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ashv-1 · 7 months

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These two are lucky I don't exist in this universe, or else I'd be playing the role of that one gossip girl in the manhwas in this universe who is a fan of the both of them (/lh)

"I Do": The Long-Term Deal || Chapter 3: An Abrupt Engagement

Summary:

After a photo of Jamil and Azul's kiss started circulating online, Jade proposes the absurd solution of forming a fake relationship for the public eye.

Azul vehemently rejects the idea and it seems to fall to the wayside... but when the dinner launch party presents unprecedented challenges, Jamil steps in and takes his boldest leap yet.

Word Count: 16,753

Author's Note:

Finally updated this fic after 9 months!!

Thank you so much to @patchyegg87 for helping me write this chapter~

This fic is gonna be a collab between us from now on <3

We hope you enjoy this chapter! ^_^

——

Jamil's jaw dropped open in shock. At the very least he had expected Jade to suggest that he and Azul pretend to date, but marrying him?

"Jade," Azul's voice had a dangerous edge to it as he glared at Jade. "We are not forcing Jamil into such an arrangement."

"I am not forcing either of you, Azul," Jade maintained his calm demeanor. "I am merely pointing out that an engagement announcement would keep both your suitors and the board of directors at bay for a long while."

"Could just be a fake engagement," Floyd added. "You don't actually have to marry each other for real."

"Indeed," Jade nodded. "And Jamil could maintain his life of travel without worrying whether people would recognize him as the person in the picture and pester him with questions. A clear association with you--and by extension Floyd and I--would prevent anyone from harassing him."

"You two could live here together," Floyd said. "And you're already doing that anyway. Just make a few public appearances every month and it'll be fine."

"The board would never contradict you," Jade pointed out.

It was all going too fast for Jamil's mind to keep up. He turned to Azul, hoping that at least he would say something that made sense, but Azul had gone quiet, his chest rising and falling as he seemed to be trying to control his breathing.

Azul strode toward the couch to retrieve the remote where Floyd had dropped it, then turned off the TV before facing the twins.

"It's not the only option," he said firmly. "We are not trapping Jamil in this, is that clear?"

There was a crunching sound, and Jamil couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from until the two halves of the remote fell from Azul's grip and clattered onto the floor.

"Azul," Floyd said carefully in a placating tone that Jamil had never heard him use before. "Your eyes."

Jamil turned to Azul; his eyes had become a startling bright blue, the pupils elongated into horizontal slits.

Octopus eyes, Jamil realized.

Azul's face went slack with surprise for a second, then he blinked rapidly and backed away.

He turned away from them and placed his hands on his hips, head bowed while he took deep breaths.

Jamil looked at the twins in concern; he had never seen Azul’s eyes turn into what he assumed were their original form, and it seemed to happen out of Azul’s control. What did that mean?

Jade gave him a reassuring nod, and Floyd kept his eyes on Azul.

"Let's not decide on anything for now," Azul said quietly, and when he faced them again his eyes were back to normal. "The event will be starting soon. Let's discuss this again after that. I'll contact Idia and have him get a handle on that MagiCam post."

Jade nodded. "You and Jamil should arrive at the party separately just in case anyone there had seen the photo and would be keeping an eye out for you two. You and I can take your car, and Floyd and Jamil can take Floyd's."

"Yeah. I live nearby, anyway," Floyd said. "We'll get my car. And Sea Snake, change your hairstyle for tonight, okay? You can keep the ponytail but get rid of the braids, they're too recognizable."

"You don't have to go to the event at all," Azul looked at him for the first time since they got in the house. "We've dragged you enough into this."

"No," Jamil shook his head. "I started this. If I hadn't done that when we ran into each other, we wouldn't even have this problem. I'm not just hiding here."

Azul looked like he wanted to protest, but he nodded. "I'll get you a suit you can wear. Jade, Floyd, how about you two?”

“My suit is still at the cleaner’s,” Jade said. “We can stop by there first, and they have a changing room that I can use.”

“I’ll get my suit at my house when Sea Snake and I get the car,” Floyd replied.

Twenty minutes later, Jamil was in the passenger seat of Floyd’s ride, dressed in a borrowed suit with his hair in a simple ponytail and no braids.

“What’s the matter, Sea Snake?” Floyd asked as he drove steadily down the highway. “You’ve been quiet as a clam ever since we left Azul’s place.”

“Is he okay?” Jamil asked. “Why did his eyes become like that? And that thing with the TV remote…”

Azul was never one to show violence; he prided himself in his intellectual capacities rather than the physical. Even when he intimidated schoolmates at NRC, he was never known to break anything as a show of strength.

Floyd took a while to answer, and Jamil had the sense that he was choosing his words carefully, which was something he never would have expected of Floyd.

“About two years ago,” He began. “The three of us ran into some trouble. And Azul was the one who stepped up and got us out of it by the scales of our fins. It messed us all up pretty good, and what you saw earlier was the effect that that experience had left on Azul. Sometimes when he gets super stressed or overwhelmed, his eyes revert to their merform, and his octo-strength comes out.”

Jamil furrowed his eyebrows. Floyd obviously didn’t want to share specific details, but he was still curious. “What kind of trouble?”

“Hmmmm… Well it wasn’t like an Overblot or anything,” Floyd laughed. “Had enough of those back at school, eh? It was just a… scuffle. Of some kind. Don’t worry about it.”

A ‘scuffle’ that traumatized all three of them–some of the most feared people back at NRC during their time–definitely sounded like something to be worried about, but Floyd didn’t seem inclined on sharing any more information on it.

“What if he gets stressed at work?” Jamil asked instead. “Do his eyes turn like that?”

Floyd shook his head. “As far as I know, he’s never been like that at work. No one else even knows that he has those moments except for you and me and Jade. And that’s why Azul just leaves the office whenever he gets super stressed. Can’t risk anyone else seeing him lose control like that.”

“But he lost control of his eyes and strength just minutes ago, is he really in shape to attend that event?” Jamil asked in concern.

“He won’t let us stop him, you know that,” Floyd said in resignation. “Best we can do is watch over him and make sure nobody irritating is around him for a long time. It’s a lot more challenging than you’d think, considering his colleagues and those suitors.”

“Suitors?” Jamil frowned. “There’s gonna be suitors there?”

“Those idiots are everywhere, man,” Floyd said with irritation. “At every work event, in the office… if the board of directors has anything to do with a place, there’s bound to be at least one suitor there. And a party like later? I’m betting at least five.”

Jamil pursed his lips and stared out the window. He reminded himself that he had no intention of being in a romantic relationship with Azul, so he shouldn’t be affected even if the man would be surrounded by flirty celebrities tonight.

He was there to observe the members of the board and find out their weaknesses. That was it. At most, he’d help Jade and Floyd make sure that Azul would stay as calm as possible the entire night, and even then he couldn’t get too close and risk being recognized.

Azul himself said that he could fix that whole MagiCam fiasco without Jamil getting involved. So after tonight, Jamil’s work would be done and he’d never have to get involved with Azul ever again.

——

“How dare you suggest such a thing?” Azul immediately rounded on Jade as soon as his phone call with Idia ended. “You know the history of my feelings for Jamil and yet you propose that he be my accomplice for such a stupid charade?”

“I was just suggesting one possible solution, a convenient and accessible one,” Jade calmly explained from behind the steering wheel, not taking his eyes off the road. “Besides, you had taken Jamil into your home for an indefinite amount of time. I assumed that whatever romantic feelings you had for him are now non-existent and therefore it would not be a problem to make such a deal with him.”

“They are non-existent,” Azul hoped that his infuriated tone would convince Jade of the lie. “But that doesn’t mean that I appreciate you taking inspiration from the board members when it comes to your ideas.”

“I apologize,” Jade said sincerely. “I did not realize how such an idea would come across. What did Idia say?”

“He was able to trace the path of the post, and it’s unlikely that any of the guests tonight would have seen that picture already. He said he could stop it from circulating any further for another week, but after that, the only way to prevent it spreading would be to take down the post itself, which could be seen as suspicious by people who have already seen it.” Azul pinched the bridge of his nose and reminded himself to stay calm. He couldn’t afford for his eyes to change again in the middle of the event.

After Jade had suggested that he marry Jamil—regardless of whether it would be a fake marriage—it was like he was back at NRC, being mocked and laughed at by fellow students for chasing after the man. Business strategy or not, his days of shamelessly convincing Jamil to work with him were over.

“For tonight, just worry about getting through the entire event while remaining calm,” Jade told him. “We’ll worry about the MagiCam post tomorrow; Idia has bought us enough time.”

“Right,” Azul nodded, taking a breath. “Just get through tonight.”

——

A while later, Floyd and Jamil walked into the venue, the latter immediately taking a moment to look around the area and its high-end arrangements. The colors of the floor were a glossy black, blue and white, as if they were walking along a path of stars. Floating baubles of soft golden light illuminated the space, with dark blue draperies and roses completing the set-up. People from high society—politicians, businessmen, celebrities—are flitting around, talking to each other over wine and dinner.

And speaking of dinner, a wide array of gourmet dishes were being passed around and served. It was to be expected for the launching of a restaurant, Jamil thought. He hadn't seen any other restaurant launch that was this fancy, though.

He found Azul among the crowd, but he kept his distance, instead looking out to see if anyone would recognize and approach him.

"Hey," He whispered to Floyd, who'd been eyeing the bar to the side with ominous interest. "Who here are the board members?"

The eel quickly responded. "That there's Janara," he pointed to a woman with a hood obscuring most of her features standing in the corner. "Very private. Keeps to herself a lot. When she does speak, she whispers all creepy-like."

He then nodded to two individuals: a stocky fellow with braided dark-brown hair as well as the edge of a glowing tattoo peeking through his collar, and a beautiful individual with long silver hair, a fancy gown of royal yellows and blues and stark-white pupils.

"Tattoo-man is Root and the one with the freaky eyes is Aali. They're both super into these kinds of fancy shindigs. Root's level-headed but he's got a temper, and Aali's got a tongue as silver and sharp as their hair. The two of them are the ones who pester Azul the most, so they're pretty annoying…” Floyd wrinkled his nose.

Then he pointed to a short but striking beastwoman surrounded by colleagues and sipping disinterestedly at her drink. She had cropped hair, dark make-up, raven wings and dark-violet clothes. "Hammery. She's cold and stubborn, but if you manage to get on her good side, you get on the whole board's good side. She's pretty scary. She reminds me of Ma sometimes… Ah, and then there's Ol' Gura."

A wizened-looking man with a solid shell on his back was sampling some of the food with a pleasant smile on his face, donning white cream-colored robes and a dark brown hat.

"He's a turtle beastman. He kinda comes off as sweet and old, but he's got powerful connections to all kinds'a companies and organizations for a reason—do not piss him off… Those are all the members who're attending today. The others are too busy doin' somethin' somewhere else. You gonna talk to any of them?" Floyd asked.

"I'm not sure. Probably not a good idea considering the precarious scandal hovering over my head…" Jamil muttered. "Thanks for giving me a heads-up, though. For a second, I thought you were gonna give me their sea-based nicknames."

"Oh, I have ‘em. You wanna hear 'em?" Floyd grinned.

"No," Jamil frowned. "What about suitors? See any you recognize?"

There was a moment's pause before Floyd shook his head, his mood souring at the very prospect. "None... so far."

"Ah, Mister Ashengrotto, you've finally arrived!" Gura greeted the young businessman from behind, voice thin and frail as he merrily held up a plate of confectionaries. "Such a lovely little party we have here. I reckon it takes you back to your first official launching—Oh! Here, have some pudding. It's raspberry!" He held out a spoonful of food to him.

"Mister Gura," Azul smiled amiably. "Thank you, but I just arrived and I don't want to skip right to dessert.”

"Ah, regardless, it is good to see you here! You have been away from the office for quite some time!" Gura said in a playfully scolding tone.

"You don't need me there much these days, Mister Gura," Azul replied just as playfully. "I heard that the company is doing quite well under the board's management."

While Azul and Gura were talking, Jamil's attention turned to the person who just walked through the door.

A lady with silky brown hair and an elegant red dress that complimented her frame.

Scarlet Coldfire had arrived.

Jamil tensed up, recalling all the rumors he learned about her and Azul.

"Psst, Floyd. Is that..?" He was about to ask, but then he turned and saw that the merman had gone over to sit by the bar, talking to a dark-skinned female bartender with yellow-and-black-colored hair (similar to a bumblebee), who was staring at him with suspicion.

Seeing that he was alone, Jamil looked back to see that Scarlet had spotted Azul, eyes lighting up in delight.

"Well, well! I didn't expect to run into you here!" the lady said in greeting. "I had figured you'd be too busy for these sorts of social stunts."

"Oh, he's hardly busy nowadays, unless you count him running away from us as part of his work," Gura teased. He extended out a hand to kiss Scarlet's knuckles in respect. "Miss Coldfire. A pleasure to see you in this lovely evening–Oh! Pudding?"

"My, don't mind if I do, Mister Gura." Scarlet hummed, taking a bite as she daintily tucked locks of her hair behind her ear. Jamil couldn’t help but dislike how alluring it made her look. "Mm! Raspberry chia! Lovely. Azul, have you eaten yet?"

They were on a first-name basis? Even more concerning!

Azul shook his head. "No, I had a late lunch so I'm not hungry yet."

Scarlet clicked her tongue. "I see you're back to your usual excuses. Mister Gura, you don't mind if I steal Azul for a while, do you?"

Gura chuckled. "Go ahead, dear. I don't think he would mind either.”

Scarlet laughed brightly and touched Azul's arm. "Well then, shall we? There are plenty of vacant tables. You got us dinner last time, right? Let me get this one."

"You do know the food is free here tonight? It doesn't count," Azul raised an eyebrow.

"Then I can treat you to dinner again tomorrow night," Scarlet said smoothly.

There was a second of them just staring at each other, then they both laughed.

Azul turned to Gura. "If you'll excuse us, Mister Gura. The lady wants dinner."

"Of course," Gura stepped aside and gracefully gestured to the tables.

Azul and Scarlet walked away still chuckling like they were sharing an inside joke.

Jamil felt a pang of jealousy shoot into his veins. He wondered what was so funny that it had them laughing so much. What did she do that was able to brighten his mood at the drop of a hat?

Unsure what else to do, he moved to the side so no one would notice that he'd just been standing listlessly for the past several minutes. He got handed a beverage by a passing waiter, and he took it but didn't drink. He knew he should be focusing on what he came here to do, but he couldn’t help but keep looking at Azul and Scarlet's way…

"You're new." Someone whispered.

He jumped and glanced over to see the quiet one, Janara, staring at him from the darkness of her hood. It really looked like there's nothing in there but the void.

"Er... Excuse me?" He asked.

"I know everyone who walks through these halls. You are a stranger amidst allies and adversaries. Why are you here?" she hissed.

"...I'm new to the business world," Jamil attempted, trying to look pretentious enough to belong. "I was given a personal invite by Mister Ashengrotto and the Leech brothers to attend and familiarize myself with a crowd of potential connections. Could you be one of them?"

The woman didn't respond for a while. Then she croaked, "What do you dabble in?"

"Nothing of the culinary sort, mind you. It's sort of why I feel out of place right now." Jamil said.

"...I don't like parties, either."

"Hm?"

"Conducting business in a gathering meant for pleasure... It's a gross combination. I wish to return to the cold perches of my office..."

"Oh. I'm... sorry to hear that. I'm Jamil Viper, by the way. I hope I'm not making this event any more uncomfortable for you."

"You and I… the same first two letters."

"What?"

"J and A… I am Janara. We both share the same first two letters in our name." She rasped, holding her own drink, which seemed completely untouched. "Very interesting."

"I… Right." Jamil decided to take a swig of his drink, feeling that this was going to be a long night. At least he's interacting with a board member now.

Meanwhile, Scarlet was sitting across Azul at a table, her gaze fond. "How have you been, darling? I've barely heard from you lately. A text or two surely wouldn't have killed you, would it?"

“I don’t seem to remember you sending any texts either,” Azul playfully replied.

“Touché,” Scarlet laughed, an pleasant sound that Jamil was beginning to dislike. “So have you been inviting anyone else to dinners while I was away?”

For a moment, Azul’s easygoing expression broke, showing hesitance. Then he blinked and his playful smile was back.

"Maybe," he answered vaguely. "You've been away a long time."

Scarlet rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement. Then she leaned closer to Azul and said something too quietly for Jamil to hear, but it looked like she had asked a question.

Surprise flickered in Azul's face for a moment, then his smile became a little more relaxed, more genuine.

He leaned closer to Scarlet as well.

"... I'll let you know," was all Jamil could hear.

Jamil bristled at the entire interaction, and he excused himself from Janara's presence. "Sorry, I gotta go to the bathroom."

Janara simply nodded, sending him off with a "I’ll be watching you. I do that with everyone… Always…"

Upon entering the restroom, which was just as fancy as the rest of the building, Jamil lingered by the sinks to sort out his priorities. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

What do you think you're doing, Jamil? Stop getting distracted.

Knowing that he'd just end up staring at Azul and Scarlet the whole night if he was in the same room, he decided to head for the outdoor patio, where he found Jade talking with Hammery.

"Golden Silk's not a cheap resource, but they make a hell of a boost for abjuration concoctions. It prolly won't do much remedy-ing in the middle of an emergency, but when you're about to enter into a situation you can't trust? It'll do you right," Hammery muttered, her voice low for her short stature.

"Is it even more potent than Spider Dewdrops?" Jade asked pleasantly.

Jamil seemed to understand that they're talking less about business and more about alchemical ingredients like a couple of potionology students.

Jade noticed him then, and smiled. "Ah, it looks like we have company. Miss Talonfoot, this young man is Jamil Viper, a... special associate of Azul's."

"A special associate?" Hammery raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Then why have I never seen you before, Mister Viper, if you're so special to Azul?"

"I hadn't been around the area for some time." Jamil answered semi-honestly, looking at Jade and wondering what sort of narrative he wants to spin here.

"He had been traveling around, getting some worldly experience in—you know how it goes,” the eel-man explained, as calm as ever. "And Azul likes to keep associates as special as Jamil close to his chest, but since he's here, we figured it would be good for him to familiarize himself with the corporate world. And you have my word–he is legitimate."

"Introducing him into the business, hm? Up-and-coming entrepreneur?"

"It is up to him." Jade responded. "He is no entrepreneur yet. If he wants to be, he can. We just wish to familiarize him with these things because, well…" He gave Hammery a smile. "We figured it would be nice for him to know this side of Azul's life."

Hammery squinted and directed her gaze to Jamil, studying him much more closely. "I see..."

Jamil tensed up, beginning to realize that Jade's putting him closer to the position that he had suggested before they went to the party.

"Where is Mister Azul?" Hammery asked, looking around. "We haven't seen him in a long while. Did you come here together?"

"He's inside," Jamil lamely gestured, at a loss for words. "He's…er… talking with the other guests."

"Do you have any concerns, Miss Talonfoot? If so, you know you can always discuss it with me." Jade asked.

"My business is not so urgent that I would want to interrupt his 'peaceful' night, but I want to get to know this chap," Hammery gestured at Jamil, taking another sip of her drink. "Anyone who Azul gets directly involved with gets directly involved with us as a result, so you're either an additional new asset or a stain on our foundation. Let's find out which one you are."

She passed her empty glass to Jade and clasped her hands together. "Fetch me another drink, Mister Leech. Thank you."

"Very well." Jade bowed and made his way back inside, giving Jamil a quiet look of reassurance. "Enjoy yourselves, you two."

When the door closed, things were quiet for a moment before Hammery began to take a walk, gesturing for Jamil to follow. Wordlessly, he complied, worried about what grave he could be digging himself into.

Hammery led him to one of the vacant outdoor tables, gesturing for him to sit.

"So, Mister Viper, which side of Azul's life do you know?" she asked. "You see, most of us here are only familiar with the President Azul Ashengrotto; we know very little about the other aspects of his life. So forgive me if I'm intrigued to meet someone outside of his business."

"Well… I first met him when we were both students in Night Raven College," Jamil began. He couldn’t help but feel that this is an interrogation somehow. "We often got paired up for school assignments and event-planning, and... we just became close that way."

Close in what way? he asked himself. As friends? As something more? He still wasn’t sure what angle to go for, so he attempted to be as vague as possible.

"Oh, a former classmate of his?" Hammery said in interest. "Judging by Azul's age, you two would have graduated about… five, six years ago? Did you remain close throughout that time? Or did you simply reappear in his life recently?" she asked with more than a little suspicion in her tone.

Jamil did his best to navigate the situation. If she found out that anything fishy's afoot, then his presence in the party was gonna be called into question.

"We... didn't keep in touch right away," he slowly stated. "But I happened to run into him during one of my travels a few years back and we've been spending more and more time since then."

"I see," she nodded slowly. "Then are you the one who's been keeping him away from us these past weeks?" she said in amusement. "We'd been wondering where he spends his time in if not at work."

"Ah," Jamil pretends to look shy, which wasn't hard because he felt embarrassed knowing that that's more or less true. "It wasn't my intention, but Azul insisted and we both know that the man can get pretty stubborn and persuasive once he gets his mind set on something."

Hammery chuckled. "That's quite true. You must be rather close, then, if he would take so much time away to spend it with you."

Jamil heard the unspoken question in her tone. Before he could think much of it, he saw Azul and Scarlet walking in the distance somewhere behind Hammery. They had gone to the patio as well and it looked like they were about to start a conversation, but Aali appeared and greeted them.

The silver-haired newcomer smiled with half-lidded eyes at Azul, and Jamil noticed Scarlet subtly put a possessive hand on Azul's arm as she exchanged pleasantries with the board member.

Just like her, Aali placed their own hand along Azul's shoulder, smiling and chatting with the couple about something before momentarily moving to pull the merman away.

Scarlet held on fast, her demeanor pleasant, but firm. Aali arched an eyebrow at her.

Tensions would have risen then, when from the interior, another fellow walked out of the building to meet the group, flanked by a crowd of socialites and journalists. Based on the way he was the center of attention, dressed in a fancy suit that shimmered in a luminous blue and jewelries made from bone, he was clearly the center of the party—the man celebrating the launching of his restaurant.

He greeted Azul, oblivious to the growing tension between the other two. He seemed excited to see the merman, like he was meeting a celebrity he idolized and admired. As a result, the crowd that followed him turned their attention to Azul, filled with bright curious smiles and loud chatter.

"What's happening?" Jamil asked, growing alert.

"Hm?" Hammery glanced at the ruckus and shrugged. "Annoying party people being annoying party people. Why?"

Jamil stood up and started to head over since he couldn't help but feel concerned. "Excuse me."

Hammery didn’t stop him, watching how it would all go down with quiet intrigue.

"Mister Ashengrotto!" one enthusiastic journalist stepped forward. "Is Miss Coldfire your date tonight?"

"Ah, not exactly," Azul smiled pleasantly, but Jamil could see from his tense shoulders that he felt caught off-guard by the group. "She and I are just catching up."

"Do you have a date tonight, then?" another journalist piped up, and a camera flash came from somewhere, lighting up Azul's surprised face for a moment.

"Is Aali your date?" the crowd began to press around them.

Aali laughed pretentiously and waved a hand in false modesty. "Oh, stop it, you. If I were Azul's date, it would be very obvious and would leave no room for questions."

"There are rumors that Nikolai Pennington is vying for your hand. Is it true you'll be making an appearance in his next movie?"

Multiple camera flashes went off.

"Um, no," Azul spoke evenly despite looking momentarily blinded. "I have not heard of any movie—"

"But is he courting you?"

"Is he here tonight?"

Camera flash.

"Ah, he's not here," the owner of the restaurant said. "But he certainly is welcome anytime!" he laughed heartily and clapped Azul on the back.

"What are your thoughts on all of these, Miss Coldfire?"

"I think we should all go back to the party," Scarlet said sweetly.

"Mister Ashengrotto, would you be having a date at your birthday gala?"

"Is Miss Coldfire invited?"

Before Azul could answer, there was yet another camera flash that reflected off his glasses, and then a dramatic gasp from one of the journalists in the back of the group.

"Is this you, Mister Ashengrotto?" one reporter asked wide-eyed, holding up his phone and projecting a hologram in the air to show his MagiCam news feed.

It was the picture of Azul and Jamil kissing.

The group erupted in surprised gasps and overlapping chatter.

Surprise was unmistakable on Azul's face as the questions bombarded him while Aali demanded an explanation.

Scarlet gave him a concerned look and held his arm comfortingly.

Camera flashes came from everywhere.

"Who is this person?"

"Are you two dating?"

"Are they here?"

"How long has this been going on?"

They were cornering Azul against the wall, and the merman's face was becoming paler.

"Miss Coldfire, did you know about this?"

"Aren't you afraid of being seen as his mistress?"

"I beg your pardon?" Scarlet was evidently trying hard to remain polite.

"You're overstepping, sir," Azul said in a dangerously calm voice.

"How many people are you dating right now, Mister Ashengrotto?"

The camera flashes weren't stopping, and Azul held up a hand to shield his face, turning to the side. He seemed to be controlling his breathing, his shoulders noticeably rising and falling.

From where he stood, Jamil could just glimpse Azul's eyes from behind his glasses.

Horizontal pupils on piercing blue irises.

Jamil stepped in before he could second-guess himself.

"That's enough," he announced, voice ringing out into the still courtyard. The people stopped and stared for a moment, surprised, as he stepped in front to shield Azul. "He's under no obligations to answer any of your questions tonight."

"Ah, you're the guy in the photo... I think!" One of them piped up, looking over at their device.

This caused another surge of murmurs of shock and curiosity.

"And what if I am?" he said out loud, his face getting warm. "Isn't it normal to greet one's lover in an embrace?"

"What?!" Aali exclaimed.

"What?!" the crowd gasped.

Scarlet stared in wide-eyed surprise.

He's really in for it now.

"Now if you'll excuse us, Azul needs a bit of space to himself," he hurriedly stated, tugging onto the merman's arm to lead him away. This time, neither Scarlet nor Aali did anything to stop him.

But as they were walking, the crowd burst into an uproar and were about to surround them with a slew of new questions when two tall men blocked their path.

"I'm sorry, did you not hear what the gentleman said?" Jade grinned, a hand placed on his chest.

"Buzz off, lil' guppies, or we're gonna have to do this the fun way!" Floyd smiled, baring his sharp teeth.

The crowd effectively clammed up and backed away. Jamil heaved a sigh of relief and continued to tug Azul into the nearest empty area, which were the hedge gardens near the patio. He spotted Hammery as they left, but the woman merely stared back, sipped from her newly-delivered drink, and said nothing.

Once he was sure they weren't getting followed, he turned to Azul and held him securely by his shoulders. "Hey. Are... Are you okay?"

Azul was staring at him in bewilderment, his eyes back to their human form. "W-What— am I…" he stammered. "Jamil! Why would you do that?! You've made yourself a target!"

"I didn't know what to do, it was the first thing I could think of!" he hissed. "They found the photo—it was the only way to get you out of that mob of predators!"

"But now they'll be coming for you, too!" Azul hissed back, glancing around to make sure no one had followed them. He started to pace around. "Perhaps we can still take it back, you can say that you just said that to help me, and Jade can accompany you back to my house. Floyd and I will deal with them here. We can deny that you're the one in the photo."

"The damage has already been done." Jamil reasoned, watching him walk back and forth. "If we retract it now, they're only going to question it and get even wilder with their rumors. Plus, I've already talked with two of your board members and I think they're suspecting the same thing. Choosing to back out will only make them more suspicious…" He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I said things without confiding in you beforehand, and now you're stuck with me and this problem. I can just leave, say I'm some kinda fling that got presumptuous and brash, and I can take responsibility for the whole claim."

"What?" Azul stopped walking in front of Jamil and looked at him. "No, don't— No," he shook his head, walking closer. "Don't say those things about yourself. I'm just…" he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This is a messy, ridiculous world, Jamil. I don't want you to be trapped in it, especially not for my sake."

"You're not trapping anyone," Jamil replied. "I was the one who started this when I kissed you in that parking lot. This is just the consequences of my actions coming full circle and I'm…"

He searched inside himself, trying to detect any notion of despair or fear, but he felt strangely calm.

"... honestly okay with facing it. Besides, it's like Jade said, this might be your best excuse to finally put that stressful bachelor thing behind you… Unless this arrangement is just stressing you out even more."

Azul looked surprised. "Jamil… Are you sure?" his eyebrows were furrowed in concern. "If we do this, it would be very difficult for you to back out. Even your travels might be affected if people recognize you in public. And I know how much you love to travel. I don't… I don't want to hold you back from that."

"You're right that it's a big decision to make on the fly," he admitted, thinking about the good and bad possibilities. "Traveling around might get… different, but I don't believe it'd be anything I can't handle. Even if they manage to wrangle me for an interview, it's not like I've got anything valuable to give them. Besides…"

He gave Azul a small smile. "I was already in pretty big trouble with the whole pin theft even before you came along. If I ever run into anything I can't face on my own… I now know I got someone I can lean on, right? The point is, at least for tonight, we'd benefit more by keeping up with the charade. We're gonna get pestered, but certainly not like how you were hounded mere moments ago."

Azul just stared at Jamil for a few seconds, then his gaze softened. "Thank you, Jamil. That couldn't have been easy for you to do in front of all those people and cameras. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know."

It seemed like Azul still had the same mindset when it came to favors.

Jamil huffed but stayed silent. He knew that if he tried to argue on that front, they'd be standing here all night.

"Sure… By the way, before the paparazzi came in, were those two bothering you? They seemed like they were going to start an argument earlier."

"Hm? Oh, Scarlet and Aali? It did get a little tense between them, but I don't think they would have caused a scene. Scarlet especially wouldn't start a fight; she's always been composed and level-headed."

Jamil noticed that Azul seemed to smile at that remark.

"... It looks like you and Miss Scarlet are pretty close." Could that be why Azul didn't want this pretend arrangement to begin with? But he shot down having a fake relationship with her, too, when Jade first brought her up. "Do you think… she'd have a problem about us being 'together'?"

Azul shook his head. "No, Scarlet doesn't like me in that way, and her own businesses are successful enough that she doesn't need to marry into another company. I would still have to talk to her, but she won't get in the way." He looked at Jamil with worry. "Are you sure you don't have a problem with this? There will be interviews. We'd have to face cameras and talk about… us."

"Then... we might as well get our answers prepared so I won't just look like I'm making things up on the spot."

Azul opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of footsteps approached, and they saw two people with notebooks and a camera looking around.

Azul grabbed Jamil's arm and pulled him behind the tall hedge, pressing him against it.

"Shh," Azul whispered, his face mere inches from Jamil's. He was looking to the side to peek at where the reporters were heading, his hand still holding Jamil's arm.

Jamil stayed still, staring at the other and taking this moment to really think about how he feels regarding their current situation.

To be perfectly honest, a part of him felt smug at having asserted his connection to Azul in front of Scarlet and Aali, even if he's still not wholly sure how they both feel about him.

But more importantly, he's nervous about getting this right and following through. He could admit that these were messy circumstances... yet he really didn't regret it as much as he thought he should.

He knew within himself that Azul... definitely wasn't the worst person to get stuck in a fake relationship with.

"Are they gone?" he mouthed to the other, noting their close proximity.

Azul took a moment to double check, then he nodded.

"Yes, they—" he turned to face Jamil and seemed to realize for the first time how close they were, their noses almost touching.

Azul flushed and quickly stepped back, letting go of Jamil's arm.

He cleared his throat and looked away. "Yes, they're gone now."

"Cool..." Jamil mumbled, straightening up and brushing off any of the leaves and branches on him. "About the cover story, Hammery knows we met as NRC students and that we saw each other again after graduation when I ran into you by coincidence. All true things, save for the fact that I made it sound like the run-in happened a few years ago and that we've been keeping touch since then, hence why they've only known about my existence tonight."

Azul nodded. "They would certainly ask how long we had been together already. Fortunately neither of us had been in any relationships, so we can choose how far back or how recently we supposedly started dating. What time-frame would be comfortable for you?"

"Will we only be posing as boyfriends or as something with more commitment?" Jamil asked. "The time-frame can shift depending on that answer. Will they bother us more if we're just dating or if we're engaged?"

"There would be plenty of questions either way," Azul said, clearly displeased with the thought. "The board and any suitors would most likely stop pestering me about dating, though, if we say we're engaged. But would you really be okay with that?" he frowned in concern.

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Jamil replied. He placed a hand on his chin. "So it's been six years since we've graduated... Should we say we've reunited four years ago, got together around the following year then got engaged within the past few weeks?"

"So we've been together for three years and got engaged… let's say… two weeks ago?" Azul asked. "And you'd been traveling around and just got back on the day that photo was taken. How does that sound?"

Jamil nodded. "We can make that work... Anything else I should know about before we inevitably get back in there? For the time being, they're not expecting me to be business-savvy. Jade and I established with Hammery and Janara that I'm new to the whole thing."

"I think that's it for now." Azul took a breath and ran a hand through his hair, evidently still a little rattled. "If you want to leave at any point for whatever reason, just say you have a headache and I'll have Floyd drive you to my house. Here's a spare," Azul took a keychain from his pocket and removed one key, handing it to Jamil.

As he received it, the raven-haired man made an awkward grin. "A key to your house? Now it really does look like we're engaged... Do you not have the same luxury? It doesn't look like you were enjoying yourself at the party even before this happened."

Unless you count the time when he started hanging out with Scarlet…

"I'm sure Floyd and Jade would be happy to make sure you leave safe and unbothered," Jamil added.

"I just got here, I should stay for about an hour more, at least," Azul said. "It's important that the investors see my presence, especially since I didn't exactly gracefully handle the situation earlier," he sighed. "You don't need to wait for me."

"Nah. I'll stick around. I still have to meet the other board members, anyway. And people would think something's fishy if I were to leave on my own. Would you prefer it if we both kept our distance throughout our stay? It's alright if being together's just gonna bring us more unwanted attention."

"I think we will be met with questions as soon as we return. And while Jade and Floyd will be there to prevent us from being swarmed, they can't stop the reporters entirely without causing trouble for the company. It might be better if we answer the questions together to make sure that we tell the same story, in case they ask anything that we didn't anticipate. Is that alright?"

Azul's usually composed appearance still seemed uncertain. He hid it well, but Jamil knew him enough to see how nervous he was.

Jamil took a moment to think before nodding. "Okay. That sounds fine to me. Maybe this might not mean much from the guy who landed you here in the first place, but... We'll get through it somehow, even if it's just for this party."

He walked over, wondering if it was possible to comfort someone knowing that he was pretty much responsible for their worry. Should he hold out a hand..?

He did. "For the ruse," he said as an excuse. "We'll head back when you're ready."

Azul looked at Jamil’s hand for a moment, then took it. He managed a smile. "I think I'm ready now. And Jamil? Just so you know, I don't blame you at all for any of this. And I don't regret helping you that day."

"Oh," Jamil blinked, feeling a part of him exhale in relief. "I'm glad. I'm not mad or blaming you for any of this, either. So…" He gestured to the party. "Let's go show those fellows what a great couple we make."

Azul chuckled and led Jamil back inside.

There was a noticeable hush when they returned, though Azul was right and they didn’t get swarmed this time. Jamil couldn't see the twins, but he's sure that they're just watching.

Reporters and guests alike followed them with gazes as they approached the tables.

"They'll ask us questions as soon as we sit down," Azul whispered to him. "Get ready."

Jamil took in a breath, glancing at each and every one of the people eyeing them with great anticipation. Then he nodded, squeezing Azul’s hand. "Let's do this."

They took their seats at a table, and a moment later a reporter approached them. Jamil recognized him as the one who saw the photo on MagiCam.

"Mister Ashengrotto," he tried for a smile, standing behind one of the chairs. "May I ask for an interview with um… the both of you?" he glanced around nervously. Whatever the twins told them earlier, it seemed effective.

"Of course, have a seat," Azul gestured to a chair.

The reporter looked quite bright—literally. His hair, styled upwards, glowed warmly, bathing his dark skin like he's some sort of fire spirit. He cleared his throat and turned to Jamil. "Edwar Marks of the Whispers Tribune. I, and many others here, wish to know about why you chose to reveal such shocking information midway through the party."

"Well, we hadn't been planning on announcing it just yet, but I'm afraid that candid photo you found sort of left us with no choice." Jamil replied, stoic and composed, just like how he was when he got Azul out of the throng of guests earlier.

"So you were hiding it?" the fiery fellow remarked, eyes of molten gold blinking in surprise. "Is that why you both arrived in separate vehicles earlier? And why you chose to stay separate until this very moment? Whatever for?"

"You and I know how stressful it is to be in this industry," Azul said evenly. "I didn't want Jamil to deal with all of that by being associated with me in the public's eye."

"Oh how sweet!" Edwar's hair flickered excitedly. "That explains why none of your suitors ever swayed you, Mister A! Your heart was already taken by Mister Jamiiiil…?"

Edwar looked at him questioningly, pen poised on paper as he waited for Jamil's last name.

Would it be foolish to give them his real last name?

No, even if he gave a fake pseudonym, news of their engagement would spread, and their friends and families would catch wind of it and question its legitimacy.

"Viper," he smiled.

Edwar promptly nodded and jotted it down before perking back up again. "Right, then! So what sort of relationship are we looking at here?"

"Ah. We're engaged."

"ENGAGED!?" The rest of the room followed suit in gasping. "Such a passionate bond has been taking place underneath our noses this whole time!? But then..." he gestured at their hands. "No rings? Not even stealthy ones?"

"Er-- Of course not. We'd be found out right away," Jamil hastily replied. Then he gestured at his hair tie, which was adorned with a scarlet gem. "We gave each other a different sort of engagement token. Something more subtle. Azul gifted me with this one." He glanced at the other, falling silent to signal him to continue.

"And Jamil gave me this," Azul pointed to a purple gemstone pinned to his collar. "As he said, rings would be too obvious, but we still wanted to give each other something.”

"Aww," Edwar cooed. "And how long have you two been this way? Quite clever of you to hide it from all of us!"

"We just got engaged two weeks ago, when we went on a trip outside the city," Azul calmly said.

Edwar gasped. “Oh, is that why you said you were on vacation at the time? We were surprised when it was Mister Jade Leech who was running Mostro Lounge.”

"Ah, you still remember that?" Azul smiled amiably, and Jamil knew that he had deliberately been counting on the reporter remembering that detail to give more credibility to the story.

"Why, of course!" Edwar said proudly. "I interviewed you the day you returned, didn't I? And you know I never forget our talks," he touched a hand to his chest dramatically. "So," he leaned forward conspiratorially. "Who popped the question?"

Jamil felt Azul tense up beside him. They hadn't prepared for this.

"Er... I did," Jamil offered, looking awkward. "It wasn't anything fancy, though. I could never compete with Azul's grand lifestyle. I'm not all that rich or acclaimed for much, so... I try to make up for it however I can."

"It was more than what I could have asked for," Azul said fondly, smiling at Edwar like he's telling a friend a story. "I had been planning on proposing myself, so you could imagine my surprise when Jamil did it first."

"I think we were all surprised, Mister Ashengrotto!" Edwar let out a merry laugh. Then he turned to Jamil, readying his notebook again. "So, how did this proposal go, Mister Viper? Tell us everything!”

"Actually, Edwar," Azul cut in. "If you don't mind, I had actually been planning to take Jamil on a date tonight. We just stopped by here for the launch, but it's almost time for our dinner reservation," He looked at his watch. "I do apologize for cutting this short. If the Tribune would like, you can contact Jade and set up a proper interview," he smiled apologetically and stood up, then turned to Jamil. "Shall we, darling?"

Jamil internally huffed in relief, his head calming down from trying to scramble up a story. He nodded, keeping his eyes on Azul and following him out. The press expressed cries of disappointment, having formed into a line after Edwar, but they couldn't do much else.

"Dinner reservation?" Jamil inquired.

"We're going back to my house," Azul said, pulling out his phone and making a call. "Meet back home. Now."

He put his device back in his pocket and glanced around, noticing that the guests outside were eyeing them.

He turned to Jamil and smiled, then took his hand, lacing their fingers together. "Let's go."

Jamil blushed as if they hadn't just held hands moments earlier. Something about Azul initiating it had his heart start to race.

"Did I mess up or something?" he asked as they made their way to the parking lot, pretty certain that they hadn't been at the party for a whole hour yet.

"What?" Azul turned to him in surprise. "No, no," he squeezed Jamil's hand reassuringly. "I just…" he sighed. "I realized how unprepared we were. That was just one reporter, and already we were scrambling with the questions. It would especially be a problem if we forgot the details and gave a different answer to another reporter. We need to build a solid story first."

There was no one else around anymore... and yet their hands were still linked.

…

Jamil didn't let go until they got in Azul’s car.

"So you're not gonna get in trouble for having to leave early?" He asked. "Although I suppose that that means that we stopped taking the attention away from the launch celebrant. He might sport a grudge on you and me for making his special day about us instead.”

"Yes, it's fine," Azul said as he started the car, a subtle crease on his forehead. The frown remained as he drove, looking into the distance and not saying anything.

Meanwhile, Jamil's phone was buzzing with notifications.

Jamil, unsure what to do with the ensuing silence, picked up his phone and took a look at what all the fuss was about.

The most recent text was from Ruggie.

ure engaged to azul?!? we'd been working together for 2 months and u never told me?!! is this fr???

Ruggie had sent another text after that, a link to an article by the Whispers Tribune with the headline, "The Viper Who Caught The Bachelor's Heart".

Another text was from Najma.

YOU AND AZUL!!!! I KNEW IT! WHY DIDNT U TELL MEEE 😭😭

She had sent an article, too, this one accompanied with the MagiCam photo. The headline was "The Viper's Kiss".

Kalim had sent a text as well.

JAMIL!! CONGNATLATIONS!!! WHENS THE WEDDING? : D

All the other texts had come from the old NRC groupchat that Cater had brought back to life by sending the MagiCam photo and the link to the article.

Cater: OMG!!!!!! CONGRATS U GUYS! 😍😍😍 Epel: 😲😲😲 Ace: WTF Vil: Well, it's about time. Leona: yea, whyre u all surprised Riddle: Oh, they're engaged! How wonderful. My congratulations to you both, @Azul Ashengrotto and @Jamil Viper.

"Oh, Sevens... The others back at home and NRC are beginning to find out," Jamil frowned, eyes flitting through each of their posts. Why were there so many apparently expecting this? "Are we gonna have to act in front of all of them, too? I think at least a few of them, like Ruggie, can be trusted with the truth."

Azul nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. "Yes, I believe we can tell Ruggie, especially since he would be able to help us with the ruse. What about your sister? Do you think we can tell her?"

"I can't say for sure yet," Jamil ruminated. "She's normally trustworthy, but there's a chance she could blab by accident and be overheard by my folks back home…"

Oh man, his parents. Well, they're in for quite a shock. "Is there a chance your family's gonna hear about this?"

"Perhaps not right away," Azul's thoughtful frown became a little more noticeable. "Though my mother would surely want the full story once she finds out…"

The car slowed down to a stop at a traffic light.

"… Are you holding up alright? You seem worried about something."

Azul blinked the frown away and nodded, releasing a slow breath. He closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his forehead.

"I'm fine. It's just… a lot. There would be many questions from the board, and we'd have to be careful every time either of us goes outside." Azul paused, then looked at Jamil. "You saw my eyes change, didn't you? That's why you intervened."

"... Yeah, I did. That's never happened before back when we were classmates. Floyd told me it started a few years ago. Do you feel… anything dangerous when it happens?" Jamil leaned back in his seat. "Also you don't have to tell me what happened. From what I could tell, it's a pretty distressing time for all three of you, and that's saying something."

Azul stared at him, searching his expression. "You're not scared? Even when you saw me like that twice today already?"

"No..." he shook his head. "Should I be?"

If he was being perfectly honest, he's more worried about Azul and how it affected him.

"No," Azul reassured him. "But… I get scared, sometimes," his voice faded out. He looked down momentarily before speaking again. "I'm still in control of my thoughts whenever it happens, but you saw how I broke the TV remote earlier without even realizing it. Sometimes I worry that I might hurt someone…"

Azul had a distant look in his eyes that Jamil was all too familiar with. He saw it whenever he had the courage to face the mirror in the days following his Overblot.

"You won't." Jamil stated. Though he has no basis for this statement, he was confident and clear in saying it. "You've got better control than most mages, even those who are way older than you. And whether the people around you can get hurt is not what matters—you're the one who's feeling hurt and scared in the first place."

Azul seemed surprised at his remark. He looked like he was about to say something, but the traffic light changed to green and he faced the road again to continue driving.

“Thank you… for what you did back there,” Azul said quietly. “My eyes had never changed in public before. They could have noticed it if you hadn’t stepped in. I know it wasn’t an easy decision to make, and I want you to know that you can back out of this at any point. The twins and I will handle things.” His expression was guarded and his voice remained level.

Jamil stared at Azul's tense posture. "... When do you think I'll back out?"

Azul frowned in confusion and glanced at him for a second. “I’m… not sure. I don’t mean to say that I don’t trust you to keep up the ruse, I’m just letting you know that you don’t have to work with me if it ever feels too troublesome. This isn’t like Flight Class where Coach forced you to help me—” he cut himself off and took a breath. “You’re not stuck in this, that’s all,” he continued quietly.

"... I know." Jamil muttered, keeping his eyes on the road.

He's not sure what he's going to do for his future travels now that he has this to keep up. Would it be more suspicious if he stopped all his trips entirely? It's not as if they're an urgent need.

He would still want to have that option available, though. He doesn't mind traveling around with the mantle of an engaged man—it most likely wouldn't change much of anything on his end. But what about Azul?

He's certain Azul would let him.

... But he wishes he could have Azul travel with him. Alas, the man's got many responsibilities he couldn't afford to ignore.

"I wasn't ‘stuck’ during Flight Classes, either… Just wanted to let you know. Point is . . . I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Azul was silent for a few moments. Then he spoke softly. “Alright.”

They reached the merman’s house shortly, and before Azul could close the gate behind them, Floyd’s car pulled up.

“Heyyy~!” he greeted cheerfully, rolling down his window and parking next to Azul’s vehicle. Jade was sitting beside him in the passenger seat. “Congratulations to the new couple!”

Azul closed the gate using a remote control and went into the living room, entirely ignoring Floyd.

"Guess he's not in the best of moods now that he's 'engaged' to me," Jamil joked to the twins, watching Azul disappear into the house. "So how was the situation at the party after we left? Any violent reactions?"

“The reporters complained and wanted to set up interviews, but Jade told them to just email their requests. Scarlet asked us how Azul’s doing. That’s about it,” Floyd said as he and Jade got out of the car. “There was a scheduled presscon about the restaurant’s launch, anyway, so we slipped out when that happened.”

“And I wouldn’t worry too much about Azul’s bad mood,” Jade added with his usual pleasant smile. “I’m certain you aren’t the cause of it. Shall we head inside?”

Jamil nodded and followed them through the front door, falling quiet for a moment before asking, "Do you two... think I made a bad decision? Leaping into the fray without thinking like that?"

“Hell no!” Floyd said immediately, grinning. “Did’ja see everyone’s faces when you called yourself Azul’s lover?” he laughed heartily then sighed in content. “That was the best.”

Jade chuckled. “I also don’t think it was a bad decision. It’s admirable that you took quick action when you saw the situation. Besides, I had already suggested the strategy of your engagement with Azul earlier today, so what you did wasn’t entirely unplanned.”

“What Jade is trying to say…” Floyd draped an arm around Jamil. “... Is we’re real happy to have you as a brother-in-law, Sea Snake!”

Jamil spluttered in surprise. "Brother-in-law?! Wait, what does that... Were you guys related to Azul this whole time?"

“No, but he’s still our brother!” Floyd said, then leaned down to get his face close to Jamil’s, dropping his voice dangerously low. “So don’tcha dare break his heart, ‘kay?” He stared at Jamil with the same heterochromatic eyes that terrified their schoolmates back at NRC.

The raven-haired man tensed up at the threat. Floyd makes it sound like they're together for real... "I'll take care not to... Honestly, I'm glad that he's got you guys looking out for him. I suppose let's all do what we can to make sure this engagement farce goes off without a hitch."

“Yeah!” Floyd said cheerfully and straightened up, no trace of the ominous air that he displayed mere moments ago.

Jade just chuckled at their exchange and led the way to the living room.

They found Azul sitting in one of the couches, scrolling through his phone.

"I've gotten multiple emails from each of the board members," he told them without looking up. "Some congratulatory, others upset, all of them immensely curious. They're demanding a meeting sometime this week."

"That's hardly a problem, we can finish building your story tonight," Jade said confidently as he sat down on the couch across Azul. Floyd plopped down beside him, putting his feet up on the coffee table; at least he had the decency to take off his shoes first.

Jamil slowly made his way over to sit beside Azul, wondering whether or not to be close. Tentatively, he filled the twins in on what the public, including the board members, knew about them so far. "What sort of details are we still missing?"

"We need to figure out how the proposal went, since that's certainly a question they would be asking, as evidenced by Edwar earlier," Jade said, turning on his tablet. "Specific details aren't highly necessary, you can always say that you prefer to keep it private."

"What kinda questions did they ask you about Scarlet back then, Azul?" Floyd tilted his head.

"It was mostly just how we met and whether we were dating, which Jamil had already answered about us earlier," Azul said. "So their next questions wouldn't be about those things anymore."

"Who courted whom?" Jade asked, ready to type on his tablet. "Who initiated the romance?"

"It might be more believable if we say I did," Azul said slowly, frowning thoughtfully. "If they interview some of our old schoolmates—like Vil, for example—they can attest that I was the one who often sought out Jamil back then."

"Right, but it's not like anyone would say it was romantic or anything," Jamil commented, trying to think back on it. It certainly didn't feel like Azul was flirting... or had he been viewing it wrong somehow? "Still, that sounds like a good balance, you initiating the dating phase and me proposing. It really paints a picture of a lovey-dovey couple. How would you say the initial confession was like—the very moment we would have started dating?"

Azul thought about it. "Where were you three years ago? If we say that we were together on a particular day, we have to be sure that no one could disprove it. We should pick a time where I wasn't at the office, and you weren't with anyone else. We could say that I confessed to you three years ago in whichever country you were in."

"But did y'all get together immediately after you confessed?" Floyd asked. Then he turned to Jamil. "Didja give yer heart to Azul right away or did the courting last for a while?" he smirked, clearly enjoying building the story.

"Three years ago..? I was at the City of Flowers in the Shaftlands." Jamil replied.

"Ah, of course. The city of romance!" Jade beamed.

"I bumped into a familiar face there, but . . . I don't think he pried close enough to know that I had been traveling by myself at the time," the raven-haired man admitted, recalling his brief and accidental reunion with one Rollo Flamme, who's a teacher now at Noble Bell College.

As far as he could tell, he's still about as stern as ever—capable of giving even Trein a run for his money despite his younger age.

But more importantly…

"I probably would've said yes right away," he quietly replied, fiddling with his coat. "I would assume we've already been spending some time together at this point, right? I see no reason for me to let him court me any further."

He's already lost his chance once. At least this imaginary Jamil achieved something he wished he’d done.

"Alright, let's see…" Azul fidgeted with his cuff. "I was on leave from work for the first two weeks of February three years ago. They wanted me to host a birthday gala, and I wanted some time to myself before it. We can say that I went to you in the City of Flowers." He cleared his throat. "I confessed my feelings to you in the square by the bakeshop. We all spent some time there way back when we attended the masquerade and our old schoolmates can confirm that in case they're interviewed. I confessed there because it's special to us; we ate there with our friends after we danced. How's that?" he adjusted his glasses.

Jamil perked up at the memory. "Oh yeah... Sounds good. Although I recall that you didn't eat that much compared to our other schoolmates... Do you remember or liked any of the pastries they served there?"

"I liked the croissants," Azul recalled. "And the chocolate éclairs."

"That reminds me," Floyd sat up straighter. "Did you have dinner yet?"

"... No," Azul replied. "There wasn't time earlier."

"I'll see if there's anything to microwave." Floyd got up and walked to the kitchen.

"How about you, Jamil?" Jade asked him. "Did you manage to eat at the party?"

"Not at all. I can help cook… even if it means having to work with Floyd in the kitchen." he offered, beginning to get up from the couch.

"No please, you're our guest," Jade held up a hand to stop him. "I can help Floyd."

But before Jade could stand up, there was a ding in the kitchen, and Floyd returned carrying a tray with a plate of what looked like some type of bread.

"Pizza rolls!" he happily announced, placing the tray down on the table.

"I didn't have pizza rolls," Azul narrowed his eyes.

"But you had pizza. I rolled them." Floyd twirled his Magic Pen in his fingers and sat back down next to Jade.

"Ah, dinner is served," Jade chuckled then turned back to Jamil. "Now, what made you propose to Azul? How did you decide it?"

Jamil hummed in thought as he took a pizza roll. "What made me propose... Perhaps, after traveling around and coming back here, I decided that as much as I enjoyed it, nothing makes me happier than being by his side... Or is that too cheesy?"

"It's perfect," Jade smiled pleasantly and took note of it on the tablet. "And what made you say yes?" he asked Azul.

Azul took a moment to think about it. "I realized that through all the years of meeting people and making connections, I feel most comfortable with Jamil. And I liked the idea of coming home to him every night."

"How touching," Jade typed in Azul's answer.

"Ya better phrase it better than that in the actual interview, Azul," Floyd said. "That didn't sound romantic enough."

Azul just rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Jamil's picturing the image of welcoming Azul home, or maybe even vice versa. The thought of coming to a warm meal, a hug, maybe even a...

He blinked himself out of his stupor, clearing his throat as he looked at Floyd. "How would you know what did or didn't sound romantic? Have you dated anybody before?"

Floyd made a face. "No, but I know Azul can do better than that! What happened to yer fancy words?" he demanded Azul. "Ya always talk fancy in interviews, right?"

"We're just practicing the questions," Azul reminded him. "The flowery sentiments can come later."

"Here's a question for ya, Sea Snake," Floyd said. "How do you deal with your fiancé when he's too stubborn to eat?"

"Floyd," Azul said in annoyance.

"Don't gimme that face!" Floyd said, pointing at Azul with a pizza roll. "You fainted that one time because you weren't eatin'!"

"You will not say that in any interview," Azul glared at him.

"You fainted?" Jamil whipped around towards Azul. "Why weren't you eating?"

He glanced at their meal and offered one for him to take. "Surely you don't have to worry about keeping up appearances so much that you'd turn down a warm pizza roll now, would you?"

Azul hesitantly looked at the rolls, then looked at Jamil. He sighed and took one.

"I had a photoshoot for a magazine coming up in a week, and I got too stressed about not gaining weight," he said quietly, nibbling on the roll.

"But you had started eating normally again three days before the photoshoot, right?" Jade gently reminded him. "And it turned out fine."

"I suppose it did," Azul mumbled.

"Super fine, according to Nikolai Pennington," Floyd snickered. "He asked you out when that magazine issue was released, right?"

"He just wanted arm candy for the red carpet of his new TV series," Azul waved a hand dismissively.

"Who's Nikolai Pennington?" Jamil asked, feeling the familiar wave of jealousy prickling his skin. He has half a mind to bring his phone out to search him up. "Is he some kind of actor?"

"Yep, and model," Floyd said through a mouthful of pizza roll. "Kinda like Vil."

"He's actually worked with Vil in a movie once," Jade said. "The action-romance story gained quite the acclaim at the box office."

"He's a hot villain, not gonna lie," Floyd added.

"He certainly is quite talented," Jade said, amused at his brother's remark. "And he has shown up in every one of Azul's birthday galas."

"Because the board keeps inviting him," Azul scowled.

"He's an influential person," Jade shrugged.

"He's an insufferable prick," Azul countered.

Jade chuckled, taking a pizza roll for himself. "Regardless, he's busy filming his new movie nowadays. Perhaps he won't even be at your birthday gala this year."

"And even if he is, ya got Sea Snake now," Floyd pointed out. "So he can't keep flirtin' with ya anymore."

"Hopefully the engagement's a strong enough buffer to keep him at bay, then..." Jamil muttered. "Yanno, with all these people pawing for your attention, I'm surprised that you are still single, Azul. Only ever married to your business for the rest of your life or something?"

"I simply don't like any of them," Azul gave a half shrug.

Floyd snickered but said nothing.

"How about you, Jamil?" Jade asked in interest. "Any former paramours that might have objections with your engagement announcement?"

He shook his head. "My travels were pretty much focused on some badly-needed 'me time', so there wasn't much leeway to include anyone else. I made friends, but I'd hardly call them 'paramour material'. And you? Found someone to share your love for mushrooms with?"

"Ah, no," Jade smiled. "I still manage my greenhouse all by myself."

"And a good thing, too. I don't need a second person to cook me mushrooms all the time," Floyd made a face.

"I think I'm heading to bed now," Azul sighed as he rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "Set the interview for this coming Saturday," he told Jade.

"You haven't finished your food, Azul," Jade gently pointed out.

Azul looked down at the pizza roll in his hand like he had forgotten about it. He had eaten less than half.

"I'm not hungry," he mumbled, putting the roll back on the plate.

"Why not?" Jamil asked, looking at Azul in concern. "A good rest involves adequate sleep and food. Is it the fact that it's a pizza roll? I can go and cook something else for you if it can help. Or maybe it's indigestion... I can brew you tea. Do you want tea?"

Azul pursed his lips, hesitating as he was about to stand up.

"We'll be taking our leave now so you two can rest," Jade said. "Just message us if you need anything."

"And get some food in that guy," Floyd told Jamil as he and Jade stood up.

"Thank you for tonight, you two," Azul said quietly.

"Anytime," Floyd made finger guns and clicked his tongue.

Jade put a hand to his chest and tipped his head kindly. "We'll show ourselves out."

And then it was just Azul and Jamil.

"You don't have to cook anything for me," Azul said, taking his pizza roll. "I'll just finish this. But… some tea would be nice," he managed a smile.

Okay, that's something, at least. He nodded and made his way to the kitchen counter, putting up the kettle and boiling the water. "Do you have a preference?" he called out to Azul.

"Not really," Azul said, following him into the kitchen and bringing the plate of rolls over to the counter. "And feel free to cook anything you like if you're still hungry."

"Nah. Wouldn't feel right to use a guy's cooking equipment and just feed myself. The rolls are enough," Jamil replied, turning to the shelves to see what sort of teabags they've got. As his eyes roamed the interior, a thought crossed his mind. "... What was it like? Buying and sleeping in this fancy house for the first time? Were the Leech twins still rooming with you then?"

"Yes, we all lived together," Azul said. "It wasn't that much different from rooming with them in Octavinelle, except I didn't have a responsibility over them as Prefect so I felt more relaxed. I correctly anticipated Floyd's chaotic bathroom habits, so I had chosen the bedroom with its own bathroom. Jade didn't mind sharing a bathroom with Floyd as long as he got to have the garden for himself.

We had chosen a house with a pool for whenever we had to shift back into our merforms, though of course Floyd used it and swam whenever he liked. We used to have fights over who had to clean the pool. I said he should since he used it the most, and his counterargument was simply that he didn't want to," he said in amusement.

Jamil smiled at the very thought. "Classic Floyd... What made them move out, then? Did it get… a little lonely when you first woke up to an empty house?"

"Jade wanted to live closer to a university for his alchemy research as he still has a fondness for foraging for ingredients and making potions. Meanwhile, Floyd said he wanted to see what it's like to live by himself," Azul replied. "It was a little lonely at first, since I've spent the previous years seeing them every day since NRC. But I still saw them at work, with Jade being head of the PR department, and Floyd being head of security. Plus we made time to hang out."

Azul looked at him curiously. "How about you? Did it ever feel lonely, traveling by yourself?"

Jamil hummed in thought, recalling the mornings and the evenings where he'd be somewhere new, sometimes with strangers sharing the same living accommodations, sometimes on his own.

"It was strange for a while, not hearing the bustle of the Asims' staff or waking up to someone telling me to attend to something, but don't get me wrong, I saw that as a good thing. I don't miss my old life, but traveling alone definitely gave me room to appreciate the times where I do get to hang out with friends. How did your mom feel when she learned that you weren't coming back to the sea after you graduated?"

"I went home for several months after graduation to spend time with her, and she was alright with me pursuing my business plans here as long as I visit her every month for a few days…" Azul looked down and idly twirled the pizza roll in his hand. He had a worried frown on his forehead.

Jamil caught the minute change of his expression. "... And when was the last time you visited her?"

Azul blinked and looked at him, as if coming out of his thoughts. "About a month ago. Which means… I have to visit her again soon. And I want to. I love her and I do enjoy spending time with her. It's just… She would want to know about… our arrangement." He took a breath before speaking again. "News from land travels even under the sea, and my mother actively keeps up with any news about me. If she hears of my engagement from someone else, she might think I didn't care enough to tell her myself."

He idly tore the roll into smaller pieces and finished eating it, though he didn't look like he was tasting the flavors at all.

"Then let's go and visit her when it's time," Jamil offered. "We can tell her that we hadn't told her because… erm … we wanted wedding preparations organized before we told our family and friends. We were trying to keep it on the downlow as a private event but, well, the paparazzi just got to us."

Azul looked surprised by his response, then he recovered and nodded. "What about your parents? Do we tell them the same thing?"

Jamil sucked air through his teeth. "Now that... is an interesting thought. Things between us aren't the absolute best since Kalim's dismissed me and my family from a lineage of servitude, but... I suppose they'd still like to know if I ever have someone special in my life, so yeah."

Azul nodded and stood up, gesturing at the pizza rolls. "Do you still want these or should I put them in the fridge?"

"... Wait," Jamil takes one more roll. "Okay, now you can take them away."

As he finished his food, he got Azul's tea ready—a peppermint brew—and placed the teacup on a saucer. "I don't think I can make it as good as Jade does, but... I hope this suffices."

Azul transferred the rolls in a covered container and put them in the fridge.

Then he returned to take the cup that Jamil had prepared. He blew on it to cool it down and gingerly took a sip.

"It's good," Azul gave him a small smile, but now that they were facing each other with only the counter between them, Jamil could see the hint of sadness in his eyes.

Azul put down the cup on the saucer. "Since the actual thieves at the restaurant have been caught, it's safe for you to go back to your apartment whenever you wish."

"... Oh," Jamil realized. "Right…"

Silence hung in the air for a solid moment. Jamil had completely forgotten about that initial arrangement.

He supposed he should go; he didn't want to impose on Azul any further.

And yet…

"Would it be wise for us to sleep in separate buildings? On the off-chance that I get caught again by more paparazzi, people might get suspicious that I'm sleeping somewhere else given my background. However, if you need some time to yourself right now, then I understand. Just give me a text when you need me."

With that, he started to clean up, preparing to leave.

Azul was silent for a moment, tapping his fingers on his teacup.

"I'd been thinking the same thing, actually," he said as Jamil washed the kettle and put it away. "You travel a lot and we're supposedly newly engaged. They would expect us to want to spend as much time with each other as possible. Would you be alright with staying here for longer, though? I know how much your solitude means to you."

Jamil gave Azul a reassuring smile. "You don't have to worry. I kickstarted this plan, so it's only right that I follow through. Besides, it would be hard for me to fulfill Jade and Floyd's wishes of making you eat if I'm somewhere else. I'll certainly have to inform my landlord that I might be moving out, though... Thankfully, I don't have much to pack. Will we be busy tomorrow? I can take that time to transfer all of my belongings here."

"We're not busy tomorrow, no," Azul said. "And don't mind what Jade and Floyd said, you don't have to worry over my meals," he returned Jamil's smile and took another sip of tea.

Jamil shook his head. "But the thing is, I'm worried with them. Even if they hadn't said anything, I'd still want you to eat, too."

Azul hummed thoughtfully. "How about we take turns cooking dinner? I'd be more comfortable if I can make sure you eat, too."

"Sounds more than fine to me… However, I thought you're a busy man, busy enough that you don't have much time or energy to cook on your own." Jamil leaned against the counter, amused. "And yet you're offering it for lil' ol' me? How touching."

Azul raised an eyebrow and leaned forward as well, a playful smile curving his lips. "Of course, you're my fiancé, aren't you?" he said, mere inches from Jamil's face.

Jamil’s heart began to flutter, a portion wishing that what Azul said was actually true. He hastily brushed that aside in favor of him raising an eyebrow as well. "Oh? Be careful, Mister Ashengrotto. If you keep saying stuff like that, I might actually start to believe you."

"Maybe I want you to, Mister Viper," Azul said, dropping his voice to a low purr.

His borderline flirtatious smirk reminded Jamil of Alchemy classes and late-night library studies, where he and Azul bickered and flustered each other much to the annoyance of their classmates.

Jamil found himself chuckling fondly.

"Same old Azul," he muttered, shaking his head to recompose himself and clear away whatever feelings the other’s voice stirred within him. He straightened up again. "If that's how you talk to people privately, no wonder you've got all of them vying for your hand… Anyway, I'll be moving my stuff tomorrow. When I come back, we can start making… 'wedding' plans in case interviews and our families want to touch up on that."

Azul nodded and finished his tea. "Right. Also, I don't talk to anyone else like that," He made a face at the very idea. "Like I said, those who were 'vying for my hand' are really after the company, not me." He took his cup and saucer and went to the sink to wash them.

"... Do you ever want to actually find that special someone someday?" Jamil wondered aloud.

Azul's hands froze for a moment while washing the cup. "I don't know. I'm often busy with work, and I don't want to ask anyone to put up with that." He kept his back turned to Jamil, putting the cup on the drying rack and proceeding to wash the saucer. "How about you? Any future plans to actually get married?"

Jamil just shrugged. "It'd be nice if it were to happen, but it's not really a priority of mine. Plus I don't think I'm gonna get any prospective dates now that people think I'm engaged… but I'm not complaining. You make for good company, pretend or otherwise."

He then gestured to the stairs. "Anyway, guess it's time we call it a night, huh? I'll see you tomorrow, Azul."

Azul nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow."

——

Now that he was alone, Jamil found himself staring at the ceiling from his bed, letting the last few days play out in his head.

From their chance reunion with his reckless stunt to living with Azul, rekindling some long-forgotten feelings... to being "engaged", thanks to another reckless ploy.

It felt right in the moment, but now he wondered if he's dabbling in something dangerous here.

A selfish part of him was undeniably pleased with these turn of events. However… Azul seemed upset throughout the entire night. Something had been on his mind and Jamil hadn't been successful in discerning it.

Could he have been trying to meet and court with someone at that party? It's hard to tell what's a lie and what's true from Azul's lips, but there was no denying that he had been acting off ever since Jade proposed the engagement con.

But then the things he said back in the kitchen when their faces were so close to each other... Did he actually mean those or..?

With all the questions roiling in his head, he sighed and sat up. He couldn't sleep at this rate, so he decided to go down and get himself a drink.

When he got back from the kitchen, he thought that he could perhaps lounge for a bit until he felt tired, so he sat on a couch and turned the TV on, making sure that it's as quiet as possible.

——

Azul laid on his bed with his pillow pressed over his face.

How could he so shamelessly flirt with Jamil after everything that had happened?

As if it wasn't bad enough that his feelings for him had resurfaced after all these years, now they had to act like an engaged couple in public.

It was a good thing that Jamil had no plans to get into a real relationship anytime soon; at least he hadn't ruined that part of his life.

He didn't even want to imagine how their conversation with his mother would go.

He removed the pillow from his face and put it under his head, slowly calming down. He would just have to distance himself from Jamil outside of their arrangement. That would be best for both of them.

His bedroom suddenly felt claustrophobic, a strange and alien concept to the version of him that wanted to hide in small pots when he was younger. He sighed and sat up, getting the book from his nightstand. Perhaps reading a few chapters in the spacious living room would help him relax enough to sleep.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he noticed light coming from the TV, softly illuminating Jamil on the couch, who must have heard his footsteps because he turned to look at him.

“Ah, I didn't realize you were here," Azul said, suddenly feeling conscious in his dark gray sweatpants and deep purple hoodie. He’s pretty sure that Jamil’s never seen him dressed this casually before. He glanced back up the stairs before looking at Jamil again with a polite smile. "I shall leave you to your privacy."

He turned to leave.

Jamil sat up straighter. "Whoa, whoa, this is your house. I should be the one to go and leave you to it. I just... couldn't really sleep."

Azul shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous, Jamil. This is your house now, too." He paused, considering whether or not to go back to his room. Then he faced Jamil again. "Why couldn't you sleep? Are you alright?"

"Ah. Yeah, yeah, I'm okay... It's just a lot of thoughts. You know how it is." He gestured to the spot next to him. "If you want, you can... um…. sit here, too. I think we can both be in the same room for a little longer without either of us losing it."

Azul tightened his grip on his book.

More than half a decade later and it seemed like he still couldn't resist an invitation from Jamil.

Fine. I'll distance myself from him…

… Starting tomorrow.

"Alright," he relented, walking over. “I see you’ve found the spare remote,” he said lightly.

Jamil chuckled. “Yeah, seems to be working perfectly.”

"What are you watching?" Azul asked as he sat down beside Jamil.

"Not sure yet. I'm channel-surfing. Are there any shows here that you'd recommend?"

Azul hummed thoughtfully. "What are you in the mood for? Music, movies, animated shows?"

"Hm... Maybe a lifestyle channel or a documentary would suffice for now. Nothing too investing, but something a tad more fun than just the news."

He eventually landed upon a show detailing the history of different landmarks throughout the world. He placed the remote down, glancing at the book in Azul's hands. "What's that you got there, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Ah, it's just a collection of different myths and fairytales," Azul held up the book to show the illustrated cover. "Jade gave me this as a birthday gift last year, but I never found much time to read it; I'm only halfway through. Are you familiar with any of these?" He showed Jamil the titles.

Jamil peered over and scanned the table of contents. "Some, not all. A lot of these came from their respective region of origin... Do you see any stories here that originated from the Coral Sea?"

"Yes, including the one I just finished reading," Azul began turning the pages. "The one where a mermaid princess made a deal with the Sea Witch to have legs so she can be with the human prince she fell in love with. But according to that deal, she would turn into sea foam within a month if the prince didn't love her back, which is precisely what happened." He turned a page and showed Jamil an illustration of foam dissolving into the sea.

"Not exactly an uplifting tale," Azul said lightly. "And if the purpose of the author was to discourage merfolk from coming to the surface, it certainly didn't work."

"Well, that wasn't what got her, right? It was the unrequited love." Jamil pointed out before quirking an amused smile. "So as long as you guys don't go around falling for people here and there, then you're all good with the sea foam aspect."

"Or we could charm the people we fall for so they'd fall for us in return," Azul said playfully. "By the way, it doesn't make the news as much, but there's also a line for Jade and Floyd's hands, did you know? There have been events where it was me who had to get them out of suitor situations."

"Really..!? Huh... Then it sounds to me like they all should be learning those charm spells, 'cause it seems like they haven't been making any dents at the bubble you three made between yourselves," Jamil joked, then he had a realization. "Oh, but you said you actually used to like someone, right? Have you made any serious effort to pursue him when that was still a thing?"

Azul felt caught off-guard, and he carefully crafted a neutral expression on his face. "Oh, um… I didn't see the point, I suppose. He never liked me, even as a friend. I'd just be humiliating myself if I proclaimed any romantic feelings.”

"Huh. Sounds like a jerk. What made you like him, then, if he wasn't even giving you the time of the day?"

Azul smiled in amusement. "Not liking me doesn't make a person a ‘jerk’, Jamil. He was just… determined. He had goals and dreams, and all his focus was on working towards them. There was simply no room for me or anyone else. Still, I was drawn to him because I admired his tenacity and his ability to know what to do and when to do it. We were similar in our intelligence and cunning; everyone else thought so, too, but he would never admit it," he chuckled, remembering all the times Jamil rolled his eyes at the very idea of them being alike in any way. "I offered on multiple occasions to help him achieve his goals, but… he didn't trust me. I don't really blame him, though. I didn't exactly have a trustworthy reputation even back at NRC, right?"

"Oh... That is a shame. I guess that was true… but it's too bad he never saw past that side of you.”

Azul glanced down at the sea foam illustration and said nothing.

Jamil turned to look at the TV again, fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie. "If he ever were to show up again... and expressed feelings towards you after all this time, how do you think that'd go?"

"I don't want to think about it at all," Azul said in an even tone. He had made considerable efforts to try to forget the feeling of having Jamil’s hand in his. "Besides, that's highly unlikely to happen. How about you, then?" he redirected the conversation. "What about that chap you liked? Do you have any plans of pursuing him someday?"

Jamil sighed. "Like I said, it's not a priority, but..." his voice turned wistful, an expression flickering on his face that disappeared too quickly for Azul to decipher. "I think it'd be nice to have another shot someday, but I'll already consider myself lucky if we can at least stay on good terms."

"Lucky? Why? Weren't you always on good terms?" Azul asked.

"Hard to say, honestly. I can never tell how well I can read that guy. I hope we're on good terms, but who knows what he's thinking?" He leaned back against the couch's headrest. "Anyway, we prolly shouldn't linger on topics of lost love considering our current situation, huh? Sorry if I made things awkward throughout that."

Azul chuckled, leaning back against the headrest himself. "You didn't, don't worry. And… lost love, huh? So you loved him? What did he do that caught the heart of our resident viper?" he said playfully, wistful yet genuinely curious.

"Okay, maybe 'lost love' is a little extreme," Jamil blurted out, his face reddening. "And even then, it's not exactly as romantic as how the movies do it. I just... got used to him being around, and then I realized later on when it was already too late that I wanted him to stick around. It's a selfish and unfair thing to ask, though, especially when I've never shown much reciprocation to many of his approaches, so..." He shrugged. "I can only hope and wish him all the best."

Azul fell silent for a few moments. He wondered who this mystery man was that had Jamil so enamored, but he decided that it didn’t matter. Whoever he was, he had a better chance at a future with Jamil than Azul could ever hope for himself.

"You can always go to him after our arrangement is done,” he told Jamil sincerely. “The whole engagement facade would most likely only have to last for a few months. You can even tell him that our relationship was just a ruse, if that would help your chances."

A smile appeared on Jamil’s lips. "Noted... So is that your favorite story in that collection so far?" he gestured at Azul’s book.

"Hm? This seafoam disaster? Not at all," Azul wrinkled his nose. "I don't know if I have a favorite, but it's certainly not this one. The princess should never have agreed to such a deal. And that's coming from me. Even my most questionable deals never ended in death.”

He closed the book and placed it on the table, then leaned back against the couch.

"So. You like documentaries, then?" Azul asked.

"They're informative," Jamil nodded at the screen. "Before I traveled around, I'd watch trip-oriented ones, just to picture what it would be like to visit that place. Now that I can just do that—to an extent—shows about history have grown pretty interesting, too. But I also enjoy the occasional wildlife feature… and admittedly, Reality TV. It’s entirely unproductive, but a definite guilty pleasure."

Azul smiled. "What's your favorite place so far, among all those you've visited?"

Jamil's eyes twinkled. "At the Shaftlands, I happened to run into Jack, and he and his family took me to a nearby ski resort. From there, we viewed the aurora borealis at night. Even though I was practically freezing to death, it was breathtaking. I'd love for you to see it— Ah. I mean..! N-Not that you need me to take you there! Just… whenever you three plan on taking a vacation someday, you should try going. You'd be right at home with the colder weather."

Azul nodded. "I've seen pictures of the aurora borealis there, and it does look lovely. I can only imagine how much better it would look in person." He stifled a yawn and leaned back a little more on the couch. "I don't know when I'll be able to take a vacation abroad, though. I mainly just consider my visits to my mother as my vacation."

"Ah. Well... You don't know. Sometimes a perfect opportunity might unexpectedly come from just around the corner," Jamil shrugged.

"Perhaps," Azul said, though he didn't really believe it. "Where did you plan on going next, after here?"

"The Kingdom of Heroes, particularly around the bay area. Ortho told me to inform him when that happens, since I guess he's got something over there that he wants to show me," Jamil replied. "Can you believe that kid actually looks older now? I think he's been upgrading himself through every passing year."

"I actually haven't seen him in a while," Azul mused. "I should visit Idia soon, and Ortho is always there for board game nights. Let me know whenever you wanna go to the Kingdom of Heroes. We can plan it so that no paparazzi would bother you on your way there."

Jamil turned to him, curiosity in his eyes. "... Will you be going with me if I do?"

Azul returned Jamil’s gaze, unsure about what he meant. "... I mean… We don't have to go together. The public will know that you travel alone a lot even when we're supposedly in a relationship. They won't find it suspicious even if I don't go with you. Our arrangement will not be imposing on your travels."

"Oh, I know that, don't worry…” Jamil shifted in his seat. “But can you go if I say I want you to come with me?"

"You… want me to go with you?" Azul blinked.

"I think it'd help you, to get away from it all for a little bit,” Jamil replied. “And... yeah, since I've gotten us engaged, getting you to relax somewhere is the least I can do. Plus, you said it yourself: you want to visit the Shrouds again, so let's do it."

Azul thought about it for a moment. It certainly didn’t sound like a bad idea to travel with Jamil. He nodded and gave a small smile. "Sure. Do you have any particular date in mind?"

"Perhaps around early March? How does that sound?" Jamil asked, an excited twinkle in his eye. "Any date is fine, really, as long as it's not gonna interfere with your work."

"Alright, I'll make the necessary arrangements," Azul smiled back. "How did you manage to convince me to take a vacation in less than five minutes? You're dangerous, Viper," he said playfully.

"I think it's all those years of being Kalim's negotiator," Jamil sincerely answered. "Glad to see that I haven't lost my touch just yet."

Azul chuckled and turned to watch the TV. They fell into a comfortable silence, watching different historical places be described and explained by a narrator's voice.

——

During the Elephant Legacy segment, Jamil felt something gently bump against him.

He looked over to see that Azul had fallen asleep on his shoulder. The merman's hand had dropped to the couch in his sleep, the back of his hand touching the back of Jamil's.

Even with the documentary prattling on, Jamil's eyes lingered on Azul's open palm, something devious within him whispering that he can take advantage of this moment while the other is none the wiser.

He shook his head. Even if it's something as light as hand-holding, such thoughts could snowball into more dangerous territory, so it's best to curb the desire as soon as possible. Besides, he would not know how to defend himself should Azul end up waking in the middle of it.

More importantly, though, it seemed the universe still wished to toy with him, having Azul be so close like this yet feel so far all at once.

He took in a deep breath and sighed, hesitantly leaning his cheek on top of Azul's head.

They really must look like a couple right now, don't they..?

Jamil’s heart fluttered once more, and he closed his eyes, reaping the moment for what it's worth.

Though things could only get as far as this, he couldn't help but be happy that—even if it's all a ruse—they have each other now, dozing together on a sleek couch in the middle of a quiet night.

——

<- Chapter 2

(Masterlist)

#Imagine they wake up and see a whole fan community about them was built overnight #The Ashenviper hashtag would exist in that universe #Pros: They get supporters. We get the gay 💖#Cons: We fans might stress them out and cause another overblot-#twisted wonderland #ashenviper #jamiazu #azujami

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