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Sebek was fine.
Completely fine.
Finer than fine.
He was so fine, in fact, that he currently trying to not hyperventilate and pass out.
He had zero reason to be panicking at all as a matter of fact. He was only heading to the Savanaclaw dorm to visit with his boyfriend.
Now, he and Jack had hung out plenty of times before. But.. You know, normally with the rest of their friends present and in a public space. Not.. One on one in their rooms.
His heart spiked, fuck.. He tried to calm his rapid breathing. It wasn't even an actual "date" or anything, he and Jack had been on one to the bookstore but that's it. This time, Jack had just invited him over to relax after school, bring a book or his homework and they'd just... Enjoy each other's company. Decide whether Sebek's new book was worth whatever it cost, listen to Jack ramble about his cacti. That's all.
So WHY is he freaking out? Why won't his heart stop trying to escape his chest? Why won't he stop sweating? Why won't he stop-
"Hey,"
He whipped around to see Jack standing there, looking handsome and collected as ever, a small smile at the edge of his lips.
"Are you.. Okay?" He asked, stepping closer and crossing his arms, "You look a little red."
Sebek cleared his throat, "I.. I ran all the way here to ensure I wouldn't be late, like you almost were!" He stammered, tapping his foot.
Jack rolled his eyes, "Vargas wanted to talk, something about track.. Doesn't matter now." He shrugged.
Sebek kicked away an imaginary pebble. "No, it doesn't!"
Jack laughed, shaking his head, his tail swaying side to side. "It really doesn't, you ready to go?"
All the air was sucked from the half fae's lungs, why wouldn't he be ready?! What was Jack implying?!
"Of course I am!" He said, "Are you?"
"It's my dorm." Jack replied.
"That's not an answer!" Sebek snapped back.
".. I guess." The beastman, stepped past him and closer to the Savanaclaw portal.
Sebek followed, keeping his head tilted down to stare at the floor.
He had this completely under control. Certainly.
...
..
.
He didn't. He didn't. He did not have this under control.
They'd gotten to Jack's room without incident, taking the backway down to the dorm rooms, avoiding other Savanaclaw students and watching their backs until they could safely shut the door behind them.
It was empty.
..
.
..
"My roommates should be out until dinner rolls around." Jack had said when he first invited Sebek over.
"Where.. Where will they be?" Sebek remembered asking, confused as to how three people would be gone at the exact right time.
"Two have detention and the other has practice, heard them talking about it the other night." Jack shrugged.
Sebek hadn't said anything in return. Still trying to process the fact that his boyfriend just invited him over. To his room. Fuckfuckfuck. Should Sebek have invited him over first? Why would Jack invite him over in the first place, especially when Leona didn't know of their relationship? What was Leona's visitor policy? Did the coward even have one?
"You don't have to if you don't want to." Jack said when Sebek had been too quiet for too long, mistaking it for refusal.
"I will!" Sebek said quickly. "In fact, I'll head straight to the portal after class today!"
Jack's ears had flicked, but a tiny smile graced his face. "Alright," He said, their hands brushing together, "See you then?"
"You will!"
..
.
..
And so here they were.
Sebek had done a rather remarkable job of calming down. Sitting here on Jack's bed, leaned against the pillows with his precious book in hand, he had zero clue why he'd been so anxious to start.
How foolish of him! What would Lord Malleus or Lord Lilia think if they knew he was so worried about this menial excursion? Especially after they'd been so supportive of him starting this relationship!
Well, Lord Lilia had been. Malleus had stayed rather quiet, granting his congratulations. Silver had confusingly confessed to thinking that he and Jack already been in a relationship, which caused Sebek to go pink and explode on the human.
But still, he felt like a fool for being so nervous about this.
He glanced up to look at Jack, who was kicking his roommates stuff back to their sides of the room.
"Sorry, guess they came back for a second." He apologized grabbing a shirt and tossing it onto one of the other three desks in the room.
Sebek muttered about it not mattering, refocusing his attention to the page he was on. But he couldn't actually digest what he was reading, his mind and eyes drifting back up to Jack.
The beastman was finishing his improvised room cleanup, apparently his roommates seemed to purposely throw everything towards Jack's side of the room. Sebek had offered to duel them, but his boyfriend had brushed it off. He was used to cleaning up messes he hadn't made, having siblings and what not. Sebek wondered if his brother or sister ever did that for him.
"What page are you on?" Jack asked, grabbing a white shirt from his closet.
"One hundred and twenty-five, the main character just- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Sebek shrieked, face going bright red watching as Jack began unbuttoning his uniform shirt.
".. Changing? I've been in this shirt all day." He explained, pausing for a moment.
"Y-Y.. YOU!" Sebek sputtered.
"Me?" Jack urged, fingers moving to the next button. "You've seen me change in the locker room."
And almost every time, he had to stop himself from kneeling over. He didn't even want to remember Port Fest, even if Jack was technically fully clothed.
".. Are you sure you're alright? You're getting red again." Jack asked, but a small, knowing smirk hovered at the corner of his lips.
'Smug, handsome bastard' Sebek thought.
Jack pulled off his shirt, rolling his shoulders once before quickly slipping on the white one he'd grabbed. He sighed when he was finished, turning to his boyfriend. "I'm done."
Sebek looked up from the ground, face still red and heart still trying to escape his chest. "O.. Alright!"
Jack rolled his eyes, his tail wagging ever so slightly as he closed the small distance between him and the bed, tossing his shirt to join Sebek's jacket laying in a heap at the end of the bed. Sebek scooched over, letting Jack sit next to him.
But Jack didn't sit next to him.
Jack. Jack Howl. The tough, stern, no nonsense, "You got yourself into this mess, you'll get yourself out of it" Jack Howl, cuddled up to him. His head resting on Sebek's shoulder, a loosely balled fist resting on his chest, one leg laid over both of his.
Jack is fucking cuddling him.
Sebek made a strangled sound.
"What?" Jack huffed against his shoulder. "I'm exhausted."
It's an admission Jack normally wouldn't make, but here, in his room, curled against his boyfriend, he lets it slide out.
"Oh.." Sebek can only breath, voice refusing to work properly.
...
..
.
So that's how they stay, Jack curled against Sebek, both skimming the book pages more than reading.
"Hey.., 'm not done with that page." Jack yawns, resting his hand over Sebek's, eyes moving slowly across the words.
"You're taking forever," Sebek complained, though with no real malice or annoyance.
"I told you I was tired," Jack said, "I feel like I'm about to fall asleep.."
Sebek's eyes shot open from their own nearly shut state. No!
If Jack fell asleep than it'd only be a matter of time before he followed suit, and then neither of them would likely wake until one of Jack's roommates returned. Which wasn't ideal.
Jack yawned again, tail slowly ceasing it's movements, his breath evening out.
Sebek began to panic again, doing the one thing he could think of to keep his boyfriend awake.
He kissed him.
.
Jack's eyes opened, making a small noise of surprise into the kiss.
Sebek pulled away. "St-stay awake!" He ordered.
".. That was to wake me up?" Jack asked, confused.
"Y-yeah! And it worked!" Sebek said. "It's barley four! You can't go lazing ab-"
Jack leaned back in, silencing him with another kiss, cupping Sebek's cheek with one hand.
Sebek wondered if he could taste his heart in his throat, because the half fae was pretty damn sure it was trying to escape again. He reached out, wrapping his arm around Jack's waist, the book long forgotten either somewhere on the floor or in the covers.
"Thanks for coming over, I've missed you." Jack said against his lips.
Sebek made a noise of agreement. They hadn't had a moment like this since the library.
Jack's hands tangled into the shorter's hair, tugging him closer still. Sebek's hands went to stroke over his lower back, near the base of his tail. The beastman shivered against him, ears folding back ever so slightly. His tongue traced Sebek's sharp fangs, in a reminisce of their first kiss, the faint taste of blood flowed down his throat. The half-fae's teeth caught Jack's lower lip for a split second, adding to the metallic taste on their lips.
"Quit it." The wolf grumbled onto his lips.
"Apologies," Sebek said, still nipping at him.
The beastman made a noise of annoyance and acceptance, tightening his hold on Sebek's hair, nearly on top of him now. Sebek moved his pale hand to the nape of Jack's neck, fingers tracing towards his pulse.
And then the door swung open.
...
..
.
Leona wanted to make something clear, he had NO opposition to Jack being in a relationship. The pup was sixteen for fuck's sake, too stubborn and acting way too accountable for his own good, stumbling around like he knew what he was doing, but still. He was old enough to figure out his own shit.
He wanted that prefaced so it was well understood that the coil of protective annoyance that'd settled in his stomach catching his the pup exchanging spit with that Diasomnia first year, was not something that made him "soft" for Jack, no matter what Ruggie may say.
He also wanted it clear that, while he didn't like any member of Diasomnia house in any compacity, he wasn't going to hate Zigvolt exclusively for sharing salvia with Jack. He would hate him for it in conjunction with a whole lot of other reasons. Besides, Jack began reeking of the smell of something freshly burnt and vaguely woodland. More so than anything else.
".. You could've had the decency to lock the door." He said after a moment of tense, charged silence.
"HOUSEWARDEN!" Jack yelped, bolting upright.
"KINGSCHOLAR! HAVE YOU THE SENSE TO KNOCK?" Sebek snapped at the same time, jumping away from his boyfriend.
"It's my dorm, and I was told frosh here was sneaking in a Diasomnia student." Leona yawned. "So I had a reason not to."
Ruggie had stepped away for a second, hiding his face in his hands, chest heaving with the struggle to not cackle.
Leona crossed his arms, watching as Jack shrunk down a bit, tail tucked close and ears flat against his head, the housewarden's eyes swept between the two freshmen.
Sebek stood there, eyes locked onto Leona.
"ANSWER ME, KINGSCHOLAR-"
"Sebek, shut up.. It's fine, its fine." Jack muttered.
"Is it though?" Ruggie asked, leaning in the doorframe, face red from his lack of oxygen.
"RUGGIE? You too?!" The freshman buried his face into his own face.
"Yeppppp," Ruggie exhaled. He glanced at Leona, "Don't blow up, now."
"I'm not," The lion said, a low growl in his throat.
Another beat of horribly awkward silence passed; Jack didn't look at anyone, Sebek and Leona stared each other down, and Ruggie kept on struggling.
.
"You." The housewarden eventually said, pointing at Sebek. "Out."
"WHAT? You can't just-"
"It's my dorm." Leona repeated, blinking slowly.
Sebek, for once in his life, listened to the Savanaclaw housewarden.
"Leona-"
"What now? Gonna beg me to not make your little fool around buddy leave?"
"'Fool around buddy'?" Sebek exclaimed, appalled,before Jack could say anything. "I am very much serious about our relationship!"
Jack whined again, sinking almost to the floor, face red.
Leona raised an eyebrow. "Relationship?"
"Do you actually think I was..," Jack trailed off, sighing. "No, w..we're dating."
".. Damn." Ruggie breath.
"A Diasomnia student?" Leona rolled his eyes, "Should've expected as much from a traitor."
"DO NOT-"
"It's fine, Sebek." Jack reached over to rest a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder.
Boyfriend. This was his boyfriend. Whom he just got caught making out with. By Leona. His housewarden. Who had a thing against Malleus and all of Diasomnia.
Fuck.
.
Leona rolled his shoulders, he was too tired for this. "Still, Zigvolt, out." Leona said again, jabbing a thumb at the hall behind him.
Sebek grumbled something, grabbing his jacket and other things.
"Ruggie, make sure he leaves." Leona commanded, motioning for the hyena beastman to follow Sebek.
Ruggie nodded, trailing the retainer with a mischievous sparkle in his eye.
.
".. Housewarden? You can uh.. Leave me be-"
"Nah." Leona decided, leaning against the frame with a yawn.
".. Why?" Jack asked, looking up finally, though avoiding his eyes.
".. Listen to me, pup, I don't give a damn who you kiss. Let's start there." He said. "But what I do give a damn about is you staying in good condition, wouldn't do us any good on the field if you get fucked up."
Jack stared at the floor, ears flicking.
"So," Leona continued, "I'm not gonna sit here and tell you you can't go out with him. But I will sit here and tell you that you're doing four extra laps around the dorm Saturday morning."
"For what?" Jack asked.
"Sneaking around with your boyfriend."
"We weren't-"
"Then what were you doing?" He smirked.
Jack went red again, hunching his shoulders.
"Thought so." Leona nodded.
".. Yeah, I'll do the run." Jack agreed. "Five?"
"Four."
".. You won't even be awake."
"I wouldn't be at five either, Ruggie'll wake you, got it? You're gonna get out of bed the second he tells you to, and you're gonna do those laps."
"Yes, housewarden." Jack nods.
"Good pup."
"You sound like Crewel."
"Six laps."
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