#also sorry if I wrote Vil wrong ;;;

[dotster001]

Request pls: Yuu's Harem

Riddle, Leona, Jamil, Idia, Malleus, Azul to gn!reader that helps them heal from overblot (unsure to add Vil cus he has Rook whom already does god's work everyday)

Reader just comes close to their space and sees if they're doing good. Then it evolves to asking about their day and about the world of TW to make convo. Then it turns to a friendship where Reader commends them for doing things beneficial and good for themselves in the day, then tells them "Good boy/good job!" at even the smallest things when they take care of themselves without Reader's help (beast tamer Yuu awakening)

Reader gives them a braided bracelet made by themself and they cherish it. But then one day the Vice/Other dorm leader notices the bracelet and goes "Ah, so you're officially part of the harem"

You can write either first or second paragraph I just wrote it all out for context of the second

Self Love and Braided Bracelets

A/N: I did a little bit of both 😁 I included Vil, because no offense to Rook, but someone who makes comments about someone's weight is not good for self love

3k followers masterlist

"So, I made this for you. You don't have to wear it, I just….I was making one and it kind of started to remind me of you," you handed Vil the gold and purple braided bracket you'd made the night before. He gently picked it up, seemingly unsure of how to feel about it.

"Also, I just want to say," you took a deep breath, "if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here to listen."

The look in your eyes was so heartfelt that Vil worried he'd tear up just from looking at it. 

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you."

Not that you'd ever know how raw you'd made him feel. Perhaps he was still too weak from his incident. It didn't matter. He was as composed and calm as ever.

A braided bracelet didn't exactly fit his wardrobe. But the next morning, his hand hovered over it, hesitating about not wearing it. So he slipped it on. His gut was never wrong, and it was telling him to wear it. Besides, his sleeves would cover it.

….

Months later, and Vil was now sitting at your lunch table. He'd never admit it, but he enjoyed it when you would take a spoonful of food and feed it to him when he didn't eat enough.

Malleus Draconia, of all people, walked over to your table with a tray, his entourage in tow.

"Hey Mal Mal! I'll get us some more chairs," you said with a smile, getting up and beginning your hunt for seats.

Idia looked up from his silent eating, and pointed to Malleus' wrist.

"So you're part of the harem now, huh?"

"The what?" Vil muttered before noticing the green and black braided bracelet on Malleus' wrist.

"It's not a harem," Riddle said with a pout.

"What else would you call it?" Idia snapped, fiddling with his own bracelet that Vil was noticing for the first time.

"The turnip's got a point for once. It is very harem like," Leona snickered.

"Doesn't harem imply a romantic aspect?" Azul asked, looking up from his meal. 

"The flowers we all got for love day have a certain implication," Leona smirked.

"And the "I love you, have a great day! You matter to me!" Texts every morning also have an implication," Jamil muttered, clearly flustered by the conversation.

Idia nodded, and said, "It could also just be a friendly harem. You know, a harem of self love. Harems can be platonic."

"Platonic, huh?" Riddle sounded a little sad.

"It sounds like it really depends on Y/N's feelings," Vil spoke up finally.

Before the others could respond, you came back dragging a chair with you.

"Sorry that took so long! Who knew it would be so hard to find a chair?" You laughed.

Malleus sat down, and you looked over at  Idia.

"Idia, I know I don't say this enough, but I'm really proud of you for eating lunch with us."

"Thank you," Idia practically purred, the tips of his hair turning a light pink.

Vil shook his head with a light laugh. He looked at his fellow "harem mates", and realized that whether this was platonic, romantic, or something else, he was willing to see wherever it led.

[ryker-writes]

Hello, so i apparently have a brain rot about twst characters being concerned about their siblings mental health due to their taste in men

The younger sibling of Vil while having both the looks and skills of their brother and father, also has a small amount of stage fright and loves video games, so they end up becoming a v-tuber and develop a small crush on an internet friend and moderator who irl is Idia Shroud, maybe after revealing that they got accept to nrc the two decide to meet up irl and while Idia is lagging due to the error messages in his brain, little schoenheit's small crush develops into a full infatuation, Vil is so so concerned

I love this idea. While normally I write requests in bullet point format, I hope you don't mind that I wrote this one differently. I'm sorry if you don't like it as much because of this, I just felt like writing like this does requests like this better than my usual bullet point style

Request rules and Masterlist

As a part of the Schoenheit family, it was only natural that you had developed the acting and modeling skills as well as the good looks. It's just something that had been engrained into your lifestyle at a young age. Your father had you and Vil acting together from a young age, and Vil would always help you with everything.

The main thing he always had to help you with was your stage fright. While he and your father never had any problem being on stage, you hated it. Having everyone's eyes on you and the pressure not to mess up was all too much for you.

Perhaps that was why you liked video games so much. Online, no one knew who you really were, and that gave you a sense of freedom. No one could actually see you, and it gave you a sense of freedom. They didn't stare at you, and you didn't have to see them staring at you. There was a screen between you and them at all times.

But that desire to perform and entertain was still strong within you. Maybe it was just part of being a Schoenheit. Thankfully, the internet is a wonderful place full of opportunities, and you were able to find a way to play the video games you loved so much while performing for others.

Being a v-tuber was so much more fun than you had imagined. It's the perfect way to entertain and build an audience while playing video games too. The perfect job for you.

You were even able to connect with others and make new friends too. One of these friends was a moderator by the screenname Gloomurai. You had fun talking to him both in and out of streaming for others.

He understood you so well! The two of you were able to bond about a lot of things, mainly your love for video games and how scary it was to be in front of other people. And eventually, you even found out that he's a student at Night Raven College, the school you're going to be attending.

After a little bit of convincing and deliberating, the two of you decided to meet. Not anywhere out in the public eye with lots of people of course. So the two of you picked an isolated corner of the school, and waited until evening to go meet up.

To say you were nervous was an understatement. Gloomurai was a close friend and even a small crush of yours. He was just so understanding and cool. Now you were going to meet him in person. So many things could go wrong.

But you were the one to get there first, and you waited patiently for Gloomurai to show up. As the minutes passed, your nerves only grew.

Until finally, a very pale figure rounded the corner. He was tall, but hunched over like he'd been sitting and playing video games for a long time before this. Perhaps the most noticeable thing about his appearance was the long blue flames of hair and the bright yellow eyes that only met yours for a second before quickly flickering away.

Idia Shroud; the most reclusive guy in school. He rarely ever left his room and was known for being an introvert and amazing with technology. The housewarden of Ignihyde...he was Gloomurai?????

He's amazing! Truly amazing. Of all the people he could've been, you're glad it was Idia.

Idia on the other hand was freaking out. His favorite streamer and crush...was Vil Schoenheit's little sibling??? He's broken. His brain cannot compute. Error error.

"You're Gloomurai, right?"

"I, uh, yeah. I guess."

It was...pretty awkward for the first few minutes of talking. Neither of you quite knew what to say at first, but eventually conversation would flow smoothly just like when you guys normally chat. It felt really nice to be able to talk to him in person actually, and you finally got to put a face to the moderator you developed a crush on.

So when you saw Vil again, you couldn't help but gush about your crush.

"He's so much better than I thought! I mean we talked for a while and got along very well. He's super cute too!"

"Are you sure you're talking about Idia Shroud? Cute definitely aren't the words I would use to describe him."

"Of course he's cute! I mean have you seen his hair and his eyes? He also has a really nice smile."

"I don't understand you. Are you sure you're okay mentally?"

"I've never been better."

[kimbap-r0ll]

Hi!! May I req a fic where the boys accidently say something that upsets the gn!reader causing them to cry(like how they arent home now or something about them failing,etc), how would Malleus,Riddle, Vil and Azul react?

Hi, thank you for the ask! Oof this one's gonna be a bit of an angst. Short fics for these characters too, hope you like them!

Malleus, Riddle, Vil, Azul x reader: Let the Tears Fall

Malleus

He didn't mean to cause you any harm, that was the last thing he wanted to do while you were with him. He mentioned briefly that he was happy you were with him, in Twisted Wonderland of course, saying that he doesn't "mind if you were stuck here." He meant it in the most literal sense, that he would love for you to stay with him forever, never to return back to your world because he loves you so much. But that translated into possessiveness, something you didn't want in your relationship. Malleus laughed a little when he saw your pale face, he asked what was wrong, and you didn't say anything. Instead, you sat there, looking down at your knees as the winds caused the leaves to rustle in the forest. "Did I upset you?" Malleus asked, trying to reach for you but you just shook your head. You smiled, trying to hold the tears in, looking off into the distance as if to focus on something far away. "No...nothing I just...miss my world a bit...this place sort of reminds me of it," you said. A tear slid from your eye, and you were quick to wipe it off before he saw but the fae didn't miss it. He felt a chill run down his spine, he didn't think he could ever be a source of sadness to you. He never wanted to be such a thing, not when you always made him feel warm and loved. "Y/n, I'm...I'm sorry I spoke out of line," he said, wanting to take back his words. You tried to reassure him that you were fine, but your eyes still seemed hurt. Malleus would have a hard time forgetting that.

Riddle

"Once again, rose I told you it's not written in this way," he sounded pissed. Riddle was never patient with anyone, but when it came to you it seemed like he was a bit better at holding his temper. That was until today rolled by, a week before your exams and you were studying with him. You flinched as he slammed his notebook down and walked over to a chalkboard to demonstrate what he meant. You wrote down exactly what he wrote, listened to his words, but his tone kept making your heart race not in a good way. It was a panicked rhythm, something like you knew you were in trouble. This was your boyfriend for Great Seven's sake, what was going on? Riddle shouted your name again when you didn't answer him as you were lost in your thoughts. That was the last straw, you mumbled out the answer, knowing it was incorrect but not wanting to test his patience anymore. "L-look, I don't think I can do this anymore," you whimpered, and that made Riddle stop. His eyes widened, he realized what he just did. He yelled, yelled at you out of all people. He was acting like his mother, the person whom he despised so much yet ended up becoming a reflection of in this moment. "Y/n, I didn't mean to shout like that, I'm so sorry," his voice softened, he quickly went to you to take you in his arms. But you were limp, your eyes glistened with tears. While no words left your mouth, the small drops that fell onto your notebook was enough for him to understand the horrible mistake he had done.

Vil

A perfectionist at heart, he didn't let anyone escape his scrutiny. Even you, whom he always praised as being perfect in heart and body. He didn't care if you didn't have his exact look, as long as you were confident in your fashion choices he loved it. But this time, he wasn't feeling too much like himself, he had seen too many manager texts in a day, a lot of stressful classes, and now you were doing everything but taking care of yourself. You were up late studying for a test, causing not only physical health problems but also mental health problems. He wanted to tell you kindly to stop but he didn't have the energy. Grabbing your books, he snapped at you. "Get to bed, what are you trying to do sabotage yourself? I thought we went over this last week, how quickly do you dispose of my advice?" What he didn't realize was that you weren't doing that well either. You were sick, you were stressed, you were getting over a lot of hardships about being literally teleported away from home. This was the last thing you wanted to go through, and all you could do at that moment was..."Y/n? Are you crying?" Vil reached his hand to your face, lifting it up so he could see you. You tried to look away, but the tears slid down your cheeks and you made a small whimper. "I'm sorry, I don't want to cause trouble but...it's been a hard week," you try to explain. You think Vil would scold you, but instead, he looks at you with wide eyes, almost a look of fear. "No, I should be the one to apologize, it was rude of me to act this way," he wrapped his arms around you. He let you cry on his shoulder, tell him everything you wanted to tell him. Vil wouldn't let you bundle up your emotions anymore.

Azul

Azul didn't have anything against you, but he was quick to make grudges. He could cling onto random actions or phrases people said to use against them when he needed. It just so happened to be one of those cases. You were already in a tense environment with him. He didn't speak to you for a few days, and you were busy dealing with homesickness along with all of Ramshackle's issues. He casually had to bring up how you weren't helping him at the lounge, nor were you checking up on him as you usually did. What a selfish dorm leader, but you didn't have the energy to fight back. "Look, I'm just saying that as long as you're here, and Crowley remains as the headmaster, you won't be going home. Might as well toss that out the window," he said as he walked back into his office, leaving you in the lounge to clean the bar by yourself. This was the last straw for you, the one thing, the one hope you had was home and he had to jab at it. You tried to calm yourself down, but the tears just started. Soon, you were wiping the glassware while letting the tears fall all over the counter. Azul wouldn't have heard you because he usually listens to music as he's in his study, but this time he left the door open to see what you would do. Hearing slight whimpers and sniffles caused him to jump out the door, a worried and panicked look on his face. There was no way he just said something that hurt you, no he was better than those kinds of people. He went through hurtful words, he shouldn't be repeating that! "Darling, is something wrong? Was it something I said?" he asked, carefully approaching you. "Ah, it's nothing," you shook your head, trying to hide it but he wrapped his arms around you. "No, no it's absolutely something I should know. It was what I said wasn't it?" this caused you to cry harder. He started to feel tears himself. As he told you how sorry he was, he wiped your tears away and told himself he would never throw words at you.

[blues824]

If it's okay can you do dormleader reacting to a MC that has a similar power to frisk from undertale like RESET?

@woodrouforest wrote this on a shared Google Doc, and I'm sorry that it's not finished but this ask has been rotting in my inbox.

For each character I’m gonna take the liberty of it being only that specific character remembers

Warnings: Death, Blood, Panic attack

Riddle

At first he wouldn’t understand what is taking place, he just sees his own day repeating, bigger or sometimes smaller jumps. 

He does end up believing the days are resetting. 

takes advantage of it to stop students from breaking the rules

With his memory he gets more work done

I headcanon he has photographic memory 

tries to figure out what who’s ability it is, takes notes and notices how none else acts different except for by the butterfly effect

Notices more when he gets closer with you, and the time his overblot happens

Sees you die and immediately calms down sobbing

“No, no, no- I just wanted everyone to obey the rules for their own good! This wasn’t supposed to happen” He sobs further, clutching your body closer. Blood,your blood, is all over him but he can't find the heart to care. The world fades around him till he finds the moment repeats itself. A rest…

doesn’t get med when Ace gives him the wrong tart

Only see your dead boy and starts silently crying while staring at you

Runs away and locks himself in his room

Breathing heavily and crying, doesn’t understand why you went so far as to near scrapie yourself to stop his overblott

Will only timidly open the door to you with puffy eyes, you explain to him how you can reset

“You’re okay.. you’re okay” He smiles as he cries, hugging you tight. Like you might just dust disappear in his arms. “Please don’t ever do that again, you can’t, you just can’t it's against the rules” 

gets more lenient with his rules and never explains what happened that day

Because you gave him more trama

Accepts that you have the power but tell you to be careful because one day you might not be able to reset anymore 

Getting closer to you and sometimes nags you to not reset so much

Slowly gets over fearing you will die and not reset, and gets more comfortable with you

Leona

Doesn’t really care at first and thinks it’s some kind of dejavú or that he didn’t sleep as long as he though

Azul

notices immediately, sees that no one else remembers and investigates himself

Finds out its you very fast and logically because the resets started when you came to the school and he suspects it you

Monitors you himself, and sees how you are the only one acting different after resets and causing a butterfly effect by that

He very intrigued by you and often tries to invite you to monstro lounge

Kalim

idk

Vil

Very suspicious of you because the resets stated with you

Corners you and makes you reveal that it is you 

Idia

Thinks he is hallucinating, and blames it on sleep deprivation or having too many energy drinks

Gets annoyed with it then starts trying to figure out who is causing this 

Monitors students via phones and finds out it’s you

Doesn’t do anything about it at first but monitors you more to find out your intentions

Malleus

I think Lillia would also be aware with him and they would both notice

Feel like he would ‘feel’ the reset’s magic residue(?) on you and find out its your ��magic’

Would be very curious about you, tries to learn more about you

Likes finally having a relationship with you as ‘Horton”

Not even that far (Maybe the first time you meet) he asks why and how can you reset

[street-lamp-orange]

💜TLC, or a lack thereof💜 Note : This is my very first request, so I’m sorry about any wrong interpretations of the request. I hope I did it justice and wrote it in a way that you had in mind! I got pretty excited about this, and I really really wanted to write this so uh...enjoy!!!

🎇Before Dating🎇

👑 At first, he would be slightly annoyed, but understanding. You might not just be very receptive since the two of you aren’t very close

👑 But as your friendship deepens, he notices that this is a pattern

👑 You reject any and all offers of help from friends. From offers of helping you study, to fixing up Ramshackle, you decline all of them.

👑 He starts to get more annoyed, but saw that it wasn’t exactly his place to pry, but he does try to no avail.

🎇When You Start Dating🎇

👑 Now it’s personal

👑 He does not take to kindly to your rejection inwardly, but he recognizes that this could be because of a deeper issue. He does act pretty gently about the issue. He does confront the issue again, pushing more this time.

👑 “I want to you to be able to rely on me love. I want you to let me take care of you”, he said looking into your eyes, and holding your hands.

👑 You tell him about your reservations; being taken care of was difficult and something that made you nervous. You simply weren’t used to it.

👑 So obviously the solution was to slowly get you used to it!

👑 Vil starts off with small things; brushing your hair out of your eyes, fixing up your uniform, all while gently scolding you about your appearance.

👑 “When you wear this uniform, you represent our school. Carry yourself accordingly, potato”

👑 He also helps you become more comfortable with accepting help from others as well

👑 He encourages you to let your friends help and take care of you, and he’s so proud of you when you do.

👑 He eventually moves on to bigger things, until you’re able to handle his habitual mother hen type fussing; that is, self-care nights, the occasional massage for your stiff shoulders (courtesy of Crowley  -_-), stuff like that!

👑 He loves you way too much for you to escape his fussing, with many kisses packed in here and there ofc!

[astraydestiny]

Daily Writing Complete‼️

Homestly, not really. I wrote 505, IM GOING BACK TO 505, sorry, words on my main story… BUTTT i wrote a bunch of notes and stuff that has to equate to like 700 words??? But thats for my main story, I finished one of the CW!!!

That’ll be out to you guys tomorrow. Im pretty pround of it! Especially for 1.5k! But… I feel like its a bit rushed, and in some places it feels a bit exposition heavy? But i do like the emotion and symbolism in the story. It turnes out pretty good I think! I cant wait for you guys to see this because then you guys can actually get a grip for how I write and stuff, and not judge my writing off these stupid blurbs and stuff! Yk, if you guys like the one tomorrow, I’ll give yall a Thousand Fireflies to eat up too! Just- dont copy it alright? Its not free-use work!!! In fact- i should probably put that in my bio and stuff. But anyways… IM PROUD OF MYSELF! I feel like I was blocked on my main story, because I had a fun time writing this side project! I just that goes to show how important it is to take breaks from main projects in favor for smaller ones, just so you dont burn yourself out by accident! Because burning yourself out is… NOT GOOD! Not good to sya the least… but yah. I feel like i got multiple questions wrong on my science quiz today and istgoodness… IT WAS EZ I SWEAR TO GOODNESS. I just tripped up during it… Also guys I realized that I should really start yapping more irl because… Im look at these posts and thinking- wow. This person must have no friends if they have THIS many thoughts and no one to tell them to. AND THEN I REALIZE IM TALKING ABT MYSELF. Like sometimes I either dont speak because i dont want to interrupt someone- but the times I do speak… PEOPLE INTERRUPT ME! AND THE TIMES WHEN I FEEL LIKE I CAN ACTUALLY SPEAK- I INTERRUPT SOMEONE ELSE! Of course this doesnt happen that often, to be honest Im too busy wriitng during my lunch break to talk, but you know. PRIORITIES!!!

I LOVE PINTEREST SO MUCH. GOING CRAZY WITH IDIA SHROUD IN THE BACKGROUND 😍😍😍 i love idia sheoud i relate to him sm (not really) tbh I feel like i relate to him- but at the same time I dont??? Bec he gets prideful and arrogant sometimes and I dont get like that (HEH NOT TO FLEX OR ANYTHING 😼😼🤗🤗)

I feel like if I related to anyone, it would probably be leona. Not because hes like super fit or anything- LIKE IM THE FURTHEST AWAY FROM HIM PERSONALITY. Its just that like, him being the second and stuff, doomed to never be the first, the best, really resonates with me. Especially since Im surrounded by people who self-proclaim themselves as ‘first places’ everyday, kinda gets on my nerves… WRITING IDEA!!!!

Like im not saying having a big ego is wrong, nor am I saying that those peoples achievements are bad BECAUSE they are so amazing. i think they should be proud of that, and they dont owe humility to anyone because they worked hard for it, (AHEM AHEM VIL SCHOENHEIT MY KING). But its when they see people that are trying to reach for those ambitions and they flaunt how they could do better. THATS when I start doubting their ability. Because you could be the best in the world, but if your too busy running your mouth about how your the best, you’ll be left in the dust- and youll find that all those people who were under you before… Appeared triumphant.

IDK DAILY WORDS OF WISDOM ADDED HERE TOO. Vil Schoenheit my KINGGGGG I LOVE HIM SO MUCH I WANT TO BE LIKE HIM. When i become rlly good at writing, I want to be able to act like him!! Because he is confident in himself, doesnt owe humility to anyone (but of course still expresses it from time to time), and is respectful about it (we dont talk about book 5). I love Vil Schoenheit, such a misunderstoid character fr. OH YEAH

If your not a twisted wonderland fan, these are the characters I mentioned in this post!!!

^ Idia Shroud in the middle, next to his lil’ bro Ortho Shroud!!

^ Vil Shoenheit in the middle, to the right is Rook Hunt, and to his left is Epel Felmier (the short one!)

^ Leona Kingscholar!!

ALRIGHT GUYS!!! Now, I have math hw. SO I NEEDA BOUNCE! SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW AND STUFF!!!

Daily music rec is Sponsored by this guy !!!@unmotivatedartistry PRETTY GOOD SONG!!!

Here are some snacks for the road: 🍔🍔🌭🌯🥙🥪🥪🍕🌯🥗🥙🍔🥪🌯 (taco bell burritos proceed with caution)

BYEEEEEEEEE

-Kani

[yourfavepookiebear]

Oh yay!! Okay here’s a little request! How would Ace, Malleus, riddle, and vil react with an s/o who has severe insomnia? Like their s/o can go days without sleeping and has extremely red bloodshot eyes? :0 I would also think it’s funny that when they have sleepovers with their s/o they try so hard to stay awake with them but just end up passing out 😭 thank you in advance 🙏🧡

Ok, I'm gonna do some little headcanons !

Thanks for the request ☺

I tried to make it as accurate to canon as possible 😅 sorry if I got anything wrong

also, I'm not too familiar with Riddle and Ace so 😬 and I'm not too happy with how I wrote this, But here you go ! 💛

Tw ?: insomnia, mentions of insomnia, mentions of passing out, mentions of reader fainting, kinda ooc, not accurate, my first requested hcs !

Vil:

He instantly knows you have insomnia the moment he sees your eyes, your tired expression, and the fact that he's never seen you sleep before.

At first he is only worried about how it will affect your looks

But when he realizes this is a severe case, he is concerned for you.

When you pass out, he is very guilty and worried for you.

He feels like it's all his fault, and he feels like trash for noticing how you were trying to stay awake at the sleepover but not doing much to prevent what happened

He then brings you to the infirmary and waits until you've fully recuperated

And when you get better, he starts lecturing you

After that, he starts to take care of you even more than he already did, will make sure it never happens, and looks for remedies.

Maybe he will manage to make a potion that could heal you, after all.

He is determined to at least make you feel better, will definitely do his research.(A LOT of research)

Riddle:

He knows what insomnia is, because of his mother.

If it's after ob Riddle then he will tone down his strictness, will overlook it if you break some rules, will be softer to you, will try not to shout at you

He is concerned for you, will try not to be too loud, and looks after you

Insists on making you sleep

He's so stubborn it's unbelievable

Is determined to find a way to heal you, or at least make you feel better.

When you pass out, he's very clearly worried (he shouted your name in worry and woke Trey up). He brings you to the infirmary with the help of Trey, and watches over you.

Never leaves your side even once

Now even more determined to find a way to heal you.

Depending on if it's after ob or before or he will tone his strictness down a lot

Ace: (idk much about him so)

As everyone knows, he is a bit dumb sometimes. (Let's be honest he's more than just a bit dumb)

So at first when he saw you he assumed you were taking some kind of drug or medicine that caused this. (He thought you were high lmfao)

When he realizes its "just" insomnia, he calms down a bit

Although he is still worried, he will act the same.

Will continue being a crackhead

One day he decides to invite you for a sleepover

And as you were cuddling, you passed out.

He got very worried, he thought he did something wrong

Takes you to the infirmary

Only when the nurse tells him the reason, does he realize it's not his fault or anything he did.

Poor guy didn't even notice how hard you were trying to stay awake and it ended up in you passing out

Will not change his behavior, but will be a bit more caring

Malleus:

He didn't know what insomnia was at first, until he asked Lilia

And he was very (very very very) concerned and worried

He asked Lilia if there were any remedies

(Depending on the severity) If there were no remedies, and if you insisted that you were fine, he wouldn't have intervened against your will.

Is nonetheless determined to find a way to help you

He invites you over for a sleepover

And while he was crushing you in his embrace (not literally) you pass out

Also thinks it's his fault, he thinks you were sick or he hugged you too hard.

Will rush to the infirmary at the speed of light, with you in his arms or on his back

Once he learns that it's because of your insomnia, he frowns, but also internally sighs in relief

He's a bit happy it wasn't his doing, but also sad that you passed out

will DEFINITELY use some powerful spell to force you to sleep (ifykyk)

Not proofread tho, and inaccurate portraying of characters

Thanks again for the request ! I hope you enjoyed It.

[starlesswritings]

❪ ♛ › * ✰ ❫ ⁖ ⁀ ➴ just to live! ░. ꒱

GRAPHIC CONTENT AHEAD: extreme violence, gore, moral ambiguity, blood, major character death, lots of death in general, complete mindfuckery, tons of dead dove content everywhere you turn (well, that had been the idea, I can't remember if I ever wrote that far), anarchy reigns, tough decisions, wrong decisions, mental illness, trauma, graphic depictions of everything uncomfortable minus sex.

The audio logs of Vil Schoenheit as he finds himself in an unorthodox scenario.

Log: 000001

Ha... ha... ha... It's been a long while since I've had to run so fast. In case the person listening has no idea who I am, which is unlikely, my name is Vil Schoenheit. I am twenty years old. A model, actor, skin care and makeup artist — but I guess that's not exactly important right now. What's important is the fact that the world has changed. My life will never be the same. No one's will. Monsters. They're monsters. Everyone's a monster. I'm a monster, too. Ugly. Unsightly! Ha... I'm sorry. I'll be okay. If anything, at least I am positive, that I will survive. I am strong. I have knowledge on how to survive. It's almost like I was prepared for this from childhood. No, so long as I remain vigilant, I will survive. But, will I live? I don't know. I can't tell if I've really ever lived up to now, so how would I know if I'm living or not? How do I know that I can make it out of here alive?

Vil put the recorder back into his pocket and checked his surroundings. The coast was clear. He could make a break for the trees, get some much needed cover, and hopefully find some food.

He controlled his breaths and checked his pulse. So far, so good. He was okay. He was going to be okay. If he pretended this was just another movie script, he would be okay.

Everything was alright.

After all, he was the villain.

Always the villain.

But, he would prove himself! He knew that he could. Vil Schoenheit was nothing if not a survivor. He would get past the ugliness of the world and stand on top, sparkling and beautiful, like the rarest jewel. The most beautiful person on planet Earth.

He wished Rook were here with him. He already missed the dear hunter's presence, and having a hunter by his side would have been so very useful, as well. In any survival situation, Rook Hunt was a good man to pick. When the going got rough, Rook got serious and was an amazingly gifted man — but ever since all of this had broken out, Vil has not been able to get in contact with Rook at all, though he assumed it would be like that everywhere for everyone.

The Fae Valleys would have the most advantages in this sick twisted world. Not only had they never relied upon technology, they thrived with their own two hands. They had been born stronger. More durable. Beautiful and fair in their darkened nature.

At the same time, Vil knew that if he tried to go venture into the Fae Valleys without an invite, he would get destroyed from all sides, so it was not an option whatsoever. Also, due to their lack of technology, it was impossible to tell whether they had been affected by the calamities or not. They were so secluded from the outside world that it was impossible to tell.

He was at the trees when he heard it. The sound he desperately did not want to hear.

Vil sighed as he shut his brain off, cut his emotions from his actions, turned around and shot a gun directly into a woman's skull.

No.

That was not a woman.

That thing could not be a woman. It was a monster. For his own survival, to keep pressing forward, he had to do this.

The blood pooled to the ground and would feed the earth.

Vil rifled through her bag. her purse, and found things he deemed would be useful to him. The monster had terrible taste in color coordination, but it was of no matter now. It has no consequence in the end, because Vil had shot her point blank. He had killed her — it.

Better that he think of it as a thing and not a person.

I am ugly.

I will be beautiful.

In a world such as this, even just to survive would be beautiful. Vil could do it. He had to do it. For everyone he was close to and could not find — he would survive. It was all he could do now. There was no other option. To lay down himself, to give up and die, it was something that was unacceptable in his own eyes.

The world had changed like this, but even so, he would keep pressing forward.

So, even though he was in shock from what he'd seen back in the cities, he got his bearings and began to run again, getting as far away from regular civilization as possible, because nothing about the cities were safe anymore. There was only fire, and smoke, and the sound of people screaming, of blood and corpses filling the streets.

There was nothing else for him back there. The only thing in the cities was soon to be gone and Vil knew there'd be nothing left for anyone. If they all survived a few decades, perhaps things would change, and he could go back to scavenge for supplies, but it was far too dangerous to go there, now.

The Internet and cell service was still active, but there was no guarantee that would last forever, but just in case, Vil kept his phone and a charger on his person, because he wanted to hope, he wanted to believe that there would be a silver lining somewhere in this bleak life he was now preparing to live. He wanted to trust that someone he knew would come and find him (and come in peace), and that he wouldn't be so... so very...

"Alone," Vil Schoenheit whispered as the sky bled a thousand different colors, a beautiful sunset tainted by the earth bringing forth chaos, black acrid smoke, and its own central red flames. Flames that weren't hotter than the sun, but just as damaging — far more devastating.

Vil trembled, but he straightened himself out within seconds.

Only the strong survived. He had to keep his wits and remain as calm as possible.

He pretended that his hands didn't shake after killing that woma — that thing. He'd never actually killed something before. He wasn't a hunter like Rook. He hadn't taken life with his own two hands, watched the light in their eyes fade away and seep out. Vil had never actually harmed another being before, but now he had, and it was just day one.

The time to play nice guy was over.

It was the villain's world now.

[xxchthonicreaturexx]

Matchup Trade!

Hello hello! Thank you for your patience but this is your TWST matchup trade ! @thecurrator

Silver Vanrouge

Soooo...It took me a hot second to figure this out. You needed someone who was serious and intellectual enough to keep up so Kalim was thrown out the window (even though I love the opposites attract trope) and you needed someone who cared enough about you as well as wasnt all about themself, so as charming and mature as Vil seems, he was also chucked out the second story...

As I was going through though, I felt that you just really felt at home with the Diasomnia crew. They seem very fitting to how you seem as a person. Very catlike in a way.

I was just kinda comparing you to the characters for the appearance side of the matchup, but in the end I ended on Silver either way. I was going to match you with him appearance wise just because you mentioned you always have bedhead, and given Silver is always falling asleep, I like to imagine that his hair becomes messy at times as well. Not only that, but you two seem like you have similar lengths in hair from what i could tell. I thought it was just a cute little thing where youd look like you both rolled out of bed but Silver has white hair and yours is so dark. Not to mention the silver earings. I once read a headcannon where Silver had a thing for piercings on people and it kinda stuck with me (I cant think of who wrote the post right now though so credit to them-)

While i was going through the similarities in appearance though and what complimented each other, i noticed how well I thought you two would work in a romantic setting as well. You say that you wouldnt want someone that would interrupt you, and Silver wouldn't! I feel he'd let you talk about whatever you wanted, but also wouldnt be too shy or introverted to contribute to the conversation.

Silver is cursed to always be fatigued, and that annoys him, but I imagine you both sitting there and listening to music, or you reading one of your books. Actually! I think he'd love to fall asleep while you read some poetry to him.

I feel Silver would be one of the best characters in Twisted Wonderland to respect physical boundaries. Not to say the others can't, but I feel he wouldn't be too touchy either. Don't get me wrong, laying with each other under the trees would be nice, but he's surrounded by a lot of animals, and you can't move too fast around them, so he's used to being patient and letting you initiate it first.

Overall i feel you guys would just respect each others boundaries very well and would just be a relaxing couple in general.

Runner-up: Malleus

Sibling:

Leona Kingscholar

Okay so hear me out...he seems like he could be your older brother. You guys just seem similar in the mannerisms you have.

Like for example: Being unapproachable or having RBF. Leona is kind of an asshole- and I mean, he's a prince too, so he's just one of the most unapproachable characters there are in TWST.

I mean...he's a lion. If he doesn't want to be touched, don't touch him. If he doesn't want to speak to you, he'll ignore you and nap until you go away. But he's catlike in the sense of he won't respect that boundary of yours. As sucky as it is, he's a lion and a sibling. His job is to annoy you.

You guys probably butt heads constantly. Like you guys will have moments where you get along and then he'll just ruin it. Huge sibling rivalry right here. But I mean, I feel it could make sense if you had a Beastmen for a sibling if you climbed a mountain at 10 :')

Runner ups: Idia and Ortho or Deuce Spade

Hope you enjoyed! And again, sorry it took so long!

[luv-beam]

live reaction things 😋:

- HELP ME SUNWOO IS STILL A MENACE SKFNKENF also the lowkey 4th wall break w reader's obsession w kpop and streamers (me too bestie, me too) - oh, btw interesting kind of unrelated question, but i noticed that u write in present tense!! it's just been awhile since i've been properly exposed to it, and i appreciate the way u do it consistently, as well as using past tense in the proper places 💔 sorry some grammar things like that bug me all the time, so i just had to say THANK U !!! OH MY GOD i was supposed to ask if u preferred past or present tense more?? - okok so changmin just latched onto reader's arm and i had a little fuzzy thing happen to me cuz my mom does something like that to me too and it always makes me feel good, like its such a little thing but theres so much affection stored in the gesture - the way i imagined jacob's intro in slow-mo 😃🤧

Changmin hugs you and puts his whole weight on you, making your pace slower. “I’m just flattered that you think about me all the time.”

- i. i cried he's so cute he can hang off me all the damn time idc - AHHH the motif of linked arms throughout the first part so far :') - totally understand that existential crisis feeling 😔 i know i prob am yet to know everything as a rising second year, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices in order to get to where we need or do what we want - i am in fact envisioning this entire thing like a movie/tv show and it is fantabulous (jacob has just said the byline line and the next bit abt reading love from a poet's pov but when u experience it for urself, it turns out to be slightly different, like ur very own experience, ofc) - "bitch say something" ME 💀

Jacob laughs as he takes out his laptop and says, “I get it. Sometimes, it gets hard to really tell whether you like a friend because you see them as a potential partner or you like what’s familiar.”

- looks EMPHATICALLY in changmins direction - i love moonbae so much 😔 they WOULD be the type to take a younger student under their wing and :') - love u twice is playing and changmin just drank too much for yn and im SAD - JACOB MINI VAN MAN???? - wah, its nice to see that they still try to hang out w one amother despite their busy schedules. i feel like the older i am, the less im inclined to hang out w people. i feel like the slightest bit of work or interaction tires me out, and so i dont really hang out w people as much as i used to. some days i do crave having this kind of connection w a group of friends tho. i just love how u wrote them, not like the all's-well kind of group, but they have their own things but they never fail to think of the others, if that makes sense - OMG AN INVITE TO THE DAMCE STUDIO 😃 i feel like something ALWAYS happens in the dance studio - NO DIGGITY MONI DO U WANT ME TO DIE.

“I’m glad to be here, you know?” You lean your head on his shoulder. “I like to know that as we grow in the things we like to do, we’ll always be there to witness each other reach heights we used to dream of.

- this bit and the paragraphs afterward gave me literal shivers, the good kind ofc. something speaks so loudly abt being there to see the people u love get to achieve what they've been chasing after. i LOVE quiet moments of reflection like this that characters experience - reminding each other that they deserve so much and the very best ☹️ - yn appealing to changmins physical touch love language sends me into orbit, im so... im so T-T - listening to baby blue by luke hemmings, vibe-alicious tune that feels oh-so right as they lie beside each other and bask in the other's presence. thats what i want. - DOKYEOM !!! my beloved slice of sunshine - not me realizing i've prob been spelling cruella de vil's name wrong this whole time ���💀

“Can you stop smacking me?”

- respectfully, no 😁😋 hehe - OMG YNS DOING HIS MAKEUP??? A DREAM SCENARIO OF MINE??? this has to be fan service moni i cant handle this im not antifragile - EXCUSE ME. IM TELLING U THAT MY JAW IS ON THE MOTHERFUCKING FLOOR UR SAYING THAT MASTERFUL MOMENT OF TENSION AND "say no and i wont" WAS A MFKING DREAM??KENDKSNDKDMDK MONI. MONI U CANT DO THIS TO ME U SIMPLY CANNOT I AM NOSNDKEJDKE

FINAL THOUGHTS: lmao so i was actually reading this in bed right and then blr decided to be absolute ass and now i'm out of bed to type this out on my computer TT BUT IT'S WORTH IT!! moni, omg, this was so beautiful like,,, i imagine a lot of things like a movie, but this felt so REAL, like everything was so organic and reader and changmin's relationship, as well as everyone else's, was so beautifully done. this whole thing just felt so warm and comforting to me, like idek how to explain it, but it put me at ease? if that makes sense? anyways, very much looking forward to the second part and to see just how screwed changmin is :D

[part one] of linked arms and bruised hearts (you are the reason i keep on going) ➵ ji changmin

non-idol!ji changmin x reader, slight non-idol!jacob bae x reader

you and changmin have been best friends since high school, having seen each other at their best and worst. now in your second year of university, you are given the opportunity to work with the unattainable 5th-year you have had a crush on since—jacob bae. with your best friend on the receiving end of your rambles, you could only hope for something to come out of your time working with jacob. that is until changmin decides he wants something more out of his relationship with you.

genre/warnings ➵ friends to lovers, slow burn, so much FLUFF, afab reader (they/them pronouns), drinking, expect a lot of sentimental talks and bantering between changmin and reader, a lot of publication talk (sorry i am a writer), sunwoo is a shithead (and a terrible wingman), slight chanhee x hyunjae (very minimal though), you used to have a crush on sunwoo by the way and now your friends like to laugh about it, sweet angel jacob with his SIGNATURE SMILE!!!, also he may not be unattainable after all???, changmin and reader are so lucky to have each other, slight suggestive dream at the end

word count ➵ 18.8k words (currently... more words to come once i write the 2nd part)

parts ➵ [part two coming soon]

taglist ➵ @deoboyznet @kflixnet @winterchimez

a/n ➵ i am so glad to finally have this baby out!! i worked on this a few days after i published my sunwoo fic so :DD was debating whether this would be a changmin or jacob fic but the stars just pointed and my kyu <3 this is very slow burn so i hope you guys will stick with me all throughout! and please be kind if i fail to deliver the 2nd part asap </3 i have other writer duties </3 i would really appreciate it if you could take the time to like and reblog this.

want to be part of my taglist? send me an ask! masterlist

There is something frightening that comes with growing up. First, you come into the world with hands too small to carry anything and a mind unable to grasp anything. And no matter how many years you continue on, you never know what to expect from a fickle thing called life. It is as if you impart on a dangerous journey; your knees get wounded; your eyes get tired; your heart gets bruised. Yet, there must be something in the end that makes all the injuries worth it.

The universe had many instances to give you reasons to believe that all the ups and downs you go through are worth it. Instead, you are given three demons that crashed into your feeble life—you cannot seem to get rid of them even if you tried.

“Y/N-ah!” A boy you have grown too familiar with over the years calls out to you while you were exiting the stuffy classroom filled with unknown faces.

You roll your eyes and shake your head. “Sunwoo, have you not gotten tired of me? Can’t last a few hours without me?”

“Yah! I’m only here because you owe me.”

Kim Sunwoo—the reason why you have not known peace since… forever. You got to know him back in grade school where you shared the unfortunate fate of being classmates throughout the years. The shy boy was consistently your seatmate which forced you two to interact. What became casual seatmates turned into best friends that would stick together for every break time.

Somehow, you and Sunwoo have stuck together like glue since then. As the years went by, you have been present for every soccer tournament while he has been present for every competition. And somehow, you found yourselves in high school still joined at the hip. Your friendship has contradicted the popular belief of “losing your grade school friends when you enter high school.” You wish you knew how your friendship continued to survive in college waters.

“I owe you? Doesn’t the favor I asked from you make up for the one you asked from me then?” You frown as you walk with him.

Sunwoo nudges you and says, “That is not what we agreed on.”

“You are literally going off on your own terms, be for real.”

“C’mon Y/N! Don’t you love your best friend of 12 years?”

You give him a side-eye. “I cannot believe you are trying to play that card right now.”

“I always play that card.” Sunwoo shrugs, smirking as he walks with you. “I mean, I wouldn’t like to play the old crush card.”

You gasp at his statement and smack him. “I told you that in secret, you little shit!”

“See! So treat me now!”

Since you two grew up together, it was inevitable for you to harbor some form of infatuation towards the one boy you found yourself sticking with. It was an embarrassing period in your life considering how weird it is to think of Sunwoo under that light now. Thankfully, you got over that crush once you found yourself getting into K-Pop idols and streamers.

“You are so frustrating, Sunwoo.” You rest your back on the wall. “Can’t I just treat you another day? I do not have enough money to buy us both food.”

Sunwoo takes his spot beside you as he stares at the closed door opposite you two. “Fine! But don’t forget.”

“You always seem to make it a point to remind me.” You roll your eyes as he nudges you once more.

“Hey, I’m just trying to get back what I was promised. I mean, do you know the lengths I had to go to somehow get Ja–”

You place your hand on his mouth before he could say more. “Yah, Kim Sunwoo! You cannot be saying that shit out loud,” you whisper in the last sentence.

He grabs your hand and pushes it off his face. “I’m just saying! I’m not trying to spill your secret for everyone to hear. Do you have no faith in me?”

“You’re really asking me that?” You furrow your eyebrows.

“... Point taken.” Sunwoo gives a sheepish smile. “But it was hard to make it all work! You should be glad that I’m good friends with your little publication team.”

Before you could comment, you notice the door swing open as university students make their way out. You pushed your iPad down into your bag as you stood beside Sunwoo. 

“Yah, Changmin!” Sunwoo calls out as he raises his hand. As you tiptoe, you notice the boy who you have grown to love and hate all throughout high school. Once he catches sight of you two, he smiles and makes his way to you.

“Yay! You guys did wait for me,” Changmin says as he quickly stores his glasses away.

“Of course we did. You would scold us if we didn’t,” you say as you roll your eyes.

Sunwoo laughs. “Nice one, Y/N.” He gives you a high-five.

“Hey! You would get mad if I didn’t wait for you.” Changmin shakes his head as he latches onto your arm.

You chuckle and say, “Yeah, I would.”

Ji Changmin—what could you say about this one? Despite the chaos he brings to your world, he seems to be the one person you could handle in big doses. You love Sunwoo but the guy will not get off your ass.

Thanks to Sunwoo, you met Changmin in high school. When Sunwoo decided to look into other extra-curricular activities, he found himself falling in love with dance. And dance brought him to Changmin. The two shared a love for dancing as they found themselves on the dance team representing your school. With all the times Sunwoo and Changmin got along, Sunwoo felt it was only best to bring you and Changmin together.

It is funny to remember how you two first met. At first, you thought you and Changmin would just be friendly—only interacting if Sunwoo planned something among you three.

At first, you did not feel particularly happy about hanging out with Changmin. When you say this, you can only imagine the way people would react. Everyone seemed to love him just at first glance. You though… you were terrified of the guy. Maybe it is because there were not enough instances for you to get to know each other. It did not help that he was two years above you.

Sunwoo seemed to be the glue to keep your friend group of three together. However, it was only when you first joined your high school’s publication team that you got to see Changmin without Sunwoo. It came as a surprise to you then—seeing one of the best dancers in your high school do something that is not dance (minus studying, of course).

At first, you two were awkward as you worked without Sunwoo there to be his usual self. However, the more instances you worked one-on-one with Changmin, the more you realized that there is nothing to be afraid of. With his photos and your writings, you two became an unstoppable team in the publication.

You could remember when Sunwoo first noticed the change in dynamics between you and Changmin. What started off as jigsaw puzzle pieces that did not fit together turned into peas in a pod. Though you never expected that Changmin’s bantering with you could be worse than Sunwoo’s.

“Changmin, you never hold onto me,” Sunwoo says as he glares at you two.

“Because every time I do, you run away from me,” Changmin throws back as he shakes his head. “And Y/N never gets sick of me from holding onto them.”

The three of you started to walk side-by-side. “Where’s Chanhee?” Changmin asks.

“He said to meet him in the ramen place across the athletics building,” you answer as you try to fish out your phone from your pocket. You look down at your phone and send a message to Chanhee as your two friends talk.

y/n: we are on the way xP nyuging 🐧: okie! i got us a table already nyuging 🐧: don’t forget we need to work on the small businesses coverage after y/n: yessir! i’m free after we eat nyuging 🐧: are u fr? man, i have lit class right after the interviews nyuging 🐧: with mr. choi 😭 y/n: NOOOOOOOOO who tf am i gonna stay with nyuging 🐧: not my problem xP nyuging 🐧: you could actually stay with mr. bae 💗😍 y/n: STFUUUU

You groan over Chanhee’s message. “Why?” Changmin looks over at you.

“Chanhee can’t stay with me after we finish up the interviews, and I have to wait for my meeting around 5 PM.”

Changmin sighs and says, “Sucks to be you.”

“Nice one, Changmin.” Sunwoo laughs as he high-fives Changmin.

“Yah! Changmin, you don’t want to stay with me?”

“I have other important things to handle.”

You glare at Changmin and shrug his hand off your arm. “I’m not offering to drive you around anymore. Get used to walking.”

“Yah, I’m just joking!” He jokes around and attempts to grab onto your arm once more.

Sunwoo whines. “Why don’t you bother to ask me?”

“Because I know you’re going to use that time to bother me about how I still owe you.” All he could do was giggle.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you because I know you can’t survive without me.” Changmin smiles as he brings you closer to his side.

You side-eye the boy who manages to rile you up even more than Sunwoo can (maybe it is because you are used to Sunwoo’s antics). “You are so annoying.”

“Yah! Keep that shit up and I’m actually going to ditch you.”

“HEY! Don’t say that! Please, you know I’m never going to get any work done if I’m left alone.”

Changmin scoffs. “Exactly. That is why you need me.” You roll your eyes over his words.

It seems to always be like this with Changmin—sometimes warm, oftentimes cold to you. You did not mind the dynamic you had with him. If anything, it felt perfect since you learned to see how he shows his appreciation towards you without outright saying it. Regardless of the banter, you always find yourself being more sentimental with him compared to your other friends.

Before you could say anything, you hear someone call out your name. “Y/N!” As you whip your head in the direction of where the sound came from, you see the guy of your dreams. Jacob Bae—the unattainable 5th-year in your publication.

The first time you met Jacob was when you got accepted into your university’s publication. Being the only fresh recruit in the Features staff, your editor, Moon Kevin, decided it would be best to get you acquainted with the small crew. Jacob was a senior when you first got to meet him.

Despite usually being terrified of those who were a few years older than you, there was something about him that made you feel at ease. Whether it was his smile or his soft-spoken tone, you always found yourself smiling over the thought of him. Although you never got the opportunity to work with him, you can only hope it would change this year considering your staff was short on manpower.

Your mouth goes dry as you freeze in your place. “Oh my god.”

“Oh no, please act cool,” Sunwoo mumbles as Jacob makes his way to you three.

Changmin nudges him and says, “You know they will not act cool.” Before more words could be shared, Jacob arrives in front of you with that soft smile that never fails to make your insides all mushy.

“Hey, Y/N!” The way he says your name almost has your knees go weak.

A beat of silence passes. You did not know what to say to the senior you had the biggest crush on. It is only when Changmin nudges you that snaps you out of your trance.

“Ah, Jacob! It’s so nice to see you. W-where are you headed?” You squeak out as you give an awkward smile.

“I’m headed to meet with Kevin. I have an article to cram so he’s going to make some edits while I write.”

You gasp and say, “Oh god, good luck. I feel like I’d be too pressured to write anything.”

“Thankfully I’m used to it.” Jacob takes a look at Sunwoo and Changmin. “Hi, I’m Jacob. I’m on the same staff as Y/N.”

Once he puts his hand out, Sunwoo immediately grabs and shakes it. “It’s nice to meet you, Jacob hyung. I’m Sunwoo. I’m also friends with Kevin hyung.”

“Ah, you’re Sunwoo! Yes, Kevin has mentioned you.” Jacob gives a sheepish smile before he takes a look at Changmin. “And you are, Changmin?”

Changmin’s eyes go wide, shocked at Jacob knowing his name. “Yes, that’s me. How did you know?”

Jacob chuckles. “I know it because I have some friends from the Sports staff who cover a lot of stories about the dance troupe that you and Sunwoo are part of. Also, I’ve heard Y/N and Chanhee talk about you.”

Changmin smiles at you and pretends to hold his heart. “You talk about me? Awe, you two really cannot live without me.” You only elbow his side so that he could stop embarrassing you in front of Jacob.

“Anyway, it’s so nice to see you again.” You smile once more at him.

Jacob giggles and says, “Good luck with your coverage of small businesses. I wish I could’ve worked on that with you. I’ll see you later at the meeting?” You only nod to which he smiles.

“Bye Y/N!” And with that, Jacob walked away from you, leaving you with a heart so mushy.

“You seriously need to get better at making your feelings less obvious,” Changmin breaks the mood which only has you elbow him once more.

“You were literally embarrassing me in front of him!” You quietly exclaim as you three continue to walk to the restaurant.

Changmin hugs you and puts his whole weight on you, making your pace slower. “I’m just flattered that you think about me all the time.”

“You know damn well that Chanhee and I are complaining about you.”

Sunwoo laughs and says, “I can’t believe I’m the safe one here.”

“Yah, you are in no way safe. Tell him, Y/N.” Changmin attempts to argue as he stops hugging you (though his arm remains linked with yours).

You sigh and say, “Sadly, he is. I’m used to Sunwoo’s antics and I don’t spend as much time as I used to with Mr. Popular. You, however… I am getting sick of you. Chanhee is too.” Changmin gasps at your words.

“Yeah, I’m ditching you.”

“Changmin, I’m just joking! Please don’t leave me alone.”

It is 2:23 PM. You were with Chanhee as you were wrapping up your interview with the owner of the restaurant, Mr. Lim. The small business has a cozy feel whose dishes focus on the fusion of Korean and Filipino food.

“Thank you so much for letting me interview you!” You and Chanhee bow down to Mr. Lim.

He only shakes his head and hands out a small bag of thin butter cookies. “Please, it’s my pleasure. I look forward to reading that article! Enjoy these lengua de gato.”

“Ah, thank you so much!” Chanhee smiles. “We’ll make sure to visit you again, Mr. Lim!”

As you bid your farewells, you two made your way out of the restaurant. You and Chanhee walked while looking down at the notes and pictures taken.

“How are your pictures?” You ask as you peer over Chanhee’s shoulder to look at the viewfinder.

Chanhee lets out a hum as he scrolls through the photos he took. “I just need to do some minimal edits, but everything looks pretty good. Is your recording good?”

You nod at him as you play a snippet of the recording to him. “It sounds clear. I just hope that it doesn’t get corrupted like last time.”

“God, I remember when your recording got corrupted—in your first coverage too!”

You groan as you quickly stash away your phone and notes. “Don’t even remind me! I felt so bad because you were working with me too. Do you even know how embarrassed I was?”

“Of course I did. I could literally see the anxiety ooze from you when you were still a first-year student.”

You met your third devil, Choi Chanhee, in the publication. Although he is part of the Photos staff, you had the opportunity to work closely with him during your very first coverage for the university’s paper.

You remember it clear as day—you were tasked to cover the rise of artificial intelligence programs, specifically on the benefits and harm of these in the academe. He accompanied you to your interview with one of the professors since he was tasked to take pictures. However, your recording got corrupted and you were left with minimal notes. That is when you first learned the importance of taking note of everything.

Chanhee has been the nicest one out of the three devils you know. So far, you were always paired with him for all of your coverages. With so much time being spent together, you formally introduced him to your two best friends who seem to bully him in the same way they do with you. It helped that he is in the same batch as Changmin. Now, your friend group has expanded to four.

“I swear, I remember how much I cried to Kevin that day because I felt so bad,” you admit as you shake your head at the memory.

You two continue to walk until you finally arrive at Morning Roasters—the cafe you seem to frequent with Chanhee. He introduced you to this cafe when you had to cram an article on drag queens who studied at your university for June. 

“Why don’t you find a table and I’ll get our drinks?” Chanhee asks as he grabs his wallet. You nod and take a look around the packed cafe. It seemed as if every table was taken. However, when your eyes land on a familiar boy who was focused on his laptop, you could only smile.

“Changmin-ah!” You exclaim as you make your way to him.

When he looks up from his work, he rolls his eyes at the sight of you. “See, I told you I would stay with you.”

You take a seat beside him and lean your head on his shoulder. “Thanks. You know I wouldn’t have gotten any work done if I was left alone.”

He only hums as he continues to type away. “How was the interview? Did it go well?”

“Yeah, the owner is really nice. He gave us a bag of cookies,” you say as you place it on the table.

“Mr. Lim is nice. We should really eat there one day.”

Changmin stops typing and grabs the bag of cookies. As he attempts to open it, you elbow his side which he yelps at. “You’re not even going to ask if you can have some?” You scold him as you lift your head up from his shoulder.

“Can I have?”

You only roll your eyes. “Whatever, go.”

“The only reason he does that is because you react that way,” Chanhee says as he appears in front of you two with a cup of iced matcha for you and peach iced tea for himself.

“That’s true,” Changmin says before he finally grabs himself a cookie. As he takes a bite of it, he lets out a small moan at the taste. “Hey, you need to try this.”

Curious over Changmin’s reaction, you and Chanhee grab yourselves a piece and take a bite. “Oh shit, that’s good,” You say as you take one more bite of the milk cookie.

Chanhee takes a look at the time. “Oh shit, I need to go! I’ll see you in the meeting later!”

Before you and Changmin could say bye, Chanhee was already out of the cafe.

“Well, time to get to work,” Changmin says as you open your laptop.

As you peer over at Changmin’s screen, you notice that his screen was opened to a site you have not seen in a while.

“Oh my god, is that our high school publication?”

Changmin hums and says, “Yeah, I was just looking at some of my old photos. It’s crazy because I look at them and I feel a part of myself cringe. Like, why is it so bad?”

You laugh as you open the document that had your draft. “You would think that being accepted into your high school’s publication meant that you were a good writer or photographer. I feel like I have learned so much more now than I did then.”

The reality is that you only continue to learn—to grow in the work that you do. While growth may never be linear, it is a journey. Although Changmin found himself giving up on photography, you never let yourself give up on writing. But you two understood that he only wanted to invest more time into another hobby turned passion. 

For a moment, it is silent between you two. As you continue to type away, you notice that Changmin is still looking at his old articles. When you take a look at his face, you see that he is deep in thought.

“Hey, what’s up?” You ask which breaks him out of his trance.

“Sorry, I was just… thinking.”

“You want to share?”

For a moment, Changmin does not reply. It is usual for him to not want to share his sentiments. You never held it against him, but there are times when you wished he would feel safer to open up to you. You remember how easy it is for him to hide what he is going through.

“I… I was just thinking about how I managed to balance dance, the publication, and my studies back in high school. Now, I feel like I barely have time to keep up with dance or my work.” You only hum at his words.

“I think I just miss photography but not to the point where I would join the publication again. I don’t have the time anymore, but I do miss it, you know?” Changmin asks to which you nod.

“Yeah. I never realized how much time I had back in high school. Now, I feel like I’m drowning in… everything, really. I can only imagine it seems harder for you because you have the thesis to worry about.”

Changmin groans and says, “Oh god, why did you have to remind me!” He rubs his eyes. “I am literally suffering from this alone! At least I don’t need to deal with crap groupmates.”

You only laugh as you type away. “Well, you could still do some free-lancing while you’re working as a preschool teacher.”

“That is if I graduate on time,” Changmin purses his lips as he finally exits his old articles and looks at his thesis.

You nudge his shoulder. “Hey, I believe you can. And if you can’t, you’ll be fine. It’s normal.”

Changmin takes a good look at you as you continue to add some new information to your draft. “Yeah. Thanks, Y/N.” You only smile at him before you two decide to go back to work.

It is 7:32 PM. You were exhausted from your meeting with the Features staff and some people from the Photos staff (though it was still nice to see Jacob). Kevin spent a lot of the time going through what story pitches could be pursued for the rest of the first semester. Your brain felt exhausted from it all. However, there was something good that came from the meeting.

“Y/N, you will be working with Jacob on the coverage of K-Pop student idols here at our university.” You immediately look up at Kevin whose eyes are still focused on the iPad. “You two will also work on drinking culture amongst students and hustle org work lifestyle. Chanhee will be your assigned Photos staffer, as always.”

Your eyes land on Chanhee who has a small smile as he looks down at his camera. For a moment, you are scared to look at Jacob.

“Me? Really?”

Kevin hums as he finally looks up from his iPad. “Yeah. Since we’re short-staffed, I thought it would be good to just have some more collaboration articles to streamline all the work.”

You take this chance to look over at Jacob who seemed to be looking at you already, that godforsaken smile on his face. Your heart does somersaults at the idea of him looking at you without even noticing.

“Y/N?”

You snap out of your daze and finally give Kevin a nod. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

He smiles at you and says, “Well, that settles it. Jacob and Y/N will work on those three pitches while Seungcheol and Yunjin on the beauty standards and Halloween culture coverages. Lastly, Chaeyeon will work on the polyamory pitch.”

As everyone agrees with the assigned pitches, Chanhee nudges you. “Jacob hasn’t stopped looking at you.” Once he whispers those words, you feel your eyes drift over to Jacob who still had his eyes set on you.

You had no idea how you managed to get through that meeting without freaking out over that new piece of information. It sounded weird when you phrase it that way, but you are no better than a high schooler in love whenever you were thinking about him.

“That meeting felt a little too long,” Chanhee groans as he stretches his back.

You two were seated by the benches near the athletics center, admiring the starry sky. “I know. Kevin is stressed though so I can understand that he really wants to fix everything.”

With your staff smaller than last year, the Features staff could only pursue a few pitches. For Kevin, he cares about the well-being of each member which is why it made sense for him to have a meeting to ensure everyone was alright with their assigned workload.

“At least you’re gonna work with Mr. Bae,” Chanhee teases you which makes you elbow his side.

“Chanhee! Be quiet.”

Chanhee whines. “Oh come on! Don’t you want to talk about it?”

“I do but not here!”

“You’re so boring.” You only glare at him for a moment before you tilt your head back and close your eyes.

For a moment, you wanted to let yourself rest. It is until you feel someone tap your shoulder. “Chanhee, can’t you just–”

“Hi, Y/N.” Your eyes snap open as you see Jacob looking over you.

You quickly sit up straight and say, “Ah, Jacob! It’s so nice to see you.”

“Yeah. Are you waiting for Sunwoo and Changmin?”

Chanhee nods. “Yeah, I think they’re just wrapping up.”

Jacob hums for a moment as he looks at the athletics center that is still lit up. “I’m also waiting for my friend. I don’t know if you guys know him but it’s Juyeon.”

“Of course, we know Juyeon hyung. He’s just as good as Changmin when it comes to dance,” Chanhee answers.

Jacob chuckles and says, “Kevin, Juyeon, some other friends, and I are supposed to be catching dinner. What about you guys?”

“Same here.” You scratch your arm. “But also because I’m going to be dropping them off at their place.”

“Oh, you drive? That’s cool.” You nod as you look down at your lap, shy over Jacob’s words.

Chanhee scoots further away from you. “Jacob hyung, do you want to take a seat?”

“Oh, thank you!” He says as he quickly moves to take a seat beside you. You feel yourself hold your breath over the distance between you two. You hated that you felt this way about this guy. 

“Y/N-ah.” You look up from your lap and look over at the guy beside you. “I don’t think I ever got to tell you this but I’m excited to work with you. I’ve seen your articles from last year and they’re really good.”

You cannot help the smile (or blush) that creeps up on your face. “Please, I am so honored to work with you. I mean, I’ve seen your byline how many times on articles I really loved reading.”

Jacob softly nudges your shoulder. “I’m glad that we’ll have our bylines beside each other.”

As a writer, you felt yourself die inside. You have heard poets speak of love in a way you could never utter. Yet, hearing Jacob say a phrase just as simple as that had you reimagining what love should be.

For a moment, you do not know what to say. Your eyes remain on him as he continues to look at students finally making their way out of the athletics center. You notice Chanhee peering over and mouthing the words “Bitch, say something.”

Before you could say anything, you hear someone call out your name. “Y/N! Chanhee!” You whip your head to see Sunwoo running up to you guys with Changmin following behind.

“You would not–oh? Jacob hyung? It’s so nice to see you,” Sunwoo says as he tongues his cheek.

Changmin’s eyes widened at the sight of you and Jacob seated side-by-side. “Ah, Jacob hyung! Hello again.”

“Hi again. I’m just waiting for Juyeon actually.”

“Oh, he was just with us,” Changmin says as he looks back only to see Juyeon running to you four.

Juyeon pants and says, “Sorry! I just had to handle something real quick.”

Jacob gets off the bench and stands beside him. “First off, this is Juyeon. Juyeon, this is Chanhee and Y/N. They’re both from the school’s newspaper also.”

Juyeon’s eyes go wide. “Oh, you’re Y/N! Jacob hyung has mention–” Jacob quickly elbows him before he could say more to which he yelps. You feel your eyes go wide at the information.

“Ow! Jacob hyung, you didn’t need to hit me,” Juyeon complains as he rubs his side.

“Anyway, it’s nice to see you guys. Y/N, I’ll see you soon,” Jacob gives his signature smile before he walks off with Juyeon.

For a moment, you stay seated on the bench as Changmin, Chanhee, and Sunwoo look at each other.

“Did Juyeon just say… what I think he just said?” Sunwoo finally speaks out.

“Yah!” Chanhee smacks your arm. “Did you hear him?! Jacob has talked about you!”

You cannot help but smile at the events that just played out. “Ah, look at that smile,” Changmin says as he shakes his head.

Sunwoo chuckles as he grabs your arm. “C’mon, let’s talk about what happened over dinner.”

It has been a few days since you first got paired with Jacob. You still cannot believe that the only reason that you finally get to work with him is that Sunwoo somehow spilled your secret to the one person you only hoped would never find out.

“What do you mean you told him?! Are you serious?!” You reacted as you stood up from your seat with your hands planted on the table.

“In my defense, Kevin hyung somehow connected the dots and would not believe me every time I denied it,” Sunwoo says as he raises his hands in defense.

After a long day, your friend group found themselves in Changmin and Chanhee’s place with boxes of Chinese takeout in each person’s hands. While you were talking about the events that transpired during the meeting, you noticed guilt prominent on Sunwoo’s face.

“Sunwoo! I only asked you to invite Kevin and Jacob to Eric’s next party, whenever that may be,” You groan as you find yourself collapsing back into your seat.

You feel someone bring your head to their shoulder as they rub on your arm. “You had one job. How could you have possibly fucked it up?” Chanhee asks as he shakes his head.

“Oh c’mon! I really tried to convince Kevin to bring Jacob to Eric’s Halloween party. I think it’s because he knows I don’t know Jacob at all. And he knows I’m best friends with you! Won’t you cut me some slack?” Sunwoo pouts as he tries to reach out for your hand.

You only scowl at him and cross your arms. “I am never asking you to be a wingman for me. I should’ve just gone to Changmin or Chanhee for this.”

“There’s no way Kevin didn’t connect the dots earlier with how you act around his best friend,” Changmin jokes after he takes a slurp of his black bean noodles.

You frown at him as you raise your head from Chanhee’s shoulder. “Be so for real right now. There’s no way he noticed because it’s not like I interact with him enough for Kevin to even see if I have a crush on him.” You nudge Chanhee which causes him to choke on his noodles. “Back me up here.”

“Are you kidding me?” Chanhee coughs out before he wipes his mouth. “I was literally eating.”

“Just back me up!”

He rolls his eyes. “Sure, I guess.”

Changmin smiles at Chanhee’s words. “See! Clearly, Kevin noticed.”

“Chanhee just said he agrees with me!”

“I really don’t. I just want to eat my noodles,” Chanhee says, which causes you to smack his arm.

You groan and say, “You all suck. Even Eric is nicer to me and we barely interact.”

“Yeah, but you love us.” Changmin winks at you. “You can’t survive without us three.”

You only scowl since he was pointing out the truth.

Now that you know that Kevin is aware of your silly crush on Jacob, you have been on edge. You were afraid that he might have told Jacob since it seemed like something he would want to mention. That is why you were with Changmin as you anxiously waited for the arrival of the one 5th-year student who seemed to make you hyperaware of your own actions.

“I’m so scared.”

“You’ll be fine.”

You groan as you keep staring at the door. Currently, you and Changmin were at the university’s outdoor area with enough picnic tables for a hundred students. Although you two had your laptops out, only one was clearly focused on their work (clearly, it was not you).

“Changmin!” You exclaim as you finally reach out to the guy beside you, gripping his arm. “Do you think Kevin told him?”

Changmin rips his eyes away from his thesis document and gives you a good look. “Yes.” Once you let out a whine, he only laughs as his eyes set back on the unfinished document. “You will be fine! All you need to do is act natural… if you can.” As he mutters those last words, you smack his arm.

“Oh god, what if he just ditches on the meeting?”

“You are seriously overthinking this.”

“I mean, I would ditch a meeting if I found out someone younger had a crazy crush on me.”

Changmin looks at you and gives you a frown. “Are you really that unprofessional? Do you really think Jacob hyung would be that unprofessional?”

“No, but he could still surprise me,” you say as you look at your opened document that showed your possible list of interviewees for the K-Pop idol students coverage.

Changmin scoffs and says, “Yeah, just give him the benefit of the doubt. Also, I could never imagine anyone younger having a crush on you—let alone anyone liking you that way.”

You gasp and shove Changmin to the side. “Ji Changmin! How could you say that!”

“What? It’s true though!” You only frown at his words and look back at your document.

“Yah, leave now. I hate talking to you.”

“I’m just joking!” He hugs you. “Those who don’t think of you as someone crush-worthy are just blind.” You only hum as you continue to type away. “Though, it would still be weird to even imagine it.”

“Yah!” You shove his arms away as he only laughs.

You sigh as you look at him and back to your document. “I can’t believe I have put up with you for 5 years.”

“Yeah, remember when you used to like Sunwoo?” You shove him once more which only has him erupt into giggles.

“What? It’s just funny to think about,” Changmin admits, which makes you roll your eyes.

“You used to like Sunwoo?” Both yours and Changmin’s heads whip up to see a confused Jacob.

Your lips part open. “J-jacob! We didn’t notice you got here.”

Jacob chuckles as he scratches the back of his head. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. It’s just that while walking to you two, I overheard that part of the conversation.” He then takes a seat across from you two.

“Oh.” You scratch your arm. “It’s nothing like that. It was just a small crush then because we grew up together. But when I look back at it, it’s just so silly! Like, me liking Sunwoo? So weird, am I right?” You elbow Changmin which only has him yelp. “Right, Changmin?” As you look at him, you give him a smile that only says “Say something.”

“Y-yeah, it was a weak moment for them. It’s something the group laughs about because they got over it so quickly,” He says as he smiles at the guy older than him.

Jacob laughs as he takes out his laptop and says, “I get it. Sometimes, it gets hard to really tell whether you like a friend because you see them as a potential partner or you like what’s familiar.”

For a moment, you process his words. “Yeah… that’s exactly it.” You nod.

Jacob is right. When it comes to liking a friend, the reason behind it tends to get confusing—the line between a potential partner and just someone familiar tends to get blurred. When you looked back at your strong and short-lived crush on Sunwoo, you realized that you never got a good understanding of whether those feelings were as genuine as you thought they would be.

He hums as he opens his laptop to the document you share with him. “Anyway, it’s nice to see you. Also you, Changmin.”

“Yeah.” Changmin closes his laptop and puts it in his bag. “I’ll head out since I’ve got a meeting to attend to.”

“Oh, I see! It was still nice to see you,” Jacob says with a smile so precious; you wish you could capture it.

Changmin smiles back at him before giving you one final look. “Just call me when you’re done, okay?” You nod at him to which he gives you a squeeze on the shoulder and a wink.

With that, he left your table. You watched him walk away with a little bounce on his feet. As you look back at the person in front of you, you realize that you are now alone with Jacob.

“Are you ready to work?” As soon as you nod, he gives you that all-knowing smile that speaks a thousand comforting words. 

It is 6:38 PM when Sunwoo decides to barge into your room. It has been three days since you had your meeting with Jacob. Other than work, not much happened (though you still keep replaying his smile in your head). You are lying down on your bed with Changmin as you watch Lee Youngji’s No Prepare with Bibi.

“Let’s go to Mingyu’s party!” You and Changmin pay no attention to him as you continue to watch the video.

Sunwoo groans as he flops down on your bed and says, “C’mon! We haven’t partied in ages. Don’t you guys miss it?”

“No,” Changmin scoffs, which makes him smack Changmin’s leg.

“Y/N? Don’t you want to drink?” He looks at you with glassy eyes and a pout. You only flip him off which makes him whine. “Ah, c’mon! Chanhee said he’d go if you two would. Why don’t you guys want to drink?”

You start to groan and pause the video. “Sunwoo, can’t I watch my girlfriend Bibi in peace with Changmin?”

“No.”

“Sunwoo, I would love to but…” You tap your iPad screen to look at the time. “... I have to study for my test tomorrow. I cannot risk getting a hangover.”

“Then just don’t drink a lot!”

“You know that’s impossible,” Changmin mutters, which makes you smack his arm. “I’m just pointing out the obvious!”

You sit up and say, “Yeah, well… ugh, you’re right. I actually can’t go.”

“Oh, come on! What if we watch over you?” Sunwoo attempts to convince you.

You turn your head to look at Changmin who was already staring at you. “What do you think?”

“Why do you only ask Changmin?”

“Because I know I can’t trust you to watch over me.” You look back once more at Changmin who was deep in thought.

“Fine.” Changmin sighs as he sits up. “I’ll take care of Y/N.”

“Ah, thank you, Changmin!” Sunwoo exclaims as he hugs him.

“Yah, get your hands off me!”

The four of you arrived at Mingyu’s friend group’s shared house at 8:34 PM. The place was filled with students of different years; some you recognized while others were a mystery.

Since the three boys always hung out at your place, they already had some pieces of clothing stored in the corner of your room. All four of you were dressed up in casual clothing adorned with different accessories.

“Okay, we all have to agree that we're leaving together. That means no one is left behind nor does anyone just decide to leave early without our knowledge,” Chanhee says as he points at you and Sunwoo.

You sigh and nod. “We leave at 12:30 AM. And no Sunwoo, we aren’t leaving later than that.” Sunwoo only pouts. “I actually have a class to attend that I cannot cut.”

“Yeah, yeah. C’mon, let’s go!” He exclaims as he drags Chanhee into the house.

You frown as the two disappear from your sight. Changmin links arms with you which makes you look at him. “You’ll take care of me, right?” He only smiles and drags you into the house.

As the two of you were walking, he would greet people he would recognize. It was only when you finally reached the kitchen area that you were pushed to sit down on one of the stools. You watch his back as he mixes up a drink for you.

“Y/N, I’m going to limit you to drinking like… three drinks maybe,” Changmin says as he finally turns to look at you with two red cups in his hands.

As he hands you his mixed concoction, you sniff it. “What is this?”

“Something fruity… like you.” You only roll your eyes as you finally take a sip.

The tanginess of orange and the sweetness of strawberries filled your mouth. “Woah, it tastes like fruit punch. When did you learn to make this one?”

“I’ve made this for you before.” Changmin takes a sip from his cup. “I think you were just too drunk to remember it.”

You frown at him as you take another sip. “I have no idea why I’m here. Man, I should be studying for my test.”

“To be fair, you made me study with you before we started watching Youngji’s video.” Changmin looks through the snack table and grabs some chips for him to munch on. “And you seem to know your shit pretty well. You’ll be fine.”

“That’s true,” You say as you down your drink.

“You finished your drink already?!”

You give a guilty smile as you hand your cup to Changmin. “It was good.”

“Y/N, you’re supposed to drink slowly! You’ll get drunk if you drink way too fast.”

“No way, that shit tastes like juice.”

Changmin groans and says, “Y/N, that has like how many different alcoholic drinks in that cup. There’s like tequila, vodka, and other shit.”

You gasp as he finds something to put in your cup. “Jesus, Changmin! I thought you were going to take care of me.”

“Yeah, but I thought I could trust you enough to at least handle it yourself also. God, drink some water.” Changmin hands you a cup now full of water.

Once you down the cup, you throw the cup away.

“Yo, Changmin!” You hear someone call out your best friend’s name. Changmin sighs as he looks at you.

“You can go to that, I’ll be fine here,” You say with a smile.

“Remember, only three drinks, okay?” Once you nod, Changmin pats your head and makes his way out of the kitchen.

You sat alone as you looked over the snacks in front of you. You were not the type of person to mope around, and you did not want to force your friends to keep you company. With people coming in and out of the kitchen, you decide to grab your phone and look through Twitter to pass the time.

That is until you hear someone call out your name. “Y/N!” When you look up, you are surprised to see Kevin making his way toward you. It is only when he gets closer that you notice the cute 5th-year student trailing behind him.

“Oh! Kevin… and Jacob? It’s so nice to see you here,” you say as you quickly put your phone away. It is not that you did not expect to see Kevin and Jacob—scratch that, it is exactly that. You were not expecting to see your editor and your crush at a party where you were left to your own devices.

“Hey! Why is my favorite writer all alone?” Kevin asks with a pout.

Jacob makes his way to the stool beside you and takes a seat. “Hi,” he says with that familiar smile that still gives you butterflies.

“Ah, I came here with Chanhee, Changmin, and Sunwoo. They just have other friends they’re talking to so it’s fine,” you say as you scratch your arm.

Kevin grabs some fries and pops them into his mouth. “Damn, well don’t you worry. Both Jacob and I are here to keep our favorite 2nd-year some company.”

The best thing about Jacob and Kevin is that they never once made you feel excluded. In the work you do and all social gatherings that the members of the publication are invited to, they always seem to look out for you. Although you may not know the people they were planning to meet at this party, they still chose to stay with you.

“But first, let’s take some shots!” Kevin exclaims which only has Jacob groan.

“Kevin, the last time you did shots you were blackout drunk. Do you not have class tomorrow?”

“I actually do not! My professor decided to cancel class so I am free to drink!” Kevin smiles as he looks through the selection of liquors. “Will you drink with me, Y/N? Since Jacob is the designated driver.”

For a moment, you look back and forth between Jacob and Kevin. You knew that you would be in big trouble if you drank too much. That is why Changmin could not get mad at you if you drank in moderation.

“Yeah, fuck it. I’m not a lightweight.”

What turned into one shot turned into four shots and two cups (you think) of Jacob’s specialty cocktails. If you were not feeling the buzz then, you were definitely feeling it now. It helped that the alcohol was giving you enough confidence to talk to Jacob freely.

“Damn Y/N, you really know how to handle your liquor,” Kevin points out as he takes a sip from his drink prepared by Jacob.

“Jacob, you know how to prepare drinks for someone who does not usually attend parties,” you say with a small giggle following.

He smiles as he takes a sip from his cup of apple juice and says, “I think I could look into bartending if my degree in Korean Language and Literature fails to get me a job.”

“Hey! I still think you could look into singing,” Kevin says as he nudges Jacob.

You feel your eyes widen at the new piece of information. “You sing?” As you start to notice Jacob’s cheeks get tinted pink, you cannot help but hear your heartbeat in your ears.

“Yeah.” Jacob scratches the back of his head. “I’ve been doing it since high school.”

“You write and sing? Jesus, you got everything,” you say as you eat some chips.

“And he’s pretty good at basketball.” You gasp at this newfound information. “That’s what I’m saying!”

Jacob rolls his eyes as he playfully shoves Kevin. “I don’t have everything. I barely know how to dance.”

“Okay, but you could learn!” Kevin bounces his shoulders up and down. “I believe you could be an idol if you wanted.”

“You could have been a perfect interviewee for the K-Pop idol students coverage we’re doing.”

Jacob laughs at what you say and shakes his head. “Yeah, but I like what I do now.”

Kevin sighs as he wraps his arm around Jacob’s shoulder. “You are too humble for this world. You’re like an angel—not everyone will be blessed to have witnessed you.”

“That’s actually… so true. Wait, you kind of cooked with that,” you say which only has Kevin laugh.

“Right? God, I am such a writer.”

Before you could say anymore, you feel someone grab onto your shoulder. When you look behind you, you see Changmin with a disappointed look. “How much did you have?”

You take a moment to process his words which only makes him grab onto your face. “Y/N.” He scolds as he feels how hot your cheeks are from the alcohol.

“I swear, I’m okay,” You say as you clutch his hands that rested on your cheeks.

“How much did you drink?”

“C’mon, Changmin. I swear–”

“How much?”

You sigh as you move your hands back down to your lap. “Like… 2 more drinks.”

“In the time I was gone?!”

“Hey, Y/N said they were fine, right?” Kevin attempts to step in.

You nod which makes Changmin finally let go of your face. “Yeah, I’m okay. I swear.”

He only sighs as he sets his hands on his hips. “You sure?” Once you nod, he finally lets it go.

“Sorry, it’s just that I was in charge of taking care of Y/N but Juyeon and some other people from the dance team called for me. Hi again, Kevin and Jacob hyung.” He smiles at the two.

Jacob smiles and says, “It’s fine, you’re only looking out for them.”

Before more could be said, you hear someone call out your names. “Y/N-ah! Changmin-ah! Come here!”

As you look to where the sound came from, you can see a tipsy Sunwoo waving his arms at you from the living room. “Bring Jacob hyung and Kevin hyung too.”

“Is… he okay?” Jacob asks as he stands up straight.

You get off your stool and say, “I don’t know.”

Before you decide to leave the kitchen, you reach out for Changmin’s hand and drag him out. The four of you make your way past the busy crowd until you finally see Sunwoo, Chanhee, Juyeon, and some other people you did not recognize. At the coffee table, you see different cups and bottles. Yet, there is one particular cup that catches your eye—one filled with whatever you can imagine.

“We’re testing each other’s loyalty.” As soon as Chanhee says that, Changmin groans.

“Are you serious?”

Sunwoo smiles as he wraps his arm around Changmin’s shoulders. “It’ll be fun! Kevin, Jacob, Juyeon, and Hyunjae are in one team while we are in the other!”

“Wait, but I can’t drink. I’m driving,” Jacob says, which only has Kevin laughing.

“Don’t worry, you’ll just be the last.”

In the loyalty game, you are split into two teams. If your team loses playing rock, paper, or scissors, you all have to drink one shared cup of whatever alcohol concoction the other team made. The real test of loyalty lies in how much your team is willing to drink before forcing the last person in line to drink the rest.

Whenever you four played this game, there was always a shithead (usually Sunwoo) who would drink as little as possible so that the remaining members would drink more. You could not get mad at Sunwoo for usually doing such; it sounds like something you would do too. However, with you having a test tomorrow, you really did not want to risk anything.

“Are we really doing this?” You ask as Sunwoo pushes you and Changmin to his side.

Sunwoo only nods as both he and Chanhee have their hands out. “C’mon, we need to decide the order.”

While the other team was busy deciding their order, you four were playing amongst themselves. Despite what you wanted, the universe had its own plans—the order was Chanhee, Sunwoo, Changmin, and lastly, you.

“Oh, c’mon! Sunwoo, your ass better drink,” you exclaim as you groan.

“Has your order been decided?” Hyunjae, someone you only met right before the game, asks which has you four falling in line.

The other team was ordered by Kevin, Juyeon, Hyunjae, and Jacob. As everyone let out their hums of approval, the game began. You were not paying attention to how the game was playing out as you were up in your thoughts. It is only until you come face-to-face with Jacob’s angelic face (though you do not miss that he had his hand out).

“W-what? You guys lost?!” You exclaimed as you looked at the three devils you always seem to be teamed with.

Sunwoo scratches the back of his head and says, “I believe in you?”

“Your tone makes it sound like you don’t!”

“If it helps, you have a good chance of beating me. I usually suck at these,” Jacob says with a smile.

Somehow, you allow yourself to be fooled by that smile. You block out every sound as you continue to be entranced by his features. That is why when you play the game, you do not realize that you played paper while he played scissors.

Jacob’s team cheered as they grabbed onto him. As the opposing team cheered, your team was left disappointed. You all looked back and forth between each other and the singular cup that rested on the table.

“Bottoms up!” Kevin exclaims which has Chanhee pick up the cup.

He gives you three a good look before he takes a big gulp of the drink. With only ¼ of the drink left, he hands it to Sunwoo who only has a sly smirk on his face.

“Sunwoo, don’t you dare.”

Somehow, the universe made sure to give you one shithead that you would have to endure for the rest of your life. It had to be a shithead that you could never imagine life without. Why did that shithead have to be Sunwoo?

Sunwoo only took a small sip from the cup and handed it to Changmin, earning laughs from the opposing team. Although you could hear Chanhee scolding him, it clearly did not matter to him. You and Changmin give a good look at each other.

“Hey, I can handle it,” You say as you try to tug on his arm.

You do not know how many drinks Changmin already had, but you knew that your friend could not handle his alcohol as much as you could. Still, he chose to ignore your protests as he looked back at everyone.

He tipped the cup back and downed more than he could clearly handle. “Wow, Changmin-ah!” The others cheered. You were only left with barely a dribble of alcohol as he finally handed you the cup. Although everyone was happy with how much he drank, you were worried.

“Changmin, you are so strong,” Kevin says as he pats his shoulders.

You notice the way Changmin wobbles in place. “Ah, come on,” you say as you force him and yourself to take a seat on the couch.

“You didn’t have to drink that much,” you scolded him as you signal Chanhee to get some water for the both of you while the others seemed off in their own worlds.

“It’s fine. I didn’t want you to drink too much because you have a test tomorrow,” he says as he leans his head on your shoulder.

Changmin would always spend his time looking out for you even if you did not ask. It has always been like that since you first became friends with him. Somehow, you were always under the care of your best friend. 

You sigh as you rub your hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, but you could have left a little for me. I know you are worse with alcohol than I am.”

Chanhee arrives with two cups of water. “C’mon, drink up.”

You grab your cup and quickly drink it up before setting it down on the table. You grab Changmin’s cup from Chanhee and try to nudge the boy beside you.

“Hey, you need to drink some water,” you say, which makes Changmin finally grab the cup and finish as much as he can.

You nudged him once more to finish the whole cup of water to which he listened. “Good. You need to drink water after how much you’ve drank.”

Chanhee sighs at the sight of his two friends who were sprawled on the couch and said, “Sunwoo, I think it’s time we go.”

“W-what? Why?” Sunwoo whines as he takes a seat beside his drunk friends.

“I’m tipsy and your friend here is fucking drunk,” you say as you point to Changmin whose head was on your shoulder and eyes were getting droopy.

Sunwoo frowns for a moment. “Fine, let’s go.” He attempts to stand up with the help of Chanhee.

“Hey.” You nudge as you whisper to Changmin. “Let’s go home, okay?”

He looks up and stares into your eyes for a moment. And suddenly he erupts into giggles.

“Y/N-ah, your face is so funny.”

You roll your eyes at what he says and nudge him off your shoulder. As he whines, you help him off the couch. His arm wraps around your shoulder as he slouches beside you.

“Hey, let me help,” Jacob says as he helps hold up Changmin.

“Ah, thank you.”

The three of you slowly make your way out of the house and see Sunwoo and Chanhee standing by the sidewalk. You only notice that Kevin followed as soon as he spoke. “Hey, do you and your friends need a ride back to your place?”

“Oh, you don’t have to! We were just going to get an Uber,” you attempt to reassure them.

Jacob shakes his head and says, “No, it’s fine! I think it would be safer for you also.”

You bite your lip as you look at Chanhee. All he does is give you a shrug as he continues to nurse Sunwoo. As soon as you sigh, you decide to give in to your editor’s offer.

“Thank you, Kevin and Jacob. I’m sorry about this. Please let Chanhee and I pay you back for this.”

“It’s fine! It’s nice to see you and your friends,” Jacob says with a smile.

As your group makes its way to Jacob’s car, you notice that his car is big enough to carry at most eight people. Sunwoo and Chahee got in the third row of the car, you and Changmin got in the second row, and Kevin sat in the shotgun. Once Jacob turned on the ignition, you told him the address of Changmin and Chanhee’s place.

The ride was mostly quiet with the occasional grunts from Sunwoo. Changmin was fast asleep on your shoulder as you stared out the window.

Usually, the roles would have been reserved—Changmin would spend most of his time taking care of your drunk ass. Yet, to see him go to such lengths to make sure you do not miss your test warms your heart.

It is 11:35 AM. You were on your way back to Changmin and Chanhee’s place to check up on the three boys. Thankfully, your test was not too hard. You knew that if you studied a little harder, you could have aced it.

As soon as you arrived at their place, you knocked on the door only to be greeted by Chanhee who was pretty alive. “Hey, how are they?” You ask as you step in and remove your shoes to put aside.

“Sunwoo is fine. Changmin, however, is dying. I think he’s just been in bed,” he says as he closes the door behind you.

You quickly make your way to Changmin’s room and open the door to only see him still in bed with squinted eyes. As you pout at the sight, you quietly make your way to the bed and sit down beside him. Due to the sudden action, his eyes snap open which has you show him a guilty smile.

“Hey, Changmin-ah.” You set your hand on his leg and lightly rub it up and down. “Are you okay?”

It takes a moment for him to process your words. As soon as he lets out a groan, you only chuckle.

“I got you something.” You look through your bag and pull out a bottle of hangover cure before dropping it to the floor. “I know you usually drink this before drinking, but I think it would still help you now.”

Changmin only hums one more as his eyes start to get droopy. 

“C’mon, drink this before you go back to sleep,” You say as you scoot closer to him.

You helped him sit up straight and opened the bottle for him. Although Changmin grabbed it, you helped make sure he would finish it before placing it on the bedside table. He started to lie back down on the bed, dragging you along.

“Hey.” You try to move only for him to wrap his arms around you and nuzzle his face into your neck. “Changmin, I–”

Changmin only shushes you. For a moment, you two remain like that. He always seems to cling to you whenever he can. In your time knowing him, you have always noticed that he likes physical touch more than your other two friends. It never bothered you. If anything, it felt nice to know that there would always be someone who would want to cling to you—if he needed to do so, you always found yourself allowing it.

“Changmin-ah, we have practice,” Sunwoo says as he enters the room to see you two cozied up.

As he takes in the sight, he only frowns. “Is he still dead?”

You frown back and whisper, “You guys have dance practice? We should have never gone out drinking, the fuck.”

“To be fair, I was not expecting him to drink that much.” Despite Sunwoo’s attempts to defend himself, you only flip him off.

You look at the guy sleeping next to you, feeling his breath against the side of your neck. The thing with Changmin is that he hates missing practice. There have been instances where he would get a fever and be extremely guilty for missing it.

As you sigh, you look back at Sunwoo who only had a guilty smile plastered on his face. “Let him sleep in. He’s not in the state to practice right now.”

“Y/N, you know he’s going to be mad if he misses out on practice.”

“Well, let him be mad.” You frown. “He can be mad at me for all I care. Let him rest, I already feel bad that he’s like this because of us.” With that, Sunwoo nods and leaves the room.

It is 7:43 PM. You and Jacob finished interviewing Song Yuqi, a member of (G)I-DLE‎. Your next and last interview for your assigned coverage would be four days from now with Choi Yeonjun of TXT. 

“Ah, what a day!” You exclaim as you made your way out of the classroom you were interviewing Yuqi in. Jacob and Chanhee trailed behind you with slouched shoulders.

Chanhee only sighs as he looks through the photos he took. “Tell me about it.”

“Nice work, you two. I can’t believe it’s this late already.” Jacob takes a look at the time. “What do you guys have planned now?”

“I’m actually going to hang out with Hyunjae hyung.”

You gasp at Chanhee’s words and smack his arm. “How come I didn’t know about this?!”

“To be fair, not much has happened. We just exchanged numbers at the party,” he mumbles the last sentence. “Which is why I need to go. I’ll see you guys for Yeonjun’s interview!”

With that, you were left alone with Jacob.

“Care to walk with me?” You give him a smile and nod. As the two of you walked, a comfortable silence came. Throughout your time working with Jacob, you felt happy to be with him whether you two were talking about nothing or everything.

“So, how are you? How’s Changmin and Sunwoo?” You laugh at Jacob’s question.

It has been a week since you went to Mingyu’s party—a week since Changmin took care of you. Throughout the week, you have not been able to spend time with him and Sunwoo due to the press cycle work. Chanhee could easily see them since he lives with Changmin.

At first, you were fine with it since it meant you were spending more time with Jacob (with Chanhee joining every once in a while). You got to learn more about him outside of the image you created in your head.

He has always loved to sing and play basketball since he was young. However, it was only in high school that he obtained this newfound love for Korean literature. The more he ventured into the topic, the more he felt happy with pursuing it as his course.

What surprised you is that he never planned to write for the university’s newspaper. Despite being one of the best writers you know in the publication (not an overstatement), he only applied because Kevin dragged him to do so. You never knew that their friendship went way back since high school.

As the days went by, you started to miss your other best friends. You texted them occasionally in the group chat but not much was said other than reasons why you could not meet up with them. Your time with Jacob sadly could not make up for the fact that you missed hanging out with your best friends.

“They’re okay. I haven’t been hanging out with them that much since the party because of the work we do,” you admit.

Jacob pouts and says, “I can only imagine since they do have practice also. That’s why I find it hard to hang out with Juyeon as well.”

You only sigh as you two make your way out of the building. “Yeah, I just miss seeing them. I know they have been stressed about the upcoming competition also so it doesn’t help that we’re just busy.”

“Yeah, it’s funny how even if we're all in the same university, it’s still hard to find time to hang out.”

Jacob is right. With your friend group coming from different courses, years, and extracurricular activities, it does get hard to find time to meet. Despite fixing your schedules to make sure that you all would have lunch together, some obligations seem to get in the way.

Yet, you four always made it work. No matter how different your schedules may be or how different your priorities are, your friend group always found its way back to each other.

Before you could say more, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket. Once you take it out, you notice a message from Changmin.

qramzi 🐿️: are you free rn? qramzi 🐿️: if you are, come to the dance studio

“You should go to him.” You look up only to see Jacob smiling at you.

You pout and ask, “How did you know it was from one of them?”

“Just a feeling.” He hums as he looks at the athletics center from afar. “Also, you kind of have this certain smile every time you talk to your friends—it’s nice to see.”

You cannot hide the blush that starts to creep onto your face. It never dawned on you that Jacob has observed you enough to notice such a small detail. As soon as his smile got bigger, you were certain that he noticed how flustered you were.

“I’ll see you a few days from now. Thanks, Jacob.” And with that, you were off to the athletics center.

The moment you got into the center, you could hear the faint sounds of “No Diggity” by Blackstreet from afar. You walked to the source until you arrived in front of the door leading to the main dance studio. As soon as you swung it open, you could see your best friend in the middle of a dance routine.

Changmin was dressed up in jogging pants and a white shirt that was starting to cling onto his torso. You could notice the light shine on his skin, glistening from sweat. Only time could tell how long he has been practicing. 

The moment he spots you through the mirror, he quickly halts his movements and runs toward you. “Y/N-ah!” He barely gives you time to enter the studio and wraps his arms around you.

“Changmin! You’re sweaty!” You complain as he continues to hold onto you. As you closed the doors behind you, he finally let go of you with a big smile on his face. “You get so happy to see me. Maybe I should just avoid seeing you,” you joke only for him to roll his eyes.

“Don’t even try. You know damn well you can’t survive without seeing me too.”

You only smile as you follow him back to the spot where he was practicing. He reached out for his phone to pause the music while you sat on the ground to lean your back against the mirror.

“So, is there any reason you called me here?”

Changmin shrugs as he wipes the sweat off his forehead. “Just missed you, that’s all.”

“Be for real right now.”

“Fine. I need a ride back home.” You roll your eyes as Changmin starts to beg you.

“C’mon! You know how hard it is to find a ride back at this time, especially at our university.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Just buy me dinner at least.”

Changmin frowns and asks, “You haven’t eaten?” Once you nod, he shakes his head and grabs his phone before taking a seat beside you. “You really need to eat.” He passes you his phone. “How do you even survive your meetings with an empty stomach?”

“To be fair, I had a late lunch.”

“And what exactly did you eat for your late lunch?”

“Well…” You give a sheepish smile. “Some yogurt.”

“Exactly what I thought. Whatever, just order something for the both of us.”

“That was good,” you say as you rest your hand on your belly.

Changmin is seated across from you with a frown on his face. “Really? I wasn’t able to tell since you practically devoured my food.”

“Hey! You were the one who offered your food to me!”

Changmin laughs and ruffles your hair. “I’m just kidding.” You frown and attempt to fix the mess he created.

“You have a competition, right? At the end of the semester?”

“Yeah.” Changmin sighs as he looks down at his phone. “It’s happening around late November so that it doesn’t coincide with finals season.”

You decide to ask him the golden question. “How is it so far?”

For a moment, Changmin does not respond. He lets his head loll backward and stares up at the ceiling. Before you could say anything more, he started to speak.

“It’s a lot, really. I think it’s sinking in that this will probably be the last competition I participate in since I’m planning to choreograph one of the performances for the year-end concert.” He looks back at you. “I just… want it to be perfect, you know?”

You have always known Changmin to be a perfectionist. Since your time working with him in the publication, he has always been particular about the work he puts out. Sunwoo has also shared his experience with the perfectionist when it came to dancing (and it was not a pleasant experience). Though, you understood where he came from.

“I want my last performance to be something I am proud of…” He takes a deep breath. “Because I know I won’t have another opportunity to dance again.”

As he says those words, you reach out to his hand that rests on his lap and hold onto it. He looks down at your intertwined fingers and shows a small smile at the sight. 

“I understand where this is coming from. I don’t even think it has fully sunk in that you’re graduating already,” you admit as you bite the inside of your cheek.

Changmin chuckles and jokes, “Don’t think you’ll survive without me?”

“Yeah,” you answer without letting a beat pass.

It is true. No matter how independent you made yourself out to be, you knew how much you relied on your friends—most especially Changmin. You have gone so long in your life with your best friends at your side that you never let yourself imagine a life without them.

“It’s almost like when you first graduated high school; I remember I couldn’t stop crying after you graduated.” Changmin laughs at the memory you mention. “You remember that, right?”

“Of course I do. I remember I was comforting you and Sunwoo on the day I was finally free from high school.”

You smile as you look back down at your hand that held him. “It’s just silly to recall. I mean, it already seemed like Sunwoo was set on going to the same university as you—just not me.”

“But you’re here now.”

And you nod as you look back at his eyes. “Yeah, I am.”

Changmin moves to take a seat beside you. With his hand still latched onto yours, he draws circles on the back of your hand.

“I’m glad to be here, you know?” You lean your head on his shoulder. “I like to know that as we grow in the things we like to do, we’ll always be there to witness each other reach heights we used to dream of.”

It is silent for a moment. All you could hear was Changmin’s breathing in sync with yours. You let your eyes close for a minute, happy enough to just be in that moment with your pillar of strength—your very own reason to keep going.

“I’m glad you’re here, too.”

“Ah, thank you so much again for having this interview with us!” You bow with Jacob and Chanhee to express your gratitude to Yeonjun. The four of you have officially wrapped the last interview for the coverage of K-Pop student idols. With Yuqi’s and Yeonjun’s experiences, the three of you got to learn the joys and struggles that come with such a life.

“No, thank you! It was nice to talk about my experience,” he says with a smile. “I’ll be heading out. It’s nice to see you again, Chanhee hyung.” Chanhee gives him a wave before he bids farewell and leaves the room. You sigh happily as you look down at the notes you took.

“Chanhee, you know him?” Jacob asks to which he nods.

“Yeah, I’ve had some classes with him. Not much interaction but he’s alright.”

You nod as you flip through your notes. “He’s cute.”

“Yah!” Chanhee smacks your arm only to make you laugh. “You know how risky it is to pursue an idol?!”

“I’m just saying! Jeez, I’m not going to marry him or anything. I’ll just check the group out,” you whisper those last words which causes him to shake his head.

“Whatever, I can’t stop your ass,” he admits defeat as he stands up from his seat and slings his messenger bag on his shoulder. “Y/N, I’ll catch you later at our place, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Thanks, again! I’ll see you two for the next coverage.” With that, Chanhee was off.

Once again, you were left alone with Jacob.

“Hey, Y/N?” Your eyes shoot up to Jacob who was already off his chair. “Do you… want to grab lunch with me?”

“I’m sorry?” You could not believe the words that left his mouth.

“I mean, if you’re busy it’s fine!” Jacob scratches the back of his head. “It’s just that it’s about to be lunchtime.”

You cannot help but smile. Never would you have ever expected to have lunch with your crush—let alone be asked by him too. If there was a way to talk to your younger self, you would talk about this moment.

“Y-yeah! I’m free.” You close your notepad and shove it in your bag. “We definitely can.”

Jacob smiles as soon as you get off your seat. “Great! Do you like pho?”

Once you nod, his smile gets bigger. You do not think you will ever get over that smile.

It is 8:23 PM. You and Changmin were seated on his bed as you stared at the homework on your laptop for your Biology class due tomorrow. Although you were a HUMSS student, you had to take general subjects as it was required in the curriculum.

Despite having the choice to pick amongst the different natural science courses offered, you had the unfortunate fate of being left with Human Biology (you did not even know they offered it to non-STEM students) as the only option. You were usually decent with basic science, but you could not understand anything complex. That is why you were glad to have a friend who was well-versed in it.

“Jesus, which professor did you end up with?” Changmin asks as he skims through the worksheet full of questions you barely understood.

“Mr. Hwang.”

“You got him?!” He exclaims with his eyebrows shooting up. “Even I managed to avoid him because of all the reviews he got.”

You roll your eyes and let yourself plop back on his bed. “I know, and I hate him. It just sucks because his schedule fits my timetable perfectly so I thought it would be fine.”

Changmin clicks his tongue against his teeth and says, “Well, your problem now.”

“I know!” You sit back up and frown at your friend who was reading through your homework. “It was impossible to be transferred to another class because the other classes were clashing with my major classes.”

He nudges your shoulder and says, “At least you have me to help you out.”

Somehow, it took only two hours for you two (mostly Changmin) to accomplish your homework. During that time, it was mostly productive with you getting side-tracked by your phone. It helped that he took his time explaining each question rather than leaving you in the dark.

“You know, you’re a very good teacher,” you point out as you finally submit your work through the online portal.

“What do you expect? I mean, I’m hoping to be a preschool teacher,” Changmin says as he stretches his back.

“I don’t know.” You finally open up another document that had your draft for your first coverage with Jacob. “It’s just nice to experience it first-hand.”

Changmin takes a peek at your screen and pouts at the sight. “More work?” You only hum as you go through Kevin’s comments, approving most edits.

“You’re still working with Jacob, right?” As soon as a smile starts to creep in, he gasps. “How is it?”

“It’s fun!” You shrug as you type on your keyboard to answer some comments your editor has and attempt to reflect it on your second draft. “He’s really reliable, so I’m happy that I’m working with him.”

He smirks. “And?”

“Well…” You bit on the inside of your cheek in an attempt to stop the smile from getting any bigger. “He asked me out to lunch.”

As soon as you reveal that piece of information, he smiles. “That’s great.”

“Yeah, it’s not much.”  You shrug. “I mean, it seemed convenient to just eat together then.”

“Hey, it’s still something,” he says, which makes you feel at ease.

Your best friend is well aware of your very barren love life. If anything, you two were in the same boat. Although you always find yourself jumping from one crush to another, he has never found himself entertaining anyone who was interested.

It is funny—you two are opposites that stick together. While you ramble about all your short-lived crushes, he always listened as if it were the morning radio. However, your crushes never progressed past the infatuation stage. That is why when you share with him your adventures with Jacob, it felt like this was turning out differently from other puppy loves.

You sigh and decide to abandon your work. “He’s a very sweet guy.”

“I’m glad he is. You only deserve sweet ones,” Changmin says, which makes you pout.

“And thank you for always reminding me that.”

It is true—he has always made sure to remind you that you only deserve happiness. No matter how many one-sided crushes, terrible professors, or mental hurdles you faced, he liked to remind you that there is something at the end worth fighting for.

“What about you? Do you have anyone you like or just find interesting?” You decide to finally ask your best friend.

He shakes his head and says, “Nope. I’m so busy with dance and thesis.”

You could only laugh in disbelief. “I’m not asking if you’re planning to date anyone! You really don’t find anyone cute?”

“Ask me again after the competition.” He shrugs before letting himself lie down on his bed. “Right now, there’s no one.”

With your work now abandoned, you let yourself lie down beside him. The two of you stared up at the ceiling as you let silence come between you. You could only hear Changmin’s breathing. Once you rolled onto your side, you let your eyes fall on your best friend.

In that period, you let yourself really take in his appearance; his eyebags have gotten heavier; his shoulders seemed tense; his eyes were on the border of closing. You always knew that your best friend has been tired from his academics and dance, but now was the only time you started to see how it was affecting him physically.

“Hey,” you speak up which has him turning his head to face you. Before you could say anything more, your hand reaches out for his. “I’ll always be here for you. You know that, right?”

He gives you a soft smile and intertwines his fingers with yours. Instead of saying anything, he rolls on his side. And with his eyes closed, he brings your linked hands close to where his heart is.

It has been weeks since you and Jacob wrapped up your first coverage together. Surprisingly, you two had minimal edits—almost like a clean close. Kevin seemed happy with the work you two delivered.

“Excellent read! I can’t believe you managed to interview Yeonjun and Yuqi for this,” your editor says as he scans through the article once more. “Plus, Chanhee’s photos and videos are good. Nice call, by the way. I think the videos will help in garnering more attention.”

Kevin quickly switches windows and plays a video of Yeonjun’s interview. “Who did you get from the video editing team to work on this?”

“I worked on it mostly, but Heejin helped in some segments I didn’t know how to execute,” Chanhee answers as he proudly watches his work on Kevin’s screen.

Jacob watches the video in awe and says, “Woah, this is nice. Did you know about this, Y/N?”

“Yup!” You nod as you smile at the three. “Chanhee was showing it to me throughout his editing process. It’s cool to see it come to life.”

You have always known your best friend to be well-versed in photography and video editing. When he initially pitched the idea to you, you wondered why he wanted to do it himself when you had a small staff capable of handling it. However, the process to ring them in would only take too long. Chanhee’s persistence is both a present and a threat—he always found himself pushing limits which could ultimately lead him to his downfall or success.

“God,” Kevin says with a happy sigh. “You three are almost like the perfect team! I’m looking forward to the other coverages. Once the two coverages are done, I will for sure treat you three to some food.” The three of you could only smile at his praise and promise.

Now, it is 9:34 PM. The most anticipated party of the year has finally come—Sohn Eric’s Halloween Extravaganza. Despite him being the same year as you and Sunwoo, everyone agreed that he knew how to party. Last year, you two along with Changmin got hammered while Chanhee was left to take care of you three.

At that same party, you made friends with other members of the publication who were not part of the Features staff while Sunwoo was busy making out with someone from the volleyball team. While Changmin was busy hanging out with people from his dance team and playing drinking games, Chanhee was out talking to someone from the soccer team. It seemed that everyone was happy with what they gained from the party.

Now, you and Sunwoo are seated on the couch at Changmin and Chanhee’s place all dressed up in costume. While you chose to go as Howl Jenkins Pendragon from Howl’s Moving Castle, Sunwoo opted to go as a soccer player.

“Your costume is so generic,” you point out as you look at him from head to toe.

Sunwoo frowns. “I’m sorry that I chose to not weeb out like you.”

As he plays with the soccer ball in his hand, you decide to ask him a question. “Where did you even find the jersey?”

All he does is point to the back of his shirt which has the last name “Lee” and the number ten. “I asked Dokyeom hyung and he had an old jersey that I could borrow.”

You furrow your eyebrows, confused to hear that name leave his mouth. “Since when were you and Dokyeom friends?”

“Since that one party where we played the loyalty game,” he says with a smirk. “C’mon Y/N, didn’t you say I was Mr. Popular?”

You could only roll your eyes at the way he flatters himself. “God, you are so annoying. And also so boring. I can’t believe you chose to dress up as your old sport just because you want to make out with someone.”

Your best friend shrugs with a smirk still resting on his lips. “Or go up to the fourth base with someone.” As soon as he says those words, you scrunch your face up in disgust.

“Changmin! Chanhee! Please save me from this fucktard!” Sunwoo shoves your arm which only makes you laugh. You spot Chanhee finally leaving his room all dressed up in a blue jumpsuit and goggles sitting on the top of his head.

“Ah, you did end up going with Pororo!” You exclaim with a smile on your face.

Chanhee spins around in place to show you two his whole fit. “Does it look nice?” He asks with a shy smile on his face.

“Yeah! It suits you,” Sunwoo says, which allows Chanhee to feel relieved.

“Where’s Changmin? It’s almost 10 PM!” You say as you stand up from the couch. Chanhee only shrugs as he takes a seat beside Sunwoo. “I don’t know what’s taking him this long.” You sigh and walk towards the door of Changmin’s room.

“Changmin!” You knock on his door. “We’re waiting for you.”

No response. With a frown on your face, you swing the door open. As you step into the room, you notice that everything has been tidied up in his room, no sign of him getting ready. You tilt your head at the sight, clearly confused.

“What the fuck? Chanhee, he’s not even here!” Before you could do any more, you felt someone grab onto your shoulder with a menacing whisper following right after. 

“Peekaboo.”

As soon as you hear those words, you screech. “What the fuck!” You spin around only to reveal that the sinister voice belonged to Changmin whose smile was bigger than ever. As you take in his costume of blue overalls, red wig, and a lazy attempt at stitches on his face, you notice a creepy doll tucked in his arm.

“Yah, Ji Changmin!” You whine as you let yourself take a seat on his bed with your hand clutching your chest.

He only laughs as he parades his doll around. “You’re still such a scaredy cat.”

You frown and say, “You’re so mean! You know how much I hate stuff like this!”

Both Chanhee and Sunwoo quickly enter the room to see the mess Changmin has created. “Yah, you know Y/N hates this more than me and Sunwoo,” Chanhee says as he shakes his head.

“When did you even get that doll?”

“First off, his name is Chucky. And I got him a few days ago! I’m so glad he arrived on time,” Changmin answers Sunwoo’s question and plays with his doll once more.

Chanhee sighs and grabs your hand to pull you off the bed. “C’mon, it’s almost 10 PM. We should head to Eric’s place already.”

The perpetrator quickly links his free arm with yours and pouts. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I was expecting to scare Sunwoo but you came in!”

“What do you mean you were trying to scare me?!”

Changmin scowls at Sunwoo and says, “This isn’t about you.”

You roll your eyes. “It’s fine. I guess you wanted to have your fun before you have to take care of our asses.” Once you see the confusion on Changmin’s face, you cannot help but smile.

“What do you mean I have to take care of you guys?”

Chanhee giggles and says, “That’s what we agreed on last time, remember? You take care of us while Sunwoo, Y/N, and I drink our hearts out.”

It takes Changmin a moment to recall the said conversation which happened a month ago. As soon as the memory hits him, he groans. “Really?”

You shrug, clearly happy with how the events are playing out. “Think of it as your way of saying sorry to me.” He only sighs, knowing he could not argue.

The four of you finally arrived at Eric’s place which was bustling with more people than expected. You could only guess that word about last year’s party got around. From what you could see, some people came in different costumes. In a sea of generic costumes such as nurses and firefighters, you were happy to spot cool costumes like Sanrio or video game characters.

“Well, I’m headed off to find Eric,” Sunwoo says.

“I’ll join you.” Chanhee says before he takes a look at you and Changmin. “Don’t forget, we leave at the latest 1 AM. Don’t separate, okay?”

As soon as you two nod, Sunwoo and Chanhee make a beeline toward wherever Eric may be. You cling to Changmin’s arm as he leads you two to the kitchen. What you do not expect to see is your editor and crush there.

Kevin was dressed up in a black and white leopard print and makeup which you could only guess as Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians. However, nothing could have prepared you for Jacob’s outfit. He wore a volleyball uniform and an orange wig with a volleyball by his hip. You have always been a big fan of Haikyuu, so to see Jacob dressed up as one of your favorite characters made your heart flutter.

“Oh, Kevin and Jacob hyung!” Changmin exclaims, which grabs their attention.

“Y/N and Changmin! It’s so nice to see you,” Kevin says with a smile on his face.

“Ah, Cruella de Vil and Hinata?”

“Yeah! Not a lot of people could figure out who I dressed up as. Everyone loves Jacob’s costume though,” he answers your best friend.

“You’re Howl, right? And Changmin is Chucky because of the doll.” Jacob asks which finally has you snap out of your trance.

Changmin smiles as he tries to show off his doll and answers, “Yeah! Do you like him?”

“He’s… something!” Kevin says which only makes you laugh.

“If it helps, I hate that doll.” In an attempt to agree with your editor, you earn a nudge from Changmin.

“Hey! He’s our kid,” he complains with a pout on his lips. You only ignore his comment and drag him to take a seat with you on the stools.

Since Jacob and Kevin were wrapped up in their conversation, you took this as an opportunity to quietly ask Changmin something. “You don’t want to hang out with your friends from the dance team?”

He shakes his head and says, “I’m fine here with you.” You let yourself smile at him before he could find a way for you two to squeeze into Jacob and Kevin’s conversation.

While the four of you talked over some drinks specially made by Jacob, you were pleasantly surprised to see Eric come in a baseball uniform. “Hey, guys!”

“Eric! It’s nice to see you,” You greet the party host.

“Why are you guys just here?” Eric quickly grabs a bottle of beer. “You don’t want to dance or play some party games?”

“We’ll probably join the crowd in a little bit,” Kevin says as he wraps his arm around Eric’s shoulder. “Also, coming in your baseball uniform? You’re so generic.”

“Hey! It was the only thing I had since I was busy organizing this party,” Eric attempts to defend himself.

Jacob chuckles and says, “Well, it’s a nice party.”

“Thank you!”

“Have you seen Sunwoo and Chanhee?” Changmin decides to ask the host.

“Oh, yeah! I saw them just a few minutes ago.” Eric chuckles. “Sunwoo’s busy trying to rizz up someone from the swimming team.”

Your face scrunches up in disgust as you lean your head on Changmin’s shoulder. “What about Chanhee?”

“I think he’s just with Hyunjae hyung.”

“Ah, I see,” you say with a smirk as your best friend and Kevin giggle.

It takes a few seconds before the dots connect in Jacob’s head. “Is something going on between Chanhee and Hyunjae?” He asks with a gasp. 

“Yeah! Haven’t you noticed that Hyunjae hyung is always with him?”

Jacob ponders over his best friend’s question for a moment. “Huh, that makes sense.”

“They’re actually so cute, but I actually don’t think anything is going to happen,” Eric says after he takes a sip of his beer.

Changmin hums and agrees, “Based on what I talked about with Chanhee, it looks like they’re just friends.”

“You don’t think it’ll turn into something more?” Kevin asks with a pout on his lips.

“It would get messy, don’t you think? Since your friend groups are slowly getting close.”

You sigh and answer Eric’s question with, “Honestly, whatever makes the two happy. I think they’ll manage to figure it out.”

“Feelings are weird.” Once Changmin says those words, you could only hum in agreement. You felt like you did not know enough to comment on whatever Chanhee and Hyunjae have going on. All that mattered to you is that your friends were happy and safe at all times.

“Hey, Changmin hyung!” Someone you could only recognize to be Lee Chan, Changmin’s teammate in the dance team, enters the kitchen with a cup in his hands. “Oh, hi Eric! Well, I just wanted to call my lovely friend to play some beer pong with us. You guys are free to join us!”

“Oh, I’ll join!” Eric quickly says before he makes his way out of the kitchen.

As you lift your head from Changmin’s shoulder, your best friend frowns at Chan. “Wait, I can’t drink that much. I’m taking care of Y/N and like… the others.”

You shake your head and nudge him. “It’s fine,” you reassure him.

He shakes his head firmly and says, “We have a buddy system, remember? Plus, I don’t want to ditch you.” 

“Then they can join us!” Chan attempts to convince him further. “If it helps, we’re playing with people outside of the dance team.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll probably just hang with those from the publication.” You smile at Chan and take a look at Changmin. “What if I just meet you two hours from now? We can meet here.” Changmin bites the inside of his cheek as he contemplates.

“Uhm, we’ll also stay with Y/N,” Jacob chimes in. As your head whips in his direction, you could see his signature smile. You would think that working with him for a few weeks would give you time to get used to his smile. And yet, you still found yourself melting at the view.

“Yeah!” You look back at your best friend. “I promise that I won’t drink too much without you.” It takes a moment before Changmin decides to give in to Chan’s request. Before he could stand up from his seat, you reach out for his doll. “Let me take care of our child.”

He cannot help but smile before he hands his Chucky doll to you. “I won’t forget you calling him that.” With that, he followed Chan out of the kitchen.

You sigh and hold the Chucky doll close to you, combing through its hair. “Do you know where News and Social Media are staying? Maybe we can stay with Seungkwan and Yeji?”

“I spotted them by the pool area. It’s actually in the same area Changmin is playing beer pong,” Kevin says, which has you standing up from your seat.

“Why don’t you guys go ahead? I’ll just meet you there,” you say as your eyes looked through the drinks.

And there comes Jacob with his sweet smile. “I’ll wait for you. Kevin, we can just meet you there.”

For a moment, you could notice Kevin snickering but he quickly covers it up by saying, “Sure.” As soon as he makes his way out of the kitchen, you give your crush a shy smile.

“Do you mind mixing me another drink?”

Jacob chuckles as he grabs the cup from you. “It’s fine, I don’t mind if it’s you.”

You do not know what to make of his comment, slightly blushing as he creates another great concoction. You decided to stand beside him and lean against the counter so that you could get a good look at whatever he was making you. In the cup, he poured two different liquors and cranberry juice.

“Can I… ask something?” He decides to ask you as he hands you back your cup.

You raise your eyebrows before you take a sip of the drink. “Oh, it’s good!” He smiles at your comment. “Yeah, of course! Ask whatever.”

Jacob takes a moment to think over his words. “I don’t really know how to ask it.”

You laugh and say, “Jacob, aren’t you a writer?”

“Yeah! But sometimes, words are weird.”

“Just say it to me straight. I think it would make it easier for us both,” you reassure him before you drink.

“Are you and Changmin dating?” As soon as those words leave his mouth, you choke on your drink.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” He quickly grabs some tissue and wipes your chin as you cough.

As you grab the tissue from his hand, you set down your cup on the counter. “S-sorry! I didn’t expect that.”

“That’s why I said I didn’t know how to phrase it right.” He pouts as you wave your hand at him to signal that it was alright.

“No, your question is fine!” You cough out before taking a deep breath. “Why would you think that?”

Jacob scratches the back of his neck and says, “I just thought so based on tonight’s event. I suspected something was going on between you two that one night I gave you guys a ride home. I was just thinking that tonight might have confirmed my suspicion.” You tilt your head over his words.

All throughout your friendship with Changmin, no one has ever thought of you two in a relationship. In every interaction and time spent with him, you have always thought it was normal. Sure, you do acknowledge that you spend more time with him than you do with Sunwoo and Chanhee, but it never meant that you two were together.

“We aren’t,” you start off with a smile. “We’re just very close, that’s all. I am very much single.”

Jacob nods with a relieved smile on his face. “Alright, that’s good to know.”

Before you could process his words, he spoke. ��C’mon, let’s meet with the others.”

Over the hours, you have been half-focused on the conversation going on between your friends from the publication. Your mind was still trying to wrap around the fact that Jacob would think that way—you cannot even believe he seemed relieved to hear you are single.

While most of your group sat in a circle on foldable chairs, some had to stay standing up. Despite being deep in thought, you were somewhat hyperaware every time Jacob was looking at you from where he stood. Never did you ever expect the 5th-year student to show some interest towards you. 

That is why you never noticed someone grab your shoulder. You jump in your seat and take a look behind you to see Changmin with a concerned look on his face. “Hey, are you okay?” He whispers only for you to hear.

You nod and quickly get off your seat. “Hi, I’ll come back.” As soon as you bid farewell to the group, you grab Changmin’s arm and make your way to somewhere far from Jacob.

Once you two arrive at a relatively quiet corner of the backyard, you take a seat down by the porch. With a worried expression on his face, he takes a seat beside you and grabs the doll from you. 

“What’s up?”

You place your hands on the bottom half of your face and take a deep breath. “You would not believe what Jacob said to me.”

“You’re scaring me,” he says, which only makes you laugh as you shake your head.

“No, it’s just funny! But also, so many thoughts are being thunk right now.”

“Okay, what?” He asks with furrowed eyebrows. Clearly, the suspense was starting to kill him.

You bite the inside of your cheek. “He just asked if I was single!” The way Changmin’s eyebrows shoot up is a sight you could only laugh at.

“Are you serious?” He asks, shocked by your news.

“I know!” You squeal as you smack his arm. “Well, he did ask if you and I were dating–”

“He asked WHAT?!” Your best friend shouts which attracts some looks.

You smack his arm and give an apologetic smile to those who looked over at you two. Once you look back at him, you could see the expression on his face—something you could describe as shock and disgust mixed together. With the way his eyebrows are furrowed as he moves slightly away, you could tell he was taken aback by what you revealed.

“Oh, yeah! It was so weird.” You shake your head before you take a peek at where your friends were (thankfully, Jacob was preoccupied with whatever conversation was going on). You look back at Changmin and say, “I remember even choking on my drink just because he asked. But anyway, that’s beside the point–”

“Why would he think that?”

You roll your eyes as your best friend continues to cut you off. “Honestly, I don’t really know. I mean, he explained but it didn’t make sense.” He looks you up and down with a frown on his face.

“Hey! It can’t be that bad to date me!” You exclaim as you smack his arm once more.

“I’m just thinking that it would be weird for us to date!”

You roll your eyes and say, “Obviously. It’s even weirder to think I had a crush on Sunwoo then.” Before Changmin could say more, you say, “Jacob just thought so with how close we are, but I made it perfectly clear that I am single. And here’s the kicker.”

Your best friend only signals you to continue with what you are saying. “He said he was glad to know that,” you finally say as you smack his arm, earning a groan from him.

“Can you stop smacking me?”

You ignore his request as you remember the events. “I’ve never had a crush actually show some type of interest towards me. It’s so surreal.” You let yourself lean back on your hands so that you could look up at the sky.

With your eyes looking up to the starry night, you smile as you let out a happy sigh. Despite being in your second year of college, you never really had that much experience with romance aside from occasional one-sided crushes (whether with you as the apple of someone’s eye or the idea of someone plaguing your mind). That is why when Jacob shares such words, you cannot help but feel so much warmth spread throughout your body.

“I’m glad, though.” You look at your best friend who has a small smile on his face. “I’m glad that what you have is going somewhere,” he says which only makes you grin.

It is during these moments that you remember how long you and Changmin have been friends. From achievements to heartbreaks, you both have been there for each other to witness it all. In the greatest and lowest moments, the two of you always found solace in each other.

Changmin looked at himself in the mirror—all dressed up in black (from blazer to trousers) with a pair of sunglasses and chains to accessorize his whole look. He took a deep breath as he spun around.

The day of the competition has finally come. The team spent many weeks practicing the same routine in hopes to secure that trophy. After all the late nights and injuries he had to endure, he could not believe that he was to participate in his final competition.

Since he figured out to walk all on his own, dance came to him naturally like breathing comes instinctively for all. His love for dance has only grown with him throughout the years. For Changmin, there was never a possible reality where he does not fall in love with dance. Yet, with graduation dawning, it seemed like he would have to entertain that idea whether he liked it or not.

With him being deep in thought, he does not hear you enter the room. “Woah!” He snaps out of his trance once you whistle while taking in his appearance. “You look good!”

He cannot hold his smile. “Thanks. I realized this is your first time seeing me in my outfit.” He makes his way back to his bed and takes a seat.

“Yeah! You never sent me the pictures,” you say with a pout. “But I’m kind of glad. I was shocked to see how nice you looked.”

“Are you saying I don’t look good all the time?”

You frown at your best friend. “Of course, you don’t, weirdo.” Changmin could only roll his eyes while you set your small sling bag beside him.

“Thank you for offering to do my makeup,” he says as you start to take out your small cosmetics bag full of essentials for his look.

“Don’t even worry about it. I mean, I have always wanted to do your makeup before.” You adjust the position of his floor lamp to make sure it was facing him. “Sunwoo cannot stay still when I put makeup on him.”

Changmin chuckles as he looks at you retrieve different tubes. “Thankfully, I have some extra concealer that should suit your skin tone,” you mutter as you squeeze out some product onto the back of your hand.

“Anyway, how are you?” You rest your right knee on the bed as your fingers start to do the work. “Are you still nervous?”

He hums for a moment. “I am, but I’m trying to focus on just leaving the competition on a good note.”

You nod as you cover up any dark spots and circles. “That’s good. How’s your thesis going so far?” As soon as you ask that, he groans.

“Don’t even remind me.”

You cannot help but giggle as you blend out the product. “Isn’t your thesis adviser Ms. Lee? I heard she’s good.” You look through your bag and reach out for your eyeshadow palette full of neutral colors and its proper brush.

“She’s great, really. It’s just that I may have underestimated the difficulty of my chosen topic.” He sighs as he watches you open up the palette. “I hope she knocked some sense into me.”

“Or, she just had faith in you,” you point out as you pick up some light brown eyeshadow with your brush. “You’re very smart, you know? I’m pretty sure she just wants you to get some recognition for your thesis.”

He only huffs as you carefully color his eyelids. Once you were done, you set the tools aside and grabbed an eyelash curler for him to use. As you hand the contraption to him, he frowns.

“Do you really trust me with that?”

“Yeah because I don’t know how to use it.”

“I think you’d be more scared if I was the one doing it on you,” you try to reason only for him to hand it back to you.

“Just do it.”

You groan and place the curler right on his eyelashes. “Don’t move, okay? I’m scared to rip your eyelashes out.”

“W-wait!” Changmin pushes your hand away with a frown on his face. “You can’t just say that. Now, I’m scared!”

You sigh as you rest your free hand on your hip and say, “Well, what do you want? I’m letting you do it.” He sighs for a moment before signaling you to continue. “Exactly.” You proceed with what you need to do.

“And… there!” You smile as you set the contraption aside. “That wasn’t too bad. Now, I need to do your mascara.”

You open the tube and take out the wand. “I need to sit down for this, okay?” As soon as you ask, he nods.

“Yeah, that’s no prob–wait!” He cuts himself off as you suddenly lift your other leg to rest on the bed as well.

Now, your knees were practically caging Changmin. As he takes a look down, he could see your legs pressing on the outer side of his thighs. For a moment, he cannot breathe.

This felt different. In this position, he felt his mind buzzing. Sure, he has always found himself linking arms with you or even snuggling up your side. But to see you straddling him only had him at your mercy. 

Once you took a seat on his lap, he could feel himself getting dizzy. To feel your heat on his lap made him feel like he was back in high school—he could hear his heartbeat ring in his ears. There was barely any distance between you two as your face slowly got closer to his. Changmin could only hope you do not notice how red his ears are.

“Hey,” you whisper as you look into his eyes, taking a small peek down at his lips for a brief second. “Just relax, I don’t want to poke your eyes in the process.” He could feel your breath cast over his lips as you set your free hand on his shoulder.

First coat. His eyes were focused on your lips.

Second coat. You lick your lips as you focus on trying to not ruin your work.

Third coat. Changmin tries to swallow his anxiety down

Fourth coat. You let your eyes trail back down to his lips.

Fifth coat. He finds himself moving his face closer to yours, his eyes flickering down to your lips.

And something possesses him—his hands find themselves on your hips to hold you steady in place. Your breath hitches at the action, and you finally notice how close his face is to yours.

“Changmin,” you whisper his name so sweet. For him, it felt like he has never heard you say his name so gently.

“Say no and I won’t,” he finds himself saying as he lets himself finally look up into your eyes.

And before he could get a reply, he found his eyes opening to the white ceiling. Covered in sweat, he feels himself breathe heavily at his dream. There was no other way to say this—he was utterly fucked.

if you liked this, please take some time to like and reblog this!

[rolyatswonderland]

When you wish Upon a Well

(story under the cut)

It was a calm day on the campus of Night Raven College, but perhaps oddly calm would be a better way to describe it. The nice breeze carried with it a pleasant silence, something rare for the rowdy school since it was always hustling and bustling with some sort of commotion. But Rolyat didn’t mind this new found quietness, she took it all in as she swept the sidewalks of the courtyard. Despite her no longer being the technical ‘janitor’ of the school, she would still help clean up from time to time. Finding the times where she would clean to be oddly calming and therapeutic in a way.

“Fyaaa, I don’t know how you can just sweep all day, I’d die of boredom honestly.” Grim said, sighing as he watched the girl sweep the leaves and dirt off the path, munching down on some fish shaped crackers that she had gotten for him at Sam’s shop.

Rolyat simply glanced at him and chuckled, continuing to sweep, “Well I don’t really mind it. Cleaning up can be nice sometimes” She smiled, sweeping away at the last pile of leaves and pushing them onto the grass. “Hmm, perhaps I should grab the rake next and put all the leaves into a nice little pile.” Rolyat stopped sweeping to observe her work, tapping a finger to her lips as she thought up what else it was she could do, but she could hear Grim groan from his sitting spot on the well.

“Ugh common Roly you’ve been cleaning for like, ever now...can’t you take a break for a second?” He slumped over, his head being held up by his paw as he stared at her, just watching her clean was making him tired, and he wasn’t even doing anything.

“Hmm” Rolyat looked between the scattered leaves and Grim before smiling with defeat “alright, alright, I’ll take a break” She smiled, making her way over to the well as she leaned the broom by a nearby bench. Grim sighed with relief, laying down on the brick edge of the well as Rolyat simply giggled, leaning against the brick’s as she gently patted his stomach, watching his tail swish in enjoyment.

There was always something about the well that felt oddly calming to her, watching the water down below ripple ever so slightly and the nice echoing sounds that came from it filled her with a sense of nostalgia. Resting her chin in her palm she leaned forward, glancing down at Grim who still laid there as if sleeping, her mind began to run with all sorts of thoughts and she felt as though she remembered something. Before she could even think to consider it, the words came falling out of her mouth anyways.

“Hey Grim, wanna know a secret?” Royal poked the cat gently.  Grim opened his bright cyan blue eyes as he stared at the girl curiously. “Promise not to tell?” She held a finger up to her lips with a smile, and that seemed to get more of his attention, Grim loved secrets.

“Yeah yeah! Tell me! What is it?” Grim beamed, sitting up and scooting closer to the girl and nodding his head, eager to listen.

“Well, we are standing by a wishing well~” She sang the words with a smile on her face, and Grim didn’t seem surprised by it as he peered down into the well. “Make a wish into the well, that’s all you have you do, and if you hear it echoing, your wish will soon come true~”

“Whoa, really?” Grim’s eyes sparkled as he looked back up at her with a curious and eager expression. Rolyat simply nodded, mouthing the word ‘watch’ as she pointed down into the well and leaned over slightly.

“I’m wishing~ For the one I love, to find me~ Today~ I’m hopping, and I’m dreaming of the nice things, he’ll say~”

The words echoed back from out of the well, causing Grim to jump back a bit in surprise at just how loud the echo was, but he stared in wonder as Rolyat nudjed him slightly to try for himself. He looked as though he were focusing all his confidence in his words, “I’m wishing, for lots of tuna~! Albacore, Bluefin, and Skipjack!” The expression on his face as he heard his words bounce back out of the well was truly priceless, totally full of wonder and amazement. But that expression was soon replaced with an unsure one as he looked back up at Rolyat.

“Hm?” She looked back down at him curiously, a kind smile still on her face.

“So, how do we know when the wishes will come true?” Rolyat quietly hummed back in response, Grim was far from being a child, at least she thought so, so of course he would question such a silly method of echoed words granting wishes. She tapped her chin in thought before smiling back down at him.

“Well we might just have to wait and see, wishes take time after all, but if we’re patient then hopefully they’ll come true.” She gently patted his head, and this seemed like enough of an answer as he simply grinned back in response.

“Well common! Let’s wish some more so they’ll definitely come true!” He shot back up, fully determined now to make his wish come true as he peered down into the wishing well with absolute focus.

“Haha, alright alright” Rolyat couldn’t help but laugh and agree, singing a few notes into the well and hearing them echo back along with Grim’s own singing. And even if he were off key, she did her best to harmonize with his voice.

As they sang though, a passersby who had been quietly walking through the courtyard, almost sneaking in a way, stopped at the sounds of a gentle singing voice. He was curious to be sure, not simply by the fact that someone was singing, but by the fact it sounded like a girl's voice in an environment he knew very well to be an all boy’s zone.

Carefully he made his way to the source, seeing a figure standing by the well, he smiled as he made his way over. Hearing what he could only assume was the song coming to its end, he decided to make his grand appearance. Rolyat continued to peer into the well, singing the last few words of the song as she watched her reflection in the water below.

“I’m wishing~ for the one I love, to find me~ today~” Rolyat sung.

‘Today~!” Suddenly another voice sang along with her as a new face appeared next to her in the water, causing both she and grim to yelp in surprise.

“Oh-!”

“Fynaa!” Grim toppled over in shock at the sudden voice that appeared, his body falling off the rim of the well and onto the ground. Rolyat seemed just as surprised, glancing down to where Grim had toppled over but had her focus mainly fixated on the stranger that had suddenly appeared.

“Oh I’m awfully sorry, did I frighten you? I didn’t mean to” The young man smiled apologetically, taking off his black sailor cap as he held it close to his chest. He tilted his head curiously as he waited for a response, but Rolyat simply stared back at him in quiet shock.

His appearance was awfully cute, if not a little handsome, with short black hair and brown caramel eyes. Though with the soft appearance of his face, it made his tall stature all the more alarming. He looked almost around Trey’s height if she had to guess, or perhaps a little shorter?

Though it was at this point that she realized that she had probably been staring at his appearance for too long that she forgot to say anything. She felt her face become slightly warm, trying to glance away but she could still feel the boy’s gaze on her, she knew she would have to say something soon.

“O-Oh um, you sort of did yes- but, oh it wasn’t that, it’s just that you’re a- uh-” She seemed to grow perplexed the longer she stared at him before finally finding her words. “-A stranger.”

“A stranger?” The boy blinked his eyes in surprise.

“Mhm” She nodded, shyly humming out a small simple response.

It had been such a long while since anyone could look at his face and call him a ‘stranger.’ Did this girl really not know who he was? But he could see so obviously on her darling little face that there wasn’t a single ounce of a clue. That she truly did not recognize him as Neige Leblanche.

Perhaps it helped that he wasn’t wearing his school’s bright white coat, but instead a simple navy blue pea coat, but her obliviousness brought a bright smile on his face. Thinking to himself that perhaps to today he could play the role of ‘a simple stranger.’

“Ah I see, I’m really sorry for scaring you, I just heard such a pretty voice that I wanted to see who it belonged to.” Neige put on his best princely smile, tilting his head to place his cap back on his head. When he looked back up his eye caught her as her cheeks looked more pink.

“O-Oh I, I see.” She seemed to fidget in place, glancing away from him and trying to look off in some far off direction. He continued to smile though, seeing such a genuine pure reaction out of someone like this was really peculiar. Grim however seemed to watch warily from behind the well, seeing as the boy hadn’t noticed him yet as he had his attention solely on his dorm leader, but there was something about this guy that was rubbing him the wrong way.

“Ah- I see I’ve forgotten to introduce myself, pardon my rudeness but I’m a representative from RSA, I came to see how preparations for the VDC were coming along and seem to have lost my way, haha, I was looking for the gymnasium?” He gave an awkward laugh and an apologetic smile, watching her expression go from shy to surprised at the mere name of his school. White lie’s weren’t all that bad

“Oh- RSA? I see, uhm, right now they’re having a lesson so it might not be best to go in there right now..but I can show you where the teachers office is if you’d like.” She knew full well how the students of Night Raven thought of anyone from Royal Sword Academy, and she knew if she told his boy where to go he might get ripped to shreds for sure, so showing him to where the staff was would be far more safer to him.

“I see, I see, how kind of you!” He smiled, placing a hand on his chest as he sighed with relief Rolyat simply smiled and nodded in response.  ‘Ah what a cute smile too’ Neige thought, but he sensed the coming silence might become awkward so he was quick to say something to keep the conversation going. Putting on an act, he stared at her curiously and leaned in as though he were examining her features. This sudden change made her blink back with confusion as she tilted her head, but he quickly leaned back and lightly pointed at her.

“Oh I see! So you must be the ‘flower in the den of thorns’!” His smile became brighter, seeming proud as if he had solved a mystery.

“P-Pardon?” Rolyat tilted her head at his sudden declaration, the flower in the den of thorns? Did he mean her?

“Ah- Haha sorry, that’s just the nickname some students at RSA have given you is all, you��re actually quite the topic of conversation at my school” He chuckled, hand on his chin as he thought about it. “We didn’t know your name, but given your situation, many of us viewed it like it was like a delicate flower in a den of dangerous prickly thorns.” He glanced back again to see her tilt her head in confusion, like she was still having a hard time processing the situation.

‘People at RSA...talk about me?’ She couldn’t help but feel that it was strange, how did people from that other school even know about her? Maybe it was all those times she ended up having her photo taken, or even perhaps..Chenya? He was the only other person she had meant from RSA so that seemed to be the only logical thing to explain it.

“Oh my- speaking of names, I don’t think I’ve asked you for yours yet have I? My apologies” Now it was his turn to tilt his head, giving her a worried smile like he had made a mistake, but she simply looked flustered as she waved her hands at him. Everytime he smiled she felt something flutter in her chest, perhaps it was his appearance or how kind he was but it almost felt as though she were talking to a fairytale prince.

“N-No no it’s fine! Uhm, my name is-”

“Ooi! Rolyat!” A sudden voice in the distance called out to her, turning her head she could see both Ace and Deuce jogging over to them, but they were still a bit far away.

Neige however felt his eye twitch in annoyance as he kept his smile up, oh dear, there were always people showing up just to get in the way wasn’t there? Even when he had just found someone so interesting, but oh well, he could deal with this for now.

“‘Rolyat’ huh? Well that’s quite the pretty name” Not like he had ever heard that name before or knew what it meant, but it got her attention back on him and got him just the reaction he wanted out of her as her cheeks dusted pink. “Well you can call me..hm '' Neige thought about it for a moment, he didn’t want to out himself as the ‘Neige Leblanche’ so soon, he was having far too much fun as a ‘mysterious stranger.’

“You can just call me ‘Snow’” He smiled, gently taking her hand in his and planting a delicate kiss on her knuckles, causing her whole face to blush a cherry red as she was rendered speechless. “Haha, I hope we get to meet again dear Rolyat” and with that Neige let go, waving goodbye to her as he walked away and behind the pillars of the courtyard, completely out of sight.

Grim sighed, jumping back onto the rim of the well, he crossed his arms as he stared off in the direction where ‘Snow’ left. “Geez that guy sure was weird huh Roly? Eh- Roly?” Grim turned to look at his dorm leader who seemed completely dazed, not even the sounds of Ace and Deuce panting and walking behind her even caught her attention.

“Haa, there you are, seriously, you can ever stay in one place can you?” Ace sighed, hunching over with his hands on his knees in exhaustion after having looked around nearly the whole campus to find her.

“Huh? Rolyat are you okay?” Deuce asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, surprising her with the sudden touch she looked surprised at Deuce.

“E-Eh?” She blinked back at him, totally unaware of what kind of look she had on her.

Ace stood back up as he walked around to see her face, nodding in agreement with Deuce. “Yeah, you're not sick or something are you? Your face is as red as one of Riddle’s tarts” Ace snicked, poking at her cheek in a joking manner.

When she realized just what they were talking about she felt her face grow warmer with embarrassment, turning around and shaking her head as not to look at them. “I-It’s nothing! Let’s just go!” Flustered she began walking off in the direction they came from, causing Ace and Deuce to look at each other in confusion as they simply shrugged their shoulders.

“Grim? Did something happen with Rolyat?” Deuce looked to Grim who had a bothered expression on his face, but Grim just sighed as he jumped onto Ace and hung onto his shoulders.

“Hrmm well, honestly I don’t even know what happened, she just ran into a really weird dude I guess” Grim grumbled. It wasn’t like he had been fully paying attention to whatever she and that guy were saying, he was too bothered by the strange vibe the guy was giving off in the first place.

“Huh? A weird guy? Did he do something to her?” Deuce seemed alarmed, his energy totally starting to shift into his delinquent side at the idea that someone had been messing with their friend. Grim even felt Ace’s energy spike up in alarm as the boy squinted his eyes, but Grim shook his head which got them to calm down a little.

“No, no, gosh calm down you two, I’ll you about it later but if we don’t leave now you two are going to lose sight of her again” Grim pointed out, the duo turning to see that Rolyat was nearly out of sight, causing them to jump in alarm as they began running to catch up with her.

Meanwhile

“Ufufu, how interesting, how very interesting indeed.” Rook, who had seen the whole interaction between Neige Leblanche and the delicate Fleurette, his little nickname for ‘miss Rolyat’, chuckled as he watched the group of first year’s leave the courtyard. It was not like he had been purprosely spying on them in the first place, it was all happenstance, just a simple beautiful coincidence that he had been resting in a tree in the courtyard and heard the girl’s singing voice which in turn drew in his dorm leader’s rival.

Rook hopped down from the tree, dusting off his uniform as he looked around the area before feeling a pair of eyes watching him. He looked up towards a window and smiled, as though blissfully unaware of the expression they wore, at the sight of Vil who was glaring down at him.

Vil’s angered expression glanced to watch the troublesome troupe of potatoes leave before he focused his attention solely on his vice dorm head. He knew Rook had surely heard all that had transpired down by the well, and he knew he would likely have to interrogate Rook about the matter. Vil was sure Rook would ask him some ridiculous question, maybe even throwing the word ‘jealousy’ in there.

No he was not ‘jealous’, what an ugly word. He was not jealous over that distasteful scene of affection he had witnessed from high above, he was not jealous at how that snow white brat just waltzed in and charmed that oblivious potato and even went as far as to kiss her hand.

No he was angered by the mere fact that his rival had the gaul to show up to his school, on his territory, unannounced like that, and just walked around like he owned the place, like he already won. ‘How repulsive, so utterly ugly and repulsive’ Vil’s thoughts swirled with utter disdain.

He turned away from the window, making his way down the hallway with an expression that made others feel as though hell had erupted. He was Vil Schoenheit, he was far above such childish and unsightly feelings like jealousy. But just even recalling the sight of her smiling so brightly at his rival had him grit his teeth in irritation.

“To think I’d allow myself to become so frustrated over something so ridiculous” He huffed, storming down the hallway and not paying any other student and heed.

“Ah, hi Vil-! E-Eh?” Think of the devil and they shall appear, the moment he heard her voice and caught sight of her oblivious sime did he force himself not to look at her, the irritating thumping in his chest grew louder, only continuing down the hallway and leaving the first years confused.

“Haah? What’s his deal?” Ace muttered on his breath as he raised an eyebrow, his eyes staring off in the direction that the Pomfiore leader had stomped off to.

“I’m not sure, but I hope whatever it is that’s put Vil in a bad mood won’t have any effect on our dance practice” Deuce sighed back, still feeling the soreness in his shoulders and calves.  

“I wonder if something bad happened..he looked really mad” Rolyat stared worriedly at Vil’s back the further he went down the hallway. Her friends just shrugged it off and ushered her to hurry on down the hallway.

Nodding she followed them, not even noticing that the moment she turned around Vil stopped in his tracks to glance back at her fleeting form. He felt that bothersome feeling in his chest but quickly shook his head in disgust and stalked off, muttering under his breath.

“Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.”

[scertifiedsavanaclawstan]

Dorm Leaders When They're Drunk + Signature Drinks

And also what their fellow members think of the drink but that's too long of a title.

Yeah it's another @jackplushie silver bullet post because I had this thought and I couldn't get it out of my head until I wrote it down lol. Also with pictures of the drinks!

Also I don't know shit about alcohol so I have no clue if these descriptions are good/make sense.

Riddle's Screaming Rose

As it turns out, Riddle + Alcohol = MORE RIDDLE. When he's drunk Riddle becomes so much more focused on his rules, and his order, that it almost becomes comical. It doesn't hurt that he's a bit more forgetful, once you caught him in a panic because he was wearing the wrong color for the last Thursday of the month… on a Saturday. His gang members are careful to stay out of his way when he's drunk, they're not interested in the extra discipline. The drink itself is SWEEEET. It's flavored like strawberry and is good with food. Riddle normally orders more dessert, while his fellow members tend to prefer actual food. The only one who doesn't drink it is Cater, he still likes how it looks though.

Leona's Purring Kitten

You thought he was going to be the sleepy drunk? Well he usually is, but this drink of his is made with coffee so he actually tends to stay awake. And when he does well… prepare yourself for a LOT of unplanned affection. Leona spends most of his time drunk trying to get your attention, complimenting you, staring at you with a moony grin on his face, whining in your general direction. It's not unique though, his gang finds out he's more likely to praise them when he's drunk and they are ecstatic! He doesn't forget what happens when he's sober though, so whenever they abuse the opportunity too much they're really in for it afterwards. Ruggie likes it, it keeps him up and he can snack on the cookie that comes with the drink. It's a bit too bitter for Jack though.

Azul's Mermaid's Tears

Yeah no surprises on this one. While he normally manages to be perfectly put together, none of the stresses or worries of his life breaking through to the surface, once he gets tipsy… Well that's when the waterworks start. He's going to be venting to you about everything, his contracts, his diet, the twins. Honestly if you actually hated him you probably had some decent blackmail. If some of his tears get in his drink it probably isnt a big deal, its already got a salt rim, and other than that it tastes… healthy? The Leech twins tried it once when they were over. Floyd declared Azul's taste in drinks was boring. Jade meanwhile said that it was… fine :) just fine. Neither of them ordered it again.

Kalim's Sleepy Tiger

You thought he would be the happy drunk? Well yeah he would if he could hold his liquor… Kalim thankfully doesn't cause you too much trouble, sober or not, but he's even less of a problem when drunk. The worst that he does is force you to call Jamil because he always forget to mention he's going to the bar, and then he falls asleep. Most of the time though he just stares at you would be drinks with a soft smile, and then you'll turn around and find him snoring gently on the counter. Jamil usually orders a drink when he comes to pick Kalim up, the date syrup was his idea, before the drink was just a mango infused spirit with whipped cream.

Vil's Cranky Virgin

Vil really hates you for this one. But he was pretty rude when he first walked in so you're not that sorry. It got its name from what Vil calls being 'married to work' and what you call 'having no game'. Oh, and the complaining. "Oh bartender, your hair is messy! Straighten your tie Epel! Rook button up your shirt!" Vil is even more likely to point out errors in appearance when he's drunk, but he's… also just generally more easily upset. Most people tend to give him a wide berth when they find him trying to fix your hair over the counter. The drink itself is appropriately expensive tasting, made with apple syrup and a VERY herbaceous liquor. It's a good seller since his whole gang tends to order it too. Epel hates that he likes something Vil enjoys, Rook doesn't care what the drink is, he just wants what Vil wants.

Idia's Gamer Rage

Y'know how Idia gets when he's talking on his tablet about something he really cares about? Yeah imagine that. Times a thousand. For the love of God do not mention any show or game he's been into lately. He WILL bombard you with questions and he WILL start a fight if you have the 'wrong' opinion. You've had to throw him out on his ass multiple times for starting shouting matches, to which point Idia has the dubious honor of having a drink limit. The drink itself is bubbly and flavored like blue raspberry, and more like a boozy root beer float than a proper cocktail. It's one of the few you make a non-alcoholic version of, for Ortho. You'd give it to him normally (you've murdered people, what's enabling a little underage drinking?) if he asked but he's the one who asks for it virgin. He tried it normally once without knowing and as it turns out he HATES the taste of alcohol.

Malleus' Dragon's Tantrum

You were originally going to call this one 'The Horny Lizard' but that was a bit much so you toned it back. As it turns out, Malleus Draconia, incredibly powerful and the most feared crime lord in the city, is a very emotional, clingy drunk. He at the very least dutifully waits until the end or the night to get totally wasted, because when he does he's climbing over the counter to attach to your closest limb. Since none of his gang members are willing (or able) to help pry him off of you, you have to close up pretty soon after. Unless another boss happens to walk in, but that causes… further problems. As for the drink itself? Boy is it sour, all the lime mixed with the absinthe makes it a drink almost no one other than Malleus orders. Of those who do, Lilia seems to barely have tastebuds, Silver likes it because he can't fall asleep when his face is so puckered, and Sebek doesn't actually like it anymore than anyone else, but he refuses to drink anything but Malleus' favorite. At your bar at least.

[twistyprefect]

hey! I discovered your blog these days and fell in love with it! your writing is so cute! I would like to ask dorm leaders with a younger sister who is also studying at the NRC. like....how would they be with a little sister? how would they treat her? ( maybe the sister is a first year? ) ps: please, make the request platonic. stay well and remember to hydrate, eat and sleep well! ヾ(≧▽≦*)o english is not my first language! sorry if i wrote something wrong! .≡(▔﹏▔)≡ 📷

Abrir no Google Tradutor

{hullo new friend!! your english was great!! i understood exactly what you meant 💞languages are hard and english is particularly weird ngl 😭 also u will be sure to hydrate and sleep well dw!! ty for being so swet & i'm sorry this took so long to get to!!}

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle adored his little sister and was incredibly protective over her, especially as NRC's first female student

he isn't as strict with her, knowing that she had also been negatively impacted by their mother's strictness

he babies her a bit too much, asking Ace and Deuce to watch after her in their classes

makes sure to threaten any guy that even kind of looks at her as anything more than a friend

Trey and Cater have adopted her as their own little sister, equally as overprotective and threatening

Leona Kingscholar

Leona doted on his younger sister, believing she was probably the best member of his family

he adored her very obviously, and she was the only person who could get him to do stuff

overprotective of her, especially since he knows the guys at NRC aren't worthy of her at all

he keeps a close eye on her, but also lets her have her own life and doesn't restrict her

Ruggie happily accepts her as his own younger sister as well, spoiling her with attention and favoritism

Azul Ashengrotto

Azul is incredibly protective over his little sister, especially since she also was bullied a bit when they were younger

he likes to keep an eye on her whenever possible and employs some of his first years (as well as Ace and Deuce) to keep her safe

he lets her work in the lounge but makes sure she has a comfortable uniform that's the same as the boys'

he makes sure she never needs help in her classes, always offering help and tutoring when possible

the tweels love Azul's sister, treating her like their own (since they've known her as long as they've known Azul)

Kalim Al-Asim

Kalim is so excited to have his baby sister at NRC with him, eagerly dragging her around and introducing her to the rest of the dorm

he immediately makes sure everyone knows that she's to be protected at all costs

she instantly becomes the Scarabia dorm's collective little sister, receiving attention and spoiling from everyone

he does make sure to keep an eye on her though, not trusting the students from outside his dorm to treat her well

Jamil long ago adopted Kalim's little sister as his own, keeping an eye on her and thanking her for helping him contain Kalim a bit

Vil Schoenheit

Vil absolutely adores and pampers his younger sister, getting her whatever she wants whenever she wants

she's got him wrapped around her finger and uses that to get him to go a little easier on some of the first years when they slip up

he's stricter with punishments on people who mess with his sister, though

he keeps track of her class schedule and makes sure she's keeping up in her courses while having time to relax and sleep as well

Rook and Epel adopted her soon after she started going to NRC, seeing her as their own little sister to protect

Idia Shroud

Idia loves both his younger siblings, but he knows Ortho also adores their sister

so he's ok spoiling and babying his little sister, making sure to organize all her classwork for her

he offers to tutor her in whatever she needs and lets her stay in the dorms instead of going to class if she wants/needs to

asks some of his first years to keep an eye on her and make sure she's ok

Ortho loves his sister and makes sure to protect her to the best of his ability, and also helps her w/ her classwork too!

Malleus Draconia

Malleus absolutely adores and spoils his little sister, especially when she comes to NRC

incredibly protective, keeping her close to him whenever possible and asking Sebek to protect her when he can't be there

Sebek of course takes this almost too seriously, so eventually Malleus asks him to back off a bit

he wants his sister to have her own life and friends, but he also needs her to give him attention

Lilia and Silver are just as protective, seeing her as their own little sister (they also, of course, spoil her!)

[shiny-jr]

I LOVE THE HEATHERS AU!! Do you have plans for the other TWST boys as well or will you be keeping it around the ones you just wrote? Also, where is Grim?

Sorry if I'm bombarding you with too much questions. If the AU is still in it's early stages, feel free to ignore this!

- a lurking gremlin anon

Thank you, anon! I don't really have any particular ideas for the other characters, since there aren't a lot of characters in Heathers. Plus having so many students involved in the story would make things chaotic and too busy, thus hard to write. So I'll be keeping it to the ones I wrote and established already (no Grim), but I have imagined some of the other characters in the same setting too. Here's a few descriptions I came up with for some characters that aren't included. 

Cater Diamond, local fan of Vil Schoenheit and friend of Rook Hunt. He's a member of the yearbook committee and unlike some of the others, he isn't some cultish fan that worshipped Vil's trio. Cater is actually fairly fashionable, even if he couldn't always wear the high-quality clothes like the infamous clique, he could still look good in his own way. The photographer was often seen wearing a cute sweater usually with white jeans and a headband for his orange hair. And of course, a photographer like him couldn't catch photos and juicy moments without a camera hanging around his neck. Believe it or not, Cater is pretty friendly, even if he does have a habit of tricking newbies to do his tasks around the school. Don't tell him a secret though, because by the end of the day over half of the school will know it because of him.

Leona Kingscholar, head of the football team. Don't assume just because he's the leader of a bunch of dumb jocks that he's dumb too. Far from it actually. He's conniving and smart for someone of his position, and also creates strategies to lead his team to victory. If it weren't for Vil and his clique, Leona and his gang would surely take the crown for top of the hierarchy. When not wearing a varsity jacket, he prefers to wear a denim jacket or a black leather jacket over either a plain shirt or button-up. The most intricate thing about his outfit would be the colorful bandanas he wears for some control over his wild mane and the golden chain around his neck. Be wary of Leona, he certainly is not very friendly or forgiving, you don't want to mess with him at all for he's been in his own share of fights and he always emerges victorious.

Jack Howl, a rising star on the football team. He, a freshman like Ace and Deuce, was chosen for the team. Although even more than the two previously mentioned, he’s gaining a bigger reputation for his intense skills at athletics and never starting conflict. If there’s conflict with him, you can be sure he didn’t start it but he will definitely finish it. You can spot him from across the hall with that build and height. When not wearing the varsity jacket, he settles with a plain white shirt and either a leather jacket or bomber jacket over it. If you happen to see him during practice, he will have shed his jacket and just wear the white sleeveless shirt that reveal his toned arms. Yeah, his muscles aren’t just for show. Jack may just be a freshman but do not pick a fight with him. 

Azul Ashengrotto, another “nerd.” However, this nerd has more influence and power. Azul may be a nerd, but he’s certainly not bullied, he actually has a lot more power than most are willing to admit. He knows everyone’s business, he knows everything about everyone and uses this to his advantage. You would think that the skinny glasses-wearing guy wearing a freshly-ironed shirt with clean pants and suspenders, socks, and polished shoes would be an easy target to bully, but oh no. One wrong move and Azul will expose your dirtiest secrets. He uses this power to avoid being bullied and to gain favors and such. Yeah, he has students around campus doing odd jobs and chores and other strange tasks for him, just to avoid their secret getting out. So do not cross Azul. 

[blues824]

Can I please request the twisted wonderland dorm leaders with the nezuko reader

And how would they react when they find out why they were a muzzle.

Them being the official sleeping buddy of Leona. them giving headpats to riddle and Idia to comfort them. Them and Kalim being their sunshine selfs. and Azul wanting to use their ability to steal because he knows nobody can be mad at them. Vil having the time of their life dolling them up

(I'm so sorry if I sent many requests I love your work so much)

Stahp 🤭… low-key bout to cry. *gives a classic Nezuko headpat*

Also, I love receiving requests. You’re just a loyal customer. And I used your request from the Obey Me! Dateables as a guideline of the headcanons I’m writing here.

Riddle Rosehearts

He is very shocked to find out you are a demon. He’s read much about them, but he never expected them to look so… cute? You seemed so innocent, and it took him by surprise. But, you seem to have more common sense than some of his fellow Heartslabyul members so he holds nothing against you.

The fact that you are naturally friendly comforts him because somebody isolated him his whole childhood. He finds it very hard to ever be mad at you. You once walked by him in the hall and he greeted you, but you simply gave him a head pat as a greeting. He wasn’t mad, more embarrassed and hopelessly in love.

When he asked about your muzzle, he asked about it in the most polite way possible. You wrote on a piece of paper that it was to control your urges around so many people. That did scare him a bit, but he was glad that you were taking measures to control yourself.

When he found out you could shrink, you were tending to the hedgehogs. You shrank so as to seem smaller to them and it worked. He damn near screamed when he saw you grow back to regular size, but he recovered quickly.

One day he was yelling at Ace and Deuce for getting in trouble again. You rushed into the scene without your muzzle and attacked Riddle. You didn’t do him serious harm, you were able to snap out of it before anything too horrible happened. Later you explained that you saw your deceased family in Ace and Deuce and you sought to protect them from any harm.

He also learns that you regain your stamina through sleep instead of consuming humans, which he is grateful for. He will help you through any questions you have on the homework. He can’t get mad about it: you are much more powerful than he is, plus it’s an excuse to spend time with you.

He would love to help you control your urges, so he helps you practice by using his magic to play both offense and defense. He uses his unique magic to gain a few seconds to grab your muzzle if you get carried away. 

One day, you are seen without your muzzle and he is so proud of you. He will invite you over to tea and will love hearing you speak freely rather than writing. He will even let you eat the first tart at your first unbirthday party without your muzzle! However, you always have it on hand if you ever get an inkling that something will go wrong.

Leona Kingscholar

Has this guy ever been surprised? He’s more intrigued than anything. He also doesn’t call you herbivore. He will say that you are adorable. You’re kind of absent-minded at times, but he can overlook it. You don’t cause him too much trouble, so you’re cool with him.

When you meet his nephew, he will be more alert. However, you are very kind and playful towards Cheka. You will gladly volunteer to babysit in place of Leona, and Cheka is all for it. However, you sometimes headpat Leona himself as a greeting. He gets a bit annoyed, but he understands that it’s mainly because you can’t speak with your muzzle.

Speaking of your muzzle, he finds it oppressive. As a beastman, he doesn’t like muzzles for obvious reasons. However, he understands that it might be different for a demon. He’s glad you aren’t going around eating people.

He found out you could change your size when you were playing around with his nephew. You had him on your shoulders and you would grow and shrink so he could reach stuff (like the door frame). As long as Cheka isn’t bothering his naps, he doesn’t really care.

Ace and Deuce once got into trouble with the Savanaclaw kids, and it was Hell in Twisted Wonderland. Ace’s big mouth just couldn’t shut up for 5 seconds. He was trash-talking the Savanaclaw students that just so happened to be right behind him. That’s where you come in:

You jumped into action right away. You saw that the Savanaclaw students would easily overpower your friends, so you tore off your muzzle and attacked. Leona has never been so surprised. Before you were able to do any immense damage, Crowley was on scene and got you under control. Once you had your muzzle back on, you were back to your loving and friendly self. You later explain that you see Ace and Deuce as your family that was killed by demons.

When he learns that you regain stamina through sleep alone, he volunteers to watch over you while you nap. And by watch over you, I really mean be your cuddle buddy. He will hold you in his arms and you will nap for hours.

Savanaclaw is a great place to train your powers. Leona will gladly hold your muzzle in case something happens, but he will make his dorm train against you because you are a great opponent to train with. Tbh, he finds it hot that you can take out that many guys by yourself.

When you are confident enough to go a day without your muzzle, he will walk you to your classes as well as attend his own. He wants to be nearby in case something happens. You told him (he was surprised when he heard you speak) that you kept your muzzle on you in case an incident occurred. He won’t admit it, but he is very proud of you.

Azul Ashengrotto

He’s freaked out when he found out you’re a demon. Then he finds out about your abilities, as well as your non-existent streak for eating people. He still remains cautious, but you seem to be easily manipulatable. 

You easily win your way into everyone’s good sides with your friendly and kind disposition. If he could get you under a contract, then everyone would surely follow. That, or get you to come to the Mostro Lounge every so often. He will find it odd that you give headpats rather than a hand wave, but you are just a naturally affectionate person so he doesn’t mind.

Going back to how he wants you to come to the Mostro Lounge, he has this elaborate plan set up… until he finds out about why you wear your muzzle. It is rather unfortunate, but he would rather not be eaten. He stays up at night wondering what your voice sounds like.

He found out you could change your size when you tried to give Floyd a head pat. He was just too tall, so you grew temporarily. The trio were all shocked, but Floyd was a happy eel that day. Azul was very interested in this ability. It must be very convenient for you.

Once, your friends were being terrorized by Floyd’s squeezes. They weren’t in true danger, Floyd was just bored. However, you barged in like the FBI and tackled the eel. You didn’t have your muzzle on, and you would have caused serious damage if his arms weren’t so long. Azul walked in after hearing the commotion and used his magic to hold you temporarily so he could put your muzzle back on. You apologized and said that you saw Ace and Deuce as people you needed to protect.

When Azul learns that you regain stamina through naps, he will offer (for free) to look after you. He will bring you classwork you missed as well as tell you stories of the sea to help you sleep better. Jade and Floyd know to not disturb you unless they want to face docked pay checks as well as your wrath.

He’s a bit too busy to help you train, but he will be there if you need any help emotionally or mentally. He sometimes invites you over so as to train his dorm as well as let Floyd go haywire. Think of it as payment for destroying the Lounge while ‘protecting your friends’.

When he finds you going without your muzzle one day, he is concerned. You explained (he found your voice heavenly) that you were confident in your ability to control yourself for at least a day, but you had your bamboo muzzle on you just in case. He was very proud of you, he treated you to a study date at the lounge.

Kalim Al-Asim

You’re so cute! He doesn’t really care if you’re a demon. He’s the least judgmental person in NRC, so that’s a given. Jamil advises him to be cautious though. However, he doesn’t really listen to Jamil…

You’re basically the same person. You’re both friendly rays of sunshine who are naturally affectionate and happy. You’re sometimes absent-minded but so is he! He loves your headpats and will give you headpats in return. Jamil panics because now there’s two of them!

He once asked about your muzzle over dinner and Jamil was about to reprimand him when you wrote on a piece of paper that you were still a demon and had yet to control your urges. Jamil was freaked out but Kalim was determined to help you gain control. 

He found out you could shrink and grow when you were playing around. You were marching around while growing and shrinking and it was very amusing to see Kalim try and ‘imitate’ it. You gone to Cinnabon lately? Cuz y’all being too much of a cinnamon roll

Once, he invited you and Grim over to enjoy the wonders Scarabia had to offer. However, when he shoved crackers into Grim’s mouth, you growled at him. He retrieved his hand and looked like a hurt puppy, and Jamil pulled Kalim behind him. Once you calmed down and made sure Grim was okay, you explained that you have an urge to protect Grim.

When Kalim learns that you nap a lot, he will be sad that it means less time to hang out with you, but he will definitely cuddle with you when he can! He will bring your classwork to you, but he won’t be much help to you. You both tend to get distracted until Jamil interferes.

He will help you train via subjecting his dorm to fierce hours of non-stop working. It was a win-win situation in his eyes, but he was upset that his dorm-mates were easily defeated. He will even train his magic by going through beginner sparring with you.

When he sees you without your muzzle, his eyes become hearts. You were just so gorgeous! Your voice sounded so nice! He followed you around all day until classes started, but after the bell rang he would be right next to you. He was so happy about your progress and he couldn’t help but throw a party for you (this time, Jamil didn’t complain because he knew how hard you worked)!

Vil Schoenheit

He has mixed feelings about you: you’re so cute, but you’re also a demon who could eat him at a moment’s notice. He will keep his guard up around you, but other than that you don’t cause much trouble. 

Little by little, you break down that wall of his and you let him dress you up. You being his little doll whenever you both have free time is what he uses to de-stress after a long day. He’s happy that you so willingly let him do whatever he wants to your face and hair, as well as willingly go into the bathroom to change into an outfit he selected.

While he was dressing you up, he asked about your muzzle since the green of the bamboo didn’t fit well with the outfit he selected. You told him that you were still a demon and had trouble controlling yourself around so many humans, and it shocked him. So what did he do? Designed muzzles to go with your outfits! 

He doesn’t appreciate your headpats since it ruins his hair, but he does appreciate the sentiment behind it. You give headpats to everyone as a greeting, and he’s glad that you have that personal connection with him, but please just wave. Mans took so long on his hair and he doesn’t want it to get messed up.

He found out you could shrink when an article of clothing didn’t quite fit you since you were a bit too small for it. Then you just grew so that you fit it better. He was quite surprised, but happy that you could model more outfits for him. However, it does get quite awkward when he asks you to shrink or grow.

Once, Vil forced Epel to do his skin care routine and the latter was just not having it today. He was kicking and screaming. You barged in and tackled Vil. He noticed that you didn’t have your muzzle but instead you were trying to snap at him. Epel quickly used a spell to push you away so that Vil could get his pen and hold you in place. You later explained that you had a strong urge to protect Epel from any imminent danger and you couldn’t help but act on that impulse.

Vil isn’t very happy with your sleep schedule, but he understands that you have to otherwise you might resort to eating humans, and that isn’t good at all. So, he brings you your work and will gladly talk you through anything you need help with. 

Exercising is very good for your health, so Vil will gladly help you gain control over your demonic urges. He will grab Rook and have him help as well in your training. You make a bunch of progress and you gain more control over your abilities as well as your reactions.

One day, you feel confident enough to go at least one day without your muzzle on, and Vil is right there with you every step of the day. He will walk with you to your classes and check on you after the bell rings and he will invite you to sit with him during lunch. He is so proud of you, and he will reward you with a nice date.

Idia Shroud

This mans is so shy around you. He doesn’t really care that you are a demon (he’s seen so many anime with demons and so he’s not phased by it). You are just his polar opposite, and he’s very anti-social. 

He likes that you are very kind towards him, though. You understand that he is very anxious around people, so you are very patient. You gain a good bond with Ortho and it makes Idia happy. He does like your headpats, but he is not used to physical affection. However, he deals with it for you since you can’t speak with your muzzle. After a while, he finds it comforting whenever you give him a headpat. 

Speaking of, it’s Ortho who asks about it. Idia was just there in the room as well. You write that you have trouble controlling yourself around so many humans, and that sends Idia into a frenzy because he was human himself. You then have to explain to him that because of the muzzle, you can’t do any serious damage.

He found out you could shrink when Idia shyly asked you to help with upgrading Ortho. You had smaller hands than he did, after all. You shrank even more so that the size of your hands wouldn’t get in the way. He was shocked and almost dropped something, but he quickly recovered.

One time, Ortho went outside to run errands for Idia when he was dragged into trouble with Ace, Deuce, and Grim. They got in a fight with another bunch of students and it was about to be a brawl. Then you charged with the demon blood in you. That was one of the few times Idia has ever been outside. He rushed over and put your muzzle over your mouth to prevent you from doing anything too horrible. You later told him that you attacked because Ortho was in danger.

He doesn’t mind that you sleep a lot. You actually look very cute when you sleep, and he means that in the most adoring way. Sometimes he will sleep next to you, but mostly he’s playing video games. He will help you on school work if you need anything, but other than that he’s kinda just like ‘mood’.

Idia would love to build some robots that you could train with, and you will be able to help him by demonstrating what you can do already. He won’t personally partake in training, but he is glad that he can do something for you in your journey to gaining control.

One day, you go without your muzzle and Idia will willingly join you for lunch in the cafeteria. He will start panicking, but he is able to hear your voice trying to comfort him as you give him the usual headpats. After school, he will reward you with a movie night and all the sweets you could ever want.

Malleus Draconia

He’s not very shocked that you are a demon. He finds you to be very cute, though. He’s not intimidated by you, if you couldn’t tell. He’s very confident in his ability to overpower you, plus he’s not human.

He loves your friendly personality. It’s a stark contrast compared to what he’s used to, but it’s a very welcome difference. He appreciates how you’re not intimidated by him. He also loves your headpats. Usually, no one would dare look his way, but here you are giving him headpats as a greeting. Sebek hates it, but Malleus glares at him.

He asks about your muzzle when you were on your nightly walk. You bring a notepad in case something needs to be said, so you are prepared. You ‘told’ him that since there were so many humans at NRC, you find it hard to control yourself from consuming a human. He doesn’t judge since it’s something out of your control, but he would love to hear your voice more often.

He found out you could change your size when you were invited to the Diasomnia dorm and you were demonstrating all the things you could do. You would go up to Lilia and shrink to his size, to Silver and grow to his size, to Sebek and grow to his size (he yelled at you), and finally to Malleus and grow to his size (minus the horns). For once, Malleus wasn’t the tallest person in the room.

One day, after classes, Ace was going on and on about how Sebek was a ‘teacher’s pet’ and a ‘goody two-shoes’ and the knight showed up at that exact moment. Now, Sebek started yelling at Ace and Deuce and Grim, who were all yelling back. You, not knowing better besides the fact that Sebek is now yelling at your close friends, attacked. You tore off your muzzle so you could try and scare him even more. The young knight was taken off-guard and wasn’t given any chance to recover.

Lilia’s ears caught onto Sebek’s distress and the rest of the group went to go save him. Malleus saw that you pinned Sebek to the ground and tried to get him to stop squirming. You were raising your fist to knock him out, but Malleus grabbed hold of you and pulled you off of Sebek. You later explained that Sebek started yelling at Ace and Deuce, and you got the overwhelming urge to defend your ‘family’. Malleus completely understood everything: he’s a dragon, so he also has those protective urges.

He’s sad that you tend to sleep a lot since that leaves less time to spend with you, but he decides that it is better than going around and consuming humans to regain stamina. Since he doesn’t need much sleep, it’s mostly lying next to you and enjoying your presence as well as making sure nothing happens to you while you are so vulnerable. He will gladly bring you your work and help you catch up since it means he spends more time with you.

He loves training with you. He will volunteer his knights to train with you as a dorm activity. It will help them in the Spelldrive tournaments, and for the future. He personally loves being able to go all-in without fearing for your safety. 

One day, he notices that you are walking around without your muzzle and he has that child-like eagerness to hear your voice. He will escort you to and from your classes and he will invite you to sit with him during lunch. He doesn’t want to spend one second without being by your side.

[pet-pet-peet]

Howdy do~! I’ve got a fluff/angst headcanon in mind: The dorm leaders’ (including Jamil’s) fem! s/o suddenly wakes up screaming in the middle of the night because of a traumatic nightmare of them Overblotting. As she wakes up, she tearfully tells them she’s scared of losing them a second time. How will they comfort her? Please and thanks!

Awww, poor beans ;;;;;

Honestly, the one I wrote for Vil hit a little too close to home for me- ANYWAY

I’m gonna do the overblots that have already happened (I’m a pleb that can’t play so idk if Idia actually overblotted or not because I’m waiting for translations-), so we’re leaving out Idia and Malleus. I’m sorry, I hope it’s okay-

Tw: big angst but bigger comfort, description of fear, description of panic attacks, description of abusive behavior/words (in the nightmares) including jabs at appearance and toxic traits, no Idia or Malleus 😔

Italics is dream description

Pairing(s): Riddle, Leona, Azul, Jamil, Vil x female reader who had a nightmare about their overblot

You awoke with a panic, the type where you’re laying down but you’re completely encapsulated by fear

Riddle woke up next to you as he heard your gasp and sobs, sitting up a bit next to you

You describe your nightmare to him when he asked what was wrong

In your nightmare, Riddle was in his overblot state and hovering over your fallen form

He mocked and laughed at your state, emphasizing the weakness that you portrayed as you watched him fall into an uncontrollable and damaging magic drain

He told you that you weren’t needed in his world, that he was the only one necessary to rule over a world that obeys his rules and laws

You told Riddle how useless you felt when he overblotted, and that you wish there was something more you could do to prevent it

Riddle brought you close, initiating a rare comfort from him in the form of a hug

He told you that he would never do anything like that again, that he would never let himself fall that far

He reassured you that you were special to him and he couldn’t imagine ever hurting you or leaving you

He would hold you, talking to you the whole night if you needed so you could get your mind off the nightmare

After the incident, people have noticed that Riddle is less strict with you

He doesn't give you as harsh of punishments when you break the rules, even though his strictness has already died down quite a bit

If it upsets you then he'll apologize, but rationalize it as not wanting to worsen any trauma he may have caused

He'll be more considerate of you, though it's not to an extreme. More like he sees this as a way to grow and understand your relationship more

When he woke up, he found that you weren’t in bed with him. He didn’t think much of it, but got up to look for you

Felt a bit awkward when he heard that you were crying at the window sill, so he leaned against the wall next to you

He’s always been one to wait and listen, so when you calm down you start talking about the nightmare

In your nightmare, Leona had his back turned to you

You reached out to call his name when he turned back at you and growled, implying after that you were just using him

He told you that you were just dragging him down, that he could never be king if you stayed around

You told Leona how scared you really were for him when he overblotted, concerned that he might have been lost forever

Leona sat down next to you and put his hand over yours, keeping his eyes outside as he reassured you that he wouldn’t tell you that

He reassured you that he wasn’t going anywhere, joking that you were stuck with him just so he could see you smile

He moved himself closer to you and kissed your temple, telling you that he could never feel like a king if you’re not around

He then dragged you back to bed because you both need to sleep

After, he tries to spend more time with you

He’ll find you outside and drag you under a tree or to the botanical garden to lay down with him

If you need help studying, he complains less and tries to help you with whatever you need help with

He’s also more openly physical with you, even if it’s just a hand on your back

Azul woke up when he felt you try to leave the bed, so he looked at your silhouette to see where you were going

When he saw your shoulders tremble, he reached for his glasses and a lamp so it wasn’t too dark

He put his arm around your shoulder and asked what was wrong, but he let you try to calm your breathing before you explained your nightmare

Azul laughed as you were in pain, standing in front of your fallen form

He told you that you were manipulating him, that he knew you didn’t really love him and just wanted to make a game of him

He blamed you for the contracts being destroyed, which led to him blaming you for his overblot

Azul held you tighter, running a hand over your head as you clutched to him and told him how guilty you felt about everything

He whispered to you softly, trying to maintain his own emotions, reassuring you that he never blamed you for anything

He told you that he knew you weren’t manipulating him, and told you he loved you and knew you loved him, too

He told you that he’s been through a lot, and that it affects him to his core, but he’s never seen you as a cause or trigger

He kisses your cheek and pulls you back into bed, asking if you needed anything

He spoils you more than he already did afterwards

He tries to spend more time with you, but when he’s really busy he makes sure to get you something to make up for it

He’ll also give you special treatment in the Lounge, asking Jade and Floyd to send drinks to you when you didn’t order them for example

He does what he can to make you feel appreciated and hopes that more good times will push away the bad ones

Jamil woke up when he heard your sobs, used to using sounds to trigger him awake. He saw that you were curled up on the bed, trying to hush yourself

He reached a hand over and gently rubbed your arm, trying not to startle you

Will probably pull you closer to him so your back is against his chest or you face each other, then asks you what was wrong when he knew you could answer

Jamil faced you with a scowl, not acknowledging your trembling form anyway else

He said he hated you, that you were trying to trap him by forcing him to settle with you

He accused you of wanting to keep him and use him in an enslaved state like Kalim and that you never actually loved him

You told Jamil that you were concerned that’s what he truly believed, then asked him how you can prove him wrong

He sighed and leaned his forehead against you, softly reassuring you that you were doing amazing

He told you that he knew you genuinely loved him, and that you didn’t have to prove it because you already have many times

He kissed your cheek and told you that his issues were never caused by you, and he knew you never contributed to them or triggered them

He holds you until you go back to sleep, peppering kisses on your head and face

He’ll invite you to help him out more, as long as you want to of course. It's his way to help you realize you’re on equal terms

Won’t ask too much of you, though, more of asks for you to help set the table, bring him ingredients or spices, smaller things

He’s still wanting to spoil you after all, but he wants to be more domestic about it

Starts to kiss you when he greets you or when he says goodbye, as an added ‘I love you’

You probably brushed against him while trying to move away, since he likes to sleep pretty close, so that woke him up initially

He was fully awake when he felt you tremble and try to move away from him, so he hummed and sat up a bit to ask where you were going

When he saw your tears in a ray of moonlight, that’s when he asked what was wrong and fully sat up, holding his arms out so you can hug him or grab him; you did so as you explained your nightmare

Vil was looking at you with a purely disgusted expression, the only satisfaction shining in his eyes when you choke on the toxins around you

He at some point chuckled, leaning down to your pitiful state to get a better look at you; just so he could tell you how pathetic it really was that you fell for him

He told you there was no way someone as dull-looking, talentless, and insecure as you could ever truly be with someone as perfect as him

You told Vil that you agreed, that he deserves someone better, and his heart sank

He wiped your tears away and brushed loose strands of hair behind your ear, telling you he didn’t believe that at all

He thought you were very cute, and you had plenty of talents that he would love to support you through

He apologized that he hurt you so deeply, telling you that he’s never seen you in such a negative light and never could

He smiled and kissed you before saying that both of you should get back to sleep, smoothly adding in that you really don’t need beauty sleep (cause you already big attractive)

He’s very defensive of you from then on, but also very supportive

Anytime he sees you look at yourself with insecurity, he walks up behind you and tells you how amazing he thinks you look

He’s there to support your passions and help you with tips on how you can improve

He’s not necessarily the most big on PDA, even after, but he’s definitely more vocal about how much he cares about you

*All Images are official art from Twisted Wonderland and do not belong to me. They are the Lab Coat Groovy card art