Chapter Text
Kalego tacked up the daily school newspaper up onto the bulletin board in the square, pressing the thumbtack in roughly and nearly dropping it in the process from not aiming right. He scowled. This wasn't his job, but that blasted headmaster had told him to do it anyway. Apparently the staff who usually did so wasn't here today, so of course Sullivan had decided to use it as an opportunity to further pick on the grumpy teacher.
It wasn't all that big of a deal, Kalego of all people understood jobs needed to get done for the well being of the students and school environment, but the fact Kalego was always the headmaster's first choice for every little nuisance was just a bit angering. New teaching methods, repeated pay cuts, odd jobs around the school, you name it, it probably had happened to Kalego. He was getting quite tired of it.
That entire family seemed to love to pick on him. Not only had the headmaster done everything he had done to him, but his grandson had gone and made him his familiar. He caused all sorts of trouble around the school on a near daily basis, and nearly got himself killed on more occasions than one and worried the devil out of Kalego whenever he did so. And that butler... Opera had been such a constant cause of torment to Kalego back in their school days alone, much less into their adulthood. The cat demon loved and lived to tease him it seemed, and would always find a way to do so while they were growing up, and even now. Honestly, Kalego couldn't help but wonder why he still let the other demon continue with their behavior to this day, or why he used to let them pick on him back in their school days when Sicirue often offered to talk to Opera into stopping the teasing…
He sighed to himself. He supposed he had looked up to the other demon before, with them being his senpai and all, it didn’t seem that far a reach even though he wasn’t entirely sure that was the reason himself, but it was much better than continuing to mull the past over in his head when he had work to do and other duties to fulfil. He needed to get a move on before-
Turning around was a mistake.
Suzuki Iruma was making his way through the entrance of the courtyard for the school day, his two little gremlin friends running up to meet him as soon as they had noticed him. Usually, the two walked with him from his house and to the school, but on some occasions, the boy’s grandfather managed to catch him and wrangle him into an over the top carriage to take him to school in, becoming a coachmen for a day with grandson and butler in tow.
Which meant the very three people Kalego had been mentally griping about were all present, right in front of him.
Great .
Iruma was climbing down and out of the carriage, looking embarrassed as the Asmodeus boy and Clara girl practically jumped all over him. Opera just calmly watched the group as they stumbled around excitedly, chattering about whatever they had wanted to tell each other in the short time since they had last spoken, with Asmodeus yelling scoldings in between and Iruma laughing at Clara’s hissing. Kalego would admit it was a sight. Not a sight he enjoyed seeing, but it was a sight, no less.
He was about to open his mouth to yell over for them to calm down, not wishing for the other students to get worked up as well so close to class, when Opera looked over at him, staring at him directly and effectively causing him to shut his mouth suddenly.
Turning around was a mistake.
“Ah, Kalego-kun, it’s rare to see you here in the morning. I thought you were too afraid of the chaos of people.”
Hatred. It had to have been hatred and a wish for a slow revenge that had made him stick around Opera so long over the years.
He tried to give the other a threatening smile, but he could feel it failing and wobbling, his face getting hot as he did so as well. He should have just tacked up the daily school paper and gone on his way without a second glance or thought. Just gone on with his work without turning around to see what was the cause of the chaos he heard the same way every single day…
“Opera-senpai…” He finally managed to cough out, clearing his throat to do so. “You know, I have duties to fulfil as a teacher at Babyls. I can’t very well be lounging about in the courtyard when I have more important matters to attend to.”
“Such as getting into a debate with your boss’s butler, perhaps?”
Kalego choked.
Opera smiled, ever so slightly they did. They reached down to roll up the carpet that was usually laid out for Iruma’s arrival, watching Kalego the entire time they did so just to see his reaction. It wasn’t good, Kalego would admit. His face was burning as he tried to regain his composure. He absolutely despised interacting with Opera-senpai. He never knew how to reply properly, and even when he thought he did, the cat demon would always throw a better quip back, effectively somehow both replying decently and roasting him in one shot. It surely wasn’t fair, and it usually left Kalego a mess in need of cleaning itself up before someone else caught him off guard from the interaction.
He still couldn’t place what on earth it was, but he knew that he hated it all the same, so it had to be his usual brand of distaste towards… people in general honestly, just cranked up exponentially when regarding his senpai.
He felt a need to busy his hands, so he gave his uniform a slight brush down, before crossing them and holding his head higher than he had been since speaking with Opera. There was no need to be getting so worked up over nothing, it didn’t matter past or present, he was a dignified teacher at Babyls and a top ranking demon in general. He didn’t need to allow the thoughts of the cat demon getting to him in any capacity, whether he knew the reason behind his own personal jitters over it or not.
Class would be starting soon anyway, so he had the perfect chance to get away so that he could get back to the classroom and prepare for the students coming crashing in. And besides, sometimes it was for the better he got there slightly early. The abnormal class could be more rowdy than any other class Kalego had ever seen, and loved playing pranks on him and each other daily. It only made sense for him to get down there so no one even got the opportunity to set anything up prior.
He just needed to-
“Kalego-kun, are you busy tonight?”
Kalego’s heart turned into a block of ice.
Is this what a heart attack felt like? Is this what the eldest of demons experienced when they were reaching the ends of their unfulfilling lives or when they were in poor health? It was surely what Kalego imagined it felt like, especially feeling it first hand at what his senpai had just said.
It wasn’t quite just what they had just said to him that had caused his heart to feel as if it had stopped, it was also the way they had said it. Slightly sweet… Softer- Just a bit pressing . No one passing by and hearing the conversation for the first time would understand what Kalego had heard exactly. You would have to know Opera and how they spoke to hear the subtle differences in everything they said, and how they said things.
And what they had just said to Kalego was very different from how they normally spoke to him.
He cleared his throat yet again, composing himself enough to throw a reply back at his senpai.
“Depends on what it is you need. Usually I- Ahem. Usually I have papers to read through and grade the students on, and preparations to make for the following school day afterward, but seeing as today is right before the end of the school week, I’m a bit more free. Why?”
Opera’s ears twitched and stood directly upward. Kalego didn't like that all too much. Whenever Opera had used to want something from Kalego, their ears would twitch and perk upright before they requested something of him that he very rarely could refuse. It had never been too big of a deal, just a snack or drink run, or requesting he carry a bag or two on their way home from school in the past, so it didn’t really bother him, but he would admit it still greatly concerned him. His mind whirred with possible excuses he could use to get out of whatever it was Opera was about to ask him- Extra homework given to the students which meant extra work he needed to go over and grade that evening? No, the demon could see through that in an instant. They probably helped Iruma with his homework every night, so they would surely know just how much homework was assigned…
Prior plans made with Sicirue that he couldn’t get out of? No, that would work either. Balam Sicirue was terrible at playing along with things made up on the spot, so if Opera went asking him directly if Kalego had made plans with him, the lie would fall apart instantly. That and Sicirue was extremely go with the flow, so even if he had plans with the other teacher, Opera would know Sicirue would be more than willing to let them have Kalego for the evening instead…
His cacti needed tending to perhaps? No, that would hardly work. Cacti and succulents were fairly low maintenance, especially the species Opera knew Kalego had. It was one of the reasons Kalego had gotten them, on top of just wanting some cute but prickly little plants to decorate his home with. He needed to think of something different, something Opera couldn’t get around. Something-
“I thought perhaps you would like to go on a date.”
Kalego’s thought broke off as he let out a wheeze.
Well, a wheeze could hardly describe it. It was more like a very short and sharp inhale that made a weird sound Kalego hadn’t ever made himself before.
Opera had asked him what?
His mind felt as if it were racing at a mile a second, but no thoughts had entered it once in that moment. He didn't even know what he should be thinking. He didn’t even know what he could be thinking, after a question like that. Opera had to have meant something else, right? A ‘date’, as in a meeting. A ‘date’ as in ‘Iruma asked if you’d like to come over for dinner because you're his familiar and we refuse to leave you alone as a family of nuisances’. A ‘date’ as in-
“Kalego-kun~. Would you like to go out for dinner together?”
Kalego turned on his heel abruptly and took a step away.
It would always be in one's best interest, that when they didn’t know how to handle a situation in a proper manner, to just- take a step back.
Or, in this case-
Walk away entirely as fast as you possibly could.
He jolted to a stop when Opera suddenly appeared directly in front of him, causing him to nearly topple backwards, his only saving grace being waving his arms rapidly and attempting to lean forward again as gracefully as one could do in such a state. Opera’s expression remained unchanged, nor did they help him remain upright, but Kalego could almost feel the smirk radiating off his senpai.
Oh this wasn’t fair .
He regained his balance, pausing for a moment with his arms outreaching at his sides, before slowly standing up straight, brushing down his uniform once more as he did so. He took in a deep breath, before he was able to speak again.
“A… A dinner date, you say?” He asked, trying to avoid clearing his throat again, though he had no idea how else to cover the slight wobble in his voice otherwise. Opera gave a single, small nod.
“Yes, precisely. I’m free tonight so I thought it’d be a nice idea.”
Kalego squinted slightly, suspiciously. “A nice idea- for what purpose?”
“A romantic evening, of course.”
“Ah.”
They stood in silence for a few moments, Kalego desperately trying to mentally calm the thudding in his chest that he feared was so loud, that Opera would be able to hear it. Nevermind how badly he felt his face had begun to burn, he could only hope it was only internal, and externally he would appear unchanged. Evidently, by the small smile forming across Opera’s face, his fears were realized. His face was possibly redder than his senpai’s hair at this point, and all he could do was accept it.
He did his best to breathe.
“S-so- Ahem .. Uh, what- so what makes you a- makes you ask… such a thing, Opera-senpai?”
Devil, he hated that stutter. Opera appeared to be enjoying it though.
“Oh, well, I’ve always liked you Kalego-kun.”
Salt in the wound.
“So I thought perhaps you might feel the same way, and decided to take the chance today.”
Rubbing it in the wound .
“I- I mean… I… I? I…”
No other words were coming to his mind, he had no idea what he could even say in response to that. He felt flustered beyond belief, and something in his stomach was turning over and over, fluttering as if it wanted out through his mouth. Butterflies- he had butterflies. That was great. That was-
He stiffened when Opera reached out a hand to touch Kalego’s arm gently with. They were smiling slightly as Kalego could only look at them baffledly.
“I’ll be by your place at 8 tonight. I’ll pick the place.”
They waited for a moment, before dropping their hand gently, not even waiting for Kalego to confirm before they moved past him, walking back towards the carriage to put things away and follow the headmaster around the school for the day. Taking care of their usual duties like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.
All Kalego could do at this point, was simply stand there. He didn’t know what else he could do. Opera had so smoothly asked him out, and successfully so. He had no idea how he was supposed to head to class now and teach the entire day while maintaining a composure he had lost seemingly ages ago. And he was expected to focus on teaching a rowdy group of students while actively thinking of what he was supposed to wear that night? About what to say on a date to someone who always steamrolled him in conversation, whether they meant to or not?
He did his best to take a deep breath.
He had no idea how his evening was going to go, but he wasn’t looking forward to it in the slightest.
Well.
Maybe slightly.