#interactions: jack.

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❛    do not call us that.    ❜

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despite not getting injured in the magift tournament the previous evening, jack stays in the infirmary until long after sunrise. he has yet to return to the dorm, sitting on the edge of one of the vacant beds even after everyone has gone back. well -- almost everyone. leona had been instructed to rest here for the night following his overblot. 

jack doesn’t need to be here. the night nurses are here to check up on the dorm head in case something is awry. but admittedly considering everything that’s happened as of late, the wolf doesn’t exactly trust the faculty to do their jobs as well as they should. & can you blame him? look at their headmaster! so here he sits to watch over leona until jack can be assured his upperclassman isn’t in need of any urgent care. because in his mind if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. not because he was worried for leona’s sake or cares about his safety. of course not. 

it’s about a quarter after seven in the morning when leona wakes up from the infirmary bed beside him. perhaps it’s unusual for him to wake up this early but the other has been sleeping for well over twelve hours now. & when he wakes it’s to see jack looking down at him, significantly sleep deprived but nevertheless awake. ❛    you’re awake.    ❜  is how he greets his dorm head first thing in the morning, short & to the point as always. 

@savanaclawed​  //   guard dog jack go grrrr

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@starswept​​ :    📝 ( kalim & jack or kalim & malleus pls !! )

( a piece of paper torn from a notebook & found in a savanaclaw waste bin on christmas morning 2020. there’s a lot of lines scratched out & the paper looks worse for wear. otherwise the writing itself looks pretty neat. )

December 24, 2020

The Christmas party was alright. Less crowded than I expected it to be. I ended up leaving early since it felt weird staying I ended up feeling tired after all the commotion. Ace, Deuce & Epel wouldn’t get off my back. Didn’t really feel like being teased by them tonight so I just went back to the dorm. 

I kissed Kalim tonight. Ace hung up a bunch of mistletoe everywhere & we got caught under it. Felt weird. Never really kissed anyone before. But it would’ve been cowardly to run away. It could’ve been worse I guess. I’m glad it was Kalim at least. I know I can trust him not to tease me for something like this. If I had to kiss someone for such a stupid reason, I’d want it to be him.  Still think mistletoe is a dumb tradition. Couples don’t really need an excuse to kiss each other. All it does is make awkward situations like this.

Should probably talk to Kalim tomorrow if he’s not busy. Sure it looked bad that I just ran off after kissing him. I probably owe him an apology. I forgot to give him the present I got him last night. Hopefully he hasn’t gone home already.

journal entries  //  accepting

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❛   can you move alright like that?    ❜  jack’s gaze is fixed on kalim’s attire, brows furrowing as he frowns over at the other. it’s not unusual for kalim to be dressed in an extravagant fashion but it is the first time jack’s seen the other in so many layers. guess it’s harder to acclimate to this kind of weather for someone like him.  ❛   you might wanna lose some of those layers.    ❜

@starswept​  //  snowboarding date nao

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❛    anyone sitting here?    ❜  jack gestures to the empty seat beside kalim. not that it matters considering the entire table is unoccupied. but who knows? maybe the dorm head was saving seats for people. though a part of him hopes that’s not the case. because truthfully jack had to set aside a bit of his own preferences in order to approach kalim. he doesn’t like looking...friendly. but he also doesn’t like the idea of kalim eating by himself either. 

@starswept​ // hiiiiii

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@starswept​:    mistletoe ( for jackie 💕 )

mistletoe  //  selectively accepting

jack’s one of the only people still working when the night raven holiday party officially begins. not that he needs to be. he’s technically done his required amount of decorating as a first year. but he’s never really known what to do at parties ( he’s too naturally introverted & awkward to go out of his way to mingle ). so he’s just busying himself until he’s needed to avoid standing around like an idiot. 

but of course there’s the part he doesn’t factor in, his classmates & friends. jack’s far too accustomed to being a literal lone wolf that oftentimes he forgets he could be missed when he intentionally separates himself from the group. & something he always seems to forget to factor in is a certain dorm leader who seems to particularly enjoy his company. mostly because he doesn’t understand it, doesn’t understand why someone like kalim would ever want to hang out with someone like him. 

jack doesn’t mind it though. far from it actually. as surprising & occasionally overwhelming kalim’s company is it’s also strangely pleasant. this sentiment isn’t something the wolf has openly expressed ( as he rarely openly expresses anything ) but it’s somewhat clear in other means. like the way his stance relaxes slightly when he hears kalim call for him & the small smile that appears on his face when the other comes to meet him. & sometimes on nights like tonight you can catch the very slight wag of his tail. it’s subtle but for someone like jack that’s as close as you’re likely to get to any public display of affection. 

but as luck would have it there’s another thing jack doesn’t factor in. this time it’s the sprig of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling just above his head. somehow despite his tall height he hadn’t noticed it until his canine ears pick up the sound of giggling from ace, deuce & epel nearby. his eyes narrow on them & it’s ace’s copper gaze he finds first. the other first year smirks & then proceeds to make kissy faces at him while pointing just above his head. jack looks upward & sure enough...mistletoe. 

the immediate flush to his face is nothing short of utterly mortifying. what’s worse is kalim doesn’t seem to have noticed yet. so all jack can do is listen to kalim chat onward happily & not hear him as his classmates’ giggles drown everything out in his ears. it becomes all too unbearable for jack & he knows it won’t stop until he either runs off or kisses kalim like he’s supposed to. 

jack could run if he wanted to. it’s not like anyone could stop him. he’s the fastest person on campus by a long shot. but that would be cowardly wouldn’t it? as much as he wants to the idea of running doesn’t quite sit right with him. but what’s the alternative option? he -- can’t kiss kalim. he’s never kissed anyone before...not like that anyway. jack’s stuck between a rock & a hard place with no rescue in sight. 

in the end he finds a way in the middle. it’s half cowardice & half courage. though frankly jack doesn’t know if he’d ever have the courage to do something further than this. even if he wanted to kiss kalim like that ( & he doesn’t...he doesn’t... ), he doesn’t want his first kiss, their first kiss to be like this, because of something stupid like mistletoe. 

so instead of lowering himself to meet kalim’s lips, jack moves to press a kiss to the other’s cheek. his face is unbearably warm now, so warm he might wonder if he’d somehow wandered back to scarabia with kalim. but the sound of hooting & hollering from ace & the others reminds him of where he is & what he’s done. when jack pulls away he can’t quite meet kalim’s eyes, looking wholeheartedly embarrassed as he mumbles. ❛    uh, merry christmas, kalim.    ❜

with that he does finally flee the area. not as a move of cowardice mind you ( well that’s what jack will tell himself anyway ), but as a move of justice. for it’s ace that he strides over to, redfaced & scowling. it doesn’t take a genius to know who likely set the mistletoe up. the first years were in charge of decorating the hall after all. & if he ends up giving ace a piece of his mind for his stupid little stunt it’s all well & good. & what’s more luck does seem to turn in jack’s favor when ace gets caught with deuce under the very same mistletoe he’d hung up himself. serves him right. 

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@starswept​​:    Once again, that rosy hue dusts Jack's cheeks, and like always, Kalim's gaze lingers on the blush. The mere sight if it is powerful thing, strong enough to knock all thoughts from his mind. Unable to help himself, he reaches forward to gingerly cup one of Jack's cheeks, his thumb momentarily tracing over the pink there... Then his other hand does the same, and he gives Jack a good squish!

kalim’s ability to flit about without so much of a care in the world always manages to catch jack by surprise. he’s learned to expect the bold behavior when in the other’s company. but even the prior anticipation doesn’t stop jack from practically coming undone whenever kalim says something unabashedly honest or does something else with little to no shame. these days even having kalim’s ever radiant smile directed at him makes jack feel a little sheepish. normally it’s the sort of discomfort that jack hates to feel but over time he’s grown to find it tolerable, even pleasant at times. 

tonight is a little bit different at first. when jack offers to walk kalim back to scarabia things are comfortable & pleasant. even at times when kalim makes a boldly complimentary statement, jack just takes it in stride. the wolf briefly wonders if he’s become immune to kalim’s charm. or maybe he’s just gotten so accustomed to it that it no longer effects him like it did before. because admittedly even if jack’s not as visibly flustered anymore, the warmth that floods his chest in kalim’s company doesn’t dwindle. not even for a moment. he’s not sure what that means but he’s inclined not to dwell on it. something tells jack he’s better off not knowing.

as they near the hall of mirrors kalim nearly makes a misstep, too in his own world to notice the stairs in his path. not until he nearly trips down the stairs, letting out a startled gasp. that gasp however is cut short as jack & his quick reflexes manage to catch kalim before he tumbles down the stairs. both the boys’ eyes are wide as jack tightens his grip on kalim’s hand & pulls him back to the top of the stairs. ❛    you okay?    ❜

kalim doesn’t say anything at first, simply staring at his savior with wide eyes for a moment. jack can feel the warm blush at last rising to his cheeks now as he feels kalim’s gaze on him. immediately he becomes overwhelmingly aware of his hand holding kalim’s, quickly releasing it as he clears his throat to shake off his embarrassment. ❛    you should be more careful. i might not be there to catch you next time.    ❜

kalim doesn’t seem to be aware of jack’s words, still staring up at him silently. in the moments since being pulled back up kalim’s expression has shifted slightly, being less of wide eyed shock & more of wide eyed wonder. the dorm head seems fixated on jack’s face for some reason, his ruby red eyes never leaving him. it brings the familiar wave of self consciousness to jack’s senses, unsure of what could possibly possess kalim to stare at him so intently.

this uncertainty only increases when kalim reaches up to cup jack’s face. it’s not uncommon for the other students at night raven college to touch him. though it’s mostly his ears or tail that’s touched as many of the human students see jack as an amusing pet to play with. he doesn’t usually like being touched without his permission. hell, he hardly likes being touched at all. but this isn’t bad really. it’s kinda strange but...not bad surprisingly enough. 

nobody’s really ever touched jack like this, like he was a person to be respected & valued as opposed to a plaything or pet. jack almost feels like he’s been transported into one of those romance dramas he used to watch with his mom. wait--- romance? is kalim coming on to him? kalim’s always been the bold & affectionate type but this feels different somehow. & he can’t help but shake the feeling that kalim’s caress of jack’s cheek & his fond gaze might mean something more than what he initially thought. 

but the question is would jack welcome such an advance?  he’s not even sure how he’d feel about whatever it is kalim’s thinking. while his plan to remain a lone wolf at school very quickly fell apart, jack has been very careful to avoid things going into romantic territory. mostly because he doesn’t think himself ready for that right now. but in that case shouldn’t he move away from kalim? he should move away but jack can’t seem to be able to, frozen in shock as the other lifts his other hand to his face. 

& then jack’s face is promptly squished. 

immediately surprise turns into bewilderment as jack’s cheeks are squished. alright now he’s definitely never been touched like this. he’s not sure what to do with it or how he’s supposed to interpret this gesture. his long ears droop downward slightly as jack tilts his head to the side in his confusion. there’s a question on the tip of his tongue. though that question is quickly silenced when kalim lets out a bright laugh. “ you’re so serious, jack! there’s no need to worry! i’m okay! ”

kalim drops his hands from jack’s face, instead taking the wolf’s hand to quickly lead him down the staircase. now this time it’s jack’s turn to nearly fall down the staircase, letting out a soft grunt as he nearly trips being pulled along. kalim doesn’t seem to notice this either, returning to his usual bubbly chattering as they near the hall of mirrors. jack doesn’t really mind it this time. his only concern is that he’s not absorbing anything kalim’s saying, too preoccupied with his own flood of thoughts since kalim had touched his face. well, so much for not dwelling on things regarding kalim.

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@starswept​​:    "Do you give them names? Your... cactuses? No— cacti?" Kalim shrugs off his confusion and goes back to admiring the little succulent. Unable to help himself, he reaches out to poke his finger against one of the spines, but as expected, the pain catches him a bit off guard. "They're very cute ! And prickly."

jack sets his watering can down, shaking his head a little bit as kalim flinches from the sharpness of the cactus. it would seem he’s underestimated how much common sense his upperclassman lacks. even his younger siblings know that poking the cacti is asking for thorns in your hand. or maybe it’s not a lack of common sense but an insatiable curiosity to see things for yourself despite knowing what could happen. perhaps it is courage & not foolishness that possesses kalim’s actions. if that is the case maybe there’s something admirable in that. jack’s never been one to disregard the amount of courage someone has, as it’s always been something he considers quite important to have.

regardless of whatever reason caused kalim to poke the cactus, there still is a matter of the consequences of doing so. wordlessly jack moves to take kalim’s hand in his own, turning it over so that he can inspect the other’s palm. as expected there’s a small thorn buried in kalim’s skin. ❛    this might hurt for a second,    ❜  he warns gently. there’s a beat & jack has quickly & expertly pulled the prick out. he’s dealt with the thorns enough over the years to know how to effectively take care of them. jack traces over kalim’s palm with his fingertips to inspect for any other possible injuries. when he’s satisfied that everything’s back to normal he drops the other’s hand, moving to the other side of the room to fetch something from his cabinet. 

❛    i don’t usually name my cacti,    ❜  jack states as he starts digging through his cabinet.  ❛    my little sister sometimes gives them names if something speaks out to her. the one you just pricked yourself on is called mr. thistle-britches.     ❜  he lets out a small huff as he utters the name. it’s undoubtedly a very silly name but that much can be expected when you let your seven year old sister name your cacti. 

jack returns to kalim’s side a few moments later, a small pack of bandaids in his hands. he again silently takes kalim’s hand again, this time to place the bandaid around his finger. the bandaid itself is a bright pick color & covered in little cartoon cats. jack looks vaguely embarrassed as he again pulls away from the other. figures he’d only have the bandaids he brought from home left with him.  ❛    sorry about the color. i ran out of my other bandaids.    ❜