I wrote this at 1am so apologies for any errors of any kind. I hope you all like it! Also consider Sofia/Gremlin friendship.
p"Do I have to study English? The language is difficult! And there's so many words and slang it's all ridiculous! Japanese is much simpler." Shido whined, closing his workbook. /p
pIt had been Disaster's weekly study session, and in regular Shido fashion he felt the urge to complain about ieverything/i during study break since Sofia and Rouga – who had been backed by Kyoya – instated a rule that he wasn't allowed to speak unless he was getting tutored or was spoken to during study time. /p
pAccording to Kyoya, "I'm afraid your talking is disturbing others who are trying to study. In fact, didn't someone throw a book at you last session for your constant outbursts?"/p
pAt the time, Shido admitted to being a disturbance, apologised, and quickly agreed to follow Kyoya's orders for fear of being punished – or worse, being kicked off of Disaster which would have been a blessing in disguise for a lot of us. /p
pToday was a day where he was particularly annoying and continued to rant. "I'm hungry too. Where's Sofia? Wasn't she getting snacks?" Shido placed a hand on his stomach as I stared over at him from where I sat; across the table but one seat over. /p
pHe never failed to complain and his continuous clinging to Sofia, alongside his constant if not daily clashing with Davide made him out to be an embarrassment, an unsightly display to others in Disaster including myself. If it weren't for his connections, I'm positive he would've been booted sooner. /p
pShido left his chair and stood up, continuing his complaints. I muttered an insult in French under my breath so he wouldn't hear me and tried to block him out by observing my surroundings. Rouga had gotten up and stretched his legs by walking to the edge of the room, propping himself against the wall. Davide had disappeared at the same time as Sofia after Elf (who had a habit of appearing out of nowhere and disappearing shortly after), called study break. Terumi was nowhere to be seen since she wasn't able to make it./p
pI looked over at the organ, noticing that Kyoya wasn't there. I brushed it off assuming he went to help Sofia or conduct business with Elf. Kyoya and his actions were always mysterious. You never knew when he'd reappear to embarrass you, hand out orders, or praise you. His manner of speaking was almost backhanded at times. He could compliment you and call you an embarrassment in the same sentence, and go as far as twisting the knife of embarrassment into you even further, which was something he hardly ever did unless someone deserved it./p
p"I return with hot chocolate. I made it like I usually do; from scratch and exactly how you all like it." I turned my attention to the opposite end of the table where the voice was coming from. Sofia had returned, with Davide sneaking in behind her. Not wasting any time, she walked around the table and handed out the hot chocolate to everyone. /p
p"Thank you, Sofia. I appreciate it." Shido said, setting his drink down on the table. "Don't you think English is difficult to learn?"/p
p"Not really. You're making it harder than it looks, Shido." Sofia responded. I could tell she was bothered he stopped her from what she was doing./p
pAs he continued his complaints, I scowled. Sofia and I had a mutual understanding regarding him after we started to practice our conversational French several months before. From then on, we had an odd...relationship./p
pSeeing a flash of yellow I directed my attention to where it was immediately. I saw Davide slip something back into his pocket and move away from Shido's mug, a playful smile on his face. I watched him, wondering what he was trying to pull. If it was a prank on Shido, I could only hope it was going to be interesting./p
p"Shido, listen. I'm getting bored with holding this tray. I still have to give Gremlin his drink. You can finish your complaints later." Sofia sidestepped him and came towards me, placing the mug in front of me. I thanked her in French and looked back at Shido and waited for him to take a drink out of his mug./p
p"Sofia makes the best hot chocolate," Shido said upon sitting back down. "I predict it'll taste good, as always." He smiled and grabbed his mug. As he brought it to his lips, he closed his eyes and took a drink. Next thing I knew he sneezed, a mixture of hot chocolate and nostril fluids spraying everywhere. /p
p"What is wrong with this –" Before he could finish his sentence, he sneezed once again. /p
pI saw Davide smirk, trying to hide his laughter. /p
p"Sofia did you –" A sneeze interrupted him. "– do some–" Another three sneezes stopped him from talking. /p
pI saw Davide couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed, his face turning red within a couple minutes, all while Shido's sneezing fit continued. Rouga had started laughing too. /p
pAfter I snorted in amusement I heard soft laughter escape Sofia's lips. Apparently she hadn't left my side yet. "Pepper was put into his hot chocolate." I stated, as if it weren't the most obvious thing in the world. /p
p"I can tell. It's amusing. Davide actually did something funny for once." /p
p"Surprisingly enough he did." /p
p"Shido, if you're going to keep sneezing, shouldn't you cover your nose and mouth? I don't want you to give anyone here a cold." Kyoya had arrived at the door, a small grin appearing on his face. Everyone who had been laughing got silent and gave their attention to Kyoya, except for Shido who was still sneezing./p
p"M-master Kyoya! I don't have a cold. Someone put pepper in my hot chocolate!" Shido choked out between sneezes. /p
pEntering the room even further, he continued. "That's unfortunate. But just in case, I want you to cover your nose and mouth in the future. We can't have Disaster taken out by whatever dormant sickness you're carrying." Kyoya was still grinning. I could tell he was enjoying making the annoyance – I mean iShido/i into a bigger embarrassment than he already was. /p
p"Understood." Shido sneezed a few times, looking absolutely humiliated./p
p"Good. Sofia, come with me. I have something to discuss with you."/p
p"Yes, Master." Sofia said. She walked to Kyoya and promptly followed him out of the room. /p
pDavide spoke up as soon as he was sure Kyoya and Sofia were out of earshot. "Having fun, loser?" /p
p"It was you that touched my hot chocolate, wasn't it?!" Shido whined. /p
p"Perhaps. Enjoying the sneezing fit?" Davide stuck his tongue out and smiled./p
piHere we go, another clashing of two idiots/i, I thought. As usual, I decided to ignore this confrontation. I reached for my mug, taking a drink of hot chocolate. It had a hint of caramel this time. I made a mental note to compliment Sofia on her hot chocolate next time she made it and opened my French textbook, returning my thoughts back to my studies. I can only hope Shido and Davide will learn to get along. Pepper certainly won't help./p