Idia Shroud should have plugged his tablet into its charger when he had the chance—preferably before he sat down at his desktop for yet another late-night gaming session. He got the experience and materials that he needed…but at what cost?
"Say, say, saaayyy—can ya see me?"
Idia contemplates the pros and cons of slamming his forehead onto his desk. It's tempting, buuut…it could mess with his setup. Yeah—there's definitely that.
"Hey, heyy—how about now?"
Idia blinks, a small bead of sweat soon dripping down his face. He can see them, alright…and geez—he wasn't expecting them to be that cheerful-looking. With yellow eyes that shine brightly in the light, a fluffy mop of white hair, and brown skin that looks far warmer and livelier than his own ghostly pallor, this person…should definitely be talking to someone else—preferably, not him.
"What year are ya in?" the person asks, their smile never once leaving their face.
"Third." Idia sags into his seat, fully resigned to his current position. He knows their type—and it's just his luck that he attracted their attention.
"Ahh—I guess that makes you my senpai!" H-How can they say that so casually?!
Idia has never been so happy about the long distance between him and this…this…normie.
"That's what they are!" Ahhh, they're the type to have such a big group of friends—wait… "What if they try to…nononono."
He can't get dragged into this!
"What are you doing with Nii-san?!" Sanctuary!
"O-Ortho!" Idia calls out, having heard his younger brother's voice. "H-Help!"
Ortho should know what to do!
…
…
Yuu stares questioningly at the robotic boy with the flaming blue hair and yellow eyes. His body is sleek, and mainly white in color, with black accents here and there. On the left side of his chest is an opening that allows a blue flame to burn just as brightly as his hair. A mask covers the lower half of his face, making his expression rather difficult to read. He is smaller than Yuu, though his ability to fly allows him hover in the air—just enough so that the two can see eye-to-eye.
"Ortho?" Yuu tilts their head.
The robotic boy blinks. "Hmm?"
Ahhh…so this is Ortho. And since Idia called out to him, then that means…they should know each other!
"Say, saaaayyy—how do you know Idia-senpai?" Yuu wants to know!
Ortho blinks again. "Sen…pai?"
There's a small pause…and then a light seems to flicker on in Ortho's head as his eyes widen in awe.
"Senpai!" His hands ball up into tiny fists. "That makes you Nii-san's kouhai!"
"Nii-san…ohh!" That makes a lot of sense now! "Is this your little brother, Idia-senpai?"
Yuu directs their attention to the tablet that almost seems to be trying to stay out of sight.
"D-Don't…call me that…" Idia's voice nervously speaks out.
"Is Paisen okay, then?" Yuu has always wanted to call someone that!
"N-No!" Idia quickly shoots that suggestion down. "Don't act so familiar with someone you just met…"
"Is there something wrong with that, Nii-san?" Ortho tilts his head questioningly. "Shouldn't you be happy that someone wants to be your friend?"
Ortho is certainly happy!
"Just…Just take me to class already, Ortho—we'll talk about it later." Idia has had enough for one day.
"Aww, Nii-san…" Ortho whines. "Promise?"
There's a small pause…and then a defeated sigh. "Promise."
"Sorry, but Nii-san and I have to leave!" Ortho picks up the tablet from the window sill. "By the way, who are you?"
"I'm Yuu!" Yuu says with a smile on their face. "It's nice to meet you and your brother!"
Ortho closes his eyes. "It is very nice to meet you, Yuu-san! I hope that you and Nii-san can get along in the future!"
From what he's seen so far, Yuu is a rather nice person. Maybe just the right person to push Idia out of his room more…
"Maybe…" Only time will tell, but Ortho is willing to try, if it means getting his older brother to take him out to the park more often. "Try to get to class on time, Yuu-san!"
Yuu can only laugh as they watch Ortho fly off with his brother's tablet. "Heehee, how nostalgic!"
…
…
"Nostalgic?" What's nostalgic about a robot? Yuu closes their eyes in thought. "Hmmmm…"
A robotic…boy…
"Hmmmm!" The name absolutely escapes them, but Yuu knows that premise. They know it well—they've even watched it before, but…
Why is everything still so hazy?
There are a lot of questions that Yuu has, but they immediately get thrown out the window when Ace and Deuce finally return to them, with Grim in tow. The darkly-furred monster hisses and swipes at the air as he's held up by the scruff of his neck.
"I don't wanna go back to those boring classes!" Grim whines, like a child throwing a tantrum. He lets out another hiss when Yuu's face suddenly appears in front of his.
"If you don't go back, then you won't ever become a great mage!" Yuu frowns, their expression somewhat stern. "Are you okay with that?"
"N-No…" Grim's ears flatten behind his head.
"Then suck it up!" Yuu says with a far too cheery smile. "Come ooon, it's almost lunchtime—you can make it through one more class!"
"You're being extra strict today…" It's annoying, but there's not much that Grim can do about it while he's held up by the scruff of his neck.
"Or maybe you're just pushing your luck?" Except maybe spitting out a few fireballs at Deuce, as a response to his unneeded commentary. Too bad he's far too quick to just bat them away with his hand… "Nice try."
"Was it really?" Ace asks with a sly smile on his face. He only laughs when Yuu flicks him on the nose. "Kidding, kidding!"
Deuce shakes his head and sighs. "Keep that up, and you'll never get your magic back."
"What was that?" Ace turns his head.
"Stop fighting!" Yuu forcefully pushes some distance between Ace and Deuce. "We'll be late to class if you keep this up!"
"Alright, alright—you can stop pushing!" Yuu already made their point! "Fine, I'll behave!"
And just like that, Yuu stops pushing. "Good!"
"Geez, you're so pushy…" Ace doesn't know whether he finds that annoying or actually impressive. "Impressive?"
The thought makes him pause for a moment…and then his attention quickly shifts over to Deuce as he hands Grim over to Yuu. Ace expects the monster to kick up a fuss, and yet…Grim remains calm—even as Yuu rubs their cheek affectionately against his face.
"Huh…" Okay, maybe Yuu can be a little impressive—just a bit. Though as far as people without magic go, Yuu still has nothing on his father. "Not even close."
…
…
"It's finally lunchtime!" Grim can barely contain himself once Yuu walks through the cafeteria doors. Without any warning, he jumps onto Yuu's shoulder and starts tapping his paws on their head. "C'mon, c'moooon!"
The taste of yesterday's meal lingers strongly in his memory, making Grim's stomach growl even louder as his nose breathes in the aroma of freshly cooked food. The tapping continues, as does the urgency in his voice.
"Okay, okaaay!" Yuu laughs as they grab onto a tray. "I'm going as fast as I can!"
"Fluffy omelet! Grilled chicken and bacon and egg tarts!" Grim's pupils dilate instantaneously at the sight of the food that Yuu sets on their tray. "That's mine!"
"I know!" Yuu picked it out especially for him! "It's the last one, too!"
"Yaaaay!" Grim gleefully exclaims.
"Geez, you're too loud…" It's giving Ace a headache. "Are you really only this excited for lunch?"
Growl.
"Shut up." Ace roughly shoves a tray into Deuce's hands.
"I wasn't going to say anything." Deuce is being genuine, too—though that doesn't stop him from smiling.
"Not a damn word!" Ace points an accusatory finger at Deuce before picking up a tray for himself. "I'm getting a chocolate croissant…"
"Ahh—my iced latte!" Deuce had almost forgotten about that. He turns to Yuu, wondering very briefly if he should leave them alone. He quickly discards that thought when he realizes that Yuu has Grim. "He'll be fine."
It's not like it'll take him that long to get his iced latte. And even if it does, Ace is there.
"Yeah…it's fine."
…
…
"Get that—and that! Jam bread, too!" Grim wants it all! "Hurry, hurry!"
"C-Calm down!" It's hard for Yuu to maintain their balance when Grim won't. Stop. Moving! "Shit!"
Thud!
"Ahhhh! Watch it!"
"S-Sorry!" Yuu is quick to apologize to the person they've bumped into—an older student with short, silver hair and dark skin.
"Sorry, huh?" Stormy blue eyes narrow in anger. "Is that all you have to say? 'Cause of you, the egg in my pasta broke!"
"Uuumm…" A bead of sweat drips down Yuu's face, their eyes wide from shock.
"Oi, oi, oi~!" A red-haired student with pale skin slinks into view, his hand soon resting itself on top of Yuu's shoulder. "Breaking the egg is the best part of eating carbonara."
There's not much warning that the student gives before his hand shoots out and grabs Yuu roughly by the front of their sweater. He pulls them close—just enough so that they're seeing eye-to-eye, his voice now loud enough that he's practically shouting. "How are ya gonna fix this, huh?!"
It's enough to make Yuu flinch.
"If ya hand over that grilled chicken as compensation, then we'll call it even." The silver-haired student reaches out for the plate on Yuu's tray. He doesn't expect much trouble, now that his companion has thoroughly intimidated Yuu. Even their familiar is too stunned to react…
And yet, that doesn't stop Yuu from suddenly kicking their leg outwards in the direction of the student, nearly pushing him back with the heel of their boot.
"Back off!" And just like that—Grim is back to being his loud, and abrasive self. "That chicken's mine!"
"Sorry I broke your egg, but I picked that chicken especially for him!" And no amount of yelling is going to convince Yuu to give it up. "And if you don't let go of my sweater, I'm going to bite you."
"Wha?" That's as much of a warning that Yuu gives the redhead before sinking their teeth into his hand. "Aaugh!"
"Told ya!" Yuu backs away with unsteady steps, nearly losing their balance, had Ace not grabbed them by the back of their sweater.
"We leave you alone for five minutes, and you're already picking fights?!" Grant it, it was Deuce who left Yuu alone—but Ace isn't the type to go into the specifics at a time like this.
A low growl rumbles in the back of Grim's throat. "Don't touch 'em!"
"I get you're mad, but I'm here to help!" Ace gives Grim a rough pat on the head. "So don't get angry at me!"
"Ehh? Not gonna show your senpai some respect?" The red-haired student tilts his head as he pulls out his pen. "Come here!"
"S-Senpai—using magic in a fight is prohibited!" Deuce tries to deescalate the situation…and fails when Ace grabs him by the collar.
"Is now really the time to act like a goody two-shoes?!" Ace cannot believe Deuce—did he not see what their upperclassmen did to Yuu?!
Deuce promptly shuts his mouth as a student with unruly blond hair joined the other two students. "A-Alright, then…"
"Man, this is gonna be a pain in the ass…" Of all the times to have his magic sealed… "Think you can cover for me?"
"No promises." Deuce swallows hard as he takes out his pen. He prepares for the absolute worst…only for the flash of a camera to catch him completely off-guard. "Huhh?!"
"Was that…?" No, Ace thinks to himself…it couldn't be— "YOU!"
It's him!
"Hi, Cay-kun!" Yuu waves at the third-year as he messes with his phone.
"Hi, Yuu-chan!" Cater is far too eager to respond to Yuu's greeting. He just can't help himself. "I'm kinda busy right now, so I'll get back to you in a sec. In the meantime…is it okay if I tag you all in this?"
Cater shows off the photograph displayed on his phone's screen. His smile far too innocent for comfort, for someone in possession of such incriminating evidence.
"Heehee!" Grim starts laughing when he sees the other students start to squirm. "Where did all that bite go?!"
"But I'm the one who did all the biting?" Yuu furrows their brow.
Ace shakes his head as he gives Yuu's head a few pats. "You sure did…"
"Aww, they left." Cater laughs sheepishly as he deletes the photo, having no other use for it, now that the offending students have left. "Guess I can't post it up, then! Shame—all of you made some really nice faces~!"
"Senpai—you're scaring me." Deuce doesn't even try to hide it.
"There's nothing to fear if you just avoid getting on his bad side." Which, in Trey's opinion, is fairly easy to avoid.
"Vice Leader!" Deuce is far too quick to straighten his posture. If he's here, then that must mean…! "I can explain!"
"Aw, crap." Out of the frying pan, and into the fire—Ace just can't get a break, can he?
"Now, now—there's no need to worry." Trey saw everything. "I know you two didn't start anything."
"Can't say the same about Yuu-chan, though." Cater tilts his head to the side. "Then again, Yuu-chan isn't bound to the rules of Heartslabyul like the rest of us. So there's not anything you can do about it, huh, Trey-kun?"
"When you put it like that…" Trey laughs awkwardly.
"I'm not wrong, though." Cater grins. "Which means none of you are in trouble!"
Of course, that's ignoring what Ace did last night—but details.
"That's a relief!" Deuce breathes out.
"If that's the case, then I'm just gonna sit down and eat." Ace thinks he might actually pass out if he waits any longer to put food in his stomach. "You should eat, too, Yuu."
Really, they could stand to gain some weight.
"Okay—but I need to get more food first!" The food they have is for Grim only.
"Would you like some help?" Trey can tell that they're having difficulty maintaining their balance.
"If you wanna!" Yuu doesn't mind.
"Reliable as always, huh?" Cater can't help but feel a little jealous—just a bit. "Guess that's what makes you Vice Dorm Leader!"
"Wish he was our Dorm Leader instead of him…" Maybe then, Ace wouldn't have had his magic sealed off.
"Careful, careful—you never know when he might be around!" Though Cater might not sound like it, he is very much serious with the warning he gives Ace. Which is why his smile quickly turns into a frown when he sees Ace carelessly wave off his warning. "Oh well."
Can't say he didn't warn him, though…if Ace is especially lucky, then Yuu might help him get around Riddle's especially strict nature.
"Now that'd be a sight." Maybe this time, he'll be able to catch it on camera.
…
…
…
A/N You know, at the time I wrote this chapter, I said I was saving up for Birthday Lilia and Malleus. I got them, which is great. But Malleus, LIKE BIRTHDAY BOY CATER, was an ass to me, because he showed up on PITY.
These boys making me work for them. DX
Moving on, let's talk about this chapter! Here we have the beginning traces of what I like to call Feral Yuu. Let me just say…this won't be the last time it'll happen. :D
Anyways, I had to mcfucking alter the fight here, because game mechanics wouldn't work at all, when you got like two people who can't use magic, and a cafeteria setting where Riddle would fucking put an end to it, should it even ESCALATE.
So that's why you have Cater coming to the rescue…I SWEAR I don't have a bias for him. (okay maybe I do—just a bit)
Hope you liked the Ortho encounter, as well as the rest of this chapter! Major shout-outs to SilverStar56, who's fanfic on AO3 you should totally read, shaine26 and their beautiful art, and teuffels on tumblr, who's Lilia art has been keeping me going through the entire week, despite me getting distracted by FGO and Obey Me. Seriously, check out their art!
Thank you all who have been taking the time to review, even if you aren't much! I still appreciate it anyways! ^^
So until next time, everyone! STAY SAFE!
