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Spelldon was walking through the courtyard when his iCoffin went off in his pocket. He generally preferred keeping it silent, unlike his boyfriend, and often didn’t notice most notifications or messages until several moments after getting them. Today, however, his iCoffin was vibrating every few seconds, often enough that he was either getting a call or someone was sending him a novel line by line.
Pulling it out of his pocket, he was met with a series of frantic hexts from Val.
KV: CHANGE OF PLANS
KV: DONT COME TO THE GREENHOUSES
KV: For absolutely no re
KV: *reason
KV: Raincheck
KV: Is Venus with you? Just curious lol no reason
Spelldon blinked down at his iCoffin. He was actually heading towards the greenhouses at Val’s request. His boyfriend had pulled him aside before their first class with a charming wink, promising a surprise after school.
It didn’t take a genius to gather that the surprise wasn’t going how the vampire had planned.
Spelldon kept walking, typing with one hand.
KV: Tell her she can’t be mad
KV: Not that there’s anything to be mad about obvously
KV: *OBVIOUSLY
what :SC
KV: EVERYTHING IS FINE ILY SEE YOU LATER
The greenhouses were already in view. Squinting, Spelldon could see Val standing by the doors of one of the smaller ones, just off to the side of the large main one, where students dedicated to nature magic like pharmakaia could experiment with crossbreeding and hexing different plants. The vampire was leaning heavily against the doors, iCoffin in one hand and a frantic look on his face. His other arm was thrown out against the doors as well, palm flat against the frame, clearly using it to brace the greenhouse entrance shut.
The closer Spelldon got, the more… disheveled the vampire looked. Val had a habit of changing his hair on a whim, cutting it or using Whisp’s magic to grow it out, changing the colors around between black, magentas, reds, and pinks with his illusion magic or cheap dollar store box dye (a secret Whisp had let slip once on accident and made Spelldon swear on his mother’s immortal life to not tell Val that he knew). One thing that remained consistent was Val’s dedication to keeping it immaculately styled. Val had recently loosened up on the amount of gel he used in his hair (something that delighted the witch. Spelldon loved how soft Val’s hair was when he wasn’t caking on enough gel to make it into a DYI Skulltimate Roller Derby helmet), but he still wouldn’t be caught alive with a split in his fringe. There were several leaves in his hair, which was sticking up in several directions like he’d been hit with one of Frankie’s shockwaves. His clothes looked disastrous as well, dirt on his sleeves and visible tears at the knees of his pressed trousers and randomly along his sleeves. If Spelldon remembered correctly, Val had shown up to school that day wearing an embroidered blazer and a lace cravat, neither of which were anywhere to be seen.
are you okay? :SC
KV: IM FANGTASTIC WHAT A FUNNY QUESTION
Spelldon shook his head in disbelief. He was only a handful of feet away from the vampire now and could see that alongside his frantic typing he was also talking to someone on the phone.
“-swear I don’t know what went wrong, Whisp, what do I do to fix it?!”
“Listen, hon,” Whisp’s voice drifted up from the iCoffin, “It looks like I’m still not able to get ahold of that Venus ghoul. Don’t freak out, but you miiight wanna bite the bullet and ask your boofriend for help.”
“Absolutely not,” Val spat out furiously. “Spell can’t know I ruined his surprise-”
“I won’t tell him,” Spell said casually, leaning against the greenhouse wall next to Val.
Val full-body jumped, dropping his iCoffen. The doors bulged out slightly before Val rushed back against them, slamming them back shut. Through the semi-translucent walls of the greenhouse, Spelldon could see the shadows of something shifting, growing in size. A couple leaves poked out from the gap between the doors, matching the ones in Val’s hair. Prickly, deep green leaves.
Rose leaves.
Spelldon picked up Val’s iCoffin. “Hey Whisp,” he said.
“Spell! Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Whisp said, sounding chipper while Val got that look on his face that meant he desperately wanted the dirt to swallow him unalive. “Tag, you’re it, boo.”
“Really quick, how worried should I be?”
From the screen, he saw Whisp wave a hand in a so-so manner. “Eh, you got this. Probably. I’ll try reaching your plant monster friend through the djinn-ternet one more time, juuuust in caaaase, though.” She raised her voice. “Love you, Val, hext me the deets later!”
She promptly disconnected the call with a wave. Spelldon pocketed both iCoffins, reminding himself to return Val’s later, before turning his attention back to his boyfriend.
“For the record, I was already on the way here when I got your hexts. So,” Spelldon crossed his arms, torn between amusement and concern about whatever his vampire has gotten himself into today, “what’s behind the door.”
“What door?” Val said quickly, before slapping his own face. “Wait, I mean-”
Sometimes Spelldon found himself doubting Val’s so-called “villainous past.” Sure, Val could commit to a role with all the dedication of a trained theatre star, but his ability to improvise could really use some work. Plus, well, he just sucked at lying (granted, most monsters still didn’t realize that one of the most obvious tells that Val was lying -- or at least not being entirely truthful in a general sense -- was that Southern accent he still occasionally fell into).
Spelldon had learned that sometimes a gentle approach was the best one to take when Val got caught up in one of his antics. It helped that he found most things his boyfriend did endearing. He reached out, brushing some of Val’s wayward fringe out of his face, tucking it behind his pointed ear. Predictably, Val’s face pinkened slightly, and Spelldon couldn’t help the fond chuck he let out.
He plucked one of the rose leaves from Val’s hair, holding it up between them. Silently, he raised one slit eyebrow.
“...Er, okay, that,” Val began. The doors were bulging out again, in spite of the vampire still desperately trying to hold them shut. Spelldon watched, slightly astonished, as rose buds immediately started forming from the stems poking through the forming gap “So, I, ah, might’ve been experimenting with a couple different potions that I got from the mad science and boo-tany departments.”
“You were experimenting with plant magic,” Spelldon clarified. “Without my help?”
“Well it wouldn’t have been a special surprise if you helped me.”
“I dunno, you were still surprised after helping me with that ‘potion’ before we got together.”
“That does not count!” Val scoffed. “And even if it did, there’s a difference between a, I dunno, secret one-manster intervention and a gift.”
There was a thud behind them, surprising them both.
Spelldon asked, “You know you don’t need to go through all this effort, right? Just being with you is special enough.”
Val looked to the side. “I just… I’m trying to be a good boyfriend.” He peaked up at Spell through his hair. “You deserve someone who puts in effort for you, Spell.”
Spelldon softened. “Oh, Val, I-”
And then, all at once, whatever Val was trying to hold at bay exploded outward. Val was shoved into Spelldon, sending them both toppling backward. Spelldon’s arms automatically shot out to catch Val as they both fell.
With a grunt, Spelldon landed on his back, Val half landing on top of him.
Blinking, trying to catch his breath after it was knocked out of him, Spelldon saw they were surrounded on all sides by what he could only describe as a rapidly expanding giant rose bush. It, luckily, seemed to be making a conscious effort to sprawl around them, not that Spelldon was too worried for himself when it came to thorns -- he knew his jacket and jeans were thick and hardy enough to protect him from being pricked.
He tilted his head down to quickly scan over Val to make sure he hadn’t been cut up on any of the thorns (or, well… more cut up. Spelldon guessed the thorns had something to do with the tattered state of his clothes). “You okay?”
“Great,” Val said flatly, hiding his face in Spelldon’s chest. “You?”
“I’m good.” Spelldon looked around. Off to the side, through the tangle of stems, he saw the tables the other plants had been sitting on in the greenhouse. Spelldon could almost hear a sigh relief from the plant at no longer being cooped up. “How… sentient is this thing?”
“Partially?” Val guessed. “I tried cutting it back when it first started growing out of control, and it was extremely not understanding about my panic in the moment.”
Looking up, he saw Val’s blazer, strung up by the collar and the tattered remains of his cravat, with another vine-like stem wrapped firmly around a pair of gardening shears. He could easily picture the plant grabbing Val by the coat collar, snagging at his neckpiece, forcing Val to abandon the former and use the shears to cut himself free from the latter before the plant took them from him.
All around them, more and more rose buds were forming. They were more or less enclosed in a dome of rose stems, crisscrossing around and above them, the cloud filled sky just barely visible through the tangles.
It was actually kinda beautiful, if you asked Spelldon. Peaceful, too, now that the plant seemed to be settling down.
“Let me guess.” Spelldon sat up carefully, helping Val to sit back on his knees, the vampire still partially in his lap. There was just enough space in the dome for them to sit without being snagged by the thorns. “Rapid growth potion?”
“Yep,” Val sighed, embarrassment clear on his face.. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I, er, had to substitute out a few ingredients because I couldn’t find them. Plus I tried to make a half batch of rapid aging potion as well, but I might’ve gotten the ratio wrong or something, and I tried splicing the roses with some moonflowers, which, well, might’ve just made another completely different potion, now that I think about it.”
“Basically, yeah.” That was the trouble of using plant magic on plants -- the focus of your experiment could very easily become another ingredient and make something entirely new if you aren’t careful. “Okay, so, what exactly was your end goal, then?”
“Well-”
Above them, the clouds parted enough for moonlight to peak through. Spelldon watched in astonishment as all around them, roses unfurled from their buds, blooming in an array of colors. Black, red, pink, and white, all somehow reflecting the moon’s glow. Spelldon turned to Val, and his breath caught at the sight of the vampire, wide eyed as he also watched the display, framed on all sides by roses.
A slight breeze broke through the tangle of leaves and roses, causing a few fresh petals to rain down on them.
A single pink petal landed on Val’s dark hair, the same exact shade as his shining eyes.
Spelldon would always have a soft spot for black roses, but he held a special place in his heart for the pink ones for a reason.
“...Something like this, actually,” Val finished, faintly.
“Can I kiss you?” Spelldon blurted out.
“I- wha-” Val visibly shook himself, like he had been caught under a spell of his own that Spelldon just awoke him from. “I mean- yes. Yes, absolutely, always-”
Spelldon cut him off by taking his face in both hands, pulling the vampire in. Their lips met as a flurry of petals rained down around them. Val’s arms wrapped around Spelldon’s shoulders as he deepened the kiss. They were chest to chest as Spelldon carded his hand through Val’s hair, brushing out the leaves and petals there, sighing into the kiss. All he could smell was the perfume of roses and all he could taste was perfection.
Reluctantly, he pulled back for air, resting his forehead against Val’s.
“Thanks for the surprise,” he said, a wry smile on his face.
Val gave a breathless chuckle. “Oh, you liked it? I couldn’t tell.”
Spelldon was about to pull him back in for another kiss when a voice called out, “Hey, Valentine! You here?! Is this why your djinni friend keeps blowing up my iCoffin!”
Right, Venus. Seems Whisp was able to reach her.
Rochelle’s voice joined her, “Oh, Valentine, what did you do?”
“I was trying to be romantic!” Val called back.
“I thought Draculaura told you to cool it with the romantic gestures!” Venus said.
“Just the ones that require pyrotechnics!”
“Hey Venus,” Spelldon called out. “I’m also here.”
“Wherever ‘here’ is, it's gonna take a bit for us to root you out. Tell your boofriend he’s banned from using the greenhouse for romance without asking for my help first.”
“I can hear you!”
“I’ll tell him,” Spell agreed, barely able to keep a straight face while Val sputtered. To his boyfriend, he asked, “What else did you have in mind for our datenight?”
“I fully did not think that far ahead,” Val confessed, much to Spelldon’s amusement.
Spelldon leaned back onto the petal covered grass, pulled Val down with him. If their friends weren’t only yards away from them, actively digging them out, he might suggest they go back to kissing. Unfortunately, he had the feeling Venus already wasn’t going to let either of them live this down, even though he could faintly overhear her babytalking the plant as she and Rochelle, along whoever else she had with them, began untangling the stems.
Val happily cuddled up to him as he said, “Alright, we have a few minutes. Hit me with whatever yap-session you have brewing.”
“Oh, my goth, you are the best boofriend in the multiverse,” Val said with a snort before gleefully launching into gossip about his animal shelter’s co-owner, his daughter and daughter-in-law, and the veterinary team accidentally teaming up with a normie kitten foster parent, a random topic that no doubt would give way to many others.
Looking up at the moon-kissed roses, Spelldon doubted that he was the best boyfriend by any means.