Archive of Our Own ^beta

Mydei likes someone.

Mydei likes someone.

Cipher realizes this when Mydei stops mid-conversation to stare at something, or rather, someone. There’s an unfamiliar glint in his eyes as he trails off, eyes fixed behind her. If she didn’t know any better, she’d call it lust.

But obviously, she does. She’s known Mydei since they were snot-nosed brats. And this boy has not had an impure thought in his life—and not without a lack of trying on her part.

She’s forgotten the exact number of times she tried to beg him to help her with pranks. He was her best friend, of course she wanted him in with her schemes. The best he did was walk away and let them unfold. The worst had been snitching on her.

Not that she blamed him, though. Looking back, he only did it when her pranks could end in tears and injury. She understood early on that her best friend had a set of rules he lived by, one of which was making sure no one got hurt.

She tells herself she saw wrong. They may be seniors in high school now, but she watched Mydei float right through puberty; he slipped past acne, hormones, bad decisions, and teenage angst despite being in what Cipher thought was the most teenage drama-ridden clique: cheerleading.

She looks him up and down pointedly, leaning closer. He doesn’t notice, too caught up. Annoyed, she cranes her head obnoxiously to see what the fuss was.

Cipher doesn’t notice him at first, seated at the other end of the cafeteria where nerds of the same feathers flock together. The crowd of students bustling around to get to their tables don’t help either.

The crowd clears and she finally spots him seated alone. He has a comically large book in hand, glasses askew from where he’d tried to feed himself lunch without taking his eyes off his nerdy book. There’s rice and sauce on his cheek. He looks like an idiot.

He’s also someone she recognizes: Phainon Khaslana. Reigning debate champion, nerd supremo, Mr. obnoxiously clumsy.

Cipher had been paired up with him on an English project once. He talked her ear off the entire time, boring her to death with his unwanted opinions on Shakespeare. That, she could forgive, until he dropped a heavy book right on her foot. He apologized, sure, but it hurt, damn it.

He was one of the annoying nerds, unlike her beautiful gorgeous princess. He was also an alpha, though, like her girlfriend.

Last week, she saw him trip on nothing and bang his head on a hallway locker. A hall monitor had to accompany him to the clinic to patch up his bleeding forehead. If not for his scent, she wouldn’t have guessed he was one.

Titans, Mydei likes that? That mess of a human being?

Jaw dropping, she turns back to Mydei who’s suddenly flushed pink and avoiding her eyes now that he realizes he’s been caught. “Are you fucking serious?” She hisses incredulously. “You like him?”

Mydei flushes deeper. “Who says I like him?” He sniffs, taking a prim bite out of his sandwich. He also nearly knocks one of his pompoms off the table. Cipher rolls her eyes.

“Don’t start with me,” She points an accusatory finger at him, but he expertly ignores it. Cipher buries her head in her hands, then unburies it. “You’re a shit liar. Look! Your ears are turning redder as I speak!”

Mydei hurriedly untucks his hair from his ears, but it’s too late. Cipher reaches a hand out, swiftly tugging the pink ribbon he wears on practice days, messing his hair up. He swats her hand away as blond strands fall out of his ponytail.

Cipher snickers. That’s what he gets for trying to hide from her. Mydei scowls and pats at it, face turning horrified.

“Cipher,” he hisses, pulling the ribbon off entirely to fix his hair. “I have practice later!”

“Yeah, yeah,” She waves him off and leans forward. “Sooo, Phainon? I didn’t even think you knew him. You’re usually stuck in your own world,” By which she means cheerleading, baking club, and DND—things Phainon wasn’t in. He wasn’t in any of Mydei’s classes either.

Mydei’s flush spreads to his cheeks, lips pouty in a way that tells Cipher he’s about to give in to her pestering. He looks like a wet kitten. She grins victoriously when he finally says, “… He’s my math tutor.”

“Oof,” Cipher sighs and leans back. “Didn’t do well on that last test, then?”

Mydei shakes his head ruefully, hair flying like gold-spun thread. “Professor Cerydra said that I can’t afford failing another test, or I’ll have to retake the class next semester. She suggested going to Phainon for tutoring.”

“She’s so intimidating,” Cipher tells him, “She once caught me about to slip a whoopy on Caenis’ chair. I thought she was going to incinerate me on the spot.”

Mydei shoots her a judgy side-eye. She ignores it.

“Her wife is so hot, though. Have you seen her? She once came in class to drop off Professor Shorty’s lunch. It was the first time I saw her blush like that. It was so disturbing… I thought she was like one of those CEO alphas.”

“Don’t call her that. You know what she did to that student who called her a smurf,” he says, and Cipher winces. “And are you saying that Miss Hysilens is Y/N in this scenario?”

“It fits, doesn’t it?” She smirks. “Still though, do you think Castorice and I would be that hot and domestic when we’re all adults?”

Mydei groans. “Stop telling me these things,” He says, combing his fingers through his hair. “Does Castorice even know about this… fascination?”

“My one and only babe agrees with me,” Cipher says proudly. “And she was the one who brought it up first.”

Mydei sighs, then pulls his hair up, inadvertently showing off his sculpted arms—the result of his years of gymnastics and cheerleading—framed perfectly by his red cheer uniform. His pink ribbon in-between his lips only highlights their glossy, red-bitten color, the sight eliciting lovesick sighs from nearby tables.

Cipher feels her eye twitch. Mydei is, as usual, oblivious to the turmoil he caused. This was why he was the only single cheerleader on the team. Well, that and the fact Mydei has no interest in romance.

Until now, that is.

She sneaks a look at Phainon and wow, that was clearly a mistake. She wants to strangle herself when she spots him starry-eyed and literally drooling at Mydei.

To his credit, he does wipe his mouth and even tries to hide behind his nerdy book, which meant he had some decency, unlike the rest of the stupid alphas in this cafeteria. Great. Now their scents are stinking up the place.

She still doesn’t approve, though.

“Alright, back to Phainon,” Cipher whines as she wrinkles her nose. “What, he gives you a few pointers and solves a few equations and you like him already?”

“Your doubt is not really encouraging me, Cipher,” Mydei says dryly, patting his hair down one last time before going back to his sandwich.

Cipher smiles, then shoots the nearby tables her nastiest glare once she’s sure he’s distracted. All the thirsty knotheads shrink back, looking away like nothing happened. Good. So they still remembered the last time they didn’t take her seriously.

She wonders how that one alpha was doing. Does his dick still stink of wasabi? She hopes his girlfriend broke up with him.

Then she realizes what Mydei basically admitted. “Ha! So you do like him!” She rubs her hands in glee. “I’m going to tell Castorice. She’ll be ecstatic.”

Mydei rolls his eyes, pauses, then looks down. “I think I really like him, Cipher,” he looks up at her with wide eyes. “What do I do?”

Cipher freezes. Oh, dear. So this was really happening, then. She places a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, but inside she’s bouncing. Finally! Her little Mydei is interested in dating!

Here’s hoping Phainon won’t break his heart, or she’ll have to ask Castorice what the best way to bury a body without getting caught was.

She clears her throat. “Alright. Tell big sister everything about the nerd. How did you two meet?”

“Are we really doing this in the cafeteria? With Phainon right there?” Mydei frowns at her, and Cipher shrugs. The place is loud and buzzing with conversation. There's no way Phainon can hear them from all the way across the room.

She gives him a wink and a thumbs-up. Mydei sighs.

“I thought he was a delinquent at first,” Mydei admits. “I thought he was cool.”

Cipher gapes at him, then throws her head back to cackle. People turn to them, Phainon included, which makes Mydei panic and start pulling at her arm.

“Shut it,” He hisses, looking flustered. Oh, wow. Usually, he didn’t care if Cipher was being loud and annoying, but she supposes its different when one’s crush is also watching. Aww, how cute. “Everyone’s staring at us!”

He says everyone, but Cipher knows he only cares because Phainon is one of them, of course.

Cipher simmers down eventually, wiping tears from her eyes. Mydei has his head in his hands, the red tips of his ears peeking out.

Embarrassment clings to his sweet pomegranate scent, causing Cipher to stand and move to the seat next to his.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” She says. She turns back to the peanut gallery and makes a shooing motion, and they grumble as they return to minding their own business. “Why did you think so?”

Mydei peeks through his fingers. “I found him sleeping under a tree without his glasses and his blazer unbuttoned. His hand was wrapped up, and he had a bandage on his cheek. I thought it was strange that Professor Cerydra would favor an unruly student, but he matched her description so I approached him.”

“Oh?”

The hell? Was Phainon ‘Goody-two-shoes’ Khaslana getting into fights in his free time? He wasn’t being bullied as far as she knew. No bully was stupid enough to touch Okhema High’s golden goose… so maybe he really was a delinquent or something.

Now Cipher isn’t too sure about this crush.

“I… his scent was really nice,” Mydei says, seemingly flustered at the memory. “I don’t know what came over me, but I found myself kneeling next to him hoping to have more of that scent. He opened his eyes, and, well…”

Cipher gasps. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me…”

Mydei nods, anguished. “We were nearly nose-to-nose. We both got startled, and I tipped back too far in shock and lost my balance. Phainon caught me before I fell over, and I ended up sprawled on his lap.”

Cipher tries, she really does, but she can’t help the little ‘pfft’ that escaped her lips. Mydei groans, face pink.

“I told you we shouldn’t do this here. It’s humiliating.”

“No, no,” Cipher is quick to assure him. “I just think it’s cute. Don’t worry. Aww, hey! You two had a meet-cute! That’s a good start! Most couples don’t even have that and they still ended up together.”

“Really?” Mydei asks doubtfully, and Cipher nods and shoots him another thumbs-up.

“Yep! And what happened after that?”

“I got off his lap and apologized,” Mydei says, still a bit flushed. “I also introduced myself and told him that Professor Cerydra told me that he’ll be tutoring me.”

“And what did he say?” She asks, intrigued. Her little lion’s love story has begun better than hers did, that’s for sure. Much, much better than her and Castorice’s first meeting.

“He smiled and told me it was fine,” Mydei shrugs. “But then got flustered when I mentioned Professor Cerydra and started buttoning his blazer up. He also jammed his glasses back on his face. He nearly took his eye out,” He bites his lip. “I thought he was cute.”

Huh. It seems like there was more to Phainon Khaslana than what meets the eye. “And where did this all happen, exactly?”

“In a secluded spot in the gardens. Professor Ceyrdra warned me he’ll be hard to find, but she said I could find him there.”

Cipher hums. “Right. And I assume he brought you back to the main building and tutored you in one of the study rooms like a proper alpha gentleman?”

Mydei blinks at her. “Of course. Phainon isn’t like the other alphas. He wouldn’t take advantage of me.”

We’ll see about that. “Okay, so we’ve established you guys had a meet-cute. So what do you like about him?”

“He’s kind,” Mydei answers immediately, and Cipher has to hide her smile. But of course. Kindness was always the best way to bring Mydei to your side. Too bad that most of Okhema High’s population was too vapid to realize this.

“Yeah?”

“He never once made me feel stupid when I didn’t understand something. He makes our sessions fun, and he showers me with praise every time I get something right,” He bites his lip, like he’s trying not to smile at the memory. “He means well, but they are a bit much sometimes.”

Cipher nods. “So he’s enthusiastic and dog-like. What else?”

“He’s… good-looking, and his scent is appealing to me.” Cipher nods once more. She hates to admit it, but Phainon really was a handsome guy, thick, oversized glasses or not. It was why a lot of omegas and even some alphas had crushes on him… until he opened his mouth, that is.

Yeah, she’s never telling Mydei that.

“He’s never made a sexual pass at me,” Mydei continues, “He kept his eyes on my face the entire time, and never made an inappropriate joke about my chest,” He clears his throat. “He has very intense eyes. Even with the glasses. I stare back, of course. I never back down from a challenge.”

“Aww!” Cipher coos, sickly sweet. She ignores the implication of them eye-fucking, however clueless it was on Mydei’s part. “The bare minimum!”

Yeah. Those things mean shit, especially now that she knows Phainon might be sneakier than she thought. Who knows, maybe he’d been looking at Mydei’s chest, only that he never got caught. Seeing how he’d been drooling aver Mydei’s arms earlier, she knows she’s right.

Or, she amends, Phainon could simply be mesmerized by Mydei’s face. Even from a purely aesthetic and platonic lens, Cipher can admit that Mydei’s face was the most beautiful thing that graced the halls of Okhema High.

Everyone can attest to this. Eurypon had nearly killed a man because of it.

Mydei pauses, giving her a strange look. “… He’s good with animals. We once rescued a chimera stuck in a tree. He climbed it to help it down and it wasn’t afraid of him at all. He even adopted it,” He takes out his phone and shows her a pic. “See?”

It’s Phainon holding a gray chimera to his chest, both of them sporting starry-eyed expressions. They look identical, beaming at the person behind the camera. Fine, it was adorable, and any alpha who looks at Mydei like that would probably treat him right, pervert or not.

“Phainon named him Beagle Coconut after I told him my chimera’s name is Fig Stew. He said he wanted to match.”

An even cuter tidbit, but Cipher finds herself gobsmacked by something else. “Did you really set this as Phainon’s contact photo?”

Mydei flushes, quickly shutting his phone off. “Is it too creepy? It’s the only one I had without me in it. I thought it would be even creepier if it did, since we aren’t dating.”

“No, you’re right,” Cipher says, a bit distracted. Her baby brother is so, so cute right now. She wants to pinch his cheeks. Phainon better not break his heart or she will be pissed. “Does he have a photo of you too?”

Mydei nods. “Yes. I sent one with me and Fig Stew.”

Something about this is really nagging at her. Cipher holds her hands up. “Pause. You what? No, let me see.”

She takes one look at the photo and nearly groans, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair. He’s being so adorable right now, all eager and sweet with his first crush but— “Alright, little lion, here’s lesson number one: do not send the boy you like a gift this good this early. A pic like this is reserved for special occasions.”

She glances at the photo again, cursing Phainon in her head, the lucky bastard.

Mydei is posed against the pillows of his bed, wearing the spaghetti strap he favored as sleepwear. One of the thin straps is slipping off his shoulder, and Fig Stew is positioned snugly on Mydei’s chest, her face squished against one of his pecs.

There’s a light flush and a sweet little smile on his face, the warm light from his bedside lamp paired with the red tips of his sunset hair framing him in an angelic halo.

All in all, it’s a photo of Okhema High’s most popular omega anyone would kill for. Eurypon would have a heart attack if he knew Mydei had sent an alpha a picture like this. If Phainon is truly as wise as he was brainy, he’d keep this all to himself.

“Lucky bastard,” Cipher repeats out loud, looking Mydei in the eye. “Don’t send him any more of these.”

“Oh. Was I being too forward?” Mydei bites his lip, hesitating as he looks at Cipher with his devastating sad eyes. “Or maybe… you don’t like him?”

Cipher gapes at him. “What? What makes you say that?”

“You keep making these little comments… and sometimes your face twitches like it does whenever you don’t like something but you’re trying to hide it,” He sighs. “You seem to know him longer than I do, so perhaps there was something I missed and he isn’t the person I thought—”

“Oh, no no! Titans, no!” Cipher pounces to wrap him in a bear hug, which Mydei returns immediately. She buries her face in his neck, breathing in the scent that comforted her since childhood. “I’m sorry, Mydei. I guess I got too into overprotective big sister mode.”

Maybe Cipher had enjoyed ragging on Phainon too much to remember that Mydei must’ve been nervous telling her all about his first crush. “I’m sure he’s a decent alpha if he managed to win your heart.”

“I really want him to like me back,” Mydei whispers.

“And he will! We’ll just come up with a plan,” Cipher soothes. She figures it’ll be easy, considering Phainon looked like he was already there. She just has to let Mydei see it and help him confess. “Leave it to big sis Ciphy.”

They hug for a few minutes until they’re rudely interrupted.

“Ehem.”

They look up to the snotty voice clearing her throat, letting go of each other. The cheerleading captain sneers, looking down her nose at them. “Are you two quite finished?”

Cipher’s lip curls. Caenis. An omega who was considered second best to Mydei. She was pretty, sure, but Mydei was simply prettier. She was good at cheerleading, too, but Mydei was also better.

She’s clearly jealous of him, judging by her little quips about the people Mydei hang out with and his disregard for the status quo despite being Okhema High’s most popular omega.

She was also hyperaware that the only reason she was chosen as captain because Mydei had turned the position down. It stings, surely, but Cipher doesn’t give a fuck. It isn’t Mydei’s fault people liked him better, so she didn’t have to be so snide to him when he treated her well.

Fortunately, her sarcastic little insults slide off Mydei like water, mostly because he had a hard time reading social cues and took them as genuine compliments. Cipher didn’t have the heart to correct his assumption either.

“What is it?” Mydei asks, polite.

Her lips, painted in the same lip gloss as Mydei’s, twist into an ugly grimace. Cipher snorted. Mydei wore it better, no contest. How embarrassing for her, too, considering she started using it after Mydei had.

“Practice time, Mydei!” She chirps, falsely sweet. “So chop chop and say goodbye to your…” she wrinkles her nose at the spikes on Cipher’s jacket and Bartholos band shirt, “…pet punk so we can leave.”

Cipher rolls her eyes, squeezing Mydei’s wrist when he looked ready to snap at her. He always lost his temper quick when anyone tried to mess with her. “It’s okay. Cas and l will see you later with the good news.”

He looks at her hesitantly. “… okay. Thanks, Cipher,” He kisses her cheek and stands, grabbing his bag and pompoms. He gives Caenis a warning look when she snaps her fingers, then turns back to Cipher. “I’ll see you at DND club.”

Caenis flinches, unable to comprehend how a cheerleader like Mydei could possibly enjoy a nerdy fantasy game. He ignores her, while Cipher bares her fangs at her meanly.

She takes a dainty step back, flipping her hair. “Come along now, Mydei.”

Mydei rolls his eyes but follows and he can hear her whisper to him, “Why do you still hang out with that freak? She’s nothing like us.”

“She’s my sister,” Mydei says coolly. “Insult her again and I’m telling coach. We don’t need a bully for a captain.”

Caenis gasps, scandalized, “Me? A bully? But I—” She quickly shuts her mouth when Mydei glares at her. “Ugh. Whatever!” She stomps away, and Mydei calmly follows after her.

Cipher has to hide a smile once she’s left alone. Mydei had always been quick to defend her, insisting they stick together through high school and clinging to her even when the status quo threatened to tear them apart back in freshman year. Thankfully, they survived that tumultuous time and now here they were.

… with Cipher contemplating Mydei’s love life. She sighs and glances at Phainon, only to find him scrambling to pack up his things. He shoves the book he was reading into his back and rushes out the cafeteria. Well, that was suspicious.

Cipher lets out another sigh before deciding to leave the cafeteria herself. She’s not going to come up with a plan on her own. She needs to bring out the big guns.

She has a girlfriend to search.

Cipher slides the door of the Home EC classroom open, hardly flinching when it bangs against the wall. The sound startles the room’s only occupant, who hurriedly switches the sewing machine off.

“Babe, you’re not going to believe this,” Cipher says as she slams the door behind her. Castorice turns to her, looking appropriately gloomy in her goth ensemble. She smiles up at Cipher sweetly as she moves her chair away from the machine.

“Cipher, you surprised me,” She reaches her hand out, and Cipher gladly takes the invitation. She curls up in Castorice’s lap, taking in the alpha’s lavender and petrichor scent that reminded her of a calm, rainy day. It soothes her, and she nearly whimpers when Castorice presses a kiss to her hair. “What’s wrong?”

“Mydei’s in love!” She wails dramatically. “With Phainon!”

Cipher yelps when she nearly tips over, Castorice’s grip on her waist having slipped in her shock. She catches Cipher swiftly, though, shifting her back to the crook of her lap.

She also squeezes Cipher’s thigh, moving them until her legs are tightly secured around her own waist. Then she looks up at Cipher, satisfied, her lip piercing glinting in the light. “How’s that?”

“Good,” Cipher says breathlessly, swallowing as she tries not to squirm. Titans, but the casual show of strength was so hot. Castorice preferred being covered up in dark, elegant clothing so it wasn’t exactly obvious, but she and Mydei regularly went to the gym together.

She didn’t, though. It wasn’t really her thing. She hated the stink and the way alphas would try to sneak a peek at her and trip over themselves to ‘assist’ her just because she was an omega. She wonders how Mydei could stand it.

But it doesn’t mean she didn’t appreciate it when Castorice does go. God, she was so lucky. She can’t believe she actually bagged a girlfriend this hot.

Cipher has lost count of the times she drooled over her girlfriend’s arms and the way they’d flex underneath her touch whenever she demanded that Castorice carry her around.

Mydei would roll his eyes at them, but it was always in good fun.

“Sorry about earlier, it’s just that you took me by surprise,” Castorice was saying, leaning in until their noses brush. “Mydei’s in love? With Phainon?”

“Uh huh,” Cipher mumbles, wrapping her arms around Castorice’s neck. “He’s your friend, right? What’s he like?”

Castorice had been in the debate club before she quit to establish the DND club, so she knew Phainon better than Cipher. She can trust her judgment.

Castorice hums. “He’s a good guy,” she says, her hand slowly traveling higher until her fingers slip into one of her denim pants’ slits. Cipher holds her breath, stomach taut, as the alpha draws intimate circles on her bare thigh. “If there’s anyone who can treat Mydei right, it’ll be him.”

“O-oh?” Cipher stammers as Castorice leans down to gently nip her neck. Her other hand has crawled underneath her shirt to hold her steady, her thumb dipping into Cipher’s pierced navel. “That’s… mmph!—great to know.”

“Mmhm,” Castorice mumbles, still buried in Cipher’s neck. Titans, she’ll have to clean up later, making sure the mouth-shaped bruises were covered up. She’ll also have to wipe down the lipstick stains, and— “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Cipher says. So what if they had just seen each other during first period? She pulls away to take Castorice’s face in her hand, her thumb pressing onto her bottom lip. She smirks, “Nice lipstick, by the way. Is it new?”

“Yes,” Castorice’s eyes are clouded as she pants, and Cipher has to resist the urge to coo when she goes cross-eyed to look at the finger currently playing with her lip piercing. “It matches the color of your eyes. Do you like it?”

Cipher stills, then surges forward to kiss her, toes curling in her boots when Castorice immediately kisses back. The piercing is cold against her lips, and she groans when her tongue bumps against it, the cold a stark contrast to the warmth of her girlfriend’s mouth.

They spend the next few minutes making out and petting each other heavily, until Cipher is breathless and has to pull away for air. Castorice’s pretty purple hair is disheveled, and her even prettier lips is messy with their shared saliva and spread lipstick. Cipher’s belly tingles with want and heat.

Castorice tries to chase after her, and Cipher has to place a hand over her mouth.

“Babe, please,” Cipher pants. She can’t believe she’s the voice of reason right now. “As much as I’m enjoying this, not now. We need to talk about Mydei and his love life.”

Castorice blinks, then backs off sheepishly, looking incredibly shy when Cipher removes her hand. “Right. I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me… your scent is just too…”

Cipher feels giddy as she trails off. It’s a heady thing, knowing her power over her girlfriend.

“Aw, don’t worry babe! Besides, I kissed you first,” When Castorice nods, she goes on, “Anyway, Mydei really wants Phainon to like him back, so I was wondering if you have any ideas on how our little lion could win his heart?”

“I didn’t think they knew each other,” Castorice murmurs, stroking Cipher’s hip. There’s no intent in it, just absentminded motions like she couldn’t help it. “I think I can see it.”

“It’s a pretty recent development,” Cipher informs her, then proceeds to regale her the tale of Mydei and Phainon’s meet-cute.

By the time she’s finished, there’s an excited glint in Castorice’s eyes. Cipher knows what it means. She’s feeling inspired, and that meant good things for her baby brother’s love life.

She taps Cipher’s shoulder, gently telling her to get off her lap. “Let me get my notebook.”

Castorice grabs her bag, pulling out a black notebook and a purple sparkly pen. Mydei has a matching one in pink. Cipher has a blue one. Yes, it’s cheesy, but it’s their thing.

Cipher pulls out another chair, sitting next to Castorice who’s feverishly writing on a fresh page. When Cipher gets close enough to see, she spots the title written on top underlined thrice.

Cipher slowly raises her head, observing the smile on Castorice’s face grow more and more manic. Then, she shrugs and leans back, leaving her girlfriend to work her magic.

Despite her appearance—solemn, cool, and clad in black—she was the most whimsical and romantic person Cipher knew. She saw warmth in the littlest things, scribbling poetry and weaving sonnets in her notebooks, her love bursting from her chest.

But she didn’t shy away from the hard things either. She saw beauty even in death, turned loss and grief from something ugly to something mundane. This part of her was what completely sealed Cipher’s fate.

This was it. She was in love with this girl, and she’s going to marry her, damn it. They’re going to buy a house and have a thousand chimeras. Castorice can have her garden and Cipher can have her game room.

She watches Castorice write down idea after idea, and knows the fate of Mydei’s love life was in good hands.

Today’s DND session concludes with Castorice clapping her hands twice to signal its end. The party bursts into excited whispers, clutching their character sheets to their chests as they discuss the session with their neighbors.

The session ended in a great place; the party had just explored an ancient dungeon that contained the Lance of Fury, a powerful weapon that would give the party a massive boost in power. They were finally about to confront the Boss, bolstered by the newly acquired weapon, but then Castorice had gently cut in and told everyone that was an adventure for next time.

Cipher shoots her girlfriend a proud smile as the members of the DND club pack up. Castorice was the best Dungeon Master they had; she was fair and gave plenty of scenarios that saved their party more than once. It’s no wonder the members leave every club meeting with huge, satisfied smiles on their faces.

Even Mydei was in a good mood, seated across Cipher, humming as he wrote something on his character sheet. Castorice lets out a deep breath and relaxes, melting into the chair.

“That was fantastic, babe!” Cipher says cheerily. “That last hidden quest? Amazing plot twist. I never saw it coming.”

“I agree,” Mydei says, looking up to smile at Castorice. “You laid down plenty of foreshadowing throughout the campaign yet it was only after we went through that quest that we realized it was right in front of our faces.”

Castorice beams at them, her lips a pretty shade of blue. She’s fixed her lipstick by now, and Cipher managed to hide the lovebites with her cropped jacket.

Thankfully, because otherwise they’d never hear the end of it from the club members. Mydei included.

Cipher clears her throat and looks around conspiratorially, making sure they were all alone. “So, are we going to discuss The Plan now?”

Immediately, Mydei flushes, shooting Castorice a shy look. She pats his shoulder reassuringly, and he relaxes. Looks like he was worried because he knew that Castorice and Phainon were friends.

“It’s okay, Mydei,” she tells him, pulling out her notebook. “There’s nothing shameful about being in love. You and Phainon will be wonderful together.”

“Yeah, and we can finally go on double dates!” Cipher adds. “No more third wheeling for you, little lion.”

Mydei groans, burying his face in his hands. Cipher kicks at his shin, making him yelp.

“Pay attention now, Mydei,” Cipher says playfully. “Your love life is at stake.”

“Here’s a list I’ve put together,” Castorice opens her notebook and flips it around, allowing both Mydei and Cipher to read its contents comfortably.

PHAIDEI: A LOVE STORY THAT TRANSCENDS THE STATUS QUO

Mydei balks the moment he sees the title. “What is that?”

“Duh, it’s your ship name,” Cipher smirks at him. “Though it could also be a potential name for your future children.”

Mydei glares at her. “No, I knew that. I meant the words after it,” He conveniently doesn’t mention the name comment. Cipher snickers.

Castorice gives him an innocent look. “Oh, don’t worry about it. Those are for me.”

Mydei crosses her arms and gives her a knowing look. “Its for your fanfics, isn’t it?”

“She’s super into Khaos x Gnaeus these days,” Cipher tells him.

“The actors?” He raises his brows. “Really? Fascinating.”

Castorice clears her throat, suddenly avoiding their eyes. Mydei and Cipher share a fond look. “Anyway, I think the first one I listed would be a great opener to express your interest.”

1. Show your appreciation for tutoring you!! Bake him some pastries!!

a. Make the presentation cute & flirty

b. Tell him you appreciate him and initiate little touches if you haven’t already

“What do you think?” Castorice asks eagerly.

Mydei leans back, thinking. He’s changed out of his cheer uniform by now, bundled up in a white dress shirt. He dresses hilariously formal outside cheer, and something she knew he got from Eurypon.

“I like it,” he murmurs. “Do you know what kind of pastries he favors? And is point B is really necessary?”

“Of course it is!” Cipher protests, inadvertently drowning out her girlfriend. She slams her hand on the table. “He needs to know that this was an intentional gesture! Not just a polite one!”

Mydei stares at her. She clears her throat. Perhaps she’d been too passionate, having once mistaken Castorice’s courting gifts as some do-good gesture because she was just Like That.

She’s not going to let Mydei make the same mistake. Cipher turns to Castorice. “Sorry, babe. Please continue.”

Castorice squeezes her hand, likely aware of what she was thinking. “Phainon likes chocolate. And cake. Maybe you can bake him a cupcake?”

“… okay,” Mydei says. He stands, gathering his things. “Shall we head home now? I’ll go and make it there.”

Cipher follows him, grabbing her bag. Castorice does the same. “What? Now?”

“Of course,” Mydei frowns at her. “If not now then when?”

Right. This was Mydei. He didn’t believe in hesitating or putting things off. Once he’s in, he’s in all the way. And now that he’s decided he wants Phainon to be his boyfriend, there’s no one on Amphoreus that could stop him.

Eurypon would try, though. That would be funny to watch.

The three of them walk home since Cipher and Mydei only live fifteen minutes away. Cipher holds Castorice’s hand, walking in between her and Mydei as they talk about their gym goals. Cipher tries not to yawn, bored.

“I think Phainon does gym, too,” She hears Mydei say and hey, look at that, she’s not bored anymore. “His arms are more defined than one would expect, and his hands carry callouses a scholar such as himself shouldn’t have.”

Scholar. Psh. Mydei’s vocab had always been strangely snobby and old-school sometimes. She’s totally blaming Eurypon for this.

“And how would you know that?” Cipher points out gleefully. “Been feeling him up, have you? Mydei, you perv!”

Mydei turns red, elbowing her none-too-gently. Cipher dodges, cackling, bumping into Castorice who barely flinches.

“No! It’s just something I noticed!”

“With your hands. Because you were feeling him up!”

Mydei glares at her. “With my eyes, Cipher!” he says, “I told you I saw him climb a tree very easily.”

“Oh, I’m sure. And you’d like to climb him next?”

They end up playfully wrestling each other, trying to poke at the other’s ticklish spots. Castorice shakes her head and peacefully watches them squabble for a few minutes before stepping in between them.

“That’s enough, you two,” She says, linking her arms with theirs. “We’re holding the sidewalk up.”

She pulls them aside, and Cipher turns to see people behind them shooting them annoyed glances as they walk by. Oops.

“Freaks,” One of them mutters, eyeing Castorice’s dark, heavy makeup and long black skirt with disdain. He looks like a college student. Cipher throws him the middle finger while Mydei subtly pokes his foot out to trip the asshole.

He wobbles but ultimately doesn’t fall. A shame. He looks back to glare at Mydei, only to be blindsided by his beautiful face and pastel fashion. His eyes widen, looking among the three of them. The punk, the goth, and the prep.

“Oh,” He mumbles, still dazzled by Mydei’s face card. “Can I have your number?”

Mydei gives him an unimpressed look.

“Scram.”

He does, thankfully, too embarrassed to stay. The three of them share a look and shrug, deciding to move on.

They talk about their classes—how Professor Tribios made a mini rocket in science class and how Professor Anaxa walked out on them while laughing to himself again—and apparently Castorice’s friend Hyacine’s fat dog had to go on a diet.

They’re nearing home when Cipher spots something that made her perk up in glee: Gorgo’s car in the driveway. Wow, looks like they’re home early.

Slowly, she turns to Mydei, who is already giving her a sideways glance and shaking his head.

“Cipher…” He warns, “don’t you dare.”

Cipher dares. She bolts, and Mydei immediately chases after her, both of them leaving Castorice in the dust.

Mydei tries to grab her, but unfortunately for him, she’s always been faster. She was in the track-and-field club before she quit because it got boring. Mydei had no hope of catching up to her.

She throws the gate open and runs into the house, Mydei on her heels. Cipher bursts into the kitchen and startles Gorgo, who’s currently making dinner.

“What on Earth—”

Cipher takes a deep breath, ready to snitch, when Mydei barges in and lunges to cover her mouth desperately. They struggle, and Cipher manages to bite his hand, making him yelp and let go.

“Cipher, no!"

“Mydei, Cipher, what is going—"

“Ma! Mydei’s in love!” She yells triumphantly, and feels Mydei slump on her back in resignation. She smirks at Gorgo, who’s staring at them, frozen. “With an alpha boy.”

Gorgo gasps in delight, setting her bowl down. “That’s great, Mydei!” She beams, approaching them. Cipher snickers as Mydei stares at Gorgo sulkily. “Who is it? Is it that Phainon boy?”

“Mom!” Mydei protests, shooting Gorgo a look. Gorgo slaps a hand on her mouth, looking appropriately sorry, but she can’t hide the mischievous glint in her eyes.

Cipher’s jaw drops. “Wait, you knew about Phainon, Ma? I just learned all about it today!” She shoots a betrayed look at her apparently secretive baby brother.

Gorgo giggles as she pinches Mydei’s cheek. His eyes widen cutely, a skill mastered by baby brothers worldwide, silently begging Gorgo not to spill the beans.

She ignores him, smiling indulgently. “I caught him smiling at his phone a few days ago. He still didn’t notice me even after I called his name twice.”

Cipher gasps dramatically. “He never smiles at his phone! And he never ignores you, Ma!”

“Exactly! And—oh, hello, Cas!” Gorgo says as Castorice slips into the room in a calmer manner than Cipher and Mydei did. “I got him to admit he was texting his math tutor. He never said anything about liking him, though.”

Mydei groans. “Mom,” he pleads, looking very much like his own chimera. Cipher snickers.

“Hello, Miss Gorgo,” Castorice greets sweetly. “I got you these,” she says presenting a small bouquet of flowers that she definitely wasn’t on her before they entered the house.

Gorgo gasps and accepts it, complimenting her outfit and makeup. Castorice blushes, scratching her cheek and thanking her.

Cipher leans in Mydei’s side. “Where did she get those? She wasn’t carrying flowers earlier, and there’s no way those fit in her bag.”

“I don’t know,” Mydei sniffs. “And don’t talk to me.”

“Aw, come on,” Cipher whines. “I’m sorry. It’s just Ma, anyway. You know she’ll be happy no matter what.”

“It’s not Mom I’m worried about,” Mydei says dryly, making Cipher snort.

“Which is why we should tell Ma, so she can tell him.”

He sighs. “Okay, sensible, but I’m still a bit pissed.”

“I’ll pay for your gym subscription for next month.”

“…fine.”

They turn back to Gorgo and Castorice’s conversation, which for some reason has shifted to The Plan.

“… and here’s the list I put together,” they hear Castorice say, making Mydei and Cipher share an alarmed look. They turn to the room’s two other occupants, their heads bent over a familiar notebook.

“Phaidei!” Gorgo coos delightedly. “How cute!”

“Oh my god,” Mydei whispers, horrified. Cipher shakes her head, already knowing what happened. Gorgo must’ve charmed Castorice into spilling their plan. Her girlfriend was strangely weak to their mother’s charms.

Gorgo turns back to Mydei. “Is this why you came home early, Mydei?” She taps her finger on the first item of the list. “What did you want to bake?”

“I was thinking cupcakes,” Mydei grumbles. “…you’re really okay with this?”

Gorgo blinks at him, then goes to place the bouquet on the counter to hug him. “Of course! From everything I’ve heard from you, this Phainon seems to be a good boy that makes you happy.”

“Thanks, mom,” Mydei says, muffled from where he’d buried his face into his shoulder.

“And from that picture you showed me, he’s also a very handsome young man,” Gorgo hums. “In fact, he reminds me of your dad when he was younger. He was quite strapping back then too. I had to fight off a lot of alphas and omegas.”

Mydei pales, making Cipher cackle. She isn’t quite sure if it was the implication that he and his mother shared the same taste in alphas or if it was the idea of fighting off others who also wanted Phainon for themselves.

Well, he wouldn’t have to worry about the latter much. Unlike Eurypon in his prime, Phainon was a nerd through and through. He was a good crush to have, but only from afar. Most people got turned off when they got too near, though.

Not many liked to be confronted with the fact that they weren’t as smart as they thought. Phainon made people feel that way, with his stellar grades and articulate way of speaking. He’s never flaunted his intelligence, at least not on purpose, yet it’s still something people notice.

And once people notice, it bothered them until the crush they harbored faded entirely.

Apparently that wasn’t enough to deter Mydei, though. Now that he’d opened up more about his crush, he’d admitted that once he became aware of Phainon’s existence, he’d started paying attention to his extracurriculars more.

He’s clearly impressed by the alpha’s accolades, judging from the way Mydei’s eyes glinted. Cipher shudders to think about it, but her baby brother might have a competence kink.

Ugh. Time to burn that train of thought.

“This is so exciting,” Cipher rubs her hands together when Mydei remains speechless. Gorgo and Mydei turn to her curiously as Castorice approaches her.

Cipher feels her wrap her arm around her waist, and she leans into the touch. “Finally, Mydei’s not going to be the eternal 5th wheel anymore.”

Mydei scowls as Gorgo hides her laugh behind her hand.

Cipher squeals when Mydei grabs her braid and pulls. She hisses and tries to swipe at him, but he quickly hides behind Gorgo. She stomps her foot. “Stop hiding behind Ma!”

“Stop acting so smug just because you got a lover before I did, first!”

Gorgo laughs heartily as Mydei and Cipher run circles around her. She turns to Castorice, commiserating, “They’re so energetic, aren’t they? Don’t you want to ditch them sometimes?”

“I do,” Castorice says solemnly. Her lips twitch when Mydei and Cipher stop and turn to her in betrayal. “But I would never, of course. I love them.”

“Aww, babe!” Cipher sniffs, tearing up. Mydei doesn’t say anything, but he’s suspiciously blinking his eyes a little too fast. “We love you too!”

She beams at them, and Gorgo laughs once more. “Well, if you want a happily married woman’s opinion, I have one more suggestion for that Phaidei list of yours.”

Mydei closes his eyes. “Mom, please. You don’t have to keep saying that word.”

“What Mydei means is yes, please, Ma!” Cipher shoves him out of the way to cling to Gorgo, who returns her hug. Mydei grunts as he regains his balance.

“Well, my suggestion is to invite him over!” She says mischievously, eyes sparkling. “Let him see that you’re willing to let him in your safe space, where your scent is strongest. If he can control himself and maintain boundaries, you’ll know if he truly respects you or not.”

The three of them gape at her. “You mean we’ll leave Mydei alone at home with an alpha?” Cipher asks.

“I never said that,” Gorgo clarifies. “Of course Cipher will be here to make sure that everything goes smoothly.”

“Oh,” The three of them breathe a sigh of relief. Mydei had been looking a bit scandalized earlier, when they all thought that Gorgo was ready to throw her son to the first alpha he literally liked, but now it made sense.

“That’s a wonderful suggestion,” Castorice says, starry-eyed. “That could be phase three of the plan.”

“Mhm, and let me add one more thing,” Gorgo holds Mydei’s hand and looks into his eyes, weirdly intense. “Don’t give him cupcakes, Mydeimos. Go for your specialty off the bat. Make some chocolate honeycakes and knock that alpha out of the park. Show him you mean business.”

Mydei blinks at her, but Gorgo continues with a fluorish. “To be in love is to fight a battle to the death.”

There’s the sound of ceramic shattering from the doorway, and all four of them turn to find Eurypon, looking pale and confused. The grapes roll out from the broken bowl as the room falls into silence.

Oh no. Here it comes.

His hand shakes as he looks between Gorgo and Mydei, who looks unimpressed and horrified respectively.

“In Love?” Eurypon croaks unsteadily. “Alpha? Mydei? Battle?”

Gorgo rolls her eyes. “You heard it right, dear,” She informs him, merciless. Her husband chokes. “Mydei likes an alpha.”

Eurypon chuckles unsteadily and wobbles in place. “Okay, yeah, I thought so.”

Then, his eyes roll to the back of his head and he drops to the floor, narrowly missing the broken pieces of ceramic.

“Dad!”

“Pfft. Pa!”

“Sir Eurypon!”

“Oh Eurypon, you absolute—”

“There he is!” Cipher elbows Mydei the next day, spotting Phainon by his locker even through the din of students walking by. Mydei cranes his head, perking up when he spots him too.

“Should I just walk up to him?” Mydei whispers, clutching the container of chocolate honeycakes. Mydei had woken up extra early to decorate and apply the finishing touches: icing chibi heads of a beaming oryx with glasses and a sleepy lion with a mini braid, their favorite animals.

Its carefully placed in a pink box tied with one of Mydei’s favorite red cheerleading ribbons; he spent the entire fifteen minute walk to school holding it carefully in front of him, making sure the icing didn’t smear.

Gorgo had waved them goodbye at the door. She kissed their cheeks and wished Mydei luck. When they asked after Eurypon, who was usually there to awkwardly nod at them, she only smiled secretively and told them that he was just sleeping in.

Yeah, sure. Just sleeping.

Cipher pats Mydei on the back. “Yeah. Just be your usual self, Mydei. I swear, Phainon will love it.”

Mydei bites his lip nervously, then straightens, looking determined, golden eyes locked on Phainon like he was a predator and the alpha his prey. His pomegranate scent flares sharply, as it usually does when he’s locked in.

Cipher watches as Phainon fumbles the book he’s holding the moment he notices Mydei approaching. He nearly drops it as Mydei says something—unfortunately she was too far to hear them—and presents the box.

His eyes go wide and teary when he opens it and finds the chocolate honeycakes inside. She notes the reverent way he holds even the ribbon, as if he was aware of its significance.

He says the words ‘thank you’, followed by a few more words. It must be something good because her baby brother perks up, scent growing so sweet and thick all over the hallway that some students glance their way curiously.

Soon enough, Mydei is making his way back to Cipher, looking adorably giddy even as he tries to school his face. It’s blank, sure, but Cipher knows him well. He can’t hide the minute way his lip twitches like he’s trying not to smile.

Phainon watches him leave, looking hopelessly in love as his eyes jump between Mydei and the box in his hands.

“Cipher,” Mydei says breathlessly, “I need to go.”

“It went well, then?” Cipher teases, and Mydei’s ears turn pink.

“Mm. You were right, he loved it. He said we should go eat it together.”

“Aww!” Cipher beams. These two were being so cute, she has to admit. “So you’ll be eating lunch with him, then?”

Mydei nods, but then looks unsure all of a sudden, likely remembering this would be the first time they wouldn’t be eating together in all their years in high school. He looks conflicted, like he doesn’t want to leave her alone.

It’s sweet of him, really, but unnecessary.

Cipher turns him around and pushes him in Phainon’s direction. “Go with him, little lion. Don’t worry about me. Unlike you, I actually have a girlfriend I could spend lunch with.”

Mydei shoots her a grateful smile over his shoulder, not even commenting on the teasing, before returning to Phainon’s side.

Cipher leans on her locker as she watches them talk, waving back when Phainon waves at her in greeting. Mydei must’ve relayed their conversation.

Phainon holds the box in one large hand as they walk down the hallway together. Their shoulders brush, fingers twitching as if they want to reach for the other. Like a pair of magnets.

Phainon is yapping Mydei’s ears off, but her brother doesn’t seem to mind. He just keeps looking at Phainon, ears tinged pink at he nods occasionally. Clearly, the unsubtle staring was getting to the nerd because he stops to clear his throat, adjusting his glasses shyly.

Cipher snorts, then heads in the opposite direction. These two had just reminded her of herself and Castorice when they had first started courting, and now she wants—needs—to find her girlfriend and kiss her silly.

Idly, she wonders what Castorice’s reaction would be when she sees Cipher’s purple bralette. She made sure it would match her eyes.

“How was lunch together?” Castorice asks on the walk home, the three of them munching on ice cream they bought on the way. Mydei’s cheer practice had been brutal, but with how he brightens at the question, it was clearly nothing to him.

“It was good,” Mydei says casually. Castorice and Cipher share a knowing look. “He said my honeycakes were the best he’s ever had and that he was so happy that he got to eat them with me.”

Cipher snickers. “What, did you feed each other bites and stare into each other’s eyes all cute and lovesick?”

Mydei flushes and looks ahead, surreptitiously avoiding their eyes. “… no, but I will tell you that Phainon is quite the messy eater. I had to wipe off syrup from his lip.”

Cipher and Castorice squeal, startling other pedestrians as they pounce on him. They nearly drop their popsicles as they cling to him, but Mydei grunts and takes it in stride. He walks ahead, easily carrying the two women clinging to each of his arms.

“Mydei, you sly minx! I can’t believe it! My baby’s growing up!”

“What did he say? How did he react?”

“Okay!” Mydei finally shakes them off. He crosses his arms as he glares at them, looking pouty and embarrassed. “Calm down or I’m not telling you.”

Cipher and Castorice give him sheepish smiles, before looping their arms around his. They walk down the streets, gasping and giggling as Mydei recounts the way Phainon had turned red and nearly upended their entire table as he flailed around. Mydei thought it was cute.

He had also complimented Mydei on the chibi figures and was delighted to know that Mydei had remembered his favorite animal.

“I went ahead with phase two of the plan,” Mydei confesses.

Phase two was—oh, right.

2. Invite him to one of your cheer shows!!

a. Make sure to acknowledge his presence (!! make sure everyone knows he belongs)

b. Ask him what he thought after and hang out with him (get ice cream tgt?? stroll around the city?? not a date tho!!)

“Okhema High is hosting a basketball game against Janusopolis Academy this Friday, and I asked Phainon if he could watch me perform and if we could spend time together right after,” Mydei smiles as he recalled the way Phainon had brightened and nodded like an eager puppy. “He said yes.”

“Then you better put on a damn good show this Friday, little lion,” Cipher says, winking at him. “Did you know he watches your practices sometimes? I could spot him sitting at the far end of the bleachers every time I came to watch.”

“No, I never knew,” Mydei says, frowning at her. “He never said… why didn’t he tell me?”

“He was probably feeling shy because you’re the most popular kid in school,” Castorice explains, laughing when Mydei wrinkles his nose. “I know you don’t care about popularity, but still, your reputation is enough to intimidate a lot of people.”

“That’s right Mr. Mydeimos Kremnos, 20xx winner of Amphoreus’ Most Beautiful Faces Pageant,” Cipher teases, and Mydei grimaces. He still doesn’t know how he won that pageant when he’d been a complete beginner.

His answer in the QNA portion had moved everyone’s hearts and secured his win on top of his beautiful face and admirable physique, but apparently he’d only been completely honest at the time. Not surprising, Mydei could be quite the smooth talker when motivated.

“Phainon has a stellar reputation as well,” Mydei protests, turning to Castorice. “I don’t see why he’d be intimidated by me.”

“Well, look at it this way. Now that you’ve invited him, Phainon now knows he’s welcome to watch you and that you want him there,” the alpha soothes. “That’s a good thing Mydei.”

“… I guess you’re right.”

“My girlfriend is always right, Mydei,” Cipher tells him. “The sooner you learn, the happier you’ll be.”

Cipher slinks into the gymnasium that’s slowly filling up with students eager to watch the basketball game. Phainon is already there, sitting by the front bleachers, Mydei’s letterman jacket on his lap. Looks like Mydei had staked his claim, then. No wonder some of the cheerleaders and alphas on the basketball team were shooting him strange, jealous looks.

The poor boy looks ready to combust, looking out of place in the prep alley yet putting on a brave face. Despite his clear discomfort, his eyes never leave Mydei’s figure, who’s doing warm-ups with the rest of the cheerleaders at the center of the gym.

Taking pity on him, Cipher decides to join him. Castorice will know where to find her later.

“Yo,” Phainon startles when Cipher drops carelessly next to him. She snorts as he adjusts his glasses nervously. “Relax, I’m not going to eat you.”

Cipher easily ignores the looks the other preps shoot her, knowing she was horribly out of place in her leather jacket and denim ensemble. Ha, they’ll have to fucking tolerate her, then, considering she was Mydei’s sister. There was no way they could kick her out without earning Mydei’s ire.

And making Mydei angry at you was apparently akin to social suicide in this school, so no one dared.

“Hey,” Phainon smiles—or tries to, but he’s still visibly uncomfortable. Oh, this boy must really like Mydei if he’s willing to stay in a tank of bloodthirsty sharks. Perhaps they didn’t really think of this part when they came up with phase two. “Miss Cipher.”

“Please,” Cipher scoffs. “Do I look like a prep to you? None of that shit. Just call me Cipher, we literally worked on a project together last year.”

“Ah, right,” Phainon rubs his neck sheepishly. “Cipher, then,” His eyes flick back to Mydei, who’s in the middle of his splits routine. He chokes, turning red and avoiding Cipher’s judging eyes.

He can’t hide the way his scent had spiked the moment he saw the fabric of Mydei’s shorts stretch tightly around his ass as he bent over to stretch, though.

“You’re hilarious,” Cipher informs him, completely serious. “I have no idea how Mydei can’t see how much you like him.”

Phainon groans, pulling his knees up on the seat so he could bury his face into them. That also meant his face is currently hidden in her brother’s jacket and—oh my, Cipher’s brows raise when the scent hits her, realizing just how thoroughly Mydei had scented it before handing it to Phainon.

“I don’t know how he doesn’t see it either,” Phainon says, voice muffled. “Sometimes I think he does, when he does all those nice things for me like making me honeycakes and listening to me talk about things most people don’t care about… but then he doesn’t seem to do anything about it y’know? So maybe he was just being a good friend by ignoring my feelings… Mydei’s just so nice unlike the other preps, that he even wants to hang out with a nerd like me…”

“Oh, wow,” Cipher interrupts his mumbling, “you two are perfect.” Perfectly oblivious.

Phainon squawks, clumsily knocking his knees together as his feet slip off the bench. Cipher barrels on, uncaring when he stupidly gapes at her. “Let me give you a hint, Phainon. Mydei is not nice. He’s kind, sure, but he isn’t nice. As much as I love him, he can be quite the snob himself. Rich kid, you know.”

She shrugs at him, but Phainon doesn’t return it. That was fine. He’ll see what she’s talking about soon enough. “If you think that he’s nice to you, that means he likes you. Any less and he wouldn’t bother at all.”

Phainon still looks disbelieving, so Cipher goes for the kill shot. “Tell me, in the four years we’ve been in this damn school, can you honestly say that he has people he’s close to other than you, me, and Castorice?”

When Phainon doesn’t answer, stunned, Cipher leans back on her seat, smug. Heh. Don’t say she never did anything for her baby brother.

Now that she’s planted the seed of Phainon being special to Mydei in his brilliant yet oblivious mind, Mydei’s courting will surely go a lot smoother now.

They’re silent for a few minutes, watching as the cheerleaders huddle for one last pep talk. Mydei looks over his shoulder to where she and Phainon were seated and waves. He doesn’t look surprised to find Cipher there, but he does seem a bit worried, his eyes darting between the two of them.

Was he afraid that Cipher would say something totally unnecessary? Well, he was far too late for that. She bares her fangs at him, taunting, but he only scowls back, a warning flashing in his eyes.

Cipher sticks out her tongue and wiggles her fingers.

Phainon chuckles as Mydei turns back to the huddle grumpily. “You and Mydei are really close, huh. You two remind me of me and my sister.”

“You have a sister?”

“Mm. She’s a year older than me. Doesn’t go here, though. She goes to a specialized art school.”

Phainon reaches down and sets a small paper bag on his lap. “Cipher, do you think Mydei would like this gift?” he asks shyly. “I wanted to give him this after the game.”

A gift? Cipher leans in as Phainon angles the bag, gasping when she finds a crocheted doll of Fig Stew. It’s a keychain, she realizes, spotting the silver ring.

Phainon starts to ramble when Cipher doesn’t answer right away, “They’re actually a pair. I have Beagle Coconut with me—ah, my chimera? I don’t know if Mydei told you about him but—”

“Did you make this yourself?” Cipher interrupts, looking up to stare at him.

“Yeah, ah, was it that obvious? I guess the stitchwork is a bit wonky,” Phainon scatches his cheek bashfully. “I had to ask my sister for help. She’s better at handicrafts than I am, but I really wanted to give him this after he gave me those honeycakes. He remembered my favorite animal, so I wanted show him that I remembered he loves chimeras too.”

Wow. Mydei… she thinks, you might’ve actually found a great guy for yourself.

“He’ll love it,” She finally answers. “Tell him everything you’ve told me. Trust me.”

Phainon beams.

That night, Mydei comes home from his not-date with Phainon giddy and flushed. He still has his cheer uniform on but with an addition: an unfamiliar jacket draping his shoulders, protecting him from the cold wind. He’s clutching the paper bag Phainon had shown her earlier.

Cipher, Eurypon, and Gorgo had been waiting for him on the couch, Cipher and Gorgo sharing conspirational looks when Mydei fails to notice them sitting there, too distracted by thoughts of—Cipher can’t believe she’s saying this—an alpha.

Eurypon crosses his arms grumpily, bitterly observing the dazed expression on Mydei’s face. He opens his mouth, twitches when Gorgo glares at him, then takes a deep breath. He tries again.

“How did it go?” He asks stiffly, and Gorgo sighs. Cipher snorts. Well, that could’ve been worse.

Mydei jumps, eyes widening when he finally realizes that his sister and parents had been watching him smile at the wall like an idiot.

“It went fine,” Mydei answers just as stiffly. He and Eurypon have an awkward stare-off, Eurypon wanting Mydei to elaborate more and Mydei looking like he wanted the earth to swallow him up—until Gorgo has had enough.

She whacks Eurypon on the shoulder. “Oh, leave Mydei alone, dear. You heard him, it went fine,” Eurypon grumbles, sinking deeper into the couch as Gorgo turns to Mydei. “Have you had dinner?”

Mydei nods. She smiles. “You can go to your room, then, darling. You must be tired.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Mydei gives her a grateful look, then flees.

Cipher follows his figure with her eyes, noting the way his hands gripped the jacket. It must be Phainon’s, and she’s so grilling him later. But first…

“Pa, you don’t have to be so overprotective,” Cipher clicks her tongue. “Mydei can take care of himself. Didn’t you make us learn judo to prepare us when we start dating? Kick alpha ass when they break our hearts?”

Gorgo stifles a laugh behind her hand as Eurypon glares at Cipher.

“No, Cipher, I made you two learn judo to protect yourselves from perverts,” He says through gritted teeth. “You two are my children. My two beautiful, precious children in a world is full of degenerates who can’t keep it in their pants.”

“Exactly,” Cipher nods sagely jumping off the couch. She pretends her heart isn’t warm after hearing Eurypon refer to her as his child, “and it doesn’t look like Mydei had to use his judo skills on Phainon earlier, so now I’m going to follow him and ask how his night went. Ooh, I wonder if they kissed."

Eurypon convulses. Her mother ignores him to smile up at Cipher. “Goodnight, sweetie.”

“Goodnight, Ma!” Cipher chirps and dashes to the second floor, making a beeline for Mydei’s room.

She doesn’t bother knocking, flinging the door open to find him in his sleepwear—Phainon’s jacket over his favored spaghetti-strap top—rolling in bed and staring at keychain Fig Stew and real Fig Stew cuddled together.

He takes maybe a thousand pictures before finally turning to Cipher, who’s eagerly waiting for him to acknowledge her. “What?”

She jumps on the bed, crushing Mydei underneath her. They wrestle for a few moments, jostling Fig Stew who doesn’t even bother to open her eyes, used to the chaos.

“You know why I’m here,” Cipher says poking at Mydei’s stomach. He lets out a breath like he’s trying not to laugh, then slaps her hand away. “Tell me how your not-date went!”

“Okay!” Mydei huffs, throwing Cipher off him. She bounces to the side, and she clutches a pillow as she shuffles back, not wanting to miss the details. “Like I said, it went well.”

“Yeah, no shit. You were literally smiling at nothing earlier,” Cipher rolls her eyes. “I mean give me the deets! Is phase three of the plan a go or a no? C’mon, Mydei—”

“Did you know that Phainon has a six pack?” Mydei blurts, freezing Cipher in place.

“What?!” She shrieks, taking Mydei by the shoulders and shaking him. He lets her, completely deadpan, like he hadn’t just upended her entire world. “Mydei, oh Titans, you and Phainon—did you two—”

She was going to kill Phainon Khaslana. What, one gift and one not-date and he already thinks its okay to put his filthy hands on her baby brother? Who the fuck does he think he is—

Mydei’s eyes widen when the implication sinks in. “What? No!” He eyes her like she’s crazy. “Of course not! We haven’t even kissed yet.”

“Oh, good, good,” Cipher calms down and clears her throat. “What did you mean by that, then?”

“He owns a motorbike,” Mydei explains, exasperated. “He drove me around the city with it, and I had to wrap my arms around him so I wouldn’t fall off. I felt it through his shirt.”

What the hell. Mydei had never been the best at explaining his thoughts—unless it was to give advice, then he’d become this wise, cracked-up guru—so she’d always been proud when she understood him even when he was being vague as fuck. But even this was beyond her skills.

Cipher shakes her head. “You know what? Start from the beginning.”

He sighs, like Cipher was being ridiculous. “After you and Castorice left, he took me to the far end of the parking lot where the bike was. He said that he knows a good food-spot, and that he’ll drive me there.”

“Pause,” Cipher holds her hands up. “Motorbike? As in, a MotoGP type of motorbike?”

Mydei shrugs, then nods, figuring it was close enough, and Cipher’s jaw drops. “What the fuck?” she whispers. “I thought a nerd like him would have a moped or something. You sure its his and not something he borrowed from his uncle or something?”

Mydei gives her a wry look. “He was very familiar with it. I don’t think he borrowed it from anyone. He called it his firstborn.”

Cipher runs a stressed hand through her hair. The hell? Was Mydei right when he thought of Phainon as a delinquent? But Castorice never mentioned anything of the sort. She’s going to have to call her the moment she returns to her room.

Mydei gives her a strange look. “Are you okay?”

“What? Oh no, I’m fine,” Cipher laughs. “What happened next?”

“…You sounded like Dad just now,” He informs her casually, and it’s like he stabbed her in the heart.

She convulses, gagging and wrapping her arms around her neck. “Take that back! I don’t sound like Pa!”

Mydei ignores her. “He took me to the park. There were a lot of food stalls. I was concerned about sanitation issues at first but they were really good. Then we ate and talked as we walked around. He returned the favor by wiping some sauce from my cheek.”

“I see,” Cipher is feeling dizzy from the whiplash of emotions that come at her, but she has more important things to worry about.

Like the fact Mydei might’ve accidentally shot his chances by being such a rich kid. As far as she knew, Phainon’s family wasn’t well-off. “…Did you voice your sanitation concerns?”

Mydei tilts his head, confused, looking like a lost kitten. “Of course. I realized after I said it that it may be an offensive thing to say, but Phainon only laughed. He said that he’d never dare to bring me to a place that wouldn't satisfy my tastes. He remembered that I got in trouble with that Home EC teacher two years ago.”

“Who wouldn’t,” Cipher says dryly, inwardly sighing in relief. “It’s not everyday you see Okhema High’s unflappable princess passionately yell at a teacher in front of his entire class.”

Mydei huffs, crossing his arms. “It was very unprofessional of him to make us use expired ingredients,” he insists. “I’m glad Director Aglaea saw my concerns and fired that incompetent man.”

Cipher snickers. “Alright, De, you made your point. So was that it? You walk around the park, share secrets underneath the stars, and he takes you home in his sexy, not-all-nerdy motorbike while you pretend you aren’t feeling him up?”

“We looped around the block a couple more times before he dropped me off,” Mydei says, then furrows his brows. “You seem strangely fixated on his motorbike.”

“Because it’s weird! He’s like… the nerdiest nerd to ever nerd! He has no business owning a motorbike unless he’s leading a double life or something!” She whines.

She knows it’s not very cool of her to place people in boxes when she literally hated when others (like Caenis) did it to her, calling her a punk for being unconventional and calling it a day, but still. This was Mydei. There was no way in hell she was taking any chances. What if Phainon was secretly a serial killer… stalker or something?

Mydei apparently doesn’t think the same.

“That would be hot,” He says flatly, and Cipher can’t tell if he’s being serious or not because he looks away to grab his phone that had been tossed aside during the earlier scuffle.

“I want to send him this. What do you think? Should I?”

Cipher looks at the photo. It’s a selfie, with Mydei posed on his stomach next to the two Fig Stews. The dangling blue earrings he’d worn for his not-date with Phainon glitters in tandem with his red eye shadow. His lips are curled into a shy smile.

The most damning things about the photo, though, were Phainon’s jacket draped across his shoulders—the hem of one of the sleeves squished in-between his pecs—and his generous cleavage exposed by the loose spaghetti strap. Phainon won’t know what hit him.

Cipher slowly looks up, absolutely sure that Mydei was only fucking with her, and that he’d send it no matter what she said.

It seems like his cluelessness with romance had made her forget what a brat he could be. “What the hell, sure.”

Mydei smirks, opening his chat with Phainon to type ‘thank you for the gift. i love her! i think fig stew does too! :D <33’ , and send the photo.

“You are an evil, evil man,” Cipher shivers.

Mydei shuts his phone, ignoring the onslaught of notifications. That was fast. “Thank you. Now get out of my room.”

The air in school had changed; apparently, a lot had witnessed Phainon and Mydei’s not-date at the park, the two of them caught looking appropriately lovey-dovey as they strolled through the fairy lights of the garden.

A lot wondered what Mydei was doing with a nerd with Phainon, while others wondered what Phainon did (or had) for Mydei to give him a second look. All disgusting sentiments, and it took all of Cipher’s willpower to not start scratching at people’s faces left and right.

Caenis had been especially nasty, making her usual little comments whenever Mydei was around. She probably saw this opportunity to snatch Mydei’s crown. He paid her no mind, though, until she made the mistake of insulting Phainon.

Mydei had turned on her so fast. “Caenis,” he began, sickly sweet. Castorice had giggled into her hand because he sounded just like Cipher before she tore people apart, “how’s that boyfriend of yours doing? I heard you talking about his…” he leaned in and stage-whispered, “performance in bed.”

Caenis blushed furiously as the peanut gallery tittered like a bunch of vultures. But Mydei wasn’t finished yet.

“Maybe you should break up with him,” Mydei advised her calmly. “Clearly, you two are not so compatible if he can’t get it up for you. You tell me to have some dignity, but maybe you should look at yourself first.”

Caenis had fled in tears. Cipher, who had coincidentally been standing next to Phainon during the entire hallway confrontation, leaned in. “See? I told you: not nice.”

Phainon turned to her, dazed. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. There was wonder there, but also something she really didn’t want to think about. Cipher patted his back cautiously and left him alone, making a beeline for her girlfriend. Castorice spotted her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Hey,” Cipher said, pecking her on the lips. When she leaned back, Castorice pulled her back in, nearly drowning in the alpha’s petrichor scent.

“Mydei got that from you,” Castorice told her when they pull away, panting into each other’s mouths.

Cipher smirked at her, turning to Mydei who’s already next to Phainon. They’re talking and smiling at each other, paying the other students no mind. When Mydei reached out tentatively to grip Phainon’s sleeve, Phainon stepped even closer.

Well, well. Looks like nerdy boy had guts. If he hadn’t caved from the pressure by now and avoided Mydei like the plague, then he probably wouldn’t. Ever.

Cipher had to hand it to him, it’s not easy being thrust into the spotlight all of the sudden, but Phainon looked like was going nowhere unless Mydei himself asked him to.

Which meant that phase three was a go.

Saturday rolls around, and she finds herself sitting on the couch and watching a reality show with Castorice to pass the time.

Mydei comes bounding down the stairs not even five minutes later, hair tied into a half-updo with one of his cheer ribbons. Phainon likes them, or so she’d been unwillingly informed.

He’s in a red tank top a size too small, the fabric stretched alluringly across his chest, and in shorts that were definitely shorter than he usually wears. Mydei notices her looking him up and down with a amused brow and raises his chin.

“What?” He asks blandly, but he can’t hide how his ears turn pink.

“Nothing,” Cipher smirks. “I see you’re pulling out all the stops. What do you think, babe?”

Castorice gives him a supportive thumbs-up. “I will be very impressed if Phainon manages to keep himself from blushing the moment he looks at you.”

Mydei smiles and fiddles with the bracelet Phainon had gotten him after the Caenis Incident. Cipher has caught him admiring at it plenty of times. He even admires it during dinner which hilariously makes Eurypon twitch. He doesn’t say anything, though, fearing his wife’s ire.

“Phainon’s on the way,” Mydei tells them. “I better wait for him outside.”

He walks to the front door without waiting for a response, opening it and peeking his head out. Cipher and Castorice share a fond look. Who knew a Mydei in love would be this cute?

Cipher’s about to turn back to the TV when her eyes land on something that nearly gave her a heart attack. In a hallway not visible from the entry, a bloodshot eye meets hers from an ajar door.

She almost screams, but then she realizes she knew who the eye belonged to. She turns to Castorice instead, who’s watching the dynamics of the Love Island couples with the same enraptured air of a nature documentary enthusiast.

“Babe, I’ll be right back,” Cipher kisses her cheek. “I just have to go get something from my room.”

“Mm,” Castorice hums, still engrossed. She’s probably gathering material for her next work.

Cipher heads to the hallway and slips into the room, arms crossed. “What the hell, Pa? Aren’t you supposed to be at work after you dropped Ma off at the spa?”

Eurypon looks guilty at the mention of Gorgo, but he quickly snaps schools his face into a collected expression. He clears his throat, “Well, yes. But I seem to have forgotten something so I came back home.”

“I see,” Cipher nods thoughtfully, “Which is why you entered through the back door and hid your presence until I caught you lurking like some ghastly demon.”

“I am neither ghastly or demonic,” Eurypon says, offended. “And I wasn’t lurking. Why would I do that in my own house?”

“Because you aren’t supposed to be here,” Cipher reminds him. “Is this about Phainon coming over?”

“I should send you and Mydeimos to an all-omega school,” Eurypon seethes. “Why does his tutor have to be an alpha? Surely there are other omegas in school that could assist him with mathematics?”

“Woah! Getting too old school there, Pa,” Cipher jokes, but she’s looking at Eurypon like he just sprouted another head. He’s never been this overprotective before. “Look, I get that we’re all nervous about De getting his first crush ever, but there’s no need to go that far.”

Eurypon falters as he realizes what he said, calming down and rubbing a hand to his temple. “Alright. I didn’t mean that… perhaps I overreacted.”

“Yes, Eurypon. You did,” Gorgo’s voice echoes in the room, making Eurypon jump and look around frantically. Cipher fishes her phone from her hoodie’s pocket, showing him an ongoing call with Gorgo.

“M-my love,” Eurypon says, stepping back. “I didn’t know you were listening—”

“We talked about this. You promised to leave Mydei alone and stop hovering over him like a bat,” Gorgo scolds him, voice eerily calm. Cipher winces, knowing that tone. Oh, Ma is super mad. R.I.P., Pa.

“And yet you go behind my back and went back home anyway.”

“But Gorgo,” Eurypon whines childishly, “I just wanted to—”

“No,” Her mother cuts him off. “Don’t you realize, Eurypon? Doing this would tell Mydei and Cipher that we don’t trust them at all. They’re teenagers, not children. And Phainon’s only there to tutor Mydei. Go to work.”

Eurypon doesn’t argue further; he only sniffles. He never did handle Gorgo angry with him well. “I… okay,” he says miserably. “I’ll go. Honey, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not me you should apologize to,” She says coolly, reminding Eurypon who exactly was the master of their household. “We’ll be talking about this when I get home.”

“Okay…”

“Good,” Gorgo says firmly. “I’ll have Cipher text me in ten minutes. If you’re not gone by then, you’re sleeping in the couch tonight. Understand?”

“Yes…” Eurypon slumps, looking like a scolded puppy. He’s definitely too old to pull this pathetic look, but it clearly works on her mother because her tone softens, as if knowing how miserable he looked right now.

“Okay, love. Drive safely, hm? I love you.”

“I love you, too…”

“And I love you, Cipher. Thanks for calling me.”

“No problem, Ma,” Cipher chirps. “And I love you, too!”

The call ends, and the moment it does, Eurypon glares at her with red-rimmed eyes. “How could you betray me like this? My own flesh and blood?”

“I’m literally adopted,” Cipher points out. Eurypon makes another offended noise.

“Surely a daughter like you can only be my mine by blood?” Eurypon asks, genuinely confused, head tilted and all. “Are you not a perfect mix of Gorgo and me?”

Cipher stares at him. She really didn’t understand her father sometimes. She definitely didn’t look like either of her parents. “…you were there when you signed the adoption papers. Did you hit your head? Or was it addled when Ma got mad at you?”

He seems to remember he was supposed to be angry at Cipher, and he crosses his arms. “I cannot believe you did that, Cifera.”

Cipher mirrors him. “I don’t understand why you’re acting like this. You never did this to Castorice when she was courting me, and I was much younger then.”

“That’s different,” Eurypon waves her off. “Castorice is a good girl, which I had known when she had been a friend and not an alpha courting you. Unlike that Phainon boy.”

“You never even met him, Pa,” Cipher points out. “Besides, he’s a nerd. He’s harmless,” Or at least she assumed so. However, she has the feeling that that’s not entirely true. Eurypon didn’t need to know that, though.

Eurypon snorts. “Cifera, it is because he is an accomplished scholar that I am wary. Their minds are akin to cesspools, full of useless knowledge and perverted fantasies. I would know. I was one in high school.”

Oh, ewww. She did not need to know that about him and Gorgo.

“I think your definition of nerd is quite different from us modern youths,” Cipher tells him quickly. “This one is just clumsy and too smart for his own good. Someone as grounded as Mydei would be a good match to him. Mydei enjoys fussing over people, and this one needs all the help he can get.”

Her father looks doubtful so she goes on, “I once saw him trip over literally nothing. Mydei has never slipped a day in his life. And you know what they say about opposites…”

Eurypon, sadly, is no longer listening to her, lost in his mutterings. “I had to listen to fellow scholars say those terrible things about Gorgo… ha! Fools, just look who she married in the end…"

“Well, would you look at that,” Cipher claps her hands. “It’s almost ten minutes! Shouldn’t you go now?”

Eurypon flees the house, thankfully not bumping into Mydei, Phainon, or Castorice. It’s a good thing he came through the back door, too, or he would've freaked if he saw Phainon arriving in a motorbike and insisted on staying, Gorgo’s threat forgotten.

When Cipher returns to the couch, Castorice is looking at her curiously.

“Phainon arrived five minutes ago. He and Mydei are in his room now.”

“Really? How’d he react?”

“He blushed really hard and nearly dropped the bouquet he brought in his eagerness to shower him with compliments. It was very amusing. Mydei was delighted.”

Cipher laughs. “So it went well,” she bends down to place a kiss on the alpha’s ear, smirking when her petrichor scent flares predictably. “Let’s go to my room, too, hm?” She laces their fingers together and pulls her up, Castorice following willingly with a smile.

They’re making out in bed when Castorice pulls back to curiously ask, “Where did you go? You were gone for more than a few minutes.”

Cipher pulls her back in, fidgeting with the straps of her bra. “I was just exorcising a demon,” she says, then flips them, settling into Castorice lap. She swallows her girlfriend’s questions with more kisses and soon the matter is entirely forgotten.

There’s a knock on her door four hours later. Cipher looks up from where she was cuddled up on Castorice’s chest, who also looks up from where she’d been furiously typing into her phone.

They both take a cursory look to make sure they’re decent before calling out to Mydei.

“Come in!”

Mydei slips into the room, cheeks flushed pink and looking incredibly shy. Cipher sits up immediately, wondering what put that expression on her brother’s face.

“Hey, Phainon went home already?”

Mydei nods. “He said he needs to pick his sister up from the mall.”

He crawls onto the bed, sighing contentedly as he settles between Cipher and Castorice. Their scents mingle, and Cipher purrs in satisfaction. Mydei purrs back as Castorice chirps.

They lay there for a few minutes, Cipher nearly dozing off and forgetting to interrogate Mydei how the tutoring went when he finally speaks up.

“I kissed Phainon,” he says, and Cipher’s eyes immediately snap open. “…I never knew kissing was so enjoyable.”

Cipher holds her hands up to the ceiling. “Pause,” She sits up to properly stare into Mydei’s eyes. Mydei doesn’t look at her, though, just stares at the ceiling. “Whatever happened to only ‘checking if he respects your boundaries’?”

Castorice, meanwhile, is vibrating with excitement, though her voice comes out collected when she asks, “You kissed him? Like a smack?”

Mydei shakes his head, pulling the blanket to his chin. “No. He was about to leave my room when I pulled him back and kissed him. I couldn’t resist, he looked like a kick puppy when he said he needed to go… and then we ended up doing more than just smacking on my desk.”

Now even Cipher can’t maintain her ‘responsible big sister’ act, mostly because she’d be a hypocrite if she got mad at Mydei for making out with his crush when she literally did the same thing (and more) with her girlfriend just hours ago.

She’s also incredibly happy for him, so she can’t possibly be a killjoy right now.

She reaches out to pinch Mydei’s cheeks, “Ma is going to be so proud of you, little lion. So what did he do, swept you off your feet and carried you to your desk to makeout with you?”

“He did,” Mydei says, gaze cloudy. “You wouldn't believe—his arms… they’re so firm, Cipher. He held me in one arm so easily and then carefully moved the things on my desk to the side as he placed me down. It was so hot…. his hand was so big when he placed it on my thigh…” he trails off with a tiny whimper.

Cipher gags playfully. Well, mostly. She didn’t have to know all that, alright?

Castorice places a hand over her mouth. “A size kink and strength kink on top of a competence kink? That is… very you, Mydei.”

“Shut it,” Mydei grumbles with a pout. “I liked him before I knew he was strong, alright?”

“Do you think he does gym?” Castorice hums thoughtfully. “If he does, then he might go to a different one. We’ve never seen him at ours.”

“I did ask, but he said he doesn’t.”

“How’d he get so strong, then?” Cipher asks.

“He grew up in a farm before he and his sister moved to Okhema to study,” Mydei explains, clutching a pillow to his chest. Oh. Well, it seems the mystery of Phainon’s strength was solved now—

“Anyway, we ended up kissing for a while before he confessed that he liked me.”

“Really?!”

“And what did you say?!”

“I said I returned his feelings, and that I wanted us to date,” Mydei lips tip upward. “He cried, and after he calmed down we resumed kissing. But then he really had to leave because his sister called again.”

He startles when Castorice leaps off the bed, cheering, while Cipher rolls around the sheets and eventually falls off with a loud thud. She surfaces, hair a mess and playfully whining, “Mydei, how could you do this to meee?”

“What is going on,” He demands, bewildered.

“Cipher and I made a bet,” Castorice says laughingly as she helps Cipher up, who sulkily clings to her while begging her to keep quiet, “I bet that you two would start dating today, while Cipher insisted that you guys were too chicken to make a move this early.”

Mydei gapes at them, still buried under the blankets. “Unbelievable. And there is no such thing as chicken—”

“—in the Kremnos household,” she and Castorice finish gleefully.

He scowls as Cipher crawls back next to him, deliberately putting all her weight on his stomach just to be annoying, “I guess it’s official, Mydei. Welcome to the Taken Club.”

“Stop that,” Mydei grumbles as he throws her off. She lands to the side with an ‘oof’, and by the time she looks back at him, he’s smiling softly to himself as he settles back into the sheets.

Castorice meets her eyes from where she's curled up on Mydei’s other side. They smile as they peek at Mydei, who’s on his phone and in the middle of uploading a photo of him and Phainon on Instaslate.

It’s clearly taken earlier while they were in Mydei’s room, both of them smiling at the camera with their cheeks smushed together, Mydei’s sunset hair wild and untamed like a lion’s mane and his signature ribbon missing from his usual half updo.

The mystery of the missing ribbon is solved as her gaze falls on Phainon’s neck where it’s tied into a neat little bow. His glasses are askew and hair as wild as Mydei’s, but his smile is bright and his eyes are curved into happy crescents.

Mydei captions it with ‘Study session with my genius boyfriend. A success.’ and tags Phainon’s Instaslate handle.

Cipher hides a smile and leaves him alone. It was very like Mydei to skip the soft launch and jump to the hard launch stage.

Judging by that ribbon around Phainon’s neck, Mydei’s going to be quite the menace in the next few weeks. She knows Phainon can handle it, though she doubts she can say the same with the rest of their school.

She looks forward to laughing at the looks on their faces.

Four months pass, and Mydei’s relationship with Phainon is still going strong and was as adorable as ever. Phainon joins them at lunch time now, and it’s like the four of them were having a double date in the cafeteria every day.

Castorice and Phainon get along to no one’s surprise. They’d been friends in debate, drifted apart a bit after Castorice had quit, but had gotten back into rhythm once Mydei took an interest in him.

Apparently, Castorice had subtly sounded him out to see if he returned Mydei’s feelings. She got her answer after one question because Phainon had waxed poetic about him right off the jump.

Cipher is pleasantly surprised to find that before she had taken over, Phainon used to beta her girlfriend’s works. She wonders what face he’d make if he knew that he and Mydei got together thanks to The Plan Castorice and Gorgo made.

As she’d suspected, Mydei was fiercely possessive of Phainon; he invited him to cheer practice, insisted he wear Mydei’s heavily scented letterman, and even bared his omegan fangs at a group of assholes who were planning on cornering him.

Phainon took it all in stride, smiling down at Mydei indulgently, his campfire scent wafting contentedly as Mydei wrapped a possessive arm around his elbow.

And it wasn’t like Phainon had been slacking off in the good boyfriend department either. He brought him flowers every day, cheered Mydei on when his scores began to improve, and came to watch every cheer practice.

When Mydei had to be sent to the clinic because a teammate had accidentally kicked him in the head as he hoisted her up, Phainon had swooped in and swept Mydei into a bridal carry, holding him in his arms like he weighed nothing as he rushed him to the clinic on the other side of campus.

It was admittedly impressive; Mydei was mostly muscle—the result of years of gymnastics, cheerleading, and judo—and he was one of the tallest and biggest people in school.

He stood a head taller than his fellow omegas, Cipher included, and no one, not even alphas, had managed to come up to his height.

Until Phainon, at least. No one had really noticed at first since he’d always been slouching, but ever since he and Mydei started dating, he stood straighter, smiled more confidently, and tripped over nothing less.

Mydei fit right into his side, and he clearly enjoyed being the smaller one for once, tucking himself into Phainon’s chest as he wrapped his hand around his waist, purring blissfully.

He also began to let his scent out more, especially around alphas who dared to approach Mydei even though they knew he was taken. When he started to accompany Mydei and Castorice to the gym, her girlfriend always ended up regaling her with amusing anecdotes of Phainon and Mydei getting into ridiculous competitions.

Castorice had also told her about the time Phainon had snapped at an alpha that tried to pinch Mydei’s ass. Phainon had bristled and growled, loud and guttural, echoing across the gym and scaring half of the alphas.

They probably weren’t expecting such a vicious warning from someone with glasses nearly as big as his face, but his scent had apparently been oppressing, as if a large hand had clamped on their napes and slammed their bodies face down in forced submission.

(“Woah, are you okay?” Cipher asked worriedly, but Castorice only smiled mischievously.

“I’m alright. It wasn’t directed at me so I wasn’t really affected… I could feel it, though,” she hummed thoughtfully as she wiggled her toes, tickling Cipher’s ankles. “He’s definitely a poweful alpha.”

Cipher tucked that information away for later, opting to roll her eyes when she gave in and asked, “And do I even want to know how Mydei reacted?”

Castorice giggled.

“He was very impressed,” Castorice said, “He and Phainon disappeared the moment I turned my back. They came back after a few minutes, and Phainon looked dizzy while Mydei was as smug as a cat.”

“Ugh.”)

Sometimes, Cipher would come across them studying in the gardens. Mydei’s brows would be furrowed in concentration as he focused on his notes, and Phainon would have his chin in his hand as he watched Mydei with a soft expression.

It was so ridiculously sweet that Cipher had to leave, convinced she’d get diabetes if she looked at them for too long.

She can’t believe she’s saying this… but she’s actually beginning to like Phainon despite her initial reservations. He had a sense of humor that matched hers, was a good friend to Castorice, and he treated Mydei like a princess he was honored to spoil. Mydei had never smiled this much while at school before, and it was all because of one nerd. Unbelievable.

Eurypon was kinda sour about the entire thing, but he did give his blessing once he saw how happy Mydei was when he broke the news. That talk with Gorgo probably helped him accept that his son was finally interested in things teenagers were usually interested in.

Cipher had watched him grovel after Gorgo, snickering, while Mydei watched on with confusion, wondering what their dad did this time. He didn’t ask and she didn’t tell.

Gorgo, on the other hand, was ecstatic. She was delighted that it had all worked out and immediately told Mydei that Phainon was invited for dinner any time. Eurypon had perked up, sensing the opportunity to grill the hell out of his son’s boyfriend, which presented itself over a month ago.

One would think that three months in was way too early to meet their partner’s parents, but not Phainon. He very seriously told Mydei that he wanted to meet them so he can prove that he was serious about their son.

Phainon had been a proper gentleman the entire time, presenting Mydei, Gorgo, and Castorice with flowers while he slid Cipher a box of her favorite candy and handed Eurypon a bottle of sophisticated wine.

She had no idea where he got all this, but she was impressed nonetheless. Even Eurypon had to pause in shock when he’d been nearly vibrating out of his skin in his eagerness to shoot him down.

He cleaned up well, too, wearing a dress shirt that accentuated his broad shoulders paired with black tight-fitting slacks that showed off powerful thighs—a far cry from the nerdy, yellow oversized hoodies and loose, purple sweatpants he favored.

His sister must’ve helped, Cipher thinks, noting that Phainon had also switched out his usual glasses with something more elegant.

(“You didn’t have to do all this just to impress my parents,” she heard Mydei whisper worriedly as they headed to the dining room. “You only need to be yourself, Phainon. You look very handsome either way.”

Cipher sneaked a look back to see Phainon smile at him fondly, an errant strand of hair escaping from where he’d slicked it back. “Thank you. I don’t mind dressing like this once in a while. Besides, I wanted to show your parents that this is important to me. That you are important to me, Mydei.”

“…Hmph,” Mydei sounded flustered. “Fine. Do as you will.”

Phainon pressed a soft kiss on his hair. “Mhm.”)

By the end of the night, Phainon had completely won over their parents with his boy-next-door charm and stories of his academic successes. Gorgo had hugged him warmly at the door while Eurypon had shaken his hand, begrudgingly impressed.

If only he saw the way Phainon’s large hand had squeezed Mydei’s ass once his and Gorgo’s back were turned. Mydei had let out a high-pitched squeak and punched Phainon’s shoulder, embarrassed.

Cipher watched, unimpressed, as Phainon gathered Mydei in his arms and pressed an apologetic kiss to his temple.

Then, he waved at Cipher warmly; she returned it with an ‘I see you’ gesture. He smiled sheepishly as he turned to Castorice. They planned on walking home together after Mydei advised against bringing his motorbike.

All in all, she felt that Mydei’s first relationship was going really well—almost too well, even—but Cipher decided not to dwell on it. She went to sleep at night well and content, knowing that her baby brother had a good boyfriend that clearly adored him.

But tonight is not one of those nights. Cipher sits up in bed, breath heavy and chest lurching from a nightmare. She rubs at her eyes, trying to erase the memories she wished she can forget.

When they still flash through their mind insistently, she decides to head down to the kitchen for a glass of water. She leaves her room, shutting the door quietly as the dimly lit hallway greets her.

She’s in the middle of pouring water into a glass when details become more vivid. She remembers clearly now; she had a nightmare about that period of her life.

That terrible period after she lost her mom and dad in a car accident and slipped through the system. With no other relatives to take her in, she turned to the streets for survival. She still remembered the pain and the hunger, years after.

Everything changed the day she decided to help a lost kid who’d been separated from his parents. Her heart ached when she saw the way he kept rubbing his eyes, bravely holding his tears back when he was clearly so scared.

She knew what it was like to lose her parents, so she had introduced herself and taken his hand. She gave him the only article that provided her with warmth—a battered cloak—and told him to keep it up.

The kid looked pretty and rich; Cipher might’ve been five at the time, but even she knew the dangers and terror the slums could present to a rich young master like him.

She guided him out carefully, her heart filling with joy when they arrived at the park and found his parents running towards them in relief. She tried not to feel envious as she watched them embrace him so tenderly.

She knew she didn’t belong in this touching scene. She looked down at her filthy clothes and dust-stained feet. She was a street rat, as the adults in the slums had told her, there was nothing for her here.

She was about to leave when the kid toddled back to her and gripped her hand. “Ciphy saved me. She’s my sister now,” he said and nodded firmly, like everything had been decided right then and there.

(And it had. Eurypon and Gorgo had taken one look at Mydei’s chubby, stubborn face and agreed, asking Cipher for her name and if she wanted to come with them.)

Even as a kid, Mydei had always marched to his own beat, she thinks fondly as she drinks from the glass. And thank fuck for that, because now she had a roof over her head, a warm bed, loving parents, and an adorable baby brother. What more could an orphan like her ask for?

She nearly jumps out of her skin when, as she’s setting the glass down, she spots a shadow of a person moving in the living room. Shit, was that a thief? Or her own imagination?

Cautious, she opens one of the drawers silently, pressing on a kink that revealed the taser under the false bottom. Praise Eurypon and his paranoid mind.

She slowly steps in the direction of the living room, keeping herself hidden and—shit, there was definitely a person standing by the front door. She can hear the soft metal clinks of someone messing with the locks.

She takes a deep breath, then rounds the corner ready to tase the hell out of the intruder when she comes face-to-face with a very familiar… well, face.

“Mydei?” She hisses, quickly setting the safety back on. He looks back at her with huge, round eyes, lashes flickering as he eyes the taser warily. “What the fuck are you doing? I thought you were a thief!”

“Why are you awake?” He whispers back, looking like a deer in the headlights. “Go back to sleep.”

“Why am I awa—” Cipher starts to repeat incredulously when she finally realizes what Mydei was doing by the front door at one in the morning. “Were you trying to sneak out?”

Mydei winces, “Please don’t tell mom and dad,” he begs. “I promise I’ll be back soon.”

“No, wait, what the fuck? Where are you even going?” Cipher demands, pulling him back when he starts to leave. “Who are you meeting up with?”

She knows the answer before she even finished her question. Mydei never did something as stupid as sneaking out before, and there was only one new variable in his life that could possibly convince him to do so.

“Phainon, then?” She says when he doesn’t answer, guiltily avoiding her eyes. She takes a deep breath to stave off the anger. She never did like getting angry; it only reminded her of her dad and the way he treated her mom before the car accident took their lives.

“You guys are already together all the time in school, and now you can’t even wait one night?” She asks calmly, only to go cold when a horrible thought occurs to her. “Is he… forcing you to—”

“No! No,” Mydei hurries to interrupt, voice low and pleading as he holds Cipher’s hand in his. “Please, Cipher, it’s not what you think.”

“Then tell me what you’re up to, Mydei,” Cipher says, crossing her arms. She looks up, listening for noises, making sure their parents were still asleep despite the ruckus. “Where are you going dressed up like that?”

She takes a look at his outfit: he’s wearing tight black jeans paired with a black shirt. He also has a black leather jacket on and a black cap on his head. In his hand is a black facemask, a bit crumpled from the way he held it tightly.

It is very unlike his usual choice in clothes; Mydei had always favored whites, pinks, and reds, maybe a little blue now and then. But this? This was entirely different. He looked like he was cosplaying a fuckboy that frequented bars to pick up omegas.

He looked like an alpha, which wasn’t hard for him to do, though her eyes lingered at the patches he wore on his neck to conceal his scent. He noticed her looking, and he shifted until it was completely hidden under his jacket.

“I…” Mydei hesitates, biting his lip. “It’s not my place to tell, Cipher. Phainon had entrusted me with this secret and I don’t want to break his trust.”

“Fine,” Cipher says coolly. “If you won’t tell me, then I’m coming with you.”

She raises a hand when Mydei begins to protest. “Nope. You’re not going to change my mind. I’m going back upstairs to change, and if you’re not here by the time I get back, I swear I’m waking Ma and Pa up.”

Mydei nods, a bit feebly, and Cipher knows he’s not going anywhere.

She quickly changes, matching Mydei’s style and even slapped on a few patches for herself. She could definitely pass as an alpha, thankfully tall enough to pretend that she was one.

She and Mydei don’t speak as they sneak out. The silence is awkward, and this is the most distant they’ve been in all their years together. When Mydei starts walking down the block, she follows, not sure what to do.

They’re nearly at the corner when Mydei turns to her. “… I’m sorry for not telling you. I know you’re only worried.”

Cipher sighs.

“I couldn't care less about Phainon’s secret. I just wished you told me that you were sneaking out at all. Is this the first time?”

Mydei shakes his head. “No. This would be my third.”

Cipher closes her eyes. “Okay,” she sighs. She still feels a bit hurt, but she’s aware it’s irrational. Mydei meant nothing personal by keeping this from her. She knows that. “Where’s Phainon? Shouldn’t he be out here waiting?”

“He’s around the corner with his bike,” He answers quietly. Then, “Cipher, you have to promise me that you wouldn’t judge him for this. I promise he’s a good man.”

Oh, she was already judging him alright. She knew an alpha like him was too good to be true. There was no way he didn’t have a few secrets of his own. And if he wanted to involve Mydei in them, it was her job as his big sister to make sure that it didn’t involve anything dangerous.

“Okay.”

“I’m serious, Cipher.”

She lets out another deep breath. Oops, thinking about Phainon had made her angry again.

“Fine.”

She spots him the moment they turn the corner. He looks completely different, looking cool and composed as he leans on his bike. He has the typical biker gear on; a black leather jacket that matched Mydei’s, his large hands covered by black fingerless gloves. His glasses are nowhere to be seen.

There was no trace of the clumsy, talkative nerd she knew.

He brightens when he sees Mydei, though it satisfyingly falters when Cipher appears behind him. His face goes blank as his eyes flick between Mydei’s guilty face and Cipher’s furious one.

Then, another smile appears, soft and understanding as his gaze settles on his boyfriend. “You got caught, huh?”

“Mm,” Mydei says, stepping into Phainon’s arms when he opens them for a hug. “I’m sorry. I know you said it was a secret.”

“No, it’s fine,” Phainon coos, pressing a gentle kiss on Mydei’s red ear. Cipher nearly scoffs. So he might be completely different now, but it seems like his blatant adoration for Mydei was still the same. She’ll give him points for that. “I’m sorry for asking you to keep a secret from your sister. I know it was hard.”

And it probably was. Mydei was a very honest person, and he and Cipher had no secrets between them. He didn’t see the point of keeping things from her when he knew that he could count on her anytime.

But he was also not the type to spill others’ secrets. She respected that, which is why she doesn’t feel angry at him. No, she’s angry at Phainon, because she thought he was someone she could trust.

“Cipher,” Phainon begins, hesitant. “Hey. I know this is quite the shock.”

“That’s Miss Cipher to you, asshole,” She seethes. “You think you can drag my brother out in the middle of the night and ask him to keep it a secret from his sister? Who the fuck do you think you are?!”

“Cipher!” Mydei says, shocked.

Phainon looks hurt, but he stands his ground. “I know. I’m sorry… I was just looking for the right time to tell you and Castorice. I never meant to alienate Mydei from you.”

“Now hold on a second,” Mydei cuts in. “I was never—”

“You could've put him in danger and we would've never known,” she snaps at Phainon, viciously satisfied when he flinches. “What if one night you two went out joyriding or whatever it is you do and got into an accident? Were we supposed to find out when whatever worker in charge of your case knocks on our door to bring the news?”

Phainon exhales, stricken. “Miss Cipher, I know you don’t trust me right now, but please believe me when I say that I would do anything in my power to keep Mydei safe. I would never put him in danger like that.”

“How can I, when I don’t even know who you are?” Cipher sneers at him. “Was the nerdiness even real? The glasses? The clumsiness? Or was it all just some kind of fucked-up disguise?”

Phainon rubs at his neck sheepishly as Mydei gives him a tired sideye.

“I asked the same thing when he showed me this part of him,” Mydei tells her dryly. “Don’t worry, Cipher. That was all real. This is the disguise. As for the glasses, he’s just wearing contacts right now.”

“Then why the hell is he dressed like that? Why are you dressed up like that?” Cipher shakes her head. “Where are we going?”

There’s a pause as Phainon and Mydei share a look. It’s one she recognizes as she and Castorice used to do it all the time. Now she finally understands how Mydei felt whenever he told them to stop because it was annoying.

Mydei steps forward to loop his arm around her elbow. “Look, Cipher. I think it’s better to show you than explain here. We’re late as it is,” he looks into her eyes, the golden depths serious and earnest. “Phainon truly didn’t mean anything nefarious by doing this. He only wanted to share this part of his life with me because he wanted me to know.”

Cipher looks at him, then Phainon, then back at Mydei who looks like he knows she’s about to give in. She groans.

“You know, before Mydei decided he liked you, I was the fun sister who always dragged him into trouble,” she complains to Phainon. “But now I feel like a mini Eurypon. I’ve become a worrywart! What the hell! This is so not me! I’m washed!”

When Phainon only gapes at her, she stomps her foot and glares at him. “This is all your fault, just so we’re clear.”

Mydei snickers, dragging her past Phainon and to the bike, “That was an ‘okay’, by the way,” He calls over his shoulder.

When they’re all settled on the motorbike, Mydei takes the time to squeeze her hand and whisper, “You’re still the coolest big sister ever, Ciphy. Worrywart or not.”

Cipher sniffs. Damn right she was.

After a torturous ride in which Cipher had been forgotten and she had to watch her baby brother grope at Phainon like a common pervert as he hugged him from behind, they finally arrive at… a dingy bar?

Maybe she should’ve thrown herself off when she had the chance. She was basically half-hanging from the bike anyway. It was not made for two large guys and a tall woman, that’s for sure.

“We’re going drinking?” She hisses at Mydei. “You’ve never drank anything alcoholic other than wine in your life!”

“It’s just a facade,” He whispers back, handing her an extra black mask. “Here, put this on. Don’t let anyone recognize you.”

Cipher puts it on warily. She tells herself she’d see through this til the end, though she didn’t like the implications of a bar being a facade. When she turns to Phainon, there’s an unfamiliar look on his face, something frosty and harsh in the way he glared at the men loitering outside the building as he strides forward, back straight and confident. Mydei follows him, sticking close.

“Welcome, Sir Reaver,” the bouncer at the door greets almost reverently, eyes flicking towards Cipher and Mydei. “A good evening to you as well, Sir Strife and Miss…”

“Trickery,” Mydei supplies, shielding her. “My sister.”

“She’ll be one of my regular guests starting tonight,” Phainon informs before calmly heading inside like he owned the place. “Register her name.”

“Of course, Sir.”

Cipher silently follows them to the bar, warily eyeing the alphas that were scattered around the place. They looked huge and intimidating, eyeing the three of them like they were pieces of meat. Cipher sees one leer at her and she glares back. Ugh. Alphas were all the same.

Phainon takes them to the back, barely sparing the bartender a glance as he opens a door that leads to a staircase. They go down, and Cipher’s heart pounds as the silence that envelops them turns into muffled club music and cheers the further down they go.

She has a feeling she knows what’s going on, and she’s unsure of what to do when her hunch gets proven right. Shake Mydei’s shoulders maybe for being so stupidly in love with a boy, maybe.

A few minutes later, Phainon opens the door and loud cheers and screams greets them. The stench of sweat and stinky alpha hormones assault her even through the mask. Men and women in seats are yelling at a ring right in the middle of the large room, creating a ruckus when the woman inside suckerpunches her opponent and knocks him out.

Oh Titans, she was right. They’re in an underground boxing arena. She was going to kill Phainon.

She turns to her companions incredulously, but she has to roll her eyes when she sees them bumping their foreheads together, Mydei looking like he was about to send his boyfriend to war. He pulls his mask down briefly to peck at his nose. “Good luck out there, Flame Reaver.”

Phainon’s eyes light up. “Thank you. I have to go to the locker room. Do you remember where the VIP section is?”

Mydei huffs. “Of course.”

“Alright. I’ll see you later, love,” He nods at Cipher. “Miss Trickery.”

Cipher narrows her eyes at him. “You fighting?” Phainon nods again. “Then you have to win, otherwise this will just be embarrassing.”

It’s an olive branch; she’s still unsure about the whole thing, but she could see how nervous he was about Cipher potentially hating him forever despite his attempts to be nonchalant about it. It isn’t that she disliked him now that she knows this part of him, but she is still kinda pissed.

Phainon takes it, shoulders slumping in relief. He’s aware that he isn’t completely forgiven yet, but Cipher was open to understanding him better. “Of course. I’ve yet to lose a match.”

Mydei looks between the two of them fondly. He’s probably smug that Cipher and Phainon were getting along again. Brat.

She and Mydei sit on a velvet couch; they’re in the VIP Lounge, apparently, reserved for the Top Fighters’ guests. It’s only Mydei, her, and one other person tonight: an old man seated in a corner. He nods at Mydei when he notices them come in then goes back to observing the match intensely.

Cipher rounds on Mydei. “What business does a nerd like him have in an underground boxing ring?” she demands, keeping her voice low. “Is this even legal? And Flame Reaver?”

“Yes, it’s all legal,” Mydei whispers back, eyes on the ring below. Phainon will be fighting in the match after this one, as she’s been informed. “Flame Reaver is his codename for these matches. No one really uses their real name in this place. Oh, and that old man who just nodded at us owns this place. I think he’s one of Dad’s business partners.”

Cipher subtly glances at the old man once more before turning back to Mydei. “Holy shit, I think that’s Mr. Gnaeus!”

Mydei nods. “The boxers are all part of a legitimate boxing club. These matches are just a way to earn extra cash. There are bets, of course, but its all moderated through legal channels. Phai—ah, Reaver had been a freshman when he got recruited into the club by Mr. Gnaeus himself, though he only joined the matches after he turned eighteen.”

“I saw the potential in his shoulders and biceps. They make a good boxer,” Mr. Gnaeus says, making Cipher and Mydei jump. They stare at him wide-eyed as he stood behind their seats, chuckling. “So Eurypon’s children are my greatest fighter’s friends. I thought I was seeing things when I saw Mydei the last two times, but I’m sure now that Cipher’s here too. Tell me, does your boring old man know that you’re here?”

“…we snuck out, Sir,” Mydei admits with a wince.

Mr. Gnaeus throws his head back, laughing.

“Good, good. Now this is great. I get to stare at him at our next meeting like I know something he doesn’t. It’ll piss him off for sure. Oh, but I’m not telling him, of course.”

He winks at them, making Cipher and Mydei chuckle awkwardly.

“I’ll leave you two alone now. Phainon will be out in a few minutes.”

“…Phainon joined these matches because he and his sister needed the extra cash,” Mydei tells her once Gnaeus has returned to his seat. “He didn’t want to burden their parents since they were growing old.”

Cipher remembered they were farmers. She supposes she can understand the desire; she’d do the same for Eurypon and Gorgo if it had been her in that situation.

With her reservations gone, she leans back on her seat. “Alright, little lion. Educate me on your Flame Reaver’s style.”

Mydei does, cheeks flushed with enthusiasm as he recalls the previous fights he saw. Apparently, Phainon was a brutal yet efficient fighter. It was what made him so feared in the ring; he disliked playing around, preferring to knock his opponents out as quick as possible.

“He says it’s because he worries he’ll be too tired to focus in class,” Mydei says, shrugging. “Like I told you, Phainon is a scholar first and a boxer second. Academics will always be his top priority.”

Cipher nods thoughtfully, and a few minutes later, a hush sweeps through the crowd as the announcer gets on the ring. Mydei leans forward, anticipatory. From her periphery, she notes that Gnaeus does the same.

“And the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Our final match of the night, Black Tide vs. Flame Reaver!”

The crowd errupts, screaming their bets and vicious sentiments as the two boxers emerge from their corners. On the red corner was a stranger and on the blue corner was—

“Holy shit, you weren’t kidding. He does have a six pack!”

Phainon waves at the crowd. He’s shirtless underneath his blue silk robe, exposing his toned abdomen. He has a cocky smirk on his face as his eyes intensely study his opponent, his arms flexing as he disrobes himself and poses, earning more screams. His thighs flex underneath the harsh stage lights as he does squats, waking his body up for a fight. There’s no trace of the silly nerd Cipher knew, only the boxer known as the Flame Reaver.

Mydei sighs, dreamy. “He looks so hot. I can’t believe he’s my boyfriend.”

“Well, it could’ve been worse,” Cipher jokes. “He could’ve been a serial killer.”

Mydei thinks about it. “Still hot.”

Cipher rolls her eyes. Sure, whatever. He was already a horrible enabler when Phainon was in nerd mode. She really doesn’t want to know how far that went.

The announcer signals the start of the match, and Cipher watches, impressed by Phainon’s speed and prowess. He’s a great fighter. His rhythm is top-notch, dodging his opponents punches with ease and using his momentum to hit back. He’s as slippery as an eel too, penetrating his opponents defenses with ease and landing a hard punch on his jaw.

“Ooh,” Cipher grimaces. “That shit must’ve hurt.”

“Mm,” Mydei agrees. “Phainon doesn’t really pull his punches.”

Cipher finds herself yelling and cheering as the rounds went on, jumping to her feet with Mydei when Phainon finally knocks his opponent down for good. It was a tough match; his opponent had gotten in a good hit to his jaw. Phainon didn’t seem to register the pain, turning his head to the side as he removes his mouth guard and spits the blood out.

He looks up to the VIP lounge and grins at them, feral and bloody. Mydei’s scent might’ve been concealed by the blockers, but she knows the look on her brother’s face. She groans.

“Oh my god, can you not.”

“Don’t pretend that you wouldn’t react the same if Castorice had been the one to smile at you like that.”

Cipher imagines, nearly going weak in the knees. Damn, she has to give it to Mydei this time.

Phainon drops them off at the same block an hour later. Cipher has had to endure yet another torturous ride, only worse because Mydei was being completely unsubtle about his groping.

The tension between them was unbearable, and for a moment she thought Phainon was going to crash their bike. She had to pinch Mydei’s arm to get him to stop.

She really should’ve just walked home.

She turns away to give them privacy as they say their goodbyes, both acting like they aren’t going to see each other hours later. It’s three AM now, and school starts at nine. Hopefully this behavior was only because their relationship was under a year old would not become the norm.

She whirls around once the sound of kissing stops. “Can we leave now? We need to sneak back in, preferably before the sun rises and we get caught?”

Phainon hugs Mydei one last time. “I’ll see you later Mydei, Miss Cipher.”

Cipher eyes him coolly. “Mydei told me why you joined underground boxing. You can remove the Miss now, but! Don’t you ever make Mydei keep something like this from me again.”

“I promise, Cipher,” Phainon says solemnly, and Cipher nods back.

Mydei huffs, crossing his arms. “Would you two stop that? I am not a child.”

“No, we just love you very much,” Phainon smiles at him, and Mydei flushes an adorable pink. Pfft. How cute.

“…Let’s go, Cipher,” Mydei says, grabbing her hand. Cipher follows, amused when he calls over his shoulder, “I love you, too.”

“You’re hilarious,” she informs him once they’ve snuck back in, tiptoeing towards their rooms to sleep before they had to wake up for school. “And kinda dumb.”

“Shut up,” Mydei hisses at her, and softly clicks his door close.

The moment she and Mydei step onto school grounds, Phainon is bounding towards them, dressed in a formal dress shirt and slacks, his oversized glasses back on his face.

He adjusts them as he beams.

“Hey guys,” he greets, imaginary tail wagging as his eyes linger on Mydei, looking like a giant, lovestruck puppy. Looks like he was completely back in nerd mode. “You’re here!”

Mydei smiles back, handing him a boxed lunch that Gorgo handed him this morning. “Phainon, Mom told me to give this to you. She also wishes you luck and wants me to let you know that she and Dad will be watching the broadcast of your debate competition.”

Cipher blinks. Right, that was today. Was Phainon seriously going to be competing in a national competition just hours after he knocked a man down in the ring?

When she voices the thought out loud, Phainon chuckles and rubs a sheepish hand on his neck. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Cipher gapes at him. “You’re crazy.”

“That was a compliment,” Mydei clarifies, and Cipher nods. “Good luck on stage. You can do it.”

Phainon grins. “Thank you. Oh! And thank Miss Gorgo for me, too,” he says, grinning down at the boxed lunch. “I can’t wait to eat this.”

They head to the auditorium, where the debate was scheduled to air in an hour. It’s nearly full of students and notable scholars, and she can even spot some of their teacher’s too—and oh my god, is that Miss Hysilens?!

Castorice must be happy.

“Hey,” Cipher calls, gaining Phainon’s attention just as he was about to leave. “Can I tell Castorice about your alter ego or it is still a secret?”

Phainon pauses to think, then he shakes his head. “You can tell her, Cipher. I suppose it’s not as scary now that you know too. Hopefully, she can forgive me for not telling her myself.”

“Castorice is much kinder than I am,” Cipher says. “She’ll definitely grill you about it, though."

Phainon winces. “Right,” he turns back to Mydei. “I reserved seats for the three of you right at the front. I really need to go now. Coach insisted we have one last talk.”

Mydei leans up to kiss him on the cheek, and Phainon blushes, scent flaring with happiness as Mydei looks at him through his lashes. “Break a leg, Phainon.”

Phainon goes, nearly taking Mydei literally when he trips over the speaker and camera wires. He tumbles face first, but valiantly keeps his arm up, keeping Gorgo’s gift safe. “I’m okay!”

Cipher giggles. Mydei sighs, fond.

Phainon wins the debate competition effortlessly, leading his team to victory and shutting his opponents down brutally. It seems he carried the same work philosophy whether he was in nerd mode or boxer mode.

He accepts the heavy trophy easily even as the organizer and donor struggled to hand it to him. He smiles and waves as the cameras together with his team, their win broadcasted all over the country.

Mydei is clearly proud, standing and applauding as he cheers for his boyfriend. Cipher has to hide a smile in her hand when one of the cameras points to him. She lifts her head from Castorice’s shoulder, the two of them sharing the same thought.

Titans, what she would give to know what was going on at home right now.

Phainon is clearly overcome with emotion, looking back at Mydei like he hung the moon and stars. He passes the trophy to one of this teammates, who nearly falls over when he accepts it.

The entire auditorium watches as Phainon jumps off the stage, running straight towards Mydei. Castorice squeals in Cipher’s ear.

Mydei steps forward, clearly drawn in by the intent in Phainon’s movements. They crash into each other’s arms and, in front of everyone and their mother, starts frantically kissing.

On national TV.

Squeals and screams echo throughout the auditorium. Everyone is clearly amused by the impromptu show.

Well, maybe not everyone, Cipher amends as she locks eyes with Castorice’s friend and Phainon’s debate teammate Hyacine, who looks mortified.

Mydei shamelessly wraps his arms around Phainon’s shoulders as Phainon’s hands travel from his back to the curve of his ass. Then he pulls back, and Cipher finally thinks it’s over.

But no, he only takes off his glasses and shucks it to the side so he could kiss Mydei deeper and better, even tipping him over, one hand on his waist and the other cradling his face sweetly.

Someone from the crowd moans. Cipher doesn't turn around, fearing what she’d do to the pervert. Beat him up, probably. Okhema High probably didn’t need any more coverage after this stunt.

“Please shut the cameras off,” She hears Director Aglaea say calmly. “I don’t think the national audience needs to see this part.”

Cipher finally takes a breath once the cameras are pointed away from them and cackles. Loud. This finally startles Phainon and Mydei from their frenzy, turning to her like she was the crazy one.

Cipher easily ignores them, hiding her giggles into Castorice’s neck and breathing in her delightful scent to calm herself down.

Titans, her brother had become this shameless, mess of a human being after falling in love with a nerd. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to her.

Maybe this was what they called the first love phenomenon, where a person falls in love for the first time and changes their entire being irrevocably.

The First Love Phainomenon.

She wouldn’t have it any other way.

Meanwhile, in a certain house, a woman has to fan her husband and prop his head on her lap after he passed out witnessing his son and his boyfriend’s shameless display on live TV.

Gorgo rolls her eyes fondly and kisses her silly husband's forehead. Nerd.