#crowley in a lab coat

[laudaddysmitten]

You had me at

"Crowley In a Lab Coat"

by LaudaddySmitten

(GOAD Writer's Guild presents!)

I continue my theme of writing Good Omens fanfiction - WITH SCIENCE! 🥼 ♥️ 🔬🧪 ♥️ 🥼

I teased the artwork on this baby a bit in the past while (hint, amazing photo from the BAFTA's), see below the AO3 info for more on that!

Summary

Aziraphale's eyes were immediately drawn to the triangle of bare skin at the base of Crowley's throat, and all queries died before reaching his tongue. Crowley's deliciously deep v-neck henleys, which he always made even more enticing by undoing more buttons, fit just out of sight under the lab coat's lapels, showing off the curve of his clavicles and the deep suprasternal notch between them. With a start, Aziraphale realized he’d been blatantly staring at Crowley's throat and upper chest for heaven knows how long. Mortified, he snapped his eyes to Crowley's, which, uncovered, only further fueled his lust for the enticing botanist. Aziraphale was surprised to see that Crowley was sporting a smirk that looked…pleased. “Enjoying the view?” He arched an eyebrow in amusement. “Oh my, I er…..” Aziraphale gulped and looked down at his wringing hands. “How rude of me. I'm…ah, terribly sorry…” “Angel. Don’t apologize. I was actually…hoping you would.” Hands instantly stilled, Aziraphale looked up quickly. Had he heard that right?

CW: Rated E for Explicit sexual content. Read the tags on AO3!

Continue Reading on AO3:

This photo was the artwork tease/ clue:

Now that you've seen the artwork you probably know why. But just in case...

David Tennant (Crowley, ofc) + Jeff Goldblum's most iconic movie pose (from Jurassic Park):

Equals: Crowley In a Lab Coat by @lexarturo (She killed it!)

My original post/ tease on the matter:

Thank you betas of awesomeness, especially @ladybracknellssherry !! Also thanks to you and @riverstyx125 for the very last-minute help!

And help ages ago from other awesome people: @unapologetic-apathy @gingerhaole (for reference/inspiration art) and a couple other betas whose usernames I will find and add b/c tumblr hates me rn! lol @ezomind-the-other-one

And of course thanks to the Writer's Guild of @goodomensafterdark !

[idleoblivion]

"Yes, Professor" Crewel x GN Reader

Synopsis: The allowance Crowley gives you just isn’t enough. Maybe you can convince your alchemy professor to assist you somehow…

Part 2 Part 3

Word count: 1.5k

A/N: Literally the first smut I've ever written so I'm so nervous to post this, I don't know what possessed me to write this but here we are lol.

Warnings: Teacher/student relationship, gn reader, shy/nervous reader, semi-public sex, mutual masturbation, dirty talk, unprotected sex, overuse of the word 'puppy'

You knock on the door to his office three times and hear shuffling for a moment on the other side. 

“Come in.”

You open it and take a few steps in before spotting him at his desk. Divus Crewel, your alchemy professor, as he sorts through a stack of what you assume are the lab reports you turned in earlier that day. He stops what he’s doing and motions you to a chair in front of his desk. 

“You said you wanted to speak to me, yes? I hope you weren’t lying about it being important.”

You swallowed and tried to straighten your posture as you sat down. “No, I wasn’t. Thank you for meeting with me.”

He looks you over and you feel your resolve weakening. Maybe this really wasn’t a good idea after all. 

Crewel meets your eyes expectantly. “Well, what is it then?”

You can barely continue to make eye contact with how tight your chest feels with anxiety. You play with your hands anxiously in your lap. After a few seconds of silence, he continues. 

“I don’t have all evening, pup. Tell me what you’re here for, quickly.” His tone became more sharp, prompting you to nervously begin. 

“So you know, about my…. um, living situation and uh, money… I, uh, I don’t really have a lot and m-my clothes and uniform are a wreck, and…. and my friends talk about seeing movies and going out but I-“

“Puppy,” he interrupts you, “I am aware of your circumstances. However, I am also aware that the headmaster does supply you a small allowance for food and clothes, even if they may be….” He stops himself from finishing his sentence as he looks at your uniform on you. “Never mind. I won’t lie and say I feel no sympathy for you, but if you’re about to ask me to start funding you as well, the answer is no. I could not allow myself to freely spoil every puppy who is less fortunate in my class.”

“I��well, I-“ you stutter, but will yourself to continue, “I didn’t say it would be for free.” The last part barely comes out as a whisper, but the look on his face tells you he heard it well. You shift in your seat at his change in expression. 

“Oh? Well, it still wouldn’t be considered appropriate of me to take bribes or favors from students, but…” he trails off for a moment, and you notice an increasing intensity in his gaze, “I suppose I can hear you out.”

If you were anxious before, you were almost panicky now. You hadn’t expected to actually get this far, for him to actually consider your offer and not just scold or report you, but you couldn’t deny the building excitement inside you either. 

“If… if you help me, I’ll, um… well, uh, what would you want me to do?” Struggling to find the confidence yourself, you try to make him spell it out, but he must realize what you’re doing as his smirk only grows. 

“I think you had something in mind to offer me, puppy, and if you really want my help you’re going to have to say it.” He stands up and removes his oversized fur coat and lays it on his chair behind him. “That’s an order, from your master. Tell me what you’ll do for me.”

He leans over his desk, looking at you smugly. Part of you wonders if he knew this is where your conversation would head, but you quickly disperse that thought and stand up yourself. 

“…Anything. Anything you want, I’ll do it.” You hesitantly step towards his desk and lean in. 

He laughs lightly under his breath, then looks back at you. 

“We’re just going in circles, aren’t we? Alright, puppy, I’ll be generous today and help you. Come here.”

You walk around the desk to stand in front of him directly. His gloved hand comes up to your face and holds your jaw gently. He leans down some, and speaks to you in a low voice. 

“You know, there’s that Al-Asim boy and Kingscholar, among others, who have plenty of wealth to throw around at this school. So, what brought you to my office and not their dorms, puppy? If you can say that, I’ll give you a reward.”

His hand on your face forces you to keep looking at him. You take one more deep breath before quietly answering. 

“I…I want you. Not them. You.”

He smiles at that and gives you a quick peck on the forehead. “Good puppy. Now sit on my desk.”

You lift yourself onto his desk and he walks forward, caging you in with his arms. He leans down and kisses you gently at first. Just his lips on yours has your body burning up as you wrap your arms around him. You let him slip his tongue in and he groans into your heated kiss. 

“You know,” he pauses and takes a step back, “I think I’ve still let you get your way too easily.” He pulls his desk chair back up and sits down while removing his gloves. “So, be a good puppy and get rid of these.” He grabs and tugs on the pants of your uniform. 

You feel your face get even hotter but comply, taking them off with your underwear and tossing them to the floor. You instinctively try and keep your legs shut, but he tsks at you and pries them open. 

He bites his lip as he looks at you, then meets your eyes with a predatory look. “Touch yourself for me.” 

You begin slowly, nervous and self-conscious under his stare, but the bulge straining against his pants tells you you have no reason to be. You try to look away from him but he calls your attention back immediately. 

“Eyes on me. That’s an order.”

You hesitantly obey and fix your gaze back on him. He undoes his belt and frees his cock from his pants. Your hands slow as you watch him intently. 

“I didn’t tell you to stop, puppy. Keep going.”

You’re both touching yourselves now, his eyes following every desperate movement of your fingers as you get more and more aroused. Watching him stroke himself to the sight of you adds to your embarrassment and pleasure. You bite your lip to stifle your voice. 

“Puppy, you want to me to fuck you?”

You’re ashamed of the whimper you let you out when he says it, but nod vigorously anyway. 

“Say it.”

“Yes professor, please fuck me.”

“Stop then. Hold your legs open for me.”

You obey and he walks back over to you. He kisses you again, deep and passionate while he undoes the tie of your uniform and opens your shirt. He gently pulls it off of you before his hands come up to grope your chest. 

He pulls your hips closer to the edge, and you can feel him start teasing you with the head of his cock. You bury your face in his shoulder as he starts inching himself into you. You moan feeling yourself stretch for him. He grunted as he bottomed out in you, then held still for a moment. 

He pulls you back away from his shoulder to look at you, and smirks at your lustful, blissed out face. He gives you no further warning before he starts moving, feeling you clutch onto him as he thrusts. 

You can no longer stop yourself from moaning loudly, with how deep he feels inside you and him nipping at your neck while his hips never slow or stop, he fucks you steady and hard. 

“Look at you, getting so loud. Is it good, puppy? You like it?”

“Ah- yes, yes professor, so good I-“

You nearly squeal as a particular thrust leaves you reeling, and he moans as he feels you tighten around him. He sped up, fucking you faster and harder until you felt tears welling up in your eyes. 

“Crying for me, puppy?” He smiled and licked a tear that had fallen down your cheek. The pressure building inside you was getting to be too much. 

“Professor, p-professor I’m-“ you gasped as he bit you on the shoulder and grabbed your hips roughly.

“Cum for me, puppy. You can do it, be good for me.”

With a wail, your orgasm hit you hard, making you keel over and grab onto Crewel for support. Your body was on fire and he didn’t stop for a moment, he just kept holding your hips with a tight grip you while he pounded into you harshly. He cursed under his breath, praising you in your ear as he chased his own release.

“Fuck puppy I’m close, take it, fuck-“

He finally releases and you feel his cock twitch as he cums inside you. The warm feeling has you softly moan again, despite how absolutely exhausted your body was. 

You both took a few moments to finish coming down from your highs. He makes you look at him again, and smirks at how fucked out you look. 

“So, we’ll get you some new clothes this weekend, puppy? That sound good?”

You tiredly nod, and he kisses you again.

[dilatorywriting]

Heroes vs. Villains : The Staff

Platonic GN!Reader x NRC Staff vs. RSA Staff Word Count: 2.7k

Summary: Woe to the Ramshackle Prefect, being caught up in the drama between the Disney Villains and their respective heroes. NRC Staff Version (Part 1: Crewel and Crowley)

ie. Headmaster Crowley is a nightmare, and Professor Crewel is, well, cruel. And to be perfectly honest, after meeting another dog-loving professor who doesn't treat you like absolute garbage, the Royal Sword Academy is starting to look a lot more appealing.

[PART 1] [PART 2] [PART 3] [PART 4]

‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!’

Crowley had chirped that very sentiment to you ad nauseum, with all the enthusiasm of an old raven eyeing a shiny penny.

“Do you really believe that?” you sniffled, angry, as you sat slumped over in one of his rickety office chairs.

People at this stupid school were mean. And yeah, school yard insults and casual accusations of being the House Wardens’ little bitch were one thing—but these assholes would go right for the throat. All of your insecurities—your fears—all laid out like a nice spread of hors d'oeuvres ready for the picking. You had endured enough sharp barbs for a lifetime, and the fact that your glorious Headmaster and self-proclaimed parental figure kept writing it all off as a ‘learning experience’ was driving you mad.

“Of course I do, dear child!” he beamed. “What sort of educator would I be if I didn’t practice what I preach! Words are but the wind, as they say!”

You nodded, sage, and shot him a smile so sugary sweet it could rot the teeth right out of his skull.

“I wish I’d never met you and I hope that all your feathers fall off one by one,” you chirped. “And I use the ‘Number One Child’ mug you gave me to scoop water out of the toilets when the plumbing fails.”

Crowley’s mouth fell open with a nearly audible clunk, and if he weren’t so wrapped up in all kinds of immoral, black magic, bull-shittery, you would have liked to imagine that maybe that had been the sound of his heart cracking in his stupid, embroidery-covered, chest.  

You popped up from your chair and breezily made your way to the exit. You propped yourself up against the intricate, wooden, frame and clapped your hands together like a bubbly preschool teacher addressing a room full of particularly dull children.  

“I’m glad we could get that out in the open in a completely pain-free way. Words really can’t hurt anyone!”

You managed to slip the door closed just as he started to wail.

.

.

That afternoon you made your way to Professor Crewel’s office, as had become your routine. It was nice. Sometimes you would help him grade papers, sometimes you would just nibble on fancy cookies and listen as he ranted about the incompetence of certain staff members which shall not be named.

Sometimes his dogs were with him in the afternoons—a pair of giant, lithe, wolf-like beasts that were most certainly of a very proud and expensive lineage. Jasper was the black one and Badun the white, and each had a coat so glossy and well-maintained that they could put your own hair care to shame. Badun was enthusiastic, charismatic, and would bound to greet anyone who entered. Jasper was more quiet, reserved, but he was secretly your favorite of the duo. Whenever you stopped in after classes, the shadowy hound would lumber over and rest his giant head in your lap.

“No puppies today?” you called when you were greeted with silence rather than a wave of happy kisses.

“They’re in for their groom,” Crewel mumbled, busy at work with his head bowed over some lab reports or other. Normally he would grouchily correct you that his two precious pooches were adults. Dogs. And should be addressed as such. He must have been really distracted today. Or maybe you were just wearing him down.

You settled into the lovely, plush, chair off to the side that you had long since claimed as your own, and set your bookbag on the floor by your feet with a thump.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence with nothing but the sound of scratching ink over paper to break up the monotony, Professor Crewel dropped his head into his hands with a miserable sort of sigh.

“You should not have spoken to Crowley as you did.”

You blinked, startled. “What?”

“I of all people understand how frustrating the Headmaster’s antics can be,” Crewel continued, firm. “But you are still a student of this Institution—and one in a precarious enough position as it is. So you need to be mindful of your tongue.”

Indignation roiled through your gut, followed by a sharp prick of disquiet that you couldn’t quite place.

“Then he should be mindful to treat me like a student and not some—some pet project,” you huffed, kicking irritably at your patched backpack for want of nothing else to do. “And besides, what’ll he even do? Expel the one person in this entire college who mops up every single one of his messes? And I mean, it’s not like he’s running around the school crying or anything. I wasn’t that mean.”

Crewel pinched the bridge of his nose and you paused, mouth parting in surprise.

“Oh come on, he did not.”

“In the name of preserving our esteemed leader’s dignity I will say no more on the matter,” he grit out, and you fought the urge to immediately whip out your phone to message Ace, and Cater, and every other rabid gossip you could think of.

“Well, maybe he deserved it,” you snipped, crossing your arms stubbornly across your chest. A bit of cautious warmth spread through you and you nervously plucked at one of the loose threads on your uniform sleeve. “And besides,” you mumbled. "He can cry about me calling him a shitty father all he wants. You’ve been way more of a dad to me here than he could ever try to be.”

“I beg your pardon.”

You froze, fingers locking in place around the picked-apart edges of your jacket. The ice in his voice was unfamiliar and entirely unpleasant. It sent a frigid wave of worry curling through your veins. Had you overstepped? You’d thought—You’d just thought—

“I-I mean,” you spluttered. “I only meant that, well… Uhm… You’re really nice to spend time with. A-And, I just…” He made you feel like you were home again. Like even though Ramshackle was empty and cold, that you could still walk into this little office and say ‘I’m back!’ to an actual, real-life person and not just the shadows that lived in your foyer.

“Let me be perfectly clear, Prefect,” he sneered. There was an undercurrent of hostility running so sharply through every word that you were left wondering frantically if you’d unintentionally trampled over a sensitive topic. You hadn’t thought it was a big deal. You just—you just really, really looked up to him. And felt safe with him. And—And—

‘I’m sorry,’ you wanted to say. But instead you just let out an odd kind of choked squeak.

“I have no intention of playing parent to anyone,” he snapped. “Let alone an untrained brat who can’t even be bothered to play civil with the people who do attempt to care for them.”

Ouch.

“R-Right,” you spluttered, swallowing around the burbling lump in your throat and the warmth prickling along your lash line. “O-Of course. I’m sorry for assuming. I—I… uhm…”

‘I’ll just go then.’

But just like with failed apology, those four little syllables just couldn’t seem to make it past your lips either. So instead you just shakily snatched your bag from the floor and bolted from his office, burrowing your stinging cheeks as far into your collar as they would go. The last thing you needed to do was give anyone at this stupid school any more ammunition against you. And ‘Cry Baby Prefect’ sounded like another nasty nickname that would stick to you like gum to a flat-heeled shoe.

It’s fine, you whispered to yourself, voice wobbling far more than you would have liked. Grim hated when you came back smelling like dogs anyways.

.

.

“My goodness, are you alright?”

You blinked, harried, and glanced around yourself properly for what felt like the first time in hours. You were… not on campus anymore. Huh. What a trip. You’d never been so upset that you’d blindly run off into an entire new town before. But you supposed there was a first time for everything. You did remember feeling too nauseous to return to your little hovel for the evening, but you hadn’t really expected your frantic pacing to take you quite this far out of the way.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

Oh. Someone was talking to you, weren’t they?

Standing in front of you was a tall, lanky, man in a tweed jacket. He was stooped down a bit to make eye contact with you, and those hazel eyes were creased with worry. His blonde hair was pushed half-off his forehead in a style that looked more haphazard than intentional, and the hand he was offering you was littered with splotches of ink. There were patches of white and black dog fur littered across his entire outfit like some horrible fashion statement, and the thought of puppies made your throat tighten up all over again.

“My name is Cliff Rogerson,” he said, steady and kind. “I’m one of the instructors at the Royal Sword Academy. Are you lost? Do you know how to get home from here?”

Do you know how to get home?

You laughed once, manic, and then promptly burst into tears.

“Oh, dear,” he sighed, his heavy brow furrowing low with concern, and patted you consolingly on the shoulder. “Oh, dear.”

You were herded into a nearby café and directed into one of the quiet, corner, booths. The lights were soft and fuzzy in here, and the pleasant warmth of fresh pastries brushed gingerly along your frayed nerves. Mister Rogerson pressed a steaming mug of hot chocolate into your hands, and placed a delicately wrapped muffin off to the side of it. It was a tempting offering, and you decided to unbury your head from your hands long enough to partake.

“So how did you end up out here, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I’m a student at Night Raven,” you mumbled into your cocoa.

You could tell he was doing his best not to look shocked, which was at least a dozen steps above the way the rest of your stupid school would just gawk at you in outright consternation.

“Forgive me,” he smiled, gentling his apprehension into something that was more polite curiosity that anything. “But you don’t really seem like one of their usual pupils.”

So you explained your situation—the Mirror, and the magiclessness, and the homelessness. You talked about your friends, and your new demon cat/evil baby, and how much you missed stupid things like good shower pressure and fuzzy socks. Mister Rogerson listened to all of it with an attentive sort of sympathy that you hadn’t seen since, well, probably since you were dropped face-first into a school full of burgeoning war criminals.  

“That sounds like a time and a half,” he said once you’d finally tired yourself out. “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through all that.”

You picked at your muffin. It was ridiculously fluffy and eating it felt like pulling bits and pieces out of a cloud. A very, very delicious cloud.

“Forgive me for saying so,” he hummed, pensive. “But your situation doesn’t sound particularly safe.”

You laughed. “That’s one word for it.”

Mister Rogerson frowned, another twitch of that uneasy worry playing across his face. He ruffled around in his jacket pocket for a moment and pulled out a neat, cream colored, business card.

“It may be overstepping of me to offer, but at the same time I do think as an educator it’s my duty to try and help every student that I can,” he smiled, kind. It crinkled the skin around his eyes. “The RSA is not overly far from Night Raven College. If you ever want to stop by—if you ever need an ear to listen, or just a space to get away from it all—my door will always be open to you.”

You took the little piece of paper carefully, like it was something precious. There were swirls of colorful music notes splattered across the backdrop of it—raucous bursts of neons that were as endearing as they were ugly.

‘Tacky,’ spat a too-familiar voice in the back of your head. ‘What sort of statement was this lowlife trying to make?‘ You could practically feel the phantom distaste emanating from wherever a certain two-toned professor had camped out for the evening.

Probably at home, you thought bitterly. Because he has a home, right? And you are not at all upset that you will never be welcomed into it. And that you will probably never get to cuddle his puppies ever again. Nope. Not at all.

You swallowed the little burst of unpleasantness that accompanied the train of thought, and pocketed the card with a smile.

“Thank you. I’ll definitely have to take you up on that.”

.

.

.

Divus Crewel was many things, and unfortunately, being as cruel as his namesake was often one of them. He glanced back to the clock ticking on his wall for what was perhaps the dozenth time that hour. You hadn’t been by since his—ah—outburst a few weeks prior.

He had perhaps reacted a bit more unpleasantly than he normally would have. You’d just… caught him off guard was all. It was a bold declaration you’d made, and what? Had you really expected him to be overjoyed by the idea of forced parenthood? To swoon over the notion that someone had decided to latch onto him and his perfectly pressed suit like a leech despite the fact that he was so obviously thriving in his life of solitude?

And it wasn’t that he expected you to take his biting comments lying down. Oh no. You were fierce, and determined, and were most likely on your way here to bang down his door demanding recompenses for all your suffering. There was a tray of those too-expensive cookies you liked tucked away in his top drawer. Just in case you did show up and throw one of your tantrums, and he needed something quick to pacify you. That… That was all.

But each day that he waited for you to sneak back into his office was another spent in quiet solitude. Badun had taken to whining at the door and Jasper hardly got up from his bed at all—just tucked his black nose into his equally black paws and stared straight into Crewel’s soul. Like he was judging him.

He caught himself glancing at the clock again and forcibly turned back to his work.

This was ridiculous. You were ridiculous. And stubborn. And so, very, danger prone. Had something happened maybe? Was that why you’d disappeared—because you’d gotten caught up in some sort of trouble again?

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick—

He looked back at the clock.

Tick. Tick. Tick—

His office door flew open with a BANG and he swiveled in his chair, ready to chastise you for making such a ridiculous entrance. Instead, he ended up nearly nose-to-nose with a weeping Dire Crowley. The man wailed into his clawed hands, looking very much like he might accidentally stab himself in the eye all the while.

“HOW AM I SUCH A FAILURE OF A PARENT?!” he bawled. “WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS?!”

“What?” Crewel gaped, head spinning. “What’s happened?”

Crowley let out another inhuman squawk and shoved a piece of parchment into the alchemist’s crimson-gloved hands. It was torn at the top, likely from where it’d been pinned to something before the raving Headmaster had swiped it. Crewel read over the familiar script with narrowed eyes, something unpleasant twisting in his belly.

‘The Ramshackle Prefect kindly sends their regards, but unfortunately has other commitments for this evening. Please contact Professor Cliff Rogerson of the RSA music department in case of an emergency.’

“MY BABY LEFT ME!” Crowley sobbed, nearly inconsolable. “WHO’S GOING TO DO MY TAXES NOW?!”

The leather of Crewel’s gloves groaned in protest as his hands tightened into fists—his nails biting into his palm even through the sturdy material.  

“What do we even do?” the old crow lamented, sounding so genuinely crestfallen it was almost unnerving.

Jasper and Badun circled their master’s ankles wearily, eyes bright and lips twitching with nervous whines.

“I think,” Crewel grit out, the note crumpling between his fingers, “that it’s well past time that we have a chat with the Prefect about the importance of personal safety. And of the consequences of running off with strangers.”

.

.

.

[deluloo]

Good Pup

✧ Imagine doing your internship at Night Raven College under Divus Crewel. What kind of school life awaits you as a teacher?

Becoming a teacher has been your dream since your middle school days. As part of your certification program, you were required to intern as a student teacher under the guidance of a cooperating teacher. Although you felt nervous, you trusted your school's department to place you in a good school for your internship. However, you never imagined they would assign you to Night Raven College, an arcane academy renowned for producing many great magicians in history.

You had no qualms about teaching at a magic school since you could use magic, though only to an average degree. The real issue was that it is one of the most prestigious academies in all of Twisted Wonderland, putting more pressure on you, and the fact that it was an all-boys school. 

Why would you, a female intern, be sent to a school full of males? You suspected a mix-up in the assignments, but your department reassured you that there were no such mistakes. Despite your confusion, you didn't question more and chose to see the assignment as an honor. After all, not many are given an opportunity like this to visit the revered Night Raven College.

On your arrival at NRC, you were greeted by the Headmage Dire Crowley himself. He seemed like a kind person as he talked to you, making your earlier uneasiness vanish. After a brief orientation, he then proceeded to introduce you to your assigned cooperating teacher.

A strict yet strikingly handsome man. That was your first impression of your mentor, Divus Crewel. Clad in a thick black and white fur coat and a sharp tuxedo,  you would have mistaken him for a model rather than a college professor if not for the headmage’s introduction.

When you first accompanied Crewel to his class, his students were taken aback by your presence, a reaction you had anticipated. During the first week of your internship, you spent your days following and observing Crewel in his classes, assisting in class duties, and preparing materials. Though you did encounter students trying to hit on you or pester you for your Magicam ID, Crewel was often there to intervene, which you were very grateful for. Aside from that, the first few weeks of your internship went smoothly.

In your fifth week, Crewel assigned you to oversee Class 1-A’s potionology class while he attended a faculty meeting. You hesitated at first, unsure if you could manage a class of troublesome students alone without your supervisor’s help. However, you understood this was part of your training. Having worked with Crewel for weeks, you knew he wouldn’t have given you such a task if he didn’t believe in your abilities.

Dressed in your lab uniform, you headed to the school’s laboratory for class, the students greeting you upon your arrival.

“Yo, Teach! Is Professor Crewel not with you?” Ace Trappola, whom you recognized from the class, suddenly raised his hand.

“Professor Crewel is at a faculty meeting, so he asked me to supervise today’s class,” you explained, setting down the materials you brought on the front desk. “We’ll be doing another potion-brewing activity today. Please distribute these worksheets to everyone before we begin.”

Contrary to your earlier concerns, the students were cooperating smoothly without any complaints. You felt relieved, thinking the class would conclude peacefully—until two students began shouting at each other.

“Hey, those are my herbs!”

“No, they’re mine. I saw you use up all of yours earlier, so quit lying.”

“Who’re you callin’ a liar?”

Your eyes widened in shock as one student shoved the other, causing him to stumble backward and hit a nearby cauldron. The cauldron wobbled before crashing to the floor, spilling the potion. The once-boiling pink liquid slowly turned green before exploding.

Panic erupted as students screamed for help, others scrambling to escape the lab, shoving their classmates aside as dark green smoke began to fill the room, escalating the chaos. Your heart pounded in your chest as you tried to calm the boys, but your voice was drowned out by the uproar, the thick smoke obscuring your vision. Though conflicted by the unexpected turmoil, you knew it was your duty as the teacher to manage the situation. Your supervisor had entrusted you with the class, and you couldn’t let him down.

You took a deep breath, raising your wand as you swiftly conjured a gust of wind, parting the thick smoke around you and capturing everyone's attention.

“Everyone, calm down! There’s no need to panic. Quickly, open the windows to let the smoke out,” you instructed, and the students wasted no time following you. "Now, the rest of you, use your magical pens to blow the smoke out the window.”

The students quickly drew their pens, and at your signal, sent blasts of wind toward the windows, blowing the smoke away. With the air cleared, you could finally see the tables and cauldrons laying in disarray around the room. Potions and colored liquids were spilled across the floor, and shards of glass, torn papers,  and potion ingredients were scattered everywhere.

Clapping your hands, you called for the students' attention once more. "Alright, everyone, let’s clean up before the professors see this mess. Quickly now!"

The thought of a furious Crewel finding the laboratory in such a state sent a chill down your spine, and it seemed the students shared the same thoughts as they scurried around to tidy up. Thankfully, the room was restored before any professors arrived. However, news travels fast at Night Raven College. Such an explosion was bound to be noticed by other students nearby. 

Soon enough, word of the incident reached the faculty, and you found yourself face to face with a frowning Divus Crewel in his workshop a few hours later. Standing with your hands behind your back, you nervously fiddled with your fingers as he sat in front of you, gazing down at the teacup in his hand, legs crossed in silent contemplation.

“Miss Y/N."

His voice cut through the air, making your heart skip a beat. "I heard there was an explosion during Class A’s potionology lesson this morning. As the person I left in charge, could you care to explain to me what happened?"

You then began explaining the events that took place in the laboratory while Crewel listened in silence, occasionally sipping his tea.

"I had a feeling something might go wrong." He sighed, setting his cup down with a soft clink. “Seems like my naughty pups couldn't resist causing trouble again while their owner was away.”

You hung your head in shame. “It’s my fault, Professor Crewel. If I had stopped their fighting sooner, things wouldn't have escalated. I apologize for not managing the class better.”

Crewel’s sharp gray eyes met yours as he rose from his seat. "Though I'm disappointed to hear of this incident while I was away,  I didn’t summon you here to reprimand you or place blame.”

He then took a step forward as he added, “While you couldn't prevent the explosion, you did manage to keep the students from causing further chaos, ensured no one was hurt, and directed the students calmly on how to respond in such a situation.”

For the first time, you saw a faint smile curl on his lips as he raised his hand, gently placing it on your head. 

"It was a rough start, but you did well in looking after the young ones. Good girl.”

You froze, feeling the heat rushing to your cheeks with the unexpected praise as you stammered, "T-Thank you… sir.”

You always knew Crewel was handsome, even with his usual stern demeanor. But seeing him smile sincerely, even just for a fleeting moment, stirred a strange, fluttering sensation in your stomach.

"Taking you on as my assistant at the headmage’s behest wasn’t such a bad idea after all," he said, withdrawing his hand. "But I expect no mistakes next time. Do you understand?”

“Yes, of course.”

"Very good,” He uttered before returning to his seat. “And as for tomorrow's schedule, I will be conducting a joint class with the freshmen and sophomores. Please prepare all the necessary lab equipment and ingredients for creating a hair color-changing potion.”

“Yes, sir. I will prepare it all for tomorrow. Please excuse me then.” You nodded before leaving his workshop. A few meters from his workshop, you stopped, reaching up to touch the spot on your head where he had patted you. A sheepish grin spread across your face as you giddily made your way back to the laboratory.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Headcanons on Crewel meeting his own tsum? We got one for Rollo and Crowley(I think), so any for Crewel?

Crowley interacting with his Tsum here!

Rollo interacting with his Tsum here!

Curiouser and Curiouser…

He’s NOT happy, not happy at all. Crewel’s job stipulates that he babysit pups during lectures and office hours—it said nothing about monitoring a Tsum in his off-time!

Tsum!Crewel keeps following him around like a lost puppy seeking comfort from its owner, ignoring his various attempts to keep it at bay or to push it back with his pointer. At first, Crewel thinks it is irritating. With time though, he finds it a little… endearing.

It tries to copy him! Tsum!Crewel picks up a little stick and mimics his movements with the pointer. It’s hard to pay attention to the lecture when you’re focuses on that cute display

It’s easy to spot Tsum!Crewel (because of how monochrome it is) among the alchemy ingredients in lab and the vibrant plants in the botanical garden. It patrols like a guard dog… to keep the pups alert and on their toes!

If you’re lucky, Tsum!Crewel might drop in to help you with getting the right ingredient and amount scooped into your cauldron or vial.

Don’t get it angry, or you’re in for a world of hurt! Tsum!Crewel will leap on your head and aggressively bounce on it or tackle you until you’re down and out for the count. You’re not sure which is worse: this, or an actual lecture from the teacher!

Tsum!Crewel likes to hide in Crewel’s fur coat, much to his chagrin. He keeps fightijg with it to keep it out, but it’s stubborn and keeps diving back in, whether it’s up his sleeve or clinging from the tails. “Tch, what a troublesome mutt I have on my hands…”

Somehow, Tsum!Crewel found a toy car and hops in, attempting to drive around in it… even though the car isn’t functional! It gives Crewel the puppy dog eyes until he relents and pushes it along.

It learns a lot of basic (dog) tricks! Tsum!Crewel can sit, stay, come, roll over, shake, and tons more. Crewel praises it and gives it a wrapped candy as a reward.

Tsum!Crewel attempts to sip an adult beverage, but it loses balance and tips into the hlass. It tries to keep its cool composure, even when it is sopping wet, shivering, and dyed in wine. Crewel fishes it out and gives it a good scolding as he dry-cleans and removes the staining on Tsum!Crewel’s clothes.

It wants to try on new fashions, but there aren’t exactly many clothes that can fit it… not even doll clothes! Crewel sighs and grumps about it, but he sits down and magically sews a few outfit variants for his Tsum self. “All living things deserve to be dressed in style,” he insists, laying out the new wardrobe for Tsum!Crewel, who is ecstatic.

When he plays chess against Trein, Tsum!Crewel hope onto the board and interferes, pushing one of Crewel’s pieces with its headbutt. Together, they tag-team and manage to beat this round! Trein shakes his head disapprovingly and tells them off for cheating. To that, Crewel just grins and calls him a sore loser. (A truly skilled chess player could win in spite of the odds being stacked against them, he reasons.)

Tsum!Crewel has unexplained beef with Lucius. It stares at him from across the table, and any time Lucius makes a sudden move, Tsum!Crewel leaps, as if squaring up for a fight. (Crewel has to curb it to prevent a fight from breaking out.)

Conversely, Tsum!Crewel adores dogs. It tackles Jack with gusto and does the same when Crewel attempts to introduce it to his own pets. Its snuggles are quite aggressive—Crewel has to practically rip it from the targets of its affection.

Crewel’s beloved classic car is having issues starting up. In comes Tsum!Crewel with a wrench to help! The two replace the malfunctioning part (yay, teamwork!) and then pile in to drive off into the Foothill Town to shop.

Cruising on the open road like this, the wind weaving through his hair and one arm draped over the side of the vehicle, Crewel at last feels at peace. When he glances over to the passenger’s seat, he finds that his Tsum has dozed off. It reminds him of an energetic pup, all tuckered out after a long day of play. “… Hmph, what a very naughty boy,” he says with the shake of his head—and the slightest of smiles.

[mysteryshoptls]

Staff/Others Vignette Master List

HEARTSLABYUL ・ SAVANACLAW ・ OCTAVINELLE ・ SCARABIA ・ POMEFIORE ・ IGNIHYDE ・ DIASOMNIA ・ STAFF/OTHERS

STAFF

Crowley

[SSR] Raven Jacket

Crewel

[SSR] Rich Fur Coat

OTHERS

Grim

[SR] Lab Coat

[SR] Ceremonial Robes

[SR] Apprentice Chef

Rollo

[SSR] Student Council President Robes

Fellow

[SSR] Playful Dress

If there’s any you want to see translated by me, feel free to send an ask!

[bugboys-art]

I drew aziraphale and crowley in college aged for my childhood friends au

@lab-coat-cat :3

[violetlunette]

My Yuu's relationship with NRC Facility as requested by this ask;

Crowley: Dire Crowley is an irresponsible father figure who encourages Yuu’s “creativity” as long as he doesn’t get caught, and it can’t be blamed on him. The reason is that often Yuu's inventions benefit Crowley, such as the private bathroom until the ol’ faithful incident. He has Yuu handle any problems the school has.

Yuu—surprisingly—looks up to the guy despite knowing he’s a bit irresponsible due to Daddy issues. Also, he lets Yuu do whatever he wants, which is a bonus. Personality-wise, they get along great; however, Yuu tends to act like the straight man to him. (Ironic considering how gay Yuu is for Silver.)

Trien: The responsible uncle Yuu never listens to. He likes that Yuu is one of the few eager to learn in his class, as he sees it as a book club. (Yuu tends to critique history like it’s a book.)

“Yuu, you cannot critique history!” “I can if it’s stupid!"

He hates Lucifer on a primal level. (Other than Grim, Yuu doesn’t like cats. [Monster.])

Crewel: Often a disciplinarian to train the sick puppy that is Yuu. Yuu often gets smacked because he can’t hold back the sex jokes. (To be fair, when you carry a whip—ow!) He believes Yuu is determined to turn the rest of his hair white due to his antics in the lab. As of late, most of his lectures come with an intermission of, “Yuu no! Bad boy!”

Yuu likes his coat and thinks he should look into Dalmatian prints.

Vargas: Vargas thinks Yuu is in great shape, but he’s not; Yuu just often throws himself into situations that make his body go “shit!” and activates his adrenaline in hopes of survival. As such, Vargas pushes Yuu during gym, thinking the other’s holding back when he’s genuinely out of shape.

Yuu tries to avoid him and fails.

Sam: Sam values Yuu as a customer and has even offered the boy a tarot reading on his love life. (Yuu decides to pass this up, so he always has hope things may work.) Yuu finds all his items fascinating.

They do business under the table so often that Sam would own Yuu’s soul if either of them could find it. Trien is extremely annoyed by this. “You’re a fatality member! Stop getting our students involved in the black market!

They share a commonality with their ghost pals. (Though Sam’s are cooler.)

[animusicnerd]

Hello, there! For the spring writing event, I would like Heliotrope, Red Tulips, & Edelweiss with Leona Kingscholar x fem! reader, please. Thank you!

Spring Feeling Event

✿ Pairing: Leona Kingscholar x Fem! Reader

✿ Flower: ➺ hellotrope - eternal love, devotion ➺ red tulips - declaration of love ➺ edelweiss - courage, devotion

✿ Notes: With this, all the requests for the event are done! Sorry that this took so long but I hope you enjoy!

“I can’t do it!” Your eyebrows furrowed as you walked in circles, white lab coat flowing behind you while Ace knelt in front of a bed of herbs, collecting them and throwing it into a basket you held. “How the hell do I tell him? Do you think Leona even knows I exist?”

“Keep still,” Ace grumbled as he glared at you. You stopped in your tracks giving him a brief apology before sheepishly holding out the basket. He dumped the leaves inside, turning back to the herb garden. “You girls worry way too much about this, just tell him. The worst he can do is reject you.”

You rolled your eyes whacking his head. The redhead flinched, scowling at you. “Oi! What the hell was that for!?”

“Ace, rejection is the worst possible thing, and I want to avoid that!” You sighed, kneeling down besides him picking at the bushes. 

One of the last things you expected that would happen during your time at NRC was having a crush. You were focused on going home more than anything, and your search would probably be going a little faster if Crowley would actually help. Then, schoolwork somehow piled up and the overblots that kept happening weren’t helping either. The last thing you needed was figuring out how to start a relationship that would inevitably end. 

Seeing your dejected nature, Ace groaned in annoyance before turning to face you. “Okay, look, you really are overthinking it.”

You looked towards him frowning. “Am I? I don’t even know how he feels about— Hey!” You winced when Ace flicked your forehead, rubbing the sore spot in an attempt to soothe the pain. 

Ace snickered, obviously proud of himself for payback before speaking, “You are. All you need to do is walk up to him and say you like him. Does he seem like he cares for all the mushy plans you told me about?”

From a moonlit confession to anonymous love letters, Ace heard it at all and your face heated up at the mention of all your cheesy ideas.

“He’s a prince! Excuse me for trying to think of ways to impress him!” Your frustration grew with every word, a constant stream of all your fears and anxieties flowing out as you continued to talk. “The most interesting thing about me is that I’m from another world but why would Leona take a chance with someone like me? I have no magic, I have no money, I barely have a home while he’s a prince who can have almost everything he wants. And the thing is, I want to go home. I can’t just get into a relationship with him and then leave when—if—I ever go back.” You sighed, curling up into a ball on the ground, the basket of herbs forgotten as your voice broke. 

“I can’t do that to him. I love him too much to do that…”

“Prefect…” A comforting hand was placed on your head, an awkward attempt at comfort. You heard another sigh before your head was gently pushed to rest against Ace’s shoulder. You stayed curled up but felt grateful for the little comfort he was trying to give. 

Then, a familiar voice cut through the silence.

“Am I interrupting something?”

The two of you froze and turned around to see Leona looking down at the two of you. Hand placed on his hip, a blank look on his face as his eyes glanced between the two of you.

Ace’s reply was quick, if not slightly clipped. “Nothing!”

He grunted, shooting Ace one last look before turning towards you. “Come with me.”

You froze, unconsciously grabbing Ace’s hand as you looked towards him, slightly panicked. But being the great friend he is, you were quickly thrown out the window. “Sure! I’ll bring this back to class, don’t take too long. Bye!”

With that, and basket in hand, Ace was off and you were left staring at a smirking Leona.

…Shit…

✿ Spring Feelings Event Prompts ✿

[laudaddysmitten]

This is sort of a tease for my one shot that will be coming out soon. Well, a tease for the artwork that'll go with it at least! (It will be made clear...) #Crowley in a lab coat

@lexarturo

[littlebug-boy]

Ok so some more about my childhood friends gomens au

When they are about fifteen and above and below contact them, crowley starts noticing small thinks about him that feel demonic like his eyes become slited over time, his hair, which for his childhood was a natural ginger orange, becomes more of a deep red colour.

Both zira and crowley being to notice that small things start going their way, traffic lights always being green, their drink always being the perfect temperature, and as they grow older they realise these are small demoic/angelic miracles they were subconsciously creating.

With the two of them being the closest friends you have ever seen they end up telling eachother about being contactedand all the little changes, the two of them decide that they wouldn’t do what above and below wanted, they already had enough going on in their life, their school work, crowleys parents on the edge of disowning him as his appearance and behaviour became more demonic, they just didn’t want to deal with this chosen one bullshit.

They manage to ignore the calls and attempts at contact for ten or so years but on the latter half of those years things in the world start going bad and it seems its not just from hell but heaven as well.

Zira beings to second guess ignoring heaven and stars talking with crowley about possibly listening to their calls because he thinks he can help, ‘maybe if i go up there i can take them down from the inside! If we dont do something it will get worse’ and crowley is completely against the idea ‘but what if they take you and you cant do anything, what if you have zero power over what happens, cant we just stay here together, work as us rather then two separate teams’

Tag list (lmk if you want to be tagged in my stuff about this au)

@lab-coat-cat

[twiwoncrackpopcorn]

ツイステ Twisted Wonderland 3RD ANNIVERSARY - Campaign Gameplay

… too many thing oh heavens too many XDDD

About Grim :

Grim gives you login rewards during the Anniversary period, and you get “Bonus Item Drops” during Lessons.

Grim SR Ceremonial Robes is available for free when playing the Anniversary Event Story, you will get the Limited Card to start levelling him up after the Chapter.1 then you will get the permanent card after having collected 500 Yellow Tuna Cans and finished the Chapter.2, and you can Groooovy him after the 18th.

previous years Grim SRs (regular and Lab Coat) are available at Sam’s Shop,

Grim SR needs Yellow Tuna Cans this year (you obtain them during Lessons), to level up his Magic Spells, previous years Tuna Cans are available at Sam’s Shop,

Grim SR needs Grim candies from Alchemy Lessons to Groooovy + you can only Groooovy him after the 18th of March,

Grim Mission Stamps : login 3 days during the Anniversary period | gather 100 and 200 tuna cans | use Anniversary Grim as your Home character | level Anniversary Grim to level.20 | level one of Anniversary Grim magic spells to level.5 | do 40 and 80 Lessons with Grim (not Crowley Lessons or Alchemy) | do 30 Alchemy Lessons

Grim CG this year is anticipated with the third-years students and Ortho, completing the previous year’s roster :3

About the Mirror Gacha Banners :

we get 2 times (event start, 16.Mar and 18.Mar) a special free 10-pulls on the Permanent Banner, woohoo! This banner can only be used during the Event so MAKE SURE TO USE YOUR 10-KEYS THERE. Also this banner accumulates pulls you made on the Permanent Banner before the Anniversary and extra pulls you do on all Dorm SSRs (see below) so it’s quicker to get to the 100th-guaranteed SSR.

the Anniversary Banner features all Dorm SSRs including Malleus (but his Drop Rate is better on hid dedicated banner if you want him) and each pull gives you a 3-medal to exchange at the Shop,

each and every characters will have their Dorm SSR individual banner rerun twice during the Anniversary period, starting with Heartslabyul boys today 10th and on the 17th, Savanaclaw on the 11th and 18th, Octavinelle on 12th and 19th, Scarabia on 13th and 20th, Pomefiore on 14th and 21st, Ignihyde on 15th and 22nd, Diasomnia (excluding Malleus who is already having his banner) on 16th and 23rd.

At Sam’s Shop :

Anniversary Pack for 200 paid-jewels includes a 10-keys and various items,

you can trade 3-medals obtained from the mirror gacha against 1 birthday SSR key (all boys from White Suit series and Union Letterman series) and 1 event SSR key (Azul Beans Day, Ace Idia Ghost Marriage, Halloween, Leona Fairy Gala, Ruggie Vargas Camp, Deuce Stargazer),

you can get some mirror gacha keys at the Tuna Cans shop.

Other Gameplay released for the 3rd year of the Game :

I will make separate posts for them, but you get a new feature of “Special Lessons” with Headmaster Crowley, and the possibility to skip Lessons.

Also Sam’s Shop got a relooking, there is a new kind of 200th-guaranteed-SSR gauge for Characters and Event Banners, and the GuestRoom has a couple new functions such as giving out the keys to your preferred characters and crafting the Card CGs (regular and Groooovy) of the SSRs you own more than once (with duplicates of Perfumes).

Another new feature for SSR cards is a 3rd Magic Spell unlocking at the 3rd time you maxed them (with duplicates or perfumes).

[nightshadelinnette]

OnS progenitors as your school teachers:

My opinion cause I have the right to opinion

(If that makes sense😂)

Anyway I'm writin' this for funsies so enjoy~ 👻

13/7 Crowley Eusford

P.E teacher and guidance counsellor

♤ He knows that most students find his class their favorite cause they don't have to study to get good grades, he'd make up for it by draining every ounce of their energy in the playground.

♤ He's not strict so you don't have to worry if you forgot to bring your P.E uniform only if you come up with an excuse that impresses him or else-

♤ He's rarely seen without a smile and if he stops smiling because his basketball team is losing because of your incompetence RUN

♤ He only became a counselor because he finds humans' worries interesting. You'd find him chilling in his office when you come to him for guidance, he'd just listen to your problems and give you some free candy💀

2 URD GEALES

Foreign Language/Literature/English teacher

♤ He's the calmest teacher in the school but sure will blast you if you don't do your homework or fail to create a masterpiece of a poem.

♤ He's VERY serious and his stare can make even the principal panic. A whole class of notorious brats would fall dead silent as soon as he enters.

♤ He has a handful of fangirls who are all head over heels for him. He'd give his e-mail to the class to submit their assignments but will end up getting love letters instead, he'd correct the grammar and spelling of the letters and return it back💀

♤ You can easily find his place in the staff room because it'd be surrounded on all 4 sides by literature books.

7 FERID BATHORY

History Teacher

♤ If he spots you sleeping during his history class he'd ask If you are unwell, if you say yes he'll allow you to sleep in class if you say No and that you're just sleepy then he'll make you unwell and then let you sleep💀💀

♤ He's really talkative and would go full-on DRAMATIC story-teller mode as soon as his class starts. When he gets bored teaching, he'll make the students role-play as ancient kings, he also likes to play match-maker and decides the queens for the kings too🗿.

♤ He likes to show war and plague videos in class especially the ones with more gore because he finds your terrified and disturbed face amusing.

♤ If you don't remember historical dates or fail in his tests, he'd just nicely pat you on the head and lovingly threaten to crucify you to a post and burn you like they did to the witches of the 16th century (like what happened to him before)

2 RIGR STAFFORD

Science teacher

♤ Always seen in his lab-coat, he's always inside the laboratory with his lab assistant Ky luc and rumour has it that he's making a bio-weapon or a zombie virus inside.

♤ He's polite and very good at explaining and almost nobody fails in science only because everyone is scared if he'd try his experiments on those who fail💀

♤ He's very mysterious and is rarely seen in school events or celebrations. He likes joking around especially in biology classes. (He once said nobody will die of blood loss because he is everyone's type🗿)

♤ Some students have to do spy work to find out what the hell he's up to and they say he's sometimes seen at the diner with the English teacher.

(Yoho that's all👾✌️ and about Krul and Lest, I don't think they'll even be able to reach the blackboard, let alone teaching💀)

[cinnamontimecrunch]

The Moon is There For You Tonight

[x gn!reader, no physical features mentioned, friends to lovers, 3.9k words,]

[a/n: doesn’t follow the same story as his birthday vignette, so there are no spoilers for that. However there is a possible spoiler for his lab coat vignette. I tried to make the reader gender neutral with no features mentioned, but I’m not used to writing that way so please let me know if I accidentally gendered it or anything! Thx, lots of love! <3]

Malleus’ birthday had long since lost its magic to him. For the first hundred years or so of his life, it was a momentous occasion for all of Briar Valley, one filled with well-wishes and gifts sent to the young prince from not just his family and retainers, but many of the residents of Briar Valley as well. He used to look forward to his birthday each year, but over time it had become something more morose in his mind. A reminder that the citizens of Briar Valley had become too intimidated by the powerful sorcerer to join in the celebrations, and his grandmother often too busy.

For a long time, it had just been Lilia and Sebek joining him for his birthday, oftentimes being the ones to remind him of its existence. Recently Silver had joined in on the celebrations, but his addition was hardly enough for the prince. Lilia had promised that Night Raven College would be different. That the school was filled with mages who would join him for his birthday. And that was true, to an extent. Diasomnia, the dorm he had been assigned to and quickly became the housewarden of, was very excited for his birthday, and if it weren’t for the rest of NRC’s hesitation towards him, he might have felt similar to the way he did when he was just a boy. But he didn’t, for as hard as he tried to ignore it, the fact that most of the students at NRC were terrified of him stayed at the forefront of his mind. He knew that the only reason those around him even bothered to celebrate his birthday was because he was the prince of Briar Valley.

And so it went for the first two years of his time at Night Raven College. Him sneaking out of the room his party was being held in onto the balcony, away from the chatter, away from Lila’s attempts at making Malleus eat the cake he’d prepared. Looking at the stars and wishing that he could have a real birthday, with real friends, and not just retainers and subjects.

In his third year, Lilia had convinced him to send an invite to his party to you. You, his Child of Man. The one who had never been even the slightest bit intimidated by him, who made him feel wanted. You, who he’d recently found himself falling for. While the idea initially had him elated, he quickly became nervous. If he were to invite you, he could only imagine everything that could go wrong. From Sebek and Silver’s bickering, to Sebek’s harsh temper towards you, to Lilia’s cooking, too many things could turn you off from him. Lilia had tried to reassure him that everything would be fine, that you wouldn’t turn away from him because of one party, but Malleus’ mind was already made up.

You, on the other hand, had just been informed by Headmage Crowley that you were the designated interviewer for yet another birthday. You glared at him, annoyed that these interviews were officially more important to him than finding you a way home. Crowley saw your growing annoyance, and in a last-ditch effort to make you more excited for it, grinned before telling just who it was you would be interviewing.

“It's Tsunotarou’s birthday!?” You exclaimed, your voice reaching a higher octave than you would have liked.

“Correct! I, in my endless generosity, have allowed you to interview Malleus Draconia one week from now! Aren’t I such a great headmage?” he puffed out his chest in pride at what he assumed was you being too ecstatic to give a proper response.

You, on the other hand, were hurt. How many late-night walks had you taken with Tsunotarou at this point? How many opportunities did he have to tell you about his upcoming birthday? Then again, you wondered if it was your fault for not asking. You left Crowley sitting at his desk as you made your way out to the hall, head still so wrapped up in your own insecurity that you failed to notice a certain boy-like fae pop up a few feet in front of you until he called your name.

“What has you so down?” Lilia had started as soon as your surprised gaze met his playful one, “And here I was about to give you good news. Though it seems Crowley already beat me to it.”

“Is this about Malleus’ birthday?” You had responded, “I’ve been assigned to interview him, at Crowley’s insistence.”

“In fact, it is! I was just about to inform you about the celebration, but it seems you’ve already been made aware! Never mind then, I suppose!” He turned to leave before seeming to remember something.

He turned toward you one more time, before simply stating, “Do make sure to dress nicely. It is a party, after all!”

And with that, he had disappeared in an explosion of green particles and you couldn’t stop your smile. Perhaps Malleus had simply been too busy to remember to tell you directly, so he had Lilia extend the invitation. While it wasn’t exactly your preferred method, you supposed it would do. As long as you got to see Malleus on his birthday, even if only for a couple minutes, you were happy. For now, though, it was time to plan your outfit and questions.

A few hours before his party, Malleus was watching Lilia set out the eating placements while Sebek argued with Silver as to whose gift would be opened first. Malleus had already changed into his birthday outfit that Crowley had provided for him, and was looking at the small gargoyles Lilia had transformed into straws for the drinks. He had to admire Lilia’s effort at incorporating the function of gargoyles into something small one could take home as a party favor.

As he looked at each unique gargoyle straw, he noticed one extra to the right of where he was seated. He asked Lilia why there was one more than usual, to which Lilia laughed light-heartedly.

“Khee hee, you never know what may happen, Malleus! I’m simply being prepared.”

While that answer was suspicious, Malleus chose not to ponder on his intentions too much, instead chalking it up to the fae’s cheeky nature.

During the last hour leading up to the party, you were panicking. You had written all your questions down for Tsunotarou and set them down somewhere the night before, and now for the life of you you couldn’t find them. You had spent most of the day attending lessons and getting ready for the party, finishing up your outfit and wrapping your gift, which had taken you four afternoons and three all-nighters to complete, much to your sleep schedule’s detriment, and now you had limited time to attempt to find your notes.

Grim was trying to soothe you in his own way, saying that you could just wing it, which surprisingly wasn’t much of an assurance. While you knew very few people actually read the interviews, the thought of Crowley’s reaction to you messing up his pet project, as well as the effect on your already-limited budget had you shivering. After about a half-hour of searching, you decided the most you could do was try to remember the questions you had written down previously and hope for the best. After all, Malleus did have a tendency to be particularly long-winded once you got him going, so maybe his responses to the few questions you did remember would be enough to fill the one-page quota for the newspaper. With five minutes to spare, you made your way to the hall of mirrors, gift in tow.

Malleus watched as Diasomnia members placed down their gifts, took their seats, and delivered their birthday wishes, truly regretting his decision not to invite you. Once they made sure everyone present was seated, Lilia took the chair to his left, while Sebek and Silver made their way to his right. As Sebek was about to sit down next to him, Lilia cleared his throat and Sebek reluctantly moved one down, followed by Silver.

Malleus opened his mouth to question the sudden emptiness to his right, when the door to the room creaked open. He turned, wondering who it could possibly be, and his jaw dropped as he took in the sight before him.

You were standing in the doorframe, slightly panting, with a gift-wrapped box under your arm. He took in your outfit, which was one he hadn’t seen on you before, but one that fit you perfectly. Typically you were wearing more comfortable clothing when the two of you met for your nightly walks, but now you were dressed in something semi-formal, your skin glowing under the lighting in the room.

The two of you made eye contact, and you smiled slightly before realizing your tardiness and quickly apologizing, setting your gift down with the rest before making your way to the open chair at the table. He quickly looked to Lilia, who had an accomplished grin on his face as he winked back. Malleus stiffened slightly, caught between his excitement at seeing you and his anxiety over your possible reaction to his party. 

As everyone began eating, his anxiety didn’t seem to lessen, becoming apparent to you as well as his retainers. You knew you wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation like this, let alone get an acceptable interview out of it, so you tried bringing up the gargoyle straws to see if you could get him to loosen up a bit. His eyes lit up at the mention and he spurred into action. 

“They are wonderful, aren’t they? You know at first I thought they would be grotesques before I noticed the straw function. It’s quite impressive how Lilia was able to use the spout to-” he made eye contact with you, causing his cheeks to redden. He began to worry he was boring you by talking about information you’ve already discussed, and went silent.

“I think they’re impressive, too!” You quickly responded. You were trying to ease his nerves, but he seemed to have gone quiet again. You decided that perhaps it would be better to leave it at least until dinner was over. In the meantime, you chose to make conversation with Lilia, discussing Briar Valley as well as your home world. This went on throughout dinner, which caused Malleus’ chest to tighten. While he knew he was the one to cut off the conversation, he hated seeing you talking and laughing with Lilia without even sparing him a glance.

Once everyone had finished eating, Lilia moved the party away from the table and to where the couches were, seating Malleus near the presents and you alongside him. And so began the opening of presents, with Sebek insisting his be opened first, followed by Silver, then Lilia, then each of the Diasomnia dorm members. Each gift was succeeded by a few minutes of conversation before Malleus moved on, and everyone’s spirits seemed to lift as time went on. Malleus was smiling and laughing along with everyone, his tension seemingly gone. 

By the time he got to the last gift, yours, you had long since stopped paying attention to the gifts, instead finding yourself mesmerized by the sight of the birthday boy. His smile was wide, his eyes were shining, and he was practically glowing under the Diasomnia lights. You hadn’t even noticed him picking up your gift until he read your name on the card, pulling you out of your trance.

And just like that, your nerves returned. You had worked so hard on his gift, pouring your heart into making it, and hoping it would be enough to impress him. By this point, most of the guests were too caught up in their own conversations to notice that he still had one more gift to open.

“Child of Man, would you join me on the balcony?” He rose from the couch, reaching his hand out to you. You noticed it shaking slightly, his cheeks reddening, and agreed. You took his hand and he pulled you gently off the couch.

The loud, warm atmosphere quickly shifted to a more calm, chilly one once you stepped outside. With the door closing behind you, the loud chatter turned to muffled conversation, being replaced with the subtle breeze swirling past your ears. Malleus took you to the edge of the balcony, still holding your hand. You looked into his eyes, waiting for him to speak. Only after a few quiet moments and a few more deep breaths did he break the silence.

“I must apologize for my lack of conversation with you inside. I didn’t expect you to be here tonight, you caught me quite off-guard.”

You froze, realizing that Lilia had invited you without Malleus’ knowledge, and you had likely intruded on an otherwise comfortable evening with his retainers and dorm members. As you went to stumble out an apology, he stopped you, indicating he wasn’t finished.

“It’s not that I didn’t want you here. In fact, I wanted nothing more than for you to join me.” His eyes dropped to the floor, and you couldn’t stop the slight hurt you had felt a week prior to creep back into your mind.

“If you wanted me here, then why…” You struggled to find the words, not wanting to sound accusatory.

“I apologize again. In truth, I was…nervous.” He responded, his hand squeezing yours.

“Nervous?”

“In the past, my birthday has been something…unfavorable in my mind. It was a reminder that the only people who wished to celebrate with me were my grandmother and those who worked for her. Then, eventually, my grandmother stopped attending. She would send me birthday wishes, but she always had too much to attend to, and therefore simply did not have time to celebrate with me.” His eyes met yours again, a solemn expression overtaking his face. 

“I grew accustomed to only being celebrated by those who were obligated to celebrate me. When Lilia suggested inviting you, I truly wanted to, but I was scared. Scared you would choose not to come, seeing as you aren’t required to. Scared that you would come but that things wouldn’t go to plan, and things wouldn’t be to your liking. I thought it would be best to just not take the risk.” His eyebrows scrunched together as he set your present on the balcony, replacing it with your other hand.

When you looked up, you saw the storm of emotions in his eyes. The emotions of a little boy who grew up without friends, who couldn’t afford to be vulnerable. Who felt he had no one who truly wanted to interact with him, but was simply required to. He was the future king of Briar Valley, and he had to keep his emotions in line for the sake of his people. But as he felt your hands in his, he felt all of his self-control slip away, and he had to be honest with you. He began to speak, but was cut off when you threw your arms around him, hands grasping his suit tightly.

Slowly, almost robotically, his arms found their way around you. He hugged you tightly, as though scared you might disappear if he didn’t. After a few moments you pulled away, and he noticed the tears you were trying desperately to blink away. Were you crying? For him?

You wiped your tears away, steadying your breathing, before trying to justify yourself.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I just- you looked so sad and I-”

“Child of Man.”

You stopped mid-apology and his hand met your cheek.

“There is no need to apologize. In fact, I think you just helped me realize something I need to do.” He grabbed both of your hands once again. “Would you allow me a moment to divulge something to you?”

“...Yes.”

“I’m afraid I’ve been hiding something from you.”

You grew concerned, but stayed silent as he continued.

“From the moment we met, I knew you were different. You were never scared of me, even after figuring out who I was. You always made sure I was okay and happy, despite not working for me or my grandmother. You would allow me to converse freely with you about topics I find interesting, and even asked questions. You never pretended to listen to me, and were always actively interested in what I had to say.” He took a deep breath and turned away from you, figuring not being able to see you would help him voice his thoughts with less anxiety.

“We were friends. And I loved it, every second of it. Sneaking out of my dorm to take walks with you, showing you Gao Gao Dragon-Kun, discussing the differences between gargoyles and grotesques. As the months went on, I found myself craving your attention more and more. To the point where it made my stomach churn to see you laugh with others. It was then that I realized I had crossed the line from platonic feelings towards you… to romantic ones.”

He turned back around, and you saw the pleading look in his eyes. He placed one hand on your cheek and the other on your shoulder as he finished his thoughts.

“I truly adore you. More than anything in my life, I adore you. I yearn for your presence, and a day without hearing your voice and seeing your smile is a day I feel is wasted. I have never needed anything or anyone in the way that I need you. I know I am not perfect. I am not up with the latest trends, I get carried away with things many don’t find interesting, and I don’t always know what to do in social situations. But please…please allow me the honor of being yours.”

You were stunned. You had harbored feelings for him for so long, but to hear him admit to returning them was not like anything you expected to hear in your lifetime. You had a hard time believing it.

“Do you mean it? Please, tell me you mean it.”

He pulled closer to you, his face no more than a few inches away from yours.

“My Child of Man, I love you. I love you more than I could ever express. Please allow me the honor of officially courting you. Of belonging to you.” At this, you weren’t sure what to say. There was only one word in your head.

“Yes! Yes, Tsunotarou. I love you.”

He visibly brightened, and cupped your chin.

“My Child of Man, I know this is sudden, but,” he leaned closer, “may I kiss you?”

You closed the distance, eager to feel his lips on yours. The kiss was sloppy, he obviously hadn’t done it before, but it was loving. Filled purely with the intention of showing his love to you. It was eager and gentle, and despite his lack of experience, it was everything you could have ever wanted. Only when you both were out of breath did he pull away. His face was red, his shirt bunched where you had grabbed it, and his passionate gaze focused purely on you.

You heard a knock on the door.

You both jumped and turned to see an upside-down Lilia smirking behind the door, gesturing to the forgotten present on the railing. You both turned and breathlessly laughed before Malleus grabbed it. He asked you to help him open it while still holding your other hand with his, not wanting to abandon your warmth for even a moment. You both worked together, clumsily undoing the wrapping paper, and he pulled out his gift.

He was stunned. What he held in his hand was a dragon plushie, one with a felt collar and tag that, upon inspection, read, “Gao-Gao.”

It was a stuffed replica of Gao Gao Dragon-Kun. It was obviously homemade, with the seams not perfect, and a few strings not trimmed all the way, but it filled his heart with warmth.

“Child of man…” he let go of your hand to join his in cupping Gao-Gao, holding it close to his chest. “You made this for me?”

“I hope you like it. I know it isn’t perfect, but-”

“It is perfect. It’s the most amazing gift I think I’ve ever received.” He looked away from Gao-Gao and back to you. “You truly are amazing, darling.”

He seemed to blush further upon realizing what he called you, and went to apologize. 

“I’m sorry, I should have asked before calling you that. I’ve just had that pet name in my mind for you for a while now. Do you mind me calling you that?”

You rushed to cup his jaw, kissing his cheek.

“Of course I don’t. I love it.”

He smiled gently, setting Gao-Gao back in the box and gripping your cheeks.

“In that case, I have a request. While I love the nickname Tsunotarou, and I love that you gave it to me, I think I’d like to hear my name come out of your mouth. Would that be alright with you, darling?”

“Of course, Tsu- Malleus.” You both laughed and pressed your foreheads together, soaking in each other’s presence and feeling each other’s breaths. Everything around you was naught compared to your love and relief. You felt a belonging in his arms, and he yours.

You felt a buzz in your pants pocket, and begrudgingly pulled away from Malleus. You turned on your phone and saw a message from Crowley, asking for an update on the interview. You sighed and apologized, explaining Crowley’s reason for sending you to the party in the first place. Malleus pouted before grinning slightly.

“My darling, would you mind if I used your phone for a moment?”

You allowed him, and he pressed the call button, putting it on speaker. Crowley answered and you could hear his loud voice on the other end of the line.

“Why, my favorite prefect, I wasn’t expecting a call from you! I expected the update in text form, but this is perfectly fine. I am rather generous, after all-”

“Headmage Crowley.” Malleus began. “I’m afraid there will be no interview from me this year. I do not need to answer meaningless questions for people I don’t even know to read.”

Crowley made a noise of protest before Malleus continued.

“However, I am willing to send a picture as a compromise. That is all.” He ended the call and turned on your phone camera. He grabbed the Gao-Gao plushie and turned to you.

“Are you alright with me kissing you for this photo?”

“Of course.”

With that he put his arm around you, the other holding Gao-Gao, and kissed your cheek as the photo was taken. The selfie was rather blurry and far too close, but he seemed to have no interest in that as he sent it. He gave you your phone back and you put it in your pocket, feeling insistent buzzing as you looked back at Malleus.

Perhaps you had failed at the interview, and the repercussions from that would surely need to be dealt with, but you could answer to Crowley later. For now, you enjoyed the night air in Malleus’ arms, kissing occasionally and cuddling with Gao-Gao all the while. You felt happy, and he knew that as long as he had you, his birthdays would never be something to dread.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Heel, Stay, and Shake.

🐦‍⬛ What’s this? A wild bird in our classroom? Now we can’t have that, can we? 🧪

By My Hand.

Raven didn’t know what to expect when Professor Crewel asked to see him after class. A summons from him typically meant one of two things: a thorough scolding or remedial work. Sometimes both.

She wasn’t the type for either. Raven kept her head down and behaved—and thus stood off to the side of his wrath. And now here she was, standing in the line of fire.

“Wooow, sucks to be you,” Ace had sneered on his way out. “The goody-two-shoes finally gets into trouble herself!”

“Leave her alone, Ace,” Deuce grumbled, “You don’t want to make things worse for her than they already are.”

Even the Prefect, Yuu—level-headed, neutral—had passed her a look of sympathy. But they cleared out of the laboratory the same as the rest, leaving Raven to her doom.

The heavy wooden door slammed shut, trapping her in with their teacher.

Crewel had traded his lab coat and safety goggles for his usual attire: a black and white color-blocked vest, black undershirt and slacks, smart shoes that clicked with every step, blood red gloves, socks, and tie. Over this, a striped fur coat with several tails, the insides a shocking scarlet.

He ran a hand through his hair—black slicked back, white in a graceful sweep of parted bangs. His eyes, a shade of iced onyx, dug into her like the teeth of a dog. Not enough to pierce the skin, but enough to threaten to.

She struggled not to tremble under his gaze. Raven knew it to be discerning and, more importantly, unrelenting in its critique.

“Crowley.”

“Y-Yes!!” Raven yelped, standing at attention. Her posture naturally corrected itself at his voice. Back stiffening, head lifting. “Wh-Whatever it is I’ve said or done to offend you, I apologize! I will reflect on my actions and do better in the future!”

“Offend me?” Crewel’s surprise melted into a devilish smirk. “You’ve done nothing of the sort. However, I’m flattered that you would think yourself in such dire need of my private instruction.”

“Eh? Then what did you need me for…?”

“A curiosity of mine. I hope you do not mind.”

“N-No, sir! Curiosity not minded!”

A chuckle.

Crewel extended his pointer to a line of shelves. “I’ve heard from the headmaster that you care for colorants. Is that correct?”

Raven was all too eager to provide the answer and then book it out of there. “That’s right. I brew some in my spare time. They’re enchanted inks, meant for writing and journaling.”

“Inks? What, may I ask, makes them ‘enchanted’?”

“Well…” Raven gestured to a potted mandrake. “It’s like cultivation. I infuse magic into the ink, which grants them fun properties. Smelling like an orange slice, glowing even long after you’ve penned it, words that produce the sounds they write out.”

“I see.” Interest had started to seep into Crewel’s voice. “Have you ever thought to extend this skill to other areas of application?”

“No, not really. It’s just something I got into to save on pocket money. Commercial inks can be expensive, so I thought to make my own with the ingredients gathered from around campus…”

Raven trailed off.

A glint had settled into Crewel’s eyes. The very same shine that came into Crowley’s at the mention of money or fresh game.

“It seems to me,” Crewel said slowly, “that you have a talent.”

A stone dropped into her stomach.

Uh-oh, here comes trouble.

“I would very much like to train that talent.” He tapped his pointer into an open palm. Each strike light, but had all the gravity of a gravel.

“Huh?!”

“You’re familiar with Night Raven College’s charity ball?”

“Yes…”

She couldn’t forget it even if she tried. The headmaster had droned about it for the last several weeks, declaring it a “prime time” to look good to the public. (Half of those weeks had been spent preening and wondering which suit and tie to wear.)

“School staff are to be in attendance to oversee the event. This year, we’re donating the proceeds to an animal shelter on Sage’s Island—a cause I’m particularly passionate about. As such, I would like to wear something stunning—and to dazzle at a show, you must have the element of surprise. I will be designing my own outfit. That is where you will come in.

“I will provide the materials, and you will prepare the dye for it. I want a unique color and magical effect that suits my image and enhances it.”

“But I don’t know the first thing about fabrics or treating them,” Raven protested faintly.

“Which is why I will mentor you. It will be a collaborative effort.”

“I-I’m sure you’re entirely capable of accomplishing this on your own, Professor! After all, Crewel-sensei is so very skilled…”

“Tch.” He frowned, making his displeasure clear. “You are missing the point, pup. Do you really think I wouldn’t have already done so, were that my intention?”

Raven flinched. “I don’t know, sir.”

“Night Raven College is making efforts to promote teamwork in its curriculum and extracurricular activities. For such a front-facing event, our new direction will be center stage. You’re a clever girl. I’m certain I do not need to explain the importance of this.”

“Surely there are more ideal candidates, sir… Students far more qualified than me. V-Vil-senpai? Or a Science Club member? Rook-senpai might be interested.”

“Of course I am aware of that—but this isn't about them. This is about you."

His pointer sliced through the air, so sharp that it cracked like a whip, aiming itself right at her. Crewel's face was the picture of arrogance, a high and mighty king looking down at the peasants. (Raven suddenly understood why he, of all teachers, was a Night Raven College graduate.)

"Since the day you scampered into my classroom, you've been nothing but a meek little thing. Obedience is all well and good, but you lack a bark and a bite, the confidence to be bold and to demonstrate your ability with pride. Schoenheit and the others already have that.

“You must learn how to speak up, pup! And this Crewel-sama will be the one to teach that to you.”

“B—But…”

“No buts!” he snapped. “If you’re going to reject the idea, then do so with your entire chest! I will accept it as proof of your bite. If you cannot muster that, then you will submit yourself to my guidance. What will it be?”

Raven shrunk back—proving his point. Speak up? Louder, more sternly—against her own teacher? She couldn’t.

Yikes, he’s so fired up about this… There’s no way I can comfortably say ‘no’!

She balled her fists up, terribly twisting her skirt. Raven sighed deeply, resigning herself to her fate.

“�� Alright, I will do my best to assist, Crewel-sensei. In return, I will be relying on you too.”

“Good girl. You’ve made your choice.” Crewel offered a hand. “Then let us shake on it.”

She hesitantly took it. His grip was firm and resolute, hers limp and unenthusiastic.

At last, he smiled in satisfaction. “I look forward to instructing you, Crowley. I expect you to keep up.”

Never in her life had she felt more like some poor dog strung along on a leash.

[hard-boiled-criminal]

A Witch Adrift

Chapter 5 - Oh, right. The poison. The poison for Kuzco. The poison chosen especially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco's poison. That poison?

< Ch 4 | Ch 6 >

>Ch 1<

Masterlist

Ao3 Mirror

Now, in the light of day, you could see just how grand the large doors to the castle were, intricate designs both carved and painted on its surface. What stood out the most, however, was the ornate stone relief above the doorway, focused around a raven motif. Crowley was silent as he led you inside, turning right, heading into the south wing of the building.* Only a few paces past the entrance he turned into a small stairwell leading downwards, only one flight tall. At its end was yet another hallway, though more humble than the main one you had just come from.

Crowley was eerily silent compared to how chatty he was last night. He hadn’t spoken a word since your short conversation, if you could even call it that, back at the statues of the seven. With Grim having opted to stay back at the dorm and sleep some more, the only sound to be heard was the light clicking of yours and Crowley’s heels against the hard floor. If it wasn’t clear before that Crowley was deep in thought about something, it definitely was when he opened the door at the end of the hall with his hands instead of magic.

You both entered a room filled with natural light, an abundance of windows decorating the wall on your right in columns of two. A row of beds sat along said wall, one beneath each column of windows. A door on the far wall was propped open with an end table, the room beyond dark compared to the infirmary itself. The door shut behind you with naught but a quiet click. You looked to Crowley for what to do next, but he didn’t notice your gaze. He simply stood there, holding his chin, lost in thought.

“Oh, for the love of…” A rough voice grumbled from the entryway to the dark room opposite of you. “Get that for me, will you?” Though phrased as a question, it sounded much more like an order.

“You got it!” A peppy, deep voice replied, their enthusiasm heavily contrasting with the grumpy voice. 

A tall, fairly built man with black hair entered from the open doorway with excitement in his movement. The bright, toothy smile on his face reflected his emotions, not faltering in the slightest when he saw the two of you; perhaps it even widened when he saw Crowley.

“Yo! Headmage, good to see you!” The man’s loud voice seemed to startle Crowley out of his thoughts from the small flinch he made. He then seemed to notice you, his attention moving from Crowley. “And you too! New student?” You slowly nodded in response, not really sure how to quickly explain your whole situation to him. “So, Mr. Crowley–” his attention turned back to the headmage “–What brings you to the infirmary?” Crowley opened his mouth but was quickly cut off before he could utter a sound. “Wait, wait, no. Lemme guess. Hmm.” He squinted his eyes, scrutinizing Crowley. He rubbed his chin in thought for a moment before his face lit up, seemingly coming to a conclusion. “Oh ho, I know what you’re here for! You want some of my famous spinach puffs!” A loud smack was heard from the back room. “You must’ve really been looking forward to them, coming here before classes have even begun for the year! Well, lucky for you, I happen to have some I made this morning leftover for you and our new friend here.”

It was nice to see Crowley get a small taste of his own medicine.

A groan was heard followed by footsteps, heavy not from weight, but exhaustion. “Kronk, this is an infirmary, not a restaurant. If they’ve come here, that means they need something from an infirmary.” A much older man dressed in a lab coat came from behind the doorway. He was extremely thin, or perhaps he just appeared that way when compared to the man called Kronk, and his skin seemed almost purple in the poor lighting of the back room. His tired eyes glanced at you before fixing themselves into a glare aimed at Crowley. He crossed his arms, looking quite fed up as he slowly tapped a finger against his arm. “And to what do I owe the pleasure, headmage?”

“Ahem,” Crowley cleared his throat, coughing once into his closed fist. “Yes, well, I was hoping to get this young man’s wounds treated, Dr. Amzy.”

“Of course you would manage to get a new student injured before the beginning of the school year.”

“W-wha–” Crowley sputtered–“I beg your pardon?! I have most certainly done no such thing!”

“Yes, yes,” the older man waved Crowley off before gesturing to you. “Go sit on one of the beds so I can see what I’m dealing with.”

You quickly shuffled over to the nearest bed and took a seat near the end. The older man, who you now presumed was the doctor, given what Crowley called him, walked up to you and began to sit down on seemingly nothing, only for Kronk to zoom in out of nowhere with a stool, quickly placing it underneath the doctor. He looked you over with narrowed eyes, whether it was from annoyance or just concentration, you weren’t sure. 

“Kronk!” He called, not bothering to look over his shoulder at him. “Get me a bowl of cool water, two rags, the chlorhexidine, and the burn ointment!”

“You got it Yzma!” You watched Kronk bound over to the back room, where you heard a faucet being turned on and cabinets opening and closing.

Yzma, or Dr. Amzy, you weren’t sure which to call him, sighed. “Why do I always have to deal with the messes you make?” He side-eyed Crowley, scowling. “Is it really that hard to not let a student catch fire?” Crowley began to speak, but once again, just like with Kronk, he was cut off. “No! No, I don’t want to hear any excuses. Leave and let me work. It’s annoying when you’re leering over my shoulder all the time,” Yzma waved him away. “Go do whatever it is you do and come back in half an hour.”

Crowley seemed hesitant and shifted his weight from side to side, before slowly nodding. He left the room but not before giving you a last look of surprisingly genuine concern paired with a slight smile. The door shut as quietly as it did when you entered. Again, he didn’t use magic for this door.

“Uh, hey Yzma? Which one is the clorox dean?”

Yzma sighed, exasperated, and rubbed his temples. “Second row, four from the left!” He shouted as he released his temples, not bothering to even look over his shoulder when calling back to Kronk.

“Got it!” 

Kronk soon came back with the requested items then grabbed and easily lifted the end table that was propping the door open on the way out, causing the door to swing shut behind him. Putting the table down next to Yzma, he then placed everything else he carried down on it. What caught yours and the doctor’s attention however, was the small vial filled with a pepto-bismol-pink liquid with a label that did not say chlorhexidine.

“Kronk,” Dr. Amzy began with a strained smile. “The chlorhexidine is with the medicines,” his faux smile immediately fell as he then snatched the vial off the table, “not the poisons.” He pushed the vial back into Kronk’s hands with a little more force than necessary, not that Kronk seemed to notice.

“Oh, right! Man, we really gotta change the labels on some of these!” Kronk quickly grabbed what you now knew was poison and took it back with him, the door closing behind him without the table to keep it propped open.

“Ugh...” Dr. Amzy sighed, resigned, as if this wasn’t a new occurrence. “I’m actually going to have to completely rearrange everything to keep him from accidentally poisoning himself and everyone around him.”

‘Wait a minute, poisons?!’

Either you said that out loud or your fear was clearly painted on your face because Dr. Amzy almost immediately began to explain once he turned back to you.

“Poison is medicine and medicine is poison, the only difference is how it’s used. Though, most of those poisons are really just potions and medicinal components. I just label them poisons so these stupid children will stop stealing them to turn each other into frogs or llamas. Turns out when you label something as a poison, everyone is suddenly too scared to touch them.”

‘Children? But isn’t this place a university or something? Well, no, that’s fair. I’ve met plenty of college-aged people who act like children.’

Not wanting to waste any more time, the doctor pulled on a pair of sterile gloves, the latex hitting his wrist with a snap. “Now then, the sooner you’re fixed up the sooner I can have our careless headmage out of my hair.” He wet the washcloth and loosely wrung it out. “Shoes off, legs up on the bed.”

Toeing off your shoes, you then scooched further up the bed and stretched your legs out straight over the sheets. Despite his prickly demeanor, he gently laid the wet cloth on one of your legs, soon repeating the process with the other rag and leg. By this time, Kronk had come back with the correct bottle and just stood on standby, watching the doctor work. After about fifteen minutes of letting your burns soaked, Amzy removed the rags. He squinted at your wounds before nodding his head.

“You’re quite lucky there’s no serious damage, especially since that fool decided to leave your burns untreated for an entire night!” Something you noticed from the little time you spent with Amzy was that he expressed with his hands often and exaggeratedly. “If he didn’t wait so long then this next part would have been much easier.” He held his hand out to the side, palm up. “Kronk, wand.” Kronk quickly placed what was supposedly Amzy’s wand in his hand. It looked like one of those letter openers meant to look like knives. The blade was wavy in shape and the crossguard had a purple gem inlaid in it. 

Knife-wand in hand, Dr. Amzy hovered his hands above your legs. You sat there in silence and watched as his wand and open hand began to glow a soft blue. You felt your legs tingle briefly before they quickly grew numb. With carefully practiced movements, he flicked his hand and wand in different directions, almost as if he were a conductor. Ever so slowly, the fused clothing began to remove itself from your skin. Each piece freed was quickly levitated over to a waste bin. The numbness continued to persist even after all the cloth was removed, keeping the procedure painless. 

Amzy held out his wand and Kronk took it from him, unprompted. He then grabbed the bottle of chlorhexidine and poured some of its contents over your burns. Holding his hand out again, Kronk returned the wand. It glowed once again, green this time, and your burns began to quickly heal. It looked as if you were watching a time lapse of a burn healing over the course of two weeks in a mere few seconds. Soon, all traces of the burns were gone, save for a few places where your skin was slightly discolored from the worst of the burns. With a gentle hand, he carefully spread the burn ointment over your legs in a thin layer.

“Gauze,” He held out his wand again, and Kronk swiftly swapped it with a roll of gauze. With practiced ease, Dr. Amzy quickly wrapped up both of your shins and secured the gauze in place. “Since your burns weren’t treated immediately, it’s going to take some time to completely heal, even with magic. I’d say it’ll take about three more days.” He then grabbed your hand and placed the roll of gauze in it, his gentle touch now replaced with a more forceful and hurried one. “Change the gauze daily and whenever it gets wet. Do that and you’ll be fine. Now, up, up! And shoes back on,” He ushered you to your feet and out the door after you slipped your shoes back on. “That oversized bird has been waiting out in the hall the whole time and I can’t stand it anymore. Goodbye.” He quickly pushed you out the door after Kronk opened it, revealing Crowley waiting in the hall, just like he said. 

Glancing back, you watched Amzy grab the ointment and chlorhexidine, not trusting Kronk to put them back in their rightful places.

“Hey, don’t let him get to ya.” Kronk spoke to you as Amzy slipped into the back room,

out of sight. “Yzma’s just worried about how often the students seem to get hurt. He hopes scaring them a little bit will make them a little more careful to not get injured enough to end up in the infirmary.

“Kronk are you spreading those rumors about me again?” Amzy, or was it Yzma? You weren’t sure now, called out, slightly muffled.

“Only the good ones!”

“Haaah…” He sighed, having completely given up on trying to convince Kronk to stop. “Of course he’s at it again before the school year even starts, and using my first name too.”

“Well make sure you two stop by for dessert and a cup of coffee sometime, yeah?” Kronk smiled brightly at you before turning back to help Yzma, letting the door slowly close, leaving you with Crowley.

Having heard the door open when you were first pushed out by the doctor, Crowley had already been looking at you before you approached him. “I see you’re all treated now,” he briefly glanced at your legs, “so let’s not dawdle any longer. Follow me to my office; we’ll draft your contract there.” 

As Crowley led you both back the way you came, you noticed that he made an effort to match his pace with yours, walking next to you whenever possible, instead of multiple paces in front of you. It made you smile a bit, seeing him be more aware of you and your wounded state, perhaps feeling a bit guilty from Amzy’s brief scolding. You yawned a bit, inexplicably tired again despite having not done much so far. Now that he was walking next to you, Crowley noticed your sudden lethargicness.

“Ah, yes, I should mention that healing magic does drain the stamina of the receiver somewhat, so you will feel a bit tired,” He explained. “The drowsiness should pass by the time we reach my office, so you’ll be fine during the drafting.”

At your own pace, you and Crowley made your way up multiple flights of stairs, passing classrooms and hallways to reach different stairwells, eventually making your way towards one of the tallest points of the whole building where Crowley’s office was held.

A/N: Guess whose laptop ate shit and died. Luckily, the only part of it that isn’t working is the screen, so I was able to save all my stuff. Unfortunately, I can only work on my things on my PC, so no more going to cafes to work for me. I originally wanted this to be longer, but oh well. Anyways, Yzma’s full name in this is going to be Yzma Amzy, simply because I can’t imagine Kronk calling Yzma anything besides Yzma, but it would feel weird to have the reader and the other students call a doctor by their first name. And Kronk is Kronk because how could I dare to change his name.

*The campus map doesn’t have a compass, but the world map does, so I’m assuming that the sage island map is in the same orientation as the world map. If I’m wrong, oh well.

Next Chapter >