Azul X Reader - Blog Posts

The Light at the End of the Trench

✂ Pairing: Azul Ashengrotto x Female! Reader

✂ Word Count: 1,5k

✂ Warnings: -

[Edited]

Do not re-upload my writing to another website or use it without my permission.

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Hey there! I loved giving Malleus a stone as an accidental proposal! It would make sense to me that mers would also see it as that! Could we possibly get one with Floyd Azul or Jade?

omg yes absolutely! Thinking about it, merfolk probably would also take it as a proposal! Especially with their culture being inspired by The little mermaid and she loved to collect things. I love this request! For those of you who haven't seen the Malleus part, it's linked below!

Request rules and Masterlists

Accidentally proposing to Malleus with a rock

Accidentally proposing with a rock (Octavinelle)

Floyd:

It was an innocent gesture. You wanted to give Floyd a rock to show you care about him. A simple gift that you thought he'd like. Well, you think he likes it a little too much.

When you gave the rock to Floyd, his eyes went wide, and he quickly smiled and pulled you into a tight hug (careful not to hurt you too much), "Awwww of course!"

He seemed so happy to get the rock, it honestly surprised you. Then he started lurking around you more. Like, hovering behind you and picking you up at random times to carry you around anywhere. When you asked, he said he had a right to carry and lurk now.

You also caught Jade snickering more than usual at you and Floyd, like he knew something you didn't. But both him and Floyd didn't elaborate. Instead, Floyd laughed and wrapped his arms around you, setting his head atop yours, "Silly silly~"

It wasn't until later when you visited the Mostro Lounge's VIP room that you got a hint of what was happening. Normally you'd just go there to hang out, but you'd noticed Azul was unusually frustrated today. When he saw you, it only seemed to set him off on a rant as he paced about the room.

"I can't believe this. Of all the things you could've given, and to all the people...I can't even begin to imagine what's going through your mind. You must be as impulsive as him to do this and with such short notice! Now he wants to use the whole lounge for a day and dumps all these things to prepare on me. Could you not have waited until I've graduated at least so I wouldn't have to put of with this? You two could at least help me instead of leaving me to figure out how to cater for an entire wedding without giving me any specifics-"

At this point, you kind of zoned out because you were stuck on the whole "wedding" part. What?

As Azul paced around the room and ranted, without you fully listening, your mind was working to put together the pieces. He clearly was blaming you for something, and impulsivity could only mean Floyd was involved. That, and he mentioned giving him something...

Oh no...

Right on time, Floyd had strolled into the room, completely interrupting Azul's rant. But the second his eyes landed on you, his expression lit up and he'd made his way over to you. His arms quickly wrapped around you and he basically leaned all of his weight on you as he cheered, "There you are. I've been looking all over for you. What're you doing here with Azul?"

Hesitantly, you had to ask, "Floyd, what's going on?"

Tilting his head, he rested his cheek on top of your head and hummed in amusement, "Ah. Azul's just jealous of us. Getting married while he's stuck talking all business and contracts."

You're what? Did you hear that right?

Before you could ask anything else or try and explain anything, he'd picked you up again, and started walking out of the room with you. A very frustrated Azul calling out to you two, "At least give me something!"

Only for Floyd to wave a hand dismissively as he carried you out, "Nah. You got this. We're busy."

Something told you he wasn't going to let you just back out or call it a friendship rock...

Jade:

You like to think you know Jade pretty well. You've spent a lot of time together, so you thought it'd be a great idea to give him a little gift. So when you found this nice smooth and pretty rock, you knew it'd be the perfect gift for him. It's even practical since he can put it in one of his terrariums!

He even seemed happy when you gave it to him, after brief shock of course, and he had that sharp-toothed smile you knew well.

"Well well, I must say I never expected you to be so bold to give me something like this, but I accept."

That was all he said. You weren't really sure why it'd require boldness, but he didn't elaborate and instead brushed it off and quickly left saying he had work to do.

The day carried on as normal until you saw Floyd. He ran up to you and swung you around, "There you areee~ Welcome to the family! Ma's gonna love ya!"

Disoriented, dizzy, and confused, you had to ask, "Floyd? What are you talking about?"

He swung you around once more before finally setting you down, "Ah, you know. Proposing to Jade like that? Real brave of you."

Huh? Proposing?

But in a true Floyd fashion, he just ginned and waved goodbye as he scurried off, leaving you with many questions. The only way you'd probably get answers is to ask the man himself. So, you quickly made your way to the Mostro Lounge.

There, Jade was setting up some tables, as composed and collected as ever. Seeing you, he straightened up with that same sharp-toothed smile as earlier, and welcomed you, "Good, you're here dear. We have a small dinner to celebrate our engagement before we can begin making preparations."

Stunned by the wildness of it all, you tried to nervously correct him, "Jade, I feel like there might've been a slight misunderstanding-"

"Nonsense," He began, stepping closer and wrapping an arm around you, "It's common knowledge that gifting a special rock is a marriage proposal among merfolk. You're mine now, dear."

Azul:

Azul and you are really close. There was no denying it when you spent so much time at the Mostro Lounge VIP room just hanging out with him. So you thought you’d do something nice for him and get him a little gift.

Then there was this perfect rock you found. It was smooth and round with specks of blue and purple, perfect for Azul.

You didn’t expect him to act so…odd when you have it to him. You held it out in your hand towards him, and he just stared at you in shock. His face turned about as red as Riddle’s hair, and you could tell he was struggling to speak. If Jade and Floyd were here, they’d no doubt tease him for the look on his face.

After a few moments of stunned silence (you figured it was best to just be patient and wait for him to collect himself), he took the rock with slightly shaky hands. He held the rock close to him, over his heart, and took a deep breath. Then, he cleared his throat, and tried his best to answer, “I…wasn’t aware you felt so strongly, but it’s clear now. Don’t you worry, I can handle this. I’m…delighted to receive this.”

Not thinking much of his words, you simply smiled at him. It wasn’t uncommon for Azul to get a bit flustered by small gestures. He wasn’t treated well as a child, so you know little shows of appreciation mean a lot to him.

He scurried off with the rock to his office moments later, and there was silence for a moment before you heard him sputtering on the other side of the door. He probably would be embarrassed if you listened in though, and you wanted to spare him (this time).

The day went on as usual for a while. Classes went by, you spoke to some other friends, and went to visit the Mostro Lounge again later.

But the Lounge was…busier than normal. Students who worked there were scrambling about trying to serve customers and clean and adjust the smallest of details on things. Several of them looked super stressed, and some looked like they were about to pass out. Jade and Floyd, were the only calm ones who stood off to the side, watching them all with amused smiles.

You went up to them to ask what was happening, but Floyd spoke before you could, “Can ya let Azul flounder a bit longer? This is fun to watch.”

Azul was floundering? But he’s usually so calm and collected when he’s working. He couldn’t still be flustered from your gift earlier, right?

“What’s going on with Azul?”

Jade chuckled and was the one to answer you, “You sent him on quite the spiral. He’s got everyone working overtime to make sure everything is perfect for you.”

Now more confused, you had to ask, “Me? What did I do?”

At that, the duo only laughed more, clearly knowing something you don’t, but refusing to elaborate at you and everyone else’s expense. There was only one way you were going to get an answer; from Azul himself.

Marching past the two, you made your way to Azul’s office, barely knocking before going in.

And boy was he startled. The second you entered the room he sat up straighter and his cheeks turned pink, but he quickly tried to hide it behind his hand and muttered, “Ah, you’re here. My apologies, I’m still working on the contract right now.”

Walking up to his desk in complete confusion, you asked, “What contract? What’s going on?”

There was a moment of silence throughout the room. His gloved hands fidgeted with the pen and papers on his desk in front of him, trying to figure out the right words to say.

Then, he slid the paper over to you for you to read. Well, you only read the top before sitting stunned.

‘Contract of Marriage’

Huh???

Now it was your turn to be stunned into silence. So, he filled the silence, “I…was quite surprised by your gesture earlier, but I accept. If you’ll have me, I’d love for you to sign this. It’s quite possibly the best contract I’ve ever written.”

🥀𝑨𝖟𝖚𝖑 𝑨𝖘𝖍𝖊𝖓𝖌𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖙𝖔 🥀

🌷- 𝑭𝖑𝖚𝖋𝖋

💐- 𝑨𝖓𝖌𝖘𝖙

🌻- 𝑪𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖐

🌼- 𝑯𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖈𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖔𝖓𝖘

🌺- 𝑺𝖚𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖛𝖊 (𝜨𝜪𝜯 𝑺𝜧𝑼𝜯)

Yuu that Fidgets 🌼Ft Riddle, Leona, Kalim, Vil, Idia, Malleus

Reader really likes Moray Eels 🌼ft Jade, Floyd, Lilia

Pirate Fairy UM 🌼ft. Deuce, Jade, Jamil, Vil, Idia, Malleus

𝑭𝖔𝖝𝖌𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖕𝖓𝖌™

OMG this made me feel,,,, so loved,,, Sjsjsj and the fact that Floyd and jade are are sea creatures and the little feature you added about Jades constant work and how Floyd reckless is just like Icarus djsnksna omg it’s so good!!!

How the twisted wonderland boys will sleep on you

PART THREE

Octavinelle

Azul

He does take a liking to tight,enclosed spaces,given his past in octopus pots. He’ll seek out your arms,pulling them around him. He enjoys sleeping with his head squished into your chest,you curled around him. It’s a security blanket of sorts,for him.

Unlike Ace,he isn’t so shallow in terms of his partner. If it fits,he sleeps. He genuinely thinks that his partner,no matter the gender,the body shape,is beautiful. Maybe it’s because he’s so hard on himself that he doesn’t want anyone else to go through that pain. Man really really likes being the small spoon. It’s comforting,really,being hugged to sleep. He’s also fond of tangling your legs with his,it has a certain intimate feeling to it.

All he wants is to be as close to you as possible.

Is that so wrong?

Jade

A rather hard man to read,to be honest. But even the more proficient workers get tired. After a busy day at the Mostro lounge,all he wants to do is to sleep,with you by his side. Being an ocean animal,warmth is something… foreign to him,when everything around him has always been so cold,and dark. Your presence is hot enough to set him ablaze,and he’s a little surprised to find that he doesn’t mind dying to this heat if it means that you’re beside him.

He’s not all together too fond of literally using his lover as a pillow,but he does like snuggling into the crook of your neck from behind,whispering sweet nothings into your ears. May rub circles into your back,for the sake of his hands,who are too used to being busy.

It’s hard for someone like him to fully relax,but you seem to help.

Floyd

Similar to Jade,he wasn’t exposed to much warmth growing up. The ocean was deep,dark,and scary,so that’s how he turned out. So upon meeting you,was like seeing the word for the first time. You are his sun,his warmth,his light,and he’ll gladly throw himself into the sun like Icarus if it meant feeling your kind touch.

It’s hard to pry this man off your body in the day,so it’s much worse when he’s tired,and all he wants to do is to use his beloved shrimpy as a pillow. Has the most awkward sleeping positions, and he tends to stretch out in those poses much like a house cat dozing in the sun’s glow. He needs you beside him,his arm around you. He would probably never admit it,but he falls asleep easier when you’re in his arms.

It’s bliss for him,so please just stay there,alright?

OMG OMG OMG IM IM LOSING IT I LJVE THIS SO FREAKING MUCH!!!! THE SWEET FLUFF THE AWKWARD BUT SOOOOOOO CUTE AN ENDEARING AZUL IS EVERYTHING DNDKDK HOW HE OVER THINKS EVERYTHING FOR YHE PEROSN HE LIKES THE DATE GDJSM THE LOVEEEE OMG I CANT THIS OS AMAZING THANK YOU <33

dismal dating azul ashengrotto x reader

summary: in which Azul overthinks when it comes to planning a date

author's note: fic is influenced by some materials i read for an economics course, namely "dismal dating", and mankiw's "principles of economics". while reading i went "azul would overthink like this, i think"

tags: gender neutral reader, second person pov, sfw, fluff, first dates, 5.9k+ words, JP translation terms used (e.g., dorm leader), JP honorifics used

you can also read this on AO3

What could be the root of each and every social situation if not our individual choices, choices which themselves serve as a reaction stemming from predicted costs and benefits to themselves? When Azul puts on his glasses he dons this worldview— that beyond looking at the world as is intended, he must look at the unintended consequences of each action.

Azul firmly believes that the cost of something is what you give up to get it. Each decision must be made with proper insight, because each choice would affect not merely the everyday present, but the future. It was a principle Azul applied not just in business but in life itself, though he supposes anything in life can be turned into a business one way or another.

For instance, he applied these business principles in relationships, or as he would rather call it— connections. It would be preposterous to assume someone would be willing to befriend him, and that he’d be able to procure a favor or two out of them, without him giving something up in exchange… except perhaps Scarabia’s Dorm Leader, though he supposed there were bound to be outliers.

He doubted he could ask too much of Kalim, though, knowing Jamil was there to be wary enough for the both of them.

Nevertheless, it was easy to know what to expect, what to offer when you knew who you were talking to. It was easiest when his clientele would quite literally spill their woes and grievances to him, but research done either through the Leech Brothers or he himself was just as effective.

However, when it came to approaching you… he was drawing a blank.

“Azul,” speak of one of the devils, Jade appeared and peered from behind his shoulder, grabbing the paper before he could so much as protest, “did you really make a mind map?”

There was no point in hiding it from his vice, who would've figured out everything on his own anyway had he not already been reading his plan.

“Ah, and there seems to be an implementation timetable filled out on your desk as well. Fufu, you’ve really prepared for this date, haven’t you?”

“Proper preparation prevents poor performance,” Azul said, shaking off any shame as he grabbed another sheet of paper to write some more, “for everything to go perfectly, I must look over each possible alternative and the associated trade-offs. How else would I know how to best market myself as a partner?”

“...Is that so? I wish you good luck, then.” Although Jade’s expression had not changed, Azul was sure there was a jab at him in there somewhere in his mind. At times like this, he wished Jade would just outright say whatever he was thinking, though he supposed it wouldn't be very fun for him.

“According to your projected timeline, step one of your plan will begin… oh my, two days from now? It appears as if things here will become interesting,” the teal-haired man placed his mind map back on the table, gracing him with his usual smile as he turned to leave the room, “should you need help, I’ll be ready to assist you.”

So Jade said, but as capable of an assistant he was, this was something Azul wanted to accomplish by himself. Romance was similar to a transaction, was it not? A mutually beneficial fair trade, and who was he if not an expert in making deals?

Sure, he’s known to be quite unfair, but he had no intentions of scamming a person he was interested in whatsoever! Your heart must cost quite a sum, he deduced, for it was a scarce resource few, if not only one, could possess, but what could he possibly offer to have you willingly give it to him? Was his own heart really a fair enough trade?

He had written down several options, sorted in a table of advantages and disadvantages with his justifications in bullet points.

So you had agreed to go on a date with him— not dating, but a date, and a date was a good way to convince someone to start dating. But for that to happen that date would have to be a more than simply passable date, but what would count as such?

That was where the mind map came in— your name right smack in the center with multiple arrows pointing outward to details about you, things you might like, the board games you were most drawn to during club time, days and times he presumed you would be free, even the food and drinks you’ve ordered from the lounge in the past. If there was something he knew about you he had written it down, all in the hopes that it would help him figure something out.

First and foremost, Azul would have to gauge your interest level. When it came to the Mostro Lounge, he would typically conduct a survey to find out everyone’s likes and dislikes, but it would hardly be a good idea to be too direct with you— at least from the get-go. No, he had to at least word it eloquently.

Of course, he knew you were at least interested in him as well, that was a start, but to what extent?

Depending on the date there was a chance he would be shelling out some money, he was quite prepared for that, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t cost you anything— there was no such thing as a free lunch, after all. A price? No, Azul might not appear to be as much of a gentleman as someone like Jade, but certainly more than Floyd. But the cost? To give up your time was certainly a cost.

It seemed like it was a given you were willing to give up some time for him, else you wouldn’t have agreed on that date, but sevens the details; and not just the details, but the implications of the details! Was there not a difference between a Saturday night date under the stars, or a Sunday brunch at a nice restaurant as opposed to… tea together on a hectic Tuesday afternoon, or a library study session together after class?

To Azul, there was most definitely a difference. All time was precious, but some more precious than others, and were weekends not more valuable than a weekday? You could fit any friend to simply hangout with on a weekday, but students tended to cherish their weekends, and they would not give up a day of rest just for anyone.

The best option would’ve been a weekend— weekends were flexible, with more options and longer times together possible.

But was Azul worth a weekend? It was the first date, so perhaps not yet, but he would like it if he was. You were worth giving up a weekend for.

He looked back down at the papers, suddenly feeling pathetic. He was a mess and he knew it. This was the first time he had ever felt romantic feelings for anyone, and as much as he hated to rely on luck, he was somehow lucky enough to have you be receptive to his advances— even though you were well aware of his contract creation behaviors. If he were to make so much as a single mistake with you, Azul was sure he would be devastated. He was already half-way devastated just at the thought.

It was okay though, he reasoned with himself, okay with the panic and the fear within. That was just temporary. After all, was it not better to feel the stress now, and enjoy the fruits of his labors later with you?

Octavinelle’s Dorm Leader pushed his plans aside for a second, resting his head on the desk. He just… needed to reset his brain for a minute or two. Then, he would go back to planning. Everything would be perfect.

Everything was not perfect.

But that was okay, Azul told himself. He just needed to turn the situation around in his favor. After all, success comes from finding opportunities in obstacles, and possibilities in problems. It’s a proven tactic— his younger self would attest to that.

“I’m really sorry Azul,” and you did seem sorry, if not for the fact that he could read you then because he trusted you, “I already have plans this weekend. Could we reschedule?”

“Of course,” he agreed easily, masking the disappointment he felt. You weren’t cancelling, or taking back your offer, just asking for another date. This was fine. He supposed next weekend wasn’t too long a wait… theoretically. He knew postponing would make him even antsier, but-

“Though… since we’re spending time together right now, this sort of counts as a date too, right?” you grinned, taking a box out of the shelf beside you, “I’m sure Idia won’t mind if I borrow you for a while, hmm? He can’t be your partner all the time.”

Several things happened at once.

One, Idia was coughing in the background, pretending he wasn’t listening or watching them out of the corner of his eyes like they were some kind of anime, but he was very sure that was what was happening. Two, you were already opening up the board game you wanted to play. It was one he already knew, but you taking a few minutes to read the instructions gave him the time for three, panicking about how you seemed to, or wanted to, or asked if this could, count this as a date.

A date?! Sure, he’s not entirely against the simplicity of one, preferably not the first date, but wasn’t this too simple? There was hardly any privacy considering the presence of other club members, he had no gifts to give, there wasn’t any food to share, and worst of all he had not given himself time to prepare— to put himself in that mindset.

Still, he lets it happen, because he likes you and if you wanted to spend time together during Board Game Club, date or otherwise, he would happily fulfill your wishes.

Besides, with an activity in front of the both of you at least he wouldn’t have to scramble his brain last minute for some date-appropriate conversation starters. He had yet to prepare any charming lines or stories to impress you yet, he had been planning on figuring those out a little later in the week.

“The cauldron of tokens goes here… then the legend and fate decks…” your muttering had taken his attention out of his head and back to the you who was focused on setting up the playing field. “It actually has more rules than I thought, huh.”

You had chosen a board game based on the Great Seven, with each of the Seven being a playable mover with their respective abilities, objectives, and strategies— with some luck, or “fate”, thrown in. Both him and Idia had played it a few times, usually as the Sea Witch and the God of the Underworld respectively, so he had some advantage depending on who you chose to play.

After all, you were staring quite hard at the Sea Witch’s figurine.

“I could teach you how to play as her,” he offered, slowly moving from sitting across you to slinking beside you. Close proximity you didn’t shy away from was a good sign the pseudo-date was going well, wasn’t it? Maybe teaching you would—

“But you like the Sea Witch the most, right?” That was true, yes, as expected considering he came from the Coral Sea and was a proud member of Octavinelle, but- “and I don’t want you going easy on me or anything like that. I’ll play as the Witch of Thorns instead!”

He would have easily given it up for you, but you had turned the tides on him instead and… well, that opportunity had drifted away quite quickly.

Still, even at the loss of a chance he was a little flattered at how you considered him when it came to choosing who to play as.

Okay, perhaps he was more than just a little flattered. Maybe it was the fact that you were in the date mindset that you could throw such a simple but lovely line so easily? It was difficult to be frustrated at himself after that.

Alright then. Sure, none of his internal plans were coming to fruition, but this was fine, it was just a board game. What was the worst that could happen… is what he should never have said.

Normally, if not 99.99% of the time, Azul felt a thrill in winning board games— especially when he somehow managed to beat Idia in a game of luck of all things. That same thrill didn’t translate now— not completely, at least. He still liked winning, he was proud of the moves he had made, and he found your frustration at how you were ‘one objective away from victory’ adorable, but was that the way to your heart?

If you counted this as a date, would losing leave you with good feelings? Should he have gone easy on you? There was a chance you would have been able to tell, but then…

“Azul…” for a merfolk such as him he had once wondered what a fire starter was, and whatever answer he had received back then had been retconned by the sight of the blaze in your eyes.

“I want a rematch. Chess, checkers, whatever— you can decide this time.”

Azul felt… thoroughly conflicted.

When club time eventually ended, you having lost all three of the games you ended up playing with him, you eventually bid him goodbye without raging at him like he knew some others would. You even ended up giving him a quick hug that left him flustered for a few minutes, and a promise to properly plan that date promised between the two of you. That… was good, wasn’t it?

Then, as soon as he and Ignihyde’s Dorm Leader were the last two left in the room, he began getting laughed at. To think a day would come where he would get laughed at by Idia. In the matters of romance? Azul wanted nothing more than to curl up in his octopus pot at the thought of it.

“It really wasn’t that bad.”

He really didn’t think so! Maybe not everything went right, but on the second date, or would it still be the first if that one didn’t count, he was sure-

“It was like seeing a freaking normie play a dating sim and picking all the safe options. Good route, but not the True Love route; like a noob who can’t do well without looking up a walkthrough online.”

Idia-san, he wanted to exclaim, what did that even mean?!

Whatever it was, he recognized when he was getting mocked; two could play that game.

“You’re provoking me? How funny, coming from you who can’t even get a certain someone to go out with you in the first place.”

“Azul-shi…”

Was Idia fuming? Upset? Good, then they could both wallow in their love woes together. Normally he’d prefer to internally cry in anguish on his own, and in the confines of his room, but he liked knowing he, at least, was doing better than someone else closeby.

Good, but not good enough— that was what his clubmate was implying.

He already knew that he had room for improvement, but he did not like being told it. It was something better hidden than known.

He began cleaning up the area you two had stayed in, picking up the Sea Witch token and idly turning it around on his hand. The Sea Witch would have known exactly what to do, executed it perfectly, had you willingly hand over your affections in no time flat.

The ever compassionate Sea Witch… what advice would she have given him?

You were talking to Jade when he spotted you— he had very nearly forgotten you two were in the same class. He wasn’t one to be jealous… no, he supposed he was, to a certain degree, envious that his vice got to spend more time around you, but he at least knew Jade had no plans of romancing you or anything.

Him being around while he talked to you still put him on guard, though.

“Azul! You said you wanted to give me something?”

If he hadn’t been before, though he doubted it, Jade was definitely paying attention now, smiling at the both of you the same way he always did— but Azul just knew there was something swirling within his mind. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

“Mostro Lounge has a new drink,” either his voice was a little loud or the room was awfully quiet, because as soon as he said that he could see a few people turn his way, clearly as curious as you, “and it’d be good if you could be the first one to taste it.”

“Really? Just… for free?”

“Nothing is free,” he answered as he handed you the drink, “you’ll be paying in feedback, of course.”

And that he was doing this to woo you, but that didn’t have to be said.

“You’re one of Azul’s favorite customers,” Jade added, ignoring Azul’s pointed stare, “so he values your opinion.”

Really, he wanted to assign Jade to some particularly tedious tasks for meddling, but your demeanor seemed to brighten at the thought, sipping on the drink eagerly without a second more of hesitation. He forgave the eel quickly.

“Oh! This is so good!” The delight was evident on your face, and he doubted you would’ve gone so far as to say it was good instead of okay if you were just being polite. “It’s sort of like what I usually order, but better?”

That… was by design, of course. He paid attention to what you usually ordered, so it was easy to assess which ingredients you liked best. His original plan was to just get you something you already liked, but he was glad the risk had paid off.

Gifts. Of course that would be effective. Gifts with thought behind them were always nice to receive, and it just so happened that Azul managed the Mostro Lounge, which was a very good way to get you gifts for a limited cost— cost-effective, and provided him with convenient excuses to get you something! As a land-dweller would say, that was hitting two birds with one stone!

“Excellent. We’ll make it a permanent fixture on our menu,” Azul smiled, more than satisfied with the outcome. Perhaps this would mean you would visit the Mostro Lounge more often as well. He himself would be the one attending to you if such were the case.

“By the way,” he lowered his voice slightly, revealing the true purpose for coming to meet you a few minutes before class would begin, “are you available on Saturday night?”

He doesn’t dare say the word aloud— date. A part of him wants to brag, but there’s also the fear that once the word tumbled out of his lips he’d do nothing but combust— then just who would be the real fire starter between the two of you?

“I’m free! Just text me the details.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” understatement— as they would say back home, he was as happy as a clam that finally, finally, something he had planned had worked out for him! Without any need of a restructure or reschedule or whatnot! He kept his cool though, wanting you to see him that way, and him wanting to keep up a certain image in public, thus shortly bidding you a good day as he walked back to where his class would be.

Things were looking up. Sure, he ran into a few obstacles, but that was normal, wasn’t it? Most businessmen don’t strike gold their first go, and even if they did, they had a tendency to be one-hit wonders, replaceable fads. He did not want this to be a one-time success, and he certainly did not want to be replaceable.

Maybe he’d give you a gift every now and then? But how often would be too often? And should it stay as food and drinks or should he diversify into something less safe? The line between generous and overcompensating was a little thin— he just wanted to be your, hopefully soon, boyfriend who treated you to nice things because you deserved it, and not someone trying to buy your love.

Similarly, because you had agreed to the night out, he had to finalize his plans; make all the necessary arrangements. He was quite confident in his idea, but there were certain finer details he had to smooth over, like… what would you two eat for dinner? What would he wear—

Oh sweet Sea Witch, what clothes would one wear on a date? This was never a problem under the sea!

Azul sighed to himself. He supposed it was back to the drawing room for him— him and his mind map, and perhaps a quick look online as well.

Maybe in the privacy of his room instead of his office, though. He’d like it if Jade didn’t find out this time.

If Azul was allowed to make the claim, he would, in fact, say he was in top form today— thanks no doubt to the days spent stressing about this night.

He had made all the preparations, talked to the people he had to, scouted the area and even checked the weather app multiple times just to make sure nothing would be ruined. He also made sure to dress for the occasion, or what his sources said was right for the occasion. The lack of layering, for this form at least, was quite new to him— white, long-sleeved, collared shirt, and dark trousers. It was similar enough to NRC’s uniform, just with less buttons and cooler fabrics— a casual combination that might have made him uncomfortable had you not praised him for it.

“Azul! You look so good!” That was more than enough to get him blushing, but you just had to continue. “Not that you don’t look handsome everyday, of course, but this relaxed vibe is super refreshing, too!”

Relaxed? Azul was pleased to know he appeared that way, because a part of him certainly wasn’t very relaxed, the part that was still fixated on making sure everything went well. Despite this, your compliments do well to get rid of his bashfulness over his appearance.

You thought he looked good? That was… good. That was really, really good, in fact. He’d go as far as to say he was relieved, even, that you didn’t see him as some kind of… disgusting octopus loser. Later before going to bed, he might think about how lame it was that he got so excited over it, but that didn’t matter right now.

“And you- you look, ahem, you look beautiful,” he had actually said it, and if you cared about his slight stumble in the beginning you didn’t show it, merely smiling and thanking him. It was nice, not to just be able to compliment you like he wanted to, but to have you take it without questioning his genuineness or intent.

“Should we go on the boat now? The night isn’t getting any younger,” you seemed caught off-guard, clearly surprised that he had somehow procured a boat for a date. A first date. A small rowboat, rowed not by him but automated by magic, fit for the two of you.

“Ah, in case you’re worried, the water’s on the shallower side. I’ve made sure it’s safe, too.”

No signs of a storm, no dangerous fish, nothing that could possibly harm you— though he still had his magic pen prepared just in case.

“I was wondering where you were leading me at this time of night, with nobody around but us. I was getting a little worried,” you joked, but your laughter soon settled into something softer, “but thank you, Azul. I really appreciate it. You didn’t have to do this much for me— I don’t know how many people would even do something like this for me.”

The date had barely started, and Azul felt like crying already.

“But I wanted to,” he replied, taking your hand as he guided you in the boat. He was doing this much because it was you. He didn’t think he could do this much for anyone else either.

Azul screams a little on the inside when you don’t let go of his— gloveless! — hand even when you’ve already settled down the boat, even when he follows suit. His cheeks feel a little heated despite the cool breeze, but he sincerely hopes the moon failed to bring it to light. He’s also a little upset you let go when he’s forced to move away from you, but he’d definitely make less of a mess retrieving dinner with two hands instead of one.

Later in the night the two of you had finished your meals, nothing remaining save for some drinks. You took a sip of the one you liked so much, one customized for you specifically— he had given you two other drinks to try over the week, but nothing quite compared to your reaction from the first one, thus his decision to bring it once more tonight.

“Drink of Me, that’s what this is called, right?” you asked inquisitively, “a play on words of Think of Me? Was it you who thought of that?”

“Ah, yes it was. Giving special names to drinks seems to make them more appealing to customers,” he admitted, despite some embarrassment in doing so. Jade and Floyd had certainly made fun of him for his name choices, them knowing the inspiration behind them. “Drink of my Dreams and Love Potion were also considered, as well as… ahem…”

“Yes?”

“Someone,” certainly not him, “had suggested Made with Love too, but-”

“It’d be a little too on the nose with that one, wouldn’t it?” you teased, but oddly enough he didn’t feel belittled by it at all, merely a little more embarrassment atop what was already pre-existing. Of course you would realize it was titled after you. “I think I’d still buy it though, whatever the name would be. It’s a very special drink to me, after all.”

“Is that so? Well, next time you stop by the lounge I’ll go as far as to even give you a discount— for as long as you keep it a secret between us.”

“As long as you’ll be there to serve me yourself.”

“If that’s what you wish, I’ll be sure to grant it.”

He was doing his best to keep his demeanor charming and confident, pretending as if he didn’t rehearse and imagine multiple scenarios in his head the nights leading up to this, but deep down he was simply euphoric.

Flirting! That was just flirting, wasn’t it? Sure, maybe he was no expert, maybe there was room for improvement, but he didn’t stutter or hesitate at all! He wanted to laugh in his mini victory.

Azul honestly couldn’t believe how well the night was going, because everything in his plans had gone through. You thought he dressed well, you liked the effort he put in, you enjoyed the meal you shared together, and you were just… you were smiling at him like everything was beautiful, like he was beautiful, and you looked beautiful and he just… wanted to cry out of joy. In fact, he thought he had started crying, that the sudden wetness on his cheek had meant a tear had escaped him.

“Azul, it’s drizzling,” at your words, he looked up at the sky to note that, indeed, the rain had been light, but still present.

Ah, Azul thought to himself, at least this way it wouldn’t be too obvious if he did end up crying.

He knew it wasn’t the biggest of deals— drizzles were barely noticeable, usually ended quickly, but an accumulation of multiple things had him frustrated. It wasn’t even that he hadn’t prepared appropriately at this point, he wasn’t someone who could control the weather.

You didn’t seem that bothered though, you never really seemed to be, merely stretching your hand out, facing your palm to the sky.

“...the boat won’t tip, right? Even if the sides had weight imbalance?”

“It won’t,” he answered, the tone in his voice shifting with the weather, “it has a spell on it to keep the passengers safe.”

“Alright,” the boy had snapped out of his stupor as you stood up from the seat in front of him, suddenly concerned you were going to get out of the boat or have your head hit by a low-hanging branch, but you gestured for him to make some room beside him for you. Once seated, you unclasped your bag, bringing out a compact umbrella.

“Apparently there’s a 10% chance of rain tonight,” you explained, clicking the button and opening it up right above the two of you, “as you would say, it pays to be prepared… even though I think getting drenched in the rain could be quite romantic.”

“You prepared even though the precipitation was just 10%?”

You looked at him with incredulity, “just 10%? Who are you and what have you done with my Azul?”

Your Azul? He could jump out this boat right now and stay afloat with how those two words had uplifted him.

Truly, you were something else, and he couldn’t help but look at you in awe. He was so desperate to keep the date a surprise that he had only told you it would be ‘outdoors’ and to ‘dress casually’, but you had prepared for something he had overlooked. A week ago he had wondered what solution the Sea Witch would provide to help him with his troubles, but it seemed as if you were the solution yourself.

“It’s a small chance, but I didn’t want something like the weather to ruin something you planned so carefully,” you said, almost thoughtful as you began to admit something, “listen… Jade told me-”

“He told you?”

“Not the plan! Or anything specific!” you clarified quickly, actually looking panicked for once, as if concerned over how he’d react… or maybe suddenly worried about what he’d do to the eel. He would still contemplate it, depending on what you said. “I asked about you first, actually, because I was getting worried about you.”

“Why would you be?” he thought he had tucked away every insecurity and worry he had in front of you, but by the look on your face it appeared as if he hadn’t had you fooled completely.

“You didn’t act like yourself sometimes,” you said quietly, “and you just looked like you were constantly thinking about something really difficult when you thought no one was looking. I asked Jade about it, I thought it had something to do with Mostro maybe, and he sort of… hinted it might have something to do with me. I guessed the rest.”

“He was likely irritated that my work ethic and attitude had worsened while planning this date,” he grumbled, rendering a small laugh out of you.

“If you say so,” he wasn’t sure what you were trying to imply, but you had quickly switched the direction of the conversation back to the two of you, “but Azul… don’t get me wrong, I loved tonight, loved all of what you’ve done, but I told you already, didn’t I? That you don’t have to stress yourself out overdoing it with the planning.”

And he had told you, didn’t he? That he wanted to put this much effort for you.

“Is it that you prefer simpler dates? Because-”

“No, that’s not it either,” you interrupted, “I just mean that regardless of whether it’s extravagant or simple, I’m enjoying myself because I’m with you. You could have told me we would spend our date in the library, and I’d like it because I like you.”

At your words, Azul found himself taking a deep breath, just for a few seconds to clear his head.

Maybe, just maybe, that was all he needed to hear all along.

“All this time… I was worried because I thought you wouldn’t like me as much as I like you,” he admitted, near silent in his words despite the fact that no one would hear but the lake, the rain, and you. “If I did all this for you, maybe you’d like me just as much.”

“Azul… my silly, sweet Azul,” as quick as a rapid river your lips had pressed against his still damp cheek, and by the time he had realized you had kissed him there you had already inched away, looking at him with fondness, “of course I do, maybe I just haven’t gotten the chance to really show it but I really do. Would you really be my boyfriend if I didn’t feel the same way?”

You hadn’t even given him enough time to process what had just happened, and now you were going to throw out that word?

“I’m your boyfriend?!”

“Yes?!” you suddenly sounded troubled, looking as confused as he did, “I… you asked me out, so I just assumed we were already dating? Are we not?”

“I, well… I didn’t want to assume, so…” Azul replied, feeling as if he got lost in translation with you somewhere during his confession. What exact words did he use? How exactly did you respond again? Maybe you actually did say dating and his mind equated it to a date? Was it the other way around?

“Seriously,” you groaned, and suddenly he had seen you mirroring his actions, the emotions he felt while he was busy thinking about you. He sort of feels bad, for the both of you, but there’s a certain solace in the fact that you weren’t as cool about this as he perceived you to be.

“I’ve been calling you my boyfriend to Jade’s face this whole time. For two weeks! No wonder he’s been so amused with me!”

He’s inclined to agree with you, that somehow an outsider in the relationship was somehow more knowledgeable than the two people in it themselves, but honestly once the shock had worn off he was too busy being elated over the fact that yes, the two of you were official, official all this time, and that he’d been worried over nothing!

It’s how you manage to get him to cling to your side, still extremely flustered, but unabashedly wrapping his arms around you as you fumbled to keep the umbrella upright.

“I think you already know I want you to be my boyfriend,” you began, “but what about you? Are you okay with me being your-”

“Yes!” The sudden outburst surprised the two of you, and Azul had regained enough sense to clear his throat and repeat it, more seriously this time, “yes, absolutely, I would like nothing more.”

How would a businessman such as Azul define love? Perhaps he would call it an insurance, not an investment on materiality but the bonds of reciprocity that guaranteed a consistent, regular amount of care and support and affection in the best of times and the worst of times. To a degree he still thinks that way, and would say so if anyone asked.

However, just between the two of you, his true perception of the concept was not one shaped by any economic principle or term, for it was an amalgamation of not just one but multiple feelings, ideas in his head that he could not even begin to map out, and nothing could embody it quite as well as a singular name— yours.

I humbly ask for an Azul x reader where octo-boy gets turned into an octopus (idk alchemy accident?) He’s immediately insecure and tries to hide from Y/N but they find him and immediately start doting on him and stuff and accidentally confesses to him and gives him a lil peck. And then he turns back in y/n’s arms bc true love’s kiss!

Bonus points if Azul also had a crush on y/n but was too scared to make a move and this is what breaks the ice.

This is so cute. I thought it worked better as a full scenario in stead of bullet points, so I hope you enjoy!

"Floyd... What have you got there?"

If the look on Floyd's face wasn't enough to get you worried, the lidded clay pot he carried in both hands definitely did. Especially since you could hear the slosh of liquid moving with each step coming from within.

"Shrimpyyyyyy!~ Wanna see something hilarious?" His toothy grin split his face in obvious, unrestrained delight as he shifted one hand to rest upon the lid on top. "There was a little 'situation' in Potionology today, and Azul's looking extra squishy and delicious! Take a peek." He moved to take the lid off, only for a pair of small purple tentacles to reach desperately from within, grasping at the edges of the lid and trying to wrestle it from Floyd's grip. Finally Floyd was able to pry it from the tiny arms, tipping the pot towards you to reveal the contents within.

Scrunched into the bottom of the pot, facing the wall, was a small purple octopus. It had folded itself up quite nicely within, arms tucked neatly beneath the mass of its soft, squishy body. When it finally turned around it looked up at Floyd with an all-too-familiar piercing glare.

"A-Azul? Oh my god. How did this happen? Are you okay?" You rested a hand on the rim of the pot to peer closer, which only served to have Azul squishing his little body even further against the bottom, rippling as his skin color changed to match that of the clay.

"He can't talk, Shrimpy. He's an octopus, remember?" Floyd shifted the pot towards you until you had no choice but to take it into your arms, peering down at the pouting Azul within. "I was supposed to take him to the headmage or somethin', but I've got shit to do. You can watch him, can'tcha? Sure you can!"

"Floyd, I don't think he wants me to-"

"Thaaaaanks, Shrimpy! Catcha later. Oh!" He elaned over the pot and grinned into it. "You're welcome, boss.~"

And with that Floyd practically skipped away, leaving you standing in the middle of the hallway with the pot cradled in your arms. Finally rising to the top of the water, Azul poked a small, slimy head out to peer over the edge and glare at him as he went. Then, almost sheepishly, he turned to glance at you.

"I'm sorry, Azul. I can help you find the headmaster if you want."

He nodded, though it was hard to tell if that was a nod or just the bob of him floating in the water, before quietly sinking to the bottom of the pot. Even without words, you could tell that Azul wasn't exactly happy about being seen like this.

"If it's any consolation, I still think you look pretty cute." There wasn't really much you could do about it by yourself, magicless as you were, but it wouldn't hurt to try and lift his mood a little bit. And judging by the way he jolted back up to the surface, staring at you with remarkably human shock, you guessed it was probably working.

"I mean it! You look so cute!" You couldn't help but smile as you reached a hand into the pot. To your delight Azul didn't flinch away again, letting you run your fingertip over the top of his vaguely slimy head. "I won't judge you, you know. Whether you're a man or an octopus or something in between, I like you just the way you are, Azul."

His skin rippled again, entire body turning a bright pink against the dark water. Could octopi blush? Was this a blush? Even if you could ask him, it's not like he'd tell you. So instead you shifted the pot to your other arm, pressing a kiss to the fingertips of your dry hand and reaching in to push it against Azul's head.

"Let's go find Crowley, okay? Maybe he can-"

POOF!

A cloud of mulberry-colored smoke erupted from the opening of the pot, engulfing you in its wake. It smelled like sunshine and salty sea air, and when it cleared you saw Azul, soaking wet in his uniform but very much human, standing across from you with his hands also cradling the octopus pot. His face was a brilliant shade of pink, eyeglasses askew and staring at you like you'd just been the one to transform before his very eyes, and not the other way around.

"Ah- You- You said- and then you did- and it worked?" He'd completely lost his usual countenance and charm, barely able to stammer through a sentence and not taking his eyes off you for a moment in a way that began to make you feel just as flushed. "It worked..."

"Are you, uh, feeling better?" It was hard not to feel awkward with the way you had just been coddling him a few moments prior.

"Yes, well, ah... Yes. Thank you." He seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been in, moving to adjust his glasses and wring some loose saltwater from the corner of his jacket. "Though the dry cleaning bill will be dreadful, I'm sure."

You couldn't help but chuckle. "So what happened in potions today anyway? Floyd didn't exactly spell it out for me."

"Professor Crewel had us studying transfiguration curses and their effectiveness in potion dispersal, and things had been going quite well until Kalim started 'experimenting.'"

"Sounds like him."

"Without Jamil to stop him he's quite a force of terror in his own right, isn't he? So Crewel instructed Floyd to come and fetch me, since the curse could only be broken by-" Mid sentence he suddenly clammed up, the blush that was seeming to disperse returning in full force as he suddenly found himself incredibly interested with the water remaining in the octopus pot.

"What? By what?" You pressed, leaning in closer. He swallowed hard, turning his gaze back up towards you.

"By true love's...kiss."

Oh.

OH!

"OH! Well, I, um, that's uh... That's good! Good that Floyd found me then I guess, heh!" You began to ramble before you could stop yourself, no longer able to look Azul in the eye. "Sorry if that makes you uncomfortable or anything, you don't need to like- reciprocate if you don't want to I just, y'know I think you're... Cool. And smart. And handsome. And... stuff."

"Oh."

"...Yeah."

"I wouldn't say... Rather, I'm not... I wouldn't go so far as to say it made me uncomfortable. Not... Not that in the slightest."

Your heart stuttered in your rib cage.

"Rather, as we've become acquainted I seem to find myself rather.. fond of you. Despite everything." The two of you finally made eye contact again, a determined glint in Azul's eyes despite the rosy color of his cheeks. "So if our interests align I see no reason why we couldn't come to a... mutually beneficial arrangement."

"Is that..." You bit your lower lip to hide a laugh. "Is that your way of asking me out?"

"Well, yes. Are you, are you not interested? I assure you though my aquatic form may be a touch off putting that if it concerns you I won't-!"

"What?! No! No no no, didn't you hear me? I like you just the way you are, Azul! Every way you are. I just... I thought it was cute, trying to ask me out with your contract lingo. You're adorable."

Though his brows furrowed and his cheeks flushed, you could tell from the way his lip wobbled that Azul was doing his best not to smile. "I'm meant to be intimidating, you know. I've spent quite a bit of effort building that image. Adorable seems a bit... soft."

You beamed. "You'd better get used to it, cause you're gonna be hearing it a lot!"

Azul: How has your day been, Mc?

Mc: Well, no one died.

Azul: Those are your standards...?

Mc: I can't expect anything better when I'm friends with Ace, Deuce, and Grim, who have one collective brain cell that they lose frequently.

Azul: I, I see...

Hi! I just saw your requests are open! How would the housewarderns react when their first child actually 8? Like their s/o is having octuplets? I just think it'll be really funny to see how they'd handle it

@sleepy-lune Hi! Thank you for requesting, as i mentioned before this would most likely not be good but i do hope that this can satisfy you and others.

I just looked up the story about the octuplets and i'm honestly shocked when i saw the intervals of when she birth them it must have been painful

(I am sincerely sorry that I have made you wait for an inconvenient amount of time)

Having 8 babies

All characters are aged up

Riddle Rosehearts ❤

-Would honestly be flabbergasted

❤ He would be surprised at how many children you're both gonna have ❤ Be worried about your health especially when you're in labor, to think you would have to conceive 8 babies for 9 months ❤ He would try his best to provide your needs and always be by your side when he has the chance

Leona Kingsholar 🦁

-He wouldn't be okay

🦁 He could handle at least Two but Eight? The thought of having to deal with eight children considering he can barely deal with his nephew 🦁 However he does his best to take care of all of them assisting to their needs 🦁 would definitely be concerned about your health, he didn’t think that a human could have all these babies at once

Azul Ashengrotto

🐙 He wouldn’t be too surprised considering that octopuses can have up to 500,00 babies (correct me if I’m wrong) 🐙 he knows that humans don’t normally have that many at once so it surprises him a little bit 🐙 he would probably struggle to be with you the whole time during your pregnancy because of work but he would take as much time as needed out of his schedule to spend time with you

Kalim Al-Asim

☀️ kalim would be thrilled to be a father ☀️ he would rant about the fun things that he and his children are gonna do when they grow up (I didn’t have much in mind about kalim)

Vil Shoenheit 👑

👑 he is happy about having children but he is a little overwhelmed by the amount, it would take him awhile to mentally prepare himself 👑 during your pregnancy he is very worried because he knows it’s stressful having to carry so many babies

Idia Shroud👾

👾 he would probably faint at the numbers of children you’re gonna have 👾 is excited to have a kid of his own but didn’t expect to have 8 👾 it would take him awhile to mentally prepare himself, he’s just overwhelmed

Malleus Draconia 🐉

🐉 the most calmest out of all of them, he is very happy to have children but did not expect to have 8 🐉 he will be very protective over you during this time

[I am sincerely sorry for making you wait and for making this short]

Twisted Wonderland - He Hears You Singing (About Him)

Twisted Wonderland Writings Masterpost

Heartslabyul Edition, Savanaclaw Edition

Prompt: While relaxing, and doing chores around the Ramshackle dorm for your weekend restoration of the barely standing building, your thoughts drift to love songs from your old world. You think of songs that remind you of your closest fellow NRC student and significant other, and end up singing one while you work.

Reader: GN reader - They/Them pronouns and they are referred to as 'MC/Prefect' in this one. And let's all just agree that MC is a great singer- cuz some of these songs have mad vocals that I would never dream of trying to sing myself with my incredibly average voice, and I imagine a lot of you are the same.

Included Characters: Octavinelle Edition!

Warnings: None.

Request Rules & Information Here

~~~

Azul Ashengrotto - "Adore You" by Harry Styles

- Why did he stop by Ramshackle? He can't remember. It was something about taste testing the new spring menu, maybe? He's not sure it matters anymore, given how enamored he is with the sound of your voice right now.

- Is frozen in the doorway like a deer caught in headlights, he hadn't even realized it was you singing (he thought it was from your phone or something on a radio) until he turned the corner and saw you.

- When you see him, he turns all kind of shades of scarlet, embarrassed at being caught staring, but he quickly composes himself.

- Immediate compliments followed quickly by an offer to sing at the Mostro Lounge sometime- you'd be paid generously of course-

- On the outside he's acting cool, but the song in question really did fluster him quite a bit, and thoughts of you singing it again just for him keep intruding in his mind, and if you look closely you can see his ears remain a pretty shade of pink the whole conversation after.

- Does truly think you would look stunning dressed up in lavish clothes, preforming on the stage of the Mostro Lounge, are you sure you don't want to? He'll throw in a free meal plus pay!

"My, my, MC, that was a lovely performance. You should put those wonderful vocals to use, I'm sure everyone would be in awe of you at the Lounge. Some may even show up just to see you- I certainly would."

~~~

Jade Leech - "Dive" by Olivia Dean

- He's honestly quiet pleasantly surprised when he enters Ramshackle (without knocking of course) and hears your wonderful singing voice.

- A soft (dare I say genuine?) smile makes it's way to his face as he approaches the living area where you're cleaning, and stands patiently in the doorway for you to finish the song- one he's never heard before but it flows rather smoothly, much like the jazz played at the lounge.

- He finds the lyrics rather intriguing too, now what would inspire you to sing such a romantic song? A crush perhaps? The idea of you having enough of a crush on someone to sing such a song about them makes him... Well, he'll just focus on what he has right in front of him for now, and save those pesky feelings for later self-analysis.

- When you catch him he is completely shameless in his staring, as a matter of fact, his smile grows, before he gives a curious tilt of his head and motions with his hand for you to continue.

- What? Your voice was beautiful, of course he wants to hear it more. What's he doing here? Oh, well, he's come to ask if you'd like to be the first to taste test the Mostro Lounges new spring menu.

- Sure he didn't knock, but it's honestly your fault for not locking the front door- oh, the locks are broken? That can't possibly be safe. Perhaps you should stay at Octavinelle until they are fixed, that way he can hear your voice much more often.

- As a matter of fact, instead of 100 thaumarks a night for a room, he's sure he can arrange for you to sing at the Lounge every night for payment instead.

"Oh, please don't mind me, continue. Your voice is quite delightful, you should consider singing at the Lounge- though, I'm not sure I want anyone else to hear you but me..."

~~~

Floyd Leech - "Risk" by Gracie Abrams

- oHohOHo, you're never gonna live this down PT. 3

- The moment he barges into Ramshackle in a poor mood, looking for his favorite Shrimpy to cheer him up, he freezes at the sound of you're voice.

- But not for long.

- One second, you're alone, singing as you do some chores, and the next second you're being spun around in Floyd Leech's arms as he laughs cheerfully.

- He loves your voice. Keep singing! He wants to dance with you while you do! Forget those boring chores! He's here now, so you can both have fun! You're so adorable he could squeeze you till you pop!

- You should come by the lounge sometimes and sing to him to make his shifts less boring. He's sure Azul wouldn't mind- and if he does, then you two can just leave and have your own party elsewhere!

- He will, without a doubt, demand that you sing to and for him at the most random of times, hell, he might even barge into the middle of your class in a foul mood and demand a serenade from his Shrimpy.

- If you truly won't sing to him, his mood may worsen and you won't see him for awhile while he sorts himself out, whereas if you do sing for him, he will immediately start to feel better.

- The best moment he could ask for to fix his mood, is laying beside you his head in your lap, while you sing. It helps him decompress, and feel so much better from whatever was overwhelming him or souring his mood.

"Shrimpy~! Nice set of pipes! Well, don't stop singing, let's dance together! I knew you'd be doin' something fun, you always cheer me right up!"

~~~

Can you guys tell that Octavinelle is one of my favorite dorms? Particularly the twins? Especially Floyd, his unpredictability with his mood swings are very relatable as someone with severe untreated ADHD and bipolar tendencies. I just think he's neat guys. And fun to write. Anyway! Merry Christmas everyone, and I'll see you next post! ~ Roo

Octavinelle

Azul Ashengrotto

Nothing yet..

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Jade Leech

Nothing yet..

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Floyd Leech

Nothing yet..

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Other characters.. related to Octavinelle

Rielle

Nothing yet..

(A/N) : Now open for requests!!

Back to TWST masterlist

Yuu: Azul-san, I like you.

Azul: Can you just... excuse me for a second?

Yuu: Sure.

*Azul left the room for a second*

Azul: *SCREAMS*

*Azul came back*

Azul: Ahem. So, where were we?

"I Love You"

When the words "I love you" spill from the prefect's lips, how do the Housewardens react?

Part 2

TW: Kissing in Leona's part, mentions of insecurities (Fluff)

Part 1 (Separate): Riddle Rosehearts, Leona Kingscholar, Azul Ashengrotto

ᥫ᭡. Riddle Rosehearts ᥫ᭡.

Like the thorns on a rose bush, Riddle's words were piercing and harsh. A follower of rules and also a preacher. Even so, what rules could he apply to you? You who was from another world entirely, you who understood little of his world yet were so brave, and you who broke his rules but never angered him. He was so utterly confused. He wasn't sure what he felt, really, you were far from perfect- mother wouldn't approve . Still, he couldn' t deny how his cheeks flared up when you walked into the same room, how he'd slightly fumble his words, and especially how his warnings were much tamer when you broke a rule. It all had to mean something or maybe he was going crazy. How could he like you, even a little- but how could he not?

But he had priorities and you weren't supposed to be one of them, you weren't meant to be a worry, you weren't supposed to be anything. But he cared. So much so, he didn't mind when you broke his rules, it felt right. It was the opposite to all that he was taught, something was amiss. It felt like a fresh breath of air, akin to sunlight engulfing him in a warm embrace. He felt at peace when you were nearby, as if he needn't be so uptight. Maybe it was alright for a few rules to be broken, to enjoy what life had to offer, to allow himself to relax.

He really was grateful for your calming presence, reminiscent to a fresh cup of herbal tea- with a slight hint of cinnamon, subtly spicy. Just like you were, not quite sweet but not sour, maybe spicy was the right term? So earthy and full of life, different from his dull self. But with you near him, he didn't feel so dull even he could be fun- at least you enjoyed his presence, it was enough.

Despite that, you weren't fair- why did he feel so warm when you came close? What right did you have making his face go red, and not from anger? Who allowed you to be so ethereal?

It wasn't fair.

How you were so insufferably pretty, and the way you'd willingly spend time with such a hot-head like him, trying your best to follow the rules of his dorm. You'd try to accommodate yourself to him, you'd really do that for him? He could just melt in your arms. The way you didn't mind when he lectured you for your recklessness, not speaking up but simply eyeing him with wide eyes- how was he even supposed to speak? You'd study alongside him, let him tutor you and afterwords you'd always stay for a cup of tea. He got used to it- your company and your mannerisms. Different from him, yet truly appreciated.

It was another tutoring session when something unforseen took place. Your hand was raveled in your hair as you grumbled and groaned, you hadn't expected the study packets Riddle provided to be so difficult. You had a test in two-weeks, it was time you started practicing practical magic, lucky you having Riddle by your side.

It was a tough night full of nit-picking, you'd say he was mean but you could see how he was trying his best to be tame with his words- how they were harsh but not mean, truly, this was also a challenge for him.

Hours went by, the moon rose in the sky and you were a tired mess, at least Riddle's tutoring helped. You were just about to thank him when the words spilled out of your mouth, unknowingly. Sleepy eyes looked up at him while a soft smile played at your lips.

"I love you, you know?"

How cruel of you to simply doze of afterwards, would you not even listen to what he had to say? Maybe it was for the best, if you were awake he wouldn't be able to meet your gaze. After all, his face was even redder than before, butterflies in his stomach as he simply stood there- had he been dreaming? He hoped not, it would be sadistic of life to play such a joke. He only realized it wasn't a dream when your head touched his hand, you were asleep and comfortable- you felt safe around him, trusted him. It was endearing.

Nevertheless, it was improper for you to doze off all of a sudden. But, just for today, he'd allow you- 'rules are meant to be broken', was what you always said. This was his form of breaking a rule, such a rebel he was. His hand traveled to your face, cupping you cheek gently before he draped a blanket over you- red like roses and Riddle himself.

"I love you too.."

A whisper, he hoped you heard it. Maybe you did and maybe you didn't- he might say it once more, after you awake. Till then, just let him admire you who looked so serene.

ᥫ᭡. Leona Kingscholar ᥫ᭡.

You're really gonna keep trying, aren't ya herbivore? Always trying to push him to go to class, to set his life straight. Really, why do you even care? Every time he pushes you away, orders you to bring him a snack, tells you to remain his pillow. You do it. Why do you stay? No one else would- he's a prince, is that it? His wealth, his influence, the power he holds. Is that what you want a part of? Everyone else had, just to ditch him after.

If you do, he doesn't mind- just stay, please don't go.

He wouldn't admit it but he liked your presence, the way you constantly clung to him, tried to lend a hand to help him who was strong while you were so weak. He might just go to class now, and he does, much more than before. You're a motivation he works for, it brings a smile on your little face. He wants it to stay, he doesn't even know why.

What really affects him is when he realizes, that you stay not for his money, nor his power and influence. You just like him. You enjoy his company, him as a person, an individual. He's not 'the second prince of Sunset Savannah' to you. No, he's Leona Kingscholar to you- not a second option, not someone you'll leave any time soon, and someone you genuinely care for.

Fine then, if his herbivore stays for him- he'll work them. You are a motivation to him, with your sweet words and the time you willingly spend- he too will work for you and be your reason to remain in Twisted Wonderland.

Was it selfish of him to want you to stay, no matter the cost? Maybe, but he is a prince- some habits don't leave, especially not when he's found his reasoning to move forward. He'll change some of his ways for you, it's cute when your face lights up as you notice him heading to class.

He doesn't change every one of his ways though. Why would he, when those ways of his allow him to see your face? You being pulled by Ruggie and towards him to wake him up, and you do- soft nothings spill from your lips as your try to wake the lazy lion before you. Of course he's awake, it's clear he is when he pulls you beside him. His weight stops you from moving, it's a usual now.

"Just stay for a bit, yeah? I promise I'll go to next class after, so just stay with me."

You do, it's comforting but so confusing. It's not appropriate for you to have feelings for someone like him, a prince of another world- you might have to go back to your won, though, you don't really want tot leave when Leona's around. It feels as though you're doing something meant for 'more than friends', something wrong. None of you confront it. It's serene in this silence, his warmth, in his embrace. It's a mutual feeling of safety, a haven. Let it last while it does, he'll make sure it's forever.

"I love you."

And the words spill out of your mouth, no ones near, just him and you. One of his eyes open, a neutral look on his face- you're not sure what to make of it. You don't have to, he's just shocked, not that he'll admit it. He didn't expect his herbivore to be so bold, he likes it, he likes you- loves you too. A grin soon flashes on his face, sharp canines flashing before he pulls you closer. You know what he's insinuating, you abide. He has a hold on the back of your head, hand intertwined in your hair.

It's a surprisingly soft kiss, it makes you want to melt- this is his answer, his reciprocation to your declaration of love. He's too smug to say anything.

Then the both of remain, safe in each others embrace. Your legs are entangled and chest touching the other's, you both relax.

"Love you too herbivore."

It's fleeting words, so soft that you barely heard them and if you did, you're not sure it's reality. As you seem to doze off, there's one thing in your mind. Where else would you go other than his embrace? This was your home.

ᥫ᭡. Azul Ashengrotto ᥫ᭡.

A swindler in the flesh and a contract that binds one to the other. Azul wishes it were that easy, but it's not. The last thing he wishes for is your hatred, you're already wary of him. The interactions he does manage to secure, somehow quite frequently, always render you even more skeptical of him. So guarded and cautious, his reputation's not the best but he isn't a monster, so why are you always scurrying off? Just let him speak, please?

But fate has another plan in mind for you always seem to bump into the swindler that you seem to avoid so- match made in heaven? As if. You won't believe his sweet lies, you won't sign a contract with him- but that's not what it's about. He doesn't wish for a contract, just some of your time.

As your interactions with him increase, you're introduced to very many versions of Azul. Being a swindler was just one part of him, the one that made wary. Nonetheless, he wasn't a monster- quite sweet actually, once you spent the much needed time with him. Words were exchanged, and you were warming up to him, slowly but gradually. Placed on his palm is your trust for safekeeping, you hope he doesn't break it.

As time goes by, you realize the swindler isn't at all what he seems- he has his own walls guarding him, his own insecurities. It's not what you expected, yet it adds to his character- it makes him human, he has a heart. The parts he hides are what attracts you to him- he sees it as a moth to a flame, hiding his failures. Yet, you look at it as a bee to a flower, so dainty a bond but so sweet.

Days go by and you notice how shy he can be, the smallest things can fluster him who seemed so sly. It's endearing, really. Your walls slowly break down, revealing your true person while he allows you to see glimpses of his own self, slow but steady. You don't mind, you both can take your time- walk hand in hand towards trust.

It's another night in his office, spent with him working on contracts. He truly is a hard worker, ambitious too. You admire those qualities, maybe not all the work he does but him as an individual is what you like. You don't seem to notice how the three words roll off your tongue, hand tangled in his locks of gray, seemingly playing with his hair; until you do, in fact, realize.

"Azul, I love you.."

Ink is spilled everywhere, the black coating the table and contracts on it. The pitter patter of the liquid allows him time to realize what you really said.

Those words that spilled of your tongue- so sugary sweet, could it be true? No contract needed, no form of force just his presence alone would suffice? He was enough.

His hand clutched yours tightly, ocean eyes looking up at you from his seat, tears spill from his eyes. He was so vulnerable in that moment, you found his true self as he had found yours. It's a nod from you that shows him that it's not a joke but reality.

"I-I love you too.."

He fumbles the words out too, a faint blush coating his cheeks as he looks away and to the ground. A giggle escapes your lips as you plant a kiss on his cheek.

Maybe the swindler was swindled by your love, except there was no catch- just your love, all for him.

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Pairing: Azul x GN!Reader Genre: Fluff A/N: The reader in this is not Yuu. I went way too ham at 2 A.M. and ended up writing 11.6k words, so enjoy my descend into fluffy madness lmao.

Everyday life as a librarian is as mundane as you can get within the walls of Night Raven College. With the exceptions of the occasional ruckus caused by groups of college students — mainly Floyd — or Crowley coming to offer yet another deal that you can’t seem to refuse, the library serves as a quiet haven for those who can’t find it elsewhere; you included.

At first you weren’t sure what you wanted to do here, or what you could do here. You’d spent the last couple of months just cramming as much History of Magic knowledge as you could into your brain, simply trying to make sense of the new world that you were in, without giving much thought to how you could fit in if you weren’t going home anytime soon. So, it comes to no surprise that once that was done and over with, you found yourself with way too much free time on your hands.

It’s when you’re in the midst of a particularly rowdy lunch, that your friend Epel mentions a new job opening at the library on-campus. He’d insisted that you apply, explaining that the library was in desperate need of someone that has competent knowledge of literature and you were perfect for the job.

You were hesitant at first, mostly because you were shy and quiet — especially in public settings — and that’s why you gave up trying to befriend more people here. But Epel reasoned it wouldn’t be too bad, or busy, at all because he would be helping you out. Plus, Vil told him that the practice would help him get used to speaking “properly”. So, you applied for the position.

Now you’ve found yourself working at the library for a little over half a year already, and Epel was right: working at the library wasn’t all that difficult. While he offers to deal with inquiring students all day — just to save you the anxiety of having to do so yourself — you’re left to acquire, classify, and catalog materials away from their prying eyes.

Today’s arrangement is no different.

You’ve just finished cataloging this week’s new batch of books, and after carefully stacking them onto your handy-dandy book cart, you head over to the elevator to the second floor. The doors slide apart with a quiet ding! to announce your arrival before you push the book cart to the first set of bookshelves labeled “Fiction: 001 - 200.09”, all the while nodding your head and mumbling polite greetings to the people you pass by.

Your hands busy themselves by putting the books into their respective spots, first alphabetically then by call numbers. You’re halfway through your stacks when someone gently taps on your shoulder, causing you to jump in surprise before you turn around to see Epel standing there.

“Uh… yes?” you ask, clearing your throat as you straighten up and fiddle with the hem of your sweater.

“Could you work the front today? I’m exhausted,” Epel runs a hand through his hair as he sighs in exasperation.

You squint your eyes at him and try to figure out if he’s simply trying to trick you into socializing, but the way his eyebrows are furrowed and his jaw is clenched tells you otherwise. Rather reluctantly, you nod in agreement to his request, “I guess so. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I just didn’t expect working at a library to be the same experience as working retail. Like, excuse me, we sent you the notification that your books were overdue. Don’t yell at me because you didn’t pay attention and now you have to pay the fees, sir,” Epel slams his hand down the top of a book as he emphasizes the last word, the loud sound making you jump.

Epel begins to shove books into the empty slots of the bookshelf, not truly caring if they belong there or not. You can’t help but wince as you watch him do so, the feeling you’re experiencing is like watching someone try to drink soup broth with a fork: it’s just not right.

“Okay, Epel, I’m heading to the front then.”

At this point, the man doesn’t even hear you anymore; too busy in his own thoughts cursing at the disrespect he’s been shown and taking out his frustrations on the bundle of papers in his hands. You turn on your heels before you can change your mind and tell Epel to get the heck away from your precious books and make your way back down to the checkout counter on the first floor.

It’s quiet for a Friday afternoon. Usually you’d expect a small crowd of students to trudge in, their backpacks heavy with textbooks and eye bags as dark as a cloudy sky. Sometimes you miss the days when you used to be like that too; even though it was difficult you made a lot of fond memories that made it all bearable.

You situate yourself on the worn-out leather office chair Epel usually occupies, the backrest creaking a bit too loudly for your liking when you lean against it.

Maybe you can strike up a deal with Crowley to get a new one later. No, scratch that idea — you never know what that man wants in return.

The computer in front of you is just starting to boot up when the entrance of the library swings open, causing your gaze to shift out of curiosity.

Your eyes land on the figure of an attractive young man dressed in the classic NRC school uniform, the purple ribbon secured to his left arm showcasing that he’s a part of the Octavinelle dorm. You can’t shake the feeling that you know this man from somewhere, but you also can’t quite put your finger on where.

Feeling eyes on him, the man turns his head towards you and gives you a polite smile when you make eye contact. You can feel your cheeks heating up in embarrassment from being caught staring, and you avert your eyes almost immediately — opting to stare at the brightly lit computer screen instead.

“Excuse me,” the man calls out, and you think to yourself that his soft-spoken voice matches his angelic appearance very well.

“Yes?” you answer after a few moments of silence, reluctantly glancing up.

As the man approaches the checkout counter, you can’t help but to stare at him with slightly widened eyes and a thin-lipped smile. It must look like you’re in pain to him — in this case, your pain is just downright embarrassment — but you were always one to have your emotions and thoughts written all over your face, so you couldn’t hide it even if you’d wanted to.

“Is Epel out today?” the man asks as he rests his hands on the counter and his eyes scan the space behind you.

“‘Epel’?” you echo your friend’s name, your expression quickly changing into one of confusion. “No, he's here… why?”

“Oh, no reason. He’s just usually the one to be sitting here so I was just wondering,” the man chuckles while shaking his head, a finger pressed to the bridge of his glasses to keep them from moving.

“Okay…” your voice trails off as you weren’t sure what to say next.

Is it usual for Epel to make small talk with everyone? You have to commend him for being able to do that every day with who knows how many people when you can barely think of what to say to this one person. He must have sensed how uncomfortable you feel, because the man takes a step backwards towards the staircase with his thumb pointing over his shoulder.

“I'm guessing he’s upstairs, so I’ll go there,” he announces before giving you another smile, this one more unsettling than the last. “I’ll see you later. Have a great evening.”

You wave goodbye to the man and give him a small, less awkward smile back, watching as he turns and speed walks up the stairs as if someone is chasing him. The smile doesn’t leave your face even after he’s disappeared from your view.

“Of course he would see me later. He has to pass by the checkout counter to leave the library anyways,” you think as you focus your attention back to the computer screen.

On display is a website with the daily list of upcoming school events a.k.a. your number one resource of finding which areas of the school you should avoid like the plague. Your eyes spot a familiar name: Mostro Lounge, and you can’t help but roll your eyes.

“Is there ever a time this place isn’t up to no good?” you wonder aloud to yourself as you click on the direct link provided to learn more about the newest event.

If you’re being completely honest, there’s no real reason you feel so negatively towards the Octavinelle restaurant. You’d merely heard rumors from Ace and Deuce when they practically bet their livelihoods to the housewarden for good exam scores, and you decided to avoid the place on the off chance that you get suckered into another bad deal.

You stare at the screen for a few seconds once the browser finally refreshes before rubbing your eyes with your knuckles.

“No way,” you lean closer to the screen while eyeing it in disbelief.

According to the webpage, the Mostro Lounge is holding a promotion for the next week and a percentage of the profits will be donated to the library. You scroll further down to see if there was any other information provided, stopping when a particular headshot catches your eye.

“No way!” you repeat louder this time, your mouth hanging open from the shock that hits you.

“‘No way’ what? Are you okay?” a familiar voice asks, causing your head to snap up.

You can only shake your head wordlessly as Epel approaches the checkout counter, empty book cart in hand. He pauses, an eyebrow raised as he questions you impatiently, “well, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“T— this… Epel, you—” you manage to stammer out incoherent words as you look back and forth between the screen and your friend, a finger pointed accusingly at him. “Have you made a deal with the Octavinelle housewarden?”

“Who, Azul?” Epel’s face is full of confusion when you mention the man’s name. “Why do you ask?”

You shoot up from your seat and turn the computer screen around, and Epel leans forward to look at whatever it is you keep aggressively tapping at. It’s only then that it crosses his mind that he hadn’t told you about the deal Crowley and Azul had made.

“Oh, right. So, uh… about that,” Epel starts off slowly, a hand rubbing the back of his neck while he tries to keep the guilt from showing on his face. Just like you, Epel has a hard time masking the emotion on his face. “Azul has apparently been complaining that there’s a lack of useful books here during one of the Housewarden Meetings; so the Headmage agreed to allow him to choose our next couple batches as long as he pitches in.”

“What in the Sevens is a ‘useful book’ in his standards?” your eyebrows furrow in frustration, side-eyeing the endless shelves of books you spend every day organizing.

“Books that will help him fulfill his end of his contracts, of course. Probably for potions like the one that he makes for Vil’s skincare,” Epel speaks matter-of-factly before he turns back to the book cart, humming a show tune while strolling away to the storage room behind you.

Leave it to Epel to be so nonchalant about anything and everything.

You close your eyes and take a deep breath to calm your heart that you didn’t realize was racing from adrenaline, your body slowly sinking back down onto the office chair with a short creak.

Meanwhile Azul is on the second floor, leaning against the wooden railing as he observes you curiously. Of course Azul is aware of the reputation he’s built around himself: a man capable of granting any wish, though the price is steep. One should be wary when agreeing to enter a contract with him. With such a reputation, he would have expected you to know who he was as soon as he walked in, but apparently you never knew what he looked like in the first place.

Secretly, he likes that fact: there’s someone who exists who doesn’t merely seek him out for their own needs. Not that you were seeking him out in the first place, which also stings.

Azul, please make up your mind.

Azul smiles to himself as he pushes his body away from the railing, turning to eye the multiple bookshelves around him as an idea comes to mind. Since it didn’t seem that you like to converse with strangers, he’ll have to find another way to befriend you.

And so, half an hour later, he finds himself standing at the checkout counter, a satisfied smile on his face as he glances down at the stack of books in his arms.

“Are you ready to check out?” you ask, a polite tone to your voice, as you look up from the computer.

Your smile falters for just a second when you see Azul standing in front of you, the sight of the Octavinelle symbol filling you with a sense of dread. 

Be nice, y/n, it’s not like it’s his fault you’re going to be working overtime for the next foreseeable future.

You clear your throat before shifting the chair around, your hands stretched out to take the books from Azul. He merely shakes his head and carefully sets the pile down on the counter before leaning side to side to make sure none of the books have shifted.

“Have a good day, y/n. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he lightly taps the top of the book pile with his fingertips, drawing your attention away from him and to the books before he steps out of the library.

You furrow your eyebrows, your lips curved into a frown as you ponder whether or not you’ve told him your name yet. You decide that you must have, it’s just that your memory’s getting worse as you get older. A sigh escapes your lips at the thought, your still outstretched hands pulling the books Azul left behind towards you so you could put them back where they belong.

“He’s definitely not checking these back in; he wasn’t even carrying any books when he came in earlier. But then why would he bring them here if he wasn’t planning on borrowing them?” you think and eye the books curiously, your chin sandwiched between your fingers.

Hello, Sunshine by [redacted] It’s a Beautiful Day by [redacted] Introduction by [redacted] Humans by [redacted] Peach by [redacted] How to Make Friends for Dummies by [redacted]

You furrow your eyebrows while thinking to yourself that Azul has — well, not strange — but definitely an interestingly wide taste in book genres. But the thought quickly goes away when you give the books a second glance, now wondering if the stranger was trying to give you a secret message through… book spines?

“Hey, Epel!” you call out, not moving your gaze away from the books as if they might disappear if you look away.

“What?!” Epel’s muffled voice answers from the storage room.

“Could you come here for a sec?”

You hear the click of a door opening behind you followed by the shuffling of feet as Epel makes his way over to you. You gather the books into your arms before turning in the chair to face Epel.

“Look, look. What’s this?” you nudge the pile towards Epel.

“Uh… books?” Epel crosses his arms before looking down at the items in your arms with an unimpressed look. “Is this some kind of trick question?”

You roll your eyes at his sassy tone and nudge the books even closer, “no, Epel. Someone left these here. Look at the titles.”

“Huh,” Epel huffs, eyes carefully scanning the titles as he's told to. “What about them?”

“I’m not sure. Is this supposed to be a message or what?” you can’t help the impatient tone that creeps into your voice as you drop the books onto your lap.

Epel gently bites his thumb as he ponders it for a bit. Some of the students here did have some unconventional ways of communicating sometimes. That was apparent from the way Rook asked Epel for help with an Alchemy project last month: by sliding a heart-shaped sticky note under his dorm room door at 4 A.M..

“Yeah, it could be,” Epel finally answers you with a shrug. “Why don’t you try giving them a response? The worst-case scenario is you got it wrong.”

And with that suggestion, Epel leaves you alone again; but not before giving you a, what you assume is supposed to be reassuring, pat on the shoulder.

“Maybe I should,” you think as you glance down at the stacks of books once more, a shy smile creeping onto your face.

❥

The next morning, you enter the library with a feeling of anticipation that you haven’t felt in a long time. You spent a good chunk of last night thinking of how to properly respond to Azul’s message: should you use book spines like he did? Or perhaps try a blackout poem?

You decided on the latter but didn’t have the heart to color inside a book or rip out a page. As a compromise, you wrote out a page of Azul’s first book on a separate piece of paper instead. And that paper is currently tucked into the back pocket of your pants, awaiting the right moment for you to pass it along to its intended receiver.

“Good morning, Epel,” you sing-song, almost skipping around the counter to give the man a hug.

“Morn— ah!” Epel yelps when he suddenly finds himself engulfed in your arms and he raises a hand hesitantly to pat your back, “nice to see you too? Someone’s happy this morning.”

“I am, I’m sorry,” you giggle, unwrapping your arms around the man before taking a step back, “can you do me a favor?”

“Depends on what,” Epel hums, his eyes narrowing because he should have known you weren’t being so nice for no reason. He watches as you shove your hands into your back pocket and pull out a piece of light pink paper folded into an origami peach fruit. His eyes cross when you hold it up a bit too close to his face. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Could you please give this to the stranger from last night?” you ask quietly while giving your friend your best puppy dog eyes.

He blinks, his gaze shifting between your face and the paper peach in front of him. He purses his lips before reluctantly nodding and snatching the paper out of your hands, “Okay… but I don’t even know who I’m looking for, so why can’t you do it yourself?”

“You know why,” your lips jut out into a pout while Epel shakes his head into his hands. “I can’t be there to look him in the eyes if I was actually wrong!”

“You’re actually hopeless, y/n. Maybe you should be meeting with Vil to work on your confidence.”

“I’ll hard pass on that one.”

“So, what’s he look like?”

“Fair-skinned. Beauty mark on the left side of his chin. Short, wavy grey hair. Oh, and I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s in Octavinelle.”

Epel peeks up at you from between his fingers, glad that his hands are hiding the shocked look on his face. Surely there’s no way that you’re actually describing Azul Ashengrotto without realizing it.

Speaking of the devil, the entrance to the library swings open and the aforementioned man comes striding in with a certain loud eel following closely behind.

Your body automatically straightens as you shoot daggers at the tall man, “Floyd, please try not to cause a disturbance today — and please leave Riddle alone.”

“Oh? I’m afraid you have the wrong brother,” the man chuckles, fist coming up to his lips as he shoots you a polite smile. “See the way this part of my hair curves to look like a ‘J’? That’s the easiest way to make out that I’m Jade.”

“Oh, Sevens. I’m so sorry,” your face begins to heat up in embarrassment once you take a closer look at the man. “I see you two so often, I can’t believe I’m still making that mistake.”

“No worries at all, it’s a common mistake. Housewarden Riddle will be safe to study in peace today.”

“Wonderful, then our heads are safe for today,” you place your hand on your chest and breathe a sigh of relief.

You then glance at the familiar man standing next to Jade with his hands nervously clenched together in front of him. You flash him a warm smile and a quick “good morning” before excusing yourself to the storage room.

No one within a five-feet radius could miss the way you waved aggressively at Epel as you walked away.

“Right,” Epel drawls once he hears the sound of a door click. He holds out the peach origami unceremoniously, his face screaming boredom when no one moves. “I believe this is for you.”

“My, my, you have great craftsmanship, Epel,” Jade smiles again, leaning in to study the pink paper in the other’s hand.

“I didn’t make it, y/n did. And it’s not for you,” Epel rolls his eyes, shifting his hands towards Azul’s direction.

Azul’s expression is a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. First, surprise from you understanding the message he had conveyed from the books last night. He admittedly had never done something like that before, and didn’t have enough time to go scavenger hunting for the right books.

Second, embarrassment from having been discovered in front of one of the twins. There’s no way this isn’t going to reach Floyd’s ears and he’ll have to mentally prepare himself for a royal tease storm later.

Azul clears his throat and ignores the way Jade’s eyes follow him curiously when he takes a few steps forward to grab the paper from Epel, “thank you for this.”

“I must have missed a couple chapters here,” Jade comments in amusement. “Would you care to share?”

“Absolutely not, Jade.”

❥

It’s not until Azul is in the safety from prying eyes of the V.I.P. room that Azul finally decides to read what you’ve given him.

He picks up the paper peach delicately like it is his mother’s fine china, turning it over and over between his fingers to study your origami work.

It’s a shame I have to ruin this, Azul thinks to himself as he gingerly unfolds your note. He stares at the long thick lines of black drawn on the page, mentally reading the words that were purposely made legible.

[illegible] It’s nice to meet you, [illegible] You have [illegible] a beautiful smile [illegible] I like [illegible] your [illegible] books.

A few more lines of black.

I’m sorry [illegible] It’s a bit awkward, but [illegible] See you soon.

Azul rests his cheek on the palm of his hand, an amused smile appearing on his face as he re-reads your note.

“They’re certainly creative,” he mutters to himself as he follows the creases of the paper to re-fold your origami peach, ideas already popping into his mind as a feeling of anticipation similar to yours bubbles up inside of him.

Thus, begins your unique form of communication with the housewarden.

On the night the promotion is to begin at Mostro Lounge, Azul drops yet another pile of books for you at the checkout counter. His lips are curved up to a rare timid smile as Epel stares at him from his seat, “I assume these aren’t for yourself.”

“Um… no,” Azul rubs the back of his neck, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

“I’ll make sure y/n gets this,” Epel can’t help but laugh at the expression on Azul’s face as he slides the books closer to himself. “Why do you look like that? I’m not judging you.”

“I know you aren’t!” Azul quickly retorts, his voice rising slightly in defense. “It’s just… I feel a little weird. We’ve never spoken more than a handful of words to each other, but now I'm getting excited to talk to them like this…”

Epel waves his hand in the air dismissively, “trust me: even I’m surprised at how things are unfolding between the two of you.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t told them who I am yet.”

“I’m not doing it for you. I’m just glad y/n’s finally opening up and making new friends,” Epel says plainly before sticking his tongue out at the older man. “No matter how suspicious the new friend could be.”

Before Azul could question him further, Jade appears by his side, whispering into his ear that they will need to return to the lounge soon. Azul reluctantly excuses himself and follows his vice-housewarden back to the Hall of Mirror.

It’s the busiest that you’ve ever seen the library, watching from the safety of the opened door to the storage room as an endless circulation of people come in and out the door. In the crowd, you catch a momentary glimpse of Azul’s warm smile just before he left. The mere sight of it causes butterflies to flutter in your stomach and you tiptoe over to the counter where Epel is situated hoping to catch another glimpse of it.

You immediately hear a soft shuffling sound coming from beneath you and it causes you to look down. There lies yet another stack of books, and you give Epel a questioning glance though his eyes remain glued to the scene in front of him. Did he expect you to put these back? Right now?

When you bend down to grab the books, you almost want to facepalm yourself for being such an idiot. Because there laid yet another message from Azul; this one shorter than the last.

The Sun Says Hello by [redacted] Thank You by [redacted] You Are Beautiful by [redacted] Look Below by [redacted]

Look below? you think before following the instructions and literally looking down, but only seeing your feet. Of course, that’s not it. What about…?

You lift the pile of books off the table, a grin appearing on your face when you see a folded piece of paper where the books once were. You glance over to where you last saw Azul and can’t help but wonder if this is how the characters in romance novels felt; the nervousness of passing each other a new secret message, the anxiety of wondering if they’ve said the right thing, the excitement of awaiting a response, and the exhilaration of the whole process.

You gently pat your warming cheeks with your hands and snap yourself out of your brief thoughts. With a shake of your head, you take the note and make your way back to the storage room before closing the door behind you.

“You need to get out more,” you say aloud to yourself, referring to your ridiculous thoughts of comparing your humdrum life to a romance novel.

You click your tongue in disapproval, your hands busy unfolding Azul’s note to read the contents written inside.

Y/n, I’m sorry if this was too corny. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable by approaching you directly. Thank you for your response, I really wasn’t expecting it. You guys have so many books here that it’d take a long time for me to find the ones I need to send another book spine message. I mean, not that that’s a bad thing! I hope you don’t mind a good old fashion letter though. Why don’t we share quotes from our favorite books instead? That way I don't have to trouble you and make you put back the books I took. I’m curious to know what kinds of literature you like to read. I’ll go first. “He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.” Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - Azul Ashengrotto

You feel like your eyes are going to pop out of their sockets from how suddenly they grew wide, “Wha— you mean, like, the Octavinelle Housewarden Azul?!”

❥

A few weeks pass by with more than a handful of letters being exchanged between you and Azul; though, truthfully, you were tempted to stop your correspondence once you were aware of Azul’s identity.

“Eh, why? Did he say something wrong?” Epel had inquired when you came to him for advice once again.

“Well, no, but he did put Ace and Deuce into a predicament, so…”

“They kind of had that coming for opting to cheat instead of just studying like we did.”

“You sound just like Jack.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. What else?”

“Uh, because of the dang promotion he’s doing, we’re going to be a lot busier than usual.”

“Y/n. We work in a library — located on-campus, might I add. And it’s almost finals season,” Epel looks about ready to throw a book at you so maybe that’ll knock some sense into you.

“Okay… but what if this is just a ploy to get me to sign my livelihood away in some contract?”

“Azul’s a straightforward business man. He definitely wouldn’t be wasting his time like this just for a contract.”

You paused and thought through Epel’s words for a moment. It did make sense: why would Azul be spending his precious free time to entertain you in this way if he could’ve simply approached you with a salesman’s pitch?

You felt guilty for immediately assuming that his intentions were bad. Afterall, your only experience with the man outside of this long exchange was from word of mouth. Not to mention that his restaurant promotion was beneficial to both the library and the students.

“Okay, you may have a good point. Several good points, in fact,” you sigh in defeat.

In the beginning, both you and Azul had to badger Epel to pass along secret letters to the other person; and the requests were almost always followed with a look of utter displeasure.

There was more than one occasion where Epel was tempted to just lock the two of you inside the storage room until you would eventually talk.

Luckily for all three of you, he never had to resort to that.

There eventually came a point when you felt comfortable enough to approach Azul first, and he would always welcome you with a heart-stopping smile; one that would leave your cheeks feeling warm and catch your words in your throat. If the man knew the effect that he had on you, he was certainly gracious enough not to show it.

In his free time, Azul likes to stroll around the library with you. While it’s usually in a comfortable silence, he’ll sometimes ask you to elaborate on things from your last correspondences.

Other times, he’ll ask you to proofread his contracts or ask for your ideas on how he can improve sales at Monstro Lounge — things he usually either did himself or asked for Jade’s assistance. You always tell him that you’re not qualified enough to give him such advice, but he always insists anyway.

Just like that, you learn more about each other and your tastes in literature than you would have with anyone else.

Today Azul arrives at the library just as you’re finishing up your afternoon tasks. You rush over to the checkout counter as soon as you see him come in, the warm, welcoming smile on your face immediately lifting his spirits.

“Hi, Azul! Welcome back,” you call out to the man, waving at him with your free hand while the other is clutching a clipboard full of inventory paperwork.

“Hi, y/n,” Azul’s lips quirk up into his signature sweet smile that doesn’t betray the quick beating of his heart. “How was your day?”

“Tiring… but I kind of like seeing the new faces around here so I don’t mind that trade-off,” you answer, referring to the influx of students scrambling to prepare for finals at every available corner of the building.

“I’m glad that you’re starting to warm up to strangers,” Azul chuckles, his hand reaching out to gently ruffle your hair. You stare up at Azul with widened eyes, and he stares back with his hand slightly trembling; clearly you both are surprised by the affectionate gesture.

Azul suddenly clears his throat, breaking you both out of your momentary trance as he pulls his hand away. Even if he didn’t plan on showing his affection as such, he couldn’t deny that he’s started to develop romantic feelings for you.

That's why he came today, so he could finally ask you something that he’d been delaying for the past week or so.

“So, anyways,” Azul starts, and you can hear the subtle tone of nervousness in his voice.

You watch with furrowed eyebrows as Azul slips a strap of his backpack off his shoulders and unzips the largest pocket. After a few seconds of digging around, Azul finally flourishes a handful of books that he holds out towards you with the spines purposefully facing away.

“What’re these for?” you ask curiously, though you don’t wait for an answer before taking the books from Azul and clutching them to your chest. “Are we going back to book spine messages now?”

“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind,” Azul nods in confirmation before shrugging his backpack strap back on. He presses his lips into a thin line, eyes fixed to the floor beside you and cheeks a rosy tint as he asks, “um… I— I’ll get a reply before I leave today… right?”

“Of course, that’s been our routine for a while now,” you giggle as you find it quite adorable how shy Azul suddenly got, even if you don’t know the reason why yet.

“I’ll be waiting then,” Azul flashes an uncharacteristic half-smile before heading up to his usual writing spot on the second floor.

Although Azul seems to be acting strange today, you think that maybe he’s had a difficult time convincing Floyd to study today and has a headache. You roll your eyes at the thought while shaking your head and mumbling, “I’ll squeeze that eel twice as hard the next time I see him.”

With a loud sigh, you make your way around the checkout counter and plop down onto Epel’s vacant office chair with a familiar loud creak. You wince, bowing your head apologetically at the few people who turned towards the source of the sudden noise that disturbed their peace.

Once their attention is averted back to whatever they were doing before they were so rudely interrupted, you turn your attention back to the books Azul handed you earlier. The last time he gave you something like this was when he asked to start exchanging letters instead; so, you’re curious as to why he suddenly decided to change his method again.

You place the books on the counter in front of you, your clipboard and paperwork long forgotten underneath the stack.

Friday Nights by [redacted] Dinner Recipes by [redacted] Together by [redacted] If You’d Like To by [redacted]

You stare at the books with a dumbfounded expression, not wanting to jump into conclusions about its meaning; but what else could it mean besides Azul Ashengrotto asking you out to dinner this Friday night?

It suddenly makes sense why he was acting kind of shy earlier.

The thought makes you feel warm inside, and you have to hide the wide smile appearing on your face behind your hands.

You don’t want to wait until Azul leaves tonight to give him an answer, and you make up your mind almost right away to tell him your answer verbally — mostly because your brain is not comprehending what’s going on well enough to function properly and think of a creative response to his invitation.

You shake your head while patting your cheeks rather roughly, getting up from your seat carefully to not make any more unwanted noise.

Your feet rush you up the stairs to the second floor before you can talk yourself into chickening out, before you can change your mind, before—

The sight of Azul makes you stop in your tracks, your heart hammering wildly against your chest. Was it from seeing the person that you adore, or was it from the sudden rush of adrenaline? You honestly can’t tell anymore.

Azul is hunched over a short pile of papers — the lack of paper balls around him makes you think that he’s at least got a good start to his studying session — his cheek is resting against his fist as the other hand is busy writing away. His eyebrows are furrowed in utter concentration, so much so that he doesn’t even realize that his glasses are slowly sliding down the bridge of his nose.

You quietly make your way to the chair across the table from the man and settle yourself down onto the wooden material with your eyes still fixed on him. You’re not sure if it’s just the harsh lighting of the library or you weren’t paying attention earlier, but you can see faint dark circles under his eyes.

“Aren’t you sleeping enough?” you mumble, though Azul still doesn’t hear you. Your hand reaches out without you meaning to, your fingertips gently brushing aside the locks of hair that were starting to cover Azul’s eyes.

This finally gathers his attention and the man jolts in surprise, his eyes wide as his head shoots up to see you sitting across from him.

You can’t help but giggle at how adorable Azul looks, pulling your hand back to cover your mouth as you do so, “I’m so sorry. I didn't think you could get so focused in, like, five minutes.”

“Oh— I— yeah, sorry,” the man snaps back to his senses before his hands are spread out to cover whatever he’s written — not that he needed to. You wouldn’t have peeked anyways, and you both know that well enough: you’d never look unless he asked you to. “Did you need something?”

“Huh?” you question before cursing yourself mentally, because just a fleeting look at Azul could make your mind go completely blank. You quickly shake your head before Azul could elaborate, “no, no! I just… I'm saying yes. To your, uh… invitation.”

“My invi— oh,” Azul’s mouth forms a small “o” as he realizes what you’re referring to; and just like the first time you gave him a response, he’s caught by surprise.

To be honest, he was mentally preparing himself for rejection. Lack of self-confidence aside, he wasn’t sure if you felt the same way he did; whereas he ended his letters with quite corny quotes from romance novels, you missed his hints and always ended yours with quotes from novels in any other genre.

“Is that… okay?” you ask hesitantly when Azul doesn’t say anything else. You can feel your entire body starting to feel warm from embarrassment, the thought that you must have misinterpreted his words hitting you like a brick.

“Y—yeah, of course!” Azul answers a bit too quickly, and the more time passes by, the wider his smile gets and the redder his ears turn. “I’m the one who asked, why are you asking if it’s okay to say ‘yes’?”

“I thought I misinterpreted,” you confess after releasing the breath you were anxiously holding in.

Azul chuckles and places his hands on yours before giving them a reassuring squeeze, “I’m sorry, I was caught off guard. But thank you for agreeing to go out with me.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” your cheeks begin to burn as the cliché phrase leaves your lips. “but um… where are we going? Are you actually going to cook dinner?”

You don’t doubt that the man probably has skills in a kitchen. He owns a restaurant after all, but you’ve never visited before so you’re not sure who actually does all the cooking. Azul merely runs his thumb and index finger across his lips in a zipping motion.

“It’s a surprise!”

❥

The next few days follow in a blur of excitement and expectancy. You’ve tried to ask Azul multiple times for even just a hint of what your plans would be for Friday night, but he stays true to his word of keeping everything a surprise.

So, come Friday, you decide to dress comfortably with a pair of straight leg jeans and an oversized, lilac-toned sweater. It’s simplistic, but when Azul comes to pick you up at the library that night, it seems that the two of you had unintentionally matched — though his sweater is slightly darker in color.

When you first see each other, you point at one-another as if you were the infamous Spider-man meme. Small bursts of laughter leave both of your lips as you decide to make the first move and reach out for his hand.

Without his gloves on, you can feel how clammy Azul’s hand is from nervousness. You don’t mind it very much though, his hand is still very soft and warm and comforting to you. 

“Are you ready?” Azul asks, daring to give your hand the tiniest squeeze.

“Uh, as ready as someone can be when they don’t know where they’re going.”

Azul chuckles as he nods, “okay, fair enough. It’s nowhere bad, I promise. I’m not a serial killer.”

“That sounds exactly like what a serial killer would say in a mystery book, but I’ll trust you.”

“You read way too many crime books,” Azul comments, thinking back to the quotes you’ve written to him in your letters.

“I’d like to say I’ve broadened my horizons just a little bit. Though I never would’ve taken you for such a romantic,” you tease back, smiling sheepishly when the man chokes on his own spit at your words.

“I— uh, I’m most definitely not,” Azul says defensively between coughs, his cheeks reddening though you aren’t sure if it’s because he choked or because he’s actually feeling shy. “It’s just research for my, uh… contract work.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say,” you chuckle, rubbing the man’s back with your free hand until he ceases to cough.

The rest of the walk is blanketed in a comfortable silence, your gaze fixed on the fairy lights decorating the exterior of the school buildings. Once the lights have all but disappeared, your initial thought is that the dark hallways really don’t help Azul’s claim of not being a serial killer. If it’s true, then at least your last sight would be of a handsome man.

A few more minutes pass before you finally set foot inside the familiar Hall of Mirrors, Azul slowly guiding you to the mirror that connects to the Octavinelle dorm.

“You’ve never been to the Mostro Lounge before, have you?” Azul asks when he sees you staring apprehensively at the mirror.

“No, I haven’t.”

“It’s my pleasure to accompany you on your first visit then,” Azul smiles with a hand on his chest. “Hopefully, you’ll enjoy your time tonight so you can come visit again in the future.”

“I’m sure I’ll enjoy it since I’m with you, but will the tweels be there tonight? I can only imagine the amount of teasing we’re going to be enduring soon. Not that I mind!” you quickly add before Azul can take that as a sign to cancel.

“Hah, I thought about that too,” Azul mutters, two fingers rubbing circles on his temple as if to fight back an oncoming headache. “But…”

“But?” you tilt your head curiously, prying when Azul refuses to make eye contact with you.

Azul takes a deep breath, mentally willing himself to say possibly the cheesiest thing he’s ever said in his life, “but I don’t mind suffering just a little bit if you’ll be by my side.”

Now it’s your turn to start choking on air. Yeah, he definitely reads way too many romance novels.

❥

When you finally set foot inside the Monstro Lounge, it isn’t quite as busy as you had anticipated it to be. There are just a handful of patrons sitting around, mostly chattering amongst themselves and only momentarily stopping when you and Azul pass by.

It’s peaceful, and you have to wonder why Azul prefers to work in the library as opposed to here. And well, to be fair, it’s only this “slow” tonight due to Azul’s own doing. Ah, the sacrifices on profits he has to make for love.

You place your hand in Azul’s outstretched one after you enter the lounge, shy smiles on both of your faces as you allow him to guide you towards the kitchen. You don’t even notice that Azul hasn’t let go of your hand when you bump into Jade and Floyd.

“Oh, my, what a surprise to see you here, Azul,” Jade calmly says as he bows his head, “and y/n is here too. What a pleasant surprise. Good evening, y/n.”

“Ohhhh? Azul, you didn’t tell us you were bringing over a date tonight,” Floyd grins mischievously, only a second away from springing forward to squeeze you if Jade wasn’t holding on to the back of his shirt. “And it’s the dolphin from the library. Hi, dolphin.”

“H—hello,” you quickly greet the two men, your hand grasping Azul’s tighter in fear of an oncoming squeeze, “I hope we’re not intruding.”

“Not at all. I already told Jade beforehand that we were coming, so we’ll have the place to ourselves in a moment,” Azul answers you, his free hand adjusting the bridge of his glasses. “Please spare me that shocked look, Floyd. You know you’re the last person I would inform of a date.”

“Aw, Azul, you’re a meanie! I wouldn’t have teased you that much, I swear!” Floyd huffs and pouts.

“I can hardly believe that.”

“Now, now, Floyd. Let’s leave the lovebirds alone,” Jade coos, patting his brother on the back before slowly pushing him towards the direction you had just come in from. “Have a wonderful time, y/n. Azul.”

“You’ll be hearing from me later,” Floyd grumbles, pout still very apparent on his face while he reluctantly follows his brother out the door.

With their departure, the kitchen falls eerily silent, safe for the quiet hum of the commercial freezer in the corner. Azul silently lets go of your hand and dares to place a hand on the small of your back instead as he guides you deeper inside.

You’re not surprised by how impeccably clean the kitchen seems to be, surely Azul checks in often to ensure that everything is up to his standards and beyond. But what you are surprised by is the sight that greets you when Azul finally opens a door at the very back of the kitchen.

You’re greeted by the afternoon sunlight streaming through a window that doesn’t seem to belong in an underwater dorm. But there’s no way that you could be hallucinating the sight in front of you.

In the middle of the room is a long, wooden farm table with about four mismatched wooden chairs encompassing it; the wide window sill you saw first is showcasing several small pots that are homes to what you assume to be herbs and vegetables.

Azul notices your awe-filled gaze and retracts his hand, allowing you to roam around the room freely while he heads back to the kitchen to check on tonight’s dinner — courtesy of Jade. The acoustic in the room allows for your voice to be heard loud and clear though you’re technically in separate rooms.

“I didn’t know that they have rooms like this in the Coral Sea,” you say aloud, the tone of your voice conveying that your statement is serious.

“We definitely don’t,” you hear distant Azul’s chuckle and you can mentally picture the kind of smile the man has on his face at the moment. “That room is typically used as storage, but I borrowed a magic projector from Vil a while ago to make it look more home-y for you.”

“It certainly does look like home…” you say to yourself as you slowly take in your surroundings more carefully.

You’re not sure how Azul would know it himself as you’ve never talked to him about it before, but the setting before you — brought by a magic projector or not — does remind you of the dining room from back home. It’s been so long since you’d last seen it that you’d almost forgotten what it looked like.

It’s a kind gesture that brings tears of joy and nostalgia to your eyes.

“Thank you, Azul, this is really thoughtful of you. I don’t have anything to give you in return right now, but… what is it that you wish for, Azul?” you’ve made your way towards the kitchen by now, your shoulder leaning against the doorway as you gaze at the man with a look filled with curiosity.

Azul glances over his shoulders to look at you, his lips curving up into a soft smile as he shrugs, “if I tell you my wish, then it won’t come true.”

You fold your arms and hum in response, “okay, fair enough. I thought you were going to say ‘world domination’.”

“That’s such a plain wish, but I bet younger me would’ve wished for something just like that,” Azul laughs aloud at himself before shaking his head, “I think nowadays my wish is to be more confident in myself and my own abilities.”

You nod in understanding as you recall the brief stories he would share of his childhood. It seems that Azul has gone through so much in a short amount of time, but he’s also changed so much since then.

You walk over to the man and place your hand above his own, the steam from your dinner eventually warming your hand and dampening them as well.

“I think you’re doing a wonderful job right now, and I’m very proud of you,” you smile fondly at Azul, causing his eyes to widen in surprise and his chest to tighten as if he may burst into tears at any moment now.

“T—thank you…” it’s the first time someone has said anything like that to him before, and he’s not sure how he should respond. Right now, he’s only focused on making sure his face isn’t turning as red as Riddle’s.

“Of course! I’ll remind you of that as often as you’d like!”

Just as quickly as his expression changed before, Azul’s face brightens up once more at your response. He turns on his heels, his arms balancing a variety of plates packed with food. You reach out to help alleviate the burden on his arms, but he moves his arms away from your reach before leaning down to get to eye level with you.

“Then I have even more of a reason to be grateful, right? We got to meet each other, and my wishful thinking… may not be such after all.”

Your features crease into a look of confusion at the man’s unexpected words, but when you gaze into his dark grey orbs you can see the sincerity in them.

Unknowingly, the space between your faces starts to become smaller and smaller. Azul’s gaze shifts between your eyes, then your lips, then back up again. But before anything can happen, as if the universe is playing a joke on you, a plate in Azul’s arm shifts ever so slightly and causes the two of you to jump apart.

A rather awkward laugh makes its way past your lips and you hurriedly reach out to grab a few plates from Azul’s arms before he can protest. You don’t say a single word as you set the plates down onto the farm table, your mind too busy screaming a million incoherent thoughts, and Azul follows suit.

“I’m so sorry,” Azul is the first to break the silence once you’ve taken a seat diagonal to each other, on either side of a table corner.

“What? Don’t be sorry,” you shake your head while simultaneously waving your hands. Your fingers slowly curve into loose fists that you rest atop your lap, the small smile on your face mirroring Azul’s own.

“Do you… know why I asked you out tonight?” Azul hesitantly asks, a quiet sigh leaving his lips when you shake your head ‘no’. “Well, it’s just that I realized that we’ve spent most of our time together in the library— well, in fact, I have never seen you outside of the library. It finally occurred to me that I might be making you feel like you don’t matter outside of that space. Which you do!”

“I don’t feel that way though…” you try to reassure him, but it seems like your words only enter one ear and exit the other as he continues to speak.

“I’ve truly enjoyed exchanging all those letters with you and being able to connect through our shared love for books. But, if you don’t mind, I’d like to start seeing you outside of that too.”

It doesn’t take you long to process the situation and, to your utmost surprise, your heart isn’t hammering in your chest like you think it should. Instead your entire body feels comfortably warm and you have the overwhelming urge to embrace Azul.

At this point, you’ve garnered enough courage to do just that.

You stand up and quickly make your way over to him, your arms immediately wrapping themselves around Azul’s shoulders while your face hides in the crook of his neck. It takes a moment for him to respond, but Azul’s arms eventually find their place around your waist to press your body firmly against his.

“You’re such an idiot, Azul,” you mutter after what feels like an eternity has passed.

Your words cause the man’s lower lip to jut out into a pout, and he leans back ever so slightly so he can look at your face; you almost whine when the warmth of Azul’s body leaves you.

“Why am I an idiot?” Azul inquires, a hand moving to tuck loose strands of hair behind your ear.

“Because… if I really felt that way then I never would have kept reciprocating for so long. It doesn’t matter if we spent all that time in one place because it never got boring or tiring with you around,” you pause to flash a fond smile at Azul. “And even now, I’m having the time of my life just being here in your presence. Is that too corny to say? It’s the truth though.”

Azul chuckles in amusement while shaking his head, “it’s not corny. I think.”

It’s the first time that you’ve been so straightforward without getting flustered, and he’s not sure where your sudden courage came from.

Not that he’s complaining about it though.

When you two first met, you could barely hold a conversation with him for more than a minute. While he did feel a pang of disappointment every time, he never took it personally — especially not after seeing you interact with other students in a similar manner.

You caught him off guard when you finally approached him first, weeks after your first correspondences, though your cheeks were permanently warm while you tried your best to converse with him.

He found you adorable, like a newborn seal pup being introduced to the world for the first time.

Azul has always enjoyed your company since the beginning, whereas he’d prefer to be left alone to work in the past. But then he found himself going back to the library time and time again, until it became a regular occurrence.

He admittedly never got a lot of studying done when he was at the library — at least, not at the times when he accompanied you on your daily runs to shelve book returns.

Azul’s still not sure when his feelings developed beyond those of curiosity and friendship.

Perhaps it was when you could finally meet his eyes and hold contact, allowing him to gaze deep into your eyes that always seemed to sparkle with light and joy.

Or perhaps it was when he told you a dad joke so bad that it actually made you burst into a fit of giggles that left you breathless — the mere sight of you smiling gleefully tugging at his heartstrings in the best way.

Regardless of the when, where, why, and how’s, Azul is certain of his feelings for you.

“I wonder if this is how Benedick and Beatrice felt when they finally agreed to marry,” you comment, breaking through Azul’s thoughts.

Azul nearly snorts at your remark, “B—Benedick and Beatrice? You mean the ones from “Much Ado About Nothing”?”

“Yeah… why?”

The man laughs after your confirmation, your cheeks being partially squished between his palms as he brings your faces closer together until the tips of your noses are almost touching, “no offense — I adore that beautiful mind of yours — but I don’t think those two exactly exude the idea of ‘wholesome’.”

“But think of the relief they must’ve felt after they didn’t have to pretend they didn’t love each other anymore.”

“So, you love me?” Azul quirks an eyebrow up challengingly.

“Wh— you’re taking that too literally,” you grumble with a fist hitting the man’s chest gently, though the way you avoid his eyes and your cheeks are flushed tells him that he may be somewhere on the right path.

“Then… do you like me?” Azul inquires, and you can see the mischievous glint in his eyes when you finally meet them.

“Do we really have to say that out loud after we already did our monologues?”

“I want to hear it from you. Please.”

You swallow the small lump in your throat, though that’s the only sign of nervousness in your entire body.

You find it fascinating how quickly your body’s reactions change whenever Azul is around. There’s a sense of nerves and shyness when you’re in the midst of new experiences, but it just as quickly changes to feelings of calmness because the man brings you such a sense of comfort you never expected.

Just like how the lump in your throat dissipates and leaves you to gaze at Azul with complete fondness.

There’s not a moment of hesitation before your whispered confession of “I truly like you, Azul Ashengrotto.” hangs in the air.

Just those simple words of affirmation make Azul’s entire face light up, the sight of his bright smile making you feel like you were standing in the middle of a field and soaking in the warm summer sunlight.

“And I like you, y/n.”

Your bodies act as if on muscle memory, Azul’s face tilting ever so slightly while your eyes flutter shut. You’re not sure who closes the distance first. Perhaps it was both of you moving simultaneously, but your lips eventually meet in a fleeting and gentle kiss.

There were no fireworks igniting behind your eyelids like they’d described in the countless books you’ve read, but it still leaves you feeling lightheaded. Like you’re melting into Azul’s arms. Like there’s only the two of you alone in this vast world.

When you pull apart, the two of you giggle like schoolgirls but the action isn’t fueled by feelings of awkwardness or nervousness. You both gaze at each other with eyes full of admiration and budding feelings of love, the feelings that were hidden before from fear of being rejected finally bubbling up to the surface.

You’ve long forgotten about the now-cold plates of food sitting in front of you; opting to spend the rest of the night exchanging even more gentle kisses and whispered sweet nothings.

❥

The dynamics of your relationship with Azul hardly changed after you confirmed your feelings for one-another, and you truly feel grateful that there was no pressure on you to act differently.

Of course, now there were a lot more lingering touches, your fingers almost always intertwined if there was nothing to keep them busy. You’d even sneak brief kisses behind the cover of bookshelves when you thought no one was looking.

Even if neither of you were a fan of P.D.A., you made an exception for each other. 

Nothing was made official between the two of you after that fateful night, as Azul opted to wait another half a year before asking you to be his partner.

You didn’t mind his decision to take things slow. You both wanted to make sure that your feelings for each other weren’t just illusions brought forth by letters on paper — though you knew that wasn’t the case anyways.

When he felt that the time was right, Azul asked the question in the best way that he knew how to: through book spines. Though unlike how he’d asked you on your “first date,” Azul didn’t shy away after dropping the books off.

He’d waited patiently for you to have some time to spare for him, his chin resting atop his folded arms at the checkout counter as he watched you help patron after patron check out books.

“I have something for you,” Azul could hardly contain his excitement when you finally turned to him and let him know you were free.

“What is it?”

You felt a sense of déjà vu watching Azul dig into his backpack and pull out a stack of books. He placed them down on the counter with the book spines facing you, and you’d half-expected him to walk away like before.

But he stayed there; his eyes curved into double rainbows coupled with a sweet smile, and his hands trembling ever so slightly in nervousness.

Will by [redacted] You by [redacted] Bees by [redacted] Mine by [redacted]

You had to hold back the squeal that was threatening to escape your larynx when you finally looked away from Azul long enough to read his message. Your mind already went over the fact that Azul had to substitute the word “be” with “bees” and you nodded so hard Azul thought your head might fly off.

Now it’s been exactly a year since you two made your relationship official. In the year you’ve spent as a couple — and even before then — you’d fallen into a pleasant routine.

During the weekdays, while you’re working at the library, Azul would be studying in his usual spot in the corner of the second story. After some time, he’d suspiciously stopped asking you to proofread his work.

Every Friday night, he would try out new dinner recipes and you would be in charge of baking dessert — and you wonder how his kitchen has managed to stay so spotless after all this time.

Sometimes you would invite Epel, Ace, and Deuce to come over too, and the first time your friends agreed to come, they were appalled by how sweet you and Azul were; but they secretly loved seeing you genuinely happy in this strange new world.

Saturday’s were reserved for the show-and-tell of Azul’s enormous coin collection, with the latter recalling stories of when he found them on solo adventures in the Coral Sea. When you asked why he had so many, Azul explained that they help with his memory and it’s exciting to learn of the history behind especially old coins. You can’t argue with him there.

Sunday’s are for those who may say that your relationship seems too mundane. You both agreed to do something new during this day, may it be something as small as feeding ducks near the pond or as adventure packed as tagging along with Jade on his strolls in the mountains.

Either way, you always ended the day cuddling up next to each other in Azul’s bedroom.

The collections of books in this world are endless, and you’ve made it a habit to take turns reading aloud to each other until you both fell asleep late into the night.

But this Sunday, the exact day of your one-year anniversary with Azul, the man had asked if you could stay at home. Your homebody-self answered “yes” without hesitation.

It’s already nightfall by the time you find yourselves stuffed with dinner and cake and situated under the wooden pergola illuminated by Vil’s borrowed magic projector. Your comfortable silence is accompanied by the soothing chirping of crickets and a night sky sprinkled with the brightest stars.

“Happy anniversary, angel,” Azul says with a warm smile before bringing your hands up to press tender kisses along your knuckles.

“Angel”: it’s a hypocorism that Azul has grown fond of calling you by. When he first started to call you as such, you found it amusing because it’s a name that better suits him.

“Happy anniversary, darling,” your smile mirrors Azul’s own, a quiet giggle escaping your lips when his lips tickle your skin.

It’s a wonder that time has passed so quickly.

It felt like just yesterday you saw Azul entering the library, with not a single clue as to who he was — and now here you are, more than positive that you’re in love with the man sitting in front of you.

“I love you”: it’s a sentence that has remained unspoken between the two of you. Not because you don’t love each other, because even a jellyfish could see that you do, but because neither of you ever felt the need to verbalize those feelings.

Until now.

“Azul,” you call out, waiting until he glances up and hums in response. “I love you.”

A minute of silence follows, then two, then three, and as more time passes on, you can feel a sense of panic growing stronger in the pit of your stomach.

Had you thought wrong? Did you just jump the gun when Azul didn’t feel as strongly for you as you did for him?

“I have something for you,” Azul’s soothing voice cuts through your anxious thoughts.

You try to ignore the pang of disappointment that accompanies your panic.

He didn’t say it back.

“What is it?” you ask, your voice sounding weak.

“Close your eyes.”

You do as you’re told, keeping your eyes closed as Azul lets go of your hands. You can hear him rummaging around for something, and you have to wonder what it could be.

Your eyes only open again when Azul gives you the okay to.

Azul places what appears to be a manuscript atop your lap, and you look at him with a puzzled expression on your face as you pick the bundle of papers up, ”what is this?”

“I didn’t tell you this before because I was too embarrassed, but I decided to try writing a book of my own,” Azul chuckles, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m getting close to done. I just wanted you to see it first, even though I know you hate spoilers.”

“I absolutely do,” you declare as you roll your eyes in a playful manner.

“I know, I know, but…” Azul bites on his lower lip, his voice trailing off as he contemplates how to word his next sentence. “I’m better at writing out my feelings than I am verbally expressing it, and I’ve included it here. I’d love for you to read it first before the rest of the world.”

“I think you’re better at expressing your feelings aloud than you think you are, darling.”

You can’t deny that you feel honored to have Azul regard you highly enough to have you be the first to read his nearly completed work. Sure, you’ve spent hours proofreading essays and the like before, but this felt different.

Azul’s hands are clasped together tightly enough to make his skin appear a few shades lighter, anxiety coursing through his body as he watches you flip to the first page of the manuscript where the dedication page is. He’s not sure why he feels that way when he knows exactly how you feel about him.

Your eyes and mind slowly take in the words written on the page.

Were you suddenly hallucinating sweet words onto paper? A quick glance up at Azul tells you no.

His written feelings bring tears of happiness to the corners of your eyes, and it takes all your willpower to not throw your arms around the man and kiss him right then and there.

To my muse, my angel, my wonderful y/n, You know what people say about meeting your soulmate? It feels like you’re at home the moment you meet them. I think they’re right, because while the sight of your beautiful smile makes my heart race, you also make me feel safe and comfortable. It’s like one look from you lifts the weight of the world off my shoulders, like there’s absolutely nothing for me to worry about. Without you, I would never have experienced things and feelings that I thought were only possible in books. It’s with our fond memories in mind that I write this book. Thank you. Thank you for choosing to spend your days with me. Thank you for being a beacon of support during the times I was clouded with self-doubt and during the times I wasn’t. I love you. “Yours is the light by which my spirit’s born: you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.” - E.E. Cummings