Chapter Text
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ぼろぼろは愛されているという意味です
While Dire Crowley found himself in quite a curious situation, with the influx of magicless students opening the gates the Dark Mirror had given them access to, much curiouser was the challenge of feeding and housing said students. A trio of them had surfaced, bringing with them a cloud of misfortune and some sort of cat creature, and the college (as well as Crowley’s rather empathetic heart and benevolent kindness) had decided to show them mercy, allowing them to stay at the academy until they could figure something else out. And they were quiet grateful, for the most part. It seemed now that they had stirred up some feelings within each other, and unfortunately for the headmaster, these were not feelings of romance.
“We would like money for repairs,” the four had cried out like mewling kittens (though if anyone else had been in the room, they might say that the students had been rather professional in their request). Crowley had yearned to give them exactly what they wanted, but after a moment of thought, he realized he simply didn't want to.
“A tragic tale, I'm afraid! I simply cannot dole out money without some sort of reason,” the man lamented, tears springing to his eyes like a fountain in a courtyard. Oh, what a horrible life it is, to have students who need you and no way to help them that doesn't cause inconvenience to yourself! He peeks an eye open under his mask and upon spotting the unamused expressions on the faces of his young benefactors, tries his very best to backpedal. “Of course, for some work for me, I'd be glad to fund any repairs done to Ramshackle! But I simply cannot spoil you three just because of your… situation. It's favoritism.”
“Favoritism? Our roof is caving in,” One of the boys (Adrien? Yes, he was the tallest one) grumbled, arms crossed and the cat-like monster hanging from his shoulder. The girl, decided housewarden of their dorm via some frivolous voting, raises a hand to quiet him, though she clearly doesn't disagree.
“Adrien has agreed to fix the roof, if we could just get money for shingles-”
“I'll tell you this; I can give you the money for the roofing, if you can exchange that for work around the school. I'm sure with three of you, there will be plenty of allowance to go around. What a kind and gentle soul I am!” Crowley cheered, leaning backwards in his desk chair.
Adrien scowled, opening his mouth to say something, but the slightly shorter man, Cameron, cuts the other off with a quiet snorting laugh. “What kind of work? I'm already busy enough keeping the Heartslabyul housewarden from doing anything rash, considering his overblot not more than five months ago. Remember when we helped with that? Of course you do, you thanked us generously, like the kind and grateful soul you are. Perhaps there are some… odd jobs you can set us up for, easier tasks. After all, you are a tenderhearted man, and we are just three helpless children.” Cameron replaces his smirking smile with a look of admiration so realistic Crowley could never know if it was sincere or not. The flattery, however, was not taken with a moment of suspicion. Crowley smiled brightly.
“Well, I'm sure I could find some more… ah, elementary tasks for the three of you to do. The kitchen could probably use more personnel on dishwashing duties, and the hallways always need to be mopped. I will send you a full list soon! For now, please feel free to room with other students if your roof truly is unable to sustain foul weather. A storm will be coming through very soon. What a kind man I am, to offer such services in the face of troubles and hardships!” Crowley cawed, turning in his chair to face a nearby mirror and recite his own favour. And with that, the four exited the room, exchanging a look that any other would know meant they would be discussing this later.
At length.
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エイドリアン
“This is total bullshit! He can't withhold repair funds from us, we need a place to stay! We’re technically a student, you know!” Evie complains as she opens the door to their rundown dormitory, letting the other three in, Grim yawning on Aiden’s shoulder.
“Whatta we gonna do to stop him? Tell the headmaster? It's a private school, he has rule over it,” Grim states, jumping off the tallest man’s shoulder onto the floor, which had been newly cleaned and scattered with rugs their housewarden had found, claiming they “livened up the place.” They did, as the boys would reluctantly admit, but they worked most for napping in sunspots, which both Grim and Cameron had taken to doing.
“It’s fine. We have friends that’ll let us stay over at their dorms, right? I mean, I’m sure Ace and Deuce will let me crash with them,” Cameron says with a shrug, kicking his shoes off and making kissing noises at a giant hole in the ceiling, currently letting in a stream of sunlight.
“Just say you’ll room with your boyfriend, it’s way more realistic, and it’s kind of weird not to,” Adrien sighs, feeling the usual throb of a headache whenever Cameron did anything in his vicinity. “We need a tarp.”
“For sleepovers?”
“For the roof. Crowley said a storm was coming in. He might be... annoying, but he’s not a liar. Not when it comes to stuff like that.”
“Untrue, but I get what you mean,” Cameron said, tossing himself on the couch. “Phineas, Gus, Ezra! Please get your ghostly butts down here!”
“They have names?”
“I dunno.”
Evie and Adrien exchange a look, then shake their heads, hoping to chalk that up to... something. The ghosts appear by Cameron’s head, and he smiles. “We’re leaving for a bit.”
“What? Why? We haven’t even made you ghosts yet!” The three cry, distraught. Evie snorts as Cameron converses rather animatedly with them, looking more sincere than usual as he apologizes, sweat on his forehead.
“It’s only for a little-”
“We’ll be so lonely!”
“The roof is caving in-”
“So you’re leaving us with a broken roof?”
“Two days! Tops!”
They quiet after that, seemingly placated. Adrien rolls his eyes, making his way upstairs to pack. He groans quietly, feeling the stiffness of his ankle again, the jerking way it shifts and the discomfort as it moves. He woke up feeling that clicking again, putting him in a bad mood. He hates stairs.
Rummaging through his closet, he finds what he’s looking for. It’s a JanSport bag, filled with creams and serums he’s definitely supposed to be using. He takes a few to the bathroom to pour a quarter of each out in the sink, hoping that will solidify the lie he’s soon to have to tell his boyfriend (though he’s aware it will likely be for nothing). Then he starts to actually pack. Jeans, sweatpants, anything comfortable. He tries on a pair, tugs at the waistband (which allows a full three inches of space) and throws them into a corner where a couple other pairs of pants lay. He throws too many shirts in, and plenty of socks.
He grabs a couple pairs of boxers, lays them out on the floor, and tries to figure out which ones make him look the sexiest.
This takes a while.
It comes to a point where he brings two pairs to Evie, presenting them on the kitchen counter. She scowls, and retreats back to her room.
Adrien hates gamers.
He sighs dramatically as he goes back up the stairs, deciding to bring every red pair (as someone on Magicam claims this is the sexiest color) and a couple black pairs. What a pain it is to beg your lover for a night’s stay. He leaves first, deciding to get a headstart on his begging. Evie, still in her room, is heard shouting at something, a squeaking voice stuttering back muffled words. Probably Idia, but Adrien frankly didn’t give one damn, shrugging his backpack onto his shoulders and pulling his coat a bit tighter as the biting wind nipped him once the door swung open, his figure disappearing into the late afternoon sun.