Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kalim sniffed as he walked along the dark courtyard of NRC. After another fight with Jamil, he had ran from the scene despite the late hour of the night. Jamil had been furiously calling after him, but his cries fell to deaf ears, as Kalim had been adamant on refusing to turn back. The night was still young, and he was determined to spend as much time as he needed outside, never mind the risk of assassins or kidnappers.

He delicately wiped his eyes as he sauntered past Ramshackle, careful not to let any of his makeup run. ( The makeup he should’ve taken off hours ago. He really couldn’t do anything without Jamil, could he? )

No, no disparaging thoughts! Not now. Kalim fought with himself. Oh, is that Ramshackle? I wonder how Yuu’s doing. Kalim absentmindedly let his mind wander as he passed the worn down building. I should check up on them soon. Jamil’s overblot must have been tough on them too.

Ah, Jamil’s overblot….

It had only been a few weeks since his overblot, and everyday since had hurt just as much as the last. Kalim’s lower lip wobbled as the memories of what Jamil told him came rushing back.

He didn’t really think that. He was just mad.

Lost in thought, the ivory-haired failed to notice a much taller male approach. Walking straight into him, Kalim let out a quiet uumf! as he stumbled back.

“Asim? What are you doing here so late at night? Where is your retainer?” A deep voice murmured.

Kalim quickly shot up and scarlet eyes met piercing emerald.

“Ah, Malleus!” Kalim gasped. The man he’d accidentally bumped into happened to be Malleus Draconia, housewarden of Diasomnia.

Malleus peered down at the significantly shorter male. “Are you alright? Were you hurt?”

Kalim silently shook his head no.

Malleus frowned and gently grabbed his face. “Your eyelids seem to be a bit puffy. Have you cried recently?”

Kalim turned pink and quickly pulled back. “N-no! Nothing like that. I just… haven’t been sleeping well?” He trailed off quietly, suddenly finding interest in the strewn leaves beneath them.

Malleus’ frown deepened but didn’t press further on the subject. “What are you doing here so late at night? It’s quite dangerous for you, no? Especially since Viper isn’t here to accompany you,” he queried.

Kalim shrugged lightly and rocked on the balls of his feet. “I just needed to clear my head. He doesn’t always have to be with me, you know.”

Malleus hummed thoughtfully. “I as well,” he agreed. “I enjoy taking nightly strolls, it is incredibly relaxing. Since we’re here, would you care to join me?”

Kalim perked up at this offer. “Really? With me? Wouldn’t I just annoy you? I am a bit loud,” he worried.

“Nonsense,” Malleus smirked smugly. “You are one of the only people to speak to me so fearlessly despite knowing my status. It’s quite an interesting change of pace.” His smile slowly tapered off. “However, it is unlike you to be so insecure. Would it relieve you in any way to get anything off your chest while we stroll?”

Kalim fumbled with one of the gold bracelets on his wrist. “Really? I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t wanna talk to you, you’re actually super nice!” Kalim’s bright smile sparkled as Malleus’ eyes slightly widened. “I’d love to walk, but I don’t need to get anything off my chest. Thank you for the offer.”

Malleus hummed but accepted the answer, if not a bit reluctantly. “Well then, let us be off while the night is still young.”

Kalim simply agreed by grinning sweetly and bounding off with him.

Malleus hummed as he strode along with Kalim, the latter having to take two steps for every one of Malleus’.

He’ll admit, he wasn’t expecting to run into anyone on his usual strolls, never mind Kalim. There was obviously something wrong with the younger, but Malleus didn’t want to press just yet.

Speaking of the ivory haired, despite the quick walking to keep up with Malleus, he’d barely said a word. He simply trekked along while looking at the floor, sometimes shifting a little closer to the black-haired if he heard any noises.

Malleus frowned. The general population in NRC would refuse to even look at Malleus due to the sheer fear, but Kalim treated him as if he were anyone else. On the off chance that the two would meet, Kalim would always be chattering about anything that had caught his interest that day. It was quite a change of pace compared to Diasomnia and the rest of the student body. To say Malleus enjoyed Kalim’s random conversations were an understatement. It felt refreshing to be treated as a normal student sometimes, ignoring his status. But now, Kalim was acting just as everyone else did, and Malleus did not like it.

Malleus stared at the younger for a little while longer before starting up a conversation, if not to get some clarity on the situation.

“So, Kalim. Have you and your retainer been up to anything as of late?” Despite not entertaining the general gossip of the dorm, he’d heard from straying voices of the student body that something had went down between the duo during winter break. The stories ranged from Viper dating and breaking up with Kalim to Viper trying to assassinate him for his money. It annoyed Malleus, hearing people talk about Kalim in those sullied ways. Kalim was much too sweet for rumors like those to be spread about him.

However, it seemed like at least part of the hearsay was correct, as Kalim visibly stiffened up at the question.

“What?” Kalim quietly asked.

“I haven’t seen you two together ever since winter break. Are you two alright?” Truth be told, Malleus never really saw Viper anywhere. If he was slightly lying to goad more information out of Kalim, he would never admit it.

The whispers proved to be true yet again, as something seemingly happened specifically during winter break according to Kalim’s mannerisms.

Kalim stopped moving and instead began fiddling with his sleeves while avoiding eye contact.

“Why’re you… asking…?” He whispered.

Malleus felt a little unsettled seeing Kalim in such a state. He liked seeing Kalim giggle and smile, not so hopeless and down.

Lost in thought, Malleus froze once he heard a sniffle. His gaze shot up to see Kalim quietly shaking and wiping his eyes.

“I-I’m sorry,” he whimpered as more tears streamed down his face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

The more Kalim apologized, the harder he would cry, no matter how hard he tried to stifle the sounds.

“Kalim….” For once in his life, Malleus was at a loss at what to do. His subjects under him never dared to cry in front of him, and Malleus himself hasn’t cried in centuries.

Malleus hesitantly outreached an arm to place on his shoulder, but it seemed as Kalim took it as outreaching to hug him, as he did just that and ran into the taller’s arms.

Malleus practically felt the breath knocked out of him from shock as the ivory-haired enveloped him into a tight hug. He felt his torso slowly get wet as Kalim’s tears soaked into the fabric.

As Malleus stood there in silence and Kalim clutched onto him like a lifeline, he lifted a slightly shaky hand to rub Kalim’s back.

Kalim hiccuped into his chest but slowly began to calm down. Finally, he reluctantly let go of his blazer.

“I-I’m sowry,” he mumbled, his apology slightly slurring. “I ruined our walk.”

Malleus shook his head. “No need for apologies. It’s… good… you got that out…?” His last sentence trailed off into question.

This seemed to amuse Kalim as he giggled through tears.

“Man, y-you’re hopeless when it comes to people,” Kalim giggled as he hiccuped. “That’s okay though. T-thank you.” His smile slowly tapered off as he realized the weight of the situation. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag, huh?”

Malleus stayed silent but kept his gaze steady on Kalim. Kalim bit the inside of his cheek while contemplating on how to start.

“Jamil… during winter break, Jamil… Jamil overblotted.”

Malleus’ eyes widened as Kalim explained the whole story.

When Kalim finished, he sniffled again and rubbed his already mascara-smeared eyes one last time.

“So, yeah. We haven’t spoken since except when we fight,” he quietly finished. “I didn’t think word got out, let alone spread around so much that you of all people would hear.”

Malleus shook his head. “It’s all just rumors. They were exaggerated much more than the story you told.”

Kalim perked up. “Hm? What were they saying?”

Malleus blushed and looked away. “You’d rather not know.”

“Eh? What’d they say? Malleus! Stop walking away!” Kalim panicked as he jogged over to Malleus’s moving frame.

Malleus smiled. As long as Kalim was feeling better, he didn’t mind the berating.

Jamil grumbled inwardly as he stomped past the common area of Scarabia.

Kalim just had to run out and make my job harder. The fuck do I do if he gets hurt? He’s insane if he thinks I’m going after him.

After his overblot, Kalim had been nothing but difficult. Always quiet and more reserved, his mannerisms such a contrast to his usual self that he was practically telling everyone straight to their faces that something happened between him and his retainer.

It made Jamil furious, now that he knew what affect he had on his servant, he was the one that was upset? So childish. So infuriating.

Jamil threw open the door to his room and promptly slammed it shut once he got inside. He could care less about waking up the other Scarabia residents.

That would actually be for the better, he thought with a smirk on his face, so they won’t annoy me tomorrow.

As he climbed into his bed, he ignored the slight twinge of guilt nagging at him for leaving Kalim alone in the dark.

—

Jamil yawned as he walked through the halls of NRC. He hadn’t gotten a good nights rest due to the quiet but constant fear weighing in the back of his mind that Kalim wasn’t okay by himself out there. Only, when he saw Kalim in his room in the morning, it was safe to say he was quite annoyed. Just another day of Kalim making his life harder.

Currently, he was on the floor dedicated to third-year students. He had been requested to hand documents to one of the teachers up here due to his reliability. (He gave himself a slight smirk while walking out of the classroom once the professor told him that).

As he looked around, it was quite interesting to see the difference between the second-year floor and third-year floor. He had heard from annoyed dorm members that the third-years didn’t allow lower classmen up there unless they had reason to be there.

“ Stuck-up pricks,” they would complain.

Truth be told, he could see what they were talking about. He had gotten lots of looks, and had even been stopped to inquire why he was here. At least some students he knew such as Vil or Rook had to decency to give a small smile and wave.

He blinked as he heard a small thud on the floor in front of him.

Oh, shit. I dropped the files.

Crouching down to pick it up, he froze as he heard a familiar giggle.

Kalim? What? How and why is he here?

As he picked up his head to question the smaller male, his jaw dropped as he realized why he was there.

Kalim was walking side by side with the Malleus Draconia. In fact, Malleus’ arm was wrapped right around his waist .

Kalim looked considerably happier than he was last night, babbling away to Malleus about what had interested him at that moment. Malleus didn’t seem annoyed as Jamil would’ve been, in fact, he was smiling and pleasantly indulging his conversation.

Jamil unconsciously gripped the file so hard it began to wrinkle. Whether or not he wanted to admit it, he could feel jealousy start to bubble up in the bottom of his chest.

Since when did Kalim allow others to just touch him so casually?

(Jamil was completely ignoring that touching people was a normal Kalim-thing, he had just never fully cared until now).

Unbeknownst to Jamil, Kalim had noticed Jamil glaring daggers at him and faltered. Malleus noticed the switch in personality and looked over to where Kalim was staring.

As Jamil came back from his thoughts, he first saw Kalim staring at him with a nervous gaze and then instantly felt a shiver run down his spine. He slowly looked up to meet eyes with an angry fierce green.

“What business do you have here, Viper?” Malleus spoke calmly but Jamil clearly heard the anger laced in his delivery of the words.

“I just had to deliver some papers,” he flatly responded. To his bemusement, Malleus seemed even more annoyed.

Kalim stayed silent but looked away, instead choosing to lightly smile and wave at another third-year walking by, someone Jamil hasn’t even ever seen before.

Just how many people does he know? Jamil thought, bewildered.

“Well?” Malleus’ stern voice cut through his thoughts. “Are you going to take your leave now?”

“Yes…?” He slowly answered. Picking himself up, he spared one last passing glance at the two while walking away.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Malleus talk to Kalim for a bit, Kalim perk up, and then continue their walk.

Jamil stared blankly in front of him as he walked forward.

What the fuck just happened?

Why was Kalim with Malleus? The Malleus Draconia. Why was Malleus mad at him? Why was Malleus touching him like that? What just happened?

Jamil had never seen Malleus act like that with anyone else. He was very cordial and respectful with every student in NRC, but here he was, casually strolling along with Kalim as if they were a couple.

Jamil chose to ignore how furious he was at how casually they were touching.

Why am I so mad? I don’t care what Kalim does. Whatever.

As Jamil walked away, he felt a small ache in his chest as he replayed how happy Kalim looked while walking with Malleus.

Chapter Text

If you were to ask Leona about Kalim, he’d shrug, say he’s pretty cool, and leave with no elaboration.

Truth be told, Leona was actually quite fond of the younger. Both being from influential families, they’d known each other from childhood to well into their teen years. Leona was originally wary of the ivory-haired, but after just a few hours of the two kids talking, the young prince decided he liked Kalim. Thus, a friendship between two unlikely candidates formed.

However, there was one downside to being friends with Kalim. His retainer.

Leona never liked Jamil, no matter how much he pretended to. Call it instinct, but there was just something about him that made Leona’s skin prickle. He kept a formal relationship with him, however, just so Kalim wouldn’t be upset. No matter how much Falena teased him, Leona wouldn’t admit just how much of an influence Kalim had on him.

Now, Leona thought with a sigh, I have a reason to dislike Viper.

Kalim had come to him recently with a sad aura and a quiet “can I talk to you?”

When Kalim had broke the news that Jamil overblotted, Leona wasn’t surprised. In fact, he had already known.

He had noticed something was up with the younger right after winter break and acted accordingly. When he had went to Ruggie asking if he was able to get some information, the dirty blonde had grinned, outstretched his hand for some money, and promptly came back with the exact story of what happened during the aforementioned break.

So now, as Kalim napped with Leona, Leona was figuring out how to threaten Jamil without Kalim knowing.

The two were outside, Leona resting on a tree and Kalim leaning on his chest. Leona had originally dragged Kalim with him to take one of their usual naps, but Leona had gotten caught up thinking of what to do with the viper.

The beastman absentmindedly raised a hand to run it through the younger’s hair, prompting the ivory-haired to snuggle further into Leona’s chest.

Maybe I could threaten him into silence, Leona wondered. There were a lot of things that annoyed Leona, but one of his biggest peeves was when people messed with Kalim.

Leona leisurely glanced over to the younger, taking note of his relaxed features.

Nah. Kalim would find out and get upset.

Speaking of Kalim, it seemed he had woken up, because he slowly pried himself off the prince and stretched. Letting out a cute yawn, he rubbed his eyes and turned to Leona.

“Good morning,” he smiled.

Leona grinned in response. “Morning, herbivore. Took you long enough to get up.”

Kalim blinked owlishly at the older. “Eh? When’d you wake up?”

“A few minutes ago,” the brunette easily lied.

Kalim hummed and didn’t press it, instead laying back down and snuggling into Leona’s warm chest.

Now that Leona wasn’t lost in thought, his nose twitched as a familiar scent hit it. He knew that smell.

He picked Kalim up, ignoring his protests, and lightly sniffed the air around him.

Just as I thought, Leona thought with a growl.

“Have you been hanging out with the lizard?” Leona huffed.

“The lizard..? Who… M-Malleus?! Don’t call him a lizard! That’s mean!” Kalim whined as Leona slowly put him back down to his original position.

“Stop hanging out with him. He pisses me off.”

“Leona!” Kalim pouted. “Stop being mean! He’s really nice.”

Leona tsked and looked away as he tried to ignore Kalim’s puppy dog eyes, which were unfortunately quite effective.

“Fine!” Leona finally groaned after a while. “I’ll be nicer. No promises.”

“Yay! Thanks, Leona!” Kalim giggled.

Leona pretended to roll his eyes, but only Kalim would have noticed the slight smile on his lips.

—

“Leona, try this!” Kalim urged with sparkles in his eyes. He held up a fork with some carbonara tightly wrapped around it, presenting it to Leona’s mouth.

Leona fake gagged and shifted his face away. “Nope. Not eatin’ that.”

“Aww! Why not? It’s good!” Kalim whined.

The two were in the school cafeteria, leisurely enjoying their lunch at an empty table. Despite Jamil’s overblot, he would still cook for Kalim, albeit less often. Today was one of those days where Kalim felt a bit unwell eating those nostalgic dishes, so off he went to eat at a buffet styled lunch with Leona, safe from any poisons or sickness.

Scooting a little closer to the brunette, he once again tried to get Leona to try his pasta as he ignored Jamil’s sudden presence many tables down.

Why is Jamil even here? He usually cooks for himself back in the dorm, Kalim thought to himself, a bit exasperated. All of Jamil’s glares and offhanded remarks were beginning to wear him out, making him feel much more exhausted than usual.

Leona, instead of replying to Kalim’s insistence to try his dish, glanced over to where Kalim was staring and was instantly vexed.

“Is Viper bothering you again?” Leona growled, gently pushing down Kalim’s fork.

Kalim allowed himself one more quick glance to Jamil’s turned figure before shaking his head no.

“You sure?” Leona raised an eyebrow. “You sure you don’t want me to go give him a nice word or two?”

Kalim instantly shook his head more rapidly, golden earrings jingling at the sudden movement. “No! I appreciate it, but no thanks. I don’t wanna start any problems,” he softly reassured.

Leona sighed but ultimately let it go, instead choosing to lightly flick Kalim’s forehead.

Kalim yelped and playfully pushed Leona back, the two getting caught up in their friendly banter with giggles and laughs.

( The pair didn’t notice a suddenly turned Jamil, glaring daggers at the lighthearted touching and closeness. Across from him, a silver-haired student with half-framed glasses laughed silently in his hand).

“Oh? What’s all the ruckus over here?” A familiar voice grinned behind the pair.

“Malleus!” Kalim exclaimed happily before even turning to look at the man.

Leona instantly soured, falling back into his seat and frowning as the taller approached.

“Greetings, Kalim.” Malleus’ smile turned smug as he turned to Leona. “Kingscholar.”

“Draconia.” Leona growled.

Kalim turned to the brunette and pouted. “Leona, play nice!”

Leona rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh, but didn’t object.

Malleus seemed greatly amused by this, emerald eyes sparkling as he placed his hands on his hips. “Play nice, hmm?”

Kalim nodded insistently. “We made a deal that he would be nicer, so you need to be nicer to him too! ‘Kay?”

Malleus’ eyes widened significantly. “Giving me orders?” He asked, astonished. The surprise quickly turned to a broad grin as he laughed lightly. “What a first. As you wish, Kalim, I’ll play nice.”

Kalim seemed delighted at this, as he clapped his hands and patted the empty seat next to him. “Come sit with us!”

Leona grimaced but kept himself quiet as Kalim made the offer.

Malleus thought over the proposal for a second. “Hmm, why not? I’m free for the moment.”

Letting out a quiet “yay!”, Kalim scooted closer to Leona to make even more room for Malleus.

Leona seemed pleased at the closeness, pulling Kalim in even closer as he stared tauntingly at Malleus’ irked expression. Kalim, oblivious to the possessive touches and rising tensions, happily leaned back into Leona’s grasp as Malleus made himself comfortable.

—

Jamil’s hands shook with how hard he was gripping his utensils as he watched the trio.

Is Kalim dense? Does he not see how unbecoming it is for a heir to touch others so casually? Jamil practically saw red as Leona’s hand shifted ever-so-slightly closer to Kalim’s waist.

“My my, Jamil, you seem a bit tense. Everything okay?” A voice across from the brunette laughed.

“Shut up, Azul,” Jamil growled as he kept his eyes trained on Kalim.

The voice, Azul, stared amused at the scene displayed in front of him.

“Seems Kalim’s doing just fine without you, no? Too bad you cant’t say the same.” He chuckled as he noticed Jamil’s face contort even further.

“I’m doing perfectly fine,” he snarled. “Anyway, even if I wasn’t doing fine, that’s not the point. Do you not see them? Kalim is the future heir of the Asim fortune, and he’s just— he’s— do you see the way he’s acting?!”

Azul stayed silent, (though not with a smile stretched as far as it could go), as Jamil lost himself in his tirade, relentlessly fulminating against Kalim’s carelessness.

“Jamil, if I may,” Azul cut him off in the midst of his rant. “I see your point with Kalim’s… laxity when it comes to dealing with others, but this is the best version of events, no? He’s frolicking with people of his status, not unfortunate commoners like us, hm?” Azul particularly drawled out the word commoners, having to hold back a giggle as he practically saw a vein pop out of Jamil’s neck.

“That’s not the point, Ashengrotto! What matters is that he’s just so- so- I don’t even know what to say!” Jamil spluttered, hitting the lunch table with his clenched fist.

A table over, a few students gave the brunette a weird look and shuffled away.

Azul sighed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head dejectedly. “Oh Jamil, my dear acquaintance. How unlike you this is. Do you not see how much of a hypocrite you’re being?”

At this, Jamil stopped his venting and stared at the silver-haired with furrowed brows. “What?”

“Do you really not see what you’re doing? Whenever Kalim would practically be on your lap with how close he was to you, you never uttered a word of objection, no? Why the sudden change? Is it perhaps that you’re—“ Azul’s dejected expression split into a twisted grin. “— Jealous?”

Jamil fell silent for a split second while a blush crept up his neck.

“Our- we’re- our relationship is completely different!” he hissed, the fiery red blush a contrast to his dark skin.

“Wouldn’t your relationship be even worse?”

Jamil froze as Azul pointed it out.

“You’re his servant and he’s your master. Sounds a bit taboo, no?”

It seemed Jamil had finally had enough, because he got up and slammed the table with his palms.

“I don’t know why I bother with you! You- you don’t know anything about our situation! I’m over this.” He stormed off, leaving his uneaten lunch at the table in front of Azul.

Azul simply smiled and waved him goodbye, yelling out a “think about that, Jamil!” to his back.

Jamil didn’t dignify it with a response, instead choosing to flip Azul off across the lunchroom as he stomped away.

—

“Think about that, Jamil!” Azul called out to Jamil as he stalked away.

Kalim stared at the moving figure in concern, disregarding Leona and Malleus’ stares.

He moved to get up, but Leona pulled him back down.

“Don’t go after him. It’s not your problem,” Leona murmured, uncharacteristically soft.

“But—“

“No buts,” Malleus agreed. “It’s best to leave Viper. I’m not sure he would appreciate a visit while he’s that upset, especially not one from you as of now.”

Kalim sat down again sadly but nodded. “Yeah, I know. I just thought….”

Leona scowled at Malleus and grabbed Kalim by the stomach, scooting closer behind him and resting his chin on the crook of Kalim’s neck.

“Ignore him. If Viper wants to be a prick that’s not your fault.”

Malleus crossed his arms and glowered at the beastman.

“Leonaaa!” Kalim huffed.

—

Leona scratched his neck as he leisurely strode along the halls. He was walking around aimlessly, skipping his alchemy class as per usual.

He licked his lips as his stomach growled.

I’m hungry. Hm. I’ll ask Ruggie to make something later, he casually pondered.

As he mindlessly thought about what he should eat, he stopped in his tracks as he heard familiar footsteps behind him.

“Viper,” he calmly greeted without even turning around.

“Leona,” Jamil stiffly responded. Leona, pleased, made a mental note of how strained Jamil sounded.

He slowly turned around and padded towards the younger, glaring at his stoic expression.

“Shouldn’t you be in class? Didn’t know Mr. Goody-two-shoes liked to skip.”

Jamil’s brows furrowed. “Stay away from Kalim.”

Leona quirked an eyebrow with a faint grin.

So this is what this is about.

“Getting straight to the point, are we? Sorry, but nope.”

Jamil clenched his fists. “I’m being serious. You’re pushing boundaries. Stay away from him.”

Leona grinned visibly this time. “ You’re giving me orders? Last time I checked, you were Kalim’s servant who betrayed him. Why would I, the second prince, listen to you, a mere retainer?”

“I don’t care what you think! Me and Kalim’s relationship has nothing to do with you.” Jamil hissed. “This is the last time I’m going to tell you, stay—“

“No, you listen to me.” Leona’s smile dropped as he stepped closer to Jamil, forcing him to take a step back. “I don’t want to hear anything about what you think when it comes to Kalim. Now, what you’re going to do is shut up like a good little lackey and listen to me. I’m gonna be the one to give you orders, because you’re getting on my fucking nerves. Stay the fuck away from Kalim, got it? No stares, no speaking, no nothing. I would really hate for word to get out about what happened during winter break, wouldn’t you?”

Jamil shut his mouth, but kept his fierce glare steady on Leona.

Leona’s eyes darkened as he looked down at the retainer. “Got it?”

It was obvious Jamil wanted to say something else, but he stayed silent. “Yes sir.” He growled with gritted teeth.

Leona kept his gaze steady before turning away. “Good. Next time you want to upset Kalim, think about what I said.”

As Leona strode away, he grinned to himself.

Found a way to threaten Jamil without Kalim knowing.

Chapter Text

Kalim yawned as he sat between Malleus and Leona, the two quietly bickering to not upset the younger as they all sat outside.

The ivory-haired had noticed a quiet change in Jamil’s behaviors. Usually, he would send a dirty glare or muttered words under his breath at least once a day. It had predictably increased once Jamil noticed who he was hanging out with. (Kalim had no clue as to why. Why would he be upset if the former hung out with Leona and Malleus? They’re two very sweet people! Jamil should get to know them better before judging based on looks).

However, it… stopped. Gone were the stares and whispers, and in turn was silence. Whenever Jamil would pass by him, he would simply keep walking. Not even a glance in his direction.

When he’d brought this up to Malleus and Leona, they’d both shrugged and claimed they had no idea what was going on, (not without a faint smug smile on Malleus’ face and Leona’s tail wagging).

It worried Kalim, he felt like Jamil was going right back to before when he would stay silent about his feelings or struggles. While Kalim hated it, a part of him felt relieved whenever Jamil would show his distaste, because that meant he was staying true to his real feelings.

Lost in thought, Kalim didn’t notice the grass crunching behind him and Leona and Malleus’ exasperated expressions in front of him.

“Sea otter!” A raspy voice cheered behind him as long arms wrapped around his body.

“Eh? Floyd!” Kalim instantly brightened up, turning to face the taller as the negative thoughts took a backseat.

“What are you doing, hanging out with these predators? ” Floyd giggled, his threatening gaze lazily shifting from Leona to Malleus.

The two matched his stares equally, glaring daggers at the eel behind the unsuspecting Kalim.

“We’re just talking! Do you wanna sit with us? I know you have a basketball match soon, so you should rest as much as you can!” Kalim urged, patting the grass next to him.

Behind him, Leona and Malleus gave each other a look before silently groaning. The one time they could voice solidarity with each other was when Floyd was involved. Or Jamil.

“Of course I’ll sit with you, sea otter! You’re my faaavorite person after all,” Floyd purred. He sat down as expected, but instead of simply sitting on the floor, he laid down and rested his head on Kalim’s thighs. He grinned with all teeth at Leona and Malleus, who in turn saw red.

Kalim seemed elated at this, giggling and running his hands through Floyd’s teal hair.

“Say, sea otter, wanna come to my basketball game?” Floyd snuggled into his lap as he popped the question.

“Really?” Kalim queried. He frowned. “Isn’t Jamil gonna be there?”

“Sea snake?” Floyd drawled. “Don’t worry about sea snake. If he gets near you, I’ll squeeze him reeeeeal tight!”

“Yeah Kalim, hate to agree with the fish over there, but if Viper ever gives you any issues, we’ll handle it,” Leona grinned. Malleus nodded in agreement.

Kalim shook his head while shaking his hands, the copious amounts of gold jewelry jingling in response. “No, no, no! Come on guys, how many times do I need to say this? You guys don’t need to do anything!” he pouted. “Thank you, though,” he whispered in an afterthought with a slight smile.

The three taller males shared a quick glance before shrugging.

“So, sea otter? Yes on the basketball game?” Floyd repeated, placing his hands behind his head.

As Kalim pondered, Leona got up and went to sit directly next to Kalim, leaning onto his right shoulder as his lap was occupied. (He glared at Floyd, who stuck his tongue out with a grin in response). Malleus watched his movements and followed suit to Kalim’s left, snuggling into his other shoulder.

Kalim giggled at this and ruffled the two’s hair before going back to running his hands through Floyd’s.

“Alright, I’ll go! I’d love to see you play, Floyd.”

“Yaaaay!” Floyd rasped out happily. He hugged Kalim’s waist before going back to his relaxed state. “I’ll do a slam dunk and steal alllll of sea snake’s shots just for you!”

Kalim pursed his lips playfully but stayed silent.

—

Jamil rubbed his forehead tiredly as he walked around NRC’s courtyard. Leona’s threat has been weighing down on his mind for the past few days, and he couldn’t get Malleus’ threatening gaze out of his head. Not only that, but Floyd had been more aggressive in their practice matches ever since winter break.

Seriously, what’s has been going on with everyone recently?

At least Kalim has been quiet recently.

Speaking of Kalim, what the hell has he been doing, hanging out with Kingscholar and Draconia?

Kalim knew all the boxes to tick just to stress Jamil out. How was the latter supposed to get a good nights sleep, knowing his master was hanging out with the likes of them? Only way things could get worse is if he hung out with—

Jamil froze in his tracks. He stared in horror at the display in front of him.

Oh fuck no.

Sitting a few feet away from him was Kalim. With Leona on his shoulder. With Malleus on his other shoulder. With Floyd on his lap .

His index finger twitched as he stared at the four students.

Two thoughts simultaneously clashed through his mind as he stared, eyes locked onto the horrible display.

One, why wasn’t Floyd him? And two, what the fuck.

He chose to ignore his first thought in favor of focusing on the latter.

Leona wouldn’t let any of his dorm members get within 3 feet of him, so what was he doing on Kalim’s shoulder? Malleus’ status made sure that he couldn’t get too close with his peers, so why was he as close as he could get to Kalim? Didn’t Leona and Malleus hate each other? Why would they willingly be close to each other?

Why was Floyd practically sleeping right on Kalim’s lap?

Jamil felt like a broken record, constantly having to repeat the same mantra of “does Kalim not know who he is?”.

Should I tell him something? I don’t want any of them getting on my ass. As of right now, especially Floyd. If he gets mad and does bad in our game, we’re fucked.

Unfortunately, his question was directly answered, as he watched Floyd slowly peel himself off of Kalim’s lap to stare at Jamil. The two locked eyes for a moment before Floyd split into a wide grin. He began wrapping his arms around Kalim’s body as he kept his gaze trained on Jamil. It seemed as if Kingscholar and Draconia were ignoring the male, because they didn’t even look in his direction. Kalim, the unsuspecting ever-so-innocent soul, happily hugged back, much to Jamil’s chagrin.

Fuck you, Floyd, Jamil thought with gritted teeth. As he stomped away, he faintly heard Kalim ask why Floyd was laughing.

—

The loud buzzer echoed across the gym as Floyd dunked another basket.

I’ve never seen him this serious. What is going on? Jamil stared at the tall figure uncharacteristically racing around the court.

The basketball team was in a heated match against an opposing school, one they’ve lost to a few times. Floyd usually never cared, instead preferring to play at his own pace, the pace in question being to hit as many people with the ball as he could.

Does Floyd just want to win for once?

Floyd was usually benched by the third minute due to his innate talent of getting fouls, but ever since the beginning of the game, he’d been playing perfectly. A bit too perfectly.

Whatever. Just as long as he’s doing well.

“Jamil, think fast!” Ace called out as he quickly passed the ball to the dark skinned.

“On it, A—“ Jamil’s eyes widened as Floyd intercepted, taking the ball from the unsuspecting Viper.

What the fuck?

As Floyd bounded off, he turned to Jamil and gave him his signature sleazy wide grin from over his shoulder.

Stupefied, Jamil stopped in his tracks. Even Floyd knew not to do something as stupid as that. Just what game was he playing? Speaking of this, despite playing perfectly, he was also playing… weirdly . He’d barely let any of his teammates touch the ball, always shoving and stealing in an attempt to make the most baskets, but not shoving enough to result in a foul.

Jamil didn’t even blink as he heard another buzzer, signifying Floyd had gotten another basket.

Seriously, just what is going on?

Jamil shook his head and ran to his basket to defend. As he kept his eyes trained on the opposing team, he froze as he heard a familiar voice cheer out from the sidelines.

“Yay! You can do it!” The voice giggled out from the bleachers.

Jamil slowly turned his head from the court to the seats. His heart stuttered as he stared at the unsuspecting ivory haired, innocently sat on the bleachers and cheering.

Did Kalim come to… cheer for me?

It reminded the dark skinned of before his overblot, when Kalim would practically act like a cheerleader for Jamil, jumping around and squealing whenever he got the ball. Jamil would always turn a deep shade of red and hiss at him to knock it off, but Kalim never got the full hint.

However, now, if he came to cheer like he used to, why wasn’t he staring… at Jamil?

Jamil followed Kalim’s steady gaze past his teammates and down to…. Floyd.

“You can do it, Floyd!” Kalim laughed as Floyd darted across the court, dodging the other players in a dramatic yet comedic fashion.

“This one’s for you, sea otter!” Floyd grinned as he shot the ball across the court, hitting a perfect 3-pointer.

Jamil refused to see the slight blush on Kalim’s cheeks as the heir held his face and looked away.

Is this why Floyd has been showing off?

All of Jamil’s attention was now focused on Kalim, disregarding the game going on around him. Though he loathed to admit it, part of him felt betrayed at this revelation.

Kalim was supposed to be cheering for him, not Floyd. Just what was he playing at?

—

Floyd shook his body to release some of his energy as he stared up into the bleachers, straight into sea otter’s red eyes.

Beaming, he noticed sea snake glaring daggers at him, and decided to blow a kiss at sea otter before bounding off for the second half of the game.

He was pleased when he saw his cute little sea otter turn pink and hold his cheeks, and even happier when he saw sea snake practically turn red from rage.

Oh, how he loved his little sea otter. So cute! So squishy! He could just squeeze him until he popped.

Floyd’s heterochromatic gaze swept across the court as he tried locating the ball.

I’m gonna steal the ball from allllll these little fishies. Sea otter is gonna be so impressed when he sees more of my skills!

True to his word, Floyd really was trying his best to play by the rules and get all the baskets. He wanted his little otter to be happy, and if he had to (reluctantly) play by the rules for a little, why wouldn’t he?

Darting forward, he stole the ball from crabby, ignoring the shout and protest, and shot another basket. As predicted, it landed into the hoop perfectly. Just in time, as the final buzzer rang out, signaling time.

Floyd whined as the alarm rang out. He wanted to shoot more baskets! He was feeling more motivated than he’s ever been. Whatever. Maybe he’ll annoy sea snake during practice tomorrow.

Time to go see sea otter! He’s gonna be so impressed. Bet he’s never been like this with sea snake~

Ignoring the mobs filing down the bleachers to go see him, he pushed past the crowds of fawning girls all the way to his little sea otter. He grumbled when a small gaggle of teenage girls grabbed onto his jersey.

“Floyd, you were so good out there! Can I have your numbe—“

“Move it! I’m going to see my sea otter,” he whined. Tearing himself away from the complaining teens, he finally grinned once he saw his cute little sea otter flittering around looking for him.

He slowly snuck up behind him before grabbing him and squeezing lightly.

“Kyaa—! Floyd! I was looking for you!” Kalim tried wiggling out of Floyd’s grasp to look at him face to face, seemingly excited over the match.

“You did so good!” Kalim finally began with sparkles in his eyes after escaping Floyd’s tight embrace. “You got all the baskets! I don’t even know how you did it! It was soooo cool!” he fawned, excitedly bouncing up and down.

Floyd grinned with razor sharp teeth.

“I did them alllll for you, sea otter! I wouldn’t do them for anyone else, not for any of the little fishies here, not for Azul, and not even for Jade!”

Behind the pair, the group of teenage girls stormed off as they overheard the two.

“Say,” Floyd spoke while leaning in front of Kalim. “Did you cheer like this for sea snake?”

Kalim looked surprised at this question before pouting slightly. “Well, I wanted to, but I never did because he would get embarrassed and mad.”

“Poor little sea otter! It’s okay, cheer as hard as you want for me! I love hearing your cute little squeaks~” Floyd cooed before picking up and squeezing Kalim again.

“Floyd!” Kalim squealed while giggling.

Past Kalim, Floyd locked eyes with Jamil. The teal haired’s eyes glittered as he mouthed three simple words to the furious brunette.

“He’s mine now~”

Chapter Text

If you told past-Jamil that this present day would be his life, he would—at first— shoot you a dirty look, but ultimately sigh from relief once he was alone, thankful that that nightmare wasn’t his reality. Now? He would grovel at your feet, begging you to manifest a Unique Magic that could send him back in time.

This had to be something of a slow-setting torture or anything similar, how could the Seven bear witness to his suffering without batting an eye? Has he been abandoned by the higher beings of this mortal realm for his transgressions committed? He didn’t even do anything that bad! (One could argue his overblot wasn’t his fault. He’s still suffering the repercussions from that ordeal, so don’t they cancel out?)

Watching Kalim cling to some of the most dangerous (yet annoying) students on campus and enjoy it, how could Jamil not wake up in a cold sweat at night? That was his master, for the Seven’s sake! The one boy he was supposed to protect, and here he was, sitting on the sidelines as an innocent little otter swam in a body of water filled with crocodiles.

When he’d brought up his qualms to Azul, the silver haired pointed out the fact that he wouldn’t be stressing this much if he didn’t actually care about Kalim.

He stopped going to Azul to vent after that.

As much as he hated Kalim’s choice in his cronies , he sent out a quick thanks to whoever would listen that Azul wasn’t one of them. (Despite this, he had seen the pair together on multiple occasions, whether that be studying or general entertaining activities, like the board game club. He could even swear that he’s heard Azul threatening dorm members for talking ill of Kalim. While silently appreciative, that should’ve been him. Just who does Azul think he is?)

Even with Jamil’s overblot on the list, these past few weeks were some of his lowest. He could see his life falling apart in front of him, and all he could do was watch. Suddenly, he felt a little worse for Idia whenever he would cry over being “cucked” in a game.

What does that even mean?

Jamil sighed as he collapsed onto a settee in the Scarabia lobby. He held his head in his hands as he figured out his next move. When he began pushing Kalim away, he didn’t expect  him to pull away in retaliation!

As much as he loathed it, Kalim was supposed to depend on him. That was how they were. Giving Kalim independence was like giving a toddler a magic pen. Irresponsible. Incomprehensible!

He had began to focus less on his studies in favor of investigating Kalim’s actions (hanging out with those horrible influences), and had even had some of his professors pull him to the side to question this sudden dip in motivation.

Just the other day, Trein had kept him after class to question him about his missing homework and his ‘distant look in his eyes’ during lectures, completely abnormal to Jamil’s usual mannerisms. Jamil had to shamefully explain it all away and rush out of the classroom with a red face, cursing Kalim and his “clique”.

“…il? Jamil? Jamil!” A voice came registered behind him.

“Eh? What?” Jamil blinked as he was brought back to reality. He turned around and came face-to-face with Ibrahim, a first year Scarabian member who had a worried look on his face.

“Excuse the prodding, but are you good, Jamil? You’ve been spacing out a lot recently, and it’s way past the time you usually use to start making dinner.”

“It is—? Shit. I’ll start on that. Thanks, Ibrahim.” Completely ignoring Ibrahim’s original question, he pried himself off his chair and trudged to the kitchen.

Ibrahim blinked but stayed glued to the floor.

What has been up with him recently?

—

What has been up with me recently? Jamil bit the inside of his cheek as he chopped up some carrots.

Something’s wrong. I’ve never felt this way, especially not over someone like Kalim. Am I going insane?

Seeing Kalim act that way with men that weren’t him, it was driving him crazy! His walks with Malleus, barely a hair apart from each other. His naps with Leona, sleeping together too close for comfort. His games with Floyd, the teal-haired sprinkling in unnecessary touches. What was a man to do?

If anyone in the House of Asim notices my lack of attention to Kalim, I’m fucked. Shame on my name, shame on the Viper’s name, shame on my lineage! All for an airheaded boy who doesn’t notice when the one important person in his life wants him back—!

Jamil gasped and winced as the knife drove into his finger. He groaned as he held onto it tightly and assessed the damage. The cut was shallow, but it was bleeding profusely.

Jamil sighed for the nth time that day as he came to his final realization, clutching his still-bleeding finger.

He needed to talk to Kalim.

—

“Floyd! Stop chasing me!” Kalim squealed as he ran away from the sprinting eel. As Floyd grabbed him, he burst into a fit of giggles and tried kicking his legs to escape the grasp.

“Got you, Sea Otter!” Floyd grinned as his sharp teeth leered dangerously close to his soft and supple neck.

“Lay off him, urchin,” Leona growled from the tree branch he was napping on, not even bothering to open his eyes or turn his head.

“Oh please, Kingscholar, let Kalim enjoy himself. If the younger Leech brother cannot contain himself, I will step in,” Malleus huffed.

“Don’t think so highly of yourself, Lizard.”

“I could say the same to you.”

Leona pouted, but didn’t continue the banter.

Shrugging off the insults, the four fell into a pleasant silence as Floyd and Kalim dropped onto the soft grass.

While sitting in the NRC courtyard— their usual hangout area— they had settled into peaceful relaxation (that is, until Floyd decided to play cat and mouse with his favorite sea otter).

It was times like this where Kalim truly felt at peace: surrounded by the people he loved who in turn loved him back. Before Jamil’s overblot, it was like this with him too. Whenever they had sleepovers together, cooked in a comfortable silence, went out to markets, had movie marathons, played games, all of it truly made Kalim happy.

It hurt him, knowing with hindsight that Jamil probably wasn’t as happy during their moments together. In the days leading up to the overblot, he wouldn’t smile as hard as he used to, nor would he laugh as much. As much as it stung in Kalim’s chest, he felt a twisted sense of relief that Jamil didn’t have to deal with him anymore. His eyes got a bit foggy as the horrible memories of winter break were brought back. He had lost Jamil.

But now, he had Malleus. He had Leona. He had Floyd. An unlikely trio, sure, but they loved him for who he was, not purely out of duty like Jamil. He was safe with them, and that’s what mattered.

“Sea Otter? Why’re ya cryin’?” Floyd cocked his head from above him. In an instant, Leona and Malleus were by his side, asking what was wrong.

Eh? When’d I start crying? Kalim blinked while lifting a hand to his cheek, wiping away the salty residue of a tear.

“Kalim, what happened?” Leona asked urgently with furrowed brows. “Did the leech do anything?” He hissed.

Kalim smiled and giggled, shaking his head as he pulled them all into a hug, surprising the three of them.

“I’m just really happy you guys are here.”

—

“Kalim?” Another room. “Kalim?” Another room. “Kalim? Are you in here?” Another room.

Jamil growled as he opened the next room in Scarabia, searching for the ivory-haired. They were empty, empty, and empty! Where was Kalim?

“Ah, um, Vize Housewarden…” Ibrahim quietly murmured to the angry brunette after he slammed another door.

“What?” Jamil snapped, storming off to the next room. Just why was Scarabia so big?

“I saw Kalim in the courtyar—“

“When?!” In a moment, Jamil was right in front of him with his hands on his shoulders. A bead of sweat ran down the first year’s forehead at the proximity of the vize housewarden.

“J-just a few minutes ago. I was walking past and saw him with Floyd, Malleus, and Leona.”

Jamil’s gaze darkened as his grip tightened. Ibrahim winced as his dull nails dug into the flesh of his shoulders at the mention of those names.

“Ah, Jamil? Would you please let go?” Ibrahim gritted his teeth as he tried ripping himself away from Viper’s iron grip.

Jamil instantly let go, muttering an apology and pushing past him to go see Kalim.

As he left, Ibrahim was left standing alone yet again. He let out a deep sigh and shook his head as he left to go do some homework.

Man, he really needs to get his problems sorted out.

—

“ Kalim? Kalim!” Jamil stormed over to where the ivory haired was sitting once he locked eye’s with none other than Malleus.

The black haired and Floyd instantly got up, stopping Jamil from getting closer to the heir.

“What is your business here, Viper?” Malleus growled.

“Move. I need to talk to Kalim,” he hissed in response.

“Sea Otter doesn’t really wanna talk to ya, sea snake. Go away,” the merman drawled.

“Does it look like I give a fuck? Move.”

“Guys? What’s happening?”

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave.”

“I don’t care! Our business doesn’t concern you.”

“I think it does. Leave or you will be forced to leave.”

“Please stop fighting!”

“Listen to sea slug, sea snake!”

“Remember what I told you, Viper,” Leona added into the mix.

“You— shut up! You have no right!”

“Don’t yell at me. Do what’s best for you and leave.”

“Guys?”

“You don’t know anything! Just shut the fuck up and stay out of this!”

“Guys!”

“No, you listen here—“

“Guys!” Kalim yelled out, making the other men freeze. Kalim scanned his surroundings with a worried look on his face.

“Please stop fighting,” he quietly whispered. In a hesitant voice, he added: “I’ll listen to what he has to say.”

While the three older men instantly erupted into protests, a warm feeling bloomed across Jamil’s chest.

He still likes me. I knew it!

He instantly shook it off before it could spread further. Kalim obviously still needed him, it was just a matter of when he would’ve admitted it.

“Jamil, please come here,” Kalim requested softly. He motioned to a patch of grass further away from the area they were standing in.

Jamil nodded and strode over to the section, flipping off the trio with a wicked grin as he walked when Kalim was looking away.

In front of him, Kalim was unnaturally quiet. Whenever they used to walk together. he would be skipping along while chattering Jamil’s ear off. However, today he stayed silent.

Jamil frowned at this. He would be talking happily with Malleus and the others, so why wouldn’t that translate to him as well?

“So, Jamil… what did you want?” Kalim turned towards him and held one of his arms with his hand.

Jamil stared at the nervous position for a beat before frowning. Why was Kalim acting like this?

—

Unbeknownst to Jamil, Kalim took his expression to be directed at him. He panicked a little and bit the inside of his cheek.

Why is he mad at me? What’d I do?

“Jamil..?”

Jamil blinked before relaxing his face back to his usual neutral state.

“Kalim, I think we need to talk about them.”

Kalim furrowed his brows and cocked his head.

“Eh? Who?”

Jamil glowered. “Them. You know. Your little ‘clique’,” he drawled.

At this, Kalim got angry. “Do you mean my friends? ”

Jamil rolled his eyes. “Oh please, they’re no friends. You just happened to pick the worst people on campus to hang out with?”

Kalim’s lower lip trembled. “Don’t say that about them! They’re nice to everyone and they like me!”

Jamil scoffed, anger levels rising. “Look, I came here because I thought you would be reasonable about all this. I know these things better than you, Kalim. You’re too quick to trust and always end up hurt. Just listen to me and know to stop talking to them.”

This was obviously the wrong thing to say, as Kalim clenched his fists and began to raise his voice. “You can’t say that about other people you don’t know! Maybe I was wrong about you, but I know I’m right about them! They’re my friends and I would never do that to them!”

“Why are you like this, Kalim? Sevens, you’re always so unreasonable and stubborn!”

“Don’t call me names because I disagree with you!”

“You know what? I don’t even know why I bothered. You’re always like this.”

As Jamil turned around to angrily storm off, he instead walked face first into someone’s torso.

“He—“ Jamil froze as he locked eye’s with Floyd’s menacing glare.

“Why’re ‘ya upsetting sea otter, sea snake?” Floyd placed a hand behind his head as he administered his signature stare-down.

“Nothing that concerns you.” In an attempt to leave without breaking eye contact with the eel, he began slowly walking backwards. He stopped in his tracks again when he bumped into two other people from his backside.

“You heard the man, Viper. Why’re ‘ya bothering Kalim?”

“For once, I agree with Kingscholar.”

A bead of sweat rolled down Jamil’s forehead as he was slowly surrounded by the three most menacing people on campus, all glaring daggers into him.

As Jamil stayed frozen in the gaze of predators, all he could think of was one thing:

What did I do to deserve this?

If he decided to forget about winter break, he knew the trio would force him to remember. But for now, they’d leave him be just to keep Kalim happy. After all, what were they without their beloved Kalim?