Chapter Text
“Hey, do you think Id have a chance if I asked Azul out?”
“No way! You’re far too unimportant for someone like Azul to notice.”
“I’m a pro at flying, imagine Azul clinging on you while you teach him how to fly.”
“Oh Sevens you just gave me a new scenario about Azul to daydream about!”
Azul. Azul. Azul. Azul.
He couldn’t stand hearing his name every five minutes.
Ever since winter break came to an end and the school flooded with students once more, Jamil had been forced to sit and listen through endless conversations between his fellow Scarabia dorm mates discussing Octavinelle’s housewarden’s “Three Big Bs”—as they liked to call it; his Beauty, his Body and his Brain.
Waxing poetry about the colour of his eyes, comparing it to the waters of the ocean, very original, his lithe body figure, the way his waist curves inwards, which causes his shoulders and hips to be pronounced more when he’s not wearing that stupid big coat on his shoulders, how sometimes his thighs seem meatier than usual. And of course, his ever-clever cunning mind, how he helped free their poor beloved housewarden Kalim from the clutches of the scheming and evil Jamil Viper.
“I mean, I always knew Azul was pretty, look at him, but his determination to help us was what really did it for me!”
“I admire his work ethic, if you want to be successful, just ask Azul for some tips.”
“I love the way his ass looks in the school uniform.”
Ugh.
After everything that happened during winter break—his overblot—Azul kept popping up, either literally or figuratively. The silver haired boy had already been disturbing his everyday life, and it didn’t help that as a housewarden, he was almost everywhere Kalim was. It was as if Azul was an un-skippable real life ad, one that would pester him and cling to his side during school hours.
He already had to endure Floyd Leech during basketball, one of the few places he was supposed to be able to unwind and have fun, the taller boy pestering him about all sorts of bullshit Jamil wondered how someone could even come up with. Now, it seemed like the Octavinelle dorm was everywhere, and he was sick of it.
To make matters worse, Kalim would invite the trio over at random times of the week, insisting that they ate and enjoyed themselves for at least a few hours. Azul would always argue that he had to keep an eye on the Mostro Lounge, and with Kalim useless against Azul’s rationale, they would always leave after they ate whatever Jamil had cooked that night. Was it because he was anxious Scarabia had left a bad impression? Kalim was always nervous about people disliking him, which Jamil found very funny considering Kalim thought of him as his best friend.
Well, that’s changed now, cat’s out the bag.
Though, during Azul’s reign of terror against him, Jamil had noticed something strange. For someone that run a café with all sorts of food options and always complimented his cooking, Jamil had noticed Azul didn’t eat much, and if he did finish everything on his plate, it was usually some sad looking salad or a variety of fruits cut into silly shapes, likely Floyd’s doing. Very rarely had he seen Azul eat some type of fibre or fat, healthy or not, not to mention sugar.
Jamil didn’t care to comment on it, he didn’t know what merpeople ate or what their diets consisted of, although Floyd regularly complained about wanting to eat raw fish and species Jamil wasn’t sure scientists even knew about. It wasn’t his business. He didn’t want Azul to think he payed attention to him, which he didn’t, he analysed everyone and everything, it was part of his job.
He simply ignored Azul’s attempts at befriending him, and his constant questions if Jamil would transfer to Octavinelle, Jade’s random greetings at the school halls, and Floyd as a whole concept. He focused on his job, on Kalim, on protecting and actually running the dorm from Kalim’s shadow. He cooked, he cleaned, he made sure everything was in order, he studied, he slept. Over and over and over again.
Kalim and the rest of the dorm acted like nothing had happened. Jamil wasn’t sure if he would’ve preferred for everyone to resent him or pity him.
Scratch that, resentment was easier to deal with. He sometimes saw pitiful looks being send his way whenever Kalim was being, well, Kalim, or annoyed sighs whenever he reminded everyone that they should head to bed after a party.
But that was it.
Jamil couldn’t really complain, he wanted peace and routine in his life.
His failure at succeeding on his goal with his plan, and the resulting overblot, reminded Jamil that he was never going to be free from the life he was born into. No matter how much potential he had, he could never fulfil any of his wishes or desires. They were meaningless, and the fact that he thought, even for a small, fragile moment, that he had a chance to gain his independence, one way or another, simply proved that he was still uselessly clinging onto the hope his younger self had as well: if he tried and showed his worth, maybe he could be an exception.
Alas, peace and routine were the only option left, or he would lose his mind completely.
And it seemed he wasn’t getting it anytime soon, because Azul had invited both of them over for dinner at the Mostro Lounge—Azul’s treat, as Kalim had told him, like Kalim Al-Asim needed to be treated to dinner. Jamil had simply rolled his eyes, agreeing knowing he didn’t really have a say in the matter. Kalim would not force him if he told him so, but he would whine and beg so it was basically the same thing.
“Are you sure you want to eat there?” Jamil questioned.
Kalim nodded, “Why not? I trust Azul, he has offered to help me numerous times when he sees that I’m struggling!”
More like he jumps to help you at any opportunity so he stays in your good graces, Jamil thought begrudgingly.
Kalim was too oblivious for his own good. Azul helps everyone, but for a price. Apparently, he hasn’t asked Kalim for anything in return, so Jamil’s preparing for Azul to corner him one day demanding to be paid back for all the sweat and time he’s poured into helping Kalim get better grades. Whatever, he’ll deal with that then. Until then, he’s, in a way, grateful for the extra free time he gets since Kalim bothers Azul with his academic problems instead of him.
“Are you sure he’s not using you for your money? You know how greedy he is,” Jamil pressed on. He wasn’t going to say he didn’t appreciate Kalim staying away from him for more than a few hours like he usually did, but he did not trust Azul. And if this new development was going to cause him, alongside his family, problems, he had to nip it in the bud before any bigger problems occurred.
“Look, Jamil,” Kalim sighed, “I know you don’t really enjoy Azul’s company-”
“That’s an understatement.”
“-but I think you worry too much! He’s not doing anything for you to talk about him like this! Azul is very sweet and you should stop making assumptions about him,” Kalim argued.
Jamil looked at Kalim, raising an eyebrow. “You seem awfully defensive, are you two maybe a thing?” He teased, but quickly regretted it as soon as Kalim’s eyes widened, and he laughed that annoying laugh he does when he finds something incredibly hilarious.
“Whatever, what time is the dinner?”
Kalim kept laughing.
He rolled his eyes and continued walking, leaving Kalim behind.
He heard footsteps approaching once more, “Why don’t you like him?” Kalim questioned, genuine confusion in his voice. “He’s a good student, a good mage, he’s really pretty, and he cares for his café, which shows signs of matureness and capability!” he continued.
Jamil paused. ‘Really pretty’? That was random.
He chose not to comment. “You sound like your tutors back at the Scalding Sands, you know,”
Kalim blinked, then his expression morphed into one of sudden horror, his small eyebrows furrowing and his eyes widening. Jamil chuckled.
“No way! Its’s just that Baba has ordered for more and more of their papers and homework to be send, so on top of my homework, I have to study those too! It’s not my fault, Jamil!”
Jamil hummed, amusement clear in his eyes. “To answer your question, although I shouldn’t have to give you any explanations,” he snarkily commented, “Azul is someone that should not be trusted. The amount of cynicism exuding from him is nauseating, from his words and actions, to his behaviour, even though he tries to hide it. He is shady and I don’t want you around him. It is my job to keep you safe and out of harm’s way.” he finished off, glancing at Kalim, who in return glanced back at him, seemingly deep in thought.
A pregnant silence followed, as they kept walking throughout the many long hallways of the Scarabia dorm.
“Ever since I came to this school, the only time I was really in danger, was when you tried to forcefully take my place as housewarden,”
Jamil’s breath got caught in his throat.
Kalim continued, “Azul was the one who saved me from you. Even if his actual goal wasn’t to save me, he still got caught up in our mess, and I’m grateful to him. I would appreciate it if you would lay off him a bit. You don’t have to like him or hang out with him, but I feel responsible for any bad impressions he has of us, even though I know he admires you.”
Jamil was stunned. Kalim looked so serious, it reminded him of how his father got sometimes whenever something didn’t go his way, albeit Master Asim was way more brash and arrogant. Kalim stared at him, before he sheepishly looked away. Since when could Kalim defend himself like this? He had changed after Jamil’s overblot, like how he had significantly changed after Jamil got poisoned, all those years ago. Jamil couldn’t decide if the change would bring him more trouble or not. Kalim’s words had left him speechless for a second, but he quickly regained his composure.
He cleared his throat, the tightness suffocating, catching Kalim’s attention again. “You don’t know who he likes, he only likes those two psychotic eels he always has around,” Jamil forced a small smile, hoping it fooled Kalim into changing the topic.
“Well, I think it’s sweet how close he is with Jade and Floyd! Floyd has told me they’ve been friends for years, ever since they were kids, kinda like us! I wonder what life is like in the Coral Sea, Azul has pointed out it’s very different from the Scalding Sands in temperature, kinda like when it’s night in the desert…”
Jamil hummed. He didn’t really care about what Kalim was rumbling about now, but his comment had piqued his interest, he never thought he would see the day Kalim directly contradicted his opinion on something that regarded his safety. While he didn’t always listen to him regarding his well being, Kalim was very insistent on reminding Jamil about how right he is all the time, or that Jamil’s judgement was better than his. Jamil didn’t need Kalim to tell him, but at least the white haired boy knew when to listen, periodically.
It was Kalim, after all.
In any case, if Jamil didn’t dislike Azul the amount he did, he would’ve advised for Kalim to try to butter up anyone else caught in the crossfire of his overblot. He couldn’t risk for Kalim to look bad, or, Sevens forbid, someone complaining about something as dangerous and serious as an overblot to the Asims. Should Master Asim catch wind of anything related to his overblot, Jamil and his family were finished. He didn’t care when he had snapped during winter break. Unfortunately, however, since he failed his goal, he had to continue living the way he’d been living all these years: do as you’re told, never complain.
Azul couldn’t stop pacing in his office, his nerves completely fried. He had stayed up the past three days preparing this night, instructing Jade and Floyd on what they would cook, obsessively cleaning, making study guides and tutoring Kalim, completing his own schoolwork and housewarden duties, and, of course, maintaining absolute control over the Mostro Lounge.
Now, did Azul feel a tad bit bad for using Kalim as a means to end to get closer to Jamil? Yes, yes he did, but he actually also liked his company. He was a boy full of love for the world, with nothing he wasn’t willing not to give to make others happy. Azul was envious of this characteristic Kalim had, to live in such a way where you didn’t expect the worst from another person; but rather the opposite. If it wasn’t for his childhood, sometimes Azul hoped he could’ve turned out like the protagonists in the stories mothers would tell their children, of selfless hardships and endless good deeds. But Azul wasn’t like those protagonists, and acting under the benevolence of the Sea Witch was enough for him. He helped people for a price, it was only natural he had to gain something back to compensate for his years of hard work.
Thankfully, Kalim would sometimes blabber and unconsciously drop little facts about Jamil, be it either something he liked or disliked, a hobby, a pet peeve, a fear.
All things Azul needed for his ultimate masterplan: Seduce Jamil Viper And Become His Super Successful Boyfriend, Forever & Ever™.
It was perfect; after he saved Scarabia from Jamil’s overblot, his social image had significantly improved. He was no longer scheming and backstabbing Azul Ashengrotto—well, he wasn’t only those things—he was a hero in the eyes of the students. No doubt, an example for them all, a good student, an amazing businessman, a spectacular mage! With him in everyone’s good graces, he was confident Jamil would take notice, and hopefully pay attention to Azul more.
Alright, maybe he was thinking a little bit ahead, considering Jamil didn’t even like him as a friend yet, so he had a lot of work to do. He has studied the way Jamil interacted with other people, how fake his smile was depending on the other person’s personality, he had even attended a majority of the basketball club’s practise matches and occasional game between Royal Sword Academy. If he was questioned on the topic, he always replied that he was supporting his employee’s passion for basketball, and that he was curious since they didn’t have such activities under the sea.
Floyd would always see through his bullshit, obviously Azul was there to see Jamil running around and besting almost all his teammates at the sport, watching as Jamil showed glimpsed of his actual personality on court made Azul long for his crush to understand how much he meant to him, and that Azul would support him not matter what he wanted to do in his life.
Kalim himself starting to want to develop a deeper friendship with Azul was an unexpected development—one that was more than welcomed, of course. He had his work cut out for him, although befriending Kalim wasn’t something he thought he would struggle with, the boy was a walking friend magnet, he was happy to hang out with almost anyone and everyone, bless his heart.
He had even organised a planner, hidden under the false bottom of his work desk’s drawer, a large piece of paper that when unfolded covered the whole piece of furniture and more. It had all his ideas, probabilities and possibilities Azul could think of, truly his magnum opus among his many other masterpieces! Jade and Floyd may tease him, but he’s never going back to who he was in elementary and middle school, that version of himself was dead; Azul had made sure of that. And Jamil could never know about his past, his image of him was already negative, if Jamil found out how heavier, unattractive and slow-witted he used to be, Azul would never be able to face Jamil ever again.
Azul didn’t like thinking of Jamil in that way—like he would judge someone for their appearance. But he was too scared, in a way, of looking the way he used to, because it meant that the snickers and mocking laughter would become part of his everyday life once more. It didn’t matter how smart or cunning he was, all his hard work would prove useless. He had learned one thing from his overblot; don’t take your magic prowess for granted. He had been Octavinelle’s housewarden when Leona Kingscholar managed to dissipate his precious contracts to mere sand right before his very eyes. There were always a bigger fish around. Granted, he was still Octavinelle’s housewarden, but with Crowley banning him from making contracts with students, he was almost back to square one.
His contracts, his unique magic, his purpose for coming to the surface instead of staying home, the very thing he honed for years on end and studied his tentacles off to develop was now banned, all because his greed and need for power blinded him. His behaviour was ugly. He had lost himself in his quest at becoming stronger—the biggest fish—so no one would ever lay a finger on him or even dare to disrespect him again.
So he helped Kalim with his studies, made him his famous study guides for every subject he was struggling with, for free, both so Jamil can relax a bit more, and because his growing attachment to Kalim was preventing him from saying no to the white haired boy. Strangely, his happiness was contagious, so whenever they were together—or hanged out, as Kalim liked to say—he felt better by the end of it, his mood the same even as he read business papers as the day changed.
Azul hoped the dinner wouldn’t be a bust.
In the evening, Kalim and Jamil made their way to the Octavinelle dorm, arriving at the Mostro Lounge. Jade and Floyd were already waiting for them, the former prim and proper, the latter hunched over his brother and ready to doze off.
“Azul has arranged for us to dine in the VIP room, please follow us,”
The walk was short, filled with cold coloured lightning, the chatter of the students gathered at the café becoming less and less audible as they progressed deeper into the many rooms of the building. Did Azul need this many rooms? He was running a café for crying out loud, not an underground drug trafficking ring. Though, Jamil wouldn’t eliminate that possibility from his list of guesses.
The group reached a pair of large double doors, the gold lettering on them making it obvious this was a room far more important than the rest the café had to offer, the details of a large coral reef ingrained into the material of the wood.
Azul’s face visibly brightened the moment the heavy doors opened, as he immediately set to greet them, a beaming smile on his full plump lips, making the beauty mark on his chin and near his mouth stretch ever so slightly.
Jamil’s eyes traced over the small detail.
“Kalim! Jamil! Thank you both so much for agreeing to my invitation,” Azul begun, but Kalim, despite Jamil’s attempt to grab him before he could bolt towards his fellow housewarden, jumped onto Azul, enveloping him in a signature Kalim-esque hug. Azul let out a gasp and an ‘oof’ before they both roughly hit the ground.
Jamil stood terrified for a few beats as he watched Azul try and fail to shove Kalim off, before he heard Floyd loudly cackling from behind him, as well as Jade’s unsuccessful muffle of his own chuckles.
Azul groaned from beneath Kalim, giving up on trying to stand, while Kalim was talking animatedly about all the plans he had in mind for the five of them for next week. Something about canoeing and elephant rides?
“Kalim!” Jamil yelled, quickly dragging his housewarden from under his armpits, successfully getting him off of Azul, who looked a bit dazed and shaken. “Kalim! You can’t just tackle people like that!”
Jade helped Azul up as well, and Jamil caught how the housewarden wobbled a bit, putting a hand on his head. One of Jade’s long arms steadied Azul, resting on the small of his back, while the other held his hand as the silver haired boy regained his balance. The scene before him made something in Jamil shift. Floyd appeared from behind his twin brother, simply booping Azul’s nose as he continued to giggle. Jamil’s eyes zeroed into Jade’s hand that was now holding Azul’s waist, the way the stiff fabric of his dorm uniform gave away under Jade’s large hand, showing off Azul’s small waist.
Jamil swallowed.
Floyd caught his gaze, and he smiled wider, if possible. Jamil averted his eyes and cleared his throat, choosing to do what he does best; cover up Kalim’s messes.
“Kalim, apologize to… Azul, that was simply undignified,”
Kalim paled at Jamil’s words, “Azul! I’m so sorry! Jamil has told me to I have to work on controlling my excitement and strength! Are you alright?”
Kalim detached himself from Jamil’s grip, running up at Azul. The shorter boy was apologizing profusely, while Azul kept insisting that nothing happened and that he was simply not expecting it. Which was weird, considering Azul would’ve jumped at the opportunity to make Kalim owe him for basically body-slamming him on the floor. If Jamil wasn’t employed by the Asims, he would’ve let Azul go through with it. But Azul didn’t have that signature glint in his eyes, one full of greed and acquisitiveness. No, right now, it seemed as if Azul was actually nervous.
“No matter,” Azul sighed, adjusting his tie and fixing his glasses, “please, sit so we can dine,” he turned to smile directly at Jamil, his eyes creasing. Jamil stared at him, until Azul’s smile faltered and he turned away, his ears dusted pink at the tips, and started talking directly to Kalim, walking towards one of the finely set tables in the middle of the room.
Huh.
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The food itself was nice, Jamil couldn’t deny that the twins had talent when it came to cooking. A bit on the experimental side, if he said so himself, and while Jamil would never brag about his skills, and even though he didn’t actually like cooking all that much, he considered himself a great cook. He was surprised to actually discover that both Jade and Floyd enjoyed cooking. Not something they forced themselves to be good at, but simply something that helped them express themselves, in a way.
Kalim had moved onto another table alongside Azul, something about wanting to tell him a secret, Jamil didn’t bother asking for more details. So, he was eating alone, an acceptable development to his evening. Yet, he could still feel the twin menaces’ stares on him, making it very difficult for him to actually enjoy the food they had prepared. Some kind of fish, Jamil didn’t cook fish often, so he wasn’t familiar with the varieties or names, in a citrusy sauce that was also spicy at the same time, and a nice pile of white rice, finely sliced vegetables included.
Mid-chew, Jamil turned and locked eyes with them, two pairs of mismatched eyes looking right at him like they were trying to figure out if they wanted to talk to him or eat him. Then, almost comically, they started walking towards him, and Jamil internally groaned.
Jade and Floyd slid on the couch with ease, sandwiching him between them in the process. Jamil internally prepared himself emotionally and physically. The twins’ faces were a bit obscured by the low lightning of the café, and Jamil vaguely wondered what they looked in the open deep dark sea, hunting for food, if this is what they looked like on land.
“Vice-housewarden Jamil,” Jade spoke first, “why are you ignoring our invitations on developing a deeper friendship?” Jade always spoke with poise and formality, his demeanour practiced and perfect. His tone was what could only be described as pouty, although being pouty seemed very out of character for Jade Leech. The tight-lipped closed-eyed smile he was sending Jamil’s way send a shudder down his spine. Invitations on developing a deeper friendship”? What were they even talking about?
“Yeah! Sea Snake is hurtin’ Azul’s feelings! You’re so meeeeeaaan, Sea Snake!” Floyd whined in his ear. Jamil pushed his face away, looking for help towards the two housewardens talking to each other at the table next to them. Kalim was talking animatedly about something, and Azul was pushing the food Jade and Floyd had prepared for all of them around with his fork, never taking a single bite. Jamil watched for a few seconds to confirm he wasn’t seeing things.
He was getting annoyed.
“Why isn’t he eating?” The question slipped his tongue before he could process he had opened his mouth. The twins were stunned for a second, before they regained their composure. Jade raised a single eyebrow and Floyd’s smirk fell, an obscene frown taking its place as he dramatically rolled his eyes as hard as he could.
“You needn’t concern yourself with that matter.” Jade explained lightly, his eyes sharp and protective, as if signalling Jamil to drop it and never mention the topic again. “You don’t seem to care about befriending him, why be worried about his health, hm?” Another tight lipped smile.
Jamil had asked that question himself. Why did he care? Did he care?
He decided to simply shrug, feeling Floyd’s heavy stare from his left. He sneaked a glance at Jade again, who was watching Azul still push around the now cold fish and rice on his plate, a forlorn look in his eyes, the sides of his mouth ever so slightly downturned in a miniature frown that matched his twin’s. Frustration? Annoyance? Acceptance? All of the above?
“Azul doesn’t let himself enjoy food like he used to,” Floyd suddenly spoke up, catching both Jamil and his brother off guard. His tone was beyond annoyed, huffing and puffing like a child. Floyd’s scowl was ingrained deep into his face, making him look even scarier than usual, his sharp teeth gleaming under the blue lights of the café.
“Oh?” was all Jamil said. If he could get some dirt on Azul—and by his own henchmen at that!—he wasn’t going to turn that opportunity down. He assumed Azul still had that recording from his overblot during the break, so some potential blackmail could always come in handy. “Well that’s stupid, I expected him to know better than to succumb to stupid standards.”
He was trying to get more information, yes, but he was also voicing his actual opinion. Najma had already been exposed to such harmful standards by their mother and aunties, but he never would’ve thought that Azul of all people would fall victim too. Jamil had never pegged him as someone who obsessively cared for his looks, like Vil or Cater. He was good looking, well groomed, but that was all a façade to cover his actual shady business man personality.
“There ya have it! Even Sea Snake here gets it!”
“Floyd.” Jade’s deeper voice sounded out from his right, as if in warning to his brother.
“What? He’s doing a shit ass job at hiding his supposed big bad dark secret if Sea Snake caught up!”
Jamil wasn’t sure if that was a jab at him as well, but he didn’t comment. He remained as still as possible, waiting to what else the predators would say. The atmosphere had shifted a bit, he could sense Jade’s anger and Floyd’s annoyance.
Jade sighed, deep from within his chest, like he had been holding it in for years. “You’re right, Floyd. If Jamil has noticed, it means it’s truly getting worse. Like when we were at the boarding school. I truly thought he had learned his lesson, but it seems like I’ve been mistaken.”
“Again.” Floyd teased. Jade glared at him.
“Azul? A lesson? Seems pretty out of character for him,” Jamil spoke again, pretending to be busy staring at his food, almost giddy at the thought of having dirt on Azul Ashengrotto without even trying. He hoped his subtle push of the conversation worked.
Floyd started to laugh, then cut himself off almost as fast as he started.
“Of course Sea Snake thinks it’s out of character for Azul, ya don’t even know him,” he said, dropping his usual energetic tone, his voice deadpan. His eyes were wide and unblinking. Jamil glared right back.
Uncomfortable silence filled the table, only Kalim’s mumbles and Azul’s soft hums of agreement echoing in the large room.
Floyd flopped away from Jamil, stirring his drink. “Listen, Sea Snake,” Floyd begun, “ya think you got Azul figured out when you just see what he wants ya to see. What he wants everyone in this school to see,”
“I don’t think I have him figured out.” Jamil immediately defended. He internally cringed at himself, he spoke way too fast.
Floyd only hummed.
“Seems like ya do,” the taller boy pressed on, resting his chin on his palm, “and don’t get me started on your annoyin’ ass superiority co-”
“Stop it, Floyd.” Jade spoke up, cutting off whatever his brother was about to spit at Jamil.
Floyd deflated and slid off the couch with an annoyed groan, falling to the floor with a dull thud. A grumble left him, and then silence.
Jamil really, really wanted to leave.
“Please pardon my brother’s choice of words, he doesn’t know when to close him mouth,”
A small growl rumbled from under the table. One of Jade’s long legs kicked forward. A small whimper sounded out. Jade gave his umpteenth signature tight lipped smile for the night. “Please, enjoy your food.” Standing up, he send a last look Jamil’s way, the message in his eyes not missed by him; Don’t mention this to anyone.
Jamil averted his eyes once more.
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He went to sleep thinking about the twins’ words.
It seemed stupid, to waste his energy on Azul. He’s caused nothing but frustration to Jamil, he’s a pain in the neck, both him and his lackeys. A frustrated groan found its way out of Jamil throat, and he brought his blanket over his head, burying himself under the covers of his bed in an attempt to silence his thoughts and fall asleep.
What did Floyd mean by “hurting Azul’s feelings”? Azul didn’t have feelings! Everything he did was purely transactional! Like Azul cared about Jamil’s opinions of him. Azul only cared about his own ass and money, nothing else. He bet all that food and appearance nonsense were lies too, trying to get him to see Azul in a different, softer light or something. They were calling him stupid to his face. Azul was definitely scheming something big if both the twins were in it. Great, this is exactly what Jamil needed right now. Scarabia in mass psychosis over Azul Ashengrotto and the culprit himself planning on ruining Jamil’s life even more. Just great.
He didn’t end up getting that much sleep that night.
Last night’s dinner haunted Azul’s every waking moment.
Kalim had straight up asked him if he had a crush on Jamil with a big smile on his face. He thought he was doing a good—a great job even!—at hiding it, but apparently Kalim had noticed. Kalim had noticed. Oh, how he had longed for his little octopus pot right there and there. The deep dark sea would hug his true body and he would sink down, curl up and hide until Jade and Floyd would grow bored of playing by themselves and come to get him out.
But that’s how his old self would act, and he wasn’t that Azul anymore.
Seeing his terror stricken face, Kalim expressed his confusion, asking Azul why he looked so shaken. Azul didn’t try to deny his feelings to Kalim, he simply asked how he found out, had Jade or Floyd expose him? Kalim laughed, and simply told him that it was obvious.
“You’re being quite obvious,” Kalim giggled.
Obvious.
Azul had almost exploded right then and there, he wanted to tear his hair out and cry and eat his weight in fried chicken and never speak to anyone ever again. What was worse than your crush’s best friend—as much as Jamil tried to deny it, Kalim insisted to referring to them as ‘best friends’—knowing about your said crush? He was doomed. Kalim couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.
Kalim had continued, completely oblivious to his inner turmoil. The white haired boy did seem slightly confused as to why Jamil hadn’t caught up or realised himself, to which Azul relaxed. He explained to his fellow housewarden that Jamil was the first person Azul had ever crushed on, and that he had never felt this way before. He didn’t need to explain himself to Kalim, nevertheless years of bullying and being scared that every person your age will make fun of you had made him develop habits he found himself not being able to get rid of as easily as he had hoped. He hadn’t been sure if Kalim should know all of this deeply personal stuff Azul has lived through, but it had been too late by then.
Kalim had been uncharacteristically silent during his entire explanation, nodding and humming along, never really looking Azul in the eyes.
Once Azul finished, Kalim grabbed his hands from across the table, squeezing them. “I won’t tell Jamil anything,” he had whispered, “I’m actually really good at keeping secrets! And I’m sure Jamil will come around, he has never been in a relationship either, so he is as inexperienced as you, haha!”
That somehow had made Azul feel a tiny bit better, and a growing fondness for the white haired housewarden bloomed at the same time.
Azul slowly got out of bed, because despite the small moment of catharsis at the end of the dinner, he hadn’t slept well at all, anxiety making him toss and turn all night. Excluding the part where he went to sleep at 3am because the dinner didn’t go as he would’ve liked so he drowned himself in paperwork and homework, his body didn’t let him fall asleep due to how hungry he felt. Azul was sure the dinner Jade and Floyd had prepared tasted wonderful, but he had already went over his daily calorie intake yesterday. Which led to him binge-eating an entire tray of cookies Jade had gotten from Trey earlier that week, as well as some leftover rice. He had proceeded to cry himself to sleep, so now his body was so tired he didn’t think he was going to last even until lunch. 738 whole calories! He was never going to burn those off with how tired he was.
Getting up, Azul entered the bathroom connected to his bedroom. He stared at the small space under the sink as he sat on the toilet lid, contemplating on if he wanted to ruin his day from the get-go or slowly lose his mind as the day progressed.
The scale dragged across the marble floor, way too loud for his sensitive ears so early in the morning. Azul continued to sit there, staring daggers at the device. These didn’t exist in the Coral Sea, and ever since he was made known that they exist, they haunted his very being. A device to weight yourself, whatever could someone need that for? It sounded like the devil’s invention, why would you need to know exactly how much you weight in your own home? Or at least that’s what he said at the start.
A few months after his first year here at Night Raven College, he bought one for himself. He kept checking the delivery status, and when it finally arrived, he guarded the package from Jade and Floyd like they were going to take it away from him—which is probably what they would’ve done, if he was being honest with himself.
65kg had been the first number he had seen printed on the wretched machine’s screen. He had stripped himself naked the next morning, made sure his bowel was empty, and stepped onto it. 65kg, it had read, he remembered it clear as day.
Humans—well, land dwellers—had something called a BMI, a calculation that estimates the body fat of someone based on height and weight. Why did these people hate themselves so much? Under the sea, none of these things mattered, and if they did, it would be useless to introduce such a bizarre concept to the culture they have. Survival of the fittest, you had to be big and strong to live—that’s what Azul’s mother would always tell him.
So why did he get ridiculed for it?
Azul stood on the scale once more, like he did almost every week, if not daily, and watched as the device progressed his weight. After a few seconds, the numbers flashed three times before settling: 55kg.
Azul sighed. He had gained 2kg.
⠀
⠀
At lunch, after barely keeping himself awake, Azul sat between Jade and Floyd, as he always did. Jade offhandedly mentioned the cookies Trey gave him seem to have gone missing. Azul simply told him he’d get him new ones, but they both knew that Azul knew that Jade knew that Azul knew.
Jade let it pass, and the twins forcefully fed Azul from their lunches. He pretended to put up a fight, but was secretly glad they still seemed to care about him. They have expressed, numerous times, their distaste for anything boring, even explicitly telling Azul to his face that they’d stop bothering with him if he bores them, so if they still hang around, at what he can only describe a really low point in his life—a small hope in Azul whispers that they care about him more than they let on.
Despite them sitting in their own designated table at the cafeteria, their lunch consisted of random Scarabia students coming over and giving Azul some of the sold out items of the day, those more special, more expensive than the usual planned meal of the day, those that students fought tooth and nail to get, some even raced each other to the cafeteria from their classes to be the first to buy them.
Azul accepted, of course, thanking them, and immediately giving them to Floyd to eat after they left from their table. He couldn’t eat anything that high in calories anyway, much less that amount of treats.
After the 12th Scarabia student run away from the table—either because Azul looked done or because Floyd was growing irritated and would curse them out and threaten to bite them as soon as they arrived—and the bell rung, signalling the end of their lunch break.
Azul inhaled and exhaled with the patience of a saint.
“My my, Azul, seems like you’re the new hot topic,” Jade observed from his right, posture perfect and elegant. Azul groaned into his school uniform, having pulled it over his head in embarrassment, slouching between the twins even more. Out of all the times he could be glad they tower over him—and well, everyone else—he was most grateful for it now. He easily fit between Jade and Floyd, his head reaching their elbows with how low his ass had slipped off the dining hall’s bench. Jade pet his head in comfort.
“Don’t patronize me.” He snapped at Jade, who fondly chuckled.
Floyd giggled to his left as he continued shoving what the cafeteria had served the students today into his mouth.
“Say Azul, can’t you use this as a way to gain even more regulars at Mostro Lounge?”
“Of course I’ve thought of that! It’s just too embarrassing…”
“Well I think it’s a great idea, you could even bait them into thinking they have a chance so they keep coming back.”
“Both of you cut it out!”
The twins’ synchronised laughter made him groan again.
He wasn’t aware when it started, but what he originally thought was general admiration from the dorm he had oh so graciously saved, turned into romantic interest. Azul wasn’t sure how to receive the attention—not that he was starved of it the past two years, but that attention was different from having a bunch of hormonal teenage boys slobbering—as Floyd had so elegantly put it—over him.
It certainly was better than getting bullied for his appearance, but his plan was for Jamil.
Not the entirety of the dorm of Scarabia!
After basketball practise, Jamil always liked to sit on the bleachers and relax, even for a bit. Kalim wasn’t allowed in the indoor gym, not since he flooded everything last year after Jamil had scored the last points which resulted in their win—Kalim had told him he just got super happy. The entire room and everyone inside was drenched, so ever since that Kalim had been banned, unless he got explicit permission from coach Vargas. And with Kalim not being able to bother him here, Jamil could use it to his advantage for some peace and quiet.
After half an hour of scrolling through his phone while his teammates showered and packed their stuff to leave, Jamil got up to do the same. He should probably get started on making Kalim his dinner either way.
As he approached the locker room, he heard voices.
Two very familiar voices, in fact.
He truly couldn’t catch a break could he?
Despite knowing better, Jamil still leaned in to listen. Had Kalim done this, or anyone really, he would’ve scolded them, but no one was here to judge him, so he didn’t care. Plus, getting an insight to what Azul and one of his slimy eels talked about could prove useful for any… future plans, he guessed.
“Floyd, I’ve told you time and time again that it doesn’t bother me,” he heard Azul say.
“Bullshit! Azuuuuuuuullll———don’t ya dare lie to me!” Floyd responded, that annoyingly childish tone in his voice.
“Shh! Floyd! Don’t shout!”
“Azuuul,” Floyd whined again, “you’ve been so obsessed with that plan of yours, you’ve forgotten ‘bout Jade and me! We had you first! Not Sea Snake!”
Sea Snake. That was the strange nonsense nickname Floyd had for him. Since when did Jamil “have” Azul? Was he referring to his failed attempt at brainwashing Azul? Curious.
“Oh cut it out Floyd, both you and Jade don’t care about my attention, I came here to ask about what you’ve heard, not to get lectured by you of all people.”
“Ouch! But fine, I haven’t heard anything other than scoffs whenever anyone mentions you whenever he’s around, so there ya have it, betcha wanna give up now, huh?”
“No, matter of fact, dear Floyd, this just mean I have to work harder!”
“Eughhhhhhhhh… yer hopeless…”
“I prefer: tactical and hardworking.”
“Whatever ya say, Azul, I’m outta here,”
Jamil backed away from the door, hiding behind the bleachers. He hoped to the great Sorcerer Floyd wouldn’t notice him otherwise he would never hear the end of it.
Floyd exited the locker room, his stride lazy and relaxed, his gym bag slung over his shoulder. Jamil waited for Azul, but he never came out.
Jamil peaked his head from the bleachers, and accepted his fate. He needed to shower and get going, he couldn’t risk leaving Kalim alone any longer. As he entered the locker room, he spotted Azul rearranging a locker—Floyd’s locker. He was murmuring to himself as he cleaned up the changes of clothes inside, a large plastic bag at his feet. He was wearing his school, uniform, sans the jacket, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Jamil watched as Azul placed a clean set of the standard Octavinelle dorm uniform in Floyd’s now cleaner locker, throwing the dirty one in the bag, before he abruptly turned around, his eyes wide.
He stared at Jamil for a few beats, his eyes getting impossibly wider by the second.
“What are you doing here-”
“Jamil!” Azul practically squeaked. “What a pleasant surprise! I thought everyone had finished with practice, but you’re still… here…”
Jamil raised an eyebrow, eyeing the bag at Azul’s feet once more. Azul followed his gaze, kicking the bag behind his legs as much as he could. “Floyd always forgets to have a spare uniform in his locker like he doesn’t have a shift at the Mostro Lounge everyday of the week.” He explained lightly, the annoyance not missed by Jamil, turning around and bending down to tie the bag for easier carrying. Jamil mustered all his rationality and mental strength to not stare at Azul’s… backside as he bend down.
“Well, I shall leave you to it, Jamil, it was lovely talking to you!”
“How did you know I was here?”
Azul stopped at the door, a look of confusion on his face. “Well… when you live in the Coral Sea, you have to watch out for all the dangerous predators-”
Jamil scoffed. “So I’m a predator?”
Azul uncharacteristically spluttered, panic evident in his eyes. “No! That’s not what I meant, haha, I’m just saying I can sense when someone is… watching me,” Azul looked at him evenly, “Why were you watching me?” His grip on the bag tightened a bit.
Now it was Jamil’s turn to awkwardly shuffle towards his locker, “I was simply surprised to see you here,”
“But I come by quite a bit,”
“Yes, and I don’t really understand why, Floyd doesn’t even participate in half of the matches due to his mood swings, so I see you sitting on those bleachers doing paperwork while that dumbass sleeps on the bench.”
Azul laughed and replied in that playful tone Jamil despised, “My my, Jamil, the way I see it, one would think you pay attention to me,”
Of course he noticed Azul, even if he didn’t, his presence wasn’t ignored by the rest of his teammates, who sometimes tried to show off when they knew Azul was looking up from his paperwork, flexing their—barely there—muscles and attempting to score a 3-point shot, which they never did. Floyd either plays better or not at all when Azul is there, immediately going to lay his full weight on Azul’s smaller body. Azul always tries to push him off at first, but he relents at the end and lets Floyd nap on his thighs while he continues to do his work. Jamil always rolls his eyes at Floyd’s endless streak of seeking attention from any person in his life he deems interesting enough. One would think Jamil actually paid attention to the duo, but he didn’t. It’s all harsh whispers from his teammates who are sour Floyd gets special treatment, both by their coach and Azul.
Azul might not know it, but he is quite popular amongst the more athletic students, he guessed it’s because they like a smaller build. Jamil has overheard numerous conversations from all the sports clubs at Night Raven College, some because he was simply passing by and was unlucky enough to hear about some teenage boys’ wet dreams, others because he had directly asked about Azul—information gathering, nothing more.
He obviously hadn’t expected the answer to be that.
Still, for some reason, Azul didn’t know, even though a lot of them were regulars at Mostro Lounge. Jamil was certain those eels knew, though. And he suspected they were the reason no one had asked Azul out yet.
But he wasn’t going to tell Azul any of that, so instead he choose to reply with a glare, which in return Azul chuckled his melodic laugh at.
Okay. Whatever.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it, I guess I may see you at Scarabia though, since Kalim asked me to help him with his alchemy homework,”
Fuck. Kalim would be the death of him.
Jamil hummed dismissively in reply, a sloppy attempt at hiding his annoyance. Would the silver haired menace leave him alone for a single day?
After Azul left, Jamil got in the shower. Azul had said merpeople in the Coral Sea possessed heightened senses due to the amount of predators lurking, which made sense. So, how did Floyd not sense him? Ace had blabbered about how scary the twins were in their actual forms; eel merfolk were good hunters and exceptional predators themselves. Jamil recalled Kalim’s inquiry on the trio’s unlikely friendship, and with Jade and Floyd’s favourite foods being octopus dishes and their remarks about eating people… Jamil didn’t want to think about it. Still, either Floyd didn’t care to call him out on his eavesdropping, or he didn’t notice him, the former much more realistic regarding Floyd’s nature.
After finishing his shower and putting on a clean pair of casual clothes, applying his self-made hair oil on the copious amount of hair he has, and braiding it with a simple spell, Jamil checked the time: 7pm.
Huh, he hadn’t noticed how long he had taken. Pretty uncharacteristic of him, he usually got everything done as quickly as possible so he could get back to Kalim. Maybe Azul’s comment about being with Kalim eased his mind? No, not in a million years. In fact, the thought of Kalim being alone with Azul made his heart pound, and he quickly picked his bag to head to the Scarabia dorm as fast as possible.
He made the entire trip in under five minutes, not even going to his room to drop off his gym bag.
Arriving at Kalim’s door, he knocked three times and listened for a response.
A quiet ‘Oh!’, and the sound of the door opening.
Kalim beamed at him, “Jamil! How was practise? Come in, come in, Azul made us some really yummy sandwiches!”
“And you ate them without question?” Jamil hoped the panic wasn’t evident in his voice, but Kalim’s slight eyebrow scrunch told him he didn’t do a good job at concealing it.
“I would never try to poison Kalim, plus, he watched me make them with ingredients from your dorm’s kitchen,” Azul beat Kalim into explaining, but didn’t look up from his homework. “Nice to see you again Jamil, I’m so lucky—twice in one day!” He smiled at Jamil, eyes creasing.
Jamil swallowed.
Kalim dragged Jamil to the desk, overflowing with papers and textbooks, lists and study guides written in Azul’s cursive handwriting, alongside Kalim’s notes, filled with more doodles or song lyrics than actual material from Crewel’s lessons.
A paper was shoved in his face, and Jamil reflexively leaned back. “Look! Azul’s study guides are no joke!” Kalim nudged the paper towards Jamil again, urging him to take a look. Jamil sighed, and took the paper from Kalim.
It truly was an exceptional study guide, filled with key words, marked with where to look into the school book for further details, highlighting the core aspects of each lesson, small notes to make a definition easier digestible for anyone who hasn’t studied a day in their life. This is why so many students were too eager to bet their freedom in exchange for one of these—Jamil was impressed, although he would never tell Azul that.
“See! This is how you do it! Your study guides are too crowded, they make no sense!” Kalim stated, grabbing his study guide back.
Jamil scoffed, glancing back at Azul. He was still writing, never pausing. His posture somewhat hunched, eyebrows furrowed, lips pouting ever so slightly. He had clipped back the singular long lock of hair framing his face, a small clip that looked like a seashell.
Cute…
Huh. Wait what?
Azul wasn’t cute. He was a scheming asshole that wouldn’t leave him alone. He was a money hungry leech that destroyed all his plans.
Jamil shook his head like the action would erase the foolishness of his own thoughts.
“Kalim, what do you want for dinner?” he questioned.
“Oh! Could you make us kabsa? Pleeeeaseeeeee?”
Jamil simply nodded. Kabsa was a relatively easy dish to cook, it wouldn’t take much time. Though, Kalim didn’t eat chicken all that much, so his request was a bit random.
“Azul, you’re gonna love it! Ever since Floyd told me your favourite food is fried chicken, I’ve been so excited for you to try a chicken dish from the Scalding Sands! You’re really gonna love it!”
Ah, so that’s why. Jamil looked for Azul’s reaction, only to raise an eyebrow at his blanched complexion. He had stopped writing for the first time since Jamil entered the room, staring at nothing in… betrayal? His eyes were narrowed, and it seemed like he was planning something. Floyd was so getting worked to the bone for the rest of the month. Served him right, for running his mouth.
“A-Ah, there’s no need to cook for me as well, I should get going either way-”
“You’re staying for dinner.” Jamil stated, closing the door before Azul could finish his sentence.
He stood for a few seconds, back facing the closed door. Why had he said that? It was the perfect chance to get rid of Azul! He had even kicked himself out!
Was it the panic in his eyes at the sudden mention of food? Jamil’s conversation with the twins was still fresh in his mind. It perplexed him, Azul was by no means on the heavier side. And even if he was, was that so bad?
Azul was unathletic to worrying degree, but Jamil had seen Azul pick up heavy things without breaking a sweat. Was that due to his real anatomy as an octopus merperson? Had that transferred to his human body as well? He wasn’t present when Azul overblotted, but he had heard about Azul’s overblot form looking like his true body, the raw strength of just one of his tentacles rivalling some of the school’s strongest and most athletic students.
Or at least that’s what Ace had said.
Floyd had then proceeded to trip him and threaten to not talk about the whole fiasco, lest he wants to get squeezed.
He didn’t understand why he had told Azul to stay, but the small relief Jamil had seen in Azul’s big blue eyes, framed by long eyelashes and dark circles concealed with makeup, his glasses slid down the bridge of his nose just a bit, that small hint of rawness from someone like Azul, was rewarding in its own way.
Not that Jamil cared.
The universe was against him, he was sure of it. He hadn’t anticipated for Kalim to ask him to stay for dinner, nor had he anticipated Jamil demanding him stay for dinner. What was everyone’s problem today? Azul was going to make Floyd work double shifts for running his mouth, especially to Kalim.
Jamil hadn’t even let him finish talking! He had basically slammed the door to his face! How rude! To think Azul likes Jamil for his personality… maybe he really is crazy.
But, he was equally thankful. Why was he even complaining? A chance to be close to Jamil was rare, let alone Jamil himself making the first move. Calories be damned, he was going to lick the plate clean!
“Kalim, thank you for the invitation,” he smiled, “but these alchemy notes aren’t going to study themselves, get to work.”
“Eek! So scary, Azul,” Kalim smiled. He lowered his head, beginning to reread everything Azul had highlighted. A few minutes passed, before Kalim spoke again.
“You know,” he started, making Azul roll his eyes, “had it been anyone else, I think Jamil would’ve had thrown them out immediately,” his tone was playfully teasing, wiggling his body to nudge Azul’s.
Azul’s cheeks and ears burned bright red as he adjusted his glasses—that weren’t crooked to begin with—loudly clearing his throat. “Kalim,” he said with a warning tone, “don’t you dare get my hopes up,”
“Aww Azul don’t be so shy, I know Jamil like the back of my hand!”
Azul shot him a look.
Kalim cringed. “Okay, maybe I didn’t know him all that well, but I know his habits! His mannerisms! Any other person I have invited on a whim this late in the day has been denied, trust me on this!”
Closing his notebook and tidying up the desk, Azul could only nod. If Kalim believed Jamil’s behaviour was strange, who was he to argue?
“Alright, let me see which exercises you struggled with.”
⠀
⠀
Helping Kalim wasn’t hard, people didn’t give him enough credit for his academics, which, sure, he had an advantage over a lot of people due to his personal tutors, but Azul was almost sure Kalim had some sort of problem with his attention span. It was hard for him to focus on one thing, so Azul had resulted in making small cards for Kalim to memorise terminology. Ever since he had started helping—tutoring—him, Kalim had reported back any positive feedback from the professors to Azul, even though Azul had told him it wasn’t necessary. Still, Kalim insisted, and his grades in subjects he wasn’t that good at had improved significantly.
Azul guesses the attention span issues is a direct result of the stress Kalim must be living through daily, even if he doesn’t show it, or realise, due to his position as the Asim family’s heir. Jamil has made it very clear Kalim has been kidnapped numerous times during various stages of his life. Azul feels bad for the boy, but he knows pity isn’t what people want.
He certainly didn’t want it back then.
Despite it all, Azul admires Kalim for his efforts and his hopeful and bright outlook on life, even if it may look and sound fake sometimes. A coping mechanism.
“Azul, I think Jamil might be done, we should head to the kitchen,”
Kalim dragged Azul through Scarabia’s halls, leading him to an open kitchen. The aroma of spices and cooked chicken wafted in the air, and Azul had to fight back demons not to drool. Jamil was wearing an apron and had his hair tied back—woah he looked good in a ponytail, Azul always looked forward to the basketball matches just for that alone—and he was finishing up with the plating.
Kalim excitedly sat on his usual seat at the table, motioning for Azul to sit wherever he wanted. Azul hesitatingly took a seat on Kalim’s right, folding his legs on the comfortable cushion.
Clearing his throat, Azul smiled his business man smile at Kalim, “Thank you for having me over for dinner once again, Kalim,” he then turned to look at Jamil, “Jamil, I also have to thank you for the food,”
Kalim nodded. “Thank you Jamil! It looks great!”
“You haven’t even tried it yet,” Jamil grumbled, taking the plates with practiced grace and placing them in front of Kalim and Azul. Kalim’s portion looked more colourful than Azul’s, and Jamil caught the slight scrunch of his thin eyebrows. “Since you can’t handle spice very well,” he pointed out, looking Azul directly in the eyes, brighter than before, like he was finding this funny and amusing, “I made it with medium spice, so you shouldn’t have a hard time enjoying it,” he released his hair from the ponytail—much to Azul’s disappointment—removed his apron and sat across from Azul. Azul could only dumbly nod.
“Thank you again, truly,” he said in a lower tone. This time, his smile was genuine, a strong wave of warmth and tenderness washing over him.
If Jamil accepted him, even as a friend, this could happen more often. But his friendship would be more than enough to him. Greedy as he was, as much as he wanted Jamil to love him back and care about him like Azul did, he still wanted Jamil to be happy. And if Jamil truly never reciprocated any of Azul’s feelings, Azul would let him go. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to avoid trying! His plan was perfect, his chances couldn’t be zero.
Smiling, he scooped a piece of chicken and some rice, and begun eating.
Azul was starving, and Jamil’s cooking always made him feel better.