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Azul Ashengrotto of Royal Sword Academy || Chapter 22: Halloween Tour Date

Summary:

Jamil decides to spend their first day together touring Azul around NRC's Campus in the midst of Halloween Week.

Many offer their support, though a certain student has different intentions in mind...

Word Count: 3,894

At the head of the dining table is Jade, writing in his notebook. To his left, Floyd and Rielle seem to be in the middle of a pleasant conversation. Beside Rielle is Ruggie, drawing things on Ace's face while the freshman is sleeping on his arms on the table, seated across from Ruggie. The two vacant chairs are between Jade and Ace.

Ruggie sniffs the air when they arrive and turns to look at them. "Aw yeah food's here!"

"I trust you didn't wait too long?" Azul asks as he and Jamil set down the plates on the table.

"Nah we just got here," Floyd says through a wide yawn.

"Thank you for cooking breakfast," Rielle smiles at them. "You didn't have to wake up so early for us.”

"It wasn't any trouble at all," Jamil replies, sitting next to Ace and taking a sip from his coffee cup. "Besides, we already spent the whole day yesterday sleeping." He nods at the freshman beside him. "Looks like someone hasn't recovered from our late-night excursion." He gives Ace a poke. "Hey. It's rude to sleep at the dining table."

Ace violently jerks up. "Gah! Don't behead m— Bwah?"

"Mornin', Crabbyyyyyy," Floyd croons, snickering.

Ace blinks and then gazes at the meal before them. "Oh, food!"

"You got that right!" Ruggie rubs his hands together. "C'mon, let's dig in!"

"Do you cook a lot, Jamil?" Rielle asks as they all begin eating.

"I've been cooking since I was a kid and I often cook for my dorm members,” Jamil replies.

“Ah, I see. I saw the cookies you made for Azul back at the ball, I was surprised to see him eating them since he usually avoids snacking. They must have been good for him to finish them."

"Must have been?" Azul looks at Rielle pointedly. "You ate three of those cookies yourself."

"And I don't regret it!" Rielle says with a grin.

"Ehhhh? Sea Snake, you made treats and you didn't give us any?" Floyd complains, looking at Azul. "Octyyyyy, make him make us treats, tooooo!"

Azul chuckles. "I don't think any of us can make Jamil do anything, Floyd."

Ace snorts beside Jamil. "Yeah, right. This guy doesn't know his power," he mutters to Ruggie.

Floyd gasps at Jamil in realization. "Hey! You said gifts weren't needed at the ball! But you brought Octy a gift!"

"I liked your gift too, Floyd," Rielle reassures him, holding up his wrist and pulling his sleeve back to show a bracelet where he had affixed a button as a charm. "See?" he smiles.

Floyd's mouth gapes open as he stares at the bracelet, then at Rielle's face. "I'd make out with you right here but Jade has been gettin' on me about my table manners lately."

Rielle's face goes red and he laughs nervously, averting his eyes. "Th-That's—" he clears his throat. "Anyway, maybe I can bring treats next time I come here."

"A... button?" Ruggie asks in confusion.

"Aww, lookit Floyd being such a charmer!" Ace teases.

"It's a good thing you imposed that restriction, Jade," Jamil mutters. "I don't think my appetite can handle watching Floyd tear into Rielle this early in the morning."

Jade chuckles in amusement. “It really has been a delight having you all around; do feel free to visit Octavinelle whenever it pleases you. It’s a shame we must go our separate ways today.”

"Shoot, you're right!" Ace hisses, sitting straight up. "I can’t be late for Heartslabyul's assembly! It's my costume shift today!"

"And I gotta buy some snacks for the cubs at Sam's shop later." Ruggie hums. "Leona's idea. Don't tell anyone, though. He wants to keep coming off as aloof as ever. What about you lil' lovebirds?"

"No, no, haven't you learned, Ruggie?" Jade playfully chastises him. "Only Floyd and Rielle are the lovebirds here."

Ruggie snorts. "Right, and Leona and I are just friends. I been hangin' out with these two since Azul's first visit here," he points at both of them in turn with his spoon. "And like I told Jamil back then, my nose never lies," he taps on the side of his nose with his finger.

He smirks meaningfully, and Jamil suddenly remembers how Ruggie had said in detention that Jamil had Azul's scent all over him.

And that was just after one hug that only lasted for a handful of seconds.

Jamil tries his best to focus on his food and keep a straight face despite feeling heat rush to his cheeks.

Jade then politely clears his throat. "Azul, Rielle, what will you be doing today? Does the committee have any duties of their own to attend to?"

"Ah, I'm currently suspended from the committee as I'm still recovering," Azul says.

"I have to coordinate with your Halloween committee later to finalize the catering," Rielle answers. "All in all, Azul and I don't have to go back to RSA until later this afternoon."

"Awww, can't you sleep here again?" Floyd pouts at Rielle.

"I'll keep visiting whenever I can," Rielle smiles at him, putting a hand on top of his.

Floyd brightens up. "And I can visit RSA! If Sea Snake can fly all the way over there to smooch his crush, I can too!"

"I wasn't smooching him," Jamil huffs. Not back then, at least. “Finish your breakfast.”

"Yeah, let's get this show on the road and make everyone see just how awesome this year's Halloween Week's gonna be!" Ace proudly declares, new energy pumping through his veins from both the coffee, the meal, and the looming threat of getting clocked by his own Prefect.

After freshening up with showers, the group soon split up by the Hall of Mirrors, with Jade and Rielle heading for the assembly hall where the Halloween Committee would be holding a meeting.

Ruggie saluted them then dipped into Savanaclaw's mirror, Ace practically ran for Heartslabyul's, and Floyd… well, he had almost followed Rielle, but when he was told that only committee members would be allowed in, he groaned and slinked off to who knows where.

Jamil then wordlessly offers his hand for Azul to hold.

Azul looks surprised for a moment, but he smiles softly and takes Jamil's hand, lacing their fingers together. "Where shall we go first?"

"Since you're not in any committee, we'll be treating you like a guest here, Mister Ashengrotto," Jamil replies playfully. "We're getting you a stamp ticket first, and the closest booth that'd give those would be at the clock tower near Sam's shop. Visit all the special locations and get them stamped and you'll get yourself a lil' prize." He leads Azul out of the building, where paved roads, foliage, and lampposts are adorned with pumpkins, streamers, and festive lights blending in with the trees' autumn colors.

"Oh? And what prize would that be?" Azul asks in interest. "Or is that an NRC secret?"

Other students are starting to notice their linked hands, and several of them turn their heads and look at Jamil curiously.

"It's not a secret, it's just candy," Jamil replies. He notices the stares. He tells himself that it's all right and simply sticks even closer to Azul. "Why? Hoping for another kind of treat?"

Azul raises an eyebrow playfully, "I am." Then his voice lowers to almost a purr and he leans his face closer to Jamil's. "I'm hoping for something much sweeter than candy." Then he chuckles and stands up properly again like nothing happened. "What do we have to do at the clock tower to get a stamp?"

Jamil widens his eyes at Azul's bold flirt right in the middle of the street and takes a few seconds to blink and recover before responding, "What… do we have to do..? Oh er… nothing, really. Just find the guy assigned for giving out those stamp sheets and move on. The school hasn't opened to the public yet so we'll have a few moments of peace before the visitors crowd in."

And so they arrive at the clock tower. To the right, Sam's shop is seen, decked out in tapestries, carpets, haybales and pumpkins to resemble an abandoned marketplace. Many of the Scarabia students are tidying up the area, dressed in a scarlet-and-white ensemble as they don fake wolf ears and tails.

A few of them notice the duo approaching and proceed to greet them with waves and hearty "good mornings".

"Prefect! Thank goodness you're here!" One of them calls out. "We need more hands in the make-up department and Mister Sam needs help with restocking!"

"Idiot," hisses someone else. "Can't you see he's on a date with Mister Azul right now?"

"Oh, are you needed here?" Azul turns to Jamil. "It's alright, we can continue the tour later." He turns to the other residents. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"OH! No, i-it's okay! Never mind! We got this handled—" stammers the student asking for help.

"It's all right," Jamil calmly reassures them, decidedly not refuting the fact that they're on a date. "I also came here to assist and make up for my absence yesterday." He turns to Azul and gives his hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, this'll be quick. Maybe you can see if you can help Sam. He should be inside his shop."

Azul smiles at him and squeezes his hand back. "Alright, I shall see you in a bit." He gives a friendly nod to the other residents and goes inside the shop.

"Prefect, are you really dating Mister Azul now?" a bright-eyed first year asks him excitedly.

"Sshh, don't pester Prefect!" says a sophomore passing by carrying fake wolf ears and a makeup kit.

"Is he gonna borrow our dorm uniform again?" another first year asks.

The sophomore scoffs. "You just wanna ogle Mister Azul's biceps."

"I do not!" he blushes fiercely.

"Is Mister Azul your boyfriend now?" the first year repeats his question louder to talk over the others, turning the heads of their other dormmates.

Jamil stares awkwardly at the numerous Scarabia kids looking at him.

"I… well... Does that matter right now?"

"He's not denying it," sing-songs someone from the group.

"Aw, come on, boss! There's no need to be shy! We're only asking 'cause we're rooting for you two!"

"Yeah! We could prolly help too, if you let us in on the deets!"

Jamil sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's unnecessary. If you really wanna help, just don't pester Azul about any of this, okay?" He glances around to make sure no one else is listening in before he mumbles. "Just so you can stop asking, yes… I guess you can say we're dating now."

There are a few gasps, then scattered claps and cheers among his residents.

"I KNEW IT!" a sophomore pumps his fist in the air. "When he offered to tutor us with the study sheets, the payment he asked for was for us to stop setting up dangerous traps for you, boss."

"Yeah, he thought we wanted to kill you or something to take your place!" says his resident with a fondness for quicksand traps.

"Glad we sorted it out, though," says the one who usually paid attention to the study sheets. "He looked worried about you, Prefect."

"I'm so excited to learn from both of you, boss!"

"He's really cute," the first year says dreamily.

"Sshh!" another sophomore scolds him.

"What? I didn't say I wanna date him, I'm just saying Prefect has good taste!" the first year says defensively.

"SHUSH! SHHHH!" Jamil hisses at all of them, though he can't deny that there was something that felt nice to have his romantic interests be met with such enthusiasm. "Quit it! If you really wanna be supportive, then don't be embarrassing! Come on, gimme those make-up kits."

"You heard 'im, fellas! The sooner we get this finished, the sooner they can get back to their date!"

"YEAH!" Everyone exclaims.

Jamil sighs again and momentarily closes his eyes as he feels his face warm.

His residents maintain a giddy energy throughout their work, but to their credit they still did their jobs efficiently.

After making sure that everyone already has makeup on, Jamil wonders if he should check on Azul. He hasn't seen him ever since he went inside to help restock shelves, and Jamil realizes that he doesn't know whether Azul has taken a break yet, or exactly how many boxes he's had to lift already.

"All right, are you guys good to go?" Jamil asks the students.

There’s a scattered reply of “Yeah!”.

"Okay, good. Just hit me up with a text if you guys run into any problems."

"Aye-aye, sir!"

Jamil then makes his way to Sam’s shop, already feeling worried about Azul. He better not be exerting himself too much in there…

"...We're not gonna be contacting Prefect, are we?" Test-Groaner asks Gossipmonger once Jamil was out of earshot.

"And ruin their first date as a couple? Hell no." Gossipmonger scoffs.

Jamil opens the door to the shop and he hears Sam's laughter along with Azul's; they seem to have just finished a conversation.

Sam says he'd go check the stocks in the back, and he leaves with a friendly wave.

Azul turns back to his work and stocks the shelf behind him. He had removed his coat and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows; the muscles in his arms and torso flex under his shirt as he reaches up to stock the topmost shelves.

A student in a vampire costume smoothly walks from one of the aisles and approaches Azul.

Pomefiore, Jamil thinks.

"Azul Ashengrotto, isn't it?" he asks, standing behind Azul.

Azul glances behind him and turns to face the student with a polite smile. "Yes, good morning."

"Hansel Finnegan, Pomefiore," he says in his silken voice, extending a hand.

"A pleasure to meet you," Azul takes the handshake, standing straight like a proper RSA student.

"Oh no, not yet," Hansel says with a low chuckle, then he smoothly bows and lifts Azul's hand, brushing his lips lightly against the back of it.

Azul's eyebrows raise in surprise, but Hansel takes a step closer to him before he can say anything.

"Will you be staying long?" Hansel asks. "I can show you around, the Pomefiore castle looks especially gorgeous this week," he tilts his head.

"Ah," Azul seems to realize Hansel's intentions, but he retains his polite smile. "Thank you, but I'm afraid I already have plans."

"Oh? No more room in your schedule for a neck-biting creature of the night, then?" Hansel says playfully, taking another step forward.

Azul subtly tries to put more distance between them, but his back hits the shelf.

Jamil was quick to act, eyes shooting daggers as he makes his way over and clamps a hand on Hansel's shoulder.

"Hey," he greets, trying to sound as neutral as he can. He doubts his eyes are looking anywhere near friendly, though. "If we're talking about schedules, I heard your Prefect's calling all the costumed students over to the Pomefiore booth. Gates are gonna open in ten minutes and I wouldn't wanna be late if I were you."

Hansel turns to look at him distractedly. "Huh? Oh, that's more than enough time." He turns to Azul again. "What do you say, Azul? Would you like to come with me and see our booth?"

"I'm still busy at the moment," Azul gestures to the shelf. "I'm sure I'll have time to visit the Pomefiore booth later today."

"Our booth would be swarmed once the gates open because of our Prefect. I’m sure you know who Vil Schoenheit is," Hansel says with an air of smugness. "If you come with me now, I can give you a private tour, I'll show you behind the scenes of our preparations," he smiles and flutters his eyelids, his glitter eyeshadow drawing more attention to the color of his eyes.

"Such hospitable treatment…" Jamil mutters, slipping in between the both of them. "Perhaps you're better off dedicating that energy to actual visitors. He's already got a tour guide. It's me. Now back off before I knock those fake dentures out of you."

Hansel looks taken aback at Jamil's words, then he sneers. "And what makes you think you'd be a better tour guide than me? You're not even in costume."

"Hansel," Azul speaks up. "We wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your Prefect. Perhaps you should go to your booth now."

Hansel clenches his jaw for a moment. "Alright. But I'll look for you again, Azul." He looks at Jamil. "You don't have sole claim to him."

Jamil makes a friendly smile, seeing that Hansel is making direct eye contact with him.

And at that moment, he activates his Signature Spell.

He doesn't even need to do the chant for a chump like Hansel.

"Jamil…?" Azul mutters behind him, confused at what's happening.

The smugness in Hansel's smile disappears as his face goes slack, his blank now-crimson eyes staring at Jamil.

"Are you sure that Azul is something to be claimed?" Jamil sweetly asks, tilting his head. "You don't actually mean that, right?"

Hansel pauses for a moment before he shakes his head.

"Shouldn't you apologize to him for spouting all that stupid stuff, then?"

Hansel stiffly turns to Azul and bows, remorseful. "I'm sorry for being such a pee-pee poo-poo head, Azul."

Jamil snorts, trying to keep his laughter in. "You're doing great, er... Hansel, right?"

"Yes, Master," Hansel perks up, looking up at Jamil with great reverence. "Thank you, Master."

Azul's mouth opens in surprise. "Jamil," he says in a playfully scolding tone. "Using your Signature Spell for something like this, really?"

Jamil smiles back at Azul. "I know. A very worthwhile endeavor, no?" He turns to Hansel. "You, every time you look at Azul, any sense of inappropriate urges you get leaves you tongue-tied and unable to speak. Understood?"

"Understood, Master," Hansel furiously nods.

"Great! Now then… Why don't you head on over to your booth and really play your part as a fun vampire for the visitors to enjoy? Your Prefect would really appreciate all your efforts, I'm sure."

"Yes, Master," Hansel says in determination and bows deeply to Jamil before walking out of the door.

Azul stares after him in awe, then looks at Jamil in concern. "Are you feeling alright? That's quite the powerful magic you just used."

Jamil shrugs, feeling fine. "Honestly, he's one of the easiest targets I've had in a long time. I'm okay, don't worry. More importantly, looks like you gotta stop being so desirable, otherwise I really might end up having to resort to all kinds of methods just to keep people from trying anything. Seriously, though, he was being a creep. Are you all right?"

"It was a little unsettling, but yes I'm alright," Azul reassures him. "And what part of this is desirable, exactly?" he says in a more playful tone. "I'm doing grunt work restocking shelves."

"Mm-hm, and you look good doing it, that's the problem," Jamil replies pointedly. "If I was restocking shelves and I didn't have my jacket while my sleeves were rolled up, how would you react?"

A smile appears on Azul's face, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Oh, I don't know," he says in a feigned innocent tone. "Maybe you should try it so we can find out."

Jamil grins and shrugs. "You don't mind me just watching, do you? I already did all my grunt work outside." He does feel a little winded from all the running around they did while applying makeup and helping the other residents get in costume.

"Of course I don't mind, I'm almost done here, anyway," Azul says sincerely as he continues to stock the shelves.

Jamil glances around the interior to prevent himself from ogling his boyfriend too much. "By the way, other than that rude guy who just left, what do you think of this shop, as an aspiring business owner yourself?"

"It’s fascinating," Azul says. "Sam wasn't lying; it looks like you can find anything in here, stocking these shelves showed me that. I'm guessing you guys buy most of the stuff you need here?"

"Yep. Not once have I ever seen Sam run out of stock on something unless a whole dorm went and bought one specific item off of the shelves. Even then, they'd be fully restocked the next day... Not to mention that he seems to know what you're looking for even before you walk into his shop." He casts another glance around the shop's wares, suspicious this time. "Convenient, but a little unsettling… Do you guys have shops at RSA?"

"Perhaps that's part of his magic skills," Azul says, not sounding unsettled at all. "His shadow does seem to be sentient; I wouldn't be surprised if he has other powers that help him know what his customers want. And yes, we have shops at RSA, but they're different little shops for different things set up all over campus; instead of one big shop like this where you can find most things already."

He puts the last of the stocks on the shelves and brushes off his hands. He takes a step back and rests his hands on his hips, looking up and down the shelves.

"That looks proper enough, right?"

Jamil steps next to Azul and stares at the shelves before him. "I wouldn't know, since I don't know what's supposed to be stocked here, but... they seem perfectly fine to me. Look at you," he gives Azul an affectionate nudge on the shoulder. "Perhaps you'd make a good 'humble dockworker' hauling stuff around if the entrepreneur thing doesn't work out."

"Dockworker could work, everytime I need to renew my shifting potion I'd just jump in the water," Azul says playfully, then he walks over to the coat rack and takes his coat, draping it over his arm.

Jamil takes out a black glossy pamphlet and holds it out for Azul. "By the way, it's the stamp booklet. I managed to get one for you, just in time for—"

"Attention all students: Night Raven College's gates have now officially opened for visitors on Halloween Week's Second Day,” an announcement blares over the speakers outside.

"...That. C'mon, let's get the Scarabia stall stamped before we get swarmed with more people who could catch you looking this nice."

"’This nice'?" Azul asks as he and Jamil get out of the shop. "You do know this is just my school uniform. Every student in RSA wears this," he says in fond amusement.

"No, unfortunately even with the RSA coat trying to hide it, there's all this Azul charm going on around here." Jamil playfully gestures at the merman's face. "If I didn't know any better, I could say you're the one hypnotizing people towards you."

Azul laughs, his cheeks turning pink. "My, Jamil, are you saying you're feeling hypnotized by my charms?" he asks playfully through half-lidded eyes.

"As an expert on the subject, I have been for a long while now," Jamil replies, leaning forward to give Azul a kiss, beaming at the surprised and slightly flushed look on Azul’s face afterwards. "Now let's tell Sam we're heading off and get outta here already. Those booths aren't gonna explore themselves."

They bid goodbye to Sam—and his shadow—and head outside.

Author's Note:

For those who have read Chapter 14 of Granting Favors, you might recognize Hans of Pomefiore. Yes I did use the same OC in both fics. I just thought it would be funny for him to annoy Jamil in every universe 😌

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