A/n: I decided to give you all a break from my usual sad tormenting/agonizing stories🥰 enjoy!
Words: 1.1k
Pairing: Silver Vanrouge x fem! Reader
Warnings: none just pure fluff and kinda crack fic?
-
Lilia was SICK and I mean SICK and TIRED of the lovesick and utterly helpless look his son always had on his face every time you were near their line of vision.
He knew about his son's huge crush on you. I mean how could he not with the way silver LOOKS at you like you’re the only thing in this world?! Soft eyes staring at you with nothing but admiration and attention.
Can his son not be any more obvious?
Lilia tried to talk to him about it. Get him to make a move so his son can be happy. Totally not because he’s excited for potential grandbabies
Anyways
Silver dismissed his father’s proposal of setting the two of you up for a date. He said that he wasn’t sure if you even liked him back, thinking you probably liked one of your first year friends due to your closeness with them.
Which almost made Lilia laugh
ALMOST
It’s painfully obvious of your relationship with those two heartslabyul guys. He once heard you say how you view them as siblings, which made him cackle from seeing the reactions of your two friends who looked absolutely mortified. Leaving you confused on why the older fae found it funny.
But that was during the first few months of you being here, after that the duo started seeing you as a very close friend/sister.
ANYWAYS ENOUGH OF THAT
Lilia is sick and absolutely TIRED of seeing his son sulk and love you from afar. Trust me he’s seen his son stare at you like a divorced man that fumbled his beautiful ex wife and wants her back. So he’s going to finally take matters into his own hands and start setting up plans and ways to get you and his son together. (And maybe also pray to the great sevens for extra measures)
-
“In the count of three, we all show our results”
“One…”
“Two…”
“Three!!” You all turn your papers around and stare at your scores. You visibly cringe at seeing your barely passing score. The loud noise from Ace made you turn around as you saw him jaw slacked. Staring at his own paper in horror.
“No way”
“This can’t be! I studied for weeks!” You patted deuce back gently. Feeling a bit bad for both of your friends.
“At least crewel is giving us a second chance to get a better score than the one we have!” You tell them. Ace slowly turns his head to face you, you smiled as you ignored his eye twitch.
“Second chance? Yeah no I’m screwed” You hear a loud thud come from your side, you turn to see deuce head on the table.
“We can’t have riddle find out about this…he’ll kill us and make us clean vorpal stables…” He slurs. You sigh and set your paper down.
“I wish I had someone to tutor me…”
And like a genie, Lilia appears out of nowhere.
Seriously, he just spawned out of nowhere.
“I know the perfect person!” The three of you scream.
“What the- Lilia?!” The fae ignores Ace as he beams at you.
“Why don’t you let my son tutor you? Silver is very good at history of magic! In fact, he scored a 100 on the recent test-”
He went on a full 30 minute rant about silver’s academic achievement as you, Ace, and deuce endured it all, much to silver's horror as he quickly came in and dragged Lilia away as he apologized with a red face.
But you did come to him and nervously asked if he could tutor you! (And he obviously said yes)
-
The next attempt happened when you were in Vargas class. You and epel were busy doing your daily stretches when vargas suddenly told everyone to partner up. Since you and epel were already together, the two of you decided to pair up.
Well imagine both of your surprise when you turn to hand Epel a broom only for you to bump straight into silvers chest.
“Oof!”
You look to see a very red faced and embarrassed silver while Epel was straight up confused on how he got to the other side of the field with a giddy Lilia next to him. Epel's eyes narrowed as he looked between you and silver before turning back to look at Lilia who was next to him. Again…how in the great sevens did he end up on the other side of the field?!
“I’m partnered with Epel! You and Silver get toget- uh partner up!” Lila shouts as he clutches onto the broom in his hands.
“But I was alrea-”
“Don’t ruin this for me”
-
The attempts went on for a while. From silver being your history of magic tutor to him showing you how to ride a horse, to then teaching you about the different animals twisted wonderland had, to-
Well, you get it.
Lilia noticed how much more his son started falling for you. The both of you sit together outside for lunch now, you’re busy talking about what went on with your day while silver just sits there quietly admiring you.
Lilia feels like shedding tears and already hears the sounds of wedding bells.
But after two weeks of trying to get his son to make a move, an old man gets tired eventually.
So now here he is, standing in the common room of diasomnia as he paces back and forth.
“I tried everything already! I love to see that the two grew closer BUT! I need silver to make a move already!”
Both sebek and malleus look puzzled. The two of them looked at each other before looking back at a stressed out Lilia who was busy ranting out his thoughts.
“Um, lil-”
“Not now sebek” The poor first year couldn’t do anything but sigh as he watched the older fae mumble.
Mallues clears his throat, Lilia looks over for a second before going back to his rambling, clearly letting the younger fae know he’s listening despite his situation.
“I’m surprised you’re stressing yourself out about young silver happy love life” Lilia pauses. He turns to mallues with a confused expression.
“Happy? I do-“ He gets cut off as the door to the common room bursts open. The three of then turn around to see a very happy and giggling silver and you as the two of you walk hand and hand.
Lilia jaw drop.
“W-when did this happen?”
“A month ago”
A MONTH?!
Mallues greets you both with a welcoming smile as sebek lets out a disappointed sigh.
“I tried to tell you Lilia-sama”
A loud thud echoes through the room as you all gasp.
“Father!”
“Oh no! Lilia are you okay?!”
The old fae has passed out. But the four of you didn’t miss the big ole smile he had on his face as he mumbled about his future quote on quote, “grandbabies”.
Twist first years x f reader/yuu, making them try a period cramps simulation. Let's say one day the boys accidentally Said something offensive about the reader's period thinking it was just simple words to them. And then the day after that reader goes to Sam's shop asking if he has a period cramp simulation (since the guy basically has everything) and asks the boys to try it out
【❝Projecting My Period Cramps Onto My Annoying Ass Friends❞】
【Synopsis: In which the first years get a taste of the pain you go through every month】
【Featuring: The NRC First Years (Ace Trappola, Deuce Spade, Jack Howl, Epel Felmier, Ortho Shroud, and Sebek Zigvolt)】
【Tags: fem reader, reader is Yuu/prefect, relationships depicted are platonic, TW for discussions of menstruation/period cramps/rude comments from Ace and Epel, reader gets her rightful payback by projecting her cramps onto the boys (minus Ortho bc he does no wrong), no beta, possible typos/spelling errors, please let me know if I missed any tags】
【Word count: 1.3k】
【a/n: hell hello and thank your for the request! While I’m not the biggest fans of the first years individually, I love writing for them as a group! Their dynamics with each other are just so amusing to me, which made writing this so much fun! Anyway, I really enjoyed working on this and j really hope you like it! :3】
‧₊˚ ┊ It all started with a comment from Ace at breakfast. Somehow, the topic of periods was brought up amongst yourself and the other first years, a subject you were very familiar with. You, obviously, expressed how terrible periods can be, especially the cramps. Ortho, of course, responded with a scientific explanation of the excruciating cramps can be. "According to a brief bit of research, some people report experiencing cramps so painful that they find themselves unable to walk and some even report passing out." For some reason, the statement causes Ace to respond with an amused huff. "Oh, c'mon, that's a bit of an overreaction, don't you think? It seriously can't be that bad." The others looked between each other, clearly put off by the rather rude comment.
‧₊˚ ┊ "Um, from what I've heard, period cramps are pretty painful." Deuce hesitantly spoke up, awkwardly shooting you a glance as he tried to broach the subject as carefully as possible. "Yeah, they're no joke, Ace. You're kinda making yourself look like a jerk." Jack's stern assertion pulls a gruff chortle from Epel. "I mean, they can't be that bad, can't they? Girls act like they're getting their organs pulled out or somethin'. It's just a little blood, ain't it?" This time, Sebek speaks up with a rather… unexpected response. "Just a just bit of blood? JUST A BIT OF BLOOD, ARE YOU SERIOUS? THE PAIN ENDURED ON A MONTHLY BASIS IS COMPARABLE TO THE PAIN A SOLDIER EXPERIENCES ON THE BATTLEFIELD! YOU VASTLY UNDERESTIMATE HOW EXCRUCIATING CRAMPS CAN BE! TELL THESE FOOLS WHO WRONG THEY ARE, PREFECT!"
‧₊˚ ┊ The table falls silent as they look to you — the only girl in their little group — for your say on the matter. Of course, you know that Ace and Epel's takes are a bunch of bullshit, but instead of calling them out on it now, you immediately start planning how to best to get your point across. "Sebek and the others are right. Cramps can be really bad at times, especially for people with conditions that make the pain worse. It's not fair for you to undermine pain you haven't experienced just because you think it's 'not that bad'. It's kinda a dick move, to be honest." Ace and Epel, of course, launch into arguments about how they 'weren't trying to be rude' but their clamoring falls on deaf ears.
‧₊˚ ┊ Not to defend them, but Ace and Epel have literally no idea how bad periods can be. Sebek and Jack have sisters, so they know full well the wrath periods wreck on one's body. Deuce, on the other hand, grew up watching his mom work her ass off day in and day out, period be damned, but even she had her days when the cramps got the best of her. Ortho only understands periods from a scientific perspective, but is completely aware of how terrible that can be for those that have them. All this to say, none of the boys have experienced cramps for themselves, but that's about to change. (Queue the evil, maniacal, laugher.)
‧₊˚ ┊ Sam boasts that his shop has literally everything for sale. You want a magic crystal? He's got it. You want school supplies? Say less. You want a period crank simulator? Odd request, but he's got it. For the low, low price of twenty thaumarks — after a discount thanks to all the points you've saved up from shopping there so often — you are now the owner of your very own period crank simulator machine! Now, you can put it to good use by showing the boys just how painful cramps can truly be.
‧₊˚ ┊ The next day, the first years gather at Ramshackle at your behest, confused and totally unprepared for what awaits them. "I have called you all here today for a very important meeting. The other day, the subject of period cramps was brought up, and I thought, since you all have never experienced them, that now would be a good time for you to see what I have to go through every month." Everyone except Ortho goes deadly silent, their expressions dropping and faces going pale. Immediately, Ace and Epel start trying to make up for their comments from the other day, while Sebek, Deuce, and Jack silently hope that they'll be exempt from this punishment. "Alright, who's going first? Of course, I won't subject Ortho to this, so play rock-paper-scissors, or I'll pick one of you myself." (Ortho decides that since he can't participate, he'll stand back and collect data on the experience instead lol.)
‧₊˚ ┊ Hesitantly, Deuce raises his hand. "I already know that isn't going to be good, but I'd like to get it out of the way as soon as possible." Sebek stands up to join him. "HOW HONORABLE OF YOU, SPADE! WORRY NOT, FOR I SHALL NOT LET YOU FACE THIS TERROR ALONE!" Despite his bravado, he looks a bit… queasy as you hook them up to the machine. Starting off on the lowest setting, they both seem to handle the pain pretty well. Level two sees them squirming a little, and by level three they're both tapping out. The others watch in horror as they both double other in pain, clutching their stomachs and begging you to switch off the machine.
‧₊˚ ┊ "Guess it's my turn now." Jack sighs, his ears pinned back against his head as he hesitantly approaches the machine. "I-I'll go too!" Much to everyone's surprise, Epel speaks up too. He wears a look of confidence that's undeniably marred by an undercurrent of what can only be described as fear. Level one and two go by without much of a hitch, maybe a sharp inhale or some uncomfortable squirming, but nothing crazy. Level three seems them both gritting their teeth and squeezing their eyes shut, but they don't tap out. So, you turn it up to level four. Jack and Epel last did all of ten seconds before they're frantically begging you to turn the machine off.
‧₊˚ ┊ "Well, you're up, Ace. Let's see if all the big talk amounts to anything." The cruel smirk that finds your lips sends a shiver down Ace's spine. He talked a big game about cramps not being that bad, but his precious confidence has all but eroded away after watching the others being subjected to this cruel form of torture. Still, Ace can't just back out after talking all that shit. "F-fine. Let's see how bad they really are." From the moment you turn the machine up to level one, Ace looks like he's about to throw up. While he plays like the pain is nothing, the way he grips the fabric of his pants tight enough to turn his knuckles white says otherwise. Wordlessly, you turn the machine up to level two. For a solid five seconds, everything is fine, but then the pain catches up with Ace's brain and he taps out. All that talk, and he calls it quits on level two. Hilarious. (Despite it all, the other first years find this ironically funny too.)
‧₊˚ ┊ "Awww what happened, Ace? I thought period cramps were an 'overreaction', right? Were you overreacting right now, or was it really that bad?" You can't help but taunt Ace after all his shit talking. In your humble opinion, he deserves it, so you don't feel any whatsoever. "I-I was wrong, okay?! I'm sorry for being an ass. Period cramps are no joke." The pathetic apology comes out as a whimper, sincere, but incredibly pained. "Yeah, you were right, prefect. Sorry for underestimating how much you have to go through every month." Epel chimes in sheepishly. "Hmph, I told you all periods were a strenuous ordeal on the body." Sebek boasts proudly. "Yeah, we tried to tell you two, but you didn't listen." Jack adds. "Well, guess you both learned your lesson." Deuce hums, trying to find something at least slightly positive out of the whole situation. "Yes, and I have acquired some very interesting data! According to my calculations, Ace has the lowest pain tolerance out of all of you!" Ortho's astute observation sends everyone — minus Ace, of course — into a fit of laughter. Well, none of them will ever question how painful periods are ever again and if they do, then you'll just have to hook them up to the cramp simulator and remind them again.
Epel looked distraught. He had spent the last three hours searching for his upperclassman, only to come up empty handed. He was now searching the courtyard again to no avail and was hoping you could give him a hand.
"Oh, yeah. He's been following me around all day," you answered.
"What?" Epel looked doubtful. His eyes scanned the empty paved path behind you. "How do you know?"
"Watch this."
You raised your hands above your head, forming a nice ring shape. No sooner did you lock your fingers together in the air than an arrow whizzed between your arms. It struck the ground right in front of Epel and chipped off part of the sidewalk.
Epel let out a swear and stepped back. "Wha' in tarnation was that!?"
You let your arms fall back down. "I think it's some kind of game. Rook hasn't actually spoken to me since he started doing it, but it's kinda fun. We've been practicing."
Hii! I dunno if you’re taking requests for writings but if you are, can you do a version of the malleus asks the NRC staff for your hand but instead of Malleus maybe Riddle, pls and thx!
If ur not feel free to ignore!🩷
Riddle asks the NRC staff for your hand in marriage! 𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ִ𐙚
cw | Reader is mentioned, crack, fluff, the staff are basically your dad, Riddle and you are in an established relationship, reader is yuu, the banner is from the manga 'veil', ooc, not proofread.
note | eeeee!! My first ever ask 🥺 thank you so much for requesting my cutie, I hope you like it!! It's my first time writing Riddle sooo 😭🩷
CREWEL was admiring his reflection when the door opened. "If you’ve come to ask for fashion advice, Pup, I’m—oh. Rosehearts. What’s got your collar so tight?"
Riddle stood at attention, face already pink. "Professor Crewel, I have a rather personal request."
"Oh? Do tell."
"I wish to request your blessing in… marrying the Prefect."
Crewel blinked rapidly. "You—my Pup?!"
Riddle’s whole face went scarlet. "Y-Yes! I realize it is unexpected, but I truly love them with all my heart, and I’ve given this great thought! I can provide them with a balanced life, and I—"
"Rosehearts," Crewel said slowly, "the only ring you’re getting anytime soon is a collar for speaking nonsense in my office."
Riddle sputtered, red from ear to ear. "W-What?! I—! I’m being sincere!"
Crewel stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "You can’t just barge in here, spouting proposals like some lovesick pup!"
Riddle’s voice cracked. "I was only trying to be proper!"
"Proper?!" Crewel threw his hands up.
"WHY WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU—!!"
CROWLEY hummed to himself as he signed off on some essential paperwork (that may or may not have been a 'Headmaster’s Special Fund'). The door creaked open.
"Ah—Rosehearts! What brings you here, dear boy? Another rule suggestion? More collar quotas?"
Riddle smoothed his uniform, expression painfully polite.
"No, Headmaster. I’ve come to ask for the Prefect’s hand in marriage."
Crowley spat tea across his ledger. "I—YOU—MARRIAGE?!"
"Yes," Riddle nodded crisply. "Once I graduate, I wish to take the prefect's hand in marriage, have them registered here as a citizen, cause you clearly didn't—I’ve made a full schedule of the engagement period, ceremony arrangements, and post-graduation relocation plan. Everything is perfectly in order."
Crowley slammed his desk. "ORDER—?! THERE WILL BE NO MARRIAGE ORDER! YOU’RE NOT MARRYING THE PREFECT!!"
Riddle blinked, offended. "Why not? Surely you see my qualifications—responsibility, punctuality, a respectable GPA—" He crossed his arms.
"THERE WILL BE NO WEDDING!!" Crowley screamed.
Riddle's jaw tightened, turning his heel to leave "This will not be our last meeting, I swear upon it. I will marry the prefect!"
Yuu: Because the ghosts in the cafeteria are friends with the ones in our dorm.
Grim: All the ghosts at school get together every once in a while to play cards in Ramshackle.
Yuu: And we get to join in, too!! They always let us win a few games *smiling*
Deuce: It’s like they’re… your uncles?
Ace: That’s favoritism!!!
Yuu: Excuse me for the fact that someone at this school cares about and looks out for a teenager and their cat living alone in a dilapidated dorm room.
As usual, the three idiots you called friends had gotten you into trouble. It could have been an ordinary alchemy lesson with Professor Crewel, but Ace just had to make fun of Grim, comparing him to the shriveled gray tuber you were supposed to use for your potion.
Of course, Ace kept provoking Grim until he snapped and tried to burn the tuber. Only to accidentally set a table on fire. Professor Crewel was not pleased, to say the least. So now, as punishment, you, Grim, Ace, and Deuce had to stay after class and finish the potion within the next hour and present it to Professor Crewel. Which was a tough task in itself, even without the troublesome behaviour of your friends.
You were discussing the next step with Deuce when, out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Ace trying to silently sneak toward the door.
"Ace!" you scolded, causing him to freeze mid-step. "Don't even try to sneak off on us, or you will be glued to the cauldron."
"Geez, I wasn't even trying to go anywhere. Just wanted to check if we need anything from the shelf over there," he lied very unconvincingly.
"We already have all the ingredients we need," you reminded him, before practically feeling the mischievous energy emanating from the cat monster somewhere behind you. "Grim. Don't even think about trying anything."
Deuce shook his head, exasperated after witnessing you scold both Ace and Grim. "Seriously, it's the fault of both of you that we are in this situation."
"The Great Grim ain't done anything at all. Everything is Ace's fault!" Grim shot back immediately, puffing out his chest.
"You set a table on fire," you reminded him.
Grim stomped his little feet in protest, while Ace only snickered. "Only because Ace made fun of me!"
You were about to launch into another lecture about why that was absolutely no excuse to use fire, but Deuce interrupted, his voice suddenly bright with excitement. "Wait- I think I’ve got it!"
Curious, the three of you crowded around the cauldron to see what Deuce had concocted. But something was off. The potion was a watery, reddish color. Nothing like the shimmering blue one Professor Crewel had demonstrated in class.
"The color’s way off," Ace said, wrinkling his nose. "Even a blind guy could tell."
After looking at the liquid in the cauldron for a few more seconds, you nodded. "Yeah, I have to agree... It was more blue and had this red shimmer."
"And Crewel's potion was more bubbly," Grim commented, but you had the feeling it wasn't really an observation and more a case of Grim just saying something to sound smart.
Ace shot Deuce a look. "Great job, Deuce. Now we have to start all over."
"Excuse me? You didn't even do anything."
"Don't start another argument," you said, trying to be the voice of reason in all of this. And also to prevent any more tables from potentially landing in the crossfire. "Let's just try to get this over with."
While the three of you were distracted, Grim saw the perfect opportunity to "fix" your potion. He didn't want to spend hours making a new one, and a talented mage like him could fix this no problem, he thought wrongly.
Grim confidently grabbed a jar filled with bright green liquid and generously poured it into the cauldron. You only noticed what Grim was doing because his actions resulted in a dark green smoke that filled a good chunk of the laboratory in a matter of seconds, shrouding you in a green vision.
You coughed, waving your hand in front of your face, and stumbled blindly toward the window, trying to remember the way. Behind you, Deuce’s voice rang out, muffled by the haze: "Grim, you’re ruining the potion!"
"Don't just randomly mix stuff together," Ace said, followed by a cough, as if he wouldn't do the exact same thing.
You could barely see, but you heard Grim’s triumphant voice: "I’m fixing it! Just wait and see!"
"Stop mixing things!" you called out after hearing what sounded suspiciously like Grim throwing something else into the potion.
You reached the window and opened it, but it wasn't really effective in getting rid of the smoke. The sound of something heavy being dropped into liquid could be heard. The smoke thickened, then, just as suddenly, began to swirl and collapse, sucked back into the cauldron in a single, unnatural breath.
"There! Fixed!' Grim declared, sounding far too pleased with himself.
"You caused the smoke," Deuce retorted, before grabbing Grims' paw, stopping him from making things worse. Grim tried to wiggle free.
"Just stop, Grim," you said as you made your way over to them. But Grim didn't listen to anyone. He thrashed, and in the commotion, the little stepladder he was standing on, so he could reach the cauldron, tipped over. The ladder collided with the cauldron. Grim leapt away just in time, or he would have landed in the potion, but the ladder crashed into the cauldron, sending it toppling toward you.
You, on the other hand, were not so lucky. Instinctively, you tried to catch the stepladder falling your way, which meant you couldn’t get out of the way in time. The cauldron tips to one side completely, spilling its contents onto you.
You gasped in shock as the cold mixture made contact with your skin. Unlike before, it was no longer watery but gloppy, almost rubbery, as it stuck on you and your lab coat. Fortunately, your eyes were spared thanks to the protection of the goggles. You could feel an unpleasant prickling sensation on your skin just as the liquid suddenly evaporated. It was as if you had absorbed it.
Your friends asked you if everything was alright. You wanted to tell them that nothing was wrong. But suddenly, your annoyance about the situation turned into pure anger. "You incompetent fools! You should be skinned alive and eaten by feral animals! Why do I even keep you around?" you snap, barely recognizing your own voice.
Your three friends looked at you with startled faces. They certainly weren't expecting this reaction. Ace was the first to say something. "Ouch, where is that suddenly coming from?"
Deuce tried to help you up from the ground, but you ignored his hand, standing up on your own. "Don't touch me with your unwashed hands."
"I always wash my hands!" Deuce replied immediately, but you weren't interested in his words.
"Are you sure you are fine?", Ace asked, while Grim added, "Yeah, you are acting really weird."
You glared at them. "I was fine until we crossed paths."
Ace exchanged a nervous glance with Deuce, edging away from the cauldron as if whatever had effected you, might spread to him. "Okay, seriously, what was in that potion?" he whispered.
Deuce frowned, studying you with concern. "You don’t look hurt, but… you’re acting all… villainous."
"We need to tell Professor Crewel," Deuce said quietly. "Something’s really wrong."
Ace hesitated. "Are you kidding? If we tell him, we’re doomed for sure! He’ll have us scrubbing cauldrons until graduation."
"But my hench-human is clearly broken! We can’t leave them like this," Grim protested.
"I didn't say we should leave them like that. You can stop looking at me like that," Ace said, "We shouldn't tell Crewel, we should tell the Headmage."
Even though Ace, Grim and Deuce were whispering among themselves, you could clearly hear every word. "Are you seriously going to the most irresponsible adult on campus with this?" you said, sounding almost offended.
"That's exactly why we should go to the Headmage. Crewel will only punish us more for this. The Headmage on the other hand..." Ace trailed off, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. You didn’t need him to finish the sentence; his expression said it all.
At that moment, you realize, with a new, almost sinister clarity, that the three accomplices you had gathered here were perhaps not such a bad choice after all. Ace was devious, Deuce mostly naive, and Grim a cat arsonist. And all three of them were dumb enough to be easily manipulated.
Together with your minions, you were on your way to the Headmage. Not because you listened to Ace's instructions, but simply out of curiosity as to what Ace, Deuce and Grim would screw up next. It's going to be interesting.
You're not necessarily looking forward to seeing the Headmage, though. He was odd in your eyes. You were pretty sure he was still waiting for a Father’s Day gift from you. Even though it's been months. He probably didn't even want it because he saw himself as your father figure, but just to get something free. Which, admittedly, you could respect. But did you look like someone who has the money to give people free stuff? No. You live in a shithole together with ghosts.
You walk down the corridor, the other three trailing behind you in a disorganized cluster. Grim is muttering to himself about "fixing" you with a spell he saw in a comic book, while Deuce keeps glancing at you as if you might sprout horns at any moment. Ace, as usual, is walking around like he owned the place, whistling a tune that’s a little too cheerful for someone responsible for nearly burning down a classroom an hour ago.
You watched as Ace walked past you. For this transgression, you shot him a sharp glare, allowing him to correct his behaviour, but Ace didn't notice or maybe didn't think much of your glare. You couldn’t let that slide without punishment. No one was meant to walk in front of you, as if you weren't the boss of this group.
Ace’s whistling was cut off by a yelp as your hand connected with the back of his head. "Ouch! Why are you slapping me? It was pretty hard too...!"
You smacked him again for daring to question you, making him yelp again and stepping back so you couldn't reach him. "A minion is not supposed to strut in front of their master. Much less is said minion supposed to ask stupid questions after his behaviour has been corrected!"
Ace rubbed the back of his head, grumbling under his breath, but wisely kept his distance. Grim snickered, clearly enjoying Ace’s misfortune, while Deuce shot you a wary look, as if trying to gauge whether he should intervene or just keep his head down and hope for the best.
Eventually you reached Crowleys office. With a dramatic flourish, you pushed open the door, not bothering to knock first.
Crowley looked up from behind his desk, eyes lighting up the moment he saw you barge in with your entourage. He straightened his hat, smoothing his cloak with a hopeful expression.
"Ah! My, my, what a surprise!" he exclaimed, voice dripping with anticipation. "And with all of you here together… Could it be? After all these months, have you finally come to deliver my long-overdue Father’s Day gift?" He clasped his hands together, practically vibrating with excitement.
"No," you replied flat.
The hope in Crowley’s eyes crumbled like a poorly baked soufflé. "No? Oh, the cruelty! The heartbreak! To be denied yet again by my own beloved, nay, most cherished, student!" He sniffled loudly, dabbing at imaginary tears with a handkerchief he seemed to produce from nowhere.
Grim rolled his eyes, looking at you. "He’s even more dramatic than you."
Crowley peeked at you from behind his hand. "Are you certain? Not even a little something? A card? A drawing? Perhaps some heartfelt words of gratitude for your ever-doting paternal figure?"
"Doting paternal figure?" you repeated, "You do nothing but constandly dump your work onto me."
"Delegation is the mark of a great leader. I am simply preparing you for the trials of adulthood. Responsibility, initiative, the crushing weight of expectation!" Crowley answered.
"Don't give me the its building character nonsense."
While you and the Headmage talked, Ace whispered to Deuce; "Should we just leave and come back when they are done?"
"We can’t wait," he whispered back to Ace. His voice was low but urgent. "This is serious."
Deuce glanced nervously between you and Crowley before realizing that someone had to take charge before the conversation spiraled further into melodrama. He cleared his throat, stepping forward with a determined voice. "Um, Headmage Crowley? We actually came here because something weird happened in alchemy class," Deuce began, "There was… an accident with a potion, and now, uh, the prefect isn’t acting like themselve."
"Oh? An alchemical mishap, you say?" Crowley repeated, stroking his chin. "And what, pray tell, does this have to do with me? Or, more importantly, with my Father’s Day gift?"
Grim groaned. "Forget the stupid gift! The prefect is acting all weird and villain-y!"
Ace snorted. "Looks more like they’re auditioning for a cheesy play."
You glared. "Silence, minion."
Deuce, sensing the situation spiraling, tried again. "Headmage, we think the prefect got hit with a potion that’s changed their personality. We need your help to fix it."
Crowley was thinking silently for a moment before coming to an utterly ridiculous conclusion. "Ah, yes, of course! That is why i have yet to receive my Father's Day gift from you. It makes perfect sense."
"I was never planning to give you anything. Stop bringing it up!" you answered.
Crowley clutched his chest as if your words had physically wounded him. "Are you sure a potion is the cause for this?" he asked, voice cracking with theatrical sorrow. "Has the scheming of the other students perhaps corrupted you this much? That’s not how I raised you!"
You crossed your arms. "Excuse me, you didn’t raise me at all. And I turned out just fine, thank you very much."
The Headmage sighed, shaking his head as if he’d just witnessed the greatest tragedy. "And here I thought my only concern was going to be Draconia, who whisks you away to wed you," he sniffed, dabbing imaginary tears again. "Oh, the worries only a father has."
"You aren’t my father, Headmage," you replied. "I already have one. And what are you talking about anyway?"
"Headmage, please! This isn’t about Father’s Day or… or marriage proposals!" Deuce said his voice firm but respectful, "The prefect was hit by a potion, and now they’re acting completely different. We need to know how to fix it. Before things get worse."
After that Ace, Deuce and Grim explained what had happened in the alchemy lesson with as much detail as possible, but it was hard to say what Grim actually put in the potion. They launched into a chaotic retelling of the disaster. Ace was blaming Grim for tampering with the potion, while Grim protested that he was only fixing it. Deuce, meanwhile, tried to keep the story on track, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the bickering.
"Anyway, the potion exploded, and the prefect got covered in it. That’s when they started acting… well, like this." Deuce gestured to the spot where you had been standing.
Except… you weren’t there.
Ace blinked. "Wait. Where’d the prefect go?"
Grim spun around, eyes widening in alarm. "Eh? They were right here! Did they turn invisible? Did the potion do that too?!"
Deuce’s eyes widened in panic. "Did they sneak out while we were talking?"
"You’ve lost the prefect? My most cherished and responsible student? This is a disaster! What if they’re off plotting villainous schemes? What if they’re," Crowley gasped, "buying Father’s Day presents for someone else?"
Ace groaned, rubbing his temples. "Can we please focus? The prefect’s probably just wandering around being… weird. We need to find them before they get into real trouble."
