This is such a fun request, thank you, anon!
Calling the omega!housewardens mate, as a slang!
Surviving in a world with foreign social norms and second genders is a challenge on its own, but you believe you are doing great! Your friends may tell you the opposite, tease your gullibleness or try their best to save your face, however, you argue you still have your head in place, so surely you didn't take any atrocious step until now!
At first, you felt like you were walking on eggshells, trying to not overstep the lines of acquaintances or offensive behavior. However, as you become used to this world, you also let some slang from your previous home escape your lips.
Surely there's barely any difference between alphas and omegas, âmateâ is just a friendly term, and you didn't miss any important cue, right?
The steps to take care of Vorpal are ingrained in Riddle's mind, the sequence of brushing, the pressure his horse allows, the tools to clean her hooves, how much nutrients she needs in her food.
It's almost therapeutic, he knows Vorpal's body language and she knows his, creating perfect harmony between both. However, today she was a little bit disquieted, perhaps because he left his routine and brought company with him.Â
Riddle found you on the way to the stables, and when he informed his destination, your interest was piqued and asked if Riddle would let you see him taking care of his horse. As of lately, he has a hard time saying no to you, integrating you in his routine silently.
If things continue to develop in this pace as they are, Riddle suspects you would become an even more present silhouette in his life. He doesn't know whether he can approve this or not, you take so much from him, his time, his attention, his worries and opinions, in a way no one else has, frustrating him to no end because he doesn't understand why.
But thinking of turning you away from him fills him with a painful dread worse than a knife to his chest. So he permits you to take as much as you want.
You look around the stable, fussing around the items, chests and drawers, admiring the other horses and, when you decided you had enough, you came back to his side, hands behind your back as you suspiciously tried to gauge his reactions.
âMate, look at this!â You take your hands out, showing Riddle the apple you got, but the omega is not listening to you anymore, not even thinking, brain cells all working around the first word. You completely lost Riddle. âMay I give this to Vorpal?â You asked hopefully.
Riddle gets redder and redder, expression swaying into emotions of disbelief, surprise, anger, and many more he couldn't give them names. âMate? We are NOT married!â he screamed.
He is not one to keep his emotions in check, and though you are hardly one to get on his nerves, allowing you to act out without dampening his temper, something about those words touched all the right and wrong nerves.Â
As you tried to calm him down, murmuring reassurances and saying you didn't mean it this way, you didn't know âmateâ was that important in this world. Instead of letting go, he somehow got even more upset.
He is angry because you used words carelessly, dismayed because you put no intention behind your words, embarrassed because he wants to hear it again. Riddle doesn't know what to do with himself, and he fears he will lose face if you stay next to him for a second more. In the end, he asks to be left alone, hearing a soft apology coming from you before you obliged to his request.
When he is finally by himself, he picks up the apple you left, quietly caressing Vorpal's mane while he feeds her. With a heavy heart, Riddle realized he has a lot of thinking to do, and confront the emotions within himself.
Riddle wonders with what face he will look at you next time.
âWake up, mate.â You rudely interrupt his sleep, shaking his shoulders and face until his eyes focused on you.
This scene is certainly a dream, you over him, light coming through the windows forming a halo around your head, your eyes softening as he looks at you. Mate, such a pretty word, uttered by your voice. Soon, if this scene plays out like the rest of his dreams, you would swear loyalty to him for eternity, and lean down so you could kiss his lips.
Ah, what a beautiful dream, with the details his mind was capable of conjuring of your face this even looks and feels real.
âLeona,â you sing his name, âyou need to get up, you have to deliver a report to professor Trein today.âÂ
With just a phrase, Leona noticed this was reality, and he turned to his side with a groan, tunning you out. Probably Ruggie sent you here, thinking he would comply easier with it was you asking, that hyena is not wrong, he feels less bothered when it's you waking him up instead of anyone else.
But as he runs your interaction through his mind again⊠mate?! Suddenly he is far too awake to return to sleep, giving you a long side eye.Â
It's not the first time Leona noticed how oblivious you are to second genders, you treat alphas, betas and omegas the same, not trying to establish dominance over others, nor bowing your head when challenged by a stronger alpha.
Leona concluded you likely had no idea what you were talking about. But maybe⊠if he played this rightâŠ
âYou never think before speaking, do you?â Before you could complain, he grabbed your wrist, pulling you until you fell on top of him, snaking his arms around you so you wouldn't escape. âDo you have any idea how much power your word has?âÂ
âWhat are you talking about, Leona?â your voice is muffled in his chest, still struggling against his hold.
Leona hummed, âCall me that again.âÂ
âCall you what? Mate?â Leona voiced his agreement. âWhy?âÂ
He huffed in indignance, shaking his head, you are truly out of this world. âTry to find out by yourself,â he said.
He doesn't ask you to explain, he simply assumes mate has a different meaning in your world, but he also refuses to correct you, scheming so you will take much longer to discover its meaning.Â
Leona does, however, warn you to not call anyone else mate, only him, if you don't want any other misunderstandings happening. Alas, he also ponders how many people will think you both are an item before you realize the meaning of mate.
It's not a secret Azul always aims for the top, desiring to overcompensate his insecurities and prove his worth. Only there's someone, besides Rielle, he designated as his rival, even if it's one-sided and he would never admit out-loud, Riddle. The other boy is never out of the top of the class, with perfect scores and perfect discipline.Â
He is an obstacle in the way, if Riddle never stumbles, Azul is always second.
For the entirety of their first years, Azul wondered if there was really a weakness he could use against Riddle academically, anything that would bring the perfect boy to the ground.Â
It happens, however, Riddle's biggest struggle is practice. Inexperience to the outside world really affected him, and though he is a genius in theory, hands-on projects are hard for him to grapple with if they aren't written step-by-step with every detail possible.Â
That's how, on an alchemy test, Azul finally overcame him.Â
He could barely contain his excitement, throwing some jibs in Riddle's way after both checked the scores on the grading board of all second years. Running to his VIP room in Mostro Lounge and celebrating inside his head.
And, to complete his already awesome day, the alpha that stole his heart decided to pay him a visit. Life is good, life is amazing!
You greeted him with a smile, approaching with a skip on your feet, like you couldn't contain your own happiness, expression brightening even more when you see him.
âCongrats on your score, mate.â You cheekily said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
On his joyful stupor, Azul thought this was a dream, nodding his head slowly and a reply of gratitude almost escaping his lips. That was the right sequence of events, his success in life and his alpha, both belonging to him.
But like a bucket of cold water being thrown over his head, Azul realized this was reality. You called him mate, mate, him!Â
All of the sudden, his heartbeat skipped plenty of beats, for a moment he even thought his heart stopped and his soul transcended to the arms of the Seven. Was this a sign? Were you expressing your undying love for him, and asking him to be yours for eternity? He is all in for it, he assures you! You just got Azul completely unprepared! He needed to rehearse his phrases first!
Azul noticed he probably should answer you, as your expression gradually turns into one of concern, grip tightening on his shoulder and you softly shake him.
âAzul, are you alright?â You whisper, bringing your free hand to his face to faintly rub your sleeve on his chin.Â
âYes⊠yes!â He recovered his voice, inhaling as much air as he could, abruptly feeling like the room was too small, or that your presence was too big, he decided later to add one more thing, hardly having enough breath to mutter the word out, â... mate.âÂ
You made a sound of approval, guiding him to the couch and wordlessly motioning him to sit. Unknowingly to Azul's current suffering, you fill the room with praise to his accomplishment and chatter of your day.
From one side of the couch, one person thinks that their relationship grew in status, going over courting unplanned, needing to heed the alpha back to the proper steps, but before that, calm the resounding heart inside his chest. On the other side, a clueless person who doesn't know what chaos they brought to themselves, thinking only how they successfully got the decorous Azul to say an informal word.
Neither knows who will realize their mistake first.
Kalim has been floating on his feet lately, Jamil blames you for making his job harder. He looks out for you, invites you to his dorm everyday, and never tries to defuse the rumours about your relationship. You are very close, why would he undermine your relationship?Â
Even through Jamil's protests, Kalim rushes to you, he can almost feel it already, spending the afternoon together, both of you in his nest while talking about anything and everything. He finds you on your path to the cafeteria, looking as radiant as always, like an angel that came from the heavens to bless his life.
Life became even better after meeting you, he hopes that your relationship flourish and last for the rest of his days.
You agree to come see him later, like you always do, saying you would go to Sam's shop to bring some sweets for the afternoon - Kalim fails to mention he hardly ever eats anything that is not made by Jamil's hands, too excited to remember.
Then, you bestow his ears with grace, words getting better one after the other, fluttering his chest like the flap of the wings of a dove.
âSee you later, mate.â You wave him goodbye, Kalim nods dumbly, not even getting the chance to reply.
Kalim has a skip in his steps as he makes his way back to the dorm, dreamy eyes as he imagines both of you in the future, happily mated, building your life together in his family home.
The more he thinks about this, the more stupified he is, mates! So that's what he wanted all along! That's the feeling he wasn't capable of naming just yet!
He never asked what you meant, wistfully retelling Jamil what happened. He is giddy for days, smiling at nothing, laughing unprompted, and overall at cloud-on-nine, writing your names together in the corners of his notebooks and planning the gifts of your courting.
Everything was just right.
Except maybe you, who received an angry Jamil on your door, asking you to never call anyone else mate.
Vil won't accept anything short of a proper courtship, so when an alpha finally caught his eyes, he got to plan step by step what entails your future. He is not one to accept staying by the sidelines, so once he is sure of the eligibility of the alpha he desires, he begins his moves.
The omega can't deny the taste of victory he feels when he was able to snag your afternoons for dates - for now, study dates, but soon-to-be romantic dates.
The library was already a familiar place for Vil, but now he feels he could even point out the most imperceptible of cracks and where it is most likely to accumulate dust. All because of the slumped figure on his side.Â
He tries to not be too hard on you, Vil is aware that he is perceived as overbearing by some, after all. Still, he can barely tolerate your posture, gently touching your upper back until you leaned into his touch, fixing yourself. His hand lingered for a little too long, enjoying the pleasing warmth under his palm.
However, propriety deemed what was acceptable between friends and lovers, and he can't scare you too soon. Not that you really seemed to mind when he touches you.
You released a frustrated sigh, going over the story of magic again, Vil could only wait until you decided if you should ask for his help or not. Emphatically, you decided you should not, looking up from the book to eye him tiredly, with the most suffering expression he had ever seen coming from you.
âI need to rest, mate,â you muttered with a pout.
Vil's heart skipped a beat, but gaze immediately hardened, stupified and looking at you like you would give the answers of the universe. He knew what he wanted, that he was set on you, left many baits on your wait, hoping you would eventually catch them and initiate courting.
But even you would know better than to jump straight into mates, he desires to be wooed.
âAirhead, lost all sense of decorum?â he chastised, he needed to take some steps back and refine you, if you had thought this was appropriate at all.
âDid I get an upgrade from spudling to airhead? So mean,â you laughed, not taking him seriously at all, Vil realized he has a long way to go to fix you.
âWorse, potato head,â he ignored your sounds of protest, placing a finger over your mouth so you would finally shut it and let him correct you, âWhy did you call me mate? I know I'm a prize to be obtained, but even you should know you must take the steps to earn me first. Court me.â Vil said like a demand, not accepting any objection.
Your eyes widened, you nodded, then shook your head, then nodded again. You looked scared as you explained the meaning of mate in your world, and Vil was obliged to start another tirade on how you should learn what is the acceptable terms before calling anyone by nicknames, especially in a foreign place.
Next time you call him mate, Vil wants you to mean it and commit to your word, it would be much more pleasing if you said it with intention. Just thinking of it makes him feel smug, soon, he told himself.
Idia thought he was sick. It's the best explanation he could come up with, and you are the allergen. There's no other reason why his heart jumps out of his chest, he feels a bile coming up his throat, his hands getting sweaty and a shiver running down his spine, and only when you are close.
And he despises how he has to confront the need to run away from you fighting with the want to seek your gaze anytime he hears your voice. It's bothersome, he doesn't know what to do with himself, he never thought he would need to wrestle between two opposite urges. But he guesses only himself can be a worthy opponent for him.
Alas, you make a very difficult case for him. You seek him out, make time for him, remember to bring his favorite sweets and indulge in his hobbies, even when he is acting like a stinky otaku - and Idia refuses to be called stinky, he never misses his skincare, thank you very much!
You make things even worse when you seem genuinely intrigued in him, deciding to learn by yourself his interests and sometimes taking some of his time to ask him questions and opinions.Â
âMate, are you busy?â You voiced behind him, scaring his soul out of his body when he registered that word coming from your voice. He looked back, thinking you would be talking to someone else - no, his heart was not parting in half - but when he did, you were looking at him. He looked back again, just to be sure.
âMate?!â Idia's voice hitched, choking on his own saliva. No, no, he must have heard wrong, but when you didn't correct him, he began a charade of words, spilling from his mouth before his brain could register. âAre you out of your mind?! Calling me mate? We aren't even courting! How could you call me that? Me?! Doesn't make any sense! I'll never be chosen as anyone's spouse!âÂ
Idia only stopped when he needed to catch his breath, maybe you didn't even understand him because of how fast he spoke. But after a long gaze from you, going from confused, to surprised and then guilt, you apologized.
I'm sorry, Idia, from where I came from, âmateâ is just a nickname that can be used with just about anyone, I didn't realize it had a different meaning here.
Your apology repeatedly buzzed in his ears until he made it to his room. There, he allowed himself to rage. What a weird place to use such a special word mindlessly! Everyone just calling each other mate? Anyone?! And worseâŠ
You calling him mate did things to him. Ew.
That's the worst part, because he wanted to hear it again, because his heart singed when he was being referred as your mate. And this is horrible! Because you have no idea what being mates mean.
Idia, unfortunately, had some new revelations about himself during your chat today.Â
Once again, Malleus couldn't sleep, head too full of worries and unable to quiet down, and when it became too much, he decided to go somewhere that always brought peace to his mind. Lately, as both of you grew closer and Malleus became aware of his feelings, the prince would knock on your door and - hopefully - be invited inside, he noticed you hardly ever turned him away.
However, as it's late into the night and he wants to be mindful of your sleep, he decides to stand in the yard of Ramshackle, keeping the flowers and fireflies as his company. Malleus would hate to bother you, and induce you to not be his friend anymore.Â
But you seemed to have a personal alarm to know when Malleus was feeling down, as you step out of the building and wordlessly join his side. Your warmth transmits to his body and your presence is steading, mentally calculating if you should wait for your horned friend to talk first or be the one to fill the silence. Malleus takes a note that he shouldn't doubt your resolution to always comfort him.
As most of the time, you are the first to do the greetings.
âHey, mate, how are you doing?â
For you, it was objectively fair to call Malleus "mateâ. You two had become close, and you would like to think of him as a close friend, an irreplaceable companion, a bonded soul. Formality is something Malleus is used to, even from his family, so disregarding property could do him well, show him a speck of intimacy.
Even if the word can be used to strangers, that was not something just about anyone could use with Malleus.
Malleus, on the other hand, was caught off guard. A burst of warmth invaded his chest, leading him to think he would spit fire, at the same time that the rest of his body froze for a millisecond, almost flinching.
Even if he wouldn't admit, Malleus is someone who needs constant reassurance of this fragile and wishful bond you share. He was more cautious of his actions than when you met, wondering if you would be able to love him, even when you spoke of your home longingly.
But mates? That's certainly a positive outcome for Malleus, it was what he was aching for, to own you and know you wouldn't leave him to dust. Still, even as his smile turns smug, another worry is born in that moment. He feels guilty.
âApologies, I must have not noticed the clues of human courting.â This development is too important, he couldn't believe he missed all of your effort, but he must have reacted the right ways if you thought you were already mated.
âUh,â you answer dumbly, blinking rapidly as if his words didn't register, âHuman courting? What are you apologizing for?â
âFor not realizing we were mates beforehand.â Malleus replies, thinking of you as cute, of course he needs to apologize for his transgressions, no need to be humble, âI would have acted accordingly.âÂ
âOf course we are mates,â you laugh, shaking your head at the incredibleness of the situation, âThe other half of my soul in another body, this doesn't answer what you mean with human court- oh.â
Malleus nods soundly, unaware of the fighting happening within you. You never thought any of Ace and Deuce's classes on âhow to not be a dunce alphaâ would be necessary, you are plenty respectful of people! The only thing you got from it was âdon't be an asshole with omegasâ, now you are thoroughly lost on what you have done.
âMalleus, what does being mates entails?â You ask tentatively, hoping to not upset the omega.
âThat we are each othersâ forever, of course.âÂ