The group eyed Chubby apprehensively as he lay prone on the ground, waiting to see if he would get up to attack them again. By now, most of the group was more or less out of magic after all the battles they'd fought on the way to the wedding, so if that last group attack hadn't been enough to bring him down… Well, it didn't look good for them.

Luckily, that didn't appear to be the case. Chubby did make an attempt to push himself back up, but between the attack and the energy he'd expended maintaining his larger form, he no longer had the strength to even hover. He collapsed back to the ground with a grunt before letting out a resigned sigh and closing his eyes.

"Aww yeah!" Ace cheered. "We got 'em!"

"Whoo-hoo!" Grim joined in as he high-fived Ace. "That's how it's done!"

Behind them, Eliza remained rooted to the spot, her horrified expression fixed in place. "Oh no… Oh no, no…," she whimpered. She was staring straight ahead, but it didn't seem like she was looking at any of the Team Tux members.

Riddle turned at the sound of Eliza's voice, crossing his arms and giving her a smug look before addressing the rest of Team Tux as they followed suit. "There are no more guards. We should be able to get the Severance Ring on her now."

"We'd better hurry before she starts goin' nuts too!" Epel urged.

Eliza continued to stare past them, her eyes wide and her hands still covering her mouth as she shook her head. "No… Oh no, no, no…"

"Any last words, princess?" Ace asked as he pulled the Severance Ring out of his pocket again. "You should say goodbye to your precious Idia while you still-"

"Chubby!" Eliza shouted suddenly. She rushed past them, literally moving through Epel and Ace to get to the fallen ghost's side.

"Huh?" Team Tux looked at each other in confusion before turning around as well.

"Chubby… Oh Chubby, how could this happen?!" Eliza wailed as she knelt down next to him, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "This is all my fault. You took that beating defending me from those horrible villains!"

"Wait, how are we the villains here?!" Ace asked incredulously.

"Please don't cry, Princess," Chubby said as he opened his eyes. He raised his hand up to look at it, only to see that his body was beginning to grow even more transparent than normal. "I would honored…if you would…grace me with your smile… Just one more time…"

"Wh-What do you mean "one more time"? Why are you fading away?" Eliza asked, her voice shaking. She tried to take Chubby's hand, only to gasp in shock when it fell right through her own.

"It seems I exhausted all of my energy during that fight," Chubby explained, keeping a reassuring smile on his face so as not to upset Eliza further. "I have no regrets, Your Highness. When I took up my post as a guardsman, I was prepared to lay down my life for you if it came to that." He reached up to touch Eliza's cheek as tenderly as he could manage as he fought to maintain his body for a few moments longer. "Princess… I hope you always have reason to smile. I wish you nothing but good fortune. May you live happily ever after with your prince…"

Eliza gasped again, her tears beginning to fall as Chubby's body began to fade once again. She tried desperately to take his hand again, but her hand fell right through his each time. "No… No! Please… Please don't leave me! I never would've had the strength to follow my dream if it hadn't been for you! Your support is what carried me through all the hardship, Chubby! I…I need you!" Her eyes widened as if she was surprised by her own words, quickly followed by a look of realization. "Oh my… Of course! I finally understand now." She gave Chubby a warm smile despite her still-falling tears. "My real prince…is you, Chubby!"

"What?!" everyone in the room, including Devon's brothers, shouted in unison.

"Princess… My dear Eliza…," Chubby uttered softly, oblivious to everything else around him. Indeed, he and Eliza seemed off in their own little world. "I've loved you since we were children. You've always been the only one in my heart."

"Oh Chubby, I love you," Eliza replied. She leaned down to press her lips to his in a gentle kiss.

The instant Eliza's lips touched his, Chubby's body began to return to its normal semi-solid state. His eyes opened as he felt his strength returning and widened when he floated upright and looked at his hand again. "What's this? My injuries are healing!"

"It must be the power of love!" Eliza squealed happily, finally able to take his hand in her own. "You've been saved by true love's kiss!"

"Huzzah! What wonderful tidings!" the rest of the ghostly retainers chimed in without missing a beat.

"Uh… What just happened?" Ace asked. "Please tell me I'm not the only one havin' trouble keeping up with this melodrama."

"I'm rather confused myself," Riddle admitted, "but it seems they're painting us as the bad guys here."

Eliza looked up suddenly as if remembering something. Once again she floated past Devon, Grim, and the suitors as if they were invisible before coming to a stop in front of Idia. "Idia, darling?"

"Uh…yeah?" Idia replied uncertainly.

"I'm so sorry," Eliza apologized dramatically, "but I'm afraid I can't return your feelings for me!"

Idia blinked. "Huh?"

"I feel terrible, honestly. Believe me when I tell you that it's not you, it's me," Eliza continued. "You're an absolute dreamboat, though. I'm sure you'll find someone even better than me one of these days." She patted his cheek gently before turning to her attendants. "Your attention please, everyone! I have an announcement to make! I have finally found my true perfect prince! My eternal soulmate, the one I will wed, is Chubby!"

The princess' news was met with thunderous applause and cheers from the other ghosts as Eliza moved to rejoin Chubby and pull him into an embrace.

"Congratulations!" cheered one ghost.

"I can't remember the last time I felt so overjoyed, even when I was alive!" shouted another.

"Three cheers for Princess Eliza and Prince Chubby!" called a third, followed by another round of cheers.

"My, what a moving scene!" Crowley commented as he entered the cafeteria with Ortho in tow. "A true love found, bringing an end to 500 years of despair. At the end of the day, you can't honestly expect someone to accept a proposal if they don't love you. It just goes to show that love will always be the key ingredient in such matters!"

"Big brotheeeeer!" Ortho shouted as he rocketed over to Idia and wrapped him in the tightest hug he could muster. "Oh, I'm so happy you're okay!"

"Yeah… I'm safe… I guess…," Idia muttered distantly. "Sorry Ortho, I'm really glad to see you, honest. It's just that I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around all this now that I'm not in danger of dying." He rolled his stiff shoulders, able to move again now that Eliza paralysis curse had been lifted. "I mean, she didn't actually expect me to marry her, right? I mean, aside from the fact that there's no way I'm getting hitched while I'm still in school-" His eyes widened as he finally processed Eliza's apology to him. "Hang on a sec, why do I feel like I'm the one who got dumped despite not even confessing?! I mean, it's not as if I liked her anyway and certainly not like that, but even so…"

"Try not to take it too hard," Rook said, laying an encouraging hand on Idia's shoulder. "I'm certain someone even more wonderful awaits you in the future. Have a good cry tonight so you can start fresh in the morning!"

"Okay, I really don't need a sappy pep talk right now, dude!" Idia shouted. 'Besides, I've had someone way better than that ghost for a while now. I mean, not that we're together or anything but I'm starting to think I might actually have a chance…' He couldn't stop his stomach from fluttering as he recalled the protective anger in Dominic's voice when one of the guards replayed the telepathic conversation between Dom and his siblings.

Meanwhile, the frozen students were getting to their feet in another part of the cafeteria. "My goodness, what a fine mess that turned out to be," Lilia commented as he cracked his sore back.

"Maybe so, but at least we can finally move again," Azul pointed out, his legs wobbling slightly as he stood up.

"Glad you're all up and about again," Devon said as she and the rest of Team Tux made their way over. "How're your cheeks feelin'?"

"Do not remind of that, Devon!" Vil replied, taking out his compact mirror to see if Eliza's slap mark was still visible.

Devon smiled and rolled her eyes playfully. "Too late, Vil. Now I'm gonna call you every day just to ask about it." Vil narrowed his eyes at her, but she remained unfazed. "Just wait; I'll set an alarm and everything."

Vil continued to glare at her for a moment before sighing. "I honestly can't tell if you're joking or not. That irks me to no end."

Meanwhile, Ace and Riddle made their way back over to their now unfrozen dormmates. Trey smiled when he saw them approach. "You guys really outdid yourselves back there! Especially you, Ace."

"Heh. That's right, you should be grateful!" Ace replied. "I had to make for whatever that song was you sang to the princess earlier, after all."

Trey sighed and shook his head. "Please just forget that ever happened."

"Dang, Epel. You didn't even flinch when you went up against that big ghost. I definitely haven't been givin' you enough credit. You've got some serious guts!" Jack complimented.

"You think so?" Epel replied. "It's…kind of embarrassing to be complimented like that."

"Is it? My bad," Jack apologized.

Epel shook his head with a smile. "It's still nice to hear, though, so thank you!"

"I must applaud your presence of mind, Rook," Jade said. "It was thanks to your quick thinking that none of us were hurt during the fight."

"There's no need to thank me, Monsieur Mastermind," Rook replied. "I'm sure you'd have done the same if you were in my position!"

"No, actually," Azul interjected. "Jade would've conveniently "forgotten" about us and then laughed if we were caught in the crossfire."

"Is that so? Well, I suppose there's also beauty in leaving things to fate," Rook mused.

"Daaang, you're one powerful lil' Goldfishie, huh~?" Floyd commented as he walked up to Riddle. "Seein' you guys fight made me wanna throw down, too." He gestured to himself. "C'mon, fight me. I'll let you have the first punch!"

"This is neither the time nor the place, Floyd!" Riddle shouted.

"Uugh, laaame," Floyd huffed.

Riddle ignored the pouting moray in favor of addressing Cater. "Let's go, Cater. We need to get you back to the dorm right away!"

"Huh? Why me specifically?" Cater asked.

"You took second place in the croquet tournament yesterday!" Riddle answered hurriedly. "If you don't serve me tea before the day is out, we'll be in violation of Rule 703!"

"Wait, that's actually a thing?!" Cater exclaimed in disbelief. "Guess that explains why you were so concerned about the time when you first got here. Man, talk about fastidious!" He shook his head with a smile. "Still, you did save my bacon and all, so let's book it back to Heartslabyul!" With that, the pair rushed out of the cafeteria without another word.

"Excuse me everyone," Puffy called out, drawing everyone's attention back to himself and Eliza, "if I may say something to all of you. I'd like to apologize for all the trouble we put you through today."

"Thanks to you all, I was able to find my real true love," Eliza added as she happily took Chubby's hand. "I couldn't be more grateful to all of you!"

"You guys have been nothing but a pain since you got here, but all's well that ends well, I guess," Ace replied. He tossed the box with the Severance Ring in his hand a few times before putting it back in his pocket. "At least we don't have to force this ring on your finger now. That's a plus, right?"

Eliza nodded. "That's true! Chubby and I are going to head off to our honeymoon now, and we'll be going completely regret-free."

"Which means things are finally going to go back to normal!" Ortho cheered.

"Uuuugggh, this sucks," Idia groaned. "I hate it here. I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up with phasmophobia because of this."

"Don't you worry, everyone. I'll make sure to pop by for a visit next year to give you an update!" Eliza chirped.

"JUST STAY GONE!" everyone shouted in perfect sync.

Eliza and Chubby smiled at one another lovingly as their ghostly guards and attendants began to disappear one by one in quick flashes of light. Once all of them had returned to the other side, the new couple gave the Night Raven College students one last smile and wave before vanishing as well to start their new eternity together.

"My, my, what an eventful day this was," Crowley commented. "There were many twists and turns, but in the end, nobody went to the afterlife that didn't already belong there. It's all over and done with now, so we can put this whole affair behind us-"

Rook cleared his throat. "Pardon me, headmaster, but perhaps there's a better way to close out the day's events?"

"Hmm? Ah yes, I suppose you're right," Crowley agreed. "Hmm… And so the prince and princess lived happily ever after. The end." He smiled brightly. "Oh, I do so love happy endings!"

Idia rolled his eyes. "Happy ending, nothing. Come on, Ortho. Let's get back to the dorm. I'm locking myself in my room until it's time to leave for the winter holiday-eep!" He squeaked in surprise and shrunk back when Devon suddenly warped in front of him.

"Not so fast, Prince Charming," Devon said, her expression and tone serious. "We need to talk."

"Talk about wha… Oh crud…" Idia's eyes widened as he caught sight of the purple rings around Devon's irises. Without thinking, he grabbed onto Devon's shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. "Dom! Those purple ring things mean your blessing's active, right? So you can hear me, can't you?"

"He can't answer you-" Devon tried to interject, but Idia kept going.

"Okay, I know how everything looked earlier, but I swear it wasn't what it looked like!" Idia rambled frantically. "I mean, it kinda was what it looked like, I guess, but I swear I was not a willing participant! I would never do that to-"

"Idia!" Devon reached up to gently pry the Ignihyde dorm leader's hands off her shoulders before she continued in what she hoped was a more calming tone. "We already know that you were kidnapped and forced into this mess. Ortho showed me and Grim the security footage of the bride taking you away and I filled my brothers in when Dom linked us up. Trust me, he's not mad at you."

Idia blinked. "Oh… Then what…" He stared blankly at Devon for a moment before what it finally sunk in. "Oh… Right. Umm… Look, do we have to do this right now?"

"Uh, yeah, I'd say we do," Devon replied shortly. "Don't even think about runnin' back to your room, Idia, because I will find you."

"Come on, big brother. I think you owe Devon Lopez an explanation," Ortho pressed, having been informed about the Idia and Dom situation earlier. Apparently, Idia had always made sure to contact Dominic when Ortho was out of the room. He had no idea what had been going on, explaining that sometimes he'd come back to the room to find Idia reduced to a blushing, giddy puddle with an accelerated heart rate, but he'd just assumed it was the result of something happening in one of his games.

"I wasn't talking about going back to my room," Idia clarified before lowering his voice to mutter, "though that does sound amazing right now…" He sighed and shook his head. "I just meant that I wanted to get outta this suit and back into my regular hoodie first. I've got the adapter I've been using to connect to your world in one of the pockets, which means if I plug it into my phone, Dom won't have to keep pushing his blessing. I'm betting this is probably the most he's used it in a 24-hour period, right? Which means he's probably pretty worn out by now."

Devon could only stare at Idia in shock for a moment; she'd never seen him be so thoughtful and considerate toward anyone except Ortho before. She and DJ could feel how happy Idia's observations and concern made Dominic, though, which made it hard for either of them to stay irked enough to pull the protective older siblings card. Unfortunately for Idia, Devon's mind did manage to hook onto one particular part of his explanation and her desire to get in just a little payback helped her find her words. "Hang on. You've been carrying that adapter thing around with you?"

"Aahhh… W-Well," Idia stammered, realizing too late that sharing that little nugget with Devon might have been a mistake, "y-y'know how I don't leave my room because there are people outside and I can't deal with them?"

"You've mentioned that before, yes," Devon replied.

"Well it turns out that wh-when I have my adapter with me…it makes going outside slightly more bearable," Idia continued haltingly, looking everywhere else in the room except at Devon as the ends of his hair began to turn pink. "'Cause, y'know, it's like D-Dom's there with m-me and…" He risked a glance at Devon and his fight or flight reflexes (though he always chose flight, so he wasn't sure why his body even gave him the option) kicked in as soon as he saw the amused smirk on her face. "Wh-Whatever! I'm gonna go get my regular clothes back and-"

"Wait, wait, hold on!" Devon interjected. "Can I ask you to wear the suit for another minute or two? See, Dom was too keyed up and worried about getting you back safe earlier to pay attention to this new drip you've got goin' on but, uh, now he's noticed and I think you've got him feelin' some type of way."

Idia's hair now flared a bright pink to match the blush creeping over his cheeks and ears. "Really? H-He likes it?" He brought a hand up to his face to try and (unsuccessfully) hide the way his lips were pulling up in a smile that was equal parts flustered and flattered. "Did he tell you that?"

Devon shook her head. "He didn't need to. One of the effects of my blessing is that I can feel the emotions of anyone I happen to link with, so I can feel that baby bro needs to go to horny jail right about now." Her eye twitched briefly, but her amused smirk never dropped as she nodded toward the cafeteria doors. "Now come on, let's have this talk before Dom gives me a migraine screaming at me."

Idia ended up corroborating much of what Dominic had explained before, including why they had both agreed to keep the adapter a secret until he'd made what he hoped would be the final tweaks to it over the winter break. As much as Devon and DJ (and Ortho, who was pretty easily able to empathize with the two older triplets and think of how he'd feel if he was in their position) wanted to be frustrated with Idia and Dominic, they understood that their reasons were coming from a place of concern and caring-at least toward Dominic, on Idia's part.

It was also hard for them to find fault with Idia given the obvious concern he was showing for Dominic's well-being; he'd insisted on using the adapter as soon as he got his hoodie back so Dom could give his powers a break and kept not-so-subtly checking him over to make sure he wasn't getting too exhausted, explaining that while the adapter was taking a great deal of the burden off of him, it still relied on Dominic's blessing to enable to video chat-like effect that allowed them to see one another through the screens of their smartphones.

After DJ and Devon's questions had been answered to their satisfaction, Dominic severed the link for a break with Idia promising to reach out again once he'd made it back to his room. He was about to set off for the Hall of Mirrors, but Devon caught his arm before he could leave. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Idia wanted to give her a "You just did," in response, but the serious look on Devon's face told him that probably wasn't the best idea. "Uhh… Sure…?"

"I know that whatever's going on between you and Dom isn't any of my business, but I need to know for my own peace of mind… Are you serious about," she gestured vaguely, "whatever kind of situationship you're in with him right now or are you just stringing him along?"

For a split second, Idia was offended by the question, but then he recalled his previous conversations with Dominic about what had happened with Liam. That mess had been going on for years and he realized that Devon had likely had a front row seat to her brother repeatedly getting hurt by someone who seemed to only see him (and plenty of other people, it seemed) as a plaything. He supposed he couldn't really blame her for being protective; he'd certainly feel the same way if Ortho had been in a similar situation.

"First of all, you're absolutely right; what's going on between me and your brother isn't any of your business," Idia began bluntly, though his tone wasn't unkind. "I can respect that you're trying to look out for him, though, so from one older sibling to another, I promise you that I have no intention of toying with his feelings. Your brother's an ultra rare pull as far as I'm concerned and I'm not about to treat him like he's anything less."

"Okay… I don't speak gamer, but I'm guessing that's a good thing," Devon replied. Normally she wouldn't have just taken a statement like that at face value-anyone could hide ill intent behind flattering statements, after all-but there was something inside her, a feeling (or, more accurately, her blessing) that assured her that Idia was telling her the truth. Besides, it wasn't as if Idia was the type to play the field anyway. Ortho had complained more than once to her that it was like pulling teeth to get him to leave his room most of the time.

Idia rolled his eyes. "Typical normie. Yes, it's a very good thing and if he were here, he'd be able to back me up, further confirming his SSR status." He sighed as his cheeks began to flush. "The truth is that…he makes me feel things that I've never felt before, things I wasn't sure I could feel for an IRL person."

Devon smirked up at him, her playful teasing back in full force now that she'd been reassured that Idia wasn't going to intentionally hurt her precious baby brother. "Mmhmmm~ Does that mean…?"

"I'm not about to ask him out, if that's what you're hinting at," Idia told her.

Devon deflated slightly. "Because of the long distance? I mean, you guys are literally a world apart, so I guess I get it."

Idia shook his head. "Not exactly; I think we could make a purely online relationship work. I mean, I have been finding myself wanting to do," He shuddered, "ugh, cute normie couple things with him, so it's not like I'd be upset if he somehow found his way to Twisted Wonderland, though. Right now at least, both of us are happy with the way things are, so there's no reason to shake things up. Besides, I don't think I'd feel right asking him out just yet."

Devon tilted her head. "How come?"

"Because whether he wants to admit it or not, Dom's still hurting from that whole mess with Liam," Idia replied. "The thought of taking advantage of his hurt feelings just doesn't sit right with me, especially if it ends up ruining what we've already got going." His answer was honest, but no matter how easy Devon was to talk to, he couldn't bring himself to tell her his biggest reason for not deepening things with Dominic, despite his growing desire to do so. 'There's no point in forming relationships with anyone on the outside, anyway. Not when I'll be stuck carrying on the Shroud family's duty for the rest of my life. Even if Dom did want to be with me, I couldn't ask him to shackle himself to that kind of existence.'

Devon couldn't help the small approving smile that spread over her face as she mulled over Idia's words while Ortho looked on happily. He never thought he'd see the day that Idia showed an interest in someone who wasn't a 2-D character. And it was his best friend's brother, to boot!

"Anyway, I hope that was able to convince you that I'm skulking around trying to prey on your brother," Idia said as he pulled himself from his thoughts, not wanting to get too into his own head about things with Dominic. "Speaking of, I promised him I'd reach back out once I got back to my room, sooo…"

"Right, right, don't keep him waiting. I'd better catch up with Ace and the others, anyway," Devon replied. "Thanks for bein' real with me. And if you ever decide that you wanna take that step with Dom and you want some help…you know where to send Ortho to find me."

Heh. Thanks," Idia said as he finally turned to head back to the Hall of Mirrors. "You're a good sister, Devon." He looked back at Ortho. "Are you coming, Ortho?"

Ortho shared a look with Devon before shaking his head. "Nah, I think I'll stick with Devon for a bit. You head on back without me." He waited until Idia was out of earshot before looking at Devon excitedly. "Did you really mean what you said before?"

"Which part?" Devon asked as they headed back toward the cafeteria.

"About helping Idia if he decides to take things further with Dominic Lopez," Ortho clarified. "Based on that statement, is it safe to deduce that you approve of Idia as a potential partner for your brother?"

Devon laughed. "Yes, Ortho, I'd say that's a very safe deduction to make. I think Idia's proven that he genuinely cares about Dom well-being, both physically and emotionally, and Dom's definitely protective of Idia in a way that he isn't toward most other people. Seriously, I can't remember the last time I heard him get that angry. I wanna be clear about one thing, though: even if I didn't "approve" of Idia, I wouldn't do anything to keep him and Dom from being together if that's what they both wanted. I was pretty vocal about not liking Liam, but that's because he's a human dumpster fire and was emotionally abusing my brother. As long as Idia treats Dom right-and I trust that he will-nobody'll hear a negative word from me about it."

"I'm glad to hear that!" Ortho chirped. "Idia really has been so much happier lately. I really hope one of them decides to take the next step."

"Are you absolutely sure you're feeling okay?" Idia asked as he spoke to Dominic through his computer monitor. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"Okay fine, so I'm a little tired," Dominic admitted. "I wouldn't be able to fall asleep without checking in with you. Ya know, without my siblings eavesdropping. I should be asking how you're doing, though. You were the one who nearly got forced into a marriage to a ghost, after all."

"I'd say I'm gonna hole up in my room forever, but that's really not much different from normal for me," Idia replied. "I don't wanna look at anything involving ghosts for a while." He eyed Dominic for a moment. "You know what would make me feel better, though?"

Dominic smiled as he caught on. "I think I do. First I need to summon him." He looked away from his phone and out into his room before patting his chest gently. An instant later, Gizmo appeared on his chest, gently butting his head against Dominic's. "He has arrived!"

"Oh my goodness! Hewwo, sweet baby boy~!" Idia gushed, practically squealing when Gizmo 'mrrph'ed in response while Dominic watched with an endeared smile on his face. "Who's the sweetest, floofiest, bestest wittle kitty-witty in the world? You are! Yes you are, sweet baby~!" He looked up at Dominic, feeling a little embarrassed but smiling just the same. "I can't tell you how grateful I am that you don't judge me for talking to your cat like this literally every time I see him."

"Hey, I talk to him the same way, so I've got no room to judge anyone. I'm just glad someone else recognized what a precious lil' boopersnoot he is," Dominic replied. His eyes lit up with an idea. "Actually, hang on a sec. I wanna try something. I think you've bonded with him enough by now that it'll work…" He propped his phone up against a pillow on his bed before picked Gizmo up off his chest and plopping him down so that Idia could see him through the screen. "Okay, try calling to him."

"Umm… Okay," Idia replied hesitantly. "Gizmo. Pspspspsps, come here sweet baby."

Gizmo's ears perked up immediately and he walked toward Dominic's phone, headbutting it gently and kneading his paws on either side of the phone while purring like the most adorable tiny motor.

"Does that make you feel better?" Dominic asked.

"Oh yeah. I can feel the trauma melting away," Idia replied with a blissful smile. "I mean, not really, but you know. Gizmo's the best therapy cat a guy could ask for."

"I'm a little surprised that worked, actually," Dominic mused. "I mean, he does that to me whenever I'm away from home and someone else is watching him, but he's never done it with anyone else. Gizmo's friendly toward pretty much everyone, but he's never this affectionate with anyone but me. Not even Harper and he absolutely adores them." He watched Idia and Gizmo for a moment longer before he continued. "…I'm really glad you're okay, Idia."

Idia turned his attention back to Dominic as Gizmo stood and walked back over to his human, headbutting his chin affectionately as Dominic set his phone back on its charger.

"I'm not sure how well it came through since I was in full anger born of worry mode, but I was really scared when Dev told us about what happened," Dominic continued, petting Gizmo absentmindedly. "I mean, I know we haven't known each other for very long, but the thought of never being able to see or talk to you again just makes me feel…icky. Y'know?"

Idia flushed slightly as his heart fluttered in his chest at Dominic's confession and he recalled his own mental breakdown just before Devon and Ace burst in to stop the wedding. "Y-Yeah. I know what you mean. I just about came apart when it started to hit me that I might never see you or Ortho again." Gizmo 'murp'ed, unhappy at being left out, causing Idia to laugh. "Fwee hee hee! And Gizmo and his precious floofs too, of course."

"There was one good thing about this entire dumpster fire of an ordeal, though," Dominic said, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "Dev wasn't lyin' when she said I thought you looked incredible in that suit. I know you don't really like formalwear and I wish it hadn't been forced on you like it was but…once things calmed down, it was really hard for me to stop myself from just eating all of that eye candy. And the way your hair was styled was just," He blew a chef's kiss, "perfection."

"Fwee hee…," Idia laughed shyly and glanced off to the side for a moment as though it would hide the deepening blush on his cheeks and the pink in his hair. "Y-You really think so? I didn't really think I'd be able to pull off a look like that. I mean, not like I was trying to, but since those attendants shoved me into it and then wheeled me out in front of everyone…"

"Are you kidding? I don't think anyone else in that room could have pulled off that suit or hairstyle if they tried," Dominic replied encouragingly. "Not even that Vil guy and Dev says he's supposed to be some type of model or something. Personally, I've always had a weakness for guys with long hair but guys with long hair that's been tied back somehow? If I'd actually been there and if we'd been in any other circumstance, I probably would've swooned."

"Heh. Good to know," Idia replied, his mind already filling with other hairstyles to try so he could see how Dominic would react. Well…assuming he ever got up the courage to do so.

Despite the exhaustion from the events of the day weighing on both of them, Idia and Dominic continued to talk well into the night. Eventually though, Dominic was the first to fall asleep and Idia, unable to bring himself to disconnect the call, watched over him vigilantly as he thought back to his conversation with Devon. He knew his family situation meant that the likelihood of him getting together with Dominic was slim. After all, who in their right mind would volunteer for that kind of life? He knew that, logically, it would be smarter to nip this in the bud before his feelings for the youngest Lopez triplet to grow any deeper than they already had, but he just couldn't bring himself to consider it for long.

'The Shroud family is cursed to remain in the shadows; that's a fact. But…if my forebears could see him,' Idia mused to himself as he gently brushed his fingers against the monitor as he tried to brush a few stray curls from Dominic's sleeping face despite knowing it was impossible, 'would they begrudge me for wanting to hold onto the sliver of light and warmth I've found?'

Ending Notes: I've been wanting to add in a little mild Shroud family angst for a little while now with regards to Idia and Dom's relationship, but I didn't want to risk spoiling anything for the English-only players before Book 6 was released. Now that it's been out for a hot minute, I can bring it up all I want! This is (ultimately) a happy story, though, and if any of these boys deserves a happy ending, it's Idia.

Up next, I'll be covering Ace's SSR Suitor Suit vignette and then I'll get cracking on Scarabia.

Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are welcome. Geekinthepink, out!