#dorm AU | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

befreiungfeld · 6 months

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run dry [EXPLICIT] / 4,383 words / AO3 mirror

fandom: maplestory / ships: white mage/eunwol

summary:

I’m gonna take one more shot, and I’m quitting forever – I’ve had enough of the alcohol, he thinks, as he leans back against the arm of the couch, head numb from the shots he’s already had. Eunwol can’t take his line of sight away from where the bottle of vodka meets Genesis’ lips, and as White throws their head back, their eyes meet, and he quips almost bemusedly. “It’s rude to stare, you know.” Cross my heart, cross my fingers.

He tries to remind himself that this all started with a call from Genesis’ parents. Overbearing as always, demanding for them to plan out visits back to El Nath months in advance… as though anyone in their system would want to go back to visit. Eunwol knows well enough their opinions on their parents, on Aurora as a whole, by this point. Luminous catches his gaze where Eunwol is standing in the door frame, having just came back to their dorm from his afternoon classes.

“… I don’t know, yet,” their voice comes out in a strange mix of both White and Luminous, clearly both of them pulled toward front due to the stress of the call. “I’m sorry. You know I’d tell you once the schedule was released.” Luminous glances over to Eunwol for only a moment before his attention drifts back to the phone call at hand, whilst Eunwol moves to sit on his bed, dropping his bag onto his mattress.

Is it your mother? He mouths. A brief nod from Luminous is his only real response, before he’s speaking to her again.

“I’ll let you know. I promise.”

Internally, White and Luminous are hardly containing their collective frustration with the pushiness of the call. Can she just fucking shut up already? White asks. It’s more rhetorical than anything; they know exactly why she can’t. Still, I know, Luminous replies, before a quick farewell ends their call with her, none too soon.

Eunwol lets out a sigh when he hears the audible disconnect of the call, closes his eyes for a second. “What did she call about?”

Luminous lets out a sigh, placing their phone on the couch next to their leg. “She wants us to come back, already.”

“The next break isn’t for another couple of months, at the earliest.” Eunwol shakes his head.

Unless the medical school schedule has different break periods, and she’s going by that... but even then, that wouldn’t be helpful. They haven’t been enrolled in the medical program for months, now, having transferred into chemical engineering courses months ago, now.

Not that they would have told their parents anything about that, though. It’s hard enough for them to tell their parents anything, let alone something to the degree of “we’re changing major entirely and we can’t give you a comprehensible reason for it, because it has to do with a mental disorder that you don’t know we have and a suicide attempt that you vaguely know of.”

They’re probably better off skirting by, for now, with that.

“They… like to plan it early.” Luminous sounds particularly irritated, saying this, and he isn’t sure if it’s himself, White, or both of them. Their head is pounding, now that they aren’t speaking to her, and White is already suggesting less-than-appropriate means of putting that to an end.

At least, means that Luminous and Eunwol are less likely to approve of.

“I understand.” Eunwol swallows, leaning forward with his elbows onto his thighs, toward Genesis. “If seems like she takes everything out of you whenever she calls, though. You know that you don’t have to go back, right?”

That seems to confuse both Luminous and White. “We’d need a good reason. We can’t just tell her no.”

“You could,” Eunwol muses, but it’s with a hint of discomfort. “Your life doesn’t depend on her, at this point. You’re in college, and you’re in the dorms…”

“Are you saying to just… cut her off?”

He fidgets with his fingers awkwardly, seemingly searching for the right words. “I mean… if you’d want to? There’s no real consequence to not going. It’s not as though she can have you expelled, and if she or your father come onto campus, no doubt they’ll be escorted out for causing trouble, trying to intimidate you into coming home.” Eunwol bites at his lip. “I just don’t want you to think there’s only one option for this.”

It seems to irritate White further, from how their response comes out. “They’re our only source of income. It’s too much juggling college by itself, and we don’t have a job lined up.” He furrows his eyebrows. “There aren’t as many options as you think.”

“Have you spoken to student services about it, yet, though? They might be able to give some monetary aid, given your situation. They were able to do it for me –“

“We don’t have documents for anything, Eunwol.” White snaps. “We don’t have documentation of the disorder, we don’t have documentation of the abuse, we don’t have anything.”

“…” He reaches for Gene’s hand. “I know. It’s okay. It’s more than documentation, though.” He closes his eyes before reopening them, looking to the side. “… worst case, I can make up for whatever it was they were giving you in allowance. Money isn’t worth being forced to talk to them.”

“You can’t make it up. You have classes, too.”

Eunwol blinks. “My classes aren’t nearly as demanding as yours.”

“Eunwol –“ Luminous starts, but the pain of a migraine comes in full-force – the effects of trying to reign White in. It’s never easy. “Please, just… drop the cutting families off, for now. We can’t just up and do it.”

He pulls his hand away, averting his eyes. “I… I’m sorry.”

Gene puts a hand to their head – but they don’t really know who’s doing it, whether it’s White or Luminous. But it doesn’t really matter. They feel completely disoriented, like they could fall over. “It’s alright.”

“… Are you… are you okay?” He frowns, watching how their face looks so pained. From switching, maybe…? “Do you need me to get you some pain relievers?”

… He’s so sweet, they think. It makes things just a bit nicer. “We’re… White’s very upset.”

“I know.” Eunwol bites his lip with a sigh, closing his eyes. “I didn’t mean to make him upset. I just meant, you know… it just seems stressful for all of you, Lumi. It isn’t going to get better by itself, either.”

Luminous nods slowly. “It’s not what you said, I think he’s just… feeling a lot of things.”

Namely, the urge to drown himself in alcohol. Unfortunately.

“He seems to feel a lot about a variety of things.” Eunwol reaches to squeeze Luminous’ hand. “I wish things were easier.”

… Luminous half wonders if, if Eunwol weren’t here, if they’d already be dead. It all just seems so hopeless…

He squeezes Eunwol’s hand back. “He really wants to drink. Did we even have any alcohol left, anyway…?”

“I think? Not that much, though, we haven’t gone out to buy more, unless he’s been hiding it somewhere.”

“I’m not around enough to do that and not get found out.” White’s tone is deadpan, clearly not pleased, but no one is. Maybe he could use that alcohol, after all…

“I know.” Eunwol moves to get up, moving to the fridge, opening it and grabbing the bottle of vodka that sits on the door. There’s a good third of the bottle left… He grabs two shotglasses from the cabinet.

“You’re having some yourself?” He almost sounds surprised.

“I might.”

White doesn’t pretend to ignore the implied resignation to his alcoholism. He hopes that Eunwol at least remembers how much he’s trying to work past the addiction, at least. One night won’t kill him, at least.

… And he could really use something to push Luminous and Black away from front, for now. They’re buzzing in the back of his conscious, whether they want to be there or not.

Eunwol moves to sit back down on the couch next to Genesis, placing the shot glasses on the coffee table in front of them and pouring the vodka into each of them. He leaves his own to sit, for now, while he hands the other to White, who promptly downs it like it’s nothing.

He doesn’t particularly like vodka, all things considered. It tastes terrible and burns the entire time, but it does a good job of taking his worries and scattering them like ashes in the ocean, until there’s nothing left.

… He missed the alcohol. He hopes, deep down, that he won’t relapse too hard. “And what are you so stressed about?”

“Not much, but I’d rather give you someone to drink with.” He refills White’s shot glass.

He almost laughs at that. “And who told you that I wanted to share?” His lips upturn slightly. He’s taken to poking and prodding at Eunwol more, when he’s around; the results always vary, but they’re never too terrible for him to stop.

“You haven’t implied that you don’t, so…” Eunwol reaches for his own shot, throwing his head back. The burn of his throat is somewhat pleasant… He thinks he welcomes it, really.

“You’re too good of a drinking buddy to pass up. I couldn’t.”

He almost scoffs. “Am I that good of one, or are you just flattering me, now?”

White shrugs before throwing back the second shot. The alcohol hurts his head a bit, but it’s dulling the original pain, so it works out. “You win something regardless, I’d say.”

“I guess…” Eunwol hums, staring at his own shot glass.

White sets his glass down to adjust his hair. He’s getting used to the fact that it’s shorter than it used to be; the fact that it isn’t his, anymore. Luminous is hosting, and he likes to think that he’s come to terms with that fact. Eunwol pours himself another shot before throwing it back, and White hums.

“They’d raise Hell itself if they knew I’m sat here drinking with you.” White closes his eyes.

“Who would?”

He almost snorts. “My parents. Don’t tell me you forgot about them already?”

… Right. “They don’t need to know.”

“They don’t. I don’t think they know the first thing about me, anyway.”

Eunwol pours each of them another shot. “That’s the best outcome, I think.”

“I’d keep lying to them, but you don’t weave lies you can’t track down to their roots. They’ll catch us in the medicine lie as soon as we graduate.”

Eunwol stares into the vodka in his shot glass, as if it’d give him all the answers he would need. “They would. That’s why I suggested what I did.”

“Luminous was right, though. There are too many loose ends to do that right now.”

He throws back his shot of vodka. “I know. I wish it were easier.”

White follows suit with a sigh, and notices how Eunwol closes his eyes. He’s hardly adjusted to drinking as much…

“Too much?”

He laughs. “You know my tolerance isn’t nearly as high as yours.”

“I wasn’t a fucking alcoholic so you could drink as much as I do and not feel it.” White retorts, mostly in jest. Really, it’s at his own expense.

“I know, I know,” Eunwol says, as he pours another shot for both of them.

“Feel free to stop whenever. I don’t want you shit faced either.”

Eunwol downs another shot with a smile. “I might have already crossed that line.”

“… So you’re getting yourself this drunk why, exactly?”

“I don’t know.”

It’s not like White won’t be right there with him soon enough, anyway. It’s just his hope that the remainder of this bottle will get him there. White throws back his glass and picks up the bottle by the neck, shaking it gently in his hand to feel for how much remains before he looks to Eunwol’s empty glass.

“More?”

He seems to consider it for a moment, but shakes his head. “Maybe once you’ve had your fill.”

White scoffs in response. “I can finish it by myself.”

A soft laugh is his reply. “Then be my guest. I won’t stop you.”

And why won’t you? He almost asks aloud, but the answer is clear. He’s too drunk to get in his way about addiction, of all things.

But what can be said for White himself? Can’t he stop himself? What excuse can he come up with in the morning when he wakes up with the hangover he’s no doubt to give himself, other than that he’s a failure and an alcoholic? That he’s pathetic enough to finish the bottle by himself? That he never deserved to be in charge of their life in the first place?

He brings the bottle to his lips. He doesn’t want to have those thoughts. That’s the point of the alcohol in the first place.

Eunwol leans back against the arm of the couch, head numb from the shots he’s already had – he can’t take his line of sight away from where the lip of the bottle meets Genesis’ lips. He really is pretty, he thinks, even when he’s working towards drinking himself to nonexistence.

White’s finally feeling the alcohol set in, anyway. Eunwol will forgive him for slipping up on his sobriety, tonight. Dealing with their mother, it was inevitable.

He knows it’s likely to happen again, though. He missed the cop-out that was getting drunk and falling asleep, leaving someone else to pick up the pieces for him in the morning.

At least, if it does happen again, Eunwol will be with him. His eyes still haven’t moved from White’s lips, and he hadn’t noticed it yet, but… Well, White throws his head back, and with it, the remainder of the vodka.

“It’s rude to stare, you know.” He sets the empty bottle down. “Unless you see something that you like.”

Eunwol’s face turns red – or, at least, redder than it already was, from the alcohol. He averts his eyes, trying to ignore the heat that spreads across his cheeks. “I wasn’t trying to. I’m sorry.”

White laughs at the reaction. They’re both drunk, now, what’s wrong with poking fun at him? “So you don’t see something you like, then?”

“I did, there’s a lot about you to like.” He catches his words too late. “I mean… um…” He throws his head back against the couch with a sigh.

White raises an eyebrow at this. This is new. “Something you like… such as?”

“… uh…” Is wanting to kiss him a crime? “I don’t know. It’s a lot.”

“Is it a crime to want to know?” White hasn’t heard the praise he oh so craves in ages. He’s needing that rush of superiority… even if he feels that he doesn’t really deserve it, now.

Eunwol almost wants to cover his face with his hands. “No, it’s not, I just… um…” He sits up properly, but keeps his gaze averted. “I just want to kiss you. That’s all.”

It catches White off guard. Kiss him? “I’m not Luminous. Are you sure you can tell us apart?” It’s almost bemusing. He wants to kiss him of all people?

“I can. I know you aren’t Luminous.”

White leans forward. “And you want to kiss? What else?”

His brain short-circuits. “Uh…”

“I’ll kiss you if that’s what you want. But don’t forget that you’re kissing a failure and a drunk.”

Eunwol frowns. “You’re neither of those things, White. You’re just struggling, right now.”

White rolls his eyes. “Yes, yes. I won’t have to convince you I’m right. You’ll realize it the moment you wake up in the morning.”

“I won’t. You’re the last person who should be down-talking yourself.”

White hums. “Is that so?” He hums, leaning back into the couch himself. “Well, that’s fine. I’ve already said I won’t convince you.”

He sighs. “I know. I’m not trying to make you, either way.”

Still, White jokingly returns to the subject at hand – “Did you still want to kiss me? Or have I distracted you enough for you to forget what you wanted?” Have I made you change your mind?

“I still do.” Rather badly, really. Not to say he’s preoccupied with the thought, but…

“Fine. Come here.”

Eunwol moves closer, almost awkwardly; the alcohol doesn’t take away all of the nerves of a situation like this, clearly. White looks down at his lips, and his eyes lock with Eunwol’s again. “How bad do you want me to kiss you?”

He sighs and pouts, slightly. “Do you have to tease me, for it? I want you to kiss me, badly, White.”

“You’re lucky that I’m not making you beg, for it.” He pulls Eunwol in, a hand pulling him closer by the back of his head, pressing their lips together. Eunwol finds himself losing himself in it, placing his hands on White’s shoulders, closing his eyes.

…It’s nice having Eunwol’s lips against his, White thinks. Whether it’s because he wants to kiss him, too, or because he just likes living Luminous’ life, he isn’t sure. This is Luminous’ life, after all. He’s kissing Luminous’ boyfriend, after all.

White pulls away for air shortly afterward, and Eunwol already feels like it’s too quick, remaining staring at White’s lips for only a moment before White pulls him back in for another kiss, to Eunwol’s surprise. He wraps his arms around White’s neck, as White places his hands on Eunwol’s waist.

It’s his turn to have some fun, in this life. All he does is play violin and drink himself to death, these days.

And maybe he’ll have that fun. Eunwol pulls White on top of him, falling backwards onto the couch, holding onto the other like he’s a necessity for life, as much as he needs air or water. White pulls away, again, but only enough for him to be able to find the next place he’ll kiss, lips against Eunwol’s throat. It’s enough to pull a gasp out of him.

“White…”

He can’t keep himself from calling Eunwol a whore in his mind. He’s been telling himself that he shouldn’t think that way of people, but he can’t help himself. It isn’t like he’s going to tell Eunwol – at least, not yet. He runs his thumb across his throat, revels in how the other shudders at the attention. “Do you want me to kiss you here?”

“I… Yes. Please, please…” He squirms, looking up at White, pleading with his words and with his eyes for any attention that he’ll give him, and White obliges, leaning down to replace his hand with his lips, kissing at the skin softly as he tugs at Eunwol’s shirt to make more room, more space to kiss him.

Eunwol’s good at begging. White doesn’t think he’d be able to deny him if he tried.

He sighs shakily at White’s lips against his neck, tilting his head to the side to provide him more room, fingers moving to his hair and cradling his neck, holding him close to him. White bites, sucks at the skin there; he can’t remember the last time that he’s gotten this close to someone else, the last time that he’s liked it.

Eunwol notes in the back of his mind that he’s going to leave marks, but he can’t care much for preventing that at the current moment. All he can do is beg wordlessly for more, a soft groan leaving his lips. He can’t compose a sentence right now – so much for an English major.

White moves his knee up to tease at him, grinding against him; he feels breathless, caught between him and the couch, grinding back up into him. He doesn’t want to go anywhere else, anyway, trapped or not. Eunwol can’t help but moan softly for the other, only for the other to hear.

“White…”

He pulls his lips away from Eunwol’s neck. “Yes?”

Breathlessly, he begs. “Please… more…”

White laughs. “More? You haven’t had your fill?” His knee presses harder against him, and he can feel how needy Eunwol is against him. And further proof, from his mouth… “No, I haven’t.”

“And when will you, hm?” He tilts his head, mockingly, as if he doesn’t know what he’s doing at all.

Eunwol shakily breathes in, looking back at White. He doesn’t look too debauched, but the red tint to his face seems permanent at this point. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t?” He grinds against him again, roughly. “I could have sworn you did.” It only prompts Eunwol’s mouth to open, grinding back against him with soft pants. “You know I’m not doing anything if you don’t ask.”

“Please, White…” He curses underneath his breath, bucking his hips back against him. “Please…”

It’s amusing, to White. He wonders how, if he’s acting as much of a whore as he is right now, how he and Black do anything. If he’s so intent on getting fucked, after all. “Please what?”

“Do anything, touch me, just…” He bites his lip. Of course it’s different when it comes to Black. The dynamic between the two of them could only be what it currently is… or something like that.

“Touch you? Like this?” White moves his hand down to palm him through his pants, almost demonstrably.

“Yessssss…” He can’t help but hiss out his pleasure, grinding up into White’s hand. White squeezes at him, watching how his face changes, how his body reacts… It’s obvious he’s had interactions like this, but it’s safe to say it’s never been something like this.

He turns underneath him, restless, grinding up into his touch. Eunwol feels like he’s on fire, and White is the only one who can put it out. “Please…”

White moves to unbutton his pants, keeping an eye out just in case he says to stop. White realizes that Eunwol will have to explain to his system what happened and, for some reason, that… thrills him. Eunwol hasn’t even begun to process that he’ll have to explain himself regarding this, but that’s a problem for the Eunwol who wakes up in the morning, not the had-one-too-many-shots Eunwol that he currently is. He keeps his eyes on White, watching him tug his pants off so that Eunwol can stand free. White can’t help but think about how it’d feel to have him fill his mouth, slam back into his throat…

Eunwol leans forward, watching White, as he places a hand on Eunwol’s length. “And you’re sure you want me to do whatever I’d like?”

“Yes. Please, whatever you want to do…” He bites at his lip, staring down at him as White peels his boxers off of him.

… He’s larger than he expected, but that’s part of the fun for him, as he spits into his hand, wrapping his hand around the length of him and rubs the head with his thumb. Eunwol throws his head backward against the armrest of the couch, groaning at the feeling. White is just the right amount of rough in his touch.

White loves how he looks. White wants to know what he’d look like with him inside, but that’s a thought for another time, not for tonight. The sounds that he hears feel like the only evidence that he has any value. He’s not sure if it’s the alcohol speaking or his newly-grown inferiority complex.

Eunwol bucks his hips up into White’s hand. “Fuck… fuck, White, it feels so good…” He bites at his lip, knowing he’s getting close. White seems to be able to tell, leaning down to take him into his mouth, lips and tongue against his length, spurring Eunwol further, who grinds his hips upward into his wet heat.

White seems to want exactly that, though, reaching for Eunwol’s hand and placing it in his hair, silently asking, goading him into fucking his mouth. Even then, Eunwol just tangles his fingers into it, aside from the occasional tug downward, making White sputter and choke around him, even if unintentionally.

Which he does enjoy, moaning around his length and prompting Eunwol to buck his hips gently against White’s lips, as the other rests his hands on his hips and simply allows him to do so. Even then…

“Fuck… White, I’m going to…” White digs his nails into Eunwol’s hips, dragging him over the edge, spilling into his mouth and onto his tongue.

White milks Eunwol for what he’s worth, for what it’s worth, sucking him dry and making doubly sure of it before he pulls back and stares at Eunwol, hair amess and eyes teary, lips and chin a mess of spit and cum. Eunwol stares back, eyes unfocused and wordless…

“It’s rude to stare, you know.” White quips for the second time of the night, before wiping away the mess from his lips with the back of his hand. Eunwol laughs softly at the irony of the words coming up a second time in the night, and White pushes himself up. “I need to wash my face. You should get dressed.”

Eunwol sets upon doing so whilst White heads into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself and staring into the mirror. He questions himself on it; why did he do any of that? He turns on the faucet, but can’t shake off the way his mouth and throat are burning – the after effects of having Eunwol in that way, and he half wants to go back out there and have Eunwol fuck his throat a second time.

Did he even want it? He just did what Eunwol asked, why did he do that? He didn’t have to do it, but if he didn’t want it, he wouldn’t want to do it again, would he?

… This is a bit too much contemplation for someone who’s drunk beyond comprehension. He finishes washing up his face and heads back out into their living area, takes note of the fact that Eunwol is now fully dressed; he’s taken care of the shot glasses and the bottle of vodka from the coffee table, too.

At least one of them is a functional drunk.

Eunwol glances over at him, noticing how out-of-it he looks. “Is everything okay?”

He nods. “Yeah, just tired.” Eunwol doesn’t seem too bothered by it, so clearly it must just be him.

And he accepts that answer, too. To Eunwol, being tired is completely understandable, given their activities, both sexual and otherwise. “That makes sense.”

White hums, climbing into their bed, even as thoughts swirl in his head that he’d rather not contemplate at the current moment. He notes Eunwol wishing him goodnight, and wishes him the same.

Well, it’ll be the issue of whoever fronts in the morning for them to deal with the pain of the previous night. Be it the hangover or the pain in their jaw.

#writing #maplestory #dorm au #eunwol #white mage

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sashonya-writing · 8 months

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Chapters: 2/? Fandom: The Owl House (Cartoon) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Chatfics/Chaos, Eda Clawthorne/Camila Noceda/Raine Whispers/Eberwolf the Huntsman, Alador Blight/Darius Deamonne, Skara (The Owl House) & Vee Noceda & Luz Noceda, Hunter | The Golden Guard & Willow Park, Boscha & Viney (The Owl House), Detention Trio (The Owl House), Vee (the owl house) & Barkus (the owl House), Skara & Vee (The Owl House), Mrs Hiwatashi/ Mrs Kagemori (Titan Spawn) Characters: Principal Bump (The Owl House), Skara (The Owl House), Vee (The Owl House), Luz Noceda, Amity Blight, Boscha (The Owl House), Viney (The Owl House), Jerbo (The Owl House), Barkus (The Owl House), Mrs Kagemori (Titan Spawn), Mrs Hiwatashi (Titan Spawn), Kay Vulpes (oc), Sasha Fuun (oc), Micah Bryer (oc) Additional Tags: Chatting & Messaging, Alternate Universe, Author Is Sleep Deprived, and insane, Skara is Adopted by Raine Whispers, Raine Whispers is Luz Noceda's Parent, Eberwolf The Huntsman is Luz Noceda's Parent, They/Them Pronouns for Eberwolf (The Owl House), Luz Noceda is a Little Shit, stole some characters from a friend, they allowed it dw Summary:

Viney getting suprise adopted by teachers, Luz going mute in the most annoying way possible, Vee and Barkus possibly being cousins, Coven heads that get around. Nothing is at all normal or sensical in the Hexside Dorms group chat. At least when these kids are involved.

#toh au #dorm au #this is ust me going insane that there is almost noting about most of these guys #so yea

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steddie-as-they-come · 6 months

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Steve's pinning his polaroids up on his wall when his new roommate walks in.

Steve's immediate thought is oh, I'm gonna hate this guy.

Shaggy hair, leather jacket, rings glinting off his fingers, electric guitar slung over his back. Hot as hell, but compared to Steve's polos and perfectly coiffed hair, they could not be more different.

The guy looks like he had the same thought. His shoulders slump as he takes in Steve's appearance.

A man comes in behind his roommate, toting a suitcase full of clothes. "Oh, are you Eddie's roommate?" he says to Steve, who shakes himself out of his thoughts.

"Yes, I am." he says politely. "I'm Steve Harrington."

The man sets down the suitcase. "Wayne Munson." he offers, shaking Steve's hand. "I'm Eddie's uncle."

He nudges Eddie forward, who lets out an almost inaudible groan. "Eddie." he says snippily, shaking Steve's hand.

This'll be a fun year, Steve thinks.

They don't talk. Steve didn't think he was going to be best friends with whoever he got saddled with, but he thought they could at least be civil to each other. Their room is split down the middle. Eddie's half is absolutely covered in posters and music and cutouts of magazines. Steve's is...almost as blank as his room back home.

He misses the shitheads.

No one can ever tell them that. They'll get even more insufferable.

Once or twice, when Steve comes back from a class, he'll catch Eddie peering at Steve's pictures, but he’ll jump away before Steve can call him out on it. It's awful. Steve misses Robin.

It takes him a horribly long amount of time to stop flinching awake at every little sound. He'd stored his nailbat under his bed, out of sight of Eddie, but every time someone yells in the hallway or shouts in the room next door, Steve startles awake, already grabbing his bat. Luckily, Eddie sleeps like the dead, because Steve's not sure he'd be able to explain the weapon without breaking his NDA.

It's three A.M., early November, when there's a knock on their door. Steve isn't asleep yet, so he stands and answers it.

Eight people pile in, talking in hushed whispers. They slam into him, knocking him over.

In the middle of the hug, Steve counts his kids. It's Dustin, nestled against his side, then Lucas, El, and Will under his arm, Max draped over his back, Erica leaning into his shoulder, and Mike on the very outskirts of the group. He pulls them all in tighter, and they all yelp and squawk at him.

"Let us go, Steve!" Erica says, annoyed.

"Nope." Steve says. "You came to find me at three in the morning, you can tolerate a hug."

"Shoo, move." another voice says, and all the kids part like the sea. Robin pushes her way through the group and hugs him tightly. "I don't know how you do it." she says to Steve. "Driving all these nerds around, it's exhausting."

He buries his face in her hair. "Missed you, Robbie." he mumbles.

She leans her head against his. "Missed you too, dingus."

Steve pulls back. "You got your license!"

"I did!" Robin jingles her keys happily.

Eddie sits up, and everyone in the room freezes. "Wha's happenin'?" he slurs sleepily. Then he registers all the people in the room. "Whoa, what the fuck?"

Steve stands up, brushing himself off. "I'm sorry, man, I didn't know they were coming." He shoots a glare at the group, who looks appropriately cowed. Minus Dustin. Steve can now see whose idea this was.

Eddie swings out of bed. "No, it's- wait, are these the kids from your polaroids?"

"Yeah," Steve says. "Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Will, El, Max, Erica, and this is my best friend Robin."

"Awww, you have polaroids of us?" Max teases over his shoulder. "That's sweet."

Steve reaches behind him and tussles her hair, shoving her gently. "Shut up, shithead."

"Your room is cool." Mike says. "Not Steve's side. But this part is cool!"

Steve glares at Mike, but Eddie grins big. "Thanks! I'm Eddie Munson." He shakes Mike's hand.

"Is that a DnD poster?" Will says. "That's amazing!"

"It certainly is!" Eddie says. "I used to DM back in high school. Played a bit too."

The nerdier section of the group reacts appropriately, oohing and ahhing, while Max and Erica just roll their eyes and nudge each other.

Steve hesitates. “I know these guys don’t really do anything on Saturday afternoons, and I think they’ve been wanting to start another campaign. Would you mind if they come up, maybe every weekend, and you can…” he doesn’t know enough about DnD “…run a game for them?”

Eddie looks amused. “You mean DM a campaign?”

“Yeah, that.” It’s an olive branch that Steve’s offering.

Eddie takes it. “Well, how can I turn that down? Sheepies of the Harrington flock, how would you like to join a new campaign?”

“I’ll keep the rest of you occupied,” Steve mutters as the guys (and El) start talking excitedly. “Max, Rob, you guys wanna find the closest arcade and set some new high scores?”

“Only one person will be setting high scores.” Max says, gesturing to herself, but she looks excited at the prospect.

Steve lets Eddie and the kids talk for a couple more minutes, then claps his hands. “Okay, it is three in the morning and I have a nine A.M. class tomorrow SO! I have enough blankets for all of you to sleep on the floor if Eddie doesn’t mind-“ Eddie shrugs. “Or Rob can drive you back home.”

Steve looks around and Robin is already in his bed, cuddled up like the blanket hog she is. “Okay, well, sleepover here it is then.”

He whisks out his ungodly amount of throw blankets (courtesy of Joyce’s knitting spree) and the kids get together in their usual movie-night-at-Steve’s cuddle position.

Will’s got his head on Mike’s shoulder, Lucas next to Mike, Max leaning on Lucas, El’s head in Max’s lap and her legs thrown over Dustin’s lap, and Erica with her back against Dustin’s shoulder. Sometimes Robin and Steve are wedged into the pile somewhere, but just as often they’re tangled up under six different blankets across the room, which is why Steve whispers “Scoot over, dumbass,” as he climbs into bed next to Robin.

Eddie watches them assume their positions with an expression of what could be awe on his face. “When I saw those pictures,” he whispered, “I thought they were like your siblings? Or maybe old pictures of your friends. I didn’t think you were a soccer mom.”

Steve glares at him, but unlike earlier in the year, there’s no heat behind it. “Hope you like coparenting then, because these guys need to be watched 24/7 or they’ll run off and start the apocalypse.”

Eddie laughs like it’s a joke. To him it is. He hops back into bed. “Goodnight, weird little family.”

The kids murmur a collective sleepy goodnight, and Steve shuts his eyes.

It’s the most relaxed he’s felt since he moved in.

part two!

#based on the running joke between me and my roommate that my robotics kids are gonna break into my dorm room #one of them just got his license and im now even more worried #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #college au #pre relationship

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tartppola · 3 months

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surpriiiiiseeee i drew the book cover for @stormgardenscurse ‘s TWST fanbook!!!!!!!!

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theraedar · 11 months

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The Schoenheit Family 🍎👑

This is the vilorel siblings au I’ve been wanting to do for like a year now and I had so much fun drawing it!! I hope you can show them some love💜

#vil schoenheit #eric venue #twisted wonderland #twst oc #twisted wonderland oc #lorel #my art #vilorel siblings au #THEYRE A HAPPY FAMILY UR HONOR I LOVE THEM #a couple refs i made include eric coming home on halloween in costume and then on the second page #the magic vil casts refs the magic arching over the disney castle and also theres the second star to the right #OH AND vils pose is a ref to his dorm card groovy lol

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midnightfire830 · 10 months

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I drew my bestie @richiedicky in the College dorm AU!!!! RAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

#babtqftim #bendy and boris in the inky mystery #babitim #digital art #drawing #original art #sketch #bendy and boris the quest for the ink machine #fan art #not my oc #my art lol #college dorm #college au #dorm au #character design

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twstedforyou · 1 year

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“Your third set of familiars--Octavinelle, the information broker company for all your snooping needs! You’ll make good use of our services, won’t you?”

Masterlist || Askbox

#twisted wonderland #azul ashengrotto #jade leech #floyd leech #youkai au #familiars #AFTER A LONG DELAY... ITS THEM. THOSE. THAT #because there was a long pause between dorms--savanaclaw and octavinelle are gonna be sharin the spotlight for a while #but hey! at least there's more boys to. do somethin with. what are you even plannin to do to these boys #what do you mean you can't tell what their youkai species are its so obvious #(it's not. there will be a proper post later like usual for their species)#anyways!! thanks for the wait!!!!! here they are!!!!!!! happy holidays!!!!

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tamaiory · 10 months

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Guys it's the 19th century again but this time you're at Riddle's manor ✨

Commissions info ✨

#i fixed his outfit a little bit since some things from the older version didn't look that good to me #you don't understand how much I love 19th century's aesthetic #twisted wonderland #twst fanart #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland fanart #disney twst #fanart #digital art #twisted wonderland art #disney #my artwork #twst riddle #riddle rosehearts #heartslabyul dorm #heartslabyul #twst heartslabyul #twst au #twisted wonderland au

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videogamelover99 · 1 year

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Reverse SKK AUs are so funny because we have this scary, edgy Mafia Executive who seems to be one step ahead of anyone who tries to get in his way and then one time you see your "mysterious" co-worker yelling at him and calling him a "bastard" without blinking and you just want to live and have your agency survive and not get nuked by the PM and suddenly the big scary Mafia guy devolves into a five-year-old child and starts yelling playground insults back at him.

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #skk #soukoku #reverse!skk au #im tempted to make my own because the vibes?? impeccable #everything is the same as fanon except now dazai sneaks into Chuuya's rickety old dorm and looms in the living room like a dementor #nakahara chuuya #dazai osamu #though i will say i cannot for the life of me see chuuya working with kunikida they have very similar skillsets #...casually plugging ranpo/chuuya alliance in this au as well #bonus points if dazai is jelly chuuya 'replaced' him with another supergenius

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keylimesiren · 1 year

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I imagine ryoji’s true nature gives him a weird ominous aura that makes him unintentionally terrifying when you’re not expecting it, mostly whenever you encounter him in the dark

Ryoji Mochizuki, harbinger of death and bane of late-night snack runs

bonus:

#persona 3 #ryoji mochizuki #yukari takeba #mitsuru kirijo #minato arisato #my art #somewhere in an au where ryoji lives in the dorms #doodles

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kiy-anna · 11 months

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Am I Feeling Love?

Part 1 (You Are Here) Part 2 Part 3a Part 3b

Characters: Azul Ashengrotto x Fem!Reader

Synopsis: From the moment Azul Ashengrotto heard of soulmates as a small child, he had a vision of a beautiful life with someone who was meant for him - regardless of what he was or would become…

Word count: 5.3k+

Warnings: Some Yandere elements

Notes: I wanted to thank @yanderloversworld on tumblr for the yandere!Azul w/ Soulmate S/O headcanons/backstory that I saw for inspiring this piece. I’ve never written anything like this before, but I wanted to give my hand at it - especially since it involves my favorite cecaelia character from twisted Wonderland. You can check it out here: https://www.tumblr.com/yandereloversworld/718766985773760512/yanazul-with-a-soulmate-so?source=share

The two songs used to inspire this story:

Am I Feeling Love? (The Thief and the Cobbler/Arabian Knight Soundtrack): https://youtu.be/NXYnClTZ4QY

One Day She'll Love Me (The Emperor's New Groove Soundtrack): https://youtu.be/8Sv3ECj7PdY

***I have an update! Part 2 now Available to read on my side blog @ashensgrotto***

***

I close my eyes and see his eyes

So soft and warm and clear

I dream awake of holding her

I dream that she’s right here

I sense in all his silences

More than his words could say

‘Don’t fight your feelings’ says my heart

A heart I will obey

***

“Azul… we need to talk.”

The sound of his mother’s broken voice pulled Azul’s attention to the larger cecaelia as all eight of his tiny tentacles stilled, each and every one of his appendages dropping an assortment of books, quills, and shells to the grotto’s floor as the silver-lavender haired boy looked upon his mother. The typically confident cecaelian now appeared scared and upset; her pale baby blue eyes were wide with worry and her ruby lips were set in a straight line - her heavy-set body swayed with the current that entered their home while her black-colored tentacles fidgeted nervously, the lavender underbelly of each appendage curling into itself repeatedly before releasing its grip on emptiness.

Azul stood, his own appendages curling inward, “Can this wait, momma? I’m very busy at the moment-��

“I’m afraid it can’t, baby,” his mother entered his room before perching herself on his bed, tapping the seafoam cushion, “come here.”

Azul sat beside his mother, looking down at his hands before looking up at his mother, who watched him with interest.

“Zully… the neighbors have told me they’ve seen you sneaking out at night,” his mother spoke quietly, “and it has been apparently going on for a while - without my knowledge. You and I both know that night is a terrible time to be going out, especially alone - you’re smart enough to know that you could’ve been seriously injured or killed by the creatures that lurk just beyond the reef of our city. Do you know how heartbroken I would be if I lost you?”

“I know, momma… but, I promise I have a good reason!”

“What good reason would you have for sneaking out in the middle of the night?”

“My soulmate.”

His mother looked taken back, her hand reaching to clutch the Nautilus shell necklace that rested on her collarbones as her already wide eyes widened further, “...S-Soulmate?”

“Yes!” Azul’s powder-blue eyes sparkled like gems in a treasure chest as a huge grin spread across his features, “I overheard some of the merkids talking about them at school a few weeks ago - o-of course I had initially thought they were talking about me, since I seem to come up in conversation here and there… but still! Oh, momma! To know that there’s someone out there that is literally MEANT to be WITH ME! Me! Azul Ashengrotto!”

“Zully, now wait a minute-”

“At first the concept did fascinate me,” Azul continued, slowly standing and moving to the opposite end of his room while ignoring his mother’s words, “and what intrigued me more than anything was that my soulmate would love and cherish every last thing about me - not the way the other merkids see me as; a pathetic, fat… ugly crying octopus fry that can’t even excel in studies or athletics. The silly little octo-twerp that’s an ink spiller.”

“Zully, you know that’s not-”

“But you know what momma? Thinking about my soulmate has made the days so much easier, even when I’m getting bullied - I think about them seeing what those other merkids are doing and they put a stop to it, saying things like, ‘Leave Azul alone! He’s not a pathetic little octo-twerp!’” Azul turned to his mother again, his tentacles writhing with excitement, “So, to be ready to meet them, I’ve been working to increase my knowledge - I want to be so powerful like the great Sea Witch herself that my soulmate will know who I am by sight alone! I’ve studied every book I could get my hands on and have memorized every single potion recipe there is available - even learning how to improve its effects and prolong them even! I’ve even studied every law text there is in the Atlantica public library - I have every law memorized word for word.”

His mother sighed, running a hand through her silvery locks, the motions creating little bubbles that appeared as she let out a sigh, “Azul, there’s something you should know-”

“As for the sneaking out,” Azul continued, throwing his hands behind his back as his fingers twisted together while he rocked back and forth on the edges of his eight appendages, “I was searching for my soulmate. I don’t know if they are here in the Coral Sea or not-”

“Azul, please listen to me-”

“But I wanted to see if I could find them. The first few nights after learning about their existence, I was having trouble sleeping - so I started doing a short swim to clear my head. I promise I wasn’t going too far away from the house! However, on those walks, it got me thinking that maybe instead of sleeping, I should be searching for them. There was no better use of my time than to strive for a better life with someone who must sense my loneliness like I sensed theirs…”

“...If they weren’t so rare, baby.”

Azul snapped to attention, his eyes wide, “W-What?”

His mother rested one hand on her knees while the other rubbed at her forehead, “Zully, I know and understand your longing to belong and to have a friend - trust me, I’ve been there. However, you can’t fixate on a single being that you hope to encounter at some point in your life. Finding that so-called ‘other half’ is like - well - like the story of the mermaid princess and her longing to be with a human. It’s a rare occurrence that only happens once in a millennium if not longer. Many times, people - humans, fae, and merfolk alike - often settle for someone they are content and happy with, someone that isn’t their other half.”

Azul stared in shock, inky tears threatening to spill down his chubby cheeks, as his hands balled into fists, “No! No! That isn’t true! What about you and daddy when he was alive?! Both of you were soulmates!”

“No we weren’t… At least, I don’t think we were,” Azul’s mother came forward, resting a hand gingerly on her son’s shoulder, “Anyone can be happy with or without their soulmate, Azul. There’s no reason you should go to such lengths to be with someone who may not even exist. You may not even meet them in this lifetime, either…”

“THAT’S NOT TRUE!” Azul pushed her away, anger bubbling up as his tentacles writhed in anger, his vision becoming blurry as ink spilled down his face as he snapped at his mother and guardian, “HOW DARE YOU!? You DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT the CONNECTION BETWEEN SOULMATES! THEY FEEL AS I FEEL! THAT CONNECTION IS WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE!! An UNBREAKABLE BOND that CAN NEVER BE SEVERED!! And how DARE you CHEAT on your OWN SOULMATE!”

“Azul! Now wait a minute!” his mother raised her voice, “I’ve been around the bend a few more times than you have and know about these sorts of things. I WILL NOT ALLOW this behavior to continue in my house!”

“Fine! Then I’ll leave!”

“Azul! Where are you going?! Azul!!”

But the little cecaelia was gone, swimming as fast as he could away from his mother’s typically loving embrace.

‘How could she?!’ he mind was running as he sped up to get further and further away from his home, ‘How could she say that? Why momma… why?!’

He was sniffing hard when he arrived at his hidden octopot, big ugly fat tears of black rolling down his chubby cheeks while mucus dribbled down his nose, running into his open mouth as he gasped out big grotesque sobs. He pulled himself along enough to climb into the pot, his appendages pulling him into the confined space as comfort slowly surrounded his shaking form. One tentacle came forward, wiping at the tears in his eyes as Azul allowed his hearts to calm down.

He wrapped his arms around himself as he looked out into the darkness of the Coral Sea; the pale moonlight reflected off the caverns that surround Azul’s hiding spot, the water growing colder and colder with each passing hour as several sea creatures passed over - not that Azul noticed though. Normally, he would have been interested in what creatures came out at night - but the words his mother spoke forced a jolt of pain on all three of his hearts.

“You can’t fixate on a single being that you hope to encounter at some point in your life,” her words echoed in his mind over and over, “Finding that so-called ‘other half’ is like - well - like the story of the mermaid princess and her longing to be with a human. It’s a rare occurrence that only happens once in a millennium if not longer. Anyone can be happy with or without their soulmate, Azul. There’s no reason you should go to such lengths to be with someone who may not even exist…”

‘What if she’s right?’ he thought, his tentacles tightening around his body, ‘What if I never find them? What if they think the same way she does? What if… what if they’ve already been taken from me?!’

His eyes narrowed as a darkness slowly filled them, glaring out into the cruel twisted world from the darkness of his octopot. No, even if his soulmate was already claimed he would’ve known - he would know if they were, he’d felt it; the tangling of another soul within his if his other half were to be mated to another without his consent. However, that hadn’t happened yet.

…for now.

Azul curled deeper into himself, his thoughts growing darker and darker as he made plans to continue his search for his other half; his beloved soulmate. He wouldn’t give up the search, even if he died trying. He wanted to see them; see what they looked like and to hear their sweet voice, to feel a sense of belonging… to protect what was rightfully his.

***

I'd never imagined before that the world could be turned on its head

I'd never have thought to be here in this place

I'd never have dreamt that in love I'd be lost and so easily led

I guess I was caught by that hint of a smile on her face

***

“Azul-chan, are we almost finished here?” a figure on the cecaelian’s left muttered, “I’m bored.”

“Floyd,” the figure on Azul’s right spoke up, murmuring and pressing a finger to his lips, “There are still some students that need to be housed. Just be a little bit more patient.”

“Speaking of which,” Azul eyed the two carefully, “Any news from our sources, Jade?”

“It’s rather difficult to track down something when we ourselves don’t know what we’re looking for,” the second figure - Jade - answered softly, “A description usually helps in these circumstances, Azul.”

“Perhaps,” the cecaelian shrugged indifferently, “however, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what I’m looking for, myself.”

The two second-in-commands looked at each other, confusion crossing their features.

Ten years had passed slowly since that terrible day when Azul’s mother planted the first seeds of doubt into her son’s head, her chiding and the doubts never leaving him completely. However, that did not stop him from continuing his search for his other half - exhausting himself beyond belief. By the time Azul was twelve - nearly five years following his discovery of the existence of soulmates - he had searched every crevice of the Coral Sea with no luck; it was also around this time that he met the Leech twins - Floyd and Jade.

Jade was the oldest of the two by a few minutes and was very resourceful as well as very soft-spoke and courteous; his younger brother, Floyd, on the other hand was unpredictable due to his mood swings - he could be interested in one thing one minute and grow bored of it the next. The two moray mers had come across Azul during his younger days when they were in the same class together, watching with awe as his eight appendages hovered about his hidden grotto, writing inscriptions on shells and flipping through pages of grimoires. Originally, they weren’t sure what to make of him, but now that they knew about his capabilities from stories they heard about someone granting wishes for a price - the two were now invested in keeping Azul close to their sides.

And vice versa.

Eventually, the question of why he was doing it came up; Azul took the time to explain the story about how he had first learned about soulmates and how he had been searching the past five years for his, eventually coming to the conclusion that his other half was nowhere in the Coral Sea.

“I have searched every nook and cranny of these waters and have yet to find them,” Azul explained, pouring ingredients into a cauldron as he spoke, “Thus, I’m ‘using my resources’ to spread out the search for my other half.”

“So, some of your deals include gathering any information about a particular person whom you’ve never met nor spoken to?” Jade asked, very intrigued by Azul’s train of thought.

“Hah… sound boring,” Floyd chimed in, reclining atop of one of the rocks in the grotto.

“It’s more interesting than it sounds,” Azul answered, popping a cork off a bottle and dumping the contents into the cauldron as the liquid turned from pale pink to eerie green, “besides, the sooner I find them, the better off they’ll be. However, the problem here lies that if they’re not in the Coral Sea - then where are they?”

Neither of the twins could supply an answer.

It was also around this time that Azul’s appearance had also changed. Baby fat melted and hardened into muscle while his gut and belly dissolved into toned skin, chubby cheeks evolved into high cheekbones; his face sharpening into arched brows, thin lips, and a pointed nose - though his eyes, now filled with knowledge and pride, remained the same. Gone was - in Azul’s opinion - the fat crying octo-twerp of his youth as a handsome, defined sea witch stood in his place; a perfect figure that his soulmate would be proud of once they set sights on him.

The dramatic weight-loss and muscle built scared, not only Jade and Floyd, but also his own mother - whom he did speak to on seldom occasions due to her connections as the owner of the Atlantica Grotto Bistro, which was slowly becoming a local hot spot and where Azul worked full time as a waiter and assistant manager. It was also where he would lure unsuspecting victims - mainly those from his youth or clients with means - into signing his newly-perfected golden contracts, sealing their powers away for his own in exchange for whatever it was that they wished for. Of course, Azul’s mother never suspected a thing about her son’s side business - now a bit preoccupied with the courtship of an older squid mer who had slowly made a presence in her life as well as teaching Azul the fundamentals of building his own business.

When Azul, Jade, and Floyd reached the age of sixteen, they were invited to attend Night Raven College - a boys’ prestigious school for young mages. Azul’s mother had been proud of Azul’s accomplishment and Azul, himself, was secretly thankful that he would be given the chance to explore a different world versus hearing things through the grape vines from his sources. It was during his first year of attending that he made a name for himself, following practically in his mother’s and the Sea Witch’s footsteps; he was now the headwarden and the owner of the Mostro Lounge that his dorm - Octavinelle - operated on the school property. He also was the student others went to when they needed help or had a wish that only he could grant. Jade and Floyd both helped as well, taking his place into luring potential clients into his clutches.

Now, the three of them were entering their second year at NRC - and Azul was barely hanging on by a thread. For the past year on land - thanks to the potion he created that would allow himself, Jade, and Floyd to attend the school as humans - Azul had used his network of informants to extend his search for his other half.

He never forgot the promise he made to continue his search for his soulmate - the contracts were just a starting point to his grand scheme for searching for the person who would love and cherish him as no other could. By building a name for himself, Azul essentially had been given enough money to spend as much as he pleased for information about any leads and his extensive network of informants were at his beck-and-call should he need them to snoop out any potential tips he heard. He had cleared out both Harveston during winter break the previous year and the Queendom of Roses as well as the Shaftlands the previous summer before he was summoned to return to Night Raven. Sunset Savanna would be next on his list during the winter break this year and he would attempt Briar Valley over the summer.

But even that wasn't soon enough it seemed.

Azul’s spirit was practically crying out with each failed search, lead, and tip - nearly to the point that his soul was exhausted and he found himself hearing his mother’s chiding words in his inner ear again. But he was stubborn - incredibly so; and he made plans before leaving his home city again to extend any knowledge to him from outside the school’s barriers.

Azul sighed as the last first year was placed into their dorm, forcing a smile as he addressed his new students, crossing his arms over his chest, "New students! I congratulate you on your achievement. As the dorm head of Octavinelle, I am honored to have the opportunity to support you in what I hope will be a fulfilling campus experience.”

"Hey, does anyone know where the headmage went?" Azul arched his brow as the dorm head of Pomefiore, Vil Schoenheit, spoke, “He disappeared midway through the ceremony…”

"Some headmage he is," Idia Shroud, the head of Ignihyde, grumbled from his tablet that hovered in the chamber.

"Maybe he had a tummy ache?" the ever naive dorm head of Scarabia - Kalim Al-Asim - asked with a shrug.

The doors burst open as the head mage himself appeared, shouting, "I most certainly did not!"

"Ah, speak of the devil," Riddle Rosehearts, the dorm head of Heartslabyul, grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If you must know," the headmage continued, pulling a cloaked figure along with him, their slender wrist tight in his grasp, "I was searching for the new student who failed to show for orientation. Come along, you are the only one who hasn't been assigned to a dorm - step up to the dark mirror and be quick about it. I'll hold onto your weasel."

Azul watched as the headmage pulled the figure along, causing them to stumble slightly, before he released them. The cloaked figure lifted their head, taking a tentative step towards the mirror as the headmage held tightly onto another being - a little gray cat creature with burning fire in his ears with eyes wider than saucer plates. Something about the shy figure had drawn Azul utmost attention as they stood before the dark mirror.

“State your name,” the mirror spoke, its voice deep and dark.

“I’m (Y/N),” you spoke, so quiet that everyone had to strain to hear them.

“(Y/N)... The nature of your soul is…” the dark mirror hesitated, narrowing its pitch-black eyes before announcing, “...unclear to me.”

“What did you just say?” the headmage crossed his arms over his chest as a murmur rippled through the crowd.

“I sense no magical power from this one,” the dark mirror answered, voice grim, “Soundless. Colorless. Shapeless. Utterly vacant… Therefore, no dorm would be appropriate.”

With his final answer, the headmage let out a cry, “Are you suggesting the black carriage went to recieve a person who cannot even use magic?! That is absurd! The student selection process has not erred once in its century of existence!”

As head headmage continued to squawk in surprise, Azul nearly felt his heart stop in his chest when you looked in his direction.

As soon as your eyes locked with his, Azul knew.

His soulmate was here.

You were a pretty (h/c) with tints of (f/c) weaved into locks that framed your soft features hidden under the black and gold hood of the ceremonial robe you wore, the exotic eyes of (e/c) filled with wonder and surprise - with an underlying hint of fear, likely due to the shock of being called ‘abnormal’ by a piece of looking-glass. You looked about a few inches shorter than him - a perfect height for him to rest his chin upon your head - as a pleasant pink painted your cheeks, turning them into red delicious apples that tempted Azul to take a bite, and your jaw dropped slightly, lips parting with surprise.

Azul knew that you could feel the strong connection between your two souls - the pull he had searched the past decade for finally presenting itself in the shape of you. He found himself unable to look away, staring at you with quiet longing and lovestruck clearly written across his features.

“Azul?” Jade snickered, “What is-”

“I think octy just found what he was lookin’ for, Jade,” Floyd snickered, his eyes shifting between the startled first-year and their lovestruck boss.

“I quite agree,” Jade’s voice came out sickly smooth as his eyes shifted between the three of them, “this has just gotten interesting…”

Azul hardly noticed though the twins’ snickers in his ears, his thoughts were already running wild with ideas of how he wanted to spoil you - his found other half, his precious mate.

The problem now was that you were a non-magic user and a female to boot - nevermind that you had just been put on display like an exotic animal. The whispers that echoed in the chamber forced you to look away from the lovestruck second-year, your body quivering with fear and unease as he himself was brought back to reality.

‘How DARE they insult her while in my presence?’ Azul felt a growl bubble up in the back of his throat, his pale blues shifting from the crowd to his mate to the headmage and back again as his hands curled into fists under the sleeves of his cloak, ‘And how DARE the dark mirror put (Y/N) in this situation!’

“Headwardens,” the headmage’s voice echoed in the chamber, silencing every whisper as he took control of the situation, “please escort your students back to the dorms as the orientation is now complete.”

“What about (Y/N)?” the voice of Coach Vargas spoke up, “Surely you are not expecting someone like her to remain here?”

‘And you’re first on the list of people who will suffer my wrath for saying something so hostile to my mate,’ Azul thought, thinking of what the best way would be to attack the coach indirectly.

“This is a most unfortunate turn of events, yes,” the headmage agreed, tapping his chin in thought, “Due to you being female and that you are a non-magic user, I’m afraid I cannot allow you to attend Night Raven College. You seem like an amicable young lady, however this is an all-boy’s school and I cannot admit a student - male or female - with no magical ability. But fear not, the dark mirror will see you safely home.”

‘NO! You CAN’T!’ Azul was barely holding himself together at this point - he had just found his soulmate and now the world wanted the two of them to be separated forever?! He would not allow it!

Before he could act on impulse, the mirror’s deep voice echoed in the chamber, “There is no such place.”

“What?!” Crowley squawked again as murmurs rose from the crowd yet again.

“There is no place in this world where this soul belongs,” the dark mirror answered again, “None.”

“H-How can that be?!” Crowley asked, his hands shaking with an inner rage, “My, but today is a veritable cavalcade of impossible phenomena! This has never happened throughout my long tenure. I must confess I am at something of a loss.”

Azul could sense the sadness radiating from his mate as well. Were you disappointed that you couldn’t return from wherever you had come from? And if so, why would you want to go back if now you knew of his existence?

Perhaps a little persuasion was needed…

Azul smiled darkly, before taking a step forward, clearing his throat, “Headmage Crowley, I understand that all of us are at a loss of what to do with our strange guest - however, may I offer a solution to our little problem?”

“Master Ashengrotto,” Headmage Crowley crossed his arms over his chest, “I’m not certain what you mean. We must send (Y/N) back to where they came from.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” Azul countered, shrugging while keeping his eyes trained on the headmage while he faked a painful look, “It is easy to return us to our homes, but we have no idea where she comes from - or if we can even get her back.”

“T-There must be a way though… right?” you spoke up, your eyes pleading with Azul’s.

“I hate to agree with Azul, but he’s right,” a tan-skinned, dark-haired figure spoke up, “If this herbivore is from another world entirely, the chances of getting them back are slim to none.”

“Leona is quite right on the money with that one,” Vil answered with a nod.

Azul smiled, knowing that the ripples of shock and disbelief were now falling onto the headmage for being incompetent in dealing with this matter. He couldn’t turn (Y/N) away now that Azul had spoken up with two additional dorm heads also taking his side.

“What do you propose then?” Headmage Crowley asked, eyeing the headwarden of Octavinelle uneasily.

“Octavinelle, as I’m sure you remember, has plenty of rooms for rent,” Azul answered, turning to (Y/N) with a reassuring smile, “As the dorm head, I will gladly take (Y/N) into my dorm where she can stay during her time here. If she’s agreeable, she can work within the Mostro Lounge to pay for a place to sleep and to have food in her belly.”

“I’m not sure, Master Ashengrotto…” Crowley spoke, rubbing his chin with a clawed gloved hand, “a single woman in a dorm filled with boys is highly improper…”

“Improper would be the term used for the predicament your so-called black carriage put you in,” Azul snipped, his eyes flashing dangerously at the headmage, “Besides - the rooms we rent are on the opposite side of the aquarium in our dorm, quite a ways away from the rooms the dorm members reside in for that particular purpose. We also have security within our dorm and I’m usually the one to deal with matters of… problematic nature.”

“Perhaps, however-”

“Consider it one less problem on your plate as well. If (Y/N) is brought to my dorm, I will take full responsibility for her - and I might be able to find a way to get her home in the process as well.”

“You what?” your eyes widen with hope, your hand reaching out and clasping the edge of his robe.

“I have an endless network of resources at my disposal, my dear - I can likely find you a quicker way to get home than you can with anyone else here,” Azul answered confidently, thinking, ‘Though you won’t know that since I found you. I’ve searched high and low for you, I’ll be damned if I let you slip from my grasp so easily.’

“Very well then,” Headmage Crowley let out a sigh, “(Y/N), are you agreeable with staying with the Octavinelle dorm and working at the Mostro Lounge until Master Ashengrotto can find a way to return you to your world?”

“Of course! Thank you so much, Mr. Ashengrotto!” you beamed with joy.

“Azul,” the dorm head answered with a nod, “please, call me Azul.”

“Azul, then.”

The human-cecaelian smiled sweetly at his soulmate and offered an arm out, his hearts practically bursting with joy when you slipped your own arm through his - the two of you now link together via soul and side by side.

***

Azul brought you to the Octavinelle’s renting dorm after ordering Jade and Floyd to start the welcoming party for the first years as well as to get them ready for tomorrow night.

“Do what you need to do,” Azul smiled at the two.

“Of course.”

“You got it, boss!”

When the two of them were out of earshot, you looked up at Azul, “Thank you so much for your help back there. I wasn’t certain what was going to happen if you hadn’t stepped in.”

“Likely the headmage would have thrown you out of the college and left you to fend for yourself,” Azul smiled, “but I, on the other hand, would never allow something so pitifully disgusting happen to you.”

You giggled, the sound pulling on Azul’s heartstrings.

‘She’s here, she’s real,’ his thoughts quickened as the two continued their leisurely pace, ‘I knew that she was real, that she and I would meet. It will only be a matter of time now - once she confesses her feelings for me, I will make her mine.’

The two stopped outside one of the doors, Azul pulled out a key ring and unlocked it before ushering his soulmate inside.

“You can stay here,” Azul answered, peering around and wishing that it was cleaner than it was now, “There’s spare blankets in the closet in case you get cold during the night and fresh towels in the bathroom. I’ll have Jade or Floyd bring you a spare pair of clothing since you’ve brought nothing with you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to…”

“I insist,” Azul answered, “What sort of host would I be if I didn’t provide the best service?”

You giggled again, your smile even wider, “Well, thank you again Azul.”

Each time you spoke his name, Azul’s heart gave a leap of joy.

He coughed, blushing slightly, “W-Well then, should you need anything during your time here, just let me know.”

“Of course, but - may I ask a question?”

“You already have,” Azul snickered at you.

Your pout was adorable that Azul burst into laughter before you asked, “Why were you willing to help me? A complete stranger?”

“I have a gift for sensing someone in need,” Azul answered, his grin spreading wider over his features, “I have helped many poor unfortunate souls in my short lifetime and intend on continuing to offer my services in exchange for something.”

“What sort of payment?”

“Depends - but it isn’t something you should worry about. I like to keep a few things in my personal life private - regardless of my relationships with other people.”

“Of course, I can respect that.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Azul reached out, pushing the hood down and stroking your soft hair gently, “Why don’t you rest now? I have to attend the welcome party for the new students and make sure no one is destroying anything in my absence. I will have Jade or Floyd bring you something to eat in a little bit along with that fresh change of clothes. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss our contract.”

“Contract?”

“I always have my employees sign a business contract before they begin work - regardless how long they work in the lounge for,” Azul answered, “It helps to have things in writing when dealing with problems later down the road.”

With a nod, you grinned, “Thank you again, Azul-san.”

The cecaelia couldn’t help himself as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to your forehead before pulling away and leaving his other half to stare at him in shock and surprise.

When the door clicked behind him, Azul pulled the keyring out and locked the door to prevent anyone from entering and you from leaving. His eyes gleamed menacingly in the low light as a black gloved hand stroked the doorframe gently.

‘At last… you’re here with me, my precious pearl. Forgive me, but now that I have seen you… I can never let you go…’

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