Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Summary: Vil, Rook, and (Y/n) are a poly relationship in Pomefiore and all third years. Not that anyone knows yet. With the arrival of Epel, (Y/n) practically jumps at taking them under their wing and where (Y/n) goes, Vil and Rook tend to follow.

.-.

Epel doesn’t know how he got into this situation. He wanted any dorm but Pomefiore and the mirror had to sort him into the dorm he wanted nothing to do with. Grace, elegance, beauty… why couldn’t have been Savannaclaw? He was manly! And of course it had to get worse…

After entering the dorm, Epel quickly learned of the trio of third years. Vil Schonheit, the Housewarden, Rook Hunt, the Vice Housewarden, and (Y/n) Trein, the grandchild of Mozus Trein. Vil was obviously the strictest and Rook had his own duties as Vice Housewarden, but Epel couldn’t figure out what (Y/n) was doing hanging around them. They were the most lax out of the three, but Vil listened to the other third year. (Y/n) was able to reel Vil in if he was too much.

Epel was now getting his answer. The lilac haired boy was studying in the library when seemingly out of nowhere all three of them rounded the corner. (Y/n) looked a little… upset, which was rare for them. Epel did the normal thing and eavesdropped on their conversation.

“Look- all I’m saying is that Epel is fine. Remember how Rook was when he transferred to Pomefiore?” The third year ranted to Vil, nudging their head in Rook’s direction, who shrugged his shoulders innocently.

“Souverain des Chat(e) has a point. Monsieur Pommette will grow into himself, we simply must wait.” Rook backed up as the trio stopped walking and (Y/n) leaned against a bookshelf, Rook leaning on their shoulder as Vil sighed. Epel was hiding behind a bookshelf a little ways away. They were talking about him!

“Rook was a completely different case, he wanted to be here. Epel has no respect for Pomefiore and-! And his speech is completely unelegant!" Vil argued back, a hand coming to frail around. (Y/n) sighed and gently took Vil’s hand.

“I understand you want him to succeed in your own way, but I feel like you are being a bit… much about this.” The third year informed and Epel almost lost his mind. Here was (Y/n), holding Vil’s hand with such grace and an aura of calmness all while giving him criticism! How were they still standing? Why was Vil not pulling his hand away and-

Vil was… smiling. Not a full grin, but a soft smile reserved for someone you truly cared about. His gaze softened and it seemed his foul mood disappeared. “I suppose you are right, (Y/n),” the Housewarden declared and Epel felt his soul leave his body. He clung to the bookshelf he was hiding behind in amazement. Who was (Y/n) Trein? How did they get this power?

The amazement didn’t last for long though. While Vil and (Y/n) were holding hands, Rook seemed to catch on to the trio being watched. One moment the blond was standing there, smiling fondly at the other two, the next be was behind Epel.

“Monsieur Pommette, searching for a book?”

The scream is what attracted the other two third years over to Epel’s hiding spot. Now all three of the Pomefiore third years were staring down Epel. Vil with a look of annoyance, Rook with a look of amusement, and (Y/n) with a look of concern. Epel thought about lying to all three of them and saying he got lost looking for a book. The library was really big and Rook had already provided that excuse for him.

“Were you three talking about me?” Was what Epel decided to go with though. He knew they had been talking about him, he had been hiding and listening in to most of the conversation. While the trio glanced among themselves, (Y/n) stepped forward.

“We were, I apologize, Epel. Vil has been concerned about how you are faring in Pomefiore. We understand this isn’t where you wanted to be.” The third year opened with before he broke into a kind smile. “That’s why, instead of Vil taking you under his wing, I will take you under mine. Give me a month and if you still despise Pomefiore, we will help you transfer dorms.” Epel couldn’t believe it. He could change dorms? Was that possible? Vil and Rook seemed to be in agreement and judging by the conversation earlier, Rook had been in another dorm before Pomefiore.

“Deal!”

.-.

(Y/n) had said to meet them outside for their first lesson in Pomefiore, that’s at least what Rook was calling it. Epel felt silly standing outside and-

What’s that sound? Is that- Is that (Y/n) on a blastcycle? Epel watched as the third year skirted to a stop in front of him with a huge grin on their face. Even in the Pomefiore dorm uniform they looked so cool and even riding a blastcycle they looked elegant. They quickly flipped the bike off and stood up, dusting the dirt off of them.

“Good afternoon, Epel. One of the key principles of Pomefiore is elegance, so that will be what we are discussing today.” The third year explained as they motioned to the blastcycle. “Which we will be doing in a way you can understand. Manliness. Please get on the bike.” Such an open statement that then leads to (Y/N) staring at them for ten minutes at the very least. It was a little creepy.

“Epel, are you aware that you are copying how I sat on the blastcycle?” The third year informed with a smirk as they finally moved to stand in front of the blastcycle. “While you praise how manly you are, I have been told the way I ride is ‘girly’.” They went on to explain as they looked up towards the stairs. “Or well- Vil calls it elegant.”

“Because it is. You are the only person I know that makes that dreadful hobby endearing.”

(Y/n) didn’t even look, but Epel snapped his head in the direction the third year had been staring in. Out of the entrance to the school walked Vil, closely followed behind Rook. “Why are you two here?” The first year hissed out, feeling like he was being set up. He thought it would be easy to push (Y/n) over and get out of Pomefiore quickly.

“Whereever notre amour goes we follow!” Rook declared passionately from behind Vil, leading to (Y/n) bashfully looking away. “You two are… not helping.” The poor third year muttered as he turned back to Epel.

“My point is- Elegance comes naturally to you, whether you like it or not. Pomefiore will help you sharpen this tool, use it to your advantage. It would be rather manly to have a weapon that is simply yourself, don’t you think?” (Y/n) titled their head as they spoke, almost like they were addressing a child. Epel had flashbacks to his elementary school teachers. The thing was though- the third year was making sense. Sure, he was smaller and more feminine, but wouldn’t it be manly to use it to his advantage?

Instead of responding back to the third year, Epel decided to ask his own question:

“Why did Rook call you ‘notre amour’? Doesn’t that mean some form of love?” Rook’s eyes lit up at the question while Vil sighed. And poor (Y/n) had to practically stand in front of Epel as the blond ran over.

“I was not aware you knew French, Monsieur Pommette! Incroyable!” The huntsman was yelling excitedly while (Y/n) was pushing him away. “T-that’s not important. What is important is this lesson. Vil, Rook, you two are being distractions and-”

“Nonsense, we simply worry about you, darling. You extend yourself too much.” Vil called out as he walked over to the three, gently putting a hand on Rook’s shoulder, calling the huntsman off. “You have taken Epel under your wing, we know how you are when mentoring.” The third year crossed their arms as they glared at the House Warden, there was no heat in their eyes though. Epel was glancing at all three of them now, his suspicion high.

Then it hit him.

“Are you all… together?” The first year asked hesitantly. There were a lot of different reactions. Rook’s green eyes lit up excitedly as he began speaking in French rapidly, delighted that someone had caught on. Vil did not look bothered nor surprised in the slightest, but there was a gleam in his purple eyes. However, poor (Y/n) looked practically mortified at Epel’s question, but they did look happy, slightly. A soft blush was creeping across their face and they turned towards the blondes.

“We are, I trust that is not an issue for you? After all, (Y/n) has taken quite an interest in your development. It would be a shame.” Vil called out, calculated as he stepped in front of his lovers, Rook on his left, smiling with a care in the world, and (Y/n) on the right, quiet. There was no coldness, no threats, but it wasn’t any less intimidating.

“N-no, I was… simply stating my thoughts.” Epel muttered out, rubbing the back of his left arm. (Y/n) caught on and moved past Vil to stand in front of Epel. “Curosity is normal, we are never exactly subtle about it.” They said to the first year, a soft smile on their face. “I ask that you do not spread the news though. You see-”

“(Y/n) has yet to tell their grandfather, for fear of a heart attack.”

“Vil!”

The poor third year simply sighed after calling out the House Warden sharply, who was shrugging like he didn’t say anything wrong. Epel took a deep breath before stepping closer to the third year. This was a student in Pomefiore, a dorm he had wanted nothing to do with. But… They were strong. Loving who they wanted to without consequences, except for their poor grandfather. A story was there. The lavender haired boy had decided that Pomefiore might not be the worst place after all. There were different kinds of strength and aspects of manliness.

“I know it has not been a month, but- I have decided I will stay in Pomefiore.” He declared, a sharp smirk on his face though. “On the condition that all three of you mentor me. After all- what better way to get stronger than the House Warden and Vice-Housewarden? And you, (Y/n), you’re so… manly.”

“Thanks, Epel.”

Rook let out a cheer of excitement as he ran over to wrap his lover in a tight hug. Vil strutted over on his own, lightly patting Epel on the head.

“It will be like we are les parents!” The huntsman called out, a wide smile as (Y/n) had their own fond smile. “I highly doubt that, Rook.” Vil sighed as he walked over to the other two, but he had his own smirk on his face. “I’m sure (Y/n) will undoubtedly adopt Epel towards the end of the year though.”

“I picked up one first year last term and now I will never hear the end of it.”

“Never~.”

Chapter Text

“What’s up with him?” Ace asked as he leaned back on his sofa in the Monstra Lounge. Floyd followed Ace’s eyes to where his brother was standing with that smile he always had but… a different look in his eyes. Jade had been easily irritated all day and even snarling at Floyd if the twin got too close.

“He’s seeing Sharky soon.” Floyd responded with an annoyed sigh as he joined Ace on the sofa. Azul could yell at him about it later, this was more interesting. “Sharky?” Of course, Ace had no idea who that nickname belonged to. And Floyd wasn’t going to out right tell him.

“Oh yeah, Jade and Sharky go waaaay back! It’s early fall, so Jade misses them even more.” The eel snickered out as the two watched Jade snap at a poor first year who had accidentally bumped into him. It wasn’t violent, just the fall of his smile for a second as he said something to the student and watched as they went pale. The first year ran off quickly and Jade’s smile was back.

“Dude- I’ve never seen him like this.” Ace shivered as he pulled the menu up to his face, not wanting Jade to catch on that he was being observed. Floyd leaned on Ace as he smirked and looked back at his brother. “He only gets like this for a week and only at the start of fall.”

“What- is it mating season or something?” Ace decided to tease, to which Floyd gave the Heartsyabul student a blank stare. “Oh shit- really? Does that mean Sharky is like- his lover or something?” Floyd didn’t answer, but someone else did.

“(Y/n) is indeed my lover. I would appreciate it if you stopped speculating about my mood and its causes.” Jade spoke clearly as he glared at both Ace and Floyd. “And you are supposed to be working.”

“Ugh! What a buzzkill! You always suck before you go and see your shark!”

“Floyd.”

“I’m going, I’m going.”

With Floyd and Jade leaving, Ace decided he didn’t want to order anything today after all. He had the sudden urge to actually do homework, Riddle would be proud.

.-.

Students all over the world were overjoyed for the weekend. Two days with no classes and free time? Night Raven College students would go down to the town and shop, or work, while hanging out with friends. The Monstra Lounge would open in the evening and there would be a large rush of students coming back to campus to their frequent spot.

Jade spent this weekend sitting by the sea, one of the nice things about living on an island. The eel had a basket filled with different mushrooms as he watched the waves. Every second week of the month, a certain shark was migrating these waters. The Dwarf Lanternshark that had Jade’s heart in their clawed hands.

And right on time. A few moments after Jade had arrived a head peaked out from the waves, searching for their eels.

“Jade!”

The shark swam over to the shore while Jade dashed down to meet his lover. (Y/n)’s family did not have the money to buy their child a transformation potion, so they stayed in the sea, herding schools of fish through the oceans. Every second week of the month the school of fish hid out by the Sage Isle’s waters. Jade wasn’t complaining.

“Truffle... You have a new scar on your nose.” The eel reported as he crouched down to cup the shark’s cheek, tenderly rubbing a thumb over his lover’s nose. (Y/n) chuckled and leaned into the touch. “Yeah, I ran into a trigger fish about two weeks ago. You know how it goes.” The shark shrugged as they made sure their fish weren’t going too far out in the sea.

“How has school been? Azul and Floyd doing well?” (Y/n) asked as they extended their hand to Jade with a kind smile. “Lessons have been fine, Azul is more stressed than normal for some reason and Floyd has been himself. I brought you mushrooms.” (Y/n) took the mushrooms that were offered and began to pack them into their satchel on their hip. “They are all new too! You always find the best ones. Now- are you actually going to get in the water now?” The shark snickered as they extended their clawed hand again to the eel. With a playful roll of his eyes, Jade did take (Y/n)’s hand this time and was pulled into the water.

Jade didn’t waste any time as he switched into his merform, circling around his lover. On the surface, it was always harder to see new details in the lanternshark. The freckles that adored (Y/n)’s shoulders never glowed unless you were under the water. They were also the smallest shark species in the ocean, but Jade loved them for it. Easy to squeeze. Not that Jade squeezed (Y/n) that often, only certain times of the year.

“I swear, you get taller every time I see you.” The shark muttered as they watched their lover. Jade swam over closer, wrapping their tail around their shark’s own tail. “Maybe you’re getting smaller.” Was the eel’s retort, a smirk on his face. (Y/n) huffed, but there wasn’t any real annoyance behind it as they wrapped their own tail around Jade’s.

The two stayed like that for a while. They did see each other every month, but sometimes a few moments simply being wrapped around each other was what they truly needed. A few of (Y/n)’s fish swam over and inspected Jade before swimming back out into the open water.

“Are you missing a fish, my love?” (Y/n)’s shoulders slumped a little and they frowned, a sadness in their ocean tinted eyes. It was obvious the answer was yes and the shark simply didn’t want to talk about it.

“I had to rest three days ago and a tiger shark got one. It’s been… getting harder being this close to the surface.” Dwarf lantern sharks are native to a specific region of the Coral Sea and tend to stick to deeper waters. (Y/n)’s family lived towards the bottom of the sea and had sent (Y/n) themself to school closer to the surface. That’s where they had met Jade after all.

But- (Y/n) wasn’t meant to live this close to the surface full time, nor travel as far as they did. Of course it was getting harder for them to stay awake and stay healthy.

Jade leaned his forehead against his shark’s with a soft sigh. “You could always come on land. I’ve made more than enough in the Lounge to afford the potion for you,” the eel was practically begging at this point, having offered this exact situation to (Y/n) every month. “(Y/n), this is getting dangerous.”

“I… Jade- I have no magical talent. There is no reason for me to live on the surface, all my business is down here. My fish and family-”

“I’m on the surface.”

“Jade-”

The eel leaned away from (Y/n) to instead grab both of the shark’s hands, a pleading look in his eyes. A completely different way of carrying himself than normal, none of his snark or confidence was present.

“You’re going to die doing this, (Y/n). Either come onto land with me or go home.” Jade’s tone was sharp, but he knew if he wasn’t (Y/n) wouldn’t take him seriously. The shark’s smile dropped as their eyes glanced down towards their tail. In the two years they have been doing this routine, Jade had never once been concerned. Then again, in the two years (Y/n) hadn't had their glowing fade nor their brown turn into a yellowish tone. The shark’s health was failing, they simply didn’t want to acknowledge it.

And Jade couldn’t take it anymore.

The eel gripped his lover’s hands tighter, accidentally nicking the scales and causing blood to float up.

“Please… (Y/n), look at yourself. Let me do this for you.”

The shark glanced back at their fish, their joy for the past two years, minus Jade. It had been a family craft, minding the schools, the shark had simply taken it too far. Leaving home to let the fish go where they please, staying close to the surface. Maybe it was to see Jade as well, the shark did not do distance well.

“You’re right, you always are. I-” What would (Y/n) even do? The ocean was all they knew, never once even imaging going to the surface. But the shark didn’t want to go home. It wouldn't be the same without Jade. The surface would have Jade.

“You… have the potion on you right now, don’t you?” (Y/n) turned back to Jade, a fond shake of their head at the eel’s triumphant smile. “You know me so well.”

.-.

“No.”

Jade glared at Azul as he held (Y/n) who was no longer a shark. They gave a small wave to the octopus who simply sighed as he ran a hand down his face.

“Holy shit- It’s Sharky! With legs!”

“Thank you, Floyd. I had no idea.”

Jade walked to the other side of the office and set a still soaking wet (Y/n) on the couch, who was also wrapped in Jade’s school blazer. Why did he have it on a weekend, who knew? Maybe for this exact scenario. The eel then walked back to the front of Azul’s desk where the octopus was sitting down, face in his hands, Floyd hanging on the side of the desk.

“Azul, it will only be temporary until I can teach (Y/n) to walk and gather the legal identification.” Jade insisted while Azul’s head snapped back up. “I already have Crowley down here every day. Housing a non-student in the dorm? It’s begging him to close down the Lounge.”

“Just have Sharky work the Lounge. Say they are from out of town.” Floyd responded as he had suddenly moved to the couch (Y/n) was on, poking the shark’s cheek. “We’d get more customers too, they have that kinda charm to them. Everyone is attracted to freckles.”

“Floyd.”

“Yeesh- sorry. Trying to help you two.”

Azul lightly tapped his desk, drawing everyone’s attention back to the main focus of the discussion. “While it would be good for business, Jade stop glaring at me, there is the problem with the identification.” The octopus smirked, feeling victorious, having thought he won the arrangement.

(Y/n) brought themselves up from the couch and wobbled over to stand beside the desk, keeping themselves up by clinging to the wood. “Azul, we are childhood friends and this is how you treat me? Like a burden?” The shark was making themselves look more pitiful. After all, with Jade as a boyfriend, you learn a thing or two about getting your way. And Azul knew it.

“Fine! All of you just leave me alone! (Y/n), you better stay hidden.”

“Won’t hear a peep from me.”

“I’ll… find a way to get your legal identification. And then you’re out of here!”

“Thank you, Azul~.”

The octopus crossed his arms with an annoyed blush on his face as Jade came up behind (Y/n), scooping up his shark. The two lovers flashed matching sharp smiles towards Azul, who waved them off.

“You three are all sharing a room! I don’t want anything happening, especially with Jade’s cycle.”

“We’ll kick Floyd out.”

“You kick your brother out, I kick your lover out!”

Chapter Text

“The humans are in the trees, do not doubt them simply because they do not possess magic. I want archers in the back and shields in the front!”

“Yes, General!”

Lilia Vanrouge would not take any chances. There was too much at stake. Meleanor was already dead, leaving the fae in charge of Malleus. The prince was still a hatchling, a baby dragon. Lila had no idea what he was doing, so he had given the prince to his grandmother. The fae still dropped by to see the hatchling, but… Malleus was a weak child. He was supposed to live on to rule some day. Would their kingdom live to see another day if Malleus fell?

Lilia would make sure the prince would stay safe. For Meleanor. For… Raverne.

The humans were not very good at hiding themselves, but then again, the forest was their home, the fae knew how to detect any sign of movement. With their shiny armor, it was easy to see in the dark, no light needed as the archers were quick to take out the enemies. However, Lilia noted a figure moving like the night itself. A human in midnight black armor holding a white blanket, sprinting faster than arrows were flying.

Lilia locked in on the enemy and ran in. It was relatively easy to take out the knight, humans were quick to fall after all. As the human landed on their back, they made sure to shield the blanket with their body, curling over it.

“Take my life, but please- spare him!” They cried out, voice filled with tears as the human curled around the blanket more. A small cry could be heard and the blanket wiggled. An infant.

Lilia used his sword to tilt the soldier’s head up, revealing both tear filled eyes and the sniffling babe in their arms. The fae was a lot of things, but he didn’t consider himself a monster. The Fae General was receiving flash backs to his dear friend’s death as well. How he had cradled Malleus in his arms, tears falling down his own face. It was all too familiar and he did not like it at all.

With a sigh, the fae lowered the sword, jerking his head in the direction away from the battle.

“Take the infant and run. Do not mistake my mercy for kindness, human.”

At least the knight was smart. They gathered themselves quickly, checking on the baby in their arms, before sprinting into the night. The armor certainly helped them blend in.

The human didn’t look back, but Lilia would never admit that he had been watching them run to safety.

.-.

It was the human again, from the night a week ago. There was no infant in their arms, no squirming blanket. Has the babe been lost? Hopefully not.

Their black helmet was off, resting against their hip while their back was to the tree Lilia was hiding in. How had this knight survived for so long? Not even noticing an enemy directly above them. Shameful.

However, their focus was divided on something else. A small book was in the knight’s hands, it looked as if it was made of leather. How foolish. That would not be enough to protect the paper from the elements. I would need a charm or some other form of protection if the human wished for it to last. Perhaps it was battle plans, Lilia was a general, he should find out what the humans’ next move will be.

The fae did not bother with being quiet as he landed in front of the midnight knight. At least the human heard him, quickly snapping their head up to see the masked fae. A hand rested where their sword shief was, but they did not bring the weapon out. Idoitic.

“What are you working on?” Lilia declared, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched the human. He had a reputation to keep and he needed to be intimidating in order to get information from the knight.

“A… A diary for my nephew.” Was the knight’s response as they awkwardly scratched the back of their neck. The Fae General stepped closer and peered over to take a glance at the pages of the leather book.

“There are images of the forest. Why?” Tactics? A map of the woods so they can ambush Lilia’s forces?

“The woodline is beautiful, I wish for my nephew to read my words and see the forest I speak of.” The knight chuckled as he moved the book to show Lilia. The human had indeed captured the forest’s beauty. It looked like the image before the two of them had been transferred to the paper, it was amazing.

“Impressive… for a human, that is. What else can you draw?”

“Point at anything and I can copy it to this journal.”

.-.

They met again, this time the knight was by the river, their midnight armor left by the bank as they strolled in, pants rolled up to their knees. Lilia had been watching from the other side, intrigued by the knight’s lack of concern. They never were on guard. Or if they were, it was never when Lilia was around.

“I could kill you where you stand, human.”

“You wouldn’t.”

The fae huffed as he slid down from the rock and stood on the bank of the river. With a defeated sigh, Lilia rolled up his own pants and kicked off his boots, joining the knight in the river. To this day the general could not say why he had followed the human in.

“Are you always this trusting with your enemies?” There was a hint of a smirk in Lilia’s voice, but the human could not make it out from behind the mask the fae wore. Spotting Lilia in the river, the knight splashed over to the fae.

“I would say we are no longer enemies. You spared my life and continue to pop in.” The human smiled, it was a horrible thing, filled with kindness and innocence despite being in the middle of a war. This knight had been a part of the group that had killed Meleanor and here was Lilia, betraying her by standing in the river with the human.

But Lilia could not kill this knight and he had no idea why.

“Hmph. I am simply gathering information from you, human.”

“(Y/n).”

That caught the general off guard. Such a casual drop of the human’s first name with that stupid smile. This wasn’t right. There was a war and-

“Vanrouge.”

The human smiled and then pulled Lilia by the arm over to the other side of the river. They let go a moment after and cupped their hands before letting out a terrible screech. With a wide grin, the knight turned back to the fae.

“You know how people will sing into tunnels and the music will echo back? River’s do the same things with screams. I was never a good singer, but maybe one day they’ll turn screams into songs. What do you think, Vanrouge?”

“You are insane.”

.-.

“You are the Twilight Guard, aren't you?”

(Y/n) had been sharpening their blade as they sat on a nearby tree. Lilia was no longer hiding up in the branches, having begun to sit beside the human after the sixth visit. Lilia swore to himself that each time was the last, but the human was intriguing.

“I am, I thought you always knew. The midnight armor isn’t worn by anyone else.” There was a hint of guilt behind those words. (Y/n) was a person that was always honest, to a fault. Lilia had learned that over the course of their three months of visits.

“Of course I knew, I was simply confirming.” The Fae General huffed as he glanced up at the sky. There were not very many clouds today, the sky was brilliant blue. The sky was always blue when Lilia was with (Y/n). The human swore they didn’t have magic but maybe they were blessed in some way.

“I… I never wanted to be a knight, but my brother needed someone to watch his back. He is too kind for his own good, never suspecting anyone to stab him in the back.”

“Reminds me of someone I know.”

(Y/n) rolled their eyes are Lilia’s jest, a fond smile on their face.

“He’s worse than me. I always believed it was because he’s younger, but… Auroch is simply kinder than I will ever be.”

Behind the mask, Lilia stared at this human. (Y/n) had begged Lilia to take their life, but spare their nephew. They had a diary full of stories and illustrations to give to their nephew one day. The knight had offered their name to Lilia before even knowing the fae’s. Whoever Auroch was did not matter. Lilia believed that (Y/n) was the kinder sibling of the two.

“I highly doubt-”

“Vanrouge, you have something on your mask.”

Now, Lilia never considered himself to be a trickster. But with the way (Y/n) looked at Lilia as they reached to wipe whatever was on his mask off, he did think of a way to mess with the human. Right before contact was made, Lilia made his mask vanish from the bottom up, revealing the smirk on his face.

(Y/n) blinked a few times before their eyes widened, realizing this was the first time the fae had shown his face to the human. The thought process could be seen in their eyes before a small smile etched itself across (Y/n)’s face.

“You are cuter than I thought you were under that mask.”

“I am not cute, the mask is going back on.”

(Y/n) chuckled as the mask did indeed fall back across Lilia’s face, but the human reached over and pressed a soft kiss to the lips of the mask.

“What a shame that I have to fall short then, Vanrouge.”

“Lilia. Please… call me Lilia.”

Is it right to fall in love again?

.-.

“THE DAWN KNIGHT HAS BE KILLED!!”

Cheers were ringing out through the battlefield as the fae overjoyed, having vanquished the strongest enemy they would have to face. It was another step to overtake the castle that was rightfully theirs. Queen Leah was already dead as well, her son having fallen into an endless sleep.

Only Lilia knew that last part though. (Y/n) had shared the news in tears on their last visit. That is how the fae learned who the knight’s brother really was.

The Dawn Knight, who had been killed by Lilia’s troops.

Lilia did not feel the joy his soldiers were experiencing as they side hugged each other. When did they become this? When did they become monsters who celebrated the death of families? What of Meleanor and Malleus? Had the humans celebrated their princess’ death, not knowing the fate of her son?

(Y/n) didn’t.

(Y/n) had been in the castle that night, the night Meleanor was killed. While the Dawn Knight had warned Lilia to save Malleus, it was said the Twilight Guard had knelt down before Meleanor’s body. No one had wanted this.

“We are still in a battle, you fools! The humans will be more rash with their commander dead.” Lilia yelled at the troops, who quickly lost their joy and nodded, moving across the battle field. If they were able to wipe out the remaining troops and-

A scream.

Lilia knew that scream.

He had heard it before in the river.

It wasn’t innocent this time.

Lilia turned sharply and saw the Twilight Guard on their knees, a fae soldier holding a jade blade as they stood over their form. An arm was laying on the ground beside the two, the knight’s arm.

The fae’s feet moved on his own, rushing to save an enemy. He could save them. He wouldn’t be late this time. He would save them.

The soldier was quicker. With one sharp movement, the blade found its way into the Twilight Guard’s chest, right above their heart. Lilia held back a gag as the green blade went straight through the human. Almost as quickly as the fae had struck, the blade was removed. Leaving the human laying on the ground face down, the fae quickly retreating.

“THE TWILIGHT GUARD HAS FALLEN!”

“(Y/N)!!!”

As screams of the battle echoed around them, Lilia shakingly picked up (Y/n). They were breathing weakly, but still alive. Barely. There was a chance.

Lilia’s mask had fallen as he removed (Y/n)’s helmet. Their eyes were too clouded, their skin too pale. Blood was pooling around their body too fast, Lilia pressed a hand to the wound on their chest, trying to put pressure.

“Lilia…”

The remaining arm of the human found itself gently cupping the fae’s face. Lilia leaned in as he snapped his eyes to (Y/n)’s face. They were smiling. (Y/n) was dying and they were smiling.

“Please… Please let me help you. I can- I can use magic and-”

“Lilia.”

“(Y/n)- just let me do this. Please...”

“Lilia. My nephew… He’s in the camp. My brother is dead. Lilia- please, spare him. Like I asked you on the first night we met.”

“(Y/n), let me save you. You can save your nephew yourself just-”

The human was getting weaker, their hand dropping from Lilia’s face. They were still smiling, even as droplets of water hit their face. There was not a cloud in the sky.

“Lilia… my nephew. His name- His name is-”

(Y/n) never got their nephew’s name out as their eyes faded, the human taking their last breath. The sounds of the battle drowned out Lilia’s cries as he held his love’s body to his chest. If anyone had seen the general crying over the enemy, mourning them as he would a lover, they wouldn’t say.

Lilia’s only comment about the battle was that the sky had been grey.

.-. Many, Many years later…

“If we don’t get any members this year, Crowley said the Pop Music Club will get disbanded.”

Cater sat on the table of the club room while Kalim was perched in his usual chair. The two were what the fae would call his friends nowadays.

“I say we do another demonstration. It went wonderfully last year.”

“Lilia- you smashed a guitar and screamed on stage.”

“It is called metal. I refuse to sing any other genre.”

The three students debated what to do up until they had to get ready. Lilia left the meeting with a shrug and rejoined the hall of Diasomnia. There was no one in the main hall, which was to be expected today after all. The welcoming ceremony was a wonderful thing, Lilia was rather fond of the robes. The hood reminded him of his days in his general garb.

“Father!”

Ah… Silver.

Every day it got more and more painful. He had the same smile, the same kindness. Lilia wouldn’t trade his son for anything in the world.

That… That was a lie.

“Were you looking for me? Apologies, I had a meeting with my club!” Lilia cheerfully remarked as his son followed him into the fae’s dorm. His ceremony robes were on the couch and Silver went to sit in the fae’s desk chair. As Lilia pulled the robes over his clothes, a thud was heard on the desk.

Lilia snapped his head quickly, finding Silver passed out on his desk. The fae chuckled softly as he walked over and gently scooped the sleeping boy up. If the fae had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have spotted the leather journal that was opened to a familiar page.

‘Your father and I are blessed by fairies, I am sure you will be someday as well. Remember to never hate your blessing. Your father got some sort of strength I believed, but me? I was blessed to always be at ease around my true love. Is that not silly? My nephew, I will let you in on a secret; I do not think I believe in true love. I always have my guard up. Someday, when you receive your blessing, try to ask for a useful one, alright?’

How foolish.

Even in death, (Y/n) still found a way to intrigue Lilia. Maybe some day the fae will stop being selfish and give Silver the diary.

Maybe when Silver stopped passing out on it.

Chapter Text

It had happened without warning. Vil had overblotted and Yuu and their gang of misfits had put a stop to it. The SDC got sorted out and everything turned out well in the end.

… Right?

Not long after the whole fiasco, Rook and Yuu spent time together. A lot of time together. Where Rook was visible and Yuu appeared to enjoy spending time with the huntsman. A week passed by and many students, including Ace and Deuce, guessed that the vice-housewarden’s interest with Yuu would fade.

It did not.

It started with the handholding.

Yuu would be sitting in the cafeteria, chatting with their friends, while Rook sat there with the biggest smile on his face holding the Prefect’s hand. The two of them never acknowledged it nor let go. Epel saw the pair in Pomefiore almost everyday, so it was not odd to him, but the other first years were appalled. The Prefect and Rook? Maybe the huntsman had uncovered information Yuu did not want out in the open and was keeping him company as a deal. That was at least Deuce’s idea. He could relate after all, he had his own past he had not wanted to be open about before. But…

Rook looked at Yuu like they had hung the stars themselves. While they worked on assignments, the huntsman had a dreamy look in his eyes as the Prefect would run a hand through their hair in frustration. How did Deuce know this?

Because Ace, Jack, Epel, and Grim were watching the two in the library from behind a bookshelf.

“This… does not feel right.” Jack coughed out softly, breaking everyone’s gaze away from the couple. Deuce and Ace nodded in agreement with Grim being unusually silent. Epel softly cleared his throat, calling the first years’ attention to him.

“This has been going on for a long time at Pomefiore. Yuu and Rook have a wonder- I can’t do this anymore. Those two ‘re closer than a apple ona tree. I hear Rook hollering almost every night tah Vil about his adoration for the Prefect.” Epel started off before breaking into his regular dialect, not having the energy to keep correcting himself. He then nudged his head back towards Rook and Yuu, who were now completely ignoring the books, Yuu chatting energetically with the huntsmen. Rook still had that starstruck look in his eyes, fondly smiling as he rested a hand under his chin.

“I can’t take this anymore- we’re getting Yuu!” Ace yelled as he stormed forward, the poor first years trying to hold him back but failing. “Yuu! Come on, we had plans today!” Ace continued to yell as he left the hiding spot from behind the bookshelf.

“Someone needs to stop- Grim! Come back!” Jack started off before the cat in question leaped from Deuce’s shoulder he had been perched on and ran after Ace. It was only Jack, Epel and Deuce now, who all felt defeated about their stake out. “Are we going to try to stop them?” Jack asked as he watched the two outliers make contact with the couple.

“We… might as well at this point.” Deuce sighed out as the three of them trailed behind Ace and Grim. Ace was yelling something incoherent as Grim sat on the table, back faced to the first years. Rook seemed to be nodding understandably to Ace’s rambles and Yuu looked rightfully upset with their friends. Seeing the rest of them, Yuu turned their attention to the more responsible group members.

“You are not the kind of people to sneak around, what’s up?” They asked knowing full well how many times they have snuck around as a group. Guilty looks flashed across the group members who were currently seeing reason, not Ace yelling at a smiling Rook and Grim trying to jump into Yuu’s lap.

“Prefect, we're worried about your… relationship with Rook.” Jack started off nervously as he looked towards Epel and Deuce for some support. Epel didn’t seem all too fazed, but Deuce stepped forward. “Does he have dirt on you? We won’t judge you, you don’t need to keep up a front with him.” The ex-deliquent whispered to his friend, who in return gazed at the trio with a puzzled look.

“What they’re trying to say, Yuu, is that they think Rook is forcing ya to date him.” Epel supplied and in return caused the Ramshackle resident to then glare at all of their friends.

“Are you five serious right now? Do you really think that lowly of your Vice-Housewarden, Epel?” Yuu hissed out, causing Ace and Grim to stop their efforts and look at the ground in shame. Epel muttered out a soft ‘I don’t think that’ in poor defense. Before the Prefect could get another angry word out, Rook softly rested his hand on top of Yuu’s.

“Mon amour, as much as I love your fire, there is no need. You are truly merveilleux friends!” The huntsman declared with that dreamy look on his face. He was plotting something. “Why- if they do not trust my love I shall simply have to prove it!”

Cue the silence.

“Rook, you do not have to-”

“Absurdité! For you, mon cœur, I would cross any lengths!”

Yuu turned to look at their friends, who were all standing rather uncomfortably now. With a small smirk, the Prefect gave a ‘you asked for this’ look to their friends. Let them squirm a little. There was a reason Rook called them trickster after all.

._.

The first incident was at lunch. The first year group was eating lunch, Grim was trying to steal Ace’s sandwich, Jack was trying to pull the cat back, Epel was chatting with Deuce, and Yuu was rethinking their friend's choices. What they didn’t notice was a huntsman taking aim outside. Then again- no one had.

Until the window shattered.

It was only a side window, thankfully, Crowley would have lost his mind if it had been the large ones at the front. But as quickly as it broke the glass, it found its target. The arrow planted itself into the wooden table with a soft thud, right in front of Yuu’s plate. All commotion within the group stopped as they all turned to look at the arrow.

“Uh- Yuu? Was that arrow there before?” Deuce supplied, rather unhelpfully, to the Prefect who simply rolled their eyes. As the magicless first year went to pull the arrow out of the table, they noticed the parchment attached to it was a soft violet ribbon. Yuu undid the ribbon and the paper hit the table with a much heavier thud that the arrow had arrived with.

“Woah- maybe don’t open that? Someone shot an arrow at you and now there’s something heavy attached to it?” Ace said as he reached across the table to try to take the parchment from his friend, but Yuu smacked his hand away. Epel only chuckled at the antics, not even worried about their friend, which Ace did comment on.

“You’re worried over nothing, look. Those are the arrows Rook uses. And the ribbon is Pomefiore colored, but softer.” The first year explained as he went back to eating his lunch. “How do you know what arrows Rook uses?” Deuce asked tentatively, still eyeing the arrow and parchment with concern. “I’ve had to sit through Vil’s lectures about elegance and everything else he deems important. Rook does the same thing. Besides- does Yuu look concerned?”

They all turned to Yuu who did not look concerned in the slightest. More so, they were now opening the parchment to reveal a metal box. Ace and Deuce had been on the other side of the table, so they got up to crowd around Yuu. Grim even made a measure to leap across the table to perch on Yuu’s shoulder to gaze at the box.

“Henchman! What is it?” He declared, after being uncharacteristically quiet during the whole event. Yuu didn’t pay him any mind as they softly opened the box to reveal a brooch of a cat that looked a little too much like Grim. From the fur of the cat to the blue eyes. There were even little flames engraved on the back.

“That’s not… creepy. Like at all.” Ace spoke out as they all inspected the brooch. The first years all gave similar remarks, excluding Grim, who silently held the item after swiping it from Yuu. The cat then looked back up at Yuu and his friends.

“This is from the guy with the hat?” He asked as he set the brooch back into Yuu’s open hand. “Rook, yes. My boyfriend.” The Prefect supplied and the beast leaped off of Yuu’s shoulder to stand on the table.

“The Great Grim accepts the wonderful offering for his henchman’s hand!” The cat declared to the entire cafeteria and Yuu quickly snatched the beast back and into their arms. “Hush! I don’t need your approval.”

However- Rook heard. He marked one target from his list. Four more to go.

._.

Epel had been easy, after all, he already approved. He spent more hours with the Vice Housewarden than any of the other first years. Well, besides Yuu. So when Rook came to declare his affections for the Prefect in front of Epel, the lavender haired teen simply stopped him in his tracks.

“Approved. Go away.”

And Rook marked another one off his list.

Jack had gone a similar way. It had been early in the morning and he was running to get ready for track practice. He had completely forgotten about the huntsman’s quest to win the approval of Yuu’s friends until the very man was leaping out of a bush and rushing towards Jack. The wolf had decided it was too early for this and gave a hasty approval before sprinting in the other direction.

The only ones left were now Ace and Deuce, Yuu’s first friends. Rook knew they would be the hardest to win over, so he had been plotting. He couldn’t play on the ego like he had done with Grim and Epel and Jack had simply wanted nothing to do with him. Now, what to do about the two card soldiers?

Yes… yes that would do.

._.

Sitting around the living room with all of their friends, it was obvious that the week had affected them all. Grim was boasting about the brooch that he made Yuu wear daily. Epel and Jack were paranoid and looking around every room they entered. Ace and Deuce… they were the worse.

The two Heartslaybul students look like their souls had been sucked from their bodies. Faces drained of color and slumping against the couch in Ramshackle.

Rook had joined them as well and was smiling happily as he held Yuu’s hand. Concerned about everyone, the Prefect leaned closer to their boyfriend.

“What… what did you do to them all?” They whispered, glancing around the first year group again. Rook simply chuckled to himself.

“Why, anything to win their approval, mon amour! Some were just… persistent."

Ace and Deuce shivered, whether it was volunteer or not, but it was clear whatever the huntsman had done to win their approval had left scars. Yuu shook their head as they leaned into Rook’s shoulder.

“Well, I appreciate your dedication to proving your love, ma moitié.”

“Yuu- mon ange, mon cœur, Trickster… Français? You surprised me in the most marvelous way.”

Cue groaning from all the first years, excluding Grim. He was determined to get the most out of the situation. After all, Rook had been sneaking canned tuna to him during the week, the brooch had simply been the final push.

Chapter Text

No amount of years had healed the wound left by the Twilight Guard. Lilia had never quite recovered from Meleanor’s death before he had met the human. If not overshadowed by his hatred for humans and the loss of his first love, Lilia firmly believed that he would have laid his life with the knight. 

But the fae also lied to himself. He had loved (Y/n), more than he had loved Meleanor, as much as he hated himself for admitting it. Watching the light drain from their eyes had killed a part of the fae. And reading the journal (Y/n) had written for Silver… There had been countless nights where Lilia had cried himself to sleep. Raising the boy who looked more and more like his love had been painful, but when Silver started to take traits from the knight? That had been the worst. 

But Lilia loved his son, for that was what the boy had grown to be in his eyes. It was no longer a debt to the fallen knight. Of course, Lilia couldn’t bear to inform Silver of the relationship between his father’s sibling and him, he was sure he would reveal it some day. Silver read the diary as well, but Lilia still held on to the journal. 

And now it was Silver’s second year at Night Raven College. The boy had grown so much and strived to protect Malleus with his life, much like Sebek, another trained by Lilia. Of course, Sebek was overly enthusiastic about Malleus, but at least he was committed. The ceremony for the new students was the same it always was. Student gets called, gets judged by the mirror, they go to their dorm and-

Wait a second. 

“No, I’m telling you- I have no magic! I’m not from here!” A human was yelling up at the Headmaster, who seemed to be in deep thought. It was always hard to see his reactions from behind that mask he always wore. Before they could try to defend themselves forward, a beast began to shoot fire all over the chamber. 

“Kehee~! This is certainly going to be an interesting year, don’t you two think?” The fae crackled to the two boys beside him, who were going a little pale at the sight. Silver sighed as he looked down at his father.

“Whatever you say.”

.-.

Their name was (Y/n). Never were too many (Y/n)’s in this world, Lilia happened to only meet three in his life. It was rather humorous that the only other non-magical human the fae met shared the same name. Maybe fate was cruel, Lilia certainly thought so. 

The human was a curious thing. They had magically, kehee, been transported into their dimension somewhat at random. With no magic of their own, they were half a student with the beast that called itself Grim. What started as forced proximity slowly turned into family. It reminded Lilia of his relationship with Silver. Oh- how the fae had hated the child that had survived when the knight had died. But, he had been an infant for a hundred years in a slumber that fae was not sure he would wake from. Lilia learned to love him during that time.

The fae was slightly ashamed with how he carried out observing the human. Not to say he was afraid to make contact, but well- he didn’t want to make any mistakes. Humans were delicate. Instead of simply talking to (Y/n), he decided to watch from the shadows.

And my- the things he learned.

They did not use their left arm at all. Lilia assumed they were simply dominant in their right hand, but the human did not move the opposite arm at all. When they went to grab the monster they shared their enrollment with, it was always with one arm. Any time a book or paper was handed to them, the left arm stayed slack. Lilia doesn’t recall a single time the arm even moved.

Another thing was that the human did not startle easily. Perhaps this was good, after all, (Y/n) did get transported into a world they had no idea about. It was good survival instincts. Not that there was any life threatening danger at Night Raven College, but it was always good to be cautious. 

What intrigued Lilia the most was the way they carried themselves on paper. No, that is not the right way to phrase that. The human wrote without a pencil or a pen, but with a quill. A quill! The fae had not seen a human use a quill for several decades. (Y/n) had informed a first year student who asked about it that “It has always been easier for me.” An old soul, just like him! Well- not literally, not like Lilia. 

And that was only some of Lilia’s favorite things about the new human. There were so many more quirks and characteristics that the fae wanted to learn, to see from beyond the shadows. But… how to approach? Surely he could introduce himself the same way he did to all the other students he befriended. After all- (Y/n) would not get startled if he suddenly appeared like all the others. 

.-.

It was a full moon, Lilia’s favorite phase, when he spotted the human he had studied sitting on a bench by Ramshackle dorm. The light reflected perfectly against their hair and Lilia fought feelings from rising inside him. When did he get so worked up about people he just met? With a shake of his head, the fae floated over so he could peer above the human. (Y/n) didn’t seem to notice, all of their attention on a small book in their hands. There were small paragraphs followed by drawings that felt too familiar. 

“What are you working on?”

The Prefect shrieked at Lilia’s question and fell off the bench in a panic. This was not Lilia had prepared for as he quickly landed to help the human up. They were never startled, why would they scream at his appearance? Perhaps they were scared of him.

“I did not mean to startle you, I was curious as to what you were doing.” Lilia explained and wondered why he was speaking differently than he normally would. Where was his humor, his modern slang? 

But (Y/n) simply smiled. “No harm, no foul. Normally I don’t get spooked like that. Maybe you walk really quietly.” They laughed as they picked up the notebook that had fallen to the ground. Leather bound, a dark grey coat. “I was working on a diary, writing what I experienced and some doodles. It’s mainly for my brother, when I can go back home.”

That’s right. They weren’t from here. 

Lilia walked back over to the bench and sat down, patting the seat beside him. “You said you draw? How good are you at drawing from reference?”

“Point at anything and I can copy it to this journal.”

.-.

(Y/n) was even more interesting when Lilia spoke to them. Despite not having any magic, the fae swore that their smile was enchanting. It helped that they were easy to talk to as well. Over the years, Lilia had grown used to being able to carry a conversation, Sevens knew he was not good at that in the past. But it was nice listening to someone chat so cheerfully with him. Not very many people did that.

“I’m worried about my brother, back in my world. Not like- he’s a bad kid or anything, quite the opposite. He’s younger than me and always standing up for what he believes in. But… he’s small. Easy to push.”

“I’m small and I am not easy to push.”

“You’re different. You got magic, Lilia. Auroch’s main form of defense is waving some piece of trash he found on the ground.” The Prefect muttered angrily as they scribbled something down in that journal of theirs. 

“You know, (Y/n) and Auroch are not common names amongst humans.”

“Don’t say amongst, you sound like you're ancient.”

“I am, kyhehe!”

(Y/n) rolled their eyes, it was so much fun to rile them up, and closed the notebook. “Our parents were big into fairytales. Their favorite was about two knights who were siblings. Auroch is named after the one with white armor while I’m named after the one with black armor.”

Now, didn’t that sound familiar to Lilia. The fae decided to brush it off.

The human also had a habit of listening to the same music Lilia enjoyed. One evening in Ramshackle, Malleus had joined Lilia on a visit to the Prefect. They had saved up enough for a radio and were proudly displaying it in the main room. How Malleus had met (Y/n) the fae had no idea, but he was glad that a nice friendship was sprouting between them. The poor dragon did not have very many friends and (Y/n) would make a good one.

It was rather peaceful until the magicless human turned the knob to a new station and the cry of metal singers filled the dorm. (Y/n) smiled so brightly that Malleus didn’t say anything about the new development and Lilia bounced to his feet to dance with the human. Grim complained from the couch that (Y/n) always complained when he sang like this. 

“Oh- Crowley apparently found a way to send me back home.”

(“SHIT SHIT SHIT- MALLEUS!!”)

Between Grim, Ortho, Sebek, and Silver, none of them should know where they are right now. And they didn’t, but Lilia did. It was Meleanor’s castle, but in tacky colors and decorations. All of her paintings were gone, the furniture was all wrong. This wasn’t right.

“I’m getting a reading on (Y/n) down that hallway. Remember to stay out of sight until we know for sure how to approach them.” All four of them nodded at Ortho’s words as they calmly stalked down the hallway until they heard voices.

“Auroch, this is completely ridiculous!” 

“No, you simply have forgotten what this war is about, (Y/n). My troops have seen you in the woods, fraternizing with the enemy.”

Why… why would (Y/n)’s dream be about the war? Much less talking to the Dawn Knight himself like they were equals? Did the Prefect read too much during history lessons? Why would they be…?

Oh. 

No, it couldn’t be.

“That’s (Y/n), but… This dream isn’t stable. Like the dream doesn’t know what to focus on.” Ortho reported as the four of them poked their heads out from behind the wall. Sure enough, there was the Prefect, still in their Night Raven College Uniform and unmoving left arm. However, a second later their hair was longer, their left arm moving with their right, and a midnight black set of armor being adorn by them. 

“Why is the Prefect’s appearance switching from themselves to the Twilight Guard?” Sebek asked in horror, which resulted in Grim and Ortho tackling him as to not attract attention. The boy always spoke at a volume not necessarily needed all the time. But they did not have enough time to ask any more questions as the castle began to crumble, the setting changing to a forest. It would seem that the scene had upset (Y/n), which could cause them to wake up and the magic did not want that.

Landing on the forest floor with a thud, all five of them spun around to locate where (Y/n) had been sent to now. They weren’t fast enough though.

“Vanrouge? Have you cut your hair since my last visit?”

He couldn’t turn around. (Y/n) was his friend who was now wearing the face of their dead love. How was he supposed to act now that the Twilight Guard recognized him? Does he play along? It would help wake up the Prefect, but he couldn’t do it. He wasn’t the general he used to be and he wasn’t strong enough for this.

“(Y/n), who are you speaking to? I am over here.” 

He did turn around at the sound of his own voice though. Standing off in the distance was a dream version of himself, back in his general days. Lilia had never removed his mask around the Twilight Guard back then, but there it was hanging around his neck. He had never called them by their name. Not until… until they…

“Sorry, my talk with my brother must have caused more harm than I thought. I swear I saw you over there.” (Y/n) chuckled as they watched the armor fade away to revert back to their school uniform. All five of them watched as (Y/n) took the dream version of Lilia’s hand with a soft smile. “Do you want to see the new drawings I did today for my nephew?” They asked as they took out a brown leather bound notebook. The same notebook that was now sitting on his desk back in his dorm. 

It would appear that Silver saw it too with how fast the boy’s head had spun to stare at Lilia. Boy did they have a long talk in their future.

“We need to wake them up now or we’ll not get a chance again until we come back! Lilia, (Y/n)’s dream seems to be focused on you. Or well… memories of you?”

“Reincarnation.”

All four of them turned to stare at Silver, whose eyes were still locked on his father. The teen stepped forward, closer to all of them. 

“(Y/n) is more than likely the reincarnation of the Twilight Guard, my father’s sibling. We need to bring up memories that the current (Y/n), our Prefect, has experienced. I suggest sending Grim in.” His son informed as he looked at the ground, clearly in deep thought. He had only recently learned about his past, more so than from the notebook (Y/n) had kept back then. After learning about the reincarnation of a family member, Lilia thought the boy was taking it well.

“I’ll wake up my henchman, this will be easy for the Great Grim!” The beast crackled out as he ran over to where (Y/n) was interacting with the dream version of Lilia. The fae had never remembered looking at the Twilight Guard that fondly back then. Malleus’ magic was most certainly remembering it wrong. After all, they never even saw his face until…

“Hang on! The dream is changing again!” Ortho called out as the group was all thrown on to the ground, the forest changing into the middle of a battle. A battlefield Lilia still had nightmares about, with missing limbs and screams. The five of them quickly scattered into the forest in order to stay out of the roaring battle cries and swords. Not everything was controlled by the dream well though, there were a few soldiers in the back running into each other, swords held up high in the air. The magic was weakening. 

And then there it was, the very scream Lilia still jolted up to in the night. A scream that rattled his head and made his knees weak. The fae had replayed the sound for years, for it to then appear in his nightmares, to now hearing it echo across the forest again. Five faces paled as they all turned to look at what was happening in the middle of the clearing.

(Y/n)’s clothes were rapidly flashing between the Twilight Guard armor to their Night Raven College uniform, the dream unsure of what to do now that it was becoming a nightmare. The soldier that had stuck them down all those years again was replaced by the Lila of the past, holding the jade weapon he had come to trust during those times. He was staring down at them, glaring, the Prefect’s left arm laying beside them. 

“Father-”

“Oh come on! That is not how it happened!” Was Lilia’s response, cutting off Silver before he could even ask. But all of the students were now staring at present day Lilia. 

“I should have killed you on our first meeting. Saved us both the heartbreak.” Dream Lilia growled out as he raised the blade, preparing for the final blow.

In the shadows, the fae sprinted out and dashed across the field. He had failed twice, costing both his best friend and the love of his life. Twice in reality and left to suffer alone. He would stop it this time. It was a dream, he could use it to his advantage.

Second later, Lilia gripped the jade with his bare hands, glaring into his own eyes with a scowl. Without a second thought, the fae pulled the sword out of his copy’s grip and plunged the blade into his chest. No body was left, only sparks of magic evaporating into the air. 

“Li…Lilia?” 

Dropping the sword like it was made of fire, the fae spun around and quickly crouched down. He gently moved (Y/n)’s head so that it was resting against his legs. 

“I saved you this time. And I will again, if you ever need it.” He reassured, fighting back tears he wouldn’t let drop. Not now. They needed to wake (Y/n) up. Which wouldn’t be hard, with the way the forest was shaking. 

“So… this was real? This actually happened?” The Prefect asked as the armor stopped appearing, leaving them only in their school uniform. Thankfully, their left arm was reattached as well. It was kind of disgusting to look at the loose limb laying on the grass. 

“I was not the one who killed you. I’m going to go out and say that it was Malleus trying to keep you asleep.” Lilia grumbled, resulting in a soft laugh from (Y/n). “But, you do need to wake up. You have a whole new life to live, stop focusing on this one.”

“I never knew about this until I fell asleep.” (Y/n) confessed as their eyes met Lilia’s. “Do you think… I’ll remember it? I feel like I would ace history with all the knowledge I have right now.”

Lilia didn’t get the chance to answer as the forest melted away and he began to feel himself waking up. However, before he could finally join reality, he had his own dream. 

“You think reincarnation is real?”

It had been such an odd question, with (Y/n) laying in their armor in the grass. With the war going on there were lots of talks about death. Not so much with what came after. 

If he had been braver, Lilia would have held the soldier, made them take off that stupid armor and leave. There wasn’t a cause to this anymore, not with Melanor killed. Maybe they’d take Malleus with them. Possibly (Y/n)’s nephew.

“I doubt it, but when you die and you somehow come back, because you of all humans would find a way, I’m sure we’ll undoubtedly cross paths again.”

With a shaky breath, Lilia sat up and looked at the others he had entered (Y/n)’s dreamscape with. Maybe they would remember, but it wouldn’t matter. Lilia had loved them before and he loved them now.

.-.

Malleus was on a safe level again, no more overblot. (Y/n) was strangely distant, but Lilia didn’t know if it was from remembering everything from a past life or from the events before Malleus’ overblot. But, it didn’t matter to the fae right now. He only had one thought in his head:

They could not leave. That was what Lilia decided as he made his way towards the mirror room that Crowley was housing the portal to send (Y/n) back to their world. Sure, was it stupid? Absolutely. But the fae had watched them die twice, they weren’t about to lose them again. The decision had come easily after reliving all of the events (Y/n) had been in his life the first time.

The mirror room was never locked, which made Lilia’s plans obtainable. Or was it that they were locked, but the Vice-Housewarden of Diasomnia had distracted the Headmaster on his final duty of the night? It was an easy plan though, break into the mirror room and find the only mirror that left Twisted Wonderland and break it. The whole thing felt like a mission he had carried out back when he was still a general. 

Pushing open the door was not supposed to bring any surprises, but life always goes unplanned. In reflection of the moonlight, silver hair gleamed and revealed an object held above the glass of a mirror on the ground. A sword. 

“Silver- what in the Sevens are you doing?” Lilia whispered as he dashed over to his son and gently took the sword from his hands. The boy had never been the best at stealth, either falling asleep halfway through it or accidentally getting sidetracked with a forest creature. So sure enough- he was in his dorm uniform with his silver hair on full display. “This could break something!” Lilia hissed out as he motioned to the sword in his hand. Silver blinked a few times.

“That… is kind of the whole point, Father.” 

A blanket of silence covered them before Lilia looked at Silver then at the mirror and then back at Silver. 

“You can’t smash a mirror! This is how students go back home and visit their families, you will not take that from-” Silver was smirking at his father as the fae slowly stopped talking. Who knew that his son also had a possessive streak? He definitely didn’t pick them up from him. Right?

“I share your last name now, you’re my father in every way except biologically. But- I want to know what my parents were like. I know all about my brother’s sibling from their journal, but now I can actually talk to them. And- and they are leaving. Not unless I stop them.” Silver declared as he reached out for the sword that was still in Lilia's grip. The fae sighed and took a small step back, keeping the weapon out of reach. 

“Your feelings are valid, Silver. However, there are healthier ways of-”

“Sorry to interrupt, but why are you in here then?”

The silence was back and Silver broke into a grin. 

“You were going to-”

“Yes I was going to do the same thing, but the point is that I wasn’t thinking, neither were you. We need to accept that-”

The creaking of the large wooden door at the entrance made Lilia and Silver snap their necks towards it. An individual in a black cloak snuck in and gently closed the door before freezing in front of the two Diasomnia students. The figure gently removed their hood to reveal the Prefect. 

“Did we all have the same idea?” (Y/n) chuckled as they revealed a sledge hammer from their cloak. Lilia let the sword clatter to the ground as he dashed towards the newcomer, wrapping them in a hug.

“Do you… do you-”

“Yes, I remember. I like what you did with your hair.”

Lilia laughed softly as he gently cupped (Y/n)’s face and pressed a soft kiss to their lips. How long had he wanted to do that the first time, never working up the courage? It was a lot easier to go for it without a mask on all the time as well. 

Silver cleared his throat from behind them. “I have a lot… of mixed feelings about this.” The teenager declared as he picked up his sword and walked over to the pair. “My father is dating my father’s sibling.”

“Please don’t phrase it like that.” 

(Y/n) softly weasled their way out of Lilia’s grip and stood in front of Silver. They had to look up at the teen. Not so long ago, at least for them, the boy had been an infant. With soft violet eyes and little blond eyelashes. Always wrapped in silver silk with the royal family medallion. (Y/n) reached a shaky hand out towards the Diasomnia student, not expecting anything back. 

Silver, following his father’s act, rushed forward and wrapped (Y/n) in a tight hug. “I grew up reading your words my entire life. I never thought I would get to meet you.” The boy whispered, his voice breaking a little as the Prefect, or the Twilight Guard, rubbed their nephew’s back. 

“I never thought I would get to see you grown up.” (Y/n) confessed, their own voice wavering slightly before letting go to stare at the mirror. Lilia joined them and Silver let go of the magicless human and the three of them stared at the mirror.

“Maybe breaking it is not the solution. I thought it over and decided to stay. Obviously. But we could leave it and I could drop the journal I made for Auroch in it. And letters.”

“I feel like your reincarnation was a bit… on the nose.”

“And you didn’t figure it out, Father.”

(Y/n) laughed and shook their head at the two. Their love, someone they could actually love now in a defined relationship, no war. And their nephew, a boy who was raised by the journal they had written and the fae who loved them. A second chance to do this right.

.-.

Hey, Auroch! So, I’m not coming home. I don’t know what everyone thinks happens, but they are so far off. 

I’m still your older sibling. I always will be. I miss you. I hope you miss me.

I’ll keep sending letters to this spot, along with the journal. I hope you found the journal. And I hope you are Auroch, this would be so weird if it wasn’t. 

The journal will explain everything, except for one thing. You’ll never believe me if I told you. 

Totally off topic, but do you remember that story Mom used to tell us? With the knights? 

Chapter Text

The Pomefiore dorm had a lot of rules. Don’t cross your dorm uniform robes right over left, make sure your makeup is pristine before leaving the dorm, make sure you have another student with you if plan to go down into the cellar, and for the love of Great Sevens, don’t insult (Y/n) in the Housewarden’s presence. While only a few of the rules were mentioned, those few are necessary for survival.

No one really knows where (Y/n) came from, obviously the mirror sorted them here, but Vil’s fondness came out of nowhere. Maybe if the residents looked closer and paid attention to what Rook was always passionately saying they could figure it out.

(Y/n) came from a family of actors, well-known actors for that matter. The Storybrooks. Actors who have partnered with Vil in the past. Growing up, (Y/n) had always been dragged to the shoots their parents were on, but it allowed them to meet Vil. Being the only two kids on set made a bond that was hard to break. Well… there was another kid, but Vil didn’t like to talk about him.

And boy was Vil defensive when it came to the second year.

Last week there was an… incident. (Y/n) was fond of the flora that grew around the Pomefiore dorm grounds. It was fairly often for them to be seen tending to some poor wilting plant, dirt on their hands and knees. Rook would often join them, pointing out the elegant techniques the second year was displaying as well as calling out to people who were staring for too long. Vil would never join, not that he hated dirt, but he was also watching. Throughout their childhood, (Y/n) always had suitors. None of them had (Y/n)’s best intentions in mind, so Vil made sure to always chase them away. Either with his own charm or playing into the villain role he always got stuck with. Vil got his own of course, but going after his first friend? His childhood friend? Poor call.

The incident started because three Savanaclaw students had found their way into the garden bed that (Y/n) was working in. Rook was calling out to them in his typical fashion, but it didn’t stop them. (Y/n) was fully focused on the flower that was drooping until a boot squashed it. Before the second year could even respond, Vil came storming across the grounds with the fury of an angry parent. The poor Savanaclaw members ended up blasted back through the mirror in which they had entered from. 

Housewarden meetings got a little more icy between Vil and Leona, which was just what the school needed. 

(Y/n) decided to change locations after that, moving to the courtyard on the main campus grounds. They didn’t quite like being watched by both Rook and Vil in the Pomefiore dorm, so moving to a more secluded spot had a lot of positive outcomes. 

Including Ortho.

At their first meeting, Ortho had expressed his surprise at seeing a Pomefiore member digging in the dirt. (Y/n) responded by showing the humanoid a handful of pink flowers and a warm smile. The student quickly shot up in Ortho’s ranks. 

The two spent many days in the courtyard getting to know each other. How Ortho had a brother he worried about. How (Y/n) thought Vil was a little bit too protective. It doesn’t take long for the humanoid to think the Pomefiore resident would be the perfect friend for Idia. Maybe a little bit misguided but he’s desperate to get him out of the dorm.

Idia of course refuses to leave, so Ortho brings the tablet with him the next day.

“(Y/n) Storybrook! I have brought my brother to our meeting today!” The humanoid exclaimed cheerfully as he floated over to the student of his attention, already kneeling into a flowerbed. The second year turned their head to only see Ortho and not another student. However, there was a tablet being held in the humanoid’s arms with a cool skull emblem. Not one to judge, (Y/n) dusted the dirt off their hands and stood up to greet the pair.

“Idia! Ortho has told me so much about you! He said you’re really good with technology? I wish I was, but my talents are towards plants.” The Pomefiore resident chuckled out as they waved at the camera, not quite sure if that thing was just audio or not. There was some silence for a while before Idia’s voice rang out.

“What… What kind of plants do you like?”

Ortho let out a pleasant sound at his brother finding interest in another person and even asked what he would consider a personal question. Watching (Y/n)’s face, and totally not checking vitals, he could tell that they were pleased as well.

“All of them! But, I tend to stick to flowers, which fits the Pomefiore image. As well as some toxic plants which… also fits Pomefiore’s image. I always wanted to tend to trees though! Either an apple tree, Seven’s I’m a stereotype, or a pomegranate tree.”

“...Pomegranate?”

“There’s uh… There’s this video game I like where you can give npcs things and well- my favorite likes pomegranates.”

Another moment of silence passed between the three before a notification popped up in Ortho’s vision.

‘Come back to Ignihyde.’

With a quick goodbye to (Y/n), the humanoid flew back to his brother’s dorm, finding the blue haired Housewarden pacing the floor. His vitals were rising and he had a toothy grin on his face.

“Ortho! You found a Pomefiore student that’s not a normie!? Video games and an interest in something quiet! Do you know if they're an introvert?”

Putting a finger under his chin, Ortho looked up in thought as Idia eagerly leaned forward towards the humanoid.

“They like the peace of the courtyard and don’t hang out with more than three students, at least from what I’ve seen.”

Idia cheered as he launched himself into his desk chair, multiple images were on the monitor screens. A pomegranate tree seedling and a pot were in a shopping cart on one. Bioengineering how-to was on the other one and the last one…

“The myth of Persephone and Hades? Idia, why are you looking into one of the Seven and his wife.” Ortho asked as he watched his brother with one eye and searched up the myth on the other. After a quick scan, the humanoid didn’t quite know how to feel about it.

“It’s easy! We’re gonna save (Y/n) from that extrovert dorm! It’s like saving the princess in an RPG if the princess was a mage and from a famous family.”

“The myth says that Hades kidnapped Persephone."

Idia groaned as he spun his chair to face Ortho and pointed at the humanoid with a gear. “Yeah and it worked out great for them! I show (Y/n) how similar we are and then they agree to be my player two!”

If Ortho wasn’t overjoyed that his brother was taking an interest in another human then he would have tried to convince Idia that following a myth about one of the Great Seven, especially Hades, might have not been a good idea. But he was. And (Y/n) Storybrook was a kind person. 

“You’re going to leave the dorm?”

“Tartarus no! You’re going to do that!”

(Y/n) may or may not have screamed their entire way down into Ignihyde. It would have been fine if Ortho had simply said follow me, it would have worked, the being tied up and dragged was a bit much. The humanoid might have been a little too enthusiastic. 

With the bright blue lights and columns, it was like stepping into an entirely new world. There was not a sign of natural light and the pulse of electricity could be heard the deeper they went into the hallways. It felt like a maze, but Ortho navigated through it with ease. What felt like an eternity later, (Y/n) was thrown into a room with the door quickly snapping behind them.

“That doesn’t look comfortable…”

A voice that was too familiar moaned from the bed in the corner. Tablet boy! Wait, what did Ortho say his name was? The humanoid talked about his brother a lot and how could they have forgotten? They had totally known it when they first met. Why wasn’t it coming to mind now? Wait, it was:

Idia. Idia Shroud, Housewarden of Ignihyde.

“Then untie me, this is a little out of hand.” (Y/n) declared, channeling their inner Vil as they said the words. It seemed to have worked since Idia let out a yelp and quickly moved to release them from whatever Ortho had used earlier. With their hands free, the Pomefiore student was more confident to stand up and look around their surroundings. 

The dorm was a mess. Clothes thrown in a corner and snacks piled up on the desk. Those snacks would send Vil into a three hour lecture as well. There were bits of mechanics laying around as well and wires were on the floor. Not only was it a mess, but it was also a safety hazard.

“You live like this?” Rolled off the second year’s tongue a little too easily. All the publicity lessons from their parents are forgotten as well as Vil’s elegance training. They could see a future of being lectured with Epel. 

The blue-haired teen muttered something unintelligible as he sidestepped a pile of clothes to take a seat at the desk. He stared at (Y/n) for a second before pulling out an ottoman from underneath the desk. 

“You can take a seat or whatever…” He muttered as he slowly began to tinker with what looked like a circuit board. Not really having any other choice, (Y/n) sat down beside Idia. After a moment of silence, the Housewarden coughed awkwardly. “Uh, you said you liked plants right?” Not waiting for a response, he reached out and scooped up a pot from behind his monitor. 

There was definitely something growing in there. The seedling was missing the normal healthy green and was instead a light grey. Instead of leaves reaching out it had gears. Tentatively, the Pomefiore student reached a hand out towards the pot and Idia happily gave it to them. Idia had clearly listened to their first meeting, because (Y/n)’s eyes lit up as they examined the plant. 

“Does it require sunlight? How did you create it? Have there been other successful outcomes with this species? Is this the first?” The questions kept spilling out of their mouth and Idia flashed a sharp grin as he leaned closer. 

“No, it can survive completely without light. I managed to grow a simple sunflower and combined it with some hardware I had around. The first one I didn’t even use magic! It didn’t sprout though… This is the first to actually sprout and I based it around-”

“A pomegranate tree. You made a mechanical pomegranate tree. That’s amazing!”

At the praise, Idia’s hair flashed a soft pink. “It’s- It’s not that impressive…” He stuttered out as (Y/n) returned the pot to him with a bright smile on their face. If Ortho was here he would very much be making comments about how humble Idia was being. “But uh, Ortho isn’t going to be opening that door anytime soon, so do you uh… play video games or anything like that?”

“I’m rather fond of Stardew Valley.”

“That normie- I mean, sounds great!”

“Where’s (Y/n)?”

The entire dorm froze at the stern tone of Vil’s voice. Since early afternoon, no one in Pomefiore had seen or heard from the second year student. The three students who had been in charge of tailing after them were currently entering the basement one at a time. They were all ignoring the screams.

Rook was doing his best to keep Vil calm, but even his efforts were unsuccessful. Every mutter of soft words was met with a harsh glare. Vil was pacing in front of the group of Pomefiore students, his glare getting worse as the minutes ticked by.

“I will ask again, where is (Y/n)?” Some of his anger was slipping, not that the average student would notice, as desperation was filtering in. Lots of students shrank away from the Housewarden in terrified silence. However, the silence did not last for long as the entrance doors to the common area slammed open and a panicked Epel ran in. 

“They got ‘napped! I was watching them, honest, and I turned around for one sec and they were gone!” He yelled with a wheeze as he stopped in front of Vil to catch his breath. He was in such a panic that his accent even slipped out a bit. Vil was so preoccupied with (Y/n)’s disappearance that he didn’t even comment on the accent. The Housewarden stalked down towards them, his robe filtering behind him. Rook was closely at his beloved’s heels, a grin plastered on his face at some news about where the second year was.

Vil crouched down to Epel’s level in one of the most elegant ways to be seen as he calmly gripped Epel’s chin. There was venom in his eyes that had not appeared since Neige took the latest hero roll.

“Who?”

The sun was setting in the outside world, not that anyone in Ignihyde noticed. It was a fairly normal day for the dorm, the Housewarden wasn’t seen and his brother was standing guard outside his room. The only thing out of the ordinary was actually another voice coming from the room. Ortho chased anyone who stayed trying to listen to the conversation inside. 

“My crops! You didn’t water them!”

“I was soloing the mines, how was I supposed to know you didn’t water them?!”

In the hours the two had spent together, the pair had made their way to Idia’s bed to continue their game. (Y/n)’s outer robe of their dorm uniform was added to the blue-haired boy’s pile of clothes on the floor. They had also swiped a spare hoodie. In their aggressive game, the second year had ended up sitting in between Idia’s legs with the third-year’s head resting on top of theirs. It was the perfect picture of domestic life if the two were a couple and not yelling at each other.

“I was growing a pomegranate tree! I was going after Elliot!” 

The Pomefiore resident whined as they moved their character in a circle around Idia’s. There was a noise that sounded between frustration and perhaps… jealousy from the blue-haired boy as he moved from his cozy spot to stand up and move over to the desk. He picked up the pot and set it on (Y/n)’s lap.

“Who needs a stupid in-game pomegranate tree when I made you one! No NPC with premade dialogue could ever compare to the devotion I would put towards an SSR like you.” The Housewarden declared as his blue hair turned a shade of dark pink as he then shrank into his hoodie. Their fingers laced around the terracotta of the pot as the Pomefiore resident looked up at the blushing boy. They had to fight a soft laugh as the pot was moved to a bedside table and they crawled to the edge of the bed. It was cute seeing Iida so worked up and (Y/n) did enjoy their company. Ignore that they were practically kidnapped.

“You’re right… I’m sure you could give me a lot of devotion.” It rolled off the tongue so well that seeing that pink grow a shade darker was worth it. After watching Vil and Rook flirt with each other so many times it was easy to pick up a thing or two. Those two were dreadful. 

A flustered Idia was very interesting to watch as well. He stuttered over his words more and a blush to match his hair. It stirred some feelings in the Pomefiore student that they were about to express before they picked up on yelling happening outside the door.

“Excuse me? I am the Housewarden of Pomefiore and you have kidnapped one of the students from my dorm. I have the right to curse you right now!” The shrill voice of Vil’s anger echoed into the small space. (Y/n) was having fun, but figured opening the door to stop whatever was happening was a better idea. Quickly scurrying off the bed and flinging the door open, several things happened.

One, Rook fully saw the pink Housewarden standing behind the second year. He noticed the purple robe of the Pomefiore dorm uniform on the floor and the hoodie they wore. He came to an idea that was very far from the truth and smirked at (Y/n). 

Two, Vil was about to murder Ortho in a blind rage before he saw (Y/n). With no robe and an unfashionable hoodie that only the Ignihyde Housewarden wore. They saw said Housewarden blushing a dark pink along with their hair. Vil… didn’t know how to feel. They gave (Y/n) a small glare.

Third and finally, Idia thought he was going to die. It looked so bad, robe gone and hoodie on, his hoodie! It was nice seeing (Y/n) in his hoodie but with Vil glaring at him he was about to snatch it from the second year. It felt like a ‘several people are typing’ moment and Idia did not enjoy it. 

Vil spoke first.

“IDIA SHROUD!”

“Eep! Y-yes?”

Vil stepped forward, past (Y/n), and glared at the other Housewarden before a firm hand was gripping his shoulder. Idia wanted to run. The blond leaned forward so that they could easily whisper to the blue haired boy. 

“You are acceptable. However, I believe I do not need to explain what will happen if you disprove that theory.”

“Nope!”

And then Vil elegantly spun on his heels and gave a soft smile to (Y/n). “I’m glad you are fine, we simply overreacted. Do let us know when you plan to visit Ignihyde again though.” (Y/n) chuckled and felt that now was not a good time to mention that Ortho had kidnapped them. Rook sauntered over and put a hand over his chest like he was about to deliver a sonnet. 

“Merveilleux! Young love-”

“We’re the same age-”

“Young love! Do look after Vil’s l’enfant, he will be heartbroken if our (Y/n) is not well cared for!”

“Are they a plant-” Idia tried to argue to which (Y/n) quickly spoke over Iida. “Do not worry, Rook, I will be fine. On n’a pas fait l’amour, Rook, s’il te plaît, ne dis pas à Vil ce que tu penses qu’il s’est passé.” 

“Oui.”

Rook took Vil’s hand in his and waved goodbye to the second year and Idia. Which was most likely a good idea. Vil was calm for now but that could quickly change and besides, (Y/n) wanted to spend some time with Idia. On their own accord. 

“You want to continue our save or cuddle?”

“We still have ten days before fall so I want to make sure we got all the crops for the community center so we can grind the money makers and then- WAIT! (Y/n), stop laughing! That wasn’t fair! We can cuddle?! Are we dating?! Do I change my relationship status on Magicam?!”

Chapter Text

Crewel liked to talk. A lot. Maybe he liked the sound of his own voice. It definitely had to be that.

Oh he’s crying. That’s not good. What was he saying? It wasn’t about their grades, right? No, (Y/n) helped Grim pass those quizzes last week and since they shared grades it should be fine. They had all avoided the infirmary for at least two weeks, so they couldn’t be tears of frustration. Maybe Crewel was placing the blame on himself for all the overblots? There had been seven of them that (Y/n) had to deal with after all. Apparently no one has ever heard of therapy. It wasn’t Crewel’s fault though, none of them were currently his students. Or his pups as he called them all.

Drying his tears with a black and white dotted handkerchief, (Y/n) choose that moment to zone back into the conversation.

“Look, pup. You made a big decision to stay and I know you have good friends. However, you have neither parental guidance nor a guardian.” Was that what this conversation was about? That they were practically an orphan here? (Y/n) was really thankful they zoned back in now. I mean, they didn’t exactly exist as far as Twisted Wonderland law enforcement knew or however it works.

But Crewel wasn’t done. He stood up and walked over to a cabinet on the other side of his office and pulled out a black folder. It should have been that ugly pale yellow color, like every other paper organizer. Yet another difference of Twisted Wonderland they would have to get used to.

Sitting back down, their homeroom teacher slid two papers across the desk. 

“Just sign here and Ramshackle will be ours. After all- it was part of the deal.”

The office began to fade away and (Y/n) found themselves back in Mostro Lounge Azul was sitting in front of them with that horrible smirk, pushing up his glasses with one hand. Jade and Floyd were on either side of him with identical grins. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They won- they got the photo! Everything was supposed to be okay! It was supposed to- 

“Pup? (Y/n), are you there?”

The VIP Area of the Lounge faded away and Crewel was sitting in front of them with a concerned look on his face. The office was stylish in red wallpaper and dark wood furniture. A photo of Crewel’s dalmatians was on the desk, no contract in sight. Besides, the Octavinelle trio wasn’t all that scary, especially Jade. In fact, (Y/n) was supposed to be meeting Trey and him at the Lounge after this meeting. Those two definitely had played a role in their decision to stay as well as all of their friends. And Grim. No matter what, (Y/n) would never let the direbeast be alone. They would have taken them back to their world. 

“Y-yeah, sorry. I zoned out or something, you were saying?” They awkwardly said as they rubbed the back of their neck nervously. The black folder was opened on the desk and two forms were laying bare. In the elegant font that was only used on legal documents, the word ‘Adoption’ could be made out. (Y/n)’s head snapped up to look at their alchemy and homeroom teacher in shock.

“What? Are you- are you saying you want to be my legal guardian?” The Prefect stuttered out as they slowly took hold of the paper. For once, the pepper haired man was silent as he nodded and pushed a pen across the desk.

“In the end it’s your choice. You’ll always be one of my pups but-”

“Yes!”

Crewel’s face contorted as he was interrupted, but a toothy grin replaced it quickly at the Prefect’s words. With a tight hug and signatures, Grim and his hench-human had an adult legally looking out for them. 

   “-And that’s what happened. For summer break, Grim and I will go live with him off campus.” 

The magicless Prefect finished their retelling of their meeting with Crewel, excluding the terrifying image of the fish mafia that their boyfriend is a part of. Some details were best kept to oneself.

Trey scooted closer to (Y/n) on the booth they were sharing and wrapped them in a tight one-armed hug. Jade had been leaning on top of the wooden top of the booth and moved to place a hand under his own chin.

“That’s great! You were worried about summer housing and you managed to get a guardian out of it,” Trey said with his warm smile and bright eyes. However, Jade was being a little too quiet behind them, so the pair turned to check on their boyfriend.

“If you needed legal documentation I could have easily acquired that for you. You did not need to go through Crewel.”

The pair blinked simultaneously before Trey gave a nervous laugh before speaking.

“Jade, sugar, that’s kind of sketchy.”

“Thank you.” 

Trey shot (Y/n) a look asking for backup, but Azul came by the booth before the Prefect even thought about providing their partner support. 

“Perfect! Just the person I was looking for! Will I be able to advertise that you are singing tonight?” The Housewarden stands behind the booth with a charismatic smile on his face. Ever since the SDC, Azul has been giving (Y/n) the stage in the Lounge to… allow them to showcase their talents. No other reason. 

Before (Y/n) can ever reply, Trey cuts in. “Actually, they’re going to be busy.”

“I am?”

“You are.”

The magicless student turns to look at Jade for confirmation, who simply nods seriously.

“Huh, I guess I am. My place?”

“Yes.”

It’s always a lot quieter when the only furry resident of Ramshackle is out cold. Tonight, that just so happened to be in front of the fireplace on his favorite pillow. (Y/n) occasionally glanced up from their sketchpad to make sure Grim wasn’t too close to the fire. Sure- the cat-like monster breathed fire and had blue flames on his ears, but you could never be too careful. It was a domestic vibe that was quietly interrupted by a familiar knock on the door. 

With a grin on their face, (Y/n) loops their legs off the couch and sets the sketchpad down to go open the door for their lover. Trey always arrives first, so the Prefect knows exactly who to expect.

Green hair greets the Prefect outside the door and he bears a warm smile on his face as he pushes a chestnut tart into view.

“Isn’t there a rule against that?” 

“Shut up, (Y/n).”

The third year moves into the dorm with tired grace as he glances behind his shoulder. 

“Jade should be here in a second. He said something about needing to forage.” With a smirk, Trey placed the tart in the kitchen. He turned around to give (Y/n) a quick peck on the forehead as Jade didn’t even bother knocking and instead opened the unlocked door. In his arms was a bouquet of seaside daisies, pink tulips, and seagrass for the filler. He put it in a vase next to where the tart was placed. He had that resting smile on his face, but Trey and (Y/n) could tell he was proud of the arrangement. His partners were also surprised there weren't any mushrooms in it. 

“We originally planned for a simple date night, but a celebration was in order for your adoption,” Jade calmly spoke as his dual-toned eyes glanced over to Grim. “And- I suppose the beast.” 

Trey wandered over to throw a blanket over Grim before he directed his eyes towards the stairs. Without words, Jade and (Y/n) began to climb to the Prefect’s room, with Trey on their heels.

The room was the same as it always had been, with the only changes being gifts of Jade’s hikes and better dental hygiene tools. The wallpaper was still peeling off and the bed always had a creak to it. But it had been home for the Prefect and Grim for over a year and a safe refuge for their lovers. 

They had an order they slept in. Jade was always closest to the window, on the left, he woke up sometimes in the middle of the night and liked to watch the stars. (Y/n) slept in the middle, mainly because they brought the relationship together, but also because they liked being sandwiched between the boys. Trey was on the outside, the first to notice if Grim needed something in the middle of the night, the one to let the other two sleep as he took care of it. The order was also how they cuddled, as they did now.

Jade had his head resting on (Y/n)’s shoulder while Trey’s leg was draped over both the Prefect and the eel. It was moments like these the boys were happy their partner decided to stay in Twisted Wonderland. Jade had a theory that they were one of the reasons they stayed, but he would never look for a confession. He didn’t want a reason for them to change their mind.

“Y’know- if Grim wakes up tonight, I don’t think we’ll get a piece of the tart.” Trey whispered as he ran a hand through (Y/n)’s hair. The Prefect cuddled up closer to the Vice-Housewarden’s chest while the other Vice-Housewarden let out an offended noise as he cuddled closer to (Y/n). This movement slowly pushed Trey closer and closer to the edge of the bed until he was practically dangling over the edge.

“Uh- guys? Honey, can you tell Jade to stop moving? Can you stop moving?” The green haired boy pleaded and both partners stopped to consider Trey’s words. Jade and (Y/n) stare at each other for a moment, seemingly having a silent conversation before they both launch themselves at Trey. The lovers end up in a pile of limbs on the floor and Jade is the first to start laughing. 

After everyone gets their giggles out, Trey takes (Y/n)’s head in his hands gently to kiss their forehead. The Prefect gives the Heartslabyul student a confused look while Jade moves to lean on Trey’s shoulder. 

“I’m- We’re glad you decided to stay.”

“Welcome home, (Y/n).”