake all the leaves off them. After a few shaky breaths, Yuu opened the door. Neither spoke out of nerves, but they didn't need to. They stared into eachothers eyes and knew.
They both felt the same.
By complete accident and unbeknownst to both.
They had Bewitched each other and fallen in love.
Deuce was captivated by her and was mentally kicking himself for not realizing this earlier. He tried to speak, but his words kept getting caught in his throat. "U-um... ah..."
Yuu looked at the flowers and blush crept onto her face, "a-are those for me?"
Deuce looked down at the poor flowers he was using as a stress ball and nodded ferriously, "Y-yes! For you! I mean aaah..."
He was redder than Riddle on a bad day, but this only made him more endearing to Yuu. She gently took his flowers and brought them to her nose.
She smiled as she smiled them, "Thank you, I needed this..." she looked at him then looked away, "I-I needed you too..."
Deuce didn't know what to say, so he just hugged her. He was incredibly gentle as he wrapped his arms around her and she him. He found it easier to speak when he didn't look directly at her.
"I need you too..." He rested his head atop hers and finally found the words he needed to say, "Yuu, I know I am not the smartest, the best looking, or wealthiest person in the school. There are so many better choices than me... but I... I will give you everything I can. I'll protect you. I'll support you... and I will work ten times harder to be an Honor Student and be worthy enough to stand next to you." His arms tightened around her slightly as if this hug solidified the promise.
"Deuce, you don't need to prove anything or change a single thing about you." She pulls back and places a hand on his cheek and forces Deuce to look into her eyes. "You are incredible already. You're so kind and dedicated. You try your hardest at everything you do and are so earnest. I want to work harder to be more like you..." she gently strokes his cheek with her thumb and smiles at him, "I-I know we both have stuff to work on, but I am willing to work with you and support you... if that's what you want too?"
Deuce was enraptured by her and found himself swept up in emotion and passion. All fear and embarrassment pushed aside - he kissed her.
And to his suprise and delight, she kissed him back. When they separated, all Deuce could do was smile, "I want nothing more!"
For a moment, Deuce didn't feel like an awkward ex-delinquent pretending to be an honor student. He felt like a Card Knight with the Queens Singing Flower in his arms.
Deuce respected Yuu's privacy and was overjoyed with any bits Yuu was willing to share. And the more they spend time together, the more comfortable Yuu was sharing her songs with Deuce. Then, one evening, while relaxing in Ramshackle, Yuu was perusing her notebook, showing Deuce some of the songs. When they crossed one song, as he read the lyrics, she started to sing for her Spade Knight - "What Love Will Do to You"
Trey hated confronting his own feelings, but Yuu's song made him do just that. He usually baked to clear his head, but he had to get through a day of classes first. Every time he heard Yuu's name or mention of her song and it's subject, Trey's heart panged with a hollow feeling, and his patients was tested. And by the time clubs rolled around it nearly broke. At the beginning of the club meeting, a few of his clubmates were discussing one of the many betting pots and he heard his name thrown around.
"... you see the way he treats her, it has to be Trey!" One of the Heartsyble students in his year said.
"Eeeh, I think it's more brotherly than romantic. Besides why would she pick Trey when she has literal Princes interested in her? He's just a Baker." A Scarbia student remarked.
Just a Baker.... Just a Baker... why dose that hurt so much?
"-Clover! Watch what you're doing!" Rook took the beaker out of Trey's hand and pulled him away from the caldron before it spewed yellow smoke that smelled like rotten milk. Trey snapped out of it and didn't even register that Rook called him his actual last name.
"Sevens, Thanks Rook." Trey pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "I don't know what came over me..."
"Rose Chevalier, why don't you retire early?" Rook suggested, "You are suffering from La maladie d'amour,"
Trey shook his head and nodded, "Thanks Rook..."
Taking Rook's advice, Trey left club early. He went straight to the Heartsyble kitchen and began to do what he did best, bake. As he rolled out dough and mixed strawberry filling, he began to think about Yuu. He has had feelings for her since Riddle's overblot, but pushed them aside for the sake of their friendship... and out of fear. Despite how angry it made him, his clubmate was right. He was just a Baker. Not a Prince or a Model. A simple Baker... but he loved her, and that had to mean something. As the tart baked, Trey listed to the song once more. Her voice was truly angelic... it reminded him of the Singing Flowers of the Queendom Court. But the closer he listened, the more his heart swelled. By the end of the end of the song, he decided to at least go check on her... and tell her his feelings.
Now Trey found himself outside her door, and his heart was pounding again, only this time it was with anticipation.
He took a deep breath and let his heart speak for once, "I don't know if you feel the same, but I need to confess... you've Bewitched me too..."
After a few moments, Trey felt his heart deflate. He kneeled down to leave the tart at the door, but it opened before he could place it. He looked up and saw Yuu in all her glory. Despite being in her pajamas and exhausted in more ways than one... she was beautiful.
He stood up and tried to speak, but he didn't know what to say.
She looked up at him and asked, "Do you mean it?"
Trey nodded and smiled, "I do... I've had feelings for you for a while now. I just didn't say anything since I'm well... just a Baker." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the tart he made, "I thought I'd be okay with just being your friend, but after hearing your song... well I guess you can tell."
Trey stared at the tart, too scared to look into her eyes. Then he felt a hand on his cheek and dared to look. Her eyes sparkled, and she was smiling.
"You're more than a Baker... your sweet, have the paitents of a saint, are an incredible scientist and mage... your Trey." She stroked his cheek with her thumb as she spoke, "and I can't get you out of my head... but I was too scared to tell you yet," now she looked down and he could see the worry steep into her brow, "but I guess everyone knows now..."
He stepped inside, put the tart on the dresser, then pulled Yuu into a hug. "I'm sorry... but for the record, you have a beautiful voice."
Yuu buried her head in his chest and he stroked her hair. "...thanks..." she muttered into his chest and he could feel her smiled.
"And just a heads up, Cater is going to try and recruit you for the Pop Music Club," He swayed as they talked.
"Yeah, he has been texting me all day," she turned her head so she was listening to his heart. "I can't, though... anytime I try to sing in front of people... I freeze and feel like I'm about to vomit."
Trey rubbed her back and said, "I'll tell him if you want, I'm sure he'll understand. The real problem will be getting Kalim to back off."
Yuu chuckled and shook her head, "I have no clue where to start... he's so... Kalim."
"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll understand," Trey closed his eyes and basket in her warmth. They swayed to non-music and enjoyed the moment.
Eventually, Yuu's stomach rumbled, and she buried her head in his chest again. Trey leaned back and used one of his hands to lift her chin up to look at him, "Im guessing you didn't eat dinner yet?"
Yuu shook her head and said, "No... actually, i dont remember when I ate last.."
"Well, let's go down to the kitchen and fix that..." He didn't move from the position, and neither did she. He looked into her lips and decided to do one more thing He has wanted to do for a long, long time.
He leaned in and kissed her. It was a gentle kiss but held so much unspoken emotion. When they parted, they both smiled.
He may be just a Baker, but he was the luckiest baker in the world, for he had the most beautiful flower in the world right in his arms.
Trey understood Yuu's insecurities, so he never pushed her to sing and was content looking at the notebook when she was comfortable. But one day, while Trey and Yuu were waiting for cookies to finish baking, Yuu started to sing one of her songs to her beloved Baker - "Sweet Nothing"
Cater knew Yuu was special from the moment he met her, but he never expected THAT. When Cater saw Grim post a video of Yuu SINGING... he the flood gates opened. He knew she was super shy and knew from the way the video was filmed, that this was done without her knowing. He texted Yuu to try and check in on her, but the betting comments started immediately. That night and the next day, he spent trying to trim the comments and keep them positive. He knew the pressures of social media far too well and wanted to keep her away from it if he could. While he played media knight, he saw many comments about him and Yuu. Some of the second years and heartstyble students were defending the song being about him, and some of them had decent arguments, but others simply pointed out his gaping flaws...
These comments haunted him all during class and into the club meetings. His facade faltered quiet a bit that day and he didn't notice till Lilia approached him and poked his forehead. Both of his clubmates knew about Cater's crush, it was easy to see once you knew what to look for. The fact that KALIM noticed these tells was very telling. What really broke the ice was when Kalim let it slip that he knew Yuu had a crush on Cater.
"... what if she rejects me and it makes everything weird? I can't risk that." Cater Repeated.
"But she WONT!" Kalim emphasized.
"How do you know that?" Cater bit back, his agitation getting the best of him, "This could break everything, I-"
"BECAUSE SHE TOLD ME CATER!!!" Kalim exclaimed then covered his mouth. "Sevens I said too much." He looked like a puppy that knew it did something wrong... which ment he was telling the truth.
"S-she what?" Cater said softly.
Kalim slouched his shoulders and said, "No point in hiding it... Yuu has a crush on you. She told me and Jamil on accident when I took her shopping two weeks ago and made us promise not to tell!"
Upon that admission, Cater ran to Ramshackle, leaving Kalim to Lilia, who made popcorn and thanked the boy for some quality entertainment.
It started to rain as he ran to Ramshackle. His heart pounding and resolve strong. If she liked him back then, what was he waiting for? She was the one person who looked behind the masked and accepted him! When he has a bad day, she would bring him a sandwich cut in cute shapes. Make him put his phone down and enjoy a view. Reminded him that he didn't have to be Cay-Cay all the time, but Cater.
By the time he made it to Yuu's door, he was soaked. He knocked on the door and asked Yuu if she was alright. When she didn't answer, he hesitated for a moment but decided to be brave for once and not shrivel back to his phone.
"Yuu, I need you to know... I don't know if you meant this but... I'm bewitched by you too."
When Yuu opened the door, instead of the Cay-Cay on magicam who sheilded his heart behind a diamond smile, she saw Cater, a scared boy who let down his guard and placed his heart on his sleeve.
Cold water dripped down his face and he was very disheveled. But he looked at her with such warmth. When she saw him, her eyes widened when she saw him.
"Cater! You're soaked!" Yuu fretted over him, taking his hand and pulling him inside. "Take your blazer off. You'll catch a cold!" She pulled him in front of the fireplace and had him sit on the rug. She lit the fire with a match and grabbed a few towels. Cater took his blazer off and watched as she wrapped a towel around his shoulders. He smiled at her as she took a smaller towel and dried his hair. He came to help her and her she was caring for him. She whipped the diamond off his cheek and he took the opportunity to place his hand over hers. She looked into his eyes and gently stroked his cheek.
"Do you mean it?" She asked, her voice trembling and earnest. "You... you feel the same?"
Cater nodded and gave her a soft, genuine smile, "Yeah, for a while now, actually." He leaned into her touch, "But I was scared you didn't feel the same."
Yuu chuckled a bit and said, "Same here... I didn't want to lose you by making things weird."
"Well, you haven't... if anything, this is feels more like a dream come true than reality." He chuckled and reached out to stroke her hair.
"What if it is?" Yuu asked tentatively.
She looked ethereal, the fire illuminating her silhouette. He decided to do one more brave thing today. She was worth it. "Well, there is one way to find out."
Cater leaned in tenitivly to Yuu, his heart pounding in his ears, and he felt like the White Rabbit, fearing what was to come. Before him was the most beautiful flower, and this was his chance to be with her. The Card Soldier pressed his lips to the White Rose's, giving her a delicate kiss that ensured them both this wasn't a dream. This was real. He loved her, and she loved him. And that is all they needed.
When they separated, Yuu smiled. Cater pulled her into his lap and held her close. As the rain tapped on the windows outside, two lovers embraced by the fireside.
Cater understood stagefright and never pressured Yuu to sing, nor did he ever post anything about their relationship or her on his account without her permission. But he did invite her to every pop music club meeting and event. He was her protector from the nosy Magicam monsters who tried to pressure her or pry into her life. He was her personal Card Soldier. Weeks later, after one of these meetings, Cater and Yuu stayed behind to clean up since Lilia and Kalim had to leave early. As they cleaned up, Yuu picked up a gautair and started to strum mindlessly. Then she began to sing for her Diamond Knight - "Lucky for Me"
Note: Please Like, Reblog, and Follow for more! If you are interested in seeing more characters in this scenario or these characters in different scenarios, please let me know! (Do not Steal)
Summary: Rollo has been eyeing you since your arrival, seeing you as the diamond amongst coals. At the Ball, he corners you into a dance, but your BF is not going to let this slide...
Pairings: Riddle, Deuce, Ruggie, and Jamil x F!Reader (Separately)
For Idia, Azul, and Malleus, check out Part 1!
For Rollo, Check out "Heaven's Light"!
Warnings: Possessive behavior, suggestive, manipulation and obsession (Rollo), established relationships, Secretive relationship implied on Riddle's part, swearing in Deuce's part, Jamil refers to readers Rohi (Arabic for "my soulmate"), romantic ~
Note: Thank you to everyone who enjoyed section 1 ("She Blazes Me")! The idea for this came while playing Glorious Masquerade, and I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I have writing it!
Prologue
"Who might you be miss?"
Y/n gave a kind smile and nodded her head in greeting "I'm y/n, it's nice to meet you," she stayed next to Trein as she was there as his assistant.
"Yuu is our magicless perfect of Ramshackle. She will be working as my assistant throughout the trip," Trein added.
She felt Rollo's eyes scan her and, unlike his greetings to the rest, he held out a hand. Being poilet, she offered her hand as well, and he lifted it to his lips, grazing her knuckles quickly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, y/n. I understand it must be difficult, being surrounded by mages every second of the day. I hope you get a chance to relax this trip."
Y/n blushed at the motion and bit her lower lip. All the while, she could feel her boyfriend glaring daggers into her and Rollo.
"I-I'll do my best..." Y/n replied.
Throughout the entire trip, Rollo seemed to gravitate towards y/n and used every excuse to isolate her from the group. They chatted about her difficulties at NRC and of the festival. Due to her being Trein's assistant and the constant reminders to behave, she and her boyfriend had little time together.
This all accumulated at the Masquerade. Rollo had given Y/n a proper dress for the occasion instead of the attire his counsel had chosen. The (color) fabric decadently adorned your figure and stunned the NRC boys with its beauty. But before her boyfriend could ask for a dance, Rollo stole y/n away. He whisked her to the dance floor, and they started chatting.
At this point, Y/N's boyfriend has had enough of the student counsel president, but what sent him over the edge is when he takes you to the balcony and dare suggest the worst:
"Y/n, stay here with me." Y/n turned quickly on her heels to Rollo in confusion, "The fools at NRC do not deserve your purity. You belong here. with me." He has her pinned against the balcony, "This is your sanctuary."
Y/n pushed Rollo away slightly and spoke up, "Thank you for the offer, but I have not intention of leaving NRC. It is difficult at times but I wouldn't have it any other way. Now if you excuse me, I want to go back to the ball."
Rollo grabbed y/n's wrist and pulled her against him. "It's because of him, isn't it? He has bewitched you!" He pinned her between the balcony wall and him. "Those fiends have enchanted you, but I will free you from those chains and show you salvation! No matter the cost!"
Riddle Roseheart
Riddle had been watching the scene through a crack in the door. He felt his blood run cold at the mention of her leaving NRC. He knew it was a possibility, and for a second he thought she would be better off at NB. Then Rollo dared lay a hand on his rose.
His blood went from frigid to boiling.
Riddle slammed the doors open, causing them to clang against the walls. Rollo spun on his heels to see who dared to disturb him and the perfect.
"Roseheart. What are you doing-"
"Don't play daft with me. I saw everything." Riddle went straight to y/n and, with all his strength, physically removed Rollo's hand from her wrist, placing himself between Rollo and his rose. "You call yourself a gentleman, taking advantage of a lady and forcing yourself upon her! You have failed as a Host, as a Gentleman. And you dare threaten MY Rose." Riddle raised his pen in preparation to cast his signature spell, "I will have your head for this-"
He felt the hands of his rose on his back, a reminder to bring him back to reality. Riddle lowered his pen and took a deep breath. He was not the man he once was. He could control his temper.
"Y/n, let's go." He took her hand and guided her away from the cursed balcony. He never let y/n out of his sight for a single second. He ignored the mutters of the Student Counsel President and put all his focus on her.
He led her into a hidden part of the ballroom. Once safely away from the prying eyes of the crowd, he delicately checked her for bruising. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you anywhere?"
He gently caressed her face as she silently shook her head. He pulled her into a gentle embrace and whispered, "It's okay, I got you... he can't hurt you."
He felt y/n tighten the hug and he reciprocated. "Thank you for stepping in... I was so scared."
"I'm so sorry I didn't see it sooner. I should have been more assertive or-r told him off. I-I could have-"
"Riddle." Y/n leaned back and placed her hands on either side of his face, "There isn't anything else you could have done. Rollo is the one at fault, not you."
"But if I held you, or was more showing with our relationship, maybe he would have been fended off from pursuing you-"
"Riddle, I know you're not a fan of PDA. You are a little more reserved when it comes to PDA, but you show your love in other ways." Y/n caressed Riddle's cheek as she spoke, "You're chivalrous and I love that about you."
Riddle blushed as his rose complimented him, "Thank you rose, but I think... I think I am ready to be more forward, I want everyone to know that you are mine and I am yours." He leaned in and gave her a passionate kiss. He moved his hand to the back of her head and held her close to him.
After a minute, they parted and he could tell the pleasant surprise on the perfect's face. The music swelled and he heard faint voices call his and y/n's name.
"We are being summoned," Riddle peaked out of their hiding spot and gave himself a moment to compose himself. He turned to his rose and fixed his coat, "I am a man of his word," Riddle held out his gloved hand and took the stance of the knights of old, "Shall we dance, my rose?"
Deuce Spade
"What do ya think you're doin'." Deuce's voice was cold. A tone he hasn't used since his delinquent days.
Rollo turned and saw Duece holding out his magic pen to the third year as if it were a rapier pointed at his chest. His eyes were no longer that sparkling blue, but frigid cold as he glared daggers into this predator.
Y/n's look of pure fear fueled Duece's rage, as he held himself together by the seams.
"We are simply having a conversation," Rollo still had a grip on y/n's wrist and brushed off the boy, "Now if you excuse us, we have more things to-"
"No." Deuce said simply and approached carefully. Deuce may not be the brightest, but he knew when his girlfriend was uncomfortable, and this man made her very uncomfortable. "Y/n, let's go."
Y/n tried to move towards Deuce, but Rollo yanked her back. "Are you really going to let him order you around?"
"Please let-" "LET HER GO YOU BASTARD!" Deuce interrupted. His pen aided his fist as he punched Rollo right in the jaw. The Student Council President wretched back and released his grip on the perfect. She darted for Duece's arms. He enveloped her in his arms. Before he could even ask her if she was okay, he saw Rollo regain his composure so he moved her behind him.
He faced Rollo who was enraged. That filth punched him. The Host. "How dare you. Your professor will hear of this-"
"You won't say a word." All three turned to see Riddle. He saw everything. "If you don't want to be reported for harassment of the only female student from NRC, then you will say nothing."
Rollo's impenetrable expression had a hint of fear in it. Riddle approached the preditor, passing the couple. He briefly paused next to Deuce and said in a low tone, "Get her out. I'll take care of this."
Deuce was still filled with rage at Rollo, but he saw how shaken his dearest was. He nodded to his housewarden with a whisper of thanks, then whisked y/n away from the scene.
As they walked out of the balcony, he kept his arm around y/n's shoulder. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as his rage turned to worry for his dear perfect. He blamed himself for what happened. If he had paid more attention to you and how Rollo interacted with her, he may have subverted this. Once they were in the hall between the balcony and the ballroom, he pulled her aside to a hidden bench. The two sat and Deuce just held y/n close as the situation washed over the both of them.
Deuce felt his eyes water as he quietly said "I'm sorry." He patted her hair and pulled her into his chest "I'm so sorry I wasn't there, If I was then I could have stopped him or protected you or-"
Y/n cut off his ramblings with a kiss. A light yet purposeful kiss that he melted into. He cupped her face and leaned into it. When she parted from his lips, she placed her hands on either side of his face.
"Deuce, you saved me. I-I am not sure what would have happened if... if you hadn't come by I am not sure what would've happened." Her eyes started to well again, "You were my knight... you are my knight in shining armor. So stop beating yourself up. Rollo is at fault, not you."
He placed a hand on top of hers. "He was right about one thing though," he leaned his head into her hand and lightly kissed it. "I don't deserve you. You do so much and get no recognition, and I have been part of that."
Deuce sits up straighter and takes both of the perfect's hands in his. He moves off the bench to kneel in front of her, mirroring the knights of old kneeling before their love. "I know I can be dense at times and my old self may creep out, but I promise you, I will work ten times harder to become a knight worthy of standing beside you. You bring out the best in me and I want you to know how much you mean to me." Following his gut he took a deep breath, "I will start right now."
With the moon illuminating him, he stood, removed his hat to place it above his heart, and held out a hand, "y/n, may I have this dance?"
Ruggie Bucchi
Ruggie never trusted Rollo. From the moment he smelled the man he knew he couldn't be trusted. What was worse was that Rollo seemed to glue himself to her and that made Ruggie's skin crawl, but due to Trein and Grim dragging you from place to place he couldn't keep you by his side. Now you were missing. Rollo stole y/n away from the ball and he couldn't find her anywhere. He would have never found her if it weren't for her signature scent cutting through the plethora of perfumes.
He followed her scent to the balcony just outside the ballroom and saw his worst nightmare. Rollo had you pinned to the balcony and was leaning way to close for comfort. He heard Rollo's shpeal and felt his fur stand on its ends. He knew his girl would tell off the bastard, but when he wouldn't listen, Ruggie stepped in.
"The lady said she wanted to dance," Ruggie stepped out from behind the door and walked over to y/n, "I thought you righteous types would be more gentlemanly." Ruggie slipped his hand around y/n's arm and pulled her towards him.
"Bucchi." Rollo gripped his neckerchief and raised it to his mouth to cover his scowl. "Y/n and I were just having a conversation."
"Really? What were ya talking about?" Ruggie played dumb as he snaked his arm around his beloved's waist, holding her close.
Rollo glared at Ruggie, but this only made his smile grow and move behind y/n to hug her from behind, nestling his head into the crook of her neck. He could feel her heartbeat racing as she leaned into his hug, placing her arms above his on her waist.
"Nothing of your concern..." Rollo's face screwed at the sight.
"Really, 'cause you were getting real close to her, and she looked real uncomfortable," Ruggie said and his grin morphed into a frown, "And I don't like it when people talk to my girlfriend like that."
He seemed to halt his breath for a moment, and then Rollo glared at Ruggie in disdain. "I was merely offering her an opportunity to be actually appreciated by her community, rather than taken advantage of."
"Well. Offer declined." Ruggie said coldly then held his girlfriend's hand and looked at her with warmth, "Why don't we go have that dance, princess? I think Prechy needs a moment to process things."
Y/n looked at Ruggie with small relief, "Yes, please." She then whispered a silent thank you.
Y/n looked at Ruggie with her e/c eyes that sparkled like gems. He couldn't help himself as he kissed her softly before he led her away from the gawking Rollo.
As they re-entered the ballroom, Ruggie never let go of y/n's hand. He felt his animal instincts still singing in his gut as his desire to protect his lover and make sure everyone knew she was taken still driver his emotion. He held y/n incredibly close as they danced. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled at her.
"Sorry for speaking for you. I didn't mean to, I just got all riled up and-"
Y/n pressed another kiss to his lips. One that was a lot more passionate than the one he gave her before. When she broke the kiss, it was Ruggie who was left breathless.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," She said, "I should be the one thanking you. You swooped in like a knight and rescued me from Rollo. I honestly have no idea what would have happened if you didn't come when you did..." He could see her mind wander to the worst, so he, being her knight in shining armor, spun her around and dipped her to the music. His sudden movements caused her smile to find its place again on her face.
Bringing her back up, he held her tight as he said, "I will always be there for you. It's a knight's job to protect his princess after all." This caused y/n to blush furiously and his heart to race. She looked ethereal in the candlelight of the ballroom.
Hearing the music change tones, he danced over to the side and whispered, "Ya know, it is a knight's job to take care of his princess, so how about I go show you my devotion? shishishishi~"
Jamil Viper
Life had taken much away from him, but he was not going to let this creep take his girlfriend.
"It's fascinating to see what brings out the true intentions of people." Jamil broke the villain's soliloquy with his cold voice.
He could see the relief on y/n's face as he appeared from behind the door. He had been listening in this entire time. He never let his Rohi out of his sight from the moment she entered the ballroom in that magnificent f/c dress to when Rollo stole her away.
"Viper, what are you doing out here?" Rollo asked, standing in front of y/n as if to hide her from him.
"Looking for y/n, I promised her a dance. But it seems I came here just in time," Jamil approached the two and held out his hand to y/n. Getting the signal, y/n started towards Jamil but was stopped by Rollo's arm, outstretched to halt her.
"Y/n and I are still discussing a delicate matter. We will return to the ballroom in a moment." Rollo started to turn towards y/n when Jamil placed a firm hand on Rollo's arm.
"She has made it clear she is done talking to you. I suggest you leave her be before I make you." Jamil looked to Y/n and made way for her to escape Rollo's grip as he turned his attention to Jamil.
Y/n quickly scurried to Jamil's side and he stepped in front of her as Rollo glared at the two of them. Jamil laid his hand on his magic pen as Rollo assessed him.
Seeing the situation and wanting to save face, Rollo looked to y/n and said, "I hope you consider my offer. We will discuss this later."
Rollo took his leave, regaining his composure before returning to the ball, leaving Jamil and y/n on the beautiful balcony overlooking the city.
With Rollo gone, Jamil turned his attention to his Rohi. His expression turned from threatening to worrying as he embraced his dearest, feeling her trembling from the endeavor she just experienced.
"I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered into her ear. He caressed her hair and did his best to comfort her.
"I was so scared, Jamil. He wouldn't let me go... he-he-" She couldn't get the words out and Jamil just held her for a long time. He let her cry into his shoulder as he whispered reassurance to her.
"It's okay Rohi, I'm here. No one will hurt you." he said, "I won't let anyone hurt you, never again."
After a while he pulled back and whipped away her tears with his gloved hands. He kissed her forehead and then leaned his own against hers. "Rohi, if anyone makes you feel like this again, please tell me and I will protect you." He cups her cheeks and caresses them with his thumb, "I will always protect you, no matter what. I love you y/n."
He kissed her with all the love he had. The music swelled and he heard some of the others calling their names.
Y/n must have heard this too as she turned her head towards the door. "We don't have to go back in if you don't want to," Jamil said softly.
Y/n shook her head and took a deep breath, "I think we should attempt to salvage the evening, it's not every day we get to attend a ball without you worrying about Kalim."
Jamil smiled softly and kissed his beloved's forehead, "As you wish."
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Note: Please Like, Reblog, and Follow for more! If you are interested in seeing an NSFW part 2 or want to see more characters in this scenario, please let me know! (Do not Steal)
Also if you get the "Princess Bride" Reference let me know :)
