You will join the server....you will join the server..... You will join the server....
(plus we literally have THE GOATS in here too. I'm talking IDIASPLAYERTWO. MISTERIA. LIKE CMON???? This is your chance to be sigma 😼😼😼 u already are sigma but you can be more sigma trussttt.)
A/N: yay, pometrio is finally done!!! Now, do I post Idia's today too and be done w ignihyde...? Hmmm decisions decisions.... Eh we'll see.
vil falls in love with you slowly, carefully, and with far more fear than he would ever admit aloud. most people assume someone like vil would never struggle with insecurity. they see the flawless appearance, the confidence, the poise, the years of success built upon talent and relentless effort. they see the beautiful actor, the admired housewarden, the person who seems to walk through life with absolute certainty in himself. what they do not see are the years spent being compared to others. the years of being told he was almost enough. beautiful, but not the most beautiful. talented, but not the star. exceptional, but somehow still standing in someone else's shadow. vil learned long ago that perfection is not something you achieve; it's something you chase endlessly, knowing you will never quite reach it.
that's why falling in love with you feels so terrifying. at first, he handles it the way he handles everything else in his life: logically. you're someone he respects. someone whose company he genuinely enjoys. someone hardworking, kind, and resilient. naturally, he appreciates you. naturally, he wants to spend time with you. naturally, he thinks about you more often than most people. there's nothing strange about that. except the thoughts never stop.
he begins looking for you automatically whenever he enters a room. he notices when you seem tired before anyone else does. small details about you linger in his mind long after conversations end. before he realizes it, your smile has become one of his favorite sights in the world. and that's where the trouble begins. because he's used to being admired. he's not used to wanting admiration in return. the realization unsettles him far more than he expects.
suddenly, your opinions matter in ways that feel dangerously important. a compliment from you can brighten his entire day without warning. casual praise leaves warmth lingering in his chest for hours afterward. worse, criticism sticks with him. even harmless comments find a way to replay in his mind. not because you are cruel—you never are—but because he cares what you think. far too much. and then, against all better judgment, he begins wondering whether you could ever look at him the same way he looks at you. that thought becomes impossible to escape.
because the more he falls for you, the more his old insecurities begin resurfacing. vil knows beauty better than anyone. he understands how temporary it is. how fragile. how easily it can disappear. he has dedicated years of his life to maintaining himself, improving himself, perfecting himself. but loving you makes him painfully aware that there are some things beauty cannot guarantee. what if you prefer someone else? someone warmer. someone easier. someone who doesn't spend so much time worrying about appearances. someone who does not need to try so hard all the time. someone with softer eyes and a cuter look.
the thoughts are irrational. he knows they're irrational.byet they remain. some days they become almost unbearable. especially when he catches himself comparing. it happens more often than he would like to admit. a passing comment about another student's appearance. seeing you laugh with someone conventionally charming. hearing others praise people around him. none of these things should bother him. they're insignificant. meaningless. yet somehow they do. because there is a small, ugly part of him that wonders whether all his effort matters at all. whether, underneath the makeup, the skincare, the discipline, and the perfection, there's actually anything worth loving. the thought humiliates him. he hates it. he hates how vulnerable you've made him without even trying.
the realization fully hits him one evening after a particularly exhausting week. he is sitting in his room, reviewing lines and trying unsuccessfully to focus. his reflection stares back at him from the vanity mirror nearby. normally, he would find flaws to correct, areas to improve, adjustments to make. tonight, however, his thoughts keep drifting elsewhere. to you. to your laugh. to your smile. to the way you always look so genuinely happy to see him. then a horrible thought slips into his mind. would you still look at him like that if he were ordinary? not vil schoenheit the actor. not vil schoenheit the housewarden. not vil schoenheit the celebrity. just vil.
the question settles heavily in his chest because despite everything he has accomplished, despite all the praise he receives, despite all the beauty he has spent years cultivating, there is still a frightened part of him that worries the answer might be no. the next time he sees you, that insecurity lingers. he hides it well, as always. no one else would notice. but you do.
"you're quiet today," you tell him while the two of you walk across campus. "i'm simply thinking." "hm." your gaze lingers on him for a moment before you smile. not the polite smile you give strangers. not the amused smile you give when grim does something ridiculous. a soft one. the kind reserved entirely for people you care about.
before he can ask what prompted it, you speak. "you know, i really like being around you." just that. nothing dramatic. nothing elaborate. a simple truth. yet it hits harder than any compliment he has ever received. because there is no mention of beauty. no mention of fame. no mention of appearances. just him. for a moment, he can't speak. all those fears he has been carrying. all those doubts. all those insecurities whispering that perhaps he's only valuable because of what he looks like. they don't disappear, but they grow quieter. because when you look at him, there's no awe in your eyes. no pedestal. just affection. real, genuine affection.
and suddenly vil realizes something that frightens him even more than insecurity ever could. he doesn't merely want your admiration. he needs your love. not because it would prove he's beautiful, but because for the first time in a very long time, someone makes him feel seen beyond beauty. and that's far more precious than perfection could ever be.
A/N: I have a feeling I know who the first like is gonna be. None other than my dear kitten twilight of course.
rook falls in love with you the way he falls in love with most beautiful things in the world: quietly at first, and then all at once. at the beginning, he hardly notices the change. rook is already someone who appreciates people deeply. he finds beauty in determination, kindness, flaws, ambitions, failures, and triumphs alike. he can spend hours admiring the unique qualities of a person without developing romantic feelings for them. that is simply who he is. so when he begins paying a little more attention to you than usual, it does not strike him as unusual
you're fascinating. of course he wants to observe you. of course he enjoys hearing your thoughts. of course he finds himself seeking you out more often than before. you're an extraordinary individual. any appreciation he feels is perfectly natural. at least, that's what he tells himself. the problem is that his attention never fades. if anything, it grows stronger. the more time he spends around you, the more details he notices. the way your expression changes when you become excited about something. the little habits you are not even aware of. the way you persevere through situations that would overwhelm most people. rook finds himself collecting these observations almost unconsciously, storing them away like treasures.
soon, he knows your favorite foods, your most common expressions, your routines, your insecurities, and even the subtle shifts in your mood before anyone else notices them. somewhere along the way, admiration becomes attachment, and attachment becomes something far more dangerous.
the realization unsettles him more than people would expect. most students assume rook would be comfortable with love. he's dramatic, passionate, expressive. surely someone like him would embrace romantic feelings without hesitation. the reality is quite different. because he understands exactly how deeply he feels things. when he cares, he cares completely. and that terrifies him. you see, rook has spent years admiring beauty from a distance. observing. appreciating. respecting. he has never needed to possess something in order to cherish it. but with you, he finds himself wanting things he normally would not. he wants your attention. he wants your trust. he wants to be someone special to you. he wants to be chosen. that desire catches him off guard every single time.
one afternoon, he watches you laughing with another student across campus. it's a harmless interaction. completely innocent. yet something unpleasant twists inside his chest. jealousy. the realization nearly makes him stop walking. rook hunt. jealous. how fascinating. how horrifying. because jealousy feels ugly. possessive. selfish. and rook has always prided himself on loving beauty freely.
yet now he catches himself wondering whether you laugh like that around everyone. whether you smile at other people the way you smile at him. whether someone else could become more important to you than he is. the thoughts leave a bitter taste in his mouth. he dislikes them immediately. unfortunately, they refuse to disappear.
the more his feelings grow, the harder it becomes to maintain emotional distance. suddenly your happiness affects him more than it should. your sadness lingers with him long after conversations end. a single compliment from you can brighten his entire day, while thoughtless criticism can remain in his thoughts for far longer than he cares to admit. he becomes painfully aware of how much power you have over him without even realizing it. and perhaps that is what frightens him most. because for all his confidence, rook isn't immune to insecurity. in fact, he understands better than most that beauty is temporary.
people change. circumstances change. feelings change. what if yours do too? what if one day you stop looking at him the way you do now? what if one day you decide someone else is more deserving of your affection? the possibility lingers quietly in the back of his mind no matter how hard he tries to ignore it.
the realization itself arrives during a moment so ordinary that it almost feels unfair. the two of you are walking together after classes, discussing nothing particularly important. you are talking about your day while rook listens attentively beside you. at some point, you begin laughing about something ridiculous grim did earlier. the sound is bright and genuine, the kind of laughter that comes from complete comfort. without thinking, you reach out and grab his arm lightly while continuing your story. such a small gesture. so simple. so thoughtless. yet he feels his heart stop.
not because of the touch itself, but because of what it represents. trust. comfort. affection. you reached for him instinctively. and suddenly every confusing feeling he's been trying to analyze falls into place all at once. every moment spent seeking your company. every flash of jealousy. every lingering glance. every ridiculous amount of happiness he feels whenever you smile. it's love. not admiration, not fascination, not simple affection. true love.
for perhaps the first time in years, rook finds himself genuinely speechless. meanwhile, you continue talking happily, completely unaware that his entire world has shifted slightly off its axis. rook simply looks at you and smiles. because despite all the fear, despite the vulnerability, despite the uncertainty that comes with caring this deeply, there is one truth he cannot deny. if given the chance to fall for you again, he would do it every single time.
A/N: epel my apple till I pel SORRY ITS BEEN TAKING SO LONG TO RELEASE THESE OUHGHHH diasomnia is almost done, which also means it'll only be a bit (give or take a week, bc I have some other fic drafts I wish to finish aswell) till I reopen reqs!!! Hoorayyyy!!! I'll be posting Rook and Vil soon after this... Hopefully.... HAHAH YAY!
epel falls in love with you in the most frustrating way possible: completely against his will. at first, he doesn't even realize what's happening. honestly, he's too busy trying to prove himself to everyone around him. between vil constantly correcting him, rook constantly observing him, and the entirety of NRC seemingly deciding he's some cute harmless country boy, epel has enough problems already. the last thing he needs is a crush complicating things further. so naturally, the universe gives him one anyway.
it starts small. annoyingly small. he notices he enjoys talking to you more than most people. you don't treat him like he's fragile. you don't laugh when his accent slips out accidentally. you listen when he talks about his hometown instead of immediately dismissing it as boring. compared to some of the people around him, that alone is enough to make you stand out. still, epel tells himself it's nothing. you're just a friend. a friend whose opinion somehow matters way too much. a friend whose compliments stay in his head for days afterward. a friend he starts looking for automatically whenever he enters a room. totally normal. completely harmless.
except eventually, even epel realizes he's lying to himself. one day he catches you laughing with another student and suddenly feels irrationally annoyed about it. not at you. not even really at the other student. just annoyed. and he has absolutely no idea why until he finally lets himself think about it for more than five seconds. the answer is embarrassingly obvious. he likes you. a lot. and that's terrible news. epel has never been particularly good at handling emotions quietly. the more he likes someone, the more obvious it becomes. suddenly he's showing off whenever you are nearby, volunteering for things if he thinks it will impress you, and finding excuses to walk you back to ramshackle after classes. he acts completely normal about it, obviously. if by "normal" someone means turning bright red whenever you compliment him. one simple "your magic was really cool today" is enough to have him malfunctioning for the next ten minutes.
the worst part is that he keeps comparing himself to other people without meaning to. he knows he shouldn't. he knows it's unfair. but insecurity has a nasty habit of creeping in whenever his feelings get involved. what if you would rather have someone else? someone smoother. someone stronger. someone who actually acts cool all the time. someone better, like vil. that thought alone ruins entire afternoons for him. beneath all the stubbornness and pride, epel still carries years of frustration about never being taken seriously. people see his appearance first. his size. his face. they make assumptions before he even opens his mouth. and now that he likes you, those old insecurities suddenly feel ten times heavier.
what if you see him the same way? what if you only think he's cute and don't see who he really is? the thought genuinely bothers him more than he wants to admit. especially because he wants you to see all the parts of him nobody else seems to notice. the hardworking side. the stubborn side. the side that wants so desperately to become someone strong enough to stand on his own without needing constant protection. he wants you to see him. really see him. maybe that's when he realizes how serious his feelings have become, because this is no longer just a crush. it's hope.
the realization fully hits him one afternoon while the two of you are helping harvest ingredients in the botanical garden. epel's rambling about harveston, hands moving animatedly while he talks about apple orchards and festivals and all the things he misses from home. honestly, he's not even paying attention to himself anymore. then he notices the way you are looking at him. softly. fondly. completely focused on every word. suddenly his brain short-circuits. because that look isn't pity. it isn'tvamusement. it isn't the usual patronizing affection people often direct toward him. you're listening because you genuinely care. because you want to hear him. for a moment, he forgets what he was saying entirely. you blink at him and ask why he stopped talking, and all he can do is stare.
somewhere inside his chest, everything clicks together painfully. every jealous thought. every stupid attempt to impress you. every moment your smile lingered in his mind longer than it should have. he's completely, hopelessly gone. which is honestly unfair, because now every time you smile at him afterward, his heart feels like it's trying to launch itself directly out of his chest. and the worst part? he wouldn't change a thing.