I Need To Remind U All That This Tweet Exists (I Once Made A Post Abt It, But I Can't Find It Now ☠️)

it has become an awful pattern of habit how much itoshi sae always shows up at your doorstep only when he wants to. 

“don’t go out with oliver.”

and here he was again, like a recurring relapse that happens every single time you thought you’re doing better. the kind that hits when you think you're finally making progress, that momentary flicker of doing better before it all crumbles.

and you were. you’re doing good, doing better, but god, does it hurt like hell when he pulls stunts like this.

it was a relentless tug-of-war, a game he played so unfairly, leaving you with no rules, no defenses. you were damn sick of it. 

“really?” the word escaped as a scoff, a blend of disbelief and irritation coating your voice. “you're showing up to my place at this hour just to say that?” 

a drawn-out exhale left sae's lips at your reaction, the scent of alcohol accompanying it—a scent foreign to the sae you'd known. was he drinking? itoshi sae doesn’t drink – or at least the sae you knew would never let a single drop of alcohol taint his flesh. 

“just don’t. he’ll hurt you.”

a bitter laugh escaped you, “you're one to talk about hurting people, aren't you?”

if you didn't know better, you'd mistake the look he shot you for something resembling an apology mixed with regret. but no, you knew that those eyes can never hold such, not for you, not for anyone.

“news flash, itoshi. you don’t have the right to decide who i can or cannot go out with.” 

“don’t i?” 

his challenge lingered in the air, a question not constrained by words but driven by conflicting wills, a daring meeting of gazes that had been evaded until now.

you're so fucking unfair, itoshi sae.

“leave,” you spat, your grip on the doorknob tightened, fingers almost digging into the cool metal. 

“don’t i, y/n? do i not have a right to you?”

“please, sae. just go,” you murmured, eyes squeezed shut, a trace of tears threatening to break free.

“— because you have all damn rights to me that it fucking terrifies me.” 

and there it was.

the vulnerability he so fiercely and stubbornly concealed, laid bare for you to witness. it slipped out like an admission, raw and unguarded.

sae's insides churned as your gaze bore into him, the intensity of it feeling like a searing heat that left him exposed, his thoughts laid bare. it was as if you were looking at him as if he had grown a second head, an incredulity mirrored in his own disbelief at what he had just blurted.

but it’s the truth, a truth etched not in alcohol-induced haze but in the sobering clarity that you, ever loving you, terrified him. 

“you– you terrify me," his words stumbled out, like he was admitting a secret he never meant to reveal. “you’re the first thought that comes to my mind, and the last one before i sleep. i feel you everywhere, your presence, your absence — it terrifies me, y/n.” 

he ran a hand through his hair, a gesture of frustration that echoed the inner chaos he couldn't quite contain. the sting of alcohol just added to the jumble of thoughts, like mixing a cocktail of emotions he wasn't prepared to deal with. 

sae had never been great with handling drinks, and here he was, wearing his heart on his sleeve, a little more vulnerable than he’d intended. 

after all, a body so foreign to alcohol can only handle so much.

and it's ironic how that also applies to sae's acceptance of your love – like a liquor he's not used to, but still very much would like a taste.

he knew he had absolutely no right to show up here; he had no right to stop you from going out with another man; he had no right to claim a part of you, not after he shattered your heart because he was afraid of his own.

he knew that, but itoshi sae is selfish. he wanted you, terrifyingly so. he hoped — prayed, even—no one will ever have you the same way he does. 

and he meant that in the most selfish way possible. because, time and time again, itoshi sae was selfish, even more so when it came to loving you.

“it terrifies me,” he carried on, a touch firmer this time, his gaze unyielding as it held yours, “how much you consume me, and it frightens me even more how much i would let you.”

“then just let me, you stupid asshole.” 

the words burst out of you, a declaration that felt like a leap of faith. your arms instinctively reached out, embracing him as if to underscore your determination. you had caught his confession like a lifeline, and now it was your turn to throw your heart into the mix.

“and you have all the damn rights to me too,” you murmured against his lips.

the truth is, he doesn't deserve you, not in the slightest. but god, you want him to— so bad. and after hearing what he said, you knew he wanted the same thing too.

you wrap your arms tighter around him, and it's like fitting together two missing pieces. you missed this, missed him. no amount of trying will ever relieve the longing. because truth be told, hearts aren't great at playing hide and seek; that much can be seen from the way you’re both holding on to each other.

“i'll love you slowly, until it's not scary, until you get used to it,” you whispered, forehead pressed against his.

in the quiet space between your whispered words, sae felt the world shift beneath his feet. 

love with you wasn't meant to be frightening. love with you wasn't meant to be all-consuming.

love with you, he realized, only needed to be exactly like this— your fingers against his nape, a smile curving your lips, and the assurance in your gaze that promised better times ahead.

“i’ll get used to it.” maybe the words came off wobbly, but he couldn’t care any less now; it was a promise.

“you better.” you let out a chuckle, genuine this time, and it took just one chuckle for sae to realize that everything will be just fine. 

[extra]:

“sae?”

you pull his attention, sensing his wakefulness from the lingering kisses he peppers on your skin. the same man who laid bare his heart to you was sprawled within your sheets, his breathing gentle against your neck.

though his lips stay sealed, the comforting squeeze of your hand relays that he was listening.

“where did you hear that i’m going out with oliver?”

a brief pause, followed by a scoff. way to ruin a moment, sae’s inner voice grumbles at the timing of your question. why bring up another guy's name now, especially when he's shirtless and right above you? the nerve.

“doesn’t matter.” he dismisses your question. 

yet, there's something oddly satisfying about riling up the usually composed sae, it’s one of your life’s greatest pleasures. and so, you press on, unable to resist the urge to tease. 

“come on, now. i want to know what made my cold and grumpy sae to show up at my door at 2 am, professing that i terrify him,” you pushed, meeting his irritated glare with an arched brow. “— and don’t give me that look. those were your words, not mine!”

tch. he clicks his tongue, fully aware you won't let him live down his confession. “got it from shidou. he told me right before asking me to drink with him.”

as those words escape sae’s lips, you burst into laughter, leaving him to wonder if he broke you with last night's late-night affection.

“what’s so funny?” he raises an eyebrow at your sudden outburst.

“shidou tricked you into drinking with him, love. i turned down oliver without a second thought. we didn't even get close to going on a date,” you playfully reveal, your grin growing. “i kind of mentioned that to shidou. we share gossip occasionally, you know.”

sae froze at what you said, and he didn’t need no damn mirror to see that he was turning red from the embarrassment and realization that he had been lured to drink.

“i’ll kill him.”

“and i’ll thank him.” may shidou get all the dopamine he so cunningly desires. 

note. i also don't know what this is so don't look at me now :P i'm throwing tomatoes at myself

LOL

RIDDSIES MY BBG❤️♥️❤️♥️❤️♥️❤️♥️♥️❤️♥️

May I request a Maid!Yuu x Riddle Rosehearts with the classic trope of “keeping the relationship a secret until they can’t,” please?

feat. Riddles Mom as the antagonist

I could not ignore how good this sounded

The Help

"Your mother? That's wonderful, I'd love to meet her." Yuu said cheerfully as they took an apron off the hook.

"No, you don't. I don't even want to see her but she's coming to visit." Riddle said stepping behind his partner and tying the apron snugly at the waist. "You do remember what I said about my upbringing right?"

"Of course I do. But we can't change her coming so we can't worry about that. We can only remain hopeful that the visit will be pleasant. Even if it isn't being polite is important. After all meeting your in-laws is very important for every relationship." Yuu said sagely.

"...about that." Riddle said nervously.

Almost immediately Yuu narrowed their eyes. They didn't like the sound of that.

Riddle sighed.

"I dont want her to know about us." Riddle said flinching waiting for Yuu to yell at him.

Of course that never came. They would never raise their voice, especially not at Riddle. Yuu only sighed sadly, their shoulder slumped in disappointment.

"I'm sorry." Riddle help one on Yuu's hands.

"Are you ashamed of us?" They asked.

"NO! Never!" Riddle shouted quickly "I just- just don't want her to hurt you. She'd hate anyone I date if she didn't choose them. She would threaten you. She might even get Crowley to keep you from me or worse kick you out of the school."

Yuu didn't like hearing this but relented.

"Fine...fine ugh." Yuu let out a huff of exhaustion. "what's your plan?"

Riddle's plan while not ingenious it was practical. Just pretend we aren't dating. Simple and easy.

Yuu when about their business as usual as they served tea and food in the garden. They kept their head down as they worked.

"I heard you won first place in the equestrian show as expected." Ms.Rosehesrts said over her cup of Earl Gray.

Yuu's mouth twitched in irritation. They chalked it up to the choice of tea the woman asked for.

Did she really ask for the acidic bergamot Earl Grey when the spread clearly called for something less intense? The fruit tarts and chocolate cakes just don't go with that tea. Fortunately, Yuu knew Riddle's tastes well and added vanilla and cream to his cup.

"Do you usually drink such sugary drinks? I swear without me you can't manage yourself." His mother sighed as she looked at the light-colored tea compared to her dark sugarless cup.

Riddle opened his mouth to respond be he was interrupted.

"I'm apologies Mr.Rosehearts. But as the head of the Heartslabyul dorm Master Riddle must set an example. He takes his tea as the great Queen herself did. It is his cross to bear as dutifully follows the rules." Yuu said their head bowed.

The mother shifted her gaze to the servant and glared.

"And who are you?" She asked. The question was rhetorical, she was very aware that Yuu was serving them but her question was more to remind the servent of their place.

"I'm a student here. I work as a maid as well to earn extra money Ms.Rosehearts." Yuu said timidly.

"Oh, I see. Well isn't that lovely but you would do well to mind your own business. It would serve you well in your future line of work." The mother stated.

Riddle tried to interrupt to take his mother's attention away but before he could Yuu spoke.

"I understand. I will keep that in mind." Yuu said looking at the ground.

That clearly wasn't what Riddle's mother wanted to hear as she frowned.

"You understand what? Speak up child and look me in the eye. Perhaps it's too much to expect a servant even an amateur would know how to answer properly. Honestly, even poor parenting is no excuse." She continued.

Yuu nodded and lifted their head. Their face was red and their lower lip trembled.

"My apologies again ma'am. I understand that I shouldn't interpret or comment on your discussions. I also understand that I should properly address you." Yuu said their voice wavering.

"Really then? Then how can you address me as Mr.Rosehearts? You call my son master but fail to show me proper respect. You will call me Mistress as you should." She demanded.

"Mother!" Riddle cut in.

"Quiet! How dare you speak over me! And you!" Ms.Rosehearts pointed at Yuu. "I'm waiting and I'm losing patience with you!"

Yuu felt like a stone was lodged in their throat. Their face felt hot and their eyes stung.

"I-Im sorry. May I b-be excused? I should g-get back." Yuu wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

Riddle's heart dropped into his stomach as he saw the fearful expression on Yuu's face.

"No, you may not! Honestly how useless can you be? This is why I never raised my son to be like people like you. Weak, sniveling, and worst of all failures!" Ms.Rosehearts lips curled in disgust.

Tears streamed down Yuu's face as they tried to keep a straight face.

"Mother! You've gone too far! You have no right to talk to them that way!" Riddle pushed his mother aside as he stood between them. "Yuu don't listen to her. She knows nothing about you, about us."

"Riddle, how dare yo-"

"Be quiet! You have said enough! You have not only embarrassed me as your son but you have thoughtlessly insulted my partner! Do you have any empathy at all? Do you think of anyone else but yourself?!" Riddle turned on his mother as he yelled in her face.

"Riddle!" She tried to yell back.

"I said stop talking! Perhaps it was too much to hope that you would act like someone with basic human decency let alone like a proper mother! Do you think this is how you should act toward someone I love? You talked alot about respect but you don’t even know what that means! You only know fear! I want you gone now!" Riddle pointed to the exit as he held Yuu close as they cried.

Riddle's mother turned bright red as she prepared to lash out at the pair. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around to see no other than the college's potions professor.

"Ms. Rosehearts I had the displeasure of watching you not only make a fool of yourself but you had the nerve to insult my pup." Crewel growled "You have a lot of nerve to speak to someone else's child like that let alone your own. I hope that in the future you will rethink coming to this campus and my child."

Riddle's mother clenched her jaw as she saw Riddle comforting his beloved. She then huffed and turned to exit.

"Before you go I wanted to tell you that I got in contact with father. Don't worry about me coming home. I won't be living with you anymore." Riddle said glaring at her.

"Are you okay?" Yuu asked gently running a hand down Riddle's back as he buried his face in Yuu's chest.

"I should be asking you that. I'm sorry. I should have stood up for you earlier." Riddle said.

Yuu laughed.

"You stood up to her though. That's more than I could do; she isn't even my mother. Riddle you were courageous." Yuu said kissing Riddle's cheek. " I may not have a mother-in-law but I'm sure we can manage when we become a family."

Riddle buried himself further, his ear were bright red.

"I haven't even proposed yet. We are hardly family. I still need Crewel's blessing and you know he's hard to please." Riddle can already feel the glare the professor would give.

"On the bright side, it'll be easier than asking your mother for the family ring." Yuu laughed.

(If it helps you can imagine Crewel standing behind Riddle's mother with a chair aimed at her head the entire time. Made me feel better at least)

⊹˚★ ꒰꒰ THE ROSE-RED TYRANT HATES EELS!? — socmed au

— details: you/yours | socmed au series | crack + fluff

— warnings: slight cursing, some crude jokes, and minor spoilers for books 1, 3, and 4.

— credits: divider by benkeibear | twt dps by yuumiese

series masterlist ┊ meet the cast! - [01] [02] ┊ the group chats!

★ SYNOPSIS ★

the eels don't just come in twos- they come in threes, and growing up with them has never been too easy. unlike the twins, with one who just straight-up acts like a rabid dog and the other seemingly kind-hearted but will be the one hunting you in your dreams, or rather nightmares, you can somewhat describe yourself as somehow the normal one. the one who maintains the balance between two extremes- in your eyes at least.

this has always been your biggest insecurity throughout the years- you weren't the best, but you also weren't the worst. you never acted up, but you also can't call yourself kind. you've never excelled much in academics, extracurriculars, or anything at all even in your magic. you've never had any high hopes and dreams for your future.

so why in seven's green earth were you transferred to night raven college- in heartslabyul too!? did the gods above send you here specifically to make your life miserable? you really hope that's not the case. to make matters worse, somehow the housewarden of the dorm you're not even sure why you're in has a totally unwarranted prejudice towards you. not to assume things or anything...but it's kind of like that. no, scratch that, it's definitely like that!

with just the slightest move and "it's off with your head!" whatever rule there is he's sure you broke and will break it, and it hasn't even been a month. how will you survive this boring, mundane life turned into a mess? facing problems of your own and even bigger problems with your dormleader- seriously though what is his deal!?

©nerinefy 2023-2024 all rights reserved. do not plagiarize, repost, or translate.

I know you just did my request…BUT

JUST IMAGINE RIDDLE X KING OF HEARTS! READER🤩

Just imagine that they met as kid as a arrange marriage by their parents AND THEY JUST INSTANTLY FELL IN LOVE

when child Riddle was upset about his mom’s rule HERE COME READER TO THE RESCUE CHEERING HIM UP!🥹🥹🥹

And when riddle was in college, king of hearts! Reader send him letters about their day and how much they miss Riddle😭😭

OH and I like to imagine that Riddle kept his marriage a secret ( which was fine with reader)

SO JUST IMAGINE THE SHOCK FACE OF HEARTSLABYUL STUDENT WHEN READER (who was invited to a unbirthday party) RUNS UP TO RIDDLE AND STARTS KISSING HIM AND SAYING “oh my love! How I missed you!” 😭😭😭

Am so sorry about me rambling😅😅

But here is Their relationship in a nutshell:

AGHHHH IM LOVING THE RIDDLE REQUESTS ALSO THIS IS ADORABLEEEE AGHHHHH

Queen of My Heart

Synopsis: Riddle’s beautiful, bubbly and cute secret becomes revealed to Heartslabyul…

Contains: Riddle R. x Fem! King of Hearts! Reader, just pure fluffiness, goes off the Heartslabyul manga, use of petnamed: my love, my rose, dear, Riddle's lowkey down bad

The warm sun beat down vibrant rays of sunlight that made the fresh red paint of the rose bushes glisten and glitter. The small butterflies fluttered overhead in a dance of fleeting happiness while the students of Heartslabyul worked endlessly on their Unbirthday Party that was to happen in a few hours. Riddle made his way around the dorm, checking up on his students and getting in on the planning when he felt he needed to, even participating in making cakes (while threatening Trey not to trick him into adding a mysterious ingredient). There was much joy spread around the whole field. Everywhere you looked someone was smiling and having fun. 

Riddle tried to have as much fun as he could, but he felt like something was missing. He was missing you. He’d sent out a letter to your home weeks ago saying that he would plan a special party for your once in a lifetime arrival at NRC, and that he did. The party set up was a success and your fiancé had a feeling his dorm members wouldn’t disappoint. They didn’t even know you were coming. Although, with Riddle’s tense shoulders and his grasping need for perfectionism more than usual, they had a feeling something interesting would happen. “Man, Rid-rid seems off today, doesn’t he Trey?” Cater sighed while painting his share of the roses.

“Yeah, I don’t even know what it could be…”Trey pondered, his paintbrush thick with red glossy paint mindlessly stroking the white roses. "Does the guy have a girl who's coming or somethin'? Doubt it!" Deuce giggled as Ace retorted,”You think the dude gets girls? You must’a been dropped on your head at birth Juice…” Trey and Cater sighed as Adeuce bickered to each other.

"Y'know I remember he was always around this one girl when we were kids. They seemed even closer to each other than me and Chenya were to him. Maybe it's her?" Trey spoke aloud to himself. "That guy had friends? Let alone a girl friend? That guy's wayyy ahead of me in the dating scene..." Cater sulked. The green haired boy laughed at him and continued his painting,"I doubt they were dating." Cater laughed to himself, "Imagine if they were though? Hah! That would be tots funny!"

As if on que, Riddle showed up behind the two third year boys. "Trey, Cater. Please get the King's Chair and place it besides mine. Thank you." When the two boys turned around at the sound of his rather monotonous voice, they saw his cheeks a light pink and the tips of his ears a scarily bright red. Trey and Cater looked at each other with a small smirk, then back at Riddle. "Yes, Housewarden."

⊰᯽⊱┈─❊─┈⊰᯽⊱

Riddle stood idle behind the heart shaped doors of Heartslabyul, awaiting his debut and the arrival of his fiancé. His hands shook slightly while he played with the hem of his suit jacket. There was a sudden crunching of grass behind him, slowly picking up speed as it approached him. "RIDDLE! Oh my love how I've missed you!" A (h/c) haired girl suddenly swung her arms around his neck, sprinkling little kisses onto his cheek and jawline. The boy's face suddenly turned a rosy pink."(y-(y/n)!" He stammered at her body suddenly hitting his.

"I got all of your letters. I was SO excited to come to this Unbirthday party of yours! What do you think of my dress?~" (y/n) did a small twirl, showing off the frilly red dress and rose embellishments. His face softened and a smile formed on his lips."It looks lovely on you, dear," He spoke "The party commences in a couple of minutes, would you care to walk down with me?"

His hand enveloped hers warmly and her eyes glittered."Really?! Of course!!" She smiled as she hopped into his arms. His hands softly circled around her pulling her in as she pressed a sweet kiss to his lips.

The erupting sound of trumpets filled the air and diverged their attention from each other. Riddle extended his hand once again, and (y/n) put her hand in his happily. There was a sudden crowd of chanting coming from outside the door,"All hail our leader... The Rose-Red Ruler!" Trey and Cater stood at the doors. Their eyes widened at the sight of THE Riddle Rosehearts holding his soon to be wife's hand. Of course, they had no idea they had been engaged, less that they were even together. (y/n) simply waved at them with a kind smile before walking out with Riddle hand in hand.

"His grace, his excellency: Dorm Leader Riddle!" The two made their presence known as they walked out. Suddenly the crowd of students voices wavered slightly. Some looked around in confusion while some had pink cheeks and whispered things to their friends. "H-hurray, Dorm Leader Riddle...?"

The red haired boy and the (h/c) haired girl looked at each other with wide eyes, then laughed loudly at the reaction of his dorm members. "Haha! Love, they really did not expect this, did they?" (y/n) cackled as she clutched onto her stomach like this was a big inside joke. Riddle chuckled beside her, covering his mouth with his hand,"They truly didn't, my rose." He composed himself with a soft smile and continued walking to his designated chair at his grand table.

The short boy pulled out the much smaller King's Chair for his beautiful fiancé. Once seated, the two admired the bright scenery as if this was completely normal to the rest of the students. "Ah yes, the roses are bathed in red, the tables are bedecked in white," He turned to (y/n),"A completely flawless Unbirthday party, don't you think, my rose?"

"Oh my love, you know anything you present to me will be of utmost perfection in my eyes!~" She squealed happily. Trey and Cater ran up to the two and sat down in their own seats at the table. "Hey Rid-rid, we didn't know you had a #wifey, who would'a thunk?" Cater spoke in his normal cheery tone. "Yeah Riddle, you didn't even tell me about her. I assume we're way overdue for an introduction." Trey smiled.

"JUICE HOLY SEVENS YOU WERE RIGHT!-" "DUDE WHAT-" Ace and Deuce shouted as they knocked into one another from shock."Boys, would you please behave for once in your lives?" Riddle sighed while (y/n) giggled next to him. "Well, I assume since you're all close with Riddle it would be best to introduce myself! I'm (y/n) (l/n)- or well, (y/n) Rosehearts soon!" She said while holding Riddle's hand upon the table. There was an absolute ROCK on her finger, they all started at it's glittering shine with wide eyes. It was a medium sized clear diamond with petite rubies on the band. A dainty gold band, nonetheless.

The four boys at the table nearly choked on their tea. "Wait... so that means..." Deuce aimlessly tried connecting the dots in his head. "We are engaged, yes. Set to be wedded once I graduate." Riddle spoke with a confident smile. "Don't worry, you're all invited!" (y/n) smiled.

"How, out of anyone here, did RIDDLE get locked into a relationship before anyone here..." Ace sulked. "How did you get away without telling me about this though? Usually you come to me for everything." Trey questioned with a small laugh. "Well we'd been arranged to marry since birth. She's been here all my life, I'm surprised you didn't notice Trey?" The red haired boy replied.

"She's totes a cutie Rid-rid! We should take a pic (n/n), Magicam will love you!" Cater yelped happily "Of course-- get over here!" Cater wrapped an arm around (y/n) and squished into her while making a cute face; (y/n) following suit, before quickly flashing the camera. "Perf! You're so photogenic girl. Let me tag ya!" Once he got her Magicam user, he jumped back into his seat and muttered a bunch of random hashtags like "#mrs.rosehearts" and "#red-tyrants-queen"

Once getting situated back into her plush seat, Riddle turned to (y/n) with a calm smile and eyes filled with adoration,"How have you been enjoying yourself, dear?" (y/n) smiled brightly,"How come you haven't invited me to Heartslabyul more often? If you must know, this is the most fun i've had in a longgg time. The Queendom of Roses gets lonely without you, you know?"

He took her hand in his and brushed her knuckled softly through his glove. "Well then I shall continue to make arrangements for you to come over here more often." He brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles, her eyes crinkled as she blushed a light pink and her smile grew."I would love that dear."

𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔

summary: michael kaiser is a coward who needs a little incentive to finally confess his feelings towards you.

tags: f!reader, roommates to lovers, fluff, falling in love, kissing (more like, making out), jealousy, mutual pinning, possessive kaiser.

wc: 1.7k

notes: i do not know what possessed me into writing this, but man, it needs to do it again.

something you've realized early on in your friendship with kaiser is that he's a coward.

he hates spiders, makes you throw the trash out at night, and screams whenever something falls out of its place because he thinks the apartment is haunted.

in the year that you've spent as his roommate, you've come to terms with it. he's nice, cleans his dishes, and helps with the laundry. he keeps the noise down to a minimum and cooks you breakfast when he isn't preoccupied with practice.

another perk of living with him is the fact that he buys you things, expensive things. perfume. flowers. the dress you were eyeing online. your favorite snacks. a limited edition plushy you've been wanting since forever.

anything.

you realized early on that michael kaiser is rude to other people, scoffing and smirking as if he's above everyone else. he mutters comments about them under his breath, thinking you can't hear. he bosses people around, looking at them like they're ants. a waste of his time.

he isn't like that with you.

for one, he's sweet. if the gift giving isn't enough, he goes out of his way to seek you out after his matches. he asks for massages, for small pecks and fleeting touches. he video calls you when he's away, never forgetting to wish you a good morning and sweet dreams through voice notes. all with a grin on his lips.

you aren't blind. you know those are his ways of expressing affection. you just wish he'd finally man up and admit his feelings.

"so, how was the date?"

kaiser's sitting on the couch of your living room, remote control in hand as he stares at the tv, some random soccer match showing across the screen. his hair is wet, and he's got his glasses on. his posture is relaxed, seemingly nonchalant as he asks the question.

you know him enough to see him gritting his teeth even through his bored expression.

"good evening to you too," you laugh, airy as you take off your heels. putting them next to the door, you drop your keys in the sage bowl, letting them clink against his. "have dinner yet?"

leaning against the door, you can see the fine lines of his shoulder tense. the kaiser you're used to is a show pony, the person sitting on your couch isn't. he almost looks like a stranger with his neutral expression and bored eyes. such a difference to the guy who usually comes running whenever you walk through the entrance.

"i ordered takeout." he motions to the plates littered around him, pointing at the fridge. "i saved you some of your favorites."

internally, you flutter. happy to know that the kaiser you know, and love, isn't completely gone.

"thank you, that's very sweet of you."

he's adamant on keeping his eyes off you and on the screen, his shoulders becoming even more tense as you open your arms wide.

"no hug for today?" there's a hopeful smile on your lips as you say the words. happy to finally have everything the way they should be.

only to be shut down with a single side eye from him.

"what?" he asks lowly, almost conceding in his words. almost like your presence bothers him, like all those other people do. like you aren't special to him anymore. "did your date dump you? and now you're looking to me for comfort?"

the words are icy, and he gives no room for rebuttals. not when he looks at you with a quirked eyebrow and a cocky smirk.

it's the first time he's used his persona on you. one he uses to hide away from the world. you decide that you hate it.

"no. actually, he was sweet," you bite back, glaring when you decide that enough is enough. "asked to hold my hand and carry me on his back."

you watch as his face darkens, his eyes clouding over until you can't recognize the pretty blue color they usually spark in. you're riling him up, making him angry. and it's working.

"why? jealous?"

it's the question you've been dying to ask for months now. he flirts like you're more than friends, buys you gifts like you're something special to him, shuts down every time you go on a date with someone that isn't him.

but when it comes down to it, you not his to have. not when he's too much of a coward to do anything about it.

"and if i am?" his words surprise you. it's the first time he's come close to revealing his true feelings in months. they're said with an underlying tone of anger, jealousy, and possessiveness. like you're already his and no one else's. "what's it to you?"

"oh, you know, just happy you're finally being a man and talking about your feelings."

you shouldn't have said that. with the way his eyes are practically glaring, you don't know what else to say. you look up when he stands, practically looming as he stalks to you.

"you're so-"

his words are interrupted by his cursing. he glares down at you, pushing his hand next to your head, pining you against the door. you gulp, watching as he practically shakes in anger.

"du machst mich wahnsinnig, liebling. ich glaube nicht, dass ich mich zurückhalten kann, wenn du weiterhin so eine göre bist."

translation: you're driving me mad, darling. i don't think i can hold back if you continue to be such a brat.

"he even asked to kiss me too," you say, your voice trembling under his dark gaze. your sweet and funny roommate is gone, replaced by the man you see in front of you. your heart is pounding against your chest, in both fear and excitement for what he'll do when you finally push him off the edge. "he-"

kaiser surges down, cutting your sentence off with a kiss.

your eyes widen when your head hits the door from his force. a shiver running down your spine when he lifts a hand, placing it on the back of your head, gently caressing the area. closing your eyes, you wrap your arms around his shoulder, kissing him back with just as much fervor.

he relaxes at that, pulling back slightly only to swoop back in, keeping you in his arms for as long as he wants. by the time he finally breaks the kiss, you're both leaning against each other.

you've never seen his eyes as happy as they are now.

"ich bin mir sicher, dass ich besser küsse als er," he says, smug as he takes in the way you're panting. he chuckles, placing his hands on the side of your neck to pull you into another kiss. "richtig, liebling?"

translation: i'm sure i kiss better than he does. right, darling?

"i don't know what you're saying but yes. okay. sure." you nod, head still hazy as his hands start to stroke your cheek. "if it's something bad, then no."

he chuckles, placing a kiss on the corner of your lips. he keeps you rooted in your spot, his eyes darting back between your eyes and your lips. "you're mine now, yeah? no one else gets to kiss you the way i did."

"about time," you say with a roll of your eyes when your breathing finally settles. you play with the hair around his shoulder, slightly tugging at the strands. "it went awful, by the way. he made me walk 3 kilometers because his car broke down."

his hands stop, freezing as he looks at you incredulously. "but you said-"

"i lied," you say with a cheeky grin. you lift yourself onto your tiptoes, placing a kiss on his cheek as an apology. "just wanted to see how you'd react."

you giggle when he groans, letting him settle in the crook of your neck. "you little minx. next time, call me. i'll pick you up and drop you off."

there's the kaiser you know and love.

"mihya." the nickname is odd on your lips, new and completely unrefined. you watch as he perks up, his eyes practically shining as he looks down at you. guess you'll just have to use the nickname on him more often from now on. "you're a terrible driver. you'd be picking me up at the mall and dropping us off at the gates of heaven."

"well, at least that means an angel will finally return home."

you smack his shoulder for that.

bonus:

you're walking down the stairs of your university a few weeks later, laughing at something your friend said when the sound of squealing fills your ears.

a sleek black lamborghini sits right in front of you.

you blink, taking in the over-the-top showcase before your eyes land on the figure right beside it. you snort as kaiser winks at you from his spot, still taking his time to soak up the limelight.

"did you have to come all the way here to be a showoff?" you greet him with a kiss to his cheek that kaiser visibly grins at.

ever since getting together, he's been hogging you all to himself. he insists on driving you to and from wherever you need because your time together is worth everything to him. "you are so petty. making sure no one even thinks of asking me out on another date?"

"you like it." the way he says it is breathless, like it's a secret he's been keeping to himself for a long time. "you like me."

who knew michael kaiser turned out to be such a corny romantic?

you snort, tugging him into the car before he makes any more of a scene. "i do."

he grins at that, revving the engine as loud as he can, smirking when a group of freshmen cheer and wave to him from behind the car.

"good." he takes your hand, placing a kiss on the knuckles. he holds it as he backs out of the university and into the open street. "be prepared because i'm about to spoil you even more."

laughter & love (art by ah_e0k on twt!)

timeskip!hinata shoyo x gn!reader

fluff ، ⚠️: mentions of alcohol ، wc: 258

notes: happy birthday shoyo my loves !! just smthn short for him ☺️ alsooo IM HAVING PROBLEMS W/ MY STORY LAYOUUTSSS 😭😭 i keep changing it every story 💔

it was your boyfriend's birthday, and you just got home from celebrating with his family. you guys entered the apartment, convulsing with laughter.

"and—and it was so funny—" shoyo laughed hard, making it hard to speak. you laughed along, remembering the moment he mentioned.

you guys settled in the kitchen, still laughing about the events earlier. "it was so funny though—i knew they were gonna sing, but i didn't expect the mic," you laughed. while you guys were celebrating at the restaurant earlier, the staff sang the birthday song for him—as mentioned, with a mic; that was pretty beat up, which made the singing more funny.

"i know right! i tried my best not to laugh, but i couldn't help myself," shoyo continued laughing. "hold—hold on—i'll get us something," you said, trying to stop your laughter.

as shoyo was talking about his favorite moments earlier, you went and grabbed liquor from the refrigerator. opening it with a bottle opener, you took two shot glasses and poured the liquor.

you took your glass and gave shoyo the other one, "happy 28th, my lover." you said, smiling, clinking your glass on his. "thank you so much for this day, my beloved," he smiled. he held your face, giving you a quick peck on the lips.

smiling, you both absorbed the liquor, drinking it in one go. "one more?" shoyo asked, "hmm, maybe five more?" both of you laughed. with that, you poured more liquor into your cups.

the night was filled with laughter and love; you were both so happy.

©shwoyo, all rights reserved.

YOU🫵AYATO BABYGIRL

PRIVACY

so won't you come and be my lover?

— a kamisato ayato x f!reader smau — also celebrity au — status: completed

SUMMARY — a new year means new beginnings. with your resolution being 'to live a more peaceful life', the start of your year could not go any more wrong when you get involved in a dating scandal with renowned actor kamisato ayato. denying it is easy, but not when the other party gives the completely opposite response.

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆.

[name]'s : official | personal ayato's : official | personal

𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐒.

00: happy new year 01: aether's fault 02: don't leave me on read 03: promise 04: the best part 05: i lied 06: friendship ended 07: respect [name] 08: kiss scene 09: you're my bf 10: ayato hate page | 10.5 (extra): ayadog 11: are you my heart? 12: clean it up 13: all mine 14: i won the lottery 15: gladly, ma'am 16: romance drama 17: sour and salty 18: your place or mine? 19: idea of luxury | 19.5 (extra): no shame 20: airing live

21: i come with free cuddles 22: you have a priv? 23: you >>> everybody else 24: girlfriend privileges 25: #HappyAyaYnDay 26: let's go out 27: i always had a feeling 28: punch your irrelevant selves 29: please go away 30: happiness is a butterfly 31: champagne problems 32: i will gladly break my heart for you 33: truly, madly, deeply 34: one mistake 35: sincerely, [name]'s lover

36: i beg of you 37: it's all yours | 37.5 (extra): i'm connecting the dots 38: daylight 39: kiss them away 40: i am revived 41: karma era 42: my mother did not raise a quitter | 42.5: only my beloved could 43: yes you are 44: i still get jealous 45: they aren't you 46: to the girl i've loved before | 46.5: hahaha 47: farewell, moots 48: you look better with me 49: now i wake up by your side 50: last laugh

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒

idk what im doing

will contain swearing

mistakes such as grammatical and typographical errors may be committed (eng is not my first language pls bear with me :"D)

updates might be inconsistent

taglist is now closed :>

‘why do you read “various x reader stories?”’

first, i’m a narcissist and will not read it if it’s not about me

second, I love the feeling of people liking me

third, I was ignored as a child

I FINALLY FOUND YOU

Ch. 2 - The Economics of Rumors

This is The Boyfriend Contract series, Chapter 2. Inspired by The Love Hypothesis and The Business Proposal. Azul Ashengrotto x fem! Yuu (reader). You can view this on ao3.

Ch. 1 | Next chapter

In most cases, the economic rumor makes consumers dubious of the product's type, quality, and effects on health, so it can be quite an issue... but rather than an issue, he saw it as an opportunity. To me though, it's a nuisance.

It was foolish of her to believe that everything would be A-Okay after Riddle's overblot. Aside from the usual NRC mishaps (that she somehow got used to), she thought she would be able to live through her first year without any more major issues, maybe live long enough for her to get back home.

But then the Spelldrive incident happened, then the Octavinelle incident, then the Winter break incident, and then more incidents, and then the dreadful, gut-wrenching, absolutely breathtaking (not in a good way) kiss incident. Of all the goddamn incidents-- she did not expect any of them to involve a kiss.

(No. Vil's kiss on her cheek during the Styx incident does not count.)

She knew Azul well enough that he didn't like to involve himself with irrelevant matters unless it benefited him in some way. So even if she had some sort of obsessive guy chasing after her, she'd have to offer him something worthy enough for him to help her.

She hadn't received any message from him so far, and the Leech twins hadn't arrived at her doorstep yet, so... she assumed she was safe. For now.

Unless, of course, he actually did file a complaint for sexual harassment, in that case, the Headmage would have been the one at her door by now.

Yesterday's events had taken up more energy from her than she realized, so she contacted her boss and called in sick. Thank heavens he was kind, almost fatherly, and told her to rest until she felt better. She should have felt guilty for lying, but she was too exhausted to feel anything. She didn't really want to deal with any people right now.

However, as much as she enjoyed days off, Yuu became extra restless when she had nothing to do. Because doing nothing meant her mind was free to go in different directions, and that direction most often went downhill. There had to be something she could do, even if it was small or insignificant, anything to make her think of anything else other than what she didn't want to think about.

She had done as much as she could. She washed the dishes, did the laundry, cooked increasingly unsettling eggs (most of them went to Grim's stomach), washed the dishes again, cleaned the lounge, rearranged her bookshelf, created a new playlist for next week, watched some videos on Magicam, read a book on meditation-- She was slowly running out of things to do when she suddenly remembered the homework they had for History of Magic, it was a paper on any chosen topic among the ones they previously discussed during the past semester. Although the deadline was still in a week, Yuu figured it would be better to start on it early.

After making herself comfortable on her couch, Yuu opened her laptop (a very generous gift from Ortho, who noticed her lack of electronics, bless that sweet humanoid boy) and began to do some light research, but got side-tracked by the string of notifications that streamed from her phone.

With a sigh, she set her laptop on the nearby coffee table and grabbed her phone. A message from...Ace? And Deuce. Ace and Deuce. And Epel. And Jack. And...holy shit.

Was everyone out to get her or something? Why is she suddenly getting messages from Cater and Riddle? Even Sebek?! Of all people???

Before she could open any of the messages, several loud knocks pounded on her door. She knew well enough who it was that she didn't bother getting up to open it, they knew to knock first before entering after all.

The door to the lounge slammed open, startling the poor girl.

"Jesus Christ!" She clutched her phone to her chest, "Ace. You scared the shit out of me! Calm down will you?"

"Calm down?" Uh oh. She did not like that voice. Ace only ever used that voice a few times on other people, but never on her. She was usually the one using that voice on him. You know, to keep him in line.

Oh, how the turns have tabled.

"You want me to calm down?" His voice was like venom. He stalked over to her, almost stomping, as Deuce-- and... is that Epel, Jack, and Ortho?!

"Uh...what's going on?" She looked at their expressions. Ace looked displeased by something, Deuce looked uncomfortable, Jack and Epel both looked unsure, while Ortho simply looked curious. "Why is everyone here?"

"Yesterday."

She raised a brow, "Yesterday?"

"Yesterday!"

She rolled her eyes, "What about yesterday?"

"Yesterday! With Azul!"

She froze. Oh no. "What about him?"

"Don't play dumb with us, Yuu," Ace gave her one of his no-bullshit looks, "What's with you and Azul? Did you make a contract with him or something? Is he holding you hostage?"

"W-What?! No! What are you even getting at?" She didn't like where this was going. 

PLEASE don't say what I think you're gonna say.

"Um, Yuu, yesterday..." Deuce started rather bashfully, "Cater and Trey saw you and Azul together, uh..."

"Kissing." Ace finished, "They saw you kissing."

Is it still possible to play dumb? "Me? Kiss who?"

"AZUL!" The ginger yelled as he hurriedly pulled out his phone and showed her what was on the screen.

It was... It was her. And Azul. Kissing.

The cafe she worked at had been gaining popularity for some time now so encountering students from both Night Raven College and Royal Sword Academy was hardly a surprise.

"Cater took that," He explained, "He and Trey were supposed to visit you, but then he saw you go up to Azul and then that happened."

Oh my fucking god.

A memory resurfaced from when Cater and the others heard that the cafe she was working in was gaining a lot of attention. He promised he would drop by sometime with Trey or Riddle, and as luck would have it, it just HAD to be at the time when she...

Oh god. This is bad. This is really fucking bad. If Cater knew, then EVERYONE knew.

"Yuu..." Jack started slowly, "You're not dating Azul, are you?" He grimaced at his own question. Everyone else looked at her waiting for an answer.

She sighed. Even though the reason was going to sound stupid (which it was), she couldn't lie to them when they were looking at her like that. There was no reason to hide it anyway, after everything she had gone through with them.

It's quite a depressing story, but even in her own world, Yuu was an outcast. Since middle school, she had trained herself not to make a fuss over things she couldn't control. If no one wanted to accept her, then so be it, all she had to do was accept herself. She never let other people's opinions deter her, instead, she worked her hardest not to let it bother her. She buried herself in her work, focusing only on her academics and her part-time jobs as a way to cope with the loneliness. It all paid off since she got accepted into her dream college.

She was supposed to start university in a month, but her sudden arrival in Twisted Wonderland changed all her plans. Despite all her hard work, she had to start over again in this new world where she had nothing, knew nothing, knew no one, and as far as the law was concerned, she didn't exist here at all.

Yuu, once again, had to navigate her way through NRC alone-- until... Grim, Ace, and Deuce. Then Jack, then Epel, then Ortho...

In a way, it was like falling in love. She entered Twisted Wonderland a feral stranger, but these people accepted her, as strange and quirky as they were in their own right, she felt right at home in their little group. Even though some of them would deny it, she knew that they always got her back.

"It's a bit of a long story."

And like clockwork, Ace and Deuce sat on the same couch she was sitting on, Jack took the armchair on her left while Epel proceeded to sit on the floor in front of her, propping his elbow on the coffee table next to him, while Ortho simply sat on said coffee table. They did this in sync, with all their eyes trained on her the whole time.

She let out a deep sigh, preparing herself for a lengthy explanation. She had a lot to say to them, and one of them was the fact that she didn't tell any of them about Kelvin Watson and his persistent advances.

"Listen, I promise you guys it's not—"

"Prefect."

Fuck.

She didn't need to look at the door to know who that smooth, melodic deep voice belonged to. But just like dominos, she followed the befuddled gazes of her friends as they turned to the doorway where Azul happened to be standing.

When the fuck did he get here and why do people keep barging into my house???

"Azul," she stammered, standing up to greet him.

"I didn't know you had company," he strode over to her smoothly. Was it that natural for him to be graceful?!

"Oh, uh.."

"Did you already tell them?" He asked when she was busy mulling over what to say. What was he going on?

"T...Tell us what?" Ace was the first one to ask. Well, the bravest one to speak up first, to be painfully accurate.

"I'm sure you already suspect it," Azul said with a modest smile that almost looked...kind. If the whole contract incident hadn't happened months back she would have believed him to be innocent, and she was sure her friends would have believed the same thing too. "We didn't mean to hide it at first, but with everything Yuu and I were going through... well, I hope you understand."

No way. There's no goddamn way.

"S-So it's true?!" Deuce asked this time, "That you two..."

"Well, we have been going on dates..." She felt a subtle but large and firm pressure on her lower back— no, not her back, but the spot between her back and her waist— steadying her, and she didn't need to turn around to know that it was Azul's hand that was precisely 3.5 inches above her ass.

Holy shit.

It was an intimate gesture that sent tingles throughout her body, nearly overriding her senses. Her friends were staring, and she was sure that they could see the heat rushing to her face in the form of the color rose pink.

How was he this good at being charming?! No, maybe it was the kiss that desensitized her— she shouldn't have to think or FEEL this way about Azul Ashengrotto of all people.

"Is everything alright?" Azul asked in a gentle voice. Azul was never gentle. He was calm, calculating, and cold, but Yuu found it so hard to think when she felt his hand rubbing her softly as if to comfort her, and when he stopped, his hand was now 2 inches above her ass. And it made her so, so, dizzy.

"Just tired, and overwhelmed," she managed to say without stuttering or fainting.

"That won't do," his brows furrowed, he was really good at looking concerned. "Come, let's have some tea at my office."

No. Nonononono— tea at his office means being alone with him, and she does NOT want to be alone with anyone right now. Especially him.

"You don't have to," she said politely, trying to hear her own voice over the sound of her beating heart, "you must be busy."

"No, please. With the disaster of a date we had yesterday, I wish to make it up to you," he continued the act (why was he even doing it in the first place?!?), "Still... I had no idea one of your admirers would be persistent enough to ruin it. I should have seen it coming." He added context. Great. Context means more questions from her friends.

"It's...it's really alright..." and please stop, my brain can't take much of this anymore.

He moved his hand straight behind her back before gently nudging her, "Shall we? I've acquired some rare sweets for you, as well." 

Oh God. She loves sweets and he knows it.

"Um, I guess we'll see you then," Ace scratched the back of his neck, looking rather awkward, "Yuu, I'll text you later when, uh...yeah."

She nodded as Azul took her hand (and heavens his hands were so soft) and led her out of the dorm.

"Is this some kind of joke? Are you trying to prank me or something? Do you have brain cancer? Do I have brain cancer? Is this a new business scheme where you scam a person into dating you so that you can get what you want from them?"

She ignored Jade's look of amusement as he poured tea into her cup, and Floyd's snort as he leaned against the bookshelf right behind Azul. The aforementioned boy was sitting on another couch across from her, leaning back with a deep sigh.

Why is HE looking exasperated?! Wasn't he the one who kept up the whole "dating" spiel?! Why did he do that?! I was about to tell my friends the truth!!

The walk to Mostro Lounge felt longer than it should have. Though it normally took several minutes (even shorter if you ran for your life, ideally away from it though), getting there felt like hours when you're being exposed to gawking students who happened to be passing by, and for some fucking reason there was a bunch of them on the street when they were walking. They surely noticed the hand that smoothly moved to her shoulder as well as their close proximity. She might have even seen a shocked Riddle and Trey.

"I'm not that enthusiastic about it either, okay?" He said, like, y'know, a liar.

"Then why?"

"Because I would like to make a deal with you."

"Of course you do," she rolled her eyes, picking up her teacup, "I've seen this coming. For the record, I'm not setting up Ramshackle for collateral again. I don't think I have anything significant to give you," aside from my newly acquired book collection of The Devilish Duke. A really hot and funny romcom set in the 18th century. Good shit.

"It's not Ramshackle Dorm that I want."

"Then what do you want?"

"You."

At that moment, Yuu experienced a feeling that was dangerously similar to what you call a "hypnagogic jerk", also known as that feeling where you think you're falling in your sleep, only to jerk awake, sweating like crazy on your bed and not falling off a cliff.

Yes, there's a term for that.

That sudden jerk in her body nearly caused her to choke on her tea. She quickly placed the teacup down and coughed into her sleeve several times before staring wide-eyed at Azul.

She expected to see him with his usual infuriatingly attractive smirk but...

Why is he looking away?!

"Ugh, whatever," she composed herself, taking a cookie from one of the plates. As it turns out, Azul did have some sweets in his office. Rare ones too... "The answer is no. Did you know that you're the very definition of a 'red flag'?"

"How flattering," he deadpanned. "Listen, this is important."

She sighed heavily, crossing her arms as she chewed the cookie. She stayed silent afterward, a gesture to let him continue. Azul told the twins to leave the room before speaking.

"I had a meeting with a potential business partner a couple of days ago. It was one that I was particularly looking forward to," he began, "the negotiation was doing well, but there was one setback."

She furrowed her brows, "Which is...?"

"He thought I was too young, therefore, not quite... experienced, or mature."

Her eyes widened. She wouldn't say it to his face, but despite his young age (they were both 17), Azul was already skilled in both academics and business, he gave off an air of professionalism and maturity, the very picture of a sophisticated businessman.

"That's...disappointing," she muttered.

"Very much so," he breathed out, almost exhausted. No wonder he was exasperated, that meeting must have been plaguing his thoughts the whole time...

She encouraged him to continue.

"Well, anyway, I tried to appeal to him to get an agreement, but he insisted that he just couldn't get into a business contract with someone who was 'too young'," he nearly rolled his eyes. Nearly. He didn't, but she had the feeling he wanted to. "Anyway, I looked into his background after that—"

"Of course you did."

"And I found out that before he was a successful businessman, he was the only son of the previous company chairman. When he was our age, he was the very definition of 'immature'. He was a spoiled, trust-fund, party-loving playboy who relied too much on his father's influence and money... well, you understand, don't you?"

She nodded. The guy sounded like every male lead of a typical contemporary romance. You know, the good girl x playboy trope where the playboy's whole world changes after meeting the "good girl" and he starts to change himself. She's read a good amount of those types of books.

"Due to his behavior, his father had him transferred from his elite high school to a public high school to teach him a lesson. He also had his allowance considerably lowered, so he couldn't throw any of his elaborate parties, and he was also given a bodyguard to watch his behavior."

She sucked some air through her teeth. For a trust fund boy, it must have been a hard-knock life. Not that she could really relate, she had to work for almost everything she had, so it was routine for her.

"Apparently, his behavior changed when he met his high school sweetheart and his current wife. He retired from his spoiled ways and turned into a responsible and loyal man. They've been married for twelve years now. They just celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary last month."

"Huh... that's actually quite cute," she smiled a little, thinking of how the man's life must have changed when he met his wife. Given that he met her in a public school, she must have come from humbler origins. "But wait, what does this have to do with me?"

"He's quite a family man, and he has a firm belief that a person becomes properly mature when they meet their soulmate," he shifted in his seat, leaning closer as he looked into her eyes. "He will be hosting a fundraising event next month."

"That is to say...?"

"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend and go with me to the event. If he realizes I have a partner, he will surely consider me mature enough to pass as a potential business partner."

Wow, Azul must really want this guy's support.

"Is it really that worth it?"

"If it wasn't, I wouldn't be asking you to do this. Having a contract with him would increase the chance of opening a second establishment outside of school, not to mention Mostro Lounge greatly benefit from them due to their influence in the industry."

Leave it to Azul to think ahead. He's always been thinking of how to improve Mostro Lounge, whether it's the quality of their menu or their services.

"Have you considered getting a real date?"

"Have you considered getting a real boyfriend?"

"Touché."

She narrowed her eyes at him. Truth be told, as helpful as it was having Azul's aid with getting rid of Kelvin for a day, she didn't think there would be anything else in it for her to keep up this whole dating charade. It wouldn't have even happened if only Cater hadn't taken that picture.

She groaned, "It's gonna be difficult."

"What would be?"

"To pretend that we're dating."

"How?"

"Well... for one, isn't it suspicious that you and I weren't even that close to begin with? And suddenly we're dating?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Not too difficult. We could simply tell them that we were trying to keep it a secret."

"Do you really think anyone would believe that?"

"Your friends certainly did."

"I'm pretty sure this agreement benefits you more than it benefits me."

"I beg to differ," he said, "I've prepared a list of benefits for you. I'm a rather generous man after all."

"Your tone is starting to piss me off."

"What?"

"You're starting to sound like Crowley."

He snorts, "Very well then. I'll try to avoid that in the future. Wouldn't want to upset my future girlfriend after all."

"I haven't agreed to your contract yet."

"Yet," he emphasized, she followed with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, I obviously wouldn't leave any job uncompensated. As long as our contract is on, I will be at your service. I can help you with studying and homework. If you need study guides, I'll provide them for you. Given that you're already taking care of your financial needs, I'll take the initiative to pay for our dates. If you need protection from bullies and persistent admirers, I'll be one call away. If you get into trouble and you need a cover-up, I'll be there to help you."

He doesn't finish there, "Jade and Floyd will be at your aid as well. If there's anything that you need from them, you simply have to ask. If you follow my terms, I will follow yours."

She bit her lip, for a fake dating job, all those benefits sound... really nice. Considering Azul's standing and influence in Night Raven, all those would be possible.

"Still... It's not going to be easy keeping up this charade you know? No offense but considering your reputation, people are mostly gonna think that you're holding me hostage through a contract."

"We'll be fine as long as we greet each other in the hallways and walk to each other's classes. Your constant presence in Mostro Lounge will help as well."

She rolled her eyes, "Dude, people who are dating don't just walk to each other's classes together or say hi in the hallways, you know? Do you even know the first thing about dating?"

Azul clears his throat as he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "I...admit I'm not an expert in this kind of field. But it's not like you can say you're any better."

She rolled her eyes. Again. "FYI, I've dated twice before, so I'd say I'm more of an expert on this than you are." No, she isn't.

Her first boyfriend was in middle school, and the only reason why she dated him was because he confessed to her in front of their whole damn class and all their classmates cooing and cheering pressured her into saying yes to him. They lasted a solid two and a half months.

The second one... was a bit more complicated. They lasted quite long, but that was because Yuu thought that they were going to last the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, that was too good to be true. Everything that seems perfect at first glance never turns out that way in the end.

"Ah... I see. Well then, what do people who are dating do?" For some reason, he sounded a little defeated.

"Well, uh, they...talk."

"About?"

"A lot of things. Their hobbies, their favorite food, the coffee they drank this morning, the shitty customer that keeps asking for the manager just because they thought the croissant they ordered tasted off and therefore demanded a refund even though they already finished it all-"

He snorted. She glared at him, "Hey, that's some serious stuff, okay? People like that are like, the worst."

He raised his hands in mock surrender, "I didn't say anything, but I do agree. Unreasonable customers are the worst. Anyway, what else do people dating do?"

"Uh...They pick apples together, frolic in fields, go on picnic dates." Sounds idiotic but—

"Sounds idiotic," Azul sighed as he crossed his arms, echoing the words in her mind, "Perhaps you should just go tell your friends that we went out and frolicked in the fields."

It was her turn to snort, "Like they would believe that."

"Like I said: idiotic."

"But hey, picnics are fun."

"Sure."

"Ahem. Anyway, aside from that..." she tapped her chin carefully as she continued to wrack her mind. "Well, people who date do a lot of things together, honestly. Hard to pinpoint but, they often eat breakfast together, get coffee together, they know each other's favorite pizza, they hug, hold hands...they...kiss."

"I can't imagine ever doing that." The twitch on his lips was enough to indicate that he was holding back a smile.

She giggled in response, "Like I would ever kiss you."

"Oh? I certainly wasn't the one who initiated it, unless I do have brain cancer and I'm misremembering things."

"I'm really sorry about that," she said, mortified at the resurfacing memory.

Surprisingly, Azul shrugs it off, "It already happened. There's no use crying over spilled milk."

What surprised her more, however, was how casual Azul seemed while they were talking. She failed to realize that at some point, he had dropped his businessman act and started talking to her like... a normal person. Like an actual Azul. It was strange, for some reason.

Silence stretched on for a few moments as she contemplated the offer once more. Dating Azul... even if it's pretend, wasn't an easy choice to make. The thought of fake dating wasn't a pleasant thought to begin with. It seemed more like a waste of time than an investment, but with all the benefits he's offering... maybe having him around would help...?

The biggest thing she was worrying about was keeping up the lie to her friends. They were her world, after all, and she wasn't ready to lose their trust just yet. But their reactions earlier were already enough to make her fall on her knees— Azul wasn't exactly the...best person to date. She was sure that Ace, Deuce, and Grim still have war flashbacks after what he made them go through during the incident with Octavinelle, and Jack trusts that she knows better than to suck up to Azul. Epel wasn't there during the incident, and so was Ortho, but she knew well enough that they were weary of him.

But...

"Well?" He suddenly spoke up, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her very... tired and messy thoughts. "I can write up the contract if you're willing to agree."

She bit her lip, "Can you...give me some more time to think about it?"

He stared at her for a moment before nodding, "Yes, of course. Take your time."