ovobawrites

[ovobawrites]

The Background Character is Avoiding Death in This Life!

Dying? Hard. Reincarnating into a dating sim? Even harder. Doing everything to prevent your predetermined tragic fate? Might as well give up at that point. The bell tolls for you, but you refuse to let it claim you just yet!

(Leona Kingscholar x Reincarnated!Reader)

A/N: I tried to make the reader as gender neutral as possible, but the implication here is that the reader is afab/capable of becoming pregnant and giving birth.

The carriage jostled over gravel as you sat there in silence, clothed in pure white. A marriage to a man you've never met. One that you had done everything you could to prevent.

Waking up with memories of your past life wasn't the worst thing in the world, at least at first. As the third born Royal of the empire, you weren't given many duties, nor were you interested in competing for the throne. All you had to do was study (which you did with ease thanks to your past life), attend balls and tea parties (which at the very least served delicious food), and survive without falling victim to a plague (and the holy magic in this world, thankfully, made this task as easy as the rest). That was until your world came crashing down.

Outside politics weren't much of an interest for you. All you knew was that your older brother, the Second Prince, was a general who would fight and win wars alongside the Emperor, your father. Until you learnt of the development of a protectorate, representative of an alliance between seven kingdoms.

The Night Raven Protectorate was established in Imperial Year 1302. You had just turned 17, and realized who you were.

NRP: Battles of the Heart! was a tactical rpg with dating sim mechanics you had played in your first life. It wasn't the best game, but the art and soundtrack were lovely, the characters were nice to look at, and the gameplay was good enough. Here's the problem: the characters in nrpBoH (as the fandom called it) were at war. War with the Empire you currently resided in. A war the character you were reborn as had inadvertently caused.

The Third Royal of the Empire was engaged and promptly married to Leona Kingscholar, the only Duke of the Sunset Savanna. The two resided in the Night Raven Protectorate, as Leona had been chosen as a diplomatic envoy for his kingdom while his brother Farena, the crown prince, remained in the capital. Leona worked alongside the other diplomatic envoys of the alliance: Crown Prince Riddle Rosehearts, Marquis Azul Ashengrotto, Marquis Kalim Al-Asim, Duke Vil Schoenheit, Duke Idia Shroud, and Crown Prince Malleus Draconia, to establish unity and peace across their kingdoms.

The Third Royal died a year into their marriage with Duke Leona. The Empire, distraught at the loss of one of their royal family, declares war two years later. The Hero of nrpBoH arrives a year before the war starts, and ultimately helps the Seven Kingdoms win the war, capturing the hearts of the envoys and their closest aides on the way.

Essentially the timeline was as such: 1304 > you get married to Leona 1305 > you die 1306 > the Hero arrives and charms the cast of nrpBoH 1307 > the Empire declares war 1315 > the Seven Kingdoms defeat the Empire with the hero's aid, and everyone lives happily ever after

What do you mean you die before the events of the game even start?! And, just to make things even worse for you, your character was barely mentioned and the circumstances of their death were never discussed! Obviously it must have been suspicious, why else would the Empire declare war?! And why was it so easy for your husband, of a year, to get over you and date some floozy so soon after your death!

Okay maybe that last one was stretching it a bit, after all, it's not like Duke Leona had ever loved the Third Royal. When asked in game, all he said was that "They were a suitable partner for me. What, jealous? My heart will always belong to you, herbivore." with a cocky smirk on his face!

And so, you made it your life's goal to do anything to stop your marriage to the Duke from going through. You took a bigger interest in politics, encouraged the Crown Prince to form diplomatic alliances. Hell, you even got your brother, the warmongering Second Prince, the hardest boss in the game, to return home from the battlefield for the first time since he left at 16!

Yet every single action you took ultimately amounted to nothing. Your father, the Emperor, declared that you would marry Duke Leona to solidify the Empire's alliance with the Seven Kingdoms, and that was that.

You had begged and pleaded of course. Both the Crown and Second Princes had fought your father on this decision. Hell, even your younger brother, the Fourth Prince, had argued against the necessity of a marriage alliance. But your father's word was law, and so you were sent to the Night Raven Protectorate clad in your pure white garb, with nothing but your carriage, your luggage, and an entourage of guards and servants who would leave you at the border.

Which brings you back to the present. Slumped over in a grand carriage, with nothing to do but embroider and scheme. Your brothers were not even permitted to attend the wedding (at the Kingscholar family's request and the Emperor's decree), and none of your personal servants were allowed to join you in the protectorate.

So here you were, alone and unsure of if you could even avoid the wretched fate you'd been saddled with. If you couldn't prevent your marriage, were you just destined to die once a year was up? Would any of your actions even prevent the war that would happen in three years?

The carriage stops, and the coachmen knocks on the door to inform you of your arrival to the Night Raven Protectorate. You thank him and listen to the horses being switched out, your guards and maids leaving with the coachmen as your new one announces his presence to you.

"Ruggie Bucchi greets Your Highness." A voice calls out from behind the carriage doors. The windows are veiled, but you can make out the silhouette of a thin beastman with rounded ears. "I will be bringing you to the Duke's Estate to prepare for the wedding."

You sit there and try to ignore your world splitting into pieces. Dread curls in your stomach. You don't reply.

A beat of silence as your new coachman awaits any questions from you, before you watch his shadow pass over and the carriage start to move once more. The ride is much smoother this time. It does nothing to stop your shaking.

You didn't even have a second to compose yourself upon arriving at the Duke's Estate. A whirlwind of maids and valets descended upon you to prepare you for the wedding. You were bathed, dressed and had your make up done over the course of hours, the day going from early morning to evening without you even having a bite to eat, lest you risk 'ruining your figure'.

Your wedding garments were traditional to the empire. Shining white and decorated with diamonds as a display of wealth, a delicate veil hiding your features from the world. The servants beamed in pleasure as the head maid sang praises to your beauty.

"Trust me, Your Highness. His Grace will not be able to keep his hands off of you during your wedding night!"

You doubted it. If Leona had been spending regular nights with the Third Royal, a mention of their pregnancy would have been somewhere in the game (after all, the death of his unborn child would have made his backstory all the more tragic). But you took their praise with gentle nods and thanks, waiting until you would be led to the altar.

A knock on your door came a moment later. "Sir Jack Howl wishes to greet Your Highness and escort you to the altar."

You stood up and let a maid open the door for you. A wolf beastman dressed in armor stood before you, his ears twitching as he offered you the crook of his elbow. You took it with grace, each step making the death knell in your ears ring ever louder.

The Duke's estate was large enough to host hundreds of servants, but thankfully someone had the forethought to dress you in a guest room close to where the wedding would be held. Your garments were made for you to be displayed, as evident by how hellish it was to walk in them, the weight of them making each step feel laborious. Sir Jack graciously matched your pace, the heels of your shoes clicking against tile as you reached the altar.

Your husband-to-be stood in front of you, dressed in Empire wedding garments. Based on the in-game marriage cg, you'd expected him to be wearing the colorful wedding attire of the Sunset Savanna. Yet he stood in front of you, clad in black.

You thought it was fitting for him to be clad in the colors of a reaper. His green eyes pierced through your veil, flitting over the death grip your hands had on your bouquet before returning to the priest, looking ever so slightly bored.

The two of you stood through a lengthy speech about the union of two countries and the solidification of the alliance between the Empire and the Seven Kingdoms. Sir Jack stood behind you in parade rest, while a blond beastman stood behind Leona in a more lax pose.

A quick glance through the crowd saw that the rest of the game's main cast, from Crown Prince Riddle to Sir Sebek, all sat in the cathedral, with Crown Prince Farena sitting with his wife and son at the back. It was, by all means, a perfect imperial wedding.

Eventually, the priest's prattling stopped as he gestured for the rings to be presented to the betrotheds. The rings were simple. Gold bands rested on a white velvet pillow in a white cathedral adorned by white flowers on white tile and-

"-take Leona to be your husband in life, death and the lands that lay beyond?" The priest gazed at you, and you snapped back to attention.

"I do." You said in a lilting voice, taking the ring and placing it upon Leona's ring finger as he did the same to yours.

You couldn't hear what the priest said next through the pounding of blood in your ears, the polite applause in the cathedral barely registering.

Sir Jack offered you his arm once more, and you took it to be readied for the reception.

You could faintly make out Duke Leona being surrounded in congratulations from his friends and colleagues. You glanced at Sir Jack through the veil, and for a second saw your second brother instead.

Your heart ached in time with your hollow steps.

Here's the thing: Out of all the diplomatic envoys, the only one you could ever be married to was Leona.

The Emperor never had a blood heir, his kind heart instead adopting children he'd find during his conquests of other lands. Neither you nor your brothers had a drop of royal blood.

The nobles of the Empire took issue with that, or they did when the Crown Prince was adopted. The Emperor's threats quickly shut them up.

The Empire would not accept you being married to anything less than another land's prince, but the Queendom of Roses and Briar Valley would never accept one of common blood on the throne.

Leona was the only option for you to marry to solidify your lands' alliance.

(It was too bad the Third Royal's death caused the alliance to dissolve anyways)

The wedding reception was a blur to you. Faces passed by and congratulated you and Leona (mostly Leona), presenting gifts upon gifts as the hours ticked by. Marquis Kalim offered you a littany of jewelry. Prince Riddle gave you books on the history and etiquette used throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Duke Vil gifted you a variety of beauty products, with a guide for when and how they should be used.

You could barely eat the wedding food provided to you. You numbly watched your husband scarf down his steak, avoiding each and every vegetable. A flicker of amusement ran through you at that, and a smile quirked up your lips.

Duke Leona noticed, of course. "What're you smiling at?" He asked, voice flat.

You ducked your head down at that. "I simply was admiring how gracefully you cut your steak."

A moment of silence as he looked at you before he went back to eating without a word.

The Third Royal's death in nrp14 was rarely brought up. There were two things the playerbase knew about it:

It happened on the exact anniversary of the wedding

The Empire found it suspicious enough to declare war against the Night Raven Protectorate, and by extension, the Seven Kingdoms that the Protectorate belonged to.

A suspicious death was all you had to go off of. The Third Royal was likely murdered, and all you knew was when it happened. Honestly, it might not have even been a quick assassination. It could have been a gradual poisoning that eventually killed them on the day of their anniversary, a 'quiet' heart attack, hell it could have been a freak horse riding 'accident' for all you knew.

The Empire declaring it suspicious was, in itself, suspicious. It might have been a genuine accidental death, but was a convenient excuse to declare war. It might have even been your own Empire that killed the Third Royal for this reason.

All you knew was when you were meant to die. Therefore, everyone was a suspect. If Duke Leona did it (which, judging from how flippant he was about his spouse, he very well might have), then all you could do was be the model spouse in hopes to please him. If one of the other diplomatic envoys did it, then you have to make yourself invaluable to their diplomatic maneuvers to avoid it. If the Empire did it-

If the Empire did it, then you had to make yourself as nonthreatening as possible to it.

The room you shared with Leona was beautiful. A wide balcony adorned with plants opened the room up, letting you watch the night sky. The bed was grand, populated in numerous feather-soft pillows. Colorful rugs, trademarks of the Sunset Savanna's weaving expertise, lay across the floor. A carved chessboard and pieces rested on the table.

Leona noticed you looking at it. "D'you play?" He said as he threw his court coat across the room without care.

You brushed your fingers over the pieces. "Not really, Your Grace. That was more of my brothers' thing..."

Leona's eyes trailed you as you carefully placed your veil on a sofa cushion, before he turned away as you started to fiddle with the clasps of your outfit.

He spoke up after a moment. "I didn't ask if your brothers played." You heard the rustle of clothing as you put on your nightwear. "I asked if you played."

"I do, but I'm not very good at it."

"I'll be the judge of that."

He strolled over to the chessboard, clothed in a thin silk shirt and pants. He gestured for you to sit across from him as he reset the board, black facing him.

You moved your white pawn to D4, wondering if this would be your wedding night. A preferable outcome, really. You barely knew Leona. Plus he might kill you if you performed badly enough. You chuckled at the thought.

Leona raised a brow. "Something funny?" Knight to F6.

"Just a passing thought, Your Grace." Knight to H3.

A grunt of acknowledgment. Pawn to D5.

You played through a few more moves before speaking up again. "Is this..." You tossed the words around in your head. "Will you be..." Your fingers brushed over the queen.

"If you're asking about our wedding night, I'm plannin' on sleepin' after this." He tapped his finger on the table as he waited for your next move.

"I-" Thank you, you wanted to say, but you moved your pawn to H4 instead.

He checkmated you with ease, barely losing any pieces. But instead of gloating, he simply went to bed, expecting you to follow.

Being the master of the duchy was different from being a royal. You were in charge of managing all the internal affairs, while Leona was in charge of the external ones. While this would usually mean that you'd be managing the servants and budget of the Duke's Estate, in your case it meant that you were doing not only your paperwork, but the late paperwork Leona had neglected to do.

You looked at the towering stack of paper leaning against the desk in your new office. It would take more than a week to get through all that.

Ruggie laughed nervously by your side. "The rest is in Leona's office."

You sighed and reached for a quill. "Right. Shall we get started then?"

Sir Jack, who you soon learnt was Leona's most trusted knight, and Ruggie, Leona's aide, were invaluable to you running the duchy as smoothly as you did. While Leona napped, you had Ruggie deliver the needed letters and replies to the other diplomatic envoys. While Leona trained the knights, you were stamping all the paperwork he hadn't finished the day before. And when Leona finally entered the office, you were hurrying down a lunch you barely had enough time to eat.

Still, you never said a word about it to Leona, even when the workload threatened to swallow you whole.

You needed to be a model spouse; to be invaluable to the duchy. If you did most of the work, then what reason would Leona have to kill you? If he did, then he'd be the one stuck doing paperwork in the office all day.

...You barely had time to eat dinner with him. You entered the bedroom hours after he went to bed, and woke and ate breakfast when the sun rose.

You would be running on fumes soon, and there was nothing you could do about it. Ruggie started to slip you snacks during the lulls between one stack of paperwork and the next. Jack started pulling you away every so often, if only for a few minutes, just so you could get some sunlight.

It still wasn't enough to get you to leave your office for more than an hour or two each day. The paperwork seemed never ending, impossible for one person to do. Until, eventually, Leona stepped in.

"I'll do that." He muttered as he swiped a pile of paperwork off your desk.

You blinked through bleary eyes. "There's no need, Your Grace. I can-"

"Where'd this 'Your Grace' stuff come from." He shot back. "Call me Leona."

"I- fine. I can get through that stack of papers Leona, there's no need for you to burden yourself with it."

His tail swished as he glared at you. "Then why're you the one doing it? If it's a burden, then give it to Ruggie or someone."

"...Because it is my duty as the Duke's Spouse to complete any paperwork necessary to the functioning of the Duchy." You tucked your hands in your lap, twisting your fingers through each other in a facsimile of a hand holding your own.

"Is that so?" A dangerous smirk played at your husband's lips. He started to glance through papers, separating them into two piles.

"I- Your Grace- What are you doing?"

He didn't reply, merely continuing to sort through the stack on your desk.

Was he seriously going to ignore you until you called him by his name? What kind of immature, childish-

"Leona, what are you doing?" You asked through gritted teeth.

"Makin' sure you're only doin' paperwork necessary to the functionin' of the Duchy, dearly betrothed." He replied with ease, holding the larger stack of papers in his arms.

"But- you- let me do the larger stack at least, you're already so busy-" You attempt to appeal before you are cut off.

"Busy doin' what? Sure, my naps are incredibly important." Leona ignored Ruggie's eye roll. "But I'm sure I can fit in time for this somewhere."

You gnawed at your thumb, before trying again. "There's really no need, I've been managing fine on my own-"

"Ruggie told me you fainted yesterday." Leona's eyes flashed as the room turned cold. "I'm not lettin' you do this at the expense of your health."

"It was only a minor occurrence, really I'm fine! I'll take better care of my health, just let me-"

"Why are you so insistent on this?" You froze, and Leona's eyes saw right through you. He scoffed. "You don't need to be walkin' on eggshells around me all the time. I can handle my own work."

"Obviously not if you let it pile up to this point!" You snapped back, teeth digging through the flesh of your thumb. "If you don't want to do it, then why not let me? You can keep your naps, and I can do the work, that's perfectly alright with me!"

"And watch my spouse waste away? I barely see you at dinner, and when I do you're picking at your food like some kind of bird. You barely eat, you barely sleep, Sevens, you barely even talk to me!" You flinched at Leona's raised voice, and he paused, taking a breath. He continued with a gentler tone. "We may not have married for love, but I expect a life partner. I don't want to watch my spouse overwork themselves to the grave just to please me, okay?"

You hesitated, scanning his face for any hint of a lie. Leona's eyes met yours, a steady green. "Alright. But, in exchange-" You looked at him for any sign of objection before continuing. "I- I want to help with your diplomatic envoy meetings." At his crossed arms, you struggled for an explanation. "It doesn't even have to include me being present, I can just help with your appeals. I don't even have to look at any of the documents I just-"

"It's a good idea." He stopped your rambling with a raised hand. "The others've been asking how you were doin' anyways."

"I- really?"

"Why'd you ask if you didn't even think I'd say yes?"

You ignored his snarky comment and moved past your desk, legs shaky like a newborn fawn. Still you persevered, Leona moving closer to hover over you. You grasped his hands in yours, ignorant to the shocked expression that flitted over his face. "Thank you thank you thank you! I won't disappoint you, I promise!" You squealed as you bounced up and down.

Now you just have to make yourself useful to the envoys, and that's two death flags down! Leona seems to care about your continued well-being, which removes him from the culprit list. Jack was way too noble to even think about hurting you (He almost cried when he saw the slight bruise around your wrist. He had gripped you a little too hard to save you from falling during your fainting episode.). And Ruggie saw you as a comrade against the paperwork Leona kept leaving for him to do. (He had cried tears of joy when the two of you had gotten through that first stack. Apparently it had been tormenting him for a month.).

If things kept going your way, then you could probably prevent the entirety of the main cast from killing you. Then, it's just making sure to stay far, far away from the Empire until the year is over.

You will get through this year! And then, once the hero arrives, you can take a backseat and graciously allow Leona to pursue them, then return to the Empire with a war averted, divorce papers in hand! You just have to continue to be useful to the main cast, before taking a bow and exiting stage left.

Surely you could just get through your lines without issue. Right?

Leona frowned as he looked at your hand. Your thumb was bleeding. He glanced at Ruggie, and with a tilt of his head the hyena was off to grab you some gauze.

An unbidden, soft smile came to his face as he basked in this moment with you. He'd been apathetic to this union from the moment it was clear he'd have to marry you, a royal he'd never even seen before. But looking at you, you with your bright smile and your warm hands around his, he could admit to himself that a marriage with you as his spouse couldn't be too bad.

A/N: And that's a wrap folks! I'm not sure if I will be continuing this story, I mostly wrote it to get it out of my system, but if people seem interested in a continuation, I might write one. If you can't tell, this is based off of the many, many otome isekai manhwas out there. If you're looking for a fluffy one like this story, I recommend "The Villainess Wants to Marry a Commoner!!". You can read it ad-free on mangadex.org <3

[ovobawrites]

𝐵𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽: 𝐸𝓅𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒹𝑒 𝒩𝒾𝓃𝑒 ♡ 𝐹𝒷𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓎𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓈

disclaimer: this is a fem!reader and also a half chinese!reader insert.

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Breakfast was a noisy affair. Jade and Ortho, thankfully, managed to achieve some weird sort of equilibrium in which they both just ignored each other while making as much food as possible.

"Are you sure we can eat all this?" You already felt full looking at the dishes crammed all over the table.

"We can always eat the leftovers for lunch." Jade smiled placidly.

Yeah, he was definitely still a little pissed at Ortho.

"You guys should start eating soon. Before Ruggie gets to his third serving." Leona remarked dryly, chewing on a bone.

You glanced at Ruggie, who had somehow managed to fit every single thing Jade and Ortho cooked into his plate, devouring it all with remarkable ferocity. You couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, despite his lack of table manners, and moved over to grab some food.

Azul pushed his glassed up. "Jamil, can you pass the-"

"No. Get it yourself." Jamil hardly looked up, carefully testing Kalim's food for poison.

"I'll pass it to you Azul!" Kalim beamed as he handed over the serving spoon.

"Ah, no Kalim I was asking for-"

"Oh you wanted the tongs! Sorry!"

"No it was the-"

"This spoon! Got it!"

"I wasn't-"

"Here! The other tongs!"

"...Thank you."

"You're such a kind guy, Sea Otter." Floyd drawled as he watched Azul finally get to the dish he wanted.

"Ah, you think so?" Kalim laughed. "Thanks Floyd!"

You took a bite of the egg white seafood omelette Jade had made, and hummed in delight. To be honest, if it wasn't for the split in the middle of the table to distinguish between Jade and Ortho's dishes, you wouldn't be able to tell who made what.

"Oh, brother, you should also have some of this!" Ortho gleefully served Idia a few mini pancakes. "This too! And how could I forget to give you-"

"T-thanks Ortho, but I think you've already given me enough food..." Idia looked paler than usual as Ortho continued to pile his plate with food.

Ortho simply looked at his brother for a moment, the two seemingly having a psychic conversation before Idia relented.

"...Never mind. I'd love to t-try everything you've cooked." You could see the sweat glistening on Idia's forehead as Ortho began to explain every miniscule nuance of what he'd cooked.

"Floyd. Stop." Jade glared at his own brother when Floyd reached for some of the pancakes Ortho had made.

"But Jade..." Floyd whined. "I wanna have some pancakes! Waffles are boring!"

Jade smiled menacingly and gave his brother another mini waffle in lieu of a reply.

"...Can I at least have some syrup on them."

"But of course."

You began to eat a little quicker as Jade and Ortho ditched their brothers and began to make their respective rounds. No way were you getting caught up in whatever they were up to. You stood up right before they both got to you.

"Ah, (Y/N), before you go-"

"(Y/N)! Could you please try my-"

"Sorry guys!" Kalim interjected, "(Y/N) agreed to help me with something last night, so I gotta borrow her for a bit!" And with that he dragged you off, seemingly ignorant of the glares both Jade and Ortho were sending his way.

"...Thank you." You sighed when Kalim got you out of range of Ortho's hearing. "I thought I was gonna die there."

"It was no problem! Besides, I did actually need your help." Kalim scratched his cheek with a sheepish smile. "We gotta finish the thing today! Malleus probably already started."

"Then I suppose we should go help him." You replied, mood bright as you followed Kalim to your secret little carving area. "Let's just hope we can finish this carving in time."

You felt like collapsing on the sand when Malleus casted the final spell. It'd be too soon if you ever had to do a carving of this size again.

"Do you think they'll like it?" Malleus asked with a tilt of his head. "It's beautiful work, yes, but I wonder if..."

Kalim beamed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I'm sure they'll love it Malleus!"

"After all the time we spent on it, they better. If Leona says one rude thing about this I'm gonna destroy him." You spoke, a little out of breath.

Malleus tapped his magic pen against his chin in thought. "Then, should we show it to them now?"

You resisted the urge to frown. "I can't help but feeling like there will be hundreds of things we'll want to change... Maybe we should wait until we can look at it with fresh eyes?"

"Yeah, plus I want them to see it with the sunrise!" Kalim smiled.

"Maybe we should wait until sunset instead. I doubt any of them would be in a good mood if we woke them up before dawn." You pointed out as you began your walk to where the others had set up on the sand.

"Indeed." Malleus smiled, a cruel little thing. "I doubt Kingscholar would be able to get up that time without some petty complaint. He lacks the... necessary discipline to do so."

"You can say that again." You muttered, chuckling under your breath. "Let's go meet up with the rest. I think Floyd might actually drown Riddle today."

"You're back! From your awfully suspicious walk." Cater greeted you with a hug and narrowed eyes. "Just what are you up to, I wonder?"

"Nothing special. Just collecting photos of the scenery as drawing references." You replied smoothly.

"Would you like my help?" Jade chimed in, pleasant as always. "I'm sure we can find some more scenic routes together."

You squirmed ever so slightly. "A kind offer, but no thank you. The last time you tried to help me take photos..."

"Ah, look (Y/N)! There's a lovely view of the landscape from here."

"Jade... are you sure you can stay balanced on that branch? It looks a little wobbly."

"I'm sure you'll catch me."

"...Don't joke about that. Floyd had me lift him up once and he was as heavy as a boulder."

"My, whatever are you impl-"

"Was that just a crack."

"Alright, maybe I should get-"

A snap. And Jade plummeted to the ground.

(Thankfully, he wasn't very injured aside from the cut on his cheek.)

"Oh? I thought we had made an agreement on the subject of that incident." Jade's smile tightened.

"What incident?" You asked, guileless. 

Jade just continued to menace you with his aura. And you took that as your cue to leave before he decided to take a page out of Floyd's book.

Wait. Were Idia and Azul...

"Azul, Idia, is that...?"

"What- no- of course not!" Idia laughed nervously, while Azul just sighed wearily. "I would never cast a spell to ensure this sandcastle would be a permanent fixture of the beach. I could never! That would be... so..."

"Just give it up, Idia." Azul rolled his eyes. "We hadn't completely finished construction the other day, so here we are."

"Are you working on the inside of the buildings now or something?" You joked, only to be greeted with a silence. "...You seriously aren't-"

Idia gave you a look. "You're sounding awfully judgemental for someone who-"

You smothered his mouth before he could spit out another word. "No."

He just stared at you for a moment, his hair flaring pink before he acquiesed and looked away.

"Don't listen to her! Do go on Idia!" Azul leaned in close to his friend. "Please, tell me what exactly happened."

"If he told you, I'd have to kill you." You bore your teeth in a smile. "I heard from Floyd that octopus tastes really nice when its grilled."

"...Point taken."

"Good!" You patted both their heads instinctively, mostly because you felt tall for once with Idia sitting in the sand. "I'm glad we've come to an agreement."

And with that, you floated off to go find Ruggie. You wanted to know if he'd tried to steal from Leona's wallet yet. Not that Leona would notice a few thousand missing thaumarks.

"(Y/N)." Riddle greeted you as you approached the shoreline. "Crewel has informed me that tonight we will be cooking together, as well as tomorrow morning. What time shall we start?"

You blinked, a little surprised by Riddle asking you for a time. "Maybe we should start at around 5? If that works for you, that is."

Riddle checked his watch, then nodded. "I shall meet you then." And with that, he walked off.

You exchanged a slightly bewildered look with Ruggie.

"...Maybe this vacation is causing him to chill out more?" The hyena shrugged. "Or it could be that he doesn't know how to cook."

"Surely there's some sort of rule about cookery?" You traced an aimless figure out into the wet sand. "Besides, don't the Housewardens have to cook?"

"...You think Leona can cook?" Ruggie shot back.

"He survived for what, two years without you?"

Ruggie laughed. "Well, when you put it like that... But no, it's not a set rule or anything. Just a formality some of them do. There's no way Vil would trust anyone else to make his super special health foods."

"Rook." You pointed out.

Ruggie shuddered. "Rook can do anything. He's not human..."

"Hm? Did one of you mention my name?" Rook popped up behind you and Ruggie, nearly giving the boy a heart attack.

"Just talking about how Vil trusts you to cook for him." You gave Rook a little smile before going back to drawing patterns with your fingertip.

"Ah, Mon Roi du Poison! My beautiful Vil! It is an honour to be able to give him my quarry, to feed him that which I've hunted! The delight it fills me with to see him eating-"

"We get it." Ruggie's ears flattened against his head. "How about you catch him a nice fish to eat or something?"

"What a lovely idea Monsieur Dent-de-Lion! I shall get to it now." And with a glimmer and a wave, Rook had disappeared.

"Something is seriously wrong with that guy..." Ruggie frowned. "Let's scram to the villa before he finds us again."

"...Sure? I need to check what's in the pantry anyway."

You showed up at the kitchen a little before 5, which Riddle took well to.

"Ah, you're here." He needlessly remarked, smoothing down his apron. "I'm glad that you were punctual, unlike some people I know."

Potshots already? Come on.

"Thank you, I guess." You pulled open the fridge to see what groceries had been left for you to cook with. Two cartons of milk... half a dozen eggs... assorted beef cuts...

Riddle leaned over your shoulder. "For all his faults, the Headmage does not skimp on preparations for us."

You resisted the urge to huff. "I suppose." In all likelihood, Crowley allocated this funding out of fear of complaints from the literal Second Prince and the heir to the largest merchant empire in the world. Coward.

You moved to check the pantries, thankful that Jade and Ortho had washed and dried the saucepans they'd used. You started to roll the idea of some recipes around in your head. Your knowledge of cooking before NRC had been... sufficient, to say the least. Though living on your own, with only ghosts to give advice had drastically improved your skills.

"Do you have any ideas of what we should cook?" Riddle asked, fiddling with his apron once more. How novel, to see him express nervousness.

"I was thinking that we could perhaps make a pasta. With these ingredients, we could probably make a vodka pasta sauce." You paused at Riddle's glare. "Cooking burns off any alcoholic properties of vodka, if I recall. Besides, the recipe I tend to use doesn't actually contain any vodka. Of course, I wouldn't mind if you'd rather cook something else."

Riddle blushed a pale pink, confusingly enough. "No, that sounds... adequate. There are no rules against having pasta for dinner."

You blinked. "Alright then. Shall we start to prepare the ingredients?"

You learnt very quickly that Riddle has no cooking prowess whatsoever. Unfortunately, this was only after you saw him take a ruler out to dice an onion. 

"How about I handle the cutting, and you shred the parmesan?" You said after a minute of staring. "Dicing doesn't need to be so precise. Well, really, not much in cooking has to be precise."

Riddle was already struggling with the grater, arms trembling. "Is... that... so?"

"Yes it is. I remember my brother once described it to me as cooking being an art, baking a science, and patisserie astrophysics. With how precise you are, you'd probably be better suited to baking, really." You mused, adding a few tablespoons of olive oil to your saucepan as you waited for it to heat up.

The timer went off on your phone, and Riddle moved to separate the penne from the pasta water. "You really think that?"

"Make sure to keep as much of the pasta water as you can." You reminded him before adding the onion and garlic to the pan. "But yes, you seem rather focused on being precise, and what is more precise than making sure your baking ratios are completely accurate? If you're not planning on being a professional chef, your focus on measurements is really unnecessary."

"I see..." Riddle went back to grating parmesan, while you added ground beef to your pasta mixture. "I suppose I should thank you for the advice."

"There's really no need."

The kitchen was mostly silent after that, besides a few directions from you and a few questions from Riddle. His strict personality came out from time to time, but it seemed he was happy to follow your instructions while cooking. Perhaps getting along with him wouldn't be so difficult, if he acted like that all the time.

"If you're planning on serving tea with this meal, allow me to prepare it. The Queen of Hearts has multiple guidelines to create the perfect pot of tea, after all."

"...Sure." And there it was. Taking over something that he assumed he had more knowledge in than yourself. You supposed in the case of teabags, he did. Yet it was irksome to compare some Queen's tea preparation rules to that of your homeland, which bloody well grows the stuff! Though... with fresh eyes you could see that he volunteered more out of a want to help you than to scold you. Still, you couldn't quite agree with how he decided to brew the tea.

You just wished he asked you instead of demanding it of you in this roundabout way.

"And for tonight!" You bowed theatrically, mostly for the fun of it. Despite the minor setback, cooking put you in a rather good mood. "Penne Alla Vodka, sans Vodka, obviously."

A few groans from the audience. Mostly Leona. Wait- no. That's literally just Leona whinging over and over again.

You patiently waited for him to stop. "Accompanying this we have tea, kale salad, and, of course, garlic bread."

With that, you and Riddle placed the huge casserole dishes of pasta on the table, not without a bit of a struggle. Ruggie looked especially eager to dig in.

"This is lovely." Vil smiled, serving some of the pasta to himself. "The presentation is wonderful." His plate looked more like one of those 'healthy plate' infographics, if anything.

"Oh wow! The pasta is perfect! Not too soft, and not too firm." Cater nodded to himself. "Looks like you two make a good team~"

Riddle blushed at that. You just shook your head, not without fondness, moving to take a seat between Ruggie and Idia. Riddle pulled up a chair opposite you, taking some pasta and humming happily. It was a childish display of glee, but one you welcomed. It made him seem like the kid that, to you, he was.

Lilia sighed. "Oh, what I'd give to cook with you two... 'Twas such a shame that I couldn't cook breakfast with Trey, no?"

Silver coughed when it became obvious no one was going to speak. "Of course, Lilia."

"Indeed." Malleus piped in.

"Anyways! Your cooking is delicious!" Kalim spoke up, "Still not as good as Jamil's though!"

"Is anyone's cooking better than Jamil's?" Idia muttered to himself.

Somehow Kalim managed to overhear. "Not a soul! Jamil is the greatest, isn't he?!"

"Kalim..." Jamil frowned, a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

"Oh I agree completely!" Azul laughed. "Jamil is amazing! Though, I do think he is suited better to another dorm..." He batted his eyes, the picture of innocence.

"Choke and drop dead." Jamil spat back, haunches raised.

Chatter started up around the table, and it warmed your heart to spend your time with your friends. This vacation would be coming to an end soon, and yet...

To stay in this moment forever would be a blessing. (Or perhaps, a curse.)

You took in the atmosphere, savouring this peaceful point in time. Good food, good friends, what more could you ask for? There was something so simple, yet so beautiful to take this bit of respite; to bask in the glow of your friends' banter. Soon this time would past, and this day would end, and so you clutched this memory close to your heart. You placed it in a treasure chest, locked it within your very soul.

A smile, unbidden, came to your lips. You felt... happy.

(You felt loved).

Mini Theatre (Y/N): I'm so happy! Narrator: This was soon to change, however.

(Y/N): The next time I'll open up to someone will be during my autopsy. Trey: Or like... to a therapist...

and here is the eighth part of the beach ep. if you'd like to read the rest of the fic and know more about what exactly is going on with this group of fools, you can read it on ao3 here, and on quotev here.

[ovobawrites]

𝒢𝒾𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝐻𝑜𝓊𝓈𝑒 - 𝒯𝓇𝑒𝓎 𝓍 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇

I decided to publish this oneshot cuz i still like it! I wrote it a year ago for a oneshot collab book.

This contains jealousy, hurt/comfort, christmas and a gender neutral reader. I got the dividers from @/animatedglittergraphics-n-more over here on tumblr!

The smell of strawberry shortcake wafted through the air, the three-tiered cake resting on the counter top while Trey started preparing the icing. You watched him wistfully, his strong arms beating the air into the cream without even breaking a sweat. Winter was just on the horizon and soon it'd be...

Well for you it'd be Christmas, for the others it was just an exam week and the long-awaited holidays. Still, you wanted to celebrate somehow. Which led you to where you were now, watching your dear boyfriend ready the confectioneries for the upcoming unbirthday party. Might as well ask him while he was already baking, right?

"Hey Trey..." You swung your legs to and fro from atop the counter. Your boyfriend hummed distractedly in reply. "Do you think we could make a gingerbread house or something together?"

Trey halted his whisking, shoulders tensing ever so slightly. You already knew what he was going to say. Still, you waited with a glimmer of hope.

"Winter exams are just around the corner, dear, and with Riddle being so adamant on our dorm scoring high on the leader-board..." He trailed off.

"You'll be busy studying, I know. I just wanted to check if you had the time to." You plastered on a smile he'd never see, his back to you. "That reminds me, are we still having that study date tonight?"

A pause.

Ah. Again.

Trey turned around to face you with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, Riddle's-"

"It's fine, don't worry about it!" You had guessed. "We can always reschedule for later. You're a third-year and all! A busy old man!" Too many jokes for it to be genuine.

Still Trey chuckled obligingly, kissed you on the cheek, and went back to his baking. You sighed quietly to yourself.

At least you'd have Grim with you for Christmas.

"What's Christmas?" Grim asked you as you lied in bed, resting on your stomach while you told him about your plans for the holidays.

"It's a holiday in my world, a celebration." You explained softly, longing in your voice. "There's a lot of boring history behind it but essentially we give each other gifts on December 25th. The whole month's a holiday, really. My family and I would make gingerbread houses, decorate a pine tree together..." You trailed off.

"Sounds fun," Grim muttered, half asleep. "the Great Grim wants tuna as a present... a whole pile of it..." He snored softly.

You smiled, melancholic and wistful. "A Christmas with just you and me..." How lonely. It was stupid of you to hope like that.

You drifted off to sleep, unaware of Grim peering at you with worried eyes, a frown on his face.

The library was practically empty. Most NRC students would never study during a weekend, after all. Might as well get used to being alone for the winter break now. Grim was asleep on your lap once again, the cold weather making him more drowsy than usual. You sighed, leaning your head against your hand, absent-mindedly flipping pages in your (borrowed) history textbook. Hopefully you could convince Crowley to give you all that tuna he promised, otherwise you'd be spending your lunch money on tuna for the next few weeks.

The creak of the library door opening made you raise your head, curious to who had entered. No one you recognised. A couple, by the looks of things. Chatting quietly to each other, smiles on their faces as they walked to a table at the back of the room. You sighed again. Back to taking notes from the textbook then.

 And as you took the notes, a black knot started to furl up in your chest.

'Policies in the Queendom of Roses during 1635'

...

'Public reaction to Policies'

...

'Red Rose Uprising'

Flip the page of your notebook, blink and close your dry eyes for a moment.

'Establishment of a Democratic System'

...

'Reinstatement of the Monarchy'

...

'Reign of the Queen of Hearts'

...

You blinked slowly, feeling the tell tale signs of an impromptu nap creeping up on you. What would happen if you slept for a little while? You'd be woken up by the bell, and it's not like you had any plans before lunch anyways.

Close the textbook, pack away your stationary and put your stuff in your bag. Then you took off your blazer and bunched it on the table, resting your head on it.

(The soft feeling of a familiar coat being draped over you didn't register. Still, some subconscious part of you smiled in your sleep.)

You woke up when Grim shook you frantically. The bell had just rung to signal that it was time for lunch. You went to pick up your bag, but halted in your steps. Someone's NRC uniform jacket rested on your shoulders. A quick glance at the label told you what you already knew. It was Trey's.

You brushed your hands over the jacket, and your cheeks flushed ever so slightly.

"Ughhh, hurry up, (Y/N)! The Great Grim needs to eat!" The not-cat batted at you with his paws. "Come on! Let's eat! Now!"

"Right, sorry."

You quickly gathered your belongings and left the library, Grim curled around your neck and chattering away. You remained quiet, thoughts turbulent. Should you give Trey his coat back now? Or should you wait until he asks you for it? You wanted to see him but he was probably busy. Still. Maybe you should go to the Heartslabyul dorm after Grim has his fill of food...

"Yeah, yeah. You go talk to Trey and I'll do something else, like find those two bozos." Grim waved a paw dismissively before he brightened up. "Or I could go take some food from the-!"

"No." You pet his head lightly. "You know Riddle will just collar you again if he catches you stealing food, right?"

"Please, he's mellowed out! And I barely got to eat my lunch!" Grim turned pleading eyes towards you, fully aware that you saw him eat three times his body weight in carbonara.

"I'll only be talking to Trey for a bit anyways." You smiled bitterly. "He's busy studying with Riddle, or whatever."

Grim slumped over, and you caught a flash of something in his eyes. Pity? "Fine, but you owe me three cans of tuna, got that?!"

"Deal." You shook his 'hand' before you hurried off to find Trey.

You just wanted to go back to your dorm and study. As much as you loathed to admit it, you were still raw and open from yesterday's conversation. You didn't want to feel so vulnerable, but Trey had a way of making you feel such stupid things. Now where would you find your busy boyfriend...

Knowing Riddle, the two of them are probably studying together in the garden. You strided over, Trey's jacket carefully folded in your arms, held tightly to your chest.

A laugh you knew all too well. Looks like your first guess was right!

Still, better check in case you were just experiencing a brief auditory hallucination.

You peered around a rose bush, silent as a mouse and completely unnoticed. Trey and Riddle were laughing together, holding tea cups and carrying a light, inaudible conversation. There were no books on the garden table. Riddle said something, and Trey burst out into peals of laughter, face flushing in delight. You've never been able to get him to laugh like that. And with how the two were seated next to each other, barely any space between them, it looked an awful lot like they were on a...

A date.

Ah. So that's what's been twisting your guts this whole time. You're jealous. Of Riddle.

Another loud laugh from Trey, who looked at Riddle with such soft and loving eyes and-

You couldn't bear to see any more of this.

You left just as quietly as you came, Trey's jacket still tucked tightly in your arms. You immediately went to find Grim, you couldn't- you didn't want to-

You just wanted to go home. But you can't. So Ramshackle's the next best thing you've got.

You stared at the ground, hurrying to the Heartslabyul dorm's main building, not paying any attention to who was in front of you. So it really shouldn't have shocked you when you crashed into someone's chest.

"Oi, be careful- (Y/N)?" Deuce immediately switched gears, looking upon you with gentle concern.

"Sorry for bumping into you, Deuce." You said, "I was distracted."

"Hey, it's fine, don't worry about it-"

"Oh? What's this? Is Deucey bullying the poor, helpless Prefect?" Ace came over smoothly, a wicked grin on his face. "What would Riddle say if he saw you?"

"Shut up Ace!" Deuce sighed, then looked at you. Really looked at you. It felt like he was gazing into your soul.

You squirmed, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Um... do you want to say something?"

Deuce jolted. "No I-"

Ace sidled over to Deuce, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "Yeah, did you Deuce? 'Cause you were staring at (Y/N) for an awfully long amount of time. Trying to steal Trey's datemate?"

That's when Grim spoke up, jumping onto your neck in one quick pounce. "You better not be trying to mess with my henchman, Deuce... or else..."

"I wasn't!" Deuce cried out, looking awfully persecuted. "I just got lost in thought, you know?"

"Don't think too hard, Deucey~" Ace chuckled. "You might blow up the only two braincells you got left!"

"Like you have many braincells of your own, Ace." You shot back. "Grim, are you ready to go?"

He peered at you, pausing in licking his paw. "I was always ready to leave. I don't wanna catch these two's stupidity!"

"As if you aren't just as stupid as us!" Ace and Deuce yelled, the two grappling at each other in another fight that would undoubtedly get them in trouble.

"I'll see you guys in class on Monday!" You smiled and waved at the two as you walked back to the mirror. "Don't get into too much trouble this time, 'kay?"

"No promises!" Ace said, trapped in Deuce's headlock. "Ow- ow, that hurts you idiot!"

"They're gonna get collared by Riddle again." Grim said flatly as the two of you walked far away enough to no longer hear the boys' hissed insults and swears. "And were you not able to find Trey?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"You still have his jacket." Grim pointed out.

You looked down, a little shocked to see it in your arms still. "Oh, right. I forgot." You stepped through the mirror before continuing your conversation with Grim. "And yeah, I couldn't. Maybe he's in the library?"

"Do you wanna go there now?"

You sighed. "Not really, I'm a little too tired for that..."

"Well, you better have enough energy to cook me a bunch of tuna for dinner!"

"You got it, boss."

Soon enough, you were too busy to even think about Trey and Riddle and the horrible things you felt. Your hands were full from your three idiots making some dumb deal with Azul. Then there was staying at Savanaclaw for a few days, and you weren't even able to see Trey at that point. Instead, you told the boys to tell him at the dorms that you needed to cancel the few dates the two of you had planned.

And now you were stuck in the infirmary for a checkup after Azul's overblot, the ghostly nurse fussing over the whole lot of you after that whole ordeal. Luckily, no one was really injured, but you were forced into staying in the school infirmary for the night, again.

"Why does this always happen to me." You groaned, staring at the ceiling, Grim curled up on your lap. "I should have never gotten involved in this... I was so stupid..."

"Hey, at least Leona was able to get rid of Azul's dirt on hi- Mmph!" Ruggie writhed under Leona's hand, struggling to get free while laughing at the look on his face.

"We. Agreed. Not. To. Talk. About. That." He growled out, removing his hand from Ruggie's mouth.

Ruggie smiled innocently. "Did we? I might need a little something as a reminder-"

He was cut off once again. This time by the door slamming open. Trey burst into the infirmary, hair a mess and glasses askew.

He looked around the room frantically. "Is (Y/N) okay? I heard she was-" He looked at you.

"Hi." You croaked out, voice a little sore from yelling out commands to Grim.

He rushed over to you, nearly tripping over in the process. "Hey." He smiled, eyes worried. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, my throat just hurts a little from shouting so much." Your stomach fluttered as Trey grabbed your hand with such care, thumb brushing over the back of it, rubbing gentle, soothing circles into your skin.

"There are... other people here... you know." Azul said, voice barely above a whisper. "I'd like to leave... the third wheeling to... Grim..." He coughed.

Ace and Deuce burst into laughter at that, Floyd and Jade following shortly after.

"It's so true!" Ace wheezed out. "Everytime they're on a study date... Grim's-" He took a deep breath, barely able to get his words out. "Grim's always there-" He laughed even harder, nearly falling off his bed.

Deuce managed to push past the laughter to speak. "He always says he's chaperoning- like he could stop Trey!"

"Nooo, really?" Leona smirked. "That's actually tragic. What does he think will happen?"

Even you laughed a little, throat hurting a little too much to actually laugh that loud. They were so lucky Grim was a deep sleeper. Trey just continued smiling and grasped your hand a little tighter, settling into the chair by your bedside.

"Do you want to bake something together, tomorrow?" He whispered, voice barely audible above the boys' laughter.

You perked up slightly. "A gingerbread house?"

He leant down to kiss you on the forehead. "Anything you want."

"Can't you guys cut out the PDA? Just this once?" Ace whined, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

You looked at Trey, knew he would indulge anything you asked of him, and decided you might as well cause a little more chaos while you were stuck here. "Can I have a real kiss?"

Trey sighed reluctantly, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "I guess..."

The shouts of disgust from everyone in the room only made you laugh harder.

You gasped as you took in the magnificent sight before you, "That's so many sweets!" You turned to Trey, who looked awfully proud for someone who claimed to care about dental health. "How did you get all of these?"

"I had a little bit of help." He smiled, before turning to the ingredients he had set out on the kitchen counter. "We should start making the dough first, put the cookies in the oven, and then plan out the decorations." Trey rolled his sleeves up. "How about you start with combining the wet ingredients, while I work on the dry ones?"

"Sure!" You took one look longingly at the rows of candy packets in front of you. "And I can definitely snack on the candies a little while we wait for the gingerbread to bake, right?"

A chuckle. "Okay, but you'll have to brush your teeth with extra care tonight."

"When have I not? It's Grim you have to be worried about..." You lightly kissed Trey on the cheek and went to wash your hands. "Time to bake!"

Trey sat on the chair next to you, automatically wrapping an arm around you to tuck you in close. "So were you thinking to make a traditionally-styled gingerbread house, or did you want to go for something more..."

"I thought it might be a little fun if we used the left over dough to make little gingerbread versions of our friends!" You said, leaning into your boyfriend's warmth. "I bet Ace would bite cookie Deuce's head off in a heartbeat."

The soft rumble of Trey's laughter. "Cater would love it, he'd keep gingerbread-him alive for as long as he could. He'd probably spam his magicam feed with the amount of photos he'd take."

You giggled in turn, basking in the comfort Trey brought you. A lull in the conversation. Before.

"Have you been avoiding me?" Trey asked, eyes staring at the wall.

You paused. "It wasn't intentional." Both of you knew there was a reason for it.

Trey remained silent, an indication that he wasn't going to pressure you into talking about this. But he'd like to know.

You twisted your hands in your lap, not sure what to say. 'I've been jealous about you being close with your childhood friend?' like that'd go over well. "It's just me being stupid, that's all." You kept your eyes fixed to your hands.

Trey held you tighter. "If it bothers you, it's not stupid."

Even now your face flushed. "I..." Butterflies flooded your stomach. "Promise you won't get upset?"

"I promise."

"It's- I'm- The thing is I-" You sighed in frustration, stumbling over your words like a child. "I saw you and Riddle that day and it-" You started to pick at the skin around your nails. "I felt... jealous, okay?" Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes. You didn't know why you felt so upset, but your eyes burned nonetheless and the pit in your chest grew larger.

A beat of silence. Another.

Trey removed his arm from around your shoulder and you automatically flinched, shutting your eyes out of fear. You didn't want to see the look of disgust on his face.

Trey grasped your hands in his, stopping you from trying to make your fingers bleed. "I'm not sure why you feel jealous, but it's not something silly. I promised I wouldn't get mad at you, and I'm not." You opened your eyes, and he let go of your hands for just a moment to brush away your tears. "You know..." Trey looked away, the tips of his ears turning red. "I get jealous too, sometimes."

You squirmed your fingers in his grip. "Really?" Wait. "Of who?"

"Of Leona, and of Floyd, and-" Trey cut himself off. "A lot of guys. It's irrational, but it's something I can't help feeling." He snorted, and turned to fully face you. "That's one of the reasons why I kissed you in the infirmary, you know. I just wanted to make sure everyone could see that we're dating."

Ah. "Me too." You said in a hushed voice, cheeks feeling a bit warm. "I guess we were both being a little stupid, huh."

"At least we can be stupid together." Trey smiled, kissing your hands gently.

You couldn't hold back the peals of laughter. "That's- that's so cheesy." You wheezed, nearly falling over.

Trey joined in, pulling you up into his arms and pressed his forehead against yours. And for the first time since you arrived in this Twisted Wonderland, you felt at home.

[ovobawrites]

𝐵𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽: 𝐸𝓅𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒹𝑒 𝐸𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 ♡ 𝐹𝒷𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓎𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓈

disclaimer: this has already been posted on ao3 and quotev, i'm just reposting this beach episode special as a promo for the fic. after this is all my previous author notes.

this is a fem!reader and also a half chinese!reader insert.

previous ♡ next

It took thirty minutes for you, Ruggie and Silver to convince Malleus that lifting up the villa was not, in fact, a good idea. It didn't help that Leona kept egging him on, smug grin on his face as Ruggie glared at him. Lilia was no help at all, too busy finding amusement in the chaos, while Kalim simply watched everything go down with a bright smile on his face. Too bright. Just what did he want with that boulder?

Jamil kept an eye on Kalim with a wary look, but seemed distracted enough by Azul and Idia's pain. You think you saw him smile when Azul was moved to tears by the crushed sandcastle. You took the opportunity to get closer to Kalim, and tilted your head imploringly when he made eye contact. 

"Hm? There's nothing to worry about (Y/N)!" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I just wanted to see how big this boulder was! Plus, it was sooo cool when Malleus brought it over with his magic!"

He was definitely up to something. "Why do you need a boulder?" You confronted him, straightforward enough to catch him off guard. "Is it for a prank of some sort?"

Kalim paled at that. The last prank that went down in NRC was... something to say the least. Riddle still hasn't uncollared that one brave Heartslabyul boy who participated in it. "No! Never!" He looked around nervously. "How could I after... that incident?!"

"So it isn't something completely foolhardy, then?"

He chuckled at that. "Nope! I just wanted to prepare a surprise for everyone." Kalim's bright smile morphed into a much softer, kinder, real expression. "Everyone's been getting along so well... so I figured I might as well do something to celebrate!"

You could see why. You still were shocked that Riddle hadn't tried to kill Floyd in his sleep yet. Or that Azul hadn't been tossed into the ocean by Jamil. Or that Rook and Leona and Malleus hadn't gotten into a blowout fight-

Okay, so maybe your brother was right when he said that your friends were completely dysfunctional a week back. 

You nodded slowly, implying agreement to Kalim, and resolved to distract everyone else from what he was doing. "Do you want to move it somewhere else for now? So that you can prepare, whatever it is, in secret?"

Kalim brightened up at that. "That'd be perfect, thanks! Maybe we should get Malleus to-"

He popped up next to the two of you immediately, eyes glowing with subtle pride. "Do the two of you require me for a task?"

Kalim nodded excitedly and started to animatedly describe what he wanted Malleus to do for him, complete with rapid motions and hand gestures. Everyone else was too distracted to notice, thankfully. Leona and Ruggie were laughing amongst themselves, sly looks on the pair's faces. Vil, Rook and Cater were still distracted by their photoshoot. And Lilia was carrying a sleeping Silver while trying to help Idia and Azul resolve their differences enough to rebuild their sandcastle. Ortho had moved off to talk to Jade about the meal prep, most likely. And the splashing from the water was definitely Riddle being almost drowned by Floyd. Poor Trey.

"Oh- that's right! (Y/N), wanna come help us out?" Kalim turned to you, Malleus and him pleadingly staring with begging eyes for you to join them.

"Sure." You smiled placidly, mind spinning with thoughts and predictions and-

Malleus placed a hand on your shoulder and Kalim grabbed your hand. "Shall we depart?"

"Yeah, let's start!"

It was. An effort. On your part that is. Usually Kalim and Malleus's excitement wouldn't have had you so off kilter but... You weren't at your best today. That was all. 

"Then we just need to trim this part down here and-" Kalim wiped the sweat off his brow. "We'll be finished for today! This is gonna be so cool!"

You nodded absentmindly, floating with the help of Malleus's magic to chisel down the part he just pointed out. "I think we should cover it in some sort of sealant or resin though." You remarked absentmindedly. "I'm afraid the stone might be too soft and our work will be washed away by the water."

"There is no need for worry," Malleus smiled, "I have all ready casted a spell that should mitigate the effects of any of the natural world."

"It won't be too much of a drain on you?" Kalim fretted, "I don't wanna knock you out! You've already helped so much Malleus and-"

"This is nothing to me, Kalim. Fret not." Malleus said in reply, lowering you to the ground with a wave of his pen.

"Thank you." You nodded at him and brushed the dust off of you. "We must leave now. Before the others get suspicious." You reminded Kalim and Malleus gently. 

"Right!" Kalim hissed at that, "Jamil's probably gonna kill me- oh god."

"Then we better start to hurry." You smiled, and then a thought. "Race you there!"

A laugh and you were off, blind to Kalim and Malleus's shocked and joyful smiles behind you. Laughter bubbling up as they chased you down the shore to the group.

"Catch me if you can Zhìzhi[1]!" A childish laugh and the patter of footsteps down the long hallway. Servants moving to the side, silent as always while the chase ensued.

"You can run, but you can't hide sister!" A burst of speed and a shriek of joy. A warm hug and rough hands messing up your hair.

"Hey- wait that's not fair!" Kalim laughed, bright and cheerful. "You got a headstart!"

"There you are," Jamil raised an eyebrow at Kalim, preparing to scold him if necessary. "what were you doing?"

You sighed. Looks like you were gonna have to take the lead on this one. Neither Malleus nor Kalim could lie very well, and Kalim's nervous laughs were not helping to assuage whatever Jamil's suspicions were. 

"We were just seeing how strong Malleus's magic is!" You remarked in a lilting voice, swaying to and fro with your arms behind your back. "We wanted to see him drop boulders into the water to create some big waves and..."

"We didn't want to risk Riddle drowning if we did it over here!" Kalim chimed in, looking awfully proud of himself.

"Are... are you implying I'm short?" Riddle started slowly, already starting to flush a violent red.

"Hm? No?" Kalim tilted his head. "I just thought, 'cause Jade and Floyd can breathe underwater they'd be fine. And I-" He paused for less than a second, unnoticed by everyone but you. "I wouldn't put it past Floyd to drown you..." He looked away for a second at that, hiding the glimpse of the smile that threatened to spread across his face. Redirection was Kalim's specialty, after all.

"Sea Otter's right~" Floyd threw an arm over Riddle's head, using him as an armrest. "I would totally let Goldfishie sleep with the fishes." 

Jade grinned. "Maybe don't reveal your intentions so early into the game, Floyd." 

The two laughed amongst themselves, turning into straight up howling when Riddle launched himself at Floyd in an effort to pound him into the ground. It did not work, only forcing Trey and Cater to try to temper their Housewarden's mood once more. You turned your head away from the scene, a complex mix of feelings flooding your chest. Muddy browns made from greens, reds and blues made your heart pulse painfully.

You walked away from the scene to instead inspect the sandcastle Idia and Azul made. It was sprawling in magnitude, elaborate with each detail planned to the t. Something about the temporary state it lived in made the structure even more beautiful. Before you knew it, you had unintentionally crouched down to look upon the tiny city the two had made.

"I-it's amazing, isn't it." Idia stuttered for a moment, avoiding eye contact, hair tinged pink. "You know, I based the entire thing off of the map from Star Rogue. It's this old game Ortho and I used to play and-"

Azul interjected Idia's rambling, smirk on his face. "Please, Idia. Would it kill you to stop such long winded rants? Don't you think (Y/N) is more interested in the process of making this, anyways? She is a student of the arts."

"Oh, I don't mind listening to his rambles," you remarked offhandedly. "I enjoy listening to what Idia's passionate about." You moved in closer to the small town, an unbidden smile on your face from the remarkable care put into the piece. "...I think it's rather striking how you made such a beautiful piece, all while aware of the futility of it all. Tomorrow, this sandcastle will be knocked down by winds and the night, yet you built it anyways. It's a wonderful example of how, at the end of the day, the only thing that separates us from animals is our desire to create. To make something so meaningless, simply because you wanted to," You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, glancing up at the two boys with a warm gaze. "I think it's rather lovely."

"I-it's a s-sand empire actually-y" Idia choked out, hair weaving pink trails of light in the darkening evening. He reached for the hood of his pale blue sleeveless hoodie with shaking hands, fiddling with the strings. A small smile on his face.

Azul blinked, the tips of his ears a deep red. He opened his mouth uselessly, flapping it like a fish before simply walking away with a muffled shriek. The tweels rushing over to him at his embarrassment like sharks to blood.

"Oh- sorry, sand empire." You blinked, a little shocked at their reactions. 

Idia looked away in reply, hair still in that shade of fuchsia. But he still leant down to offer you a hand up. 

You took the proffered hand, slightly bashful from the look Idia was giving you. It was an intense stare, only present when you looked away from him. You think you might be...

No. You can't afford it right now. Or ever.

You still held his hand for the entire walk back.

The group had walked back to the villa for showers, leaving only Jade and Ortho to prepare the food of the night. After last night's fiasco, it was a welcome change. Not even Leona had a negative quip when the two chefs left for the kitchen, though that might have been from Ruggie's stern glare. And so you all parted ways, though you couldn't help but miss Idia's hand in yours.

Even if your isolated dorm had running water and working showers, it couldn't compare to the luxury of these bathrooms. Seems Crowley really splurged on this villa. How kind of him!

But you had heard rumors of him wanting to go on this trip himself, held back by only the mountain of paperwork he needed to complete.

That might explain why Crewel was so ecstatic about the trip. The staff likely held a raffle of some sort, you knew Trein would have killed to be in Crewel's place.

You snickered at that thought, toweling your hair softly and finishing up your nighttime routine. It'd only been an hour since the group had gotten back, but you still wanted to know how Jade and Ortho's cooking was going. You wanted to see the harmony present from Trey's morning cooking. You had no doubt the two would practically dance around the kitchens and- 

You missed Zhìháo, just a little. 

Even when you had turned 10, Zhìháo 14, you had still cooked and baked together. It wasn't as filled with childish chatter like before, your mother had made sure of that. But the silence was comforting nonetheless. Something about simply existing with the one person you'd ever loved in the room was just perfect. It had filled you with blooming pink and yellow flowers, hummingbirds and butterflies buzzing in your stomach to create a warmth that you could only ever attribute to this nebulous feeling of home. You had wanted to stay with him, in your private little sanctuary. Just the two of you, together, until the end of time.

(It didn't last forever, though.

At some point, when you had turned 13 Jiànhóng had joined you both, when he wasn't busy with paperwork and his own retainer duties. He'd lightly bump Zhìháo's shoulder and laugh loudly when there was a smear of flour on his liege's face. Jiànhóng would teach you how to cook french toast[2], the streetfood greasy from oils and the peanut sauce. Yet it had still been the happiest moments in your life. Eating horribly unhealthy food. Just you and your two brothers. The only family you've ever known.

And then-)

You shook the memory from your head, not wanting to dredge in those dreadful days. Instead, you walked down the stairs and went to enter the kitchens. 

Whirring from the ventilation fans and from Ortho's cooling system could be heard from the bottom of the staircase. But the noise was overwhelmed by tense voices, raising in volume, only interrupted by the dinging of egg-timers and the clanging of pans. 

This probably wasn't good.

You slowly walked into the kitchen, making sure your footsteps could be heard as you peeked past the door frame to see Jade and Ortho. The two of them were obviously upset, Ortho making snipping comments at Jade who retorted with cutting remarks. While Ortho's anger was clear from the red flames, Jade's was only belied by his strong grip on the cooking utensils, practically bending pan handles and spatulas. It was almost funny, but the anger had you scared.

Sure, NRC was filled with testosterone and the fury of the students within, but something about seeing your friends truly angry, to the point where they looked ready to snap and hurt those around them-

It had a black snake coiling in your guts.

You had stood there, frozen and pale (unnoticeably so, the jade of your mask containing not even one crack) until you were noticed by Ortho. 

"Oh! (Y/N)!" He brightened up immediately, hair turning back to its usual blue. "What are you doing here? Did you come over to help?"

You smiled placidly. "I'd like to, but I doubt I'd be of any help. But, forgive me if this is too forwards, is something wrong? You and Jade seem rather-"

"Nothing's-" Jade lowered his voice at the slight flinch you had made from the yell. "Nothing is wrong, Ortho and I... simply disagree on a few things."

"It's not my fault you're mathematically inferior to me, the numbers prove it!" Ortho pouted and crossed his arms, "Besides, if you had just listened to me-"

"Maybe you should listen to the experienced chef, hm?" Jade interjected, hand on chest while the other seemed to have tightened its grip on the pan.

"And maybe you should listen to the chef with more knowledge!" Ortho replied snappishly. 

Jade opened his mouth to retort but you cut him off, injecting just the slightest hint of timidity in your voice. "What were you two disagreeing on, exactly?"

"Cooking techniques." The two spoke mulishly in unison, glaring at each other. Ortho jumped at a timer going off and returned to a pan on the stove top right by Jade.

"I see." You didn't. "But how come you two are both so angry?"

"I'd be calmer if there wasn't this tinny, robotic voice in my ear critiquing my every move." Jade spat out in a rare display of true frustration.

You turned to look disapprovingly at Ortho. "Ortho, is this true?"

He shrank back a little, looking put off. "Well- yes but," he gathered up confidence and raised his voice once more. "Jade kept on ignoring my suggestions for meals and told me to just follow his lead! I want a chance to cook something other than Mostro Lounge recipes-"

"Well, you can do that on your own time. Preferably far away from me-"

"Anyways why should I listen to someone who can't even baste properly-"

"Not that you even need to cook for yourself as someone who doesn't even have tastebuds-"

"Well at least I can-"

You sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose. You were going to get a headache from this fighting. "How about... the two of you compromise?"

They both snapped their heads towards you, fierce looks on both of their faces. 

"No way!"

"Absolutely not."

"How could I collaborate with a creep like-"

"This child can't even-"

"Enough." You didn't raise your voice, but there was no need to. The two froze just from your tone alone. "Either compromise or have one work on the main course and the other on appetizers and desserts."

"...I wanna do desserts!"

"I'll gladly work on the main course, then."

Figures neither of them could even force a compromise. NRC boys. No matter. It wasn't your job to teach them how to work together anyways. You walked out of the kitchen and settled on the couch.

"(Y/N), you look... haggard." Vil looked up from his phone, face mask on while he lay down on the couch opposite you.

"Jade and Ortho don't get along well at all." You groaned, "Surprising, no?"

He stared at you flatly. "You thought two people from different dorms would get along?"

You giggled at that. "Well- I had hoped-"

"The first step is to not hope at all. Keep your expectations low." He glanced back at his phone and tapped on the screen for a moment before focusing his attention solely on you. "But that's not all that's bothering you, is it?"

You almost snapped to attention at that, the only thing stopping you being months of training on composure and masks. "Hm? What makes you say that?"

"I'm an actor, remember?" Vil sniffed disapprovingly. "Besides, you have a crease between your brows."

"Oh, I didn't realise," You looked away, off into the distance as you considered what to say, scratching your arm. "It was merely a bad memory, that's all."

Vil's stare pinned you to the couch, a warmth in it similair to the passion of the sun. "Do you want to talk about it? It apparently helps with," He finger quoted, "bad memories."

You didn't know what to say. You couldn't talk about it and even if you wanted to it was-

"You don't have to, you know. Just say no." Vil jolted you from your thoughts. His brows furrowed in slight worry before he smoothed his expression out once more. "It was a suggestion, you don't need to."

You nodded stiltedly. You hadn't realised how affected you were by the thought of that time. Even now it rested in the back of your mind, a viper ready to strike.

"Listen," Vil sighed. "You don't have to tell me what's going on with you- would you rather I talk about something to distract you from," he gestured his hand up and down at your form. "whatever is bothering you?"

"I-" Your voice almost broke and your throat felt thick, tongue heavy. "I'd appreciate that."

Vil stared at you appraisingly for a moment, searching for something you didn't know of. He looked satisfied when he found it and then launched into an elaborate rant featuring the problems with makeup brands, celebrity endorsements and... Neige? Whoever that was. But either way, his soothing voice helped to calm you down, matching your shaky breathing to the rhythm of his speech and-

Eventually you locked those thoughts away. The nails against your arm soon turned into a comforting rub of hand against raw skin. And in that moment, you once more wished for a forever that would never stay.

[1] Zhìzhi here is just a cute nickname (y/n) used when they were younger. very childish but it was theirs? you know. [2] So chinese french toast (that's the name I know it by) is a fried bread sandwich sort of thing? Stuffed with this salty peanut paste sauce and coated in condensed milk. It's absolutely delicious and a comfort food for me! Even though it's really greasy and probably super unhealthy haha...

Mini Theatre Jamil: Wait where's Kalim- Azul: NOOOO THE SANDCASTLE Idia: NOT AGAINNNNNN Jamil: Nevermind, I've got more pressing things to pay attention to Silver, in a pile of sand: Oh, did I fall asleep again?

Idia and (Y/N)'s relationship is essentially: Idia, ranting passionately about some game franchise while (Y/N) is nodding along and either resting against his shoulder or drawing Couple goals lol

and here is the eighth part of the beach ep. if you'd like to read the rest of the fic, you can read it on ao3 here, and on quotev here.

[ovobawrites]

𝐵𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽: 𝐸𝓅𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒹𝑒 𝒮𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 ♡ 𝐹𝒷𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓎𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓈

disclaimer: this has already been posted on ao3 and quotev, i'm just reposting this beach episode special as a promo for the fic. after this is all my previous author notes.

this is a fem!reader and also a half chinese!reader insert.

previous ♡ next

"Another day, another slay." You muttered to yourself, quoting Cater as you got ready for the day. You didn't exactly understand why slaughter was such a good thing, but you were sure it was another one of those turns of phrases from the internet.

The birds had just started to sing as you left your room, softly closing the door behind you before racing down the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible. There was no way you were going to eat Lilia's cooking, not for your first meal of the day. Hopefully Malleus somehow restrained Lilia before he could get out of their shared room. Though, knowing Malleus, he may very well revel in the chaos Lilia would cause.

...You could hear the clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen. You stood frozen, debating the merits of running away or trying to mitigate the damage until footsteps echoed through the doorway. Probably Trey, Ruggie or Jamil then. Lilia would never walk when cooking (maybe that's part of why it's so bad?). 

You sighed to yourself in relief and walked into the room. "Ah, good morning Trey!" You chirped, feeling better already.

"Hm?" Trey turned over to you, cherry red apron tied to his waist and a smudge of flour on his cheek. "Oh, good morning to you too (Y/N)." He smiled.

You examined the kitchen with an ever-critical eye, seeing both sweet and savory ingredients set on the counter. "Whatever is all this for?" A teasing tone. "A feast? For us?" A batting of your eyelashes as you prepared a speech of epic proportions in response to the inevitable betrayal Trey would bring.

"It actually is." Trey chuckled. "I'd rather cook for all of us then have to manage Lilia here again."

"I wouldn't worry about that." You murmured to yourself, but elaborated upon Trey's questioning look sent your way. "Malleus or Silver either locked him up or distracted him last night to the point where Lilia won't wake until noon."

"...That doesn't sound much like Malleus. But it would be rather nice of Silver to do that." Trey turned back to the mix of batter, and with a flourish, whisked it into a perfect consistency.

An obligatory round of applause from yourself and a mock bow from Trey. The smudge on his cheeks was really starting to annoy you... but his hands were dirty so it's not like he could get rid of it himself. You leant against a counter and watched Trey work, whizzing throughout the kitchen with practiced movements. Skill and subtle strength in how he handled every ingredient before him, a spark of flame and a sizzle of butter. The click of the knife against the cutting board as fruit was turned into slivers at the speed of light.

"I'm making pancakes for us, if you're wondering." Trey spoke aloud, vulnerable back to you. Ease and trust written all over his frame. It made your heart pang for just a moment. "It's the perfect breakfast food. Well, that and waffles I suppose. And crêpes... Anyways, you can pair them with meaty foods like bacon or with more sweet confectioneries."

"Is that so?" You mused. "We only have cōngyóubǐng, a scallion fried pancake, and there's mandarin pancakes[1]... oh! And shredded fried pancakes... though at that point they're quite different from western ones..."

"So savory pancakes?" Trey surmised.

"Pretty much!" You grinned, and decided you might as well get rid of that smudge on his cheek before the white stains it forever. "Stay still for a moment, you have something on your cheek." Trey hummed and tilted his head towards you obligingly. A quick rub of your thumb got the flour off, and with a small cheer, you licked the residue from your finger. 

Trey went still, a small widening of his eyes and a quick intake of breath from him. You glanced at him with clear concern. "Something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing." And with a quick shake of his head, Trey went back to work.

The kitchen was silent but for the sounds of cooking, yet you were ever so comfortable around Trey that you barely noticed. Simply being with him was enough. Pinks and reds. A glowing warmth as you watched him continue to make breakfast for everyone. An unbidden smile came to your lips. 

(And if Trey recognised it for the real smile it was, a crack in the jade mask, he said nary a word, content to bask in the happiness you brought him.)

"Thank you for cooking, Trey!" Ruggie grinned as he dug into his sky-high pile of pancakes. "Ifw's dewishous!" 

"I'm glad you like it." Trey accepted the praise with a smile, eating his own, much smaller, pile of pancakes with far better grace.

Lilia pouted. "How come you didn't wake me up? I would have been ever so delighted to have made breakfast with you!" At that, everyone looked away, sweating or tugging at their collars.

Turns out, Malleus had 'accidentally' broken the alarm clock in his and Lilia's room, rendering Lilia unable to know when, exactly, he needed to wake up for breakfast prep. And thank the gods for that! 

"There'll always be a next time, Lilia..." Silver patted him on the back with a twitching smile. 

"...You're right! I can always cook tomorrow!" Lilia beamed as the rest of you scrambled to find a way to stop him.

But then, just in the nick of time, your saving grace arrived: 

"There'll be no need for that, Vanrouge." Crewel said as he entered the dining room, no interest in the foods in front of him. "Ortho and Jade will be cooking tonight and for tomorrow's breakfast."

Lilia fake sobbed into Silver's chest, slighted by this rejection from his professor. Meanwhile, the rest of you looked so thankful, Silver about to collapse from the relief Crewel just gave him. Seems Lilia had a few tricks up his sleeve last night, though he failed in the end.

"For lunch, you will have the opportunity to prepare sandwiches from the ingredients I left in the cupboard." Crewel continued on, unfazed. "Now, if you excuse me pups, I'm going to go relax on my own. Don't interrupt me unless it's an emergency. If I find you disturbed my vacation for foolish reasons, you'll be the test subject for my next batch of cursed foods."

And on that slightly threatening note, Crewel staggered out of the house, sunglasses on as he left. 

"Was... Professor Crewel... drunk?" Ruggie asked, ears pushed back. 

Leona just sighed in reply. "If you had to teach at NRC for a year, wouldn't you get wasted too?"

Ruggie thought about it for a moment, tilting his head as his face went from grief to depression to anger to bargaining to acceptance within a second. He shrugged and went back to devouring everything on his plate.

You finished your smaller portion much quicker than the boys, and went to wash your dishes and prepare your lunch before the inevitable fight for ingredients. Jamil and Jade likely thought the same, judging from how they picked up the pace. Then, on the other side of the spectrum landed Riddle, Kalim and Azul, currently embroiled in some engrossing matter (something about studying?) with an interjection or two from Floyd just to get Riddle riled up. Cater bugging Idia and Malleus about some matter or the other, likely his magicam, while Trey juggled calming Riddle down, getting Cater to stop scaring Idia so much, and chasing Lilia's invitations to cook together off. 

You smiled to yourself as you left the room to make a small meal for yourself, butter and sandwich meats combined with some crunchy lettuce. Nothing too fancy, especially since you might have to puke it up later. You were not completely immune to the effects of poisons, after all. Only immune to the death part... 

Ruggie joined your side and prepped food for Leona and himself soon after you finished packing your lunch in a bag. A flick of your wrist to get your water bottle out of your sleeve, and you were set to get ready to swim at the beach. 

"Wait, how many ingredients did Crewel give us for lunch?"

"Oh, where did Ruggie go?"

"Oh shit-"

You sighed, completely at peace as you lay in the sun. Thankfully, there was enough wind to keep you pleasantly cool despite the burning rays. Leona lay to your right in the shade of the trees, joined by Ruggie curling up next to him within an hour, the hyena exhausted from... something about hunting for expensive seashells? Meanwhile, Vil was having an impromptu photoshoot with the help of Rook and Cater. A thirst trap to gain more magicam followers, judging from the amount of water bottles he's used to add 'perfectly placed' droplets of 'sweat'. Cater was most certainly starstruck, taking notes at such a rapid speed that his fingers didn't even move as he followed Vil's directions to a T. 

Trey had been lying next to you too, at least until his attention was called away by Riddle being tugged under the surf by a certain eel, his brother watching with a laugh. Azul was stuck in the shade as well, unwilling to join in whatever shenanigans Floyd and Jade were pulling this time (especially since he just knew he would be teased). He, Idia and Ortho were working on an extravagant example of architecture.

"No, you need to place a tower here!"

"Azul, I'm the one who designs mechanics, shouldn't you follow my directions?!"

"If you had an eye for aesthetics, maybe I would!"

"Wait big bro- careful! The castle-"

A shriek. A crash. A muttered argument after Leona growled. Oh dear.

The silence after that led to you drifting off to sleep, curling up on your side while the hours ticked by. Thank god Kalim had taken Malleus off on some 'exciting trip!' followed by their worried retainers, you don't think you could handle his level of noise right now.

A loud crash to your left made you jolt awake after who knows how long. You blinked a couple of times, utterly disoriented by the sudden awakening. 

"Careful, Malleus! We can't drop that-" A pause. "Um. Oh well! It's not that big of a deal!"

"Oi, Lizard, what're you doing with such a big rock." Leona groaned.

Malleus and Kalim had appeared to bring over a huge grey rock from the shore, still shiny from the waves. The two seemed endlessly fascinated by it, for... whatever reason.

"This will work so well! Thank you Malleus!"

"Of course, it was no trouble, Kalim."

Then, another crash from behind them. It was a harried Jamil, followed by Lilia with Silver in his arms, asleep. "Kalim. Just why. Did you bring over a huge rock to the shore?!"

Kalim laughed sheepishly. "Well-"

"You know what?" Jamil pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't want to hear it. Just clean up the mess when you're done, got it?"

"Okay, Jamil!"

"Wait so you brought the rock over for a reason?" Ruggie ogled at it. "Is it cuz it's full of gems or something valuable? Can I have some of it?" Puppy dog eyes already in place, he was prepared to beg until...

"Oh, there's nothing special about it! I just wanted to see if Malleus' magic was so strong that it could lift a big rock!" Kalim chirped.

Leona's eye twitched. Vil looked on the verge of conniption while Cater laughed nervously from behind him. You could just hear Jamil getting ready to rip Kalim a new one.

You broke the tension with a giggle and a clap of your hands. "Well then, your magic must be very strong, Malleus! To be able to lift a boulder like that..." You trailed off.

Malleus puffed his chest out, ever so proud of himself. "Thank you for the compliments dearest (Y/N), rest assured this feat was nothing to me."

"What!" Kalim interjected, stars in his eyes. "So you can lift something even heavier? I wanna see!"

You paused to let Malleus interject demurely, but to your shock and horror, he was actually considering it. "Maybe... not now Kalim? I don't think there's anything bigger than a boulder here that can risk being damaged." You sighed.

"Nah, I wanna see lizard boy lift the villa."

"Hm? Why not."

"Wait- Malleus- I wouldn't-"

"Aw man, Crewel's gonna kill us..."

[1] Mandarin pancakes are what is used to wrap up like... those peking duck and sauce and vegetable wraps you make yourself at those chinese restaurants. It's made of like water and flour, and they're thinner, usually smaller (from my experience) and smoother than tortillas. 

Mini Theatre Malleus: Why is Lilia tied up in the closet? Silver: So he doesn't cook breakfast tomorrow. Malleus: I see. (closes closet door) 

Kalim: Hey Malleus, wanna check out that totally dangerous thing over there? Malleus: Hm, it does seem rather interesting... Jamil, Silver and Lilia, running over at full speed: my kalim/malleus is doing something deadly sense is tingling!

and here is the seventh part of the beach ep. if you'd like to read the rest of the fic, you can read it on ao3 here, and on quotev here.

[ovobawrites]

𝐵𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽: 𝐸𝓅𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒹𝑒 𝒮𝒾𝓍 ♡ 𝐹𝒷𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓎𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓈

disclaimer: this has already been posted on ao3 and quotev, i'm just reposting this beach episode special as a promo for the fic. after this is all my previous author notes.

this is a fem!reader and also a half chinese!reader insert.

previous ♡ next

The rest of the dinner had consisted of the group finding more and more extreme ways to remove Lilia's 'dessert' off of their plates. Malleus and Silver, experts at this craft, had simply casted spells under the table to remove spoonfuls of the 'cake' every so often while Lilia's eyes were elsewhere. Ortho helped Idia by blasting the 'food' with micro beams of technomatic energy to give off the illusion of Idia slowly eating it. Trey simply casted his unique magic and enjoyed the dessert wholeheartedly, nevermind the fact that it tasted distinctly like candied violets and not like a red velvet cake. 

You absentmindedly spinned the dainty silver spoon in your hand as you debated the merits of merely excusing yourself from dinner with 'monthly problems' as the root cause. On one hand, there'd be no need to eat the most poisonous creation you'd ever seen. On the other, having a bunch of awkward eye contact and boys trying to 'help' with offerings of chocolate and the like was not on your agenda for this vacation. You continued to spin your cutlery as you watched Trey take pity on Riddle and Cater enough to help them out, just as Jamil finished faking his test for poison and proclaimed the dessert contained a certain food dye additive that Kalim was totally allergic too. And in fealty to his master, Jamil too would not partake in the cake. 

Vil and Rook already had the excuse of watching their figures to avoid partaking in dessert, an excuse that Lilia took at face value, promising to use less oil to reduce trans fat next time he makes a cake. The question, of course, was how much oil was Lilia putting in his cakes before? From a glance at Silver's face, way too much. It does explain the yellow liquid with suspended droplets of red that flowed out of the moist yet dry mass in front of you. 

Leona had already conked out, declaring that he only eats meat and will never partake in a food that contains 'herbivore products' whatever that meant. Ruggie, meanwhile, was eating the food with gusto, gladly eating Leona's portion as well. You could guess why, starvation had a knack for making one distinctly more appreciative of food. Even if Lilia's cooking was barely edible, Ruggie would still eat and enjoy it. Tragic, was it not?

Floyd and Jade had started moving their food to Azul's plate, letting the oblivious housewarden magic away their food as well as his own. From the frustrated look on Azul's face, you could guess he hadn't figured out the ruse to the game just yet.

Lilia flourished in all of you 'enjoying' his food, flushed with pride as he described the painstaking process of making the cake. "At first," he said, "I added two drops of the food colouring. But then, I realised, it was never gonna be a 'red velvet cake' without more red! So I dumped the whole bottle in." Lilia puffed his chest out, awaiting praise for correcting this foolhardy decision.

"T-that's lovely." Silver said weakly in reply. "I'm glad you corrected your mistake early on."

"And Trey didn't say a word, that sly devil." Lilia continued, wagging his finger teasingly at his cooking partner. "You were waiting for me to learn it myself, were you not?"

Trey nodded with a smile and a twitching eye. "Yep, I figured you'd realise it eventually."

Lilia guffawed at that. "I'm glad you have such respect for your elders, boy, but next time you should keep in mind that my memory is not as pristine as your own."

Lilia really needs to stop saying such mysterious things. Even if Fae age slower than humans, shouldn't he act more his 'mental age' than his physical one? Though... with his cooking I'd gladly accept dementia as its excuse. 

You sighed quietly, as you decided to take the path of least resistance. You used your food to push the pile of ashes around your plate, giving an illusion of eating it. It seemed less like you weren't eating the food at all, merely picking at it slowly due to a lack of appetite. It really was too bad that Lilia wasn't a better cook. 

Soon enough, the conversation petered out and you stood to dump the 'rest of' your dessert in the food waste bin. Lilia never noticed, not with his distraction and the purposeful silence of your movements. As you went to wash your dishes in the sink, more and more of the boys filed in, all having made deals or negotiations for one to do their dishes for the night.

The suds and the hot water that ran over your skin was familiar as you quickly cleaned up, casting a quick spell under your breath to dry off the dishes and put them away. As you turned around, you smiled at Ruggie and Jamil, the two of them rapidly scrubbing through the plates at a practiced pace. Not too slow to be noticed, but slow enough to get away with just a few moments to themselves. But your attention was taken away by the dark sky, signaling it was about time for you to take some time to yourself. You wanted the opportunity to check up and fix up your wards, with Idia's presence, they were likely weakened a little. 

It was a habit by this point, constantly keeping an eye or two on the wards around your room. The incident was ingrained in your head, to the point where even a day where you didn't check up on them caused this debilitating feeling of fear. Another intruder in your room was something you hoped to never happen again. 

(You were resigned, of course, to the truth of the matter. That it would continue to happen for as long as you were alive. This bloodline that you were born into came cursed with the constant threat of assassins, or worse. For all you could act trusting of your friends, you were never sure when, exactly, they'd come to sell you out. You just hoped it wasn't soon. Hoped to be able to enjoy this illusion of camaraderie for a little while longer.)

You quietly walked up the steps to your room, the group already dispersing amongst themselves into groups of each dorm. A distinct feeling of loneliness overcame you as you watched them separate, yet were never alone. What you would give to have that easy friendship.

There was a knock on your door at 9 o'clock in the evening, just as you were finishing up with warding your room once more. 

"Who is it?" You called out, a pleasant lilt to your voice as you awaited an answer from behind the door. A quick brushstroke to finish off the character for 'warning' and you should be done for the day. 

"it's Trey." A familiar voice replied.

"And Cater!" Another chimed in. "We were wondering if you wanted to play a board game with the rest of us? Apparently Jade brought monopoly with him."

"Oh, sure, I'd love to play." You stood up from your desk and made way to the door, snagging your magic pen as you opened it up. "Shall we go downstairs, then?"

"Of course!" Cater perked up and dashed down immediately.

Trey smiled softly at you and offered an arm. "My lady." He said with a chuckle and a teasing look in his eye.

You giggled in reply. "How chivalrous." You took the proffered arm and walked downstairs with him at a more sedentary pace. 

"We don't have enough pieces for all of us." Jade sighed with a faked look of regret on his face, before his ever-present smile snapped back on. "It seems like we'll have to be in teams, perhaps teams of four?"

"There's eighteen of us," Riddle noted, "so teams of three would be the perfect number."

The smile on Jade's face froze over, though he continued his pleasant countenance. "Of course. I guess the dorms will be splitting up then."

"I think the dorms with three members already work out." Jamil spoke up, "So some of the groups of two will be splitting up instead."

"Rook and I claim (Y/N)." Vil said from his seat on the sofa. "Any objections?"

The glares he got from Leona and Jade were harsh enough to kill, yet they said no word in reply. Always happy to hang out with the pomefiore students, you sat sandwiched between Vil and Rook when the two shifted to make room.

"I can team up with Ruggie and Leona!" Kalim exclaimed from where he was seated, ecstatic grin on his face. "This is gonna be super fun!"

"It'd be even better with a feast..." Ruggie sighed to himself, a glint of sardonic humour in his eye.

Kalim perked up even more. "That's a great idea. Next time we have a board game night, we should make it a feast!"

Jamil sighed. "There's no way I'm making that much food for that many people in such short time Kalim."

"Great! Then I can help out!" He beamed.

"And I could as well." Lilia chimed in with a smile.

A shudder ran through the group.

"Ah... sorry Lilia..." Kalim started, "but you don't know any dishes from Scalding Sands... so..."

"I prefer to cook alone." Jamil interjected. 

Lilia drooped down with a frown. "That's too bad, then."

A clap of his hands brought all eyes to Jade. "Now that the teams are sorted, shall we start choosing our pieces?"

"Oh-oh, dibs on the money bag!" Kalim moved to grab the metal piece when Ruggie revealed it in his hand with a familiar laugh. "Good job, Ruggie!" He patted the hyena beastman on the head before moving to sit back down on the floor at the feet of his team.

"Can we have the dog?" You asked politely from your place on the sofa. Jade wordlessly passed it to you, gaining a grateful smile. You turned to your teammates, wondering quietly: "Are there any strategies for monopoly?"

"Buy everything you land on and get good roles." Vil intoned. "So we should have Rook roll, since he has the best luck of all of us."

"Ah, you flatter me dear Roi du Poison." Rook said with a hand to his chest. "I'd be glad to handle the heavy work for our team. I wouldn't want to see any calluses on either of your soft hands."

Bit weird to say but I appreciate the sentiment.

"And you will handle the money." Vil looked at you. "I'll handle the talking and negotiating. If any auctions come up, I'll bet too. Got it?"

"Roger that!"

"Of course, beautiful Vil."

"Good." He leaned forwards, a competitive gleam to his eyes, "Then shall we win this game?"

"Wait- how does one even play monopoly?" Malleus wondered from his place on the couch.

Trey sighed. "This is gonna be a long night."

"A one." Lilia sighed as he moved the top hat onto another owned property. "How much do we owe you, Azul?"

Azul cackled. "Why, not too much, only 500 dollars!"

Malleus begrudgingly handed over the note to Floyd as the Octavinelle students laughed at their growing pile of money.

"This is unfair." Riddle spoke up from where his team had been sent to the floor, where 'the bankrupt should sit, so we know they're out of the game'. "Of course the board game club members will be the winning teams. We should play a better game."

"Aww, is goldfishie upset about losing so quickly?" Floyd teased with a shark-like grin. "That's too bad... maybe if you had longer arms you'd be able to make better rolls!"

Riddle slowly went red. "Is that. Another. Short joke, Floyd?" He gritted out as Trey and Cater started to coach him into calming down. Riddle only got a laugh in reply, further fanning the flames of his anger.

"We got a two and a one." Ruggie spoke up from the 'Jail' sofa. "Guess we're stuck in here for another turn."

"Good job Ruggie." Leona grinned, "We're out of the madhouse for a little longer."

"Let me out!" Kalim wailed from besides them. "I swear I did nothing wrong! I'm innocent, I swear it!"

"Kalim, this is just a game. You're not actually in jail." Jamil spoke up from his couch, bored out of his mind when Idia and Ortho were doing all the work.

"We got a lucky three!" Rook spoke up from besides you. "We escape le Roi d'Effort's tyrannical reign once more, my dear Roi et Reine."

"Good job, Rook." Vil congratulated, "But we are not out of the woods just yet."

"We don't have enough funds to reliably survive another rent from Idia's group." You murmured worriedly to him as you handed the 'banker', Trey, enough money for another house to your pink set. 

"Trust me, dear, when have I ever lead this team astray?" Vil arched a perfect brow and stroked his hand through your hair in a comforting manner, smirk on his face.

"Uh oh, Azul, we got a five!" Floyd said worriedly as he looked between the board and the dice.

"I'm aware, Floyd." Azul pinched the bridge of his nose as he calculated the prices. "Jade, how is our bank looking?"

"We still have plenty of funds, sir." He reported with a smile.

"You owe us 2000 dollars." Vil interrupted. "We just added a house there."

Jade paled. "The status is dire, Azul."

"Do we need to mortgage?"

"I'm afraid we will."

"Then do so."

A wide grin came to Idia's face as he looked over the board while the Octavinelle group struggled to pay yours. "We have this W in the bag, Ortho!" He paused for a moment, before a squeak. "And Jamil! We couldn't have done this without you!"

"I did nothing."

"Which is what we needed! If I was paired with Azul we would've lost by now... he's way too much of a control freak."

"I see." Jamil frowned in thought. "Thank you, then."

"...What was that Idia?" A threatening smile. "I hope you're prepared to face the consequences of what you've said..." 

"My team is plenty prepared to beat yours. We're not the ones on the verge of bankruptcy after all." Jamil grinned, always pleased to go against Azul.

"And now you've even turned Jamil against me! We just cannot let this stand, right Jade and Floyd?" Azul turned to the tweels for support as he faked heartbreak from Jamil's cruel words.

"Nah. I'm bored." Floyd said, examining his nails before deciding to go back to teasing Riddle until he exploded again.

"LOL even your team doesn't want to help you!" Idia laughed, manic grin on his face. "Ortho, roll a five for us if you'd please."

"...It's a seven."

"Goddamnit."

It's been three hours since the group started playing monopoly, with no end in sight to the horrors off the game. For all you tried to end it, only one other group has gone bankrupt since. 

"Finally, we're done for!" Ruggie sighed, relieved to be done with the game and to go to bed.

"Next time you should roll better." Leona glared. "We were this close to winning."

Ruggie looked at the other four groups still in the running and back to Leona, unimpressed. 

"I think we did super well anyways! We weren't the first group out and that's all that matters!" Kalim piped in, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Eh, whatever." Leona yawned before going up the steps to his bedroom. 

"Wh- Leona, aren't you gonna help clean our stuff up?" Ruggie yelled after him, and with the lack of reply, he groaned and went to pack the group's stuff up.

"I think I'll stay up." Kalim said to him. "I wanna see Jamil win!"

"Kalim... I doubt we're gonna be the winners at this rate." Jamil shook his head, the group funds of Ignihyde + Jamil and Octavinelle being significantly diminished since they declared war on each other.

"Shut up Jamil! We're gonna beat that stupid octopus into the ground, got it?!" Idia hissed, muttering calculations and win rates to Ortho as he surveryed the board with a manic look in his eyes.

Vil rolled his eyes. "This game will be way too long. Let's just-"

"NO FORFIETS ALLOWED!" Both Azul and Idia yelled at the same time, wanting to win 'fair and square', whatever that meant.

You tapped Vil on the shoulder and whispered a question to him. "Can I nap for a bit on your shoulder? I'm very much tired but... we can't exactly go to bed now." You shrugged with a weary smile.

"Whatever." He sighed in reply, and didn't say a word as you leant your head against his shoulder and with soft breaths as you drifted off to sleep.

You were still asleep when the game ended. Idia and Azul burnt each other out of the game, both throwing fits and arguing with each other as they went back to their rooms. Kalim, who had drifted off during the long game, was carried up to their shared room by Jamil with a groan off annoyance. Diasomnia somehow ended up winning despite the team only learning the rules a few hours ago.

Rook spoke up as Jade finished packing up the pieces. "Roi du Poison, I can always carry our dear Reine des Cygnes up the stairs if you'd rather go to sleep as soon as possible."

Vil shook his head. "It's fine, I can carry (Y/N) up myself." He merely glared at Rook when his vice housewarden gave a smug smile in reply. "Don't say a word."

"I won't!" He grinned.

"And don't look at me like that!"

"Like what?"

Vil didn't deign him with a reply and instead picked you up in a bridal carry to get to your room on the second floor. Worryingly, as he did so, you started to stir. His quiet and gentle movements didn't encourage you to go back to sleep, instead it merely woke you up as the two of you reached the top step.

You jolted in his arms. "I- Vil?!"

"What." He said flatly.

"Did you-" You spoke haltingly, tired and disoriented. "carry me up the stairs?"

Vil arched a brow. "Do you have a problem with that?"

You glanced away. "It's just that... you didn't have to go through the trouble, waking me up would suffice. I'm sorry for the bother."

"It was no bother at all." Vil's eyes pierced you as he continued to hold you up steadily. "If I wanted to wake you up, I would have done so. I don't mind doing this much for you." A rare smile graced his face as he looked upon you. "You are... precious to me, after all."

And with that, he set you down gently and walked down the stairs to his room, leaving you frozen in place. As you registered his words, a bright flush marked your cheeks. You hid your face behind your hands for a moment and sighed ever so quietly. Your heart thumped and a sea of butterflies flooded your stomach. 

You wondered what that feeling was as you tucked yourself into bed for the night.

Mini Theatre Jade, packing a monopoly board in his luggage: I can't wait to be on a team with my three favorite people! I'd love to play monopoly with (Y/N)! Vil and Riddle: Allow us to introduce ourselves. Leona: I WANTED TO TEAM WITH HER DAMMIT NOW I'M WITH KALIM. Jamil: ...Finally... freedom...

and here is the sixth part of the beach ep. if you'd like to read the rest of the fic, you can read it on ao3 here, and on quotev here.

[ovobawrites]

𝐵𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽: 𝐸𝓅𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒹𝑒 𝐹𝒾𝓋𝑒 ♡ 𝐹𝒷𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓎𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓈

disclaimer: this has already been posted on ao3 and quotev, i'm just reposting this beach episode special as a promo for the fic. after this is all my previous author notes.

this is a fem!reader and also a half chinese!reader insert.

previous ♡ next

Crewel stood ominously by the door to the lodge, looking over you all with a critical eye. 

"I hope you mutts are planning to clean yourselves off," he started, "and Trey, Lilia," the two perked up. "you two will be cooking tonight's dinner."

Who decided to let Lilia cook... at least there's Trey?

The contrasting reactions would be funny were you not at risk of food poisoning. Lilia beamed, so excited he started floating. Meanwhile Trey was already working up a sweat, running through every possible future in his head. Silver, for once, was wide awake and looking horrified, face awash in a nausous green. Malleus, on the other hand, faced this death sentence with a grim look on his face, ready to meet his end fighting. 

Cater and Riddle were hurriedly whispering at the back, Riddle's face slowly growing more and more defeated as Cater continued on with his gossip about Lilia's poisonous cooking. Jamil frowned in disapproval, holding Kalim close to him as his housewarden started to pale in worry. You had already gone through the five stages of grief, accepting of your impending doom. The rest, however, weren't so quick.

Crewel frowned. "What are you all looking so deathly for? Go on, shower! Dirty dogs must be cleaned."

"Y-yes professor." You managed to stutter out, offering a shaky smile before treking up to your room, doing your best to avoid the other boys. For all you can act like everything was okay, you still felt that clench of fear in your gut as you closed your door behind yourself.

This would be hell. 

How could I have been so- so stupid! You bemoaned to yourself, Idia's gonna hate me for this, I just know it! It was completely improper and juvenile of me to yell at him. And over something so meaningless! Why did I- How could I- Wait. Why were you so upset? Why were you wholly embarassed? The other boys yelled and fought all the time and yet, for you to do such a thing. Why did it make you feel this way? What caused this fluttering of butterflies in your stomach, the angry buzz of bees in your head? 

You crashed your head into a pillow and let out a muffled yell. This trip was already shaping up to be a disaster. They already saw me in such a state. To get angry like that... how could I be so foolish! I should die for this. No one will ever look at me in the same way again. I was so utterly uncouth- to the point that none of them will ever even want to see me again. Sure, Floyd said it wasn't a big deal... but the moment any of them look back upon this moment they'll- they'll-

And that was the root of the problem, wasn't it? You weren't ashamed of getting into a silly little argument, you were afraid. 

They'll hate me.

But that was fine, right? People have hated you before, and people will for evermore. There's no point in crying over spilt milk, what's done is done. You should've thought thrice before you acted, but there's nothing you can do now but learn and pray for them not to think any different of you. 

You smiled sardonically, Like that'll ever happen. Who would like me after seeing me act like that?

...

These intrusive thoughts were getting you nowhere. Best to shower, fix up your makeup, and try to calm down. Let them despise you and look down on you. It's not like you cared anyways.

You finished up your shower on autopilot, routine muscle memory taking over as you sank further into your melancholy thoughts. If brother had been there... what would he have said? He'd disapprove, I'm sure of it. Getting close to others when you're an Aster is always a gamble after all. But... is it so wrong to want friends? I don't know anymore. It would have been better if I had just refused Crowley's offer.

Your face remained flat, never betraying your inner turmoil as you brushed through your hair mechanically in front of your vanity. (H/C) locks tugged at harshly as you brushed through the knots. A self flaggelation, of sorts. The pain both grounded you and sent you further into a self-depreciative headspace. It wasn't healthy but it was all you had. How foolish of you. 

I don't know what to do anymore. Should I just leave? Maybe I need to talk to-

A knock on the door. 

"Uh-um. (Y/N)? It's... it's Idia. C-could you maybe let me in?" His voice floated over from the door, the warble to it showing his nerves.  

Ah. I see. He's here to yell at me and tell me to never talk to him again. That's why he's so nervous, Idia's never liked confrantation after all. 

The silence rang out as you remained seated, frozen in place. What do you do? Opening the door means accepting a broken friendship and- you didn't want that. You didn't want to hurt anymore. 

"I-it's fine if you don't w-want to let me in!" Idia mumbled, "I-I just wanted to apologise, I sh-shouldn't have..." he trailed off before groaning in frustration. "Agh I'm so-" he halted, before hesitantly speaking up once more, "Could you p-please open up? I-I heard apologies are more genuine when you- you look at someone and Ortho said that..." Idia muttered rapidly, his words too quick for you to understand. 

Maybe hearing that he wanted to apologise was made you stand up and open the door. Maybe it was his obvious anxiety. Maybe it was out of pity. Who knows? But you let him in, like an idiot. 

Idia stumbled back as you opened the door, shock painted on his face. A nervous laugh. "I-I didn't think you'd actually open the door..." He turned his head away. "This was easier when I practiced... ahhh." He covered his face in his hands for a moment, then slapped his cheeks and straightened up, looking you in the eye. "Can I come in?"

Your throat was dry. Your stomach in knots. Greens and blues pulsed in your veins. "...Sure." You stepped to the side and closed the door behind Idia.

IDIOT! Your instincts screamed. Now you're trapped inside with him, you're not gonna be able to run away and get safe. You can't hide! What is wrong with you! He could-

"S-so, firstly, I'm sorry." Idia spoke up, fidgeting with his hands as he sat down on the chair, turning it to face the bed as you went to sit on it. You had no idea what to say, but this silence seemed to only spur Idia on. "I-I know you get... upset when we're loud and I- I shouldn't have yelled in your face. I know you hate it when that happens, and I should have respected your boundaries."

Wait, what? He wanted to actually apologise? Not yell or scream some more? You were too stunned to speak. 

"And-and secondly!" He got braver now, raising his voice from the soft volume of before. "I'm sorry that I escalated that argument. If it wasn't for me getting so heated, it would've been fine but I just- I felt- I was-" He groaned in frustration, covering his face with his hands. But something made him reveal himself and open up once more. "You were right, I was... you know. I felt... of Ruggie." His voice was so quiet at that point that you couldn't make out what he said by the end of it.

"I- you were... what of Ruggie?" You spoke up, and Idia made eye contact with you, hair glowing pink, eyes glaring. "...Sorry, I shouldn't have asked, I was being-"

"No-no it's fine! I was-" Idia sighed. "I was jealous. Of Ruggie. That's all." He turned away, looking at the trinkets on the vanity. "And again, I'm sorry for acting like that. You don't have to forgive me or anything, I just..." he slowed down as he turned to look at you, your (E/C) eyes still on him. "I just. wanted. to. apologise." The words came out stilted as his hair went more and more pink, cheeks flushing a brilliant red. 

You just sat there, hands on your lap, still as can be. As the shock simmered down and bloomed into reds and pinks in your chest, you started to chuckle. Idia froze as you started to full on laugh, a sound he'd never heard before. 

"I-I" You tried to say in between giggles, but you couldn't stop laughing, tears starting to run down your cheeks. "I apologise. I'm just so-so happy." A watery smile. "I thought you would- never mind. I'm sorry too." You looked Idia in the eye. "It wasn't just your fault. I also escalated the argument, you know. And I was the one who started raising my voice. I shouldn't have- no. I'm sorry that I did so, I shouldn't have drawn so much attention to us when I knew you dislike that many eyes on you."

"I-Don't cry!" Idia fluttered his hands around, leaning forwards and brushing the tears off of your cheek. "I- I really am sorry, you know. And even if it wasn't just my fault, I still should take the blame. I scared you. T-that's like totally an incel move on my part." He offered a weak smile, hands still on your face. "And I accept and forgive your apology. Really."

"I-I forgive you too." Your laughter quieted down and you beamed. "I'm glad that we can still be friends. Even though I acted so- so horribly." That's when the two of you realised what position you were in. Idia towered over you, hands on your cheeks, as you sat on your bed. It was highly improper. Your face went hot at the thought, steaming at the proximity. Idia's hair went from a light pink to a bright fushia, he stuttered and stumbled back, crashing into the dresser. 

"I-I'm s-sorry!" He yelped, cowering away from you. "That-that was so lame of me!" He muffled his embrassed yell with his hands. 

"No-no it's fine!" You stood up and tried to comfort him, hands hovering over his back. "Really, it's fine I don't mind!"

"You sure?"

"Yeah." 

Idia looked you in the eye, trying to gauge the verity of your statement. You stared back, eyes steady. The two of you stared at each other, silence enveloping the room. And for a single, halting moment, you wished that the moment would never end. 

Then- 

A knock and Silver's voice from behind the door. "(Y/N), Idia? I know you two are resolving things but dinner's ready. Just wanted to make sure you two are prepared..."

You jumped back and started to pat yourself down, avoiding eye contact with Idia. The boy laughed weakly and ran a shaking hand through his hair. 

"Guess we gotta do that boss fight now... Idk if I have the stats to survive Lilia's food..."

You gave a small chuckle at his joke. "Does anyone?"

"Silver and Malleus, they have to brave it like every week, right?"

"I thought they just magic it away when Lilia's not looking..."

"...That makes a lot more sense."

It was akin to a walk of shame as you and Idia entered the dining room, side by side. Crewel was absent once more, likely ordering an actually edible meal for himself. While the rest of the boys tried not to make it obvious, it was clear that they were all looking at you, trying to guess whether you both actually made up. 

"Koi fishie!" Floyd waved you over excitedly. "I saved you a seat!"

"Absolutely not!" Riddle snapped. "You'll only stress poor (Y/N) out! Come, sit with us, Trey and I saved you a seat!" Riddle smiled kindly, puffing out his chest like a robin would. It was adorable. 

Trey smiled at you and shrugged, face as bright as day.

"Would your high strung nature not stress the poor dear out even more?" Jade hit back. "Let her sit with some fun people, for once."

"(Y/N), want to sit next to Lilia and I?" Silver blinked innocently at you, offering an out from the cat fight.

"Ah- sure, I'd love to." You quickly sat down before another argument would break out.

Riddle puffed his cheeks out and Trey drooped down slightly. Maybe you made a mistake. Floyd and Jade looked unhappy too, but... asides from sitting like how cultists circle their prophet, there was no pleasing everyone.

Lilia offered you a fang-filled grin and gestured excitedly to the centerpiece meal on the table. "Gentlemen and dearest (Y/N), Trey and I have created the most scrumptious meal for your consumption this twilight. Methinks you all will enjoy it greatly."

Side-eyes were exchanged as you looked over the main dish with a critical eye. You could only hope Trey managed to rein Lilia in. A large platter of seafood sat on the giant plate, grilled fish and shrimp lay on a bed of decorative lettuce, the colours lacking the normal ashy black that Lilia's meals took the appearance of. But who would take the bait and reach for a bite?

Leona elbowed Ruggie and gestured to the platter. The hyena sighed, shrugged, and grabbed a slice of fish. You all watched on, concerned, as the hyena chewed on the piece of seafood. His face went through many expressions, suspense, shock, pleasant surprise, and finally, a look of joy as he swallowed down the fish. He gave a sharp grin at Trey in thanks for his service and immediately went to spear more and more fish for his plate. 

Ruggie's reaction encouraged you all to partake in the meal, and thank god. It seemed Trey's godlike cooking skills managed to triumph over Lilia's lack thereof. The chefs of the night glowed with pride as you all lavished praise on both of them. Silver and Malleus making the executive decision to find Trey's secret before the night was over. Money was exchanged under the table as you all betted on how Trey managed it, the secret groupchat flooded with messages as the group enjoyed the delicious meal.

☆Kay-kun☆: i bet trey locked up lilia in a kitchen cabinet!! he totes did all the cooking on his own lmao

Vil Schoenheit: No, obviously he took Lilia's cooking and threw it away while passing his dishes off as both of theirs. Lilia must have fell for it.

gamer-idia-1812: no no no its obvi tht trey cast a spell on lilia so hed be frozen + unable to unleash that horrible beast upon the world lolol

(Y/N) Aster: Maybe he had Lilia do the prep work while he handled everything else? Or got Lilia to wash the dishes while he did all the cooking.

❀✧★KALIM★✧❀: Maybe Lilia learnt how to cook!! I think he'd be a great one!!!

Silver: Kalim, I guarantee that is not the case.

Malleus Draconia, Crown Prince of Briar Valley: LILIA WILL NEVER BE GOOD AT COOKING.

Malleus Draconia, Crown Prince of Briar Valley: WHY ARE MY WORDS IN UPPERCASE?

Silver: Ah, young master, your caps lock button is on. Press the upwards facing arrow on the keyboard to turn it off

Malleus Draconia, Crown Prince of Briar Valley: THANK YOU SILVERJSKA;DLKDJLKLDLJKSKLGLHJKFDSGKDFLKHAHKL

(Y/N) Aster: Ah. Silver, maybe you should go help him?

Silver: (￣^￣)ゞ

Trey: Oh, I just asked Lilia to make the dessert while I cooked the main course. 

Jamil Viper: sorry, you WHAT

leona: if i die cuz of u, green haired bastard, i'll haunt you to your grave

Riddle Rosehearts: Perhaps it won't be that bad? Maybe the rumours were exaggerated.

Trey: Personally, I'd use the word understated

gamer-idia-1812: goodbye cruel world... maybe i'll meet the Premo in heaven

leona: a radish sprout like you will be fit in hell

gamer-idia-1812: lolol i'll see u all there

(Y/N) Aster: My mother paid the church a lot of money so that I wouldn't go to hell. I'll just roam the earth as a calamity-level ghost. 

Ruggie: The power of rich ppl astounds me...

❀✧★KALIM★✧❀: Oh! I should do that for all of us! So no one will go to hell ＼(≧▽≦)／

Jamil Viper: Kalim, don't waste your money doing something so stupid. Some people deserve to go to hell.

Azul Ashengrotto -50% off at Mostro Longue, Order today!-: Please, Jamil. You shouldn't be so antagonistic towards your upperclassmen! Maybe you should transfer to octavinelle to learn a bit of kindness from our Sea Witch.

Jamil Viper: I'd rather rot in hell.

Floyd >^)))&lt;;～～: so no one won the bet? o(TヘTo) who does the money go to? (・・ ) ?

Trey: I think we should save it for the hospital bills

☆Kay-kun☆: ye just took a look at the kitchen, great idea trey!! 

Mini Theatre Trey: I looked forward in time, I saw 14,000,605 futures. (Y/N): In how many of those did we survive? Trey: 1. - (Y/N), monolouging like a drama queen: 。゜゜(´Ｏ`) ゜゜。 Everyone else: Wow, that fight got a little intense! I'm glad no one got hurt :) - Idia, in the common room: EMERGENCY MEETING! PLEASE HELP ME APOLOGISE TO (Y/N)!!!! Azul: But- Idia: I'll pay you like 3000 thaumarks Azul: Done!  Cater: Should this be, like, a group discussion?  Ruggie: Shut up I wanna see how much of a trainwreck it'll be.

and here is the fifth part of the beach ep. if you'd like to read the rest of the fic, you can read it on ao3 here, and on quotev here.

[ovobawrites]

Hiya! How are you? Just wanted to ask if you could post the link to your ao3 or quotev account? I can't seem to find it :')

ohh shoot i knew i forgot something!

my ao3 is here

and my quotev is here

^^; sorry for the inconvenience!

[ovobawrites]

𝐵𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽: 𝐸𝓅𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒹𝑒 𝐹𝑜𝓊𝓇 ♡ 𝐹𝒷𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓎𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓈

disclaimer: this has already been posted on ao3 and quotev, i'm just reposting this beach episode special as a promo for the fic. after this is all my previous author notes.

this is a fem!reader and also a half chinese!reader insert.

previous ♡ next

Dusk tinted the beach in oranges and purples as your group walked over to your bags. All of you were soaking wet, leaving trails of water droplets behind you as you trudged through the sand. Leona and Vil glanced over from where they were conversing, the lion looking as tired as usual while Vil seemed to be slightly more tanned than before. 

"So who won?" Leona asked, eyes half lidded as he leaned on a pillow Ruggie had set up for him.

You beamed, elated. "I did!"

"Yes, you really shocked us." Azul sighed, "If only you were on our team, then we would have easily won!"

"Oh please," Riddle scoffed, "Malleus and Lilia had gotten us out of your 'trap' so easily it was hardly a hindrance! Your small group was nothing compared to our team."

"Aww is goldfishie mad that he didn't save koi fishie~?" Floyd slung an arm over Riddle's shoulder and laughed. "You're not even strong enough to carry her!"

Jade chuckled alongside him. "Now now, Floyd, we wouldn't want to upset Riddle too much... even if what you're saying is true."

Cater sighed. "Oh no..."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME! I AM NOT WEAK!" Riddle yelled, face as red as his hair. "HOW DARE YOU!"

Floyd just laughed and reached for Riddle as the boy struggled to pull away from him. The two started play-fighting, well, Floyd was. Riddle was trying to strangle Floyd... despite the fact that he could barely reach his neck...

Trey nudged Cater and the two struggled to separate Riddle from Floyd. The two of them did their best to calm down their housewarden... but Jade joining the taunting put a stop to their plans. 

"It was rather fun to play that game." Malleus spoke up from besides you. "I particularly enjoyed swimming, though I don't understand why I could not just teleport over..."

Lilia tsked. "But where's the fun in that? Besides, then we wouldn't have gotten the chance to see dear (Y/N) save herself."

"You did very well," Silver gave you a soft smile. "I'm surprised at how quickly you swam."

"Right? You moved so quickly!" Ruggie chimed in, grin on his face. "How'd you do it?"

"Ah." You looked away. "My brother taught me how to swim that quickly."

Silver nodded, "Oh... so you won't drown..."

"No, it was so that I could escape any assassins while at the beach..."

Ruggie looked pensive. "Can't assassins just... swim after you?"

"That's why he taught me to swim fast."

"...So we're just gonna ignore the assassins part?" Idia muttered off to the side, like he was one to talk.

"At least I'm not the heir of a famous noble family." You replied. 

Idia rolled his eyes. "And yet I've never had to swim away from any assassins."

"And when you do I'm sure you'll drown." 

"That's no true, I'll have Ortho to rescue me."

Ortho nodded. "Big brother gave me a tracking software so I can locate him from anywhere in the world!"

Slightly concerning, but okay. 

"Why don't you just teleport away from any assassins?" Malleus wondered. "Would that not be more convenient?"

The rest of the group gave him a look. Riddle and Floyd paused their fight just to stare at him incredulously. If it weren't for the fact that Malleus was a crown prince, you would have thought he'd been living under a rock for his whole life. Besides, didn't he know?

"Teleportation fúlù are really expensive, Malleus. Just because I have them doesn't mean I'd use them to get away from some annoying assassin!"

"Your family's net worth is like, in the millions." Idia mumbled. 

"That doesn't mean I'm going to spend money like it's water!"

"Are you not more concerned about the assassin who'd kill you? Who cares about money when their life is on the line!" 

"Money is more important than life..." Ruggie shrugged, a sneaky glint to his eyes. 

"See! Ruggie agrees!"

"He does not! Ruggie is an outlier, if you ask anyone else they would back ME up!"

"How dare you call Ruggie an outlier!" You growled. "Look at him!" You pulled the hyena towards you and gestured to Idia. "He's so adorable, how could you say that about him?!"

"Just because he's adorable doesn't mean he's a good voice of reason! Ortho's way cuter anyways!"

"I think Silver is the cutest~" Lilia sang with a wide smile. "He was so adorable as a child-"

"Fa-Lilia! Don't say that!" 

Not breaking eye contact for a moment, Idia shouted, "Stay out of this, Lilia!" 

"Uh, Cater?"

"Yeah Trey?"

"Which fight do we break up?"

"...good question."

"Ortho, while admittedly adorable, is in no way cuter than Ruggie!"

"Leona, help me!"

"Yeah, Ruggie is definitely more adorable than your brother, Radish sprout." The lion spoke up.

"Leona!" Ruggie hissed.

"What?" He replied with a smug look. "I'm helping to defend your honor."

"If you wanted to help, that you'd get me out of here!"

"I don't understand why you think Ruggie is cuter than Ortho! Just look at the two!" Idia yanked Ruggie out of your arms and stood him and Ortho side-by-side. "Ortho has bigger eyes, a happier face and chubbier cheeks. He's definitely the cutest here!"

"Don't worry Silver, I still think you're the cutest!"

"Thank you, Father-Lilia."

"That's true, but Ruggie has the cutest personality! And besides, doesn't his thin frame make you want to smother him with care?"

At this point, sparks were bouncing off of the two of you as you glared at each other. Idia's hair was red in anger while your (e/c) eyes were almost glowing. At least Idia's hair was hot enough to evaporate the water from the ocean, drying off your bodies instantly. He took a step closer to you, and you responded by closing the distance even more. 

"What do you mean, 'Ruggie has the cutest personality'?! Ortho is so much more sweet! He's way more moe than Ruggie!"

"Firstly, I don't know what that even means! Secondly," The two of you had gotten so close to each other that your nose was almost touching Idia's chest, you had to crane your neck up to look at him. "I think you're just jealous!"

"Wh- Jealous!" Idia's face went pink, his hair following suit. He breathed in and then yelled out, "I'm NOT JEALOUS!"

"Okay..." Floyd said, "This is so not funny anymore."

"Agreed," Azul pushed up his glasses. "Jade? Mind helping Floyd to separate the two?"

"Of course, Azul." Jade's ever present smile had gotten darker when he saw how close you and Idia had gotten.

At Idia's yell, you had to hold back a flinch. You had let your emotions get hold of you. Ah. This was bad, how embarrassing. Your cheeks flushed. 

"O-okay..." You took a step back and looked off to the side, a full 180 from your brash attitude from before. 

This, of course, did not go unnoticed, and Azul took the opportunity to get Jade and Floyd to distract you while he talked to Idia. With your eyes off to the side, you missed the worried glance Idia shot at you, and the concern from the other boys. 

How could you let your emotions dictate your actions?!

I'm meant to be proper and polite, not- your thoughts spiraled even further.

The lack of control you showed was revolting. You had done the exact thing you were taught to never do. Self-loathing flooded your veins as you felt ashamed over your actions. You had gotten too heated, too angry. You were never meant to be that. It was- You were- a disgrace.

"(Y/N)?" Jade's voice snapped you out of your thoughts. "Are you... alright?"

"Ah-" You looked up at him and Floyd, who had walked over to you and stood almost as a divider between yourself and the others. "-I'm fine. There's no need to worry."

It was like shutters divided you from your emotions once more. Floyd couldn't help but miss the much freer you that was there just before. Your face was like jade, cold and emotionless. The only hint of the anger from before was shown in your eyes for just a moment. Then, it disappeared too. 

"...Are you sure?" Floyd leaned in, uncharacteristically solemn. "You know that wasn't a big deal, right?"

And he hit the nail on the head, by the looks of it. Your face displayed just a modicum of shock before swiftly returning to its stone-cold state. 

"No one's upset with you for breaking composure." Jade pointed out, him and Floyd leaning towards you. "In fact, your argument was rather amusing."

"Yeah, it was fun to see koi fishie so mad!" Floyd smiled. "You looked so passionate, it was so cute!"

"C-cute?!" You flushed a bright pink, ears to shoulders tinted in that warm colour. 

This reaction did not go unnoticed, Floyd and Jade exchanging a look before moving in even closer.

"Yes, you looked absolutely adorable." 

"I- oh. Thank you." You realised what they meant. Cute as in a kitten's hiss cute, not as in... attractive. 

...I shouldn't get side-tracked. 

You moved to grab your bag and dry your hair off. You had mostly dried off thanks to Idia's flaming hair, but you could still feel the unpleasant sensation of sea-salt sticking to your skin. A towel quickly and carefully got rid of most of the remaining moisture, and with a quick rummage through your bag, you put on your sundress once more. In that time, Kalim had popped up by your side with a kind smile. 

"You were super cool just then!" He remarked, "It was so fun to play with you, and it was so cool when you flipped Jade over!"

"That was nothing." You remarked offhandedly, "I only really intervened because I was getting a bit bored."

You missed the small frown Kalim gave at those words, remembering your bright excitement from before.

"Even so..." he started, "it was still amazing to see it happen. You were so fast! I was so afraid Jade or Floyd were gonna catch you but you got to the 'rescue point' just in time!" 

"Ah- thank you." The genuine praise was difficult to respond to, a warmth in your chest from just those simple words. "I doubt I would have won had I not managed to get Jade to crash into Floyd though... that cost them some time."

"But you did! So it doesn't matter if that didn't happen, since you won and it did!"

Oh. That's what I'm feeling.

It wasn't pride or happiness or glee. It was the warmth you feel around your brother. It was familial love. 

Oh dear.

This was... concerning. You've never felt this... love... for anyone before. Not since your brother. 

But that was a problem for later, for now, you were going to ignore it. After all, repressing it may just make it go away. You don't need this feeling, not now. 

Mini Theatre Ruggie: Mommy, daddy, stop fighting ;-;  Idia: Shut up!- Wait what- O///O (Y/N): Don't talk to him like that!  Ruggie: Omfg Leona save me from these stupid idiots already!!!

and here is the fourth part of the beach ep. if you'd like to read the rest of the fic, you can read it on ao3 here, and on quotev here.

[ovobawrites]

𝐵𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽: 𝐸𝓅𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒹𝑒 𝒯𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒 ♡ 𝐹𝒷𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓎𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓈

disclaimer: this has already been posted on ao3 and quotev, i'm just reposting this beach episode special as a promo for the fic. after this is all my previous author notes.

this is a fem!reader and also a half chinese!reader insert.

previous ♡ next

You hung limply over Jade's shoulder as he brought you over to the table. He set you down gently and handed you a plate with a polite smile, before quickly snapping up the food he wanted. Thankfully, Jade was quick enough for you to be able to grab a sandwich you actually wanted to eat. There's no way in the cold, wet hells[1] that you'd eat any large meal before swimming. Stomachaches were already a common occurrence for you due to the curse of menstruation, why go through even more unnecessary pain? 

Sadly, the boys had a completely different philosophy. Ruggie had piled a plate sky-high with varying meats and seafood, all while fiercely guarding a gourmet steak for Leona. Floyd and Jade, with you stuck between them, had also taken a large amount of food. At least they were planning on eating vegetables. Meanwhile, Riddle, Azul, Vil and Rook seemed to have prepared meals with the 'perfect' caloric intake.

And even then, they're eating so much! Though I guess the minimum calories are higher for guys? And they are younger...[2]

Leona slowly stalked over to the table, hair a mess from his nap and snatched his plate from Ruggie, sitting next to the hyena. Idia eventually got up from the pancake he made on the ground, mostly by Ortho's prompting. A plate stacked with healthy foods was handed to him by his brother and he was forced in a seat next to Silver. The Diasomnia first year had a plate with similarly healthy foods, though Idia had a smaller portion in comparison... It didn't help that every so often, Lilia would add a vegetable or cut of meat to Silver's plate. 

Malleus ate silently at the head of the table with a contemplative frown, Lilia smirking and whispering in his ear while Silver just ate in silence. Trey smiled sheepishly in conversation with Cater and Riddle, the three of them seemingly somewhat pleased with their meals. Kalim and Jamil ate next to each other, food already tested for poison and picked out to be a perfect lunch.

"Koi fish~" Floyd started, leaning over your shoulder. "is that seriously all you're gonna eat?"

"Ah- well..." You trailed off. "I'm not exactly a 'growing girl' so to speak."

"Still," Jade chimed in, mirroring Floyd. "that isn't a lot of food. Are you sure you don't need to eat anymore?"

Are they... planning something? It's not my fault you boys all eat like beasts!

Trey silently spooned some pasta onto Riddle's plate. Suddenly, everyone at the table seemed extremely invested in your private conversation. 

You sighed. "Yes, I'm sure."

Who are they? My mom? Please. She'd never be so smothering.

"You're already skin and bones." Leona chimed in, "A herbivore like you definitely needs to eat more. Else you'll end up like Riddle."

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!" The redhead snapped at Leona, face matching the colour of his hair. "Though you definitely should eat more, it doesn't seem like enough food for the day." He looked over at you, now cool as a cucumber. 

"I agree, I don't think a sandwich is enough for a day in the sun." Trey frowned in concern, Cater nodding emphatically next to him.

"Yeah! How are we supposed to post cute beach pics if you're fainting from a lack of food!"

Can the peanut gallery PLEASE stop offering their opinions?

You took a small bite out of your sandwich, resisting the urge to roll your eyes. A posture of steel, not a crumb falling nor a hair out of place. The essence of perfection you were taught to be. Too bad the boys were too busy worrying over your lunch to properly appreciate it. 

"Are you really fine with only eating that much?" Kalim tilted his head in concern. "Shouldn't she eat more, Jamil?"

"Eh?" His vice dormleader looked over, pretending to be unaware of the conversation. "...Yes, she should be eating more."

Lilia nodded his head with a frown and a shrug. "She definitely should, humans are sooo fragile~"

Vil and Rook looked over at what you were eating, looks of disapproval obvious.

"Don't tell me you've bought into diet culture," Vil lectured, "it's been proven to be a scam that hardly works and even then-"

"Diet culture is a scam?!" Azul looked shell shocked. 

"Obviously? Pressuring people into restricting what they eat so much and guilting them for even barely straying from an un-nutritious and unfulfilling diet is a binge-eating disaster waiting to happen!" 

"...You guys are binge-eating?" Ruggie looked over, half a chicken wing in his mouth, curious.

Floyd poked your cheek, then attempted to place more food on your plate. A serving of calamari clashed against a spearing of mushrooms. Twins glared and started to war a silent fight while you polished off your lunch. There was no way you were gonna deal with this in-fighting when you could just find Crewel and go swimming. You put your plate in the sink and cleaned it up. 

Quiet as a mouse, you left the room, boys none the wiser. Grabbing your bag off of the couch, you bid Crewel adieu and went out to the beach. Shimmering waves against the gleaming, blinding white sand enamored you as you placed your bag and towel in the shade.

A warding talisman and the removal of your sundress left you free to explore the shore to your heart's content. Wandering around, you gathered bone-bleached shells and smoothed down shards of colourful sea glass. By the time you reached rocky cliff, you had left a trail of footprints and a floating pile of your treasures following you. You smiled and took in the relaxing atmosphere.

A crash and the loud slam of the door. 

A swarm of boys rushing down the hill towards the sandy beach. 

"(Y/NNNNN)!!!" Floyd called out, arms waving around wildly, giant grin on his face.

Ruggie and Leona waved from where Ruggie was setting up a throne room for the king of naps. Malleus and Lilia curiously observing while being blasted with horrific UV rays. Rook had already helped Vil set up a UV-proof zone and the two were slathering on reef-safe suncream, glancing at-

Did Idia just eat sand and die?

You smiled ruefully, your boys were so stupid. And there goes Idia rolling over! Knocking over Riddle, Trey, Cater and-

Like dominoes, Idia's fall started a chain reaction ending in a dog-pile of half-naked, sweaty, flushed men. Disgusting. 

You glided over gracefully, faked concern appearing on your face like a well-worn mask.

"Are you guys okay?" You asked, leaning over, hands on your knees. 

For whatever reason, the boys just went even more red. You think Riddle let out a muffled shriek. The momentary confusion was replaced by disappointment.

They were looking at your cleavage. The pigs.

Yeah. There's no way you were going to go near them. You acted confused, tilting your head before walking past in a decisive moment towards Vil and Rook. 

How do I bleach a memory from my brain?!

No matter. You sat in the UV-safe zone with Rook and Vil. The hunter offered you a bottle of water. 

"Ah- no, thank you." With a snap of your fingers, your bag appeared next to you. "I brought my own."

A sip of water and then you gathered up the things you collected from beach-combing. 

"Was that what you were doing while we had that..." Vil paused. "discussion?"

You beamed. "Yep!" That reminds you... "I founded a shell that was like you!" You told Vil with a blinding smile, rummaging through the piles for it.

You pulled out a large conch shell, spiky with streaks of purple. A shy look in your eyes and you offered it to him.

"If I remember correctly... conches follow the golden ratio, right? And well... you're the most perfect person I know, so..."

Vil sniffed and took the shell from your hands like a merciful god. "I suppose it's... nice."

"Vil, mon cher Roi du Poison, I can always take it from your hands if you do not want it!" Rook stated with a wink and a grin. "I always delight in a gift from our Reine des Cygnes[3]!"

Rook reached his hand out only to have it slapped away, Vil tucking the conch protectively into his arms.

"No, it's mine. She gave it to me, so hands off!"

You fretted over the slight fight, feeling the sparks flying between the two. Vil with a stone cold expression and Rook with his ever-present smile. 

"Oh- uhm, I also brought something for you, Rook!"

It wasn't a lie, you did find a piece of glass that reminded you of your classmate, but...

"You did?!" Rook took your hands in his, stars in his eyes. "I shall cherish this for every year that goes by, ma chouette!"

...You just knew Rook was gonna get weird about it. Too late to save yourself now. 

"Ah- here." You tugged your hands out of Rook's grasp and handed him an arrow-shaped shard of indigo sea glass. It sparkled against the sun, uncannily reminiscent of the shine in Rook's eyes.

"Thank you so much ma chère!" He quickly took it, handling it with the reverence of a man with an idol of his god.

"It was no problem at all..." You flushed slightly at the praise.

"No, you took the time to search for these and then give them to us." Vil gazed at you with ardent warmth. "Thank you for taking the time to find these."

You suddenly wished for a fan, hands covering your face while it rapidly heated up. You couldn't handle this! Both Vil and Rook in their purple swimwear, decorative open shirts framing their bodies with such elegance... it was too much! 

A chuckle. Vil covered his laugh up with a hand over his mouth. Rook simply stayed smiling with a knowing look in his eyes. The Pomefiore Housewarden leaned in closer to you, hands brushing, as he opened his mouth to whisper something but-

"Ey, (Y/N), come here!" Leona beckoned you over and with a frown and a curious glance, you followed. 

Vil looked awfully put out, but Rook seemed to be even more pleased by this outcome, taking out a pair of sun-proofed binoculars from who knows where. 

You walked over to the two Savanaclaw members, Leona now lazing on a towel-bed while Ruggie set up portable fans to cool the lion down. 

"Heard you were giving out gifts." Leona said with a twitch of his ears. "Where's mine?"

You fumbled for a second in slight shock, but with a quick recovery, gave him one half of an oyster shell, coated in mother of pearl. 

He raised an eyebrow. "Where's the other half?"

"It's for Ruggie!" You smiled. "Who else?"

The hyena, with a bashful turn of his head, took the other half from your hands. "Wait- I can probably make a lot of money with this... Thank you!"

"Isn't it rude to sell a gift?"

"I gave it to him since I knew he probably would sell it!" You snapped back in reply. 

"I don't get either of you." And with a huff, Leona lied down and took another nap. 

"...Is he already asleep?" You asked Ruggie, head leaning against your hand as you watched him finish up the nap-fort. 

The hyena glanced at Leona. "Probably, yeah."

"He's really good at this..." You sighed. "Now if only he'd apply this effort to his studies..."

A bark of laughter. 

"Like he'd ever! Leona isn't Leona if he spends all his time studying!"

A fond grin and a burst of yellow roses in your heart. "Yeah... you're right."

After a while of chatting with Ruggie and a quick re-application of suncream, you went over to the waves. Floyd and Jade waved at you from where they were (most likely) torturing poor Riddle, who was fuming once again. Trey and Cater tried their best to calm him but it was a lost cause. Meanwhile, Idia was carefully watching Ortho's movements in the water, taking notes on a floating tablet. Kalim was splashing around while Jamil stayed on guard by the shore, resolutely ignoring Azul trying to talk to him. 

"Koi fish! You gonna swim?" Floyd asked with a bright grin, cheeks flushing.

"Why else would I be by the waves?" You teased. 

Riddle went bright red at your entrance, eyes darting to your chest and then to your face before he quickly whipped his head away from you. If he wasn't so endearing you'd have punted him into the sun already. 

"Oh, (Y/N)!" Kalim waved you over. "Wanna play a game with us?"

"Sure!" You beamed. "What is it?"

Jade held a hand to his chest, a smirk on his face. "We're playing 'save the princess'. Would you like to play the part? The heroes have to rescue you from us, if they get to that tree with you, they win."

At some point I am going to murder these men. Is he seriously asking me to play the damsel in distress?

You looked at both Floyd and Jade, the two, in their true forms, were practically vibrating with excitement. You guessed they would be your captors... and even then you doubt that they'd let you go. 

A sigh. "I guess..."

Floyd smiled wide and grabbed you by the waist in a second. Clawed hands almost fondling your sides. 

"I've got Koi fishie~ let's swim away, Jade!" He laughed in childish glee as he quickly darted off.

"Wait, we're starting now?" Kalim called out. "Oh, then, Jamil! Help me catch those dastardly villains!"

A tilt to his head and a proud smile on his face, Kalim fell into his role as the knight-prince, your supposed saviour.

"If sea snake's joining then I want Azul!" Floyd pouted as Jade simply smiled. "Azul! Join us!"

Their Housewarden sighed, getting up from his place in the sand along with Jamil as they entered the water. For whatever reason, Azul stayed in his two-legged form, yet he still could quickly swim over. 

"If we are to win," Jade said, "we should make sure to split up. Toss (Y/N) over to the person who is unswarmed by these heroes."

"But I want to spend time with (Y/N)!" Floyd frowned, hands twitching around your waist while you let him carry you, limp. 

And I wanted to play a fun game of tag, but I guess we don't always get what we want!

"I agree with Jade." Azul pushed his glasses up. "We should make sure to keep (Y/N) away from these heroes."

Your captors had migrated over to the deeper waters in the ocean, powerful tails (and legs) allowing them to tread the water with ease. You shifted in Floyd's grasp, turning chest-to-chest, to peer over at your supposed heroes. The merman chirped with glee and held you even tighter to him in a pseudo-hug while he continued to discuss tactics with his dormmates. 

Surprisingly, Riddle, Cater and Trey were participating in this game as well. By the looks of things, it seems they had managed to recruit Ortho too. The 'knights' were similarly congregating, thinking up a game plan. While their numbers trumped your captors, you're sure that they are the ones with the advantage. 

Seriously, why are the teams like this. There's no way Kalim's team is winning against this sea-beasts.

In a flash, Azul, Jade and Floyd swam off in different directions. Floyd's powerful tail pushed the both of you through the water at a near-alarming speed, making you laugh in an adrenaline-fueled manner. You looked over Floyd's shoulder to see most of the hero team swimming towards you both at a much slower rate. Floyd soon stopped and started to float in the water, guarding you in his arms like a precious treasure.

"You'll never take Koi fishie from me!" He growled out, baring his teeth with a laugh.

"Are you sure about that?" Riddle smirked. "You're surrounded."

In a flash, Riddle, Trey, Cater and Kalim had encircled Floyd, slowly drawing closer with no escape. It's too bad that your 'captors' had planned for this. Floyd smiled even wider, lifting you up by the hips, and called out to Jade. With strong arms, he tossed you over to his brother, who caught you gently with steel cable-like arms. As you flew through the air, you couldn't help but laugh at the 'heroes' shocked faces. 

"It seems you're stuck with me now." Jade smiled, quickly swimming off with Jamil and Ortho giving chase. 

The merman was holding you in a bridal-style carry, whipping his tail through the water, dodging Ortho and Jamil's tries to grab and save you.

You waved lazily at them. "Oh no. I've been caught. Dear heroes, please save me." You spoke, completely deadpan. 

You could hear Jade's chest vibrate from a chuckle as he continued to race through the water. A glance towards his back showed Azul setting up for a catch while Floyd taunted poor Riddle. Trey and Cater were quickly swimming over to help Jamil and Ortho, who were quickly catching up.

So they're handicapping themselves for this. Probably 'cause it wouldn't be as fun.

"Don't worry (Y/N), I'll save you!" Ortho called out, his motors whirring as he started to speed up, nearly brushing your hand as Jade quickly dodged.

"It's not polite to lie, Ortho." Jade called out as you braced yourself for another toss. "There's simply no way for you to win."

In a quick, smooth motion, you flew through the air once more to be caught by Azul. You laughed and ruffled his hair in joy, undeniably pleased from all this throwing. For whatever reason, being tossed through the air filled you with pinks and yellows of a childish happiness, making you giggle, adrenaline-drunk, with glee.

"Please don't mess up my hair." Azul sighed, resigned. He shifted you around in his arms for a better ease of movement as Riddle drew in near with a dangerous glare.

The position he landed on was you, held by the waist in one arm as you were slung over his shoulder. He then took off, not as fast as Jade or Floyd, but still faster than your supposed future saviours. Soon enough, he let them catch up, then threw you through the air to Floyd. 

And so the cycle continued, you happily being thrown in the air while the hero team eventually slowed down, exhausted. Not ones' to lose, they congregated into a circle on the shore to discuss plans, while you stayed fixed in Floyd's arms. Jade and Azul soon joining you as you all watched the hero team plan. 

"I wonder how they'll approach us this time." Jade simpered with an everpresent smile.

Azul scoffed. "This is such a stupid game. How on earth are they going to win?"

Unfortunately for them, Azul just jinxed the 'villain' team. Malleus, Lilia and Silver, returning from a beach combing exploration, went over to the hero team. Kalim waved his hands around and suddenly, it seemed that the Diasomnia boys joined the hero team. Their discussion continued with even more fervor, a dark shadow appearing over their group as they started to scheme.

"Wow. You really just screwed yourself over, Azul." You deadpanned, unbothered by any of this. 

Floyd hugged you closer to him in glee. "Now it's gonna be super fun! Too bad none of them will steal you from me..."

A dark chuckle. "No. They won't win against us, right Azul?"

His glasses flashed. "I think it's time to think of a different plan."

You laughed as Floyd darted through the waves, waving at Malleus, Silver and Lilia who were closing in on you. Sadly for them, Floyd picked up even more speed. Beads of water flew through the air as the waves splashed into the Diasomnia group. Meanwhile, Jade tried to shake off a persistent group of Heartslabyul boys, Azul facing the same problem with Kalim and Jamil. 

"Return (Y/N) to us, mortal, and your punishment will be lessened." Malleus glared, picking up speed.

"There's no way for you to win, Floyd, so just give up." Lilia added with a chuckle. 

Silver stayed silent, a dark look on his face as he swam even faster, nearly managing to grab you off of Floyd. Floyd laughed in amusement and quickly changed directions. Jade and Azul started swimming towards the center of the ocean alongside you and Floyd. Though you were, of course, a limp spectator in this competition. Still, it was fun to move so quickly through the water, you giggled as Floyd started to go even faster.

The three of them met in the middle, the others not far behind. Azul scowled as Jade grabbed you from Floyd, manhandling you into his arms.

"Ready?" Azul asked, "They're closing in."

True to his statement, the group of 'heroes' were quickly getting closer. Riddle looked triumphant, while Trey and Cater's eyes shone with determination to 'save' you.

I guess it's time for my plan to come into action, too. 

There was no way you were playing damsel in distress. No matter how fun it was to go fast and be thrown around, this objectification was too much to bear. Thank god for Idia, who had seen your rapid signing and silently gathered Ruggie and Rook to the shore. You smiled to yourself. This rescue plan was going to work.

"Hand (Y/N) over, criminals! We're here to save her, there's no escape!" Malleus boomed with a smirk. 

"Isn't there?" Jade smiled in reply, "It seems you weren't paying enough attention."

In that quick amount of time, Azul and Floyd had tied up their legs in the seaweed from the ocean floor. They struggled, shocked. 

And now it was your time to shine. 

"Yeah. There's no need for you heroes!" You smiled, a steely look in your eyes. "I can save myself just fine, thanks."

In one quick motion, you grabbed Jade's arms, throwing him over your shoulder by using his body weight. The eel barreled into Floyd and Azul, knocking them out. Whip-quick, you swam off, darting through the waves with a laugh as you approached the shore. 

A look over your shoulder, the boys were catching up. Floyd, Jade and Azul were closest, but the others were pulling on them to slow them down. It soon turned into an all-out war as they fought to get near to you, either to 'save' or 'capture' you. Too bad.

With a smile and a wave, you ran onto the shore. Idia and Ruggie grinned and guarded you as you approached the win-point. You hit the tree with your hand and beamed. 

"I win!" You said in a sing-song tone. 

The boys were stunned.

Trey laughed first. "Yeah, you did! Well done."

The others joined in, heaping you with praise as your heart fluttered in joy. Butterflies in your stomach as you all started to chat about your plan and your win. Ruggie ruffled your hair while Idia gave you a smile in support. 

It was a fun day.

[1] Chinese hell is cold, dark and damp. Basically the opposite to traditional perception of Christian hell. And there are multiple hells! Lovely ^^ [2] Generally, Chinese eating tendencies is that the best and most food goes to children, then the elderly, then the adults. Portion sizes also tend to be quite small for adults/teens, at least compared to US portion sizes. MC is exaggerating when calling the boys younger tho... it's the innate mom instinct lmao [3] Queen of Swans... get it.... cuz MC's so graceful but can also be very fierce? Also cuz swans = romance and Rook is definitely noticing the reverse harem shenangians

Just a fun fact, kids/babies get so happy from being thrown because it helps strengthen their bodies against gravity. It also strengthens a kid's sense of balance and motion. I wonder why MC likes it now uwu

and here is the third part of the beach ep. if you'd like to read the rest of the fic, you can read it on ao3 here, and on quotev here.

[ovobawrites]

𝐵𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽: 𝐸𝓅𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒹𝑒 𝒯𝓌𝑜 ♡ 𝐹𝒷𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓎𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓈

disclaimer: this has already been posted on ao3 and quotev, i'm just reposting this beach episode special as a promo for the fic. after this is all my previous author notes.

this is a fem!reader and also a half chinese!reader insert.

previous ♡ next

The atmosphere surrounding the group as you gazed upon your temporary lodgings was one of surprise. For all his faults, at least Crowley did not skimp on renting out suitable accommodations. At least, that's what you were thinking, the others were... less grateful. 

"What is this meant to be, our storage room for the week?"

Ruggie cringed. "Leona! Stop being so-" He then glanced at Crewel and sighed, "Nevermind..."

The group were all discussing the rooming, which was practically an omen in itself. You just knew this was going to devolve into petty squabbling in no time at all. 

"But Jamil-" Kalim whined.

The brunet snapped at him, already knowing what he was going to say. "No, you are not going to buy out a 5 star hotel for us just for this trip Kalim!" 

"God I hope this place is clean. Rook, we're sharing a bathroom and bedroom if needed." Vil muttered, looking critically at the 3-story house.

His vice dormleader smiled in reply. "It would be my pleasure, Roi du Poison."

"Eh, goldfishie, are you mad? Is it 'cause you have no-one to room with? You can stay with me." Floyd smiled, all teeth, and ruffled Riddle's hair.

Riddle's eye twitched. You winced while Trey and Cater looked like they were about to duck for cover. Jade moved to drag his brother away while Azul did damage control, Trey pitching in while Cater looked like he was about to start hiding behind his suitcase to avoid the blowout.

Oh dear, I better go before this turns into another all-out brawl.

Idia was comatose on the floor, Ortho struggling to carry him as his older brother sobbed from the stress of these eccentric personalities. Malleus was examining the architecture, talking poor Lilia and Silver's ears off, though the freshman was once again in slumber. You decided to follow after Crewel, who had just entered the house. There was no way you were going to put yourself through this migraine-inducing situation. 

The interior of the lodge was a bit beyond your expectations. The decor was quite simple, with no gaudy displays of extravagance like you thought Crowley would go for. The entrance gave way to an small entry hall, leading to a rather large living room and dining area. The kitchen seemed to be off to the side while the bedrooms were upstairs. A large glass window gave a stunning view of the beach and natural landscape of the Sunshine Lands, the clear blue sky foretelling a fortunate day.

Crewel glanced apathetically to the entryway, where one could still hear the arguments of the boys outside. It seems none of them had noticed your absences. The professor sighed and went to look through the note left on the table for your group by the owners of this (suitably large) house. 

"It seems that there are just enough rooms to be shared between the boys, while you and I will be getting rooms of our own." Crewel smiled, pleased. "We should look through the rooms first to find which ones would be suitable for ourselves."

It seems your teacher really was the mischievous type. How lovely!

I better be getting a room with its own bathroom or so help me dear ancestors, I will murder any man who has subpar hygiene. 

So, leaving the boys to argue amongst themselves about the size and luxury of your lodgings, you and Crewel went upstairs to choose the most extravagant rooms for yourselves.

"...Wait, where did Professor Crewel and (Y/N) go?"

"Oh seven, we're screwed."

By the time the group had realised your absence, you and Crewel had taken the best rooms for yourselves on the top floor. There was no way Crewel would let you be on a floor filled with boys alone after all. To quote your brother, 'Men are all untrustworthy pigs, never ever give him an inch because he will take a mile. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.'.

Brother tends to be a bit extreme. At least he doesn't know about this trip, otherwise he'd give me tips on castration.

You shuddered at the thought, brother dearest was quite graphic and did not skimp on any details whatsoever.

...It didn't help that you were 10 when he first told you about it.

No use crying over it now. You started to take out your clothes from your qiánkūn dài and hang them up in the closet provided to you. You hated ironing and had no desire to deal with creases on your clothing this time. Just as you finished unpacking and setting your belongings out in your room, a crash came from downstairs. Seems the boys finally went inside instead of loitering and arguing like a pack of hooligans.

You decided to take your time. Give Riddle a chance to let off some steam before he starts ranting about how you broke rule #577: let redheads choose the rooms first. Or something equally asinine. 

Another crash and this time, a scream. It was probably best to leave this for Crewel to deal with, he was the authority figure in this situation. The boys would... most likely listen to him. Probably.

You pulled out suncream from your right sleeve to reapply and pass the time. Sunburns were not something you ever want to deal with, plus UV light would reveal your many stress wrinkles. 

A third crash... You decided to walk down now, locking the door behind you, wondering what your friends were getting up to. Hopefully they weren't arguing over rooms, poor Idia would have to share with another person other than Ortho, while someone would have to room with either Floyd or Azul. The horror.

The conversation you heard was... worrying to say the least. It seems that the boys were trying to argue who gets to pick the rooms first. If it weren't for the fact that it would ruin his nails, you were sure that Vil would have already started an all-out brawl. Where was Crewel?

"As head of the Heartslabyul Dorm, I believe that I should have the right to picking the rooms out first. After all, the Queen of Hearts did say that-"

"Now now Riddle," Azul smiled, irate. "Should it not be Octavinelle who chooses the rooms first? Perhaps you should learn a thing or two from our benevolent Sea Witch."

"Why you-!"

Leona cut in, "I'm the oldest, so I should get first pickings. Done. Let's go Ruggie." 

"Now hold on! Pomefiore should have the first choice! You potatoes don't need any type of special room since you obviously don't care about your appearances!"

While those four argued about who should be able to choose their dorm first, it seemed that Idia was... running away? From Floyd? Maybe you should go help him...

"Ah- Floyd?" You spoke up, giving Riddle and Azul a spook as they turned around to see you on the stairwell. "Maybe... don't chase Idia?"

The first year looked at you and pouted. "Eh? Why not? I'm so bored and Firefly Squid is so fun to chase!" He grinned menacingly.

"...Idia looks like he's about to go into cardiac arrest." You stated, deadpan. 

Ortho quickly flew over to check on his brother. Meanwhile, the Housewardens continued their argument. Floyd frowned and went to go harass Riddle (again), not wanting to face the force of nature that is Ortho. This derailed their conversation even further. By this point, Trey and Cater were attempting to deescalate the situation, while Rook egged Vil on and stayed by his side for support. Malleus, again just happy to be included, was talking animatedly to Lilia and Silver, still asleep, about... the intricacies of 15th century stonecutting? Jade was adding to the argument now, instead of passively watching his brother bother poor Idia, covertly teasing both Riddle and Azul and adding fuel to the fire. 

...Did Ruggie sneak upstairs to find a suitable room for him and Leona? Smart kid.

You now took the time to examine the room to find the source of all those crashing noises. There didn't seem to be any damage, so either Malleus and Lilia used magic to fix it or the crashes were from... poor Idia's frantic attempts to flee Floyd. You sat on the couch across from the Diasomnia trio, giving a smile and a wave to them, before leaning your head on your hand to watch the argument go on. It really was amusing to see Trey and Cater, unstoppable force, fight against Riddle's anger, immovable object. Though... you couldn't help but feel sorry for Kalim, who was less an active participant in the fight and more a person to insult and condemn, even with Jamil trying his best to defend him.

He's not doing a very good job of it though... I wonder why...

A noise to your right made you look over at Idia, who squeaked at the eye contact. You smiled with open body language, not unlike how one would approach a wild animal, and slowly moved closer to Idia. Ortho, at his side, gave a thumbs up and moved to fight for Ignihyde in the battle being waged. Idia, shocked, glanced back and forth between you and Ortho. Though you couldn't see what Ortho was motioning, by Idia's body language, it was likely something scandalous (by his definition).

However, it did seem to give the Housewarden some confidence. Idia took a deep breath, gathering all his courage, and said, "S-so..."

You leaned in closer, reveling in the pale pink blush across his cheeks and the way the tips of his hair flamed pink. "So...?"

"Uh- I-" His eyes darted wildly away from your face, red spreading across his and at this rate, his hair would be entirely pink within a moment. "I-I was wondering if... you'd like to... room with me and Ortho?"

How sweet! Though... he's not gonna like the news I'm gonna have to give him.

"Idia," He perked up, hope in his eyes at the soft smile on your face. "I'm sorry but, you do know I'm meant to room alone, right?"

He paled and yelped. "WHAT?! But-" Everyone's eyes were on him making him shrink into his hoodie like a turtle. "N-nevermind!"

Luckily for him, the boys all thought their current argument (or conversation, in Malleus' case) was more important than whatever made him yell. You did feel a smidge bad for Idia though, knowing how your peer struggled when it came to conversation and any type of social interaction.

So I wonder what made him reach out to me? No matter the reason, it must have taken him tremendous courage.

"I can suggest a roomate for you, though." You glanced over at Lilia, and got up to walk over to the other sofa. "I am terrible sorry to interrupt your conversation Malleus, but I was wondering if Silver had a roomate yet? If not, I feel that he and Idia would be well-suited to be in the same room."

Lilia chuckled at that, "Why do you think so dear (Y/N)? Surely his clubmate Azul would be easier to talk to?"

Malleus nodded at that, looking curious to your reasoning.

"You do have a point, however, I feel that with Silver, Idia will not be as nervous. Silver has a righteous personality, unlike Azul, and is not so... talkative. Moreover, Idia will not seek to disrupt Silver's work or training, which I think would benefit you greatly. From my point of view, it seems mutually beneficial."

Malleus looked pensive. "I do find your points persuasive, but... I fear that Silver may lose sleep with Idia in the dorm." 

"Not to worry." You hid your grin behind your sleeve. "I will make sure that Ortho will keep Idia in line."

Malleus and Lilia exchanged a glance, then, with a smirk, Lilia floated up towards you. Eye to eye. "It seems we are in agreement then."

"Seems we are." You smiled, though it was more a baring of teeth. "I thank you for your consideration."

And for a heart stopping moment, Malleus smiled in reply, softly with a hint of pink across his cheeks. The look in his eyes were undoubtedly kind and considerate, your heart felt like it was to leap out of your chest.

"'Twas no problem," he said, "the pleasure was ours."

With a twirl, you bounced over to Idia in time to the beating of your heart. He was huddled up on the far side of the couch, looking less a man and more a turtle.

You moved close to him, wide grin on your face. "I've got some good news for you!"

"I-is it that I can room alone?" He said, eyes gleaming with newfound hope.

"Nope! You're rooming with Silver!" 

Idia shrunk, making you frown in disapproval. "Whatever is the matter? Silver is the perfect roomie for you!" 

"Sure..." He rolled his eyes.

You placed your hands on your hips and listed out a 12 point argument on why Silver was, indeed, the best option for Idia to room with. By the end of it, well, he didn't look any happier but Idia did look a bit more grateful.

"You really thought about this, huh?" He remarked.

"Of course I did! I was worried about you, silly!" You pushed his shoulder playfully and Idia shoved you back in reply, tips of his hair a pretty fuchsia.

"You were?"

"Yeah! You're a dear person to me, of course I'd be worried for you!"

Ah... that can be grossly misinterpreted... whoops...

Idia's hair flamed pink for a moment, and his eyes widened in surprise. He opened his mouth to reply but-

Bang!

Professor Crewel was at the top of the stairs, and he looked pissed. "Now," he said, whip tapping menacingly against his open palm. "who told you horrible little dogs that you could cause such a commotion?"

Riddle, looking properly chastised, pouted and looked to the floor. Leona, on the other hand, rolled his eyes. Jamil and Kalim glanced away out of guilt while Azul frowned, less in remorse and more in disappointment at the argument being cut off.

Crewel looked even more upset. "Well?"

Vil spoke up, practiced guilt streaked throughout his demeanor. "No one, Professor, we were acting out of line. As the Housewarden of Pomefiore, I deeply apologise and hope to repent for my misconduct."

The others scrambled to follow suit, except for Leona. The lion looked unbothered by it all, probably because of Ruggie's absence and the discreet lack of any Savanaclaw bags in the room. Thankfully, Crewel didn't seem to noticed and looked slightly mollified by the apologies. He walked down the steps and took a perfunctory glance around the room. With nothing in disarray, he relaxed.

"Well then, judging by your unruly behaviours, I suppose Diasomnia and Ignihyde should get to choose their dorms first." He stated, arms crossed.

"But Professor-!" Riddle tried to interject but was silenced by a stern look from the man.

Idia glanced at you, nervous, and you motioned for him to stand up and grab his bags. You hoped he got a room on the same floor as you. The walls seemed rather thin and being in a room next to Kalim, or worse, Floyd, seemed like a curse.

Crewel went to get the boys in order and the rooms all sorted out. Lilia and Malleus had grabbed Silver's bags for him, leaving the sleeping freshman on the couch. You pulled out your phone for a moment, checking your notifications, just in case.

Brother: I hope you are doing well. Unfortunately, due to Jiànhóng's urging, I will be unable to contact you for a week. The Aster's fief needs to be taken care of, since the branch family[1] who were meant to be taking care of it have apparently been rather lazy. I will be dealing with that. Take care.

(Y/N): I see. I wish for things to go well and be easily dealt with for you, but knowing our branch family... Stay safe, love you! Tell Jiànhóng that I send him well wishes.

Brother: He is busy, as per usual. Unable to talk or answer any messages. Be safe.

Unsurprising then. Jiànhóng was never available for you to talk with. He was often swamped with the work your brother was reluctant to do, as his aide. You missed your friend, but knowing him, he'd do all the duchy's taxes for the next 5 years before he'd take a break. You hadn't been able to talk to him for a few months now, and it hurt to know that he considered his work more important than you. Why else would he ignore your messages?

"Are you alright?" Silver's voice snapped you from your reverie. 

"Hm?" Your head snapped to him, who was now awake and sitting properly on the sofa. "I am fine, why do you ask?"

The boy looked you in the eyes, concern written across his face. "You were frowning, I thought you were upset."

"Oh." Just that phrase was enough to make your heart go into overdrive, joyful pinks and purples flooding your chest. A warmth rose to your cheeks for a moment. "Thank you for your concern."

"There's no need to thank me," Silver replied with a slight smile, "I was worried about you, that's what friends do."

"I-I see." You glanced away, the eye contact feeling too intense. "Thank- ah. I am glad that we are friends."

Silver leant in closer, and despite the distance between you two from the couches, it felt like he was right in front of you. You were filled with warmth and butterflies started to swarm in your stomach.

"It is my pleasure-"

He was cut of by yelling from upstairs. Though it was too far to make out the words, from the voices, you could guess that Riddle was yelling at someone. Maybe Ruggie and Leona? He probably figured out their scheme. You doubted Crewel would do anything about it, he seemed a little fond of Ruggie, who was the main reason why Leona attended any of his alchemy classes. Thinking of the rooms...

Right... does Silver know who he's going to be rooming with? Better tell him.

"Silver," He turned his head to you, tilting it rather cutely in silent acknowledgment. "have you heard who you will be rooming with?"

"Ah." Silver frowned. "No. I should grab my bags and put them away now then, before I fall asleep." 

"Oh, you're rooming with Idia! I figured you two would get along-" You rose from the couch as Silver did, continuing your conversation as you two walked up the stairs together. 

"See, Idia's a bit... anxious around others, and I figured a calming presence like yours would be good for him! Plus, you need your sleep and I heard from Lilia that you get up early to train so-"

Silver interrupted you with a chuckle. "Sorry it's just... I'm glad that you care so much about me."

Stunned, you could only reply with, "...Ah."

Silver smiled at your silence, and you two continued up the stairs to search for Idia. 

...Your heart wouldn't stop racing.

Coincidentally, Idia was also on the top floor! He looked nervous when he saw both you and Silver standing at the door, but before he could say a word, Ortho rushed in and beamed with joy. 

"Ah, Silver is here! I'm glad you're rooming with my brother!"

Quick as a whip, the younger Shroud yanked Silver into the room, then slammed the door shut on your face. It stung a little, but you understood that there was no ill intent. Shrugging, you went back to your room, unlocking your door and closing it behind you. With a deep breath, you took the time to enjoy the silence and relax. Though... you could still hear Riddle's yells and the sound of slamming coming from the direction of Idia's room. 

Really, there's not much silence at all. 

So instead of attempting to unwind in an impossible situation, you chose to set up protection and silencing talismans throughout your room. The wards were placed mainly by your doorway, though you stuck some barrier fúlù by the window. Hopefully, this will alert you to anyone trying to sneak in. A smattering of silencing talismans in all four corners and you finally felt safe.

For all you could like the boys, you still couldn't bear to trust them. Perhaps it was your brother's lectures, maybe it was just a natural instinct but... sometimes, in your darkest moments, you felt terrified of your friends. When Trey or Cater were too close, when Leona leaned on you, when Rook was 'watching' you, a cold, bubbling tar of fear rose to your throat. On most days, you quickly snapped out of it, recognising your friends as people who would never hurt you. Yet, a deep-seated panic still remained. You could never trust them. It wasn't in your nature, though you'd like to try.

Crewel had left you all some time to unpack and get the rooming sorted out, stating that lunch would be at 12, then your group would go down to the beach for a few hours. You put on one of your swimsuits, deciding to go with a more conservative, one piece swimsuit for the day: a (f/c) piece with a heart-shaped hole in the chest. Applying suncream, then sorting out your hair and packing a beach bag were what you occupied your time with. A pair of towels and a beach umbrella were what you decided on bringing, using your bag instead of your sleeves to carry all the items you'd need. 

It took a bit of organising, but everything you needed fit. A water bottle, fúlù for emergencies, a coat in case it gets cold, extra suncream, your hat, sunglasses, magical pen... and more. In your defense, you had a lot of important items in your sleeves. You checked your phone for the time, and you still had 15 minutes before lunch, so you picked out a lovely white sundress to wear over your swimming gear. Grabbing your beach bag, you decided to spend that remaining time downstairs with your friends.

Only Leona and Ruggie were on the couches, evidently everyone else was either using that time to lounge around or prepare for the afternoon. Leona took up an entire couch, so you decided to sit close to Ruggie. The lion opened one of his eyes at your presence, glancing at the bag you had slung over your shoulder.

"That's a big bag, what do you need so much stuff for?" He muttered, an amused glint in his eye.

"It's just in case!" You pouted defensively. "I need all this stuff for emergencies!"

"Oh I'm locked behind a door? Good thing I brought my trusty battering ram!" Ruggie mocked you lightheartedly in a high pitched voice.

"No! A battering ram wouldn't fit in my bag," You glared half-heartedly. "and I don't sound like that!"

The hyena snickered. "Sure you don't."

"I don't!" You insisted.

Leona decided to speak up, "(Y/N), as someone who has been hearing you for the past 8 months... you absolutely do."

You gasped dramatically, draping yourself over the end of the couch like a swooning maiden with fainting fever. "How could you say that to me! I've done approximately no bad things! None!"

"Approximately?" Ruggie prompted, pushing your legs off of the side of the couch to move in closer. He looked similar to a predator stalking a prey in that moment, though you broke through and concealed that flash of fear.

"Well... I don't know if punching a guy is a crime..." You mumbled, looking away.

Leona frowned, deadpan. "It's not."

"What if... he was flying on a sword... 10 metres off the ground?" You continued. "And he broke his leg by falling?"

"Did you get caught?" Ruggie loomed over you, friendly smile on his face.

"No..." 

He grinned wildly. "Then it's not a crime! Right Leona?"

The prince smirked. "Yep, not a crime."

You were learning some things about your friends' moral systems today. And you thought they deserved to be roasted for it so you prepared to retort with a comment about not trusting the person who skips class 24/7 and the pickpocket who admitted to stealing thousands of thaumarks worth of stuff. 

But before you could, you were interrupted by a shriek of delight.

"Koi fishie!" Floyd practically flew down from the stairs and gathered you up with a tight hug. "You look so adorable lil' Koi, right Jade?"

Jade looked at you, smile in place. "She does look quite charming, I'd say. What do you think Azul?"

The Housewarden flushed, eyes darting around in search for help. He'd find none. "I-uh... I think she looks... uhm."

Jade's smile widened, eyes flashing. "Well Azul?"

Azul started sweating in stress. "She looks... uh... well..." He motioned his hands around wildly. 

Floyd, with you still wrapped up in your arms, spoke up. "She looks what? Don't be so shy, Azul!"

"She looks... okay!" Azul squeaked out, eyes squinted shut.

Floyd laughed wildly at that, gently putting you down before laughing his heart out to make fun of his poor Housewarden. Jade joined in with a chuckle while Ruggie snickered lightly. Leona smirked at the underwhelming answer.

You decided to tease Azul even more, finding his bright red face adorable. "You think I look... okay?" You pouted, eyes welling up with tears. "Oh... I see..." You looked away from the Octavinelle kids and slumped next to Ruggie, taking up a position to make it look as if you were crying on his shirt. 

"Hey!" The hyena whispered, a scowl on his face. "This shirt is like... super expensive! I bought it with Leona's money but still! Don't ruin it with your fake tears!"

You gave him a watery glare in reply and gestured to the tissue in your right hand. He sighed and backed up your act by stroking a gentle hand through your hair and glaring at Azul.

"I- uh." Azul stuttered, nervous when faced with tears.

Jade and Floyd looked genuinely concerned, and moved over to comfort you. Floyd patted your arm lightly while Jade offered encouraging words.

"Don't cry, dear, you look wonderful! Azul got like that because he was awestruck by how lovely you look." The vice Housewarden said, a kinder smile on his face.

"Are y-you sure?" You asked, practiced voice wobbly to further guilt trip Azul.

"Of course. When have I ever said a word I didn't mean?" Jade gently wiped your tears away, tilting your head to face his with a soft hand on your chin.

"Oh. Okay then." You smiled blindingly in reply. "I'm over it!"

Azul blinked in shock. Then, Ruggie started laughing hysterically at the whiplash, while Jade and Floyd, who had only just gotten the joke, blinked in surprise. They quickly joined in the laughter once they realised what you had done. Leona let out a pleased rumble at the prank you had pulled, with Azul looking absolutely dumbstruck by the complete tone shift.

"I- uh. What?" He stammered, a confused look in his eyes. 

No one could answer him, Floyd was wheezing on the floor while the rest of you took too much pleasure in watching the cogs in his brain turn to try and compute. When the poor boy did realise what happened, he only looked resigned to your shenanigans. Shaking his head with a sigh, Azul sat down next to you on the couch, posture perfectly composed, unlike his behaviour from earlier.

Soon, the rest of the group wandered down and waited for Crewel to arrive, looking hungry and ready to argue their hearts out. Riddle looked especially angry, though Vil was a close second. On the other hand, both Kalim and Jamil looked very pleased with their rooms, as did Malleus and Lilia. Idia's emergence from his room, dragged along by Ortho with Silver following close behind, heralded Crewel's arrival. The professor burst through the door to the house with a flourish, carrying bags of groceries and lunch boxes with him.

"Lucky for you pups, the ghosts decided to cook you all a lunch! Don't think this is normal though, you will be preparing your own meals, and mine, for the rest of this trip!" Crewel gave you all a stern look. "Now, let's all eat at the dining table, first come, first serve."

Oh dear...

At that, everyone scrambled to grab a good seat and a decent meal, Ruggie being at the head of the stampede with Floyd in a close second. This was sadly, futile, as Lilia floated from above to grab himself, Malleus and Silver some nice meals. Almost animalistic noises were heard as the boys all rushed to the table, you were slung over Jade's shoulder in the commotion, hanging from it like a doll. There was a lot of pushing and shoving coming from around you, though Jade remained unaffected. Soon, a scream from Idia signaling his fall to the floor. A squawk indicating Riddle suffered the same fate.

Really, when my brother said 'men act like animals' I thought he was speaking metaphorically. I didn't think he'd mean they'd act like this!

[1] Just a note, reader is from a noble family! The branch family was assigned to help out the main one, but they've obviously not been doing their job. They're from a descendant that married out of the family to a merchant, who is seen as 'new money' and doesn't have a title. So despite their relations, they lack a noble title.

and here is the second part of the beach ep. if you'd like to read the rest of the fic, you can read it on ao3 here, and on quotev here.

[ovobawrites]

𝐵𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽: 𝐸𝓅𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒹𝑒 𝒪𝓃𝑒 ♡ 𝐹𝒷𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓎𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓈

disclaimer: this has already been posted on ao3 and quotev, i'm just reposting this beach episode special as a promo for the fic. after this is all my previous author notes.

this is a fem!reader and also a half chinese!reader insert.

next

When Crowley invited you to the beach trip he had planned for the 1st and 2nd years, you were... reluctant to go. Your reticent nature did not mean that you were unaware of the fact that Crowley... wasn't the most caring person for his students. Crewel being the sole supervisor on the trip was the only reason you decided to attend. 

You had been informed that only the Housewardens, their vices and a person of their choosing would be present on the trip. Likely due to Crowley's inherent need to save as much thaumarks[1] as possible. Point is, you were going on a beach trip. The problem was that it would be just you and at least 14 boys plus Crewel at the beach. You were going to die.

And the worst part? Due to Crowley wanting you all to have an 'experience', the group would be taking a bus from the magic mirror to get to a specific, magically protected resort in the Sunshine Lands[2]. This resort was small enough that you would be living in each other's space for a good few days. But you shrugged, packed your bags and resolved to never tell your brother about this. All you could hope for was a peaceful trip, nice weather and no murders. And if you made sure to stuff your qiánkūn dài with fúlù for self-protection? That was just for your some peace of mind and nothing more.

The walk to the mirror hall would have been quite lovely and peaceful for you if it wasn't 5 o'clock in the morning! Getting up that early was the worst experience you had ever faced in your life... not to mention the fact that it was so dark outside you almost tripped over the steps by the door! And yet... you still woke up 30 minutes earlier than you needed to for your skincare routine, makeup, and routine anxious bag check. At least you had gotten more than 2 hours of sleep?

Crowley had informed you that the others had to wear either their PE or dorm uniforms for the trip, but since he was oh-so generous, he let you choose your outfit. Dressing for the heat was something you were used to, deciding on packing a wide-brimmed hat and heart-shaped sunglasses in your draping cardigan with customised sleeve space. Underneath that, you decided on wearing a slightly short, pleated skirt in (f/c) and a cropped t-shirt to have some modesty. Even if your swimsuits were a lot more risqué, your outfits were definitely less so for the sake of your dignity.

To get to the mirror hall, you had to trudge past the overgrown plants you were 'working' on taming, and then had to drag your feet to the long (and still slightly confusing) walk to the dark mirror. Walking in the room, you could immediately see how the different dorms prepared for this trip. Riddle and Trey were helping Cater bring his bags closer to the portal, the poor man looking dead on his feet and still half asleep, nearly squashing Riddle under his weight by leaning on him. Meanwhile, Leona, actually asleep, was being dragged by poor Ruggie, the hyena having strapped the man to one of their wheeled suitcases. 

Ruggie's quite strong actually! I wonder how he deals with both the heavy bag on his back and the weight from Leona?

Vil and Rook were by far, the most prepared of the group, the two of them having their makeup done absolutely perfectly, chatting as if it was an afternoon meeting and not the most asinine hour you could imagine being awake at. Jamil struggled with a sleepy Kalim, though he too had shadows under his eyes denoting a clear lack of sleep, not that you could judge. Meanwhile, Azul, Jade and Floyd seemed perfectly fine with this torturous wake-up time, though they all gave off movements showing them to be slightly groggy. Idia was completely awake and huddling in a corner while Ortho tried to comfort him. And finally, Malleus and Lilia chatted with a healthy air, with Lilia having Silver hefted over his shoulder like some sort of comically large sack of potatoes. 

I am going to die on this trip, if not from fatigue, then from the amount of chaos that is going to be caused by this group.

The boys turned to look at you as your heeled boots clacked against the hard floor, with numerous comedic reactions to your rather... light luggage. That is, if they were even awake enough to notice you.

"Are you going to be wearing that outfit for the entire trip?" Vil raised an eyebrow at you, arms crossed judgmentally.

You smiled like a knife. Let them worry or think you're stupid, you do not have the emotional capacity to deal with this right now without making a mess of things. 

But before Vil edged closer to the line that would result in death from a demolished ego, Crewel walked into the room. The professor carried the pouch you gifted him, along with his signature whip. The man had shed his normal fur coat for a black and white striped button up, yet his style was as impeccable as always. The teacher grinned at you, a kind look in his eyes as he took in your clearly exhausted demeanour.

"I see we brought matching pouches, dear puppy. I thank you once again for making it so much easier for me to pack for this trip. Plus," He winked conspiratorially, "You've enabled me to bring as many outfits and shoes as I want."

AHHHHH HE'S BEING SO KIND TO ME!!!! WHAT TO SAY WHAT TO SAY!!!

"It was truly no problem, Professor." You returned his kind look with one of admiration and respect. "I'm simply glad that you like it!" 

Unfortunately, the two of you could not start a compliment-off due to the urgings of one angry, red dorm leader. 

"Professor Crewel, we really should be on our way now. If I recall correctly, the Headmage said that we must be on time to catch the bus, and as according to Queen of Heart's rule #375, 'You must not ever be late for a very important date'."

...That one's just common sense no?

Crewel looked slightly ticked off for a moment, but went back to looking like a calm and collected teacher so quickly you almost thought it was an illusion.

With a clap of his hands, he ordered, "Line up pups! Make sure you are with your dorm members and pass through the mirror." He cracked his whip menacingly. "And if any of you wander off in the time it takes me to mark you all present, you will be dealing with a punishment suiting such beastly behaviour!"

Azul and Jade snapped their heads up at that and quickly grabbed onto Floyd, knowing the mischief he would get up to. Thankfully for the other dorms, their troublemakers were either fast asleep or too tired to cause even a speck of mischief. Trey went up to the mirror and stepped in with their bags in hand, while Riddle struggled to get himself and Cater through without falling over. Next up was Ruggie, who unceremoniously dumped Leona through the portal, who woke up with a yowl, then snickered and stepped through. The Octavinelle kids walked in the portal, Jade and Floyd carrying the bags while Azul took wrote something down in a small black book.

...Is he studying? Or is he analysing his fellow Housewardens... either way it's kinda creepy...

Jamil woke Kalim up and got his charge through the mirror, then picked up their numerous bags with a sigh and struggled to get past the portal. Rook and Vil, as put together as always, walked through with no problem despite their heavy-looking bags. Ortho had to drag Idia through the portal, his older brother carrying their bulky bags while seemingly quite concerned by the amount of people in the room. Finally, Malleus and Lilia went through the portal, luggage floating behind them while Lilia kept Silver slung over his shoulder. Crewel ticked through names on a clipboard with a sigh, shaking his head in disappointment. He looked at you with a small smile then gestured for you to walk through. The cold sensation of the portal embraced you as you felt yourself transported through the dark mirror.

The first thing you felt when you arrived in the Sunshine Lands was a stifling heat against your skin. The second was your eardrums dying from a loud, shrill noise. A bus screeched past you, blowing your hair into your face, before making a sharp u-turn to stop right in front of your group, blowing plumes of dust in its wake. If that noise wasn't enough to wake you all up, the slam of the doors opening definitely did. Crewel appeared through the portal just then, and walked up to the bus with no care for the groups shocked demeanour.

Both Leona and Ruggie gripped their ears in pain, Azul had hidden behind his bags and the twins, meanwhile Lilia seemed to be delighted and was shaking Silver like some sort of stuffed toy. You could catch a glimpse of their conversation:

"-could make such loud noises for the light music club! I do want to show off my heavy metal skills!"

"-right, Fa-Lilia"

Was he about to say father? Or something more offensive? I wonder... Lilia has often acted too old for his age...

You decided to walk past the boys to get a comfortable seat at the front of the bus, fearing getting sick during the long ride. Your calm demeanour and Crewel's glare from inside the bus made the boys scramble to put their bags in the trunk and race up the steps to prepare for a long trip.

As the bus's ghost driver started revving the engine, Leona settled in the back of the bus, lying down like a corpse, head on Ruggie's lap. The poor boy was being used as a pillow again, but didn't seem to mind to much as he scrolled through his phone. Riddle, Trey and Cater sat right at the front of the bus, a row behind Crewel who looked too tired to put up with questions from Riddle. Cater had settled down next to you while Riddle and Trey sat down on the other side of the bus, when he asked:

"Can-" He yawned, "Can I use your shoulder as a pillow?"

Riddle, hearing this, glared warningly at Cater, who didn't notice. You gently smiled and nodded, too tired to consider the impropriety of his actions. It was too bad that you were typically the type who was unable to go to sleep after waking up for the day. So you just closed your eyes, leaned your head against the back of your seat and listened to the hushed conversations of an early morning.

Trey and Riddle talked quietly about their plans for the week, while Floyd, Jade and Azul seemed to be intrigued by this method of transportation. You could hear Floyd cheering at each bump the bus went over, escalating in volume until Azul and Jade shushed him. There was a tiredly registered thought passing through your mind: a hope that they wouldn't throw up from motion sickness. Cater's head on your shoulder was a warm spot in the cool, air-conditioned bus that helped ground you, the slight sounds of breathing creating a rhythm for you to listen to.

You faintly heard the sounds of shuffling movements, likely from Jamil, who had Kalim's head on his shoulder while the shorter boy insisted that Jamil should lean his head on top of the other's. A sigh and some faint whispering before the two seemingly fell asleep. Malleus talked to Lilia in hushed, excited tones, the scratching of nails against a scalp as Lilia combed his fingers through Silver's hair while the first year napped. Vil and Rook seemed to have prepared for this trip, the sounds of pillows being taken out of bags and Vil asking Rook to make sure his sleeping mask is perfectly positioned. An obliging sound from the other and then the hushed noises of two more people falling asleep.

Crewel seemed to be working on something, judging by the tired sighs and the noise of pen against paper. From what you remembered, the poor professor was overwhelmed by third years requesting apprenticeships in the alchemical field, he was probably filling out those request forms, judging by the frustrated whispers coming from the front of the bus. Ortho was buzzing in anticipation, talking quietly to Idia, with notes of some video game's soundtrack floating over from their side of the bus. 

The bus was nearly silent, the only noises being from the Diasomina, Trey and Riddle, and the Ignihyde group. The bus's engine was silent, the small bumps it went over feeling less and less jarring as time went on. It felt like being rocked in a cradle like a child, a comforting movement that calmed you even further. Before you knew it, you had succumbed to your exhaustion and fallen into a restless sleep.

You slowly woke up from your impromptu nap, hearing louder conversations from behind you. The weight on your shoulder was gone. As you blinked your eyes and stretched slightly, you glanced over to where Cater was before. 

"Oh, you're up!" Cater smiled at you from next to Trey, and then was quickly shushed. 

You stood up, curious, and walked across the aisle to where they were, balance as impeccable as always. You cooed as you leaned over Cater's shoulder, seeing a sleeping Riddle curled up slightly on Trey's lap. The man in question looked slightly tired as well, but smiled at you anyways. 

"Worried about him waking up?" You leaned on Cater even more, trying to examine the sleeping dorm leader's features. "I thought he was gonna stay up for the whole trip." 

Riddle was so adorable while asleep! The Housewarden's doll-like features were enhanced by his calmer face. Looking at him, you were suddenly struck by how young he seemed. For all Riddle acted mature, it was clear that he was still childish. And now, curled up against Trey's lap, he reminded you once more of your juniors back home. It made you want to coddle him even more.

"Riddle's used to sleeping and waking up at very strict times." Trey told you in a hushed voice, "His body is probably adjusting to the decrease in hours, so he's practically dead to the world."

Cater jumped in. "Oh, but he's a total monster in the early mornings! One time, he collared three dorm members for not providing the right sugar for his tea!"  

"That's..." You were a bit concerned by how natural Cater seemed to mention this. 

But before you could continue this hushed conversation with Trey and Cater, a loud voice suddenly yelled from the back.

"Oi~ miss koi fish[3]! You're awake now?! Over here!" Floyd waved at you before being hurriedly shushed by Jade.

You sighed, and decided to walk over to the Octavinelle kids, giving Trey and Cater an apologetic glance. Knowing Floyd, he'd probably yell for your attention until Riddle woke up. It probably isn't the best choice to ignore him, especially if you want to keep your head on your shoulders.

When you stood up from your position on Cater's shoulder, the bus sped over a large road bump, causing many to knock their heads against their seats or the ceiling. Trey cradled Riddle from the blow, knocking against the seat in front of him while Cater hit his head against the roof. You, a master of balance and too short to have your head brush the ceiling, simply went over to Floyd with no problem, the poor eel having a wounded look on his face from being brained by the bus.

"Ouch... Koi fishie, my head hurts..." 

"Oh no!" You smiled comfortingly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Floyd flashed a pair of disconcertingly cute puppy eyes. "I want a kiss!" he yelled.

The bus went silent, Riddle turned slightly in Trey's lap but went back to sleep. He sighed, relieved. Idia was now huddled against a seat in terror while Lilia and Malleus suddenly looked very interested in your conversation. Leona's ear twitched but he continued to nap, still on Ruggie's lap. The hyena had jolted at the loud noise, but went back to sleep just as quickly, curled over Leona in a position that was definitely not good for his back. Jade sighed, smiling at you sheepishly. Azul just looked exhausted by Floyd's behaviour.

Kalim glanced over, momentarily interested, but went back to showing Jamil something on his phone, which his retainer obligingly payed attention to. Cater was giving you a knowing grin while Vil and Rook seemed to be ignoring this conversation. Crewel, thankfully, was napping, headphones on so that he couldn't hear any of your conversations. Floyd continued to look at you beseechingly. You had blanched at first, shocked by his audacity, but decided complying to Floyd's request wouldn't hurt. 

You leaned in and pecked him on the forehead. "Better?"

Floyd looked disappointed, cheeks slightly flushed. "...I want a real kiss."

Jade suddenly spoke up in warning tone, "Floyd." He smiled threateningly. "You don't want to harass our senior, do you?"

His brother responded quietly, turning over to his twin. The two started whispering furiously, making you give up on even trying to talk to them. You decided to sit next to Azul, who had found sanctuary by sitting in the aisle opposite the twins. The Housewarden smiled politely at you, quickly closing the book he was scribbling in with a snap. 

You momentarily glanced at the suspicious book, and Azul's nervous behaviour didn't do him any favours. The octopus was sweating slightly, so pityingly, you decided to spare him an interrogation. 

"Azul, do you happen to know the time?"

The man sighed in relief, and replied with a glance to a pocket-watch he pulled out from his dorm uniform. "It's currently 7:30."

You thanked him and then realised, with an impeding sense of doom, that you would have to spend another 45 minutes on the bus with this group of... informal men. It really was a good thing that you decided to never tell your brother about this trip. Bored out of your mind, with Jade and Floyd still whisper-fighting, you remembered something very important.

"Azul." The boy perked his head up from his phone, giving you his full attention. "If I recall, you happen to be a part of the board game club, yes? Maybe we could play a card game or two while waiting to arrive at our destination!"

Azul blinked, but then a wide, menacing grin took over his face. "Yes, let's! I do happen to have a deck of cards here with me." He rummaged through a small bag, then glanced towards Idia, who squeaked. "Idia! Would you like to play a game of poker with (Y/N) and I?"

Ortho answered for him, flying over with stars in his eyes. "Big brother would love to! Can I play as well?"

You smiled at your adorable junior. "Of course!"

Lilia floated over, Silver now slumped over his bag while Malleus made sure he was strapped in with a seatbelt to not fall off. "May Malleus and I play too? Your human games are quite... intruiging." He flashed his teeth at Azul and Idia, who had been dragged over by Ortho, causing the two to pale in fear. 

You answered for them, "Sure! That makes... 6 players." You were very excited to play such a fun game with your friends, and started buzzing in excitement. Luckily for you, you had learnt to pack your belongings very tightly in your sleeves so they wouldn't fall out from you shaking in joy.

Azul cleared his throat. "Alright then, would anyone else like to play?"

Kalim jumped up, raising his hand like a kid in class. "Ooh! Are you playing a card game? I'd love to play, what about you Jamil?"

His retainer sighed slightly, then shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Jade and Floyd had stopped their argument by now, and glanced over, slightly intrigued. 

"I'd like to play but..." Floyd pouted. "Azul and Jade always cheat! I can never win..."

Jade chuckled, "Now, why would you say that Floyd? We would never cheat with such distinguished people. We are perfectly trustworthy!"

Idia muttered something under his breath and Jade turned to him, movements uncanny. "Is there something you'd like to say, dear Idia?" 

The Housewarden of Ignihyde froze. "No-not at all!" He looked like he was about to hide under the chairs in fear, so you reached over to pat him on the back for comfort.

Rook and Vil shook their heads when Azul prompted them for an answer, and Trey and Cater couldn't play due to the volatile bomb on Trey's lap. Leona opened one of his eyes and glared in warning, Ruggie still sleeping over him.

"Then that makes 8 players. Does everyone know the rules or should I explain them?" Azul asked. "Oh, and by the way, I will take on the responsibility of being the dealer first."

Malleus looked at Azul. "If you'd please, fellow dorm leader, I would be very grateful for an explanation of the conditions for this game."

A line of sweat dripped down the side of Azul's face. "Of course, now, pay attention since I will only explain this once!"

The poker game was an... experience to say the least. Azul had won the first game, though not without a valiant fight from Jamil, Idia and Jade. Lilia, Malleus and Ortho were learning the ropes and wrapping their heads around the rule. Meanwhile, Floyd and Kamil were too busy trying to master card tricks, where you move cards via sleight of hand that you tried to teach them how to do. Of course, this was all part of your master plan. You categorised each player's reactions to the 'better' and 'worse' hands they were dealt, and very quickly, you could accurately guess what they had in their hand. Counting cards was a trick you were taught a long time ago by your grandmother, who was a master at diplomacy. She had chosen to either beat or lose to an opponent in a game to achieve the outcome she wanted, and taught you and your mother how to do the same.

This resulted in you testing out your strategy for the second game, in which Jamil and Jade insisted that Kalim and Floyd pay attention. Idia won this round, though Lilia had quickly mastered the game and gave his poor, shy classmate a run for his money. Malleus was still struggling, and seemed to have horrible luck in these games, though his poker face was just as good as you'd expect from a Crown Prince. Jamil, Jade, Idia and Azul were also very good at hiding their feelings, though with the amount of practice you had from trying to guess your grandmother's expressions, they were no match for you.

And so, you put your plan into action for the third game. And the fourth.... and the fifth, before Azul had thrown the cards off of your makeshift table in a fit of rage. But before the boys could interrogate you on your, very suspicious, wins, the bus came to a halt. You took that opportunity to stick yourself to Crewel like glue, recounting the tales of your victory to the teacher who listened indulgently, a slight smile on his face.

Crewel congratulated you on showing those boys a bit of modesty, saying: "It's good that you took those pups down a peg, our students have always been quite proud... but the Housewardens are even more so. Perhaps I should have all of you play another game tonight..."

You smiled in reply. Seems like this trip was going to be more fun than you thought.

[1] Thaumarks is the official english translation of madol! Just an FYI for those who don't know [2] Sunshine Lands is a canon location that I got from this video, apparently, it's a map from the new chapter? It sounds and looks like a beach location so... [3] Miss koi fish/koi fishie is reader's nickname since they're very popular in China, and are bred to be very pretty! Koi may look similar to goldfish, but they are not of the same species so... I'm copping it for our dear reader.

Mini Theatre (Y/N), doing her best not to insult her friends: They're just quite... excitable, and they're risk takers so... that's a good quality. Plus they're not afraid to stand up for themselves... they're quite honourable! Her brother, reading these text messages: So you mean to say they're completely reckless trash who keep on getting into fights. (Y/N): Well... they also are very friendly, and are very different from the people back home! Her brother: Dearest sister, please start speedrunning the stages of grief you are in, I cannot deal with this constant denial.

so that was the first part of the beach ep! i'll be posting these every day until we reach the end of this mini arc. if you enjoyed the writing or are interested in the fic, you can read it on ao3 here, and on quotev here

[ovobawrites]

hello hello! I'm ovoba (any pronouns), a nonbinary, half chinese-singaporian half australian writer whose using this account to write some self inserts for twisted wonderland! (and maybe some other franchises? we'll see).

my main account is @ovoba, where I post my own art and reblog whatever. you can find me on ao3 and quotev with the same handle.

my policy on requests is that i will look at them, but writing them is another story. so request box is open, but keep in mind i'll only write what i'm comfortable with.

this account was mainly made to repost my multichapter twisted wonderland x reader fic on here, so i hope you guys enjoy it!