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Kalim Al-Asim was a lucky man. He’s been made aware of this multiple times growing up. Wealth, status, looks, he has been the receiver of all sorts of praise and attention (both the flattering kind and the unwanted kind) since he learned to understand the words of others. He knew he was blessed in many ways, but none of those were the real reason Kalim considered himself lucky.
Right now, Ruggie Bucchi was lying in his bed, next to him.
He was dating Ruggie Bucchi and this simple fact was what made Kalim the luckiest guy in all of NRC.
He lay in his bed with his eyes closed, soft quilts and pillows surrounding them as he let the rays of morning sun cascade over his skin, warming him up. As he lay there, convincing himself to wake up, Kalim slowly remembered the moments from last night that only proceeded to further prove how lucky of a man he was.
The way Ruggie had looked up at him through thick lashes, the playful smile on his lips as he wrapped his arms around Kalim’s neck, the way he allowed Kalim to lie on top of his chest and listen to his heartbeat. The memories make him grin and Kalim turns over to hide his face in a pillow to muffle his soft laugh. He would hate to wake up Ruggie over it after all. Remembering the way they had whispered their love for each other has him feeling warmer than the heat of the sun. Even then, he craves to feel Ruggie’s warmth on top of it all once more.
Still with his face covered, he begins to stretch his arms out through the ocean of pillows in an attempt to find his lover and pull him closer. His bed was a conveniently large one after all, and more often than not when Ruggie felt too warm or stuffy he did have a habit of shifting away. Kalim just had to pull him back in again.
All he had to do was reach his arms out, feel Ruggie lying near him, and just pull him closer so that they were together again. Once he did that he was going to open his eyes just to see…
Nothing?
He rummages around for a few more seconds to feel anything human-shaped or textured.
Still nothing.
After moving his hand around a bit more and grabbing at nothing, Kalim finally raises his head to find his bed empty and his room silent. No Ruggie in sight.
He stares at the empty spot next to him and finally gets out of bed, new mission at hand.
Deciding to leave his make-up for later, he dresses himself up and begins to wander through the halls of his dorm in search of his beloved boyfriend. It was impossible that Ruggie would have left without waking him up first, or at least without a note or anything. Kalim had double checked his room and had only found Ruggie’s folded up pyjamas that had replaced his now missing uniform. He was sure that there was no letter or note left behind, meaning that Ruggie was still here, somewhere in his dorm.
A few of his dormmates greet him as he passes by and Kalim stops by each one of them to make small talk. No one knows where Ruggie is though and he is left with no clue and pointless walking around once again.
It takes him a while, but eventually he manages to overhear a familiar snicker from around the corner and picks up his pace. The kitchen was his original destination anyway, despite all the pauses he had taken. He is sure that Ruggie is in the kitchen, probably cooking up a breakfast that would leave Kalim craving for more.
He turns the corner and sure enough Ruggie is in the kitchen. His blazer is discarded on a nearby chair and he had his sleeves rolled up as he whisked something in a pan.
He is grinning and laughing and looking over at Jamil.
Make no mistake, Kalim is delighted to see his two favorite people getting along so well. It hadn’t been easy for Ruggie to get Jamil’s approval, the man more paranoid and critical than Kalim’s own parents. But the hyena had managed to slip through Jamil’s firmly built walls and had gotten Jamil’s begrudging acceptance over their relationship. To see them laughing together should have made Kalim ecstatic.
But he sees Jamil picking up the salt and handing it to Ruggie without even looking over, Ruggie accepting with a quip that makes Jamil actually look over. He sees the two make eye contact and laugh before Jamil takes a step closer and nudges Ruggie’s shoulder with his elbow. It only makes Ruggie laugh harder and Kalim feels something heavy and murky begin to boil in his stomach.
The heat he feels from it isn’t the warmth he’s used to. It’s not gentle and soothing but instead it crackles and pops like a toxic lava that threatens to gush forth.
The sight of seeing Jamil and Ruggie looking at each other, smiling at each other, makes him inexplicably queasy.
Ruggie flips whatever is in his pan and hearing Jamil let out an impressed whistle snaps Kalim out of his daze and he is dashing forward.
He does not think as he wraps his arms around Ruggie’s waist, causing Ruggie to yelp and Jamil to startle and spill in a little more salt than necessary into his pot. Kalim ignores Jamil’s cursing as he places his chin on Ruggie’s shoulder and the burning heat from before cools down when he feels Ruggie leaning into his touch. He turns his head slightly and murmurs a greeting, smirk in place.
“Mornin’”
“You weren’t in bed when I woke up.”
“Wanted to help Jamil make breakfast.”
Kalim sideeyes Jamil who is pointedly not looking at them.
“Jamil usually makes breakfast himself, so it’s okay! Isn’t it Jamil?”
He expects his friend to curse them out again, a complaint about their level of affection always prepared on the tip of his tongue. Kalim readies himself for it but it never comes. Instead Jamil turns to him, eyes closed and smile wide.
“Actually it was great to have Ruggie helping out.”
“...What?”
“Yeah,” Jamil continues casually while accepting another bottle of spice from Ruggie, “I think I’m getting this done faster too.”
Ruggie snickers at the obvious praise and flips the pan once more. He glances at Kalim who immediately gives a low “ooooh” of admiration before turning back to Jamil.
“Thanks Jamil, you just gotta ask.”
“Oh I will.”
Kalim can barely process what his own friend and dear vice housewarden is doing when the man himself turned to Kalim, the soft look dissipating and replacing itself with a sterner look. He had one hand on his hip, the other holding a ladle he was waving around.
“And why did you come down here without fully getting ready to leave for class?”
Kalim furrows his brows at the black haired man and tightens his grip around Ruggie.
“I just wanted to hang-”
“We’ll have to leave for class immediately after breakfast Kalim. Go put on your make-up.”
“But-”
“Awww babe, just go.” Ruggie’s amused voice breaks the unexpectedly tense atmosphere. “We’ll have breakfast ready by the time you’re back.”
Kalim still hesitates to follow the request. Jamil was still turned towards him, a victorious smirk in place and Ruggie wasn’t looking at either of them, too focused on whatever he was making. Leaving Kalim at a out vote of zero to two, he is forced to accept his loss and leave the kitchen.
He tightens his arms around his lover one last time and pressing a chaste kiss on the side of his neck, Kalim finally moves to leave.
“I’ll be quick.”
He mutters before speedwalking out of the door, about to get through the fastest make-up routine of his life.
Ruggie isn’t there when he comes back.
He notices that the blazer has disappeared as well and looks up to see Jamil sitting by the set up dining table, clearly waiting for Kalim.
“Where’s Ruggie?”
“Said he had to stop by the library to grab a book, don’t worry, I gave him something to eat before he ran off so he’s not starving out there.” He looks up from his phone and gestures at the seat across from him. “Let’s eat.”
Kalim pouts all the way to his seat and keeps pouting as Jamil pours breakfast for him. He accepts the plate with a pout and waits as Jamil pours him a glass of water, still with a pout.
“Are you done with the ugly faces?”
“You took my morning time with Ruggie.”
Jamil raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by Kalim’s complaint but he pushes on anyway, voice bordering loud.
“You know we hang out every morning! We were supposed to roll around in bed-”
“Wow.”
“-have breakfast together and then I was supposed to walk him to class!”
It feels like Jamil is chewing slower than usual as Kalim waits for a response while ripping into his own piece of bread. The man finally swallows and gives Kalim a wide, mischievous smirk that is rarely ever directed at him.
“Jealousy is not a good look on you.”
“What-” Kalim’s hand pauses as he realizes what Jamil was insinuating. Shame twinges within him as he hurries to speak, sounding apologetic. “I’m happy you’re both hanging out! I’m not- like, it’s really great you’re getting along well!”
Jamil doesn’t respond to his ramblings, eyes calmly downcast as he keeps eating.
“And if you hurry up, you can still catch him at the library and walk him to class or whatever.”
Kalim gobbles his food in record time and after gulping down the glass of water that Jamil forces into his hand he is booking it out of the dorm, not hearing Jamil calling him about him forgetting his backpack.
Luckily the library is close to Scarabia and he finds himself there in a span of a few minutes. He stops at the entrance to hunch over and collect his breath. He wipes away the sweat formed at his forehead and after checking his reflection through the darkened glass doors, he pushes them open and steps inside to see Ruggie with his arm around Riddle of all people.
They’re speaking through hushed whispers, and as Kalim walks closer he could see the pleading look on Ruggie and the blush spreading across Riddle’s cheeks. Was he angry?
“This is utterly preposterous!”
“Eyy come on Riddle, aren’t we buds?”
“Not anymore, we are no such thing-”
The burning sensation starts from the pits of his stomach again and it slowly climbs up to his chest. It crawls slowly but roars so loudly that it has Kalim’s ears buzzing even in the quiet of the library. He sees the way their bodies are pressed together, Ruggie’s arm draped loosely around Riddle’s shoulder as he continued to plead for something that the housewarden was now pointedly ignoring. Ruggie’s blonde hair falls over a little and brushes against Riddle’s cheeks and the shorter flushes a full red. It looks as though he was about to blow up and scold Ruggie, Kalim notices the way he sits frozen in place instead and the heat keeps increasing.
Did Riddle not know he and Ruggie were dating? That couldn’t be, Kalim remembered mentioning it to the housewarden during one of their tutoring sessions. Was it two weeks ago? It might have been the week before that, a long time since it was mentioned then, so Riddle might have just forgotten! Maybe that’s why he was letting himself clearly enjoy the feeling of Ruggie’s arm around him like that.
“Ruggie! You’re gonna be late for class!”
His loud voice is definitely attention grabbing and within seconds Riddle has pushed Ruggie off of his shoulder, truly prepared to blow up.
Ruggie took a casual step back before looking up at Kalim. He grinned in a way that made Kalim smile back. The smile widened when his boyfriend hurried over to his side and threw an arm around his shoulder instead. He let himself throw his head back against Ruggie’s arm, his gaze still on Riddle.
“Right, well,” Riddle kept his gaze pointedly on the books he was packing up, still sounding a little flustered. “At this pace I will be late for my classes too, so I’ll be taking my leave now. I’ll see you both later.”
Ruggie waved as Kalim vocally expressed his bye, also waving at the shorter boy who was speedwalking out of the library. There was proper silence as Kalim watched the closing library door, his heated skin finally cooling down underneath the chill of the library.
“Hey, do you think Riddle forgot we’re dating?”
Ruggie turns to look at him with an almost incredulous look before snickering into his hand.
“Duh? I thought you already told everyone.”
“...I did.” at least he thought he did.
“Anyway you’re here to walk me to class?”
“Can I?”
Ruggie laughs in a low voice at the question. It makes Kalim feel a little silly and even sillier when he receives enthusiastic nodding.
“Also, weren’t you here to get a book?”
He asks as Ruggie removed his arm from Kalim’s shoulder and interlocked their hands together. As Kalim is pulled out, the boy lifts his other hand to show off the book already in hand, having been grabbed Seven knows when. It makes Kalim laugh, the other joining in as they enjoy their short walk to Ruggie’s class.
The promise to meet again after classes keeps Kalim going for the rest of the day. Not even Jamil scolding him for forgetting his backpack, or his clumsy alchemy mistake was able to ruin it.
Ironically it is Silver that manages to ruin Kalim’s day.
It wasn’t on purpose. It most definitely couldn’t have been. But when Kalim entered the emptying class to find the silver haired boy asleep on his boyfriend’s shoulder…the feeling was unbearable.
“Ruggie.”
The boy who had his ducked down, looks up and Kalim sees the way his eyes lit up when they met his own. It made the pain less but didn’t make it disappear.
“Hey there,” Ruggie kept his voice soft. A trait that would have been endearing if Kalim wasn’t too busy trying to deal with the phantom pain. “Kinda ended up in a situation here.”
“Don’t you have work?”
“Yeah, I’m just hopin’ Silver will wake up by then.”
“But then you’ll have to hurry.”
“It’s gonna be a sprint for sure.”
Ruggie sounded as though he didn’t mind and it made the restless feeling Kalim felt even more wrong. They were supposed to walk to the Mostro lounge together. They were supposed to hold hands as Kalim told Ruggie about his day and flooded Ruggie with questions about his own day. He was supposed to admire the way Ruggie’s eyes sparkled, the way he licked his lips before he started speaking, the way he would squeeze Kalim’s hand gently from time to time.
He was supposed to have Ruggie all for himself and that precious moment had to be sacrificed because Silver decided Kalim’s boyfriend was a good pillow?
No way!
Without a word, he moves around the table to pick up Silver’s briefcase bag. He places it on the desk, right underneath Silver’s head and as Ruggie silently mouthed questions to him, he walked up to the beastman and suddenly tugged him out of his seat.
Ruggie stumbled into Kalim’s arms with a yelp and almost simultaneously Silver’s body fell down to the table, head softly hitting his own bag. There is silence for a moment and seeing that their friend hasn’t woken up, both Kalim and Ruggie exhale a sigh of relief.
“You okay?”
Ruggie raises an eyebrow at him. He looked more curious than upset and the relief Kalim feels over this fact is far more palpable than Silver waking up. He nods at the boy while gently pulling him away from the classroom, leaving Silver to sleep by himself. On a different day Kalim would have spent as much as needed to try and wake his good friend up but today he hadn’t managed to have Ruggie for himself at all! so Silver was going to have to wait.
“Made you this while waitin’”
He didn’t even notice Ruggie pulling something out from Seven knows where until he’s holding a white colored rose close to Kalim’s face. It is covered in dotted lines and it takes Kalim a second to realize that it was made of paper.
“You made this?”
“Yeah, figured I won’t be gettin’ anywhere with Silver on my shoulder so I made that while waiting.”
“For me?”
“Who else would I be givin’ flowers to?” Ruggie huffs out a laugh and the familiar, much-missed warmth is back and embracing Kalim once more.
He accepts the flower and with a lot more energy, he swings their hands back and forth while walking down the busy corridor. Finally having gotten Ruggie to himself and feeling special, Kalim is about to start his well planned routine when suddenly a voice calls out to Ruggie from behind.
He sees Epel jogging over, a question about club on the tip of his tongue and Kalim’s heart drops to his stomach.
The purple haired first year walks with them for most of the way over before bidding them a much awaited farewell. But as soon as Epel leaves they come across Idia who, shockingly, goes out of his way to give a wave at Ruggie. It did not help Kalim’s mood that the taller housewarden then yelped when they made eye contact but at least it got him to hurry away.
Not that it helped because only mere seconds before Kalim starts talking, they hear a flamboyant yell of their names. He sees Rook waving wildly alongside a collected Vil who is also smiling in greeting.
Well aware that they couldn’t just walk away, Ruggie stops with a hesitant laugh and greets them back, forcing Kalim to stop and smile as well. He sees Vil’s eyes narrow towards him and tries to make his grin more natural. After all, on a different day he would have been waving just as enthusiastically. He liked both Vil and Rook, far more than Ruggie did.
But not today. All he wanted was to spend time with his boyfriend but everyone, everyone had something they wanted with his boyfriend. They were taking away his time with him and it just wasn’t fair!
“Kalim,” Vil’s sharp voice breaks his track of thoughts and he looks up to see three pairs of eyes staring at him. One filled with amusement, the other with curiosity, and his favorite one; with concern. “Is everything alright?”
“Oh, yeah! Sorry about that! I was just thinking about how fast we’ll have to walk for Ruggie to make it to work.”
“...You were thinking that?”
“Yes?”
Amusement dances in Vil’s stare, as though he had long since figured Kalim out. It causes embarrassment to curdle in his chest but Kalim manages to keep a straight face, only moving to squeeze Ruggie’s hand to sign that he was completely fine.
“Right,” Vil finally said, “well then we certainly shouldn’t keep you.”
“Ah but Roi du Poison-”
He stops Rook’s words with the lightest touch over the hunter’s arms.
“Come now Rook, I too would like to spend time with you. I’ll see the two of you around.”
Ruggie visibly relaxes when the two figures turn away, Rook now yapping about something or the other to Vil who listens carefully. The figures overlap with his and Ruggie’s and Kalim’s mind and he feels another spike of jealousy rise up through him as he realizes that they hadn’t gotten to enjoy their time together at all.
“Babe, I gotta hurry up and-”
“Can I come with?”
“Hmm?”
“To the Mostro,” Kalim turns to Ruggie while keeping pace, “I’ll wait for you till you’re done.”
Ruggie’s confused look melts into a fond smile and he slips his hand into Kalim’s once more. It is comforting and the joy Kalim feels makes his cheeks warm.
“Not gonna lie. Azul would be way too happy to see you there so make sure he doesn’t see you. Might get you ta buy the whole store. We can go back to your dorm after I’m done, I don’t got much to do for Leona today.”
Ruggie keeps smiling, clearly pleased by the idea he had come up with. It makes Kalim’s heart ache because all he could think of was how nice it would be to just drag the blonde back to his dorm right away. But he doesn’t, because Ruggie took his jobs seriously, and Kalim respected that.
He has to let go of Ruggie’s hand when they reach the lounge where Ruggie slips in through the back and Kalim walks the long way to the entrance. He slips his now cold hands into his uniform pocket and kicks a stone while walking and wondering.
He was jealous. Kalim was not oblivious, he knew that much. There were too many people that seemed to enjoy spending time with Ruggie.
That was fine, he told himself despite the twinge of annoyance. It wasn’t surprising how popular Ruggie was. Diligent, charming, beautiful, Ruggie was filled with traits that most cannot help but be attracted towards, whether they realized it or not. The way his eyes, a magnetic blue, would track others with an intensity that would make one’s skin crawl with thrill. His playful smile when he succeeded on a prank or scheme could cause hearts to race and when he laughed, a rare loud and hearty laugh that came from his soul, it was enough to make hearts skip a beat.
Kalim stops in his tracks as a realization occurs to him. He was a lucky man, but he was really lucky to have realized Ruggie’s beauty before anyone else had.
He enters the Mostro lounge and is surprised to see that it is less crowded than usual. The fact is proven further when he saw a few waiters standing around mindlessly, their sections empty as they spent the time talking amongst themselves. Ruggie is not amidst the listless ones and unable to find him after scanning around, Kalim tiptoes his way towards the back of the restaurant, hoping he isn’t caught by anyone familiar.
He does find someone he knows, but to his elation it is Cater sitting by himself in one of the booths at the back.
The orange haired boy also brightens when he sees Kalim’s and he is already making a peace sign as a welcome when Kalim joins him at the booth.
“Whatcha doing here without Jamil?”
“Waiting for Ruggie.” He evades the other answer which was that he had texted Jamil about his plan to wait for Ruggie and had received three messages warning him not to go into the ‘octopus devil’s cavern’. “What about you?”
Instead of answering, Cater points at another table behind Kalim. He turns and sees two familiar Heartslabyul students sitting together, sharing what looked like a really tall glass of ice cream. Their smiles are soft as they talk amongst themselves and pang of annoyance passes through Kalim once more. One he couldn’t even explain.
“You’re watching Ace and Deuce from afar?"
“They’re on a date. I’m here because I saw them by totes coincidence and just had to view this live!”
Kalim laughs at the excitement in Cater’s voice and even helps him take pictures from his angle. Cater’s presence is enjoyable and while chatting and taking pictures with him, Kalim is able to even forget his ongoing crisis. For most of the time, they sit in a comfortable silence, one that doesn’t feel forced as Cater scrolls through his phone and Kalim watches the people around him. He is busy watching a duo playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who pays when he sees a flash of beloved blonde from a side and quickly turns his head.
He can’t even find it in himself to grin and start waving. Not after the scene that is developing in front of him. Ruggie was leaning against a wall, free and minding his own business and Kalim watches certain twins of Octavinelle sneak up on him.
Almost simultaneously, they drape their arms over Ruggie, chins on top of the hyena’s head.
Both Floyd and Jade were clingy people. Kalim knew that. He’s seen the two of them wrap themselves around Azul, the prefect, hell they’ve even hugged him once or twice.
But it should be him hugging Ruggie right now.
Jealousy, a guest that had made home in his heart, surged through him. Its heat seared his flesh and soul, taking away his common sense and leaving behind selfishness and worry as payment.
Calm down, Kalim tells himself. He’s yours. They can’t have him. Never.
“You know that I was the one who confessed to Ruggie, right?”
From his peripheral vision he sees Cater glancing up from his phone.
“Uh, duh? Everyone on campus knows the deets of your confession Kal, it was the most public, cutesy confession ever.”
Jade nuzzles up near Ruggie’s ear causing it to flick and Kalim remembers that his lover’s ears were sensitive to touch. A secret he has kept close to him for months now, one he did not want anyone else to find out.
“For our first month anniversary we went out of NRC for our date.”
“Didn’t take Ruggie for a month anniversary guy.”
“He’s not. I wanted to do something special for him though.”
“Awwww y’all are soo cute!”
It was true, Kalim nods in agreement while watching Jade whisper something into his lover’s ear. It makes Ruggie laugh.
“And last week I gave him a necklace.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, and he gave me one too. A bracelet that matches the necklace I gave him.”
He pulls down his sleeve to show off a gold colored thin chain around his wrist. Cater whistles but Kalim isn’t looking at his reaction, head still turned towards Ruggie who was now laughing harder at something Floyd was saying. Floyd’s fingers creep up the other’s arm as he tells his story and Kalim feels the heat reaching his head.
“Uh, Kalim?” He hears Cater speak in a hesitant tone.
“Hm?”
“Are you okay? You’re not looking too good, actually you’re kinda giving #envy right now so like-”
Cater’s voice turns into a dull roar in Kalim’s mind as the next scene plays out in front of his very own eyes.
While the twins are talking and monopolizing Ruggie, he sees Azul approaching them. Hope kindles in his chest as Azul stomps over with a stern look on his face, most likely to tell them off for slacking off. He could force them to leave Ruggie alone and finally, Kalim can go and meet his boyfriend without being intruded on.
However Azul stops at a close distance, and as Kalim impatiently waited for the Octavinelle housewarden to start scolding them, the said housewarden moves in closer to Ruggie and after procuring a piece of candy Kalim had not seen in his fingers before, he proceeds to feed it to Ruggie. Ruggie bares his teeth a little as he accepts it. His tongue brushes against Azul’s fingers, and when Azul wipes away at nothing near Ruggie’s cheek Kalim decides that he has had enough.
He ignores Cater calling out to him as he stands up with an abrupt screech of his chair, effectively grabbing the attention of a few other customers as well. His eyes are zeroed in on the boy across the room though and he marches forward with only one goal in mind.
The lounge wasn’t wide but every step felt like it was taking far too long, every second without Ruggie in his arms suddenly feeling tangibly painful. People were definitely noticing him now. Some even try to greet him but Kalim is unable to pay them any mind.
Once he’s closer, Ruggie finally notices him as well and his head shoots up with mild surprise. He hits Jade’s chin and though Kalim counts it as a little victory there were bigger prizes to be won.
Just as Ruggie opens his mouth to say something, he makes his move by wrapping his hand around the hyena’s wrist. He pulls with a surprising amount of force and Ruggie falls right into Kalim’s arms. Like two perfectly fitted jigsaw puzzles.
His hand finds Ruggie’s waist and curls around it, fingers gripping into the black fitted uniform Ruggie is made to wear. His other hand slides along the curve of Ruggie’s jaw. His thumb presses up beneath Ruggie’s chin and he pulls his head down, taking in the dilated pupils of his lover, surprise vivid in them. That does not matter to Kalim. Nothing matters to him because he has leaned in closer and was now kissing Ruggie.
Kalim has always been a gentle kisser. He enjoyed going at his own pace, slow and loving as he explored and re-explored every corner of Ruggie’s mouth. He preferred taking his own time in making Ruggie fall apart, piece by excruciating piece. The only thing he can be patient with, Ruggie would always joke, at times a compliment and at other times a complaint.
This kiss was not gentle.
The noise Ruggie makes is muffled amongst the shocked gasps surrounding them. Kalim could care less about any of those as his mouth slants across Ruggie’s with a deliberate pressure that forces his lips to part. Another small sound he makes vibrates against Kalim’s tongue when he pushes it in and he can taste a faint sweetness that his mind poisonously connects to the earlier candy his lover had eaten. He drinks it all in, pressing closer and tightening his arms around Ruggie, as he tries to erase the taste of anything that might not be himself on the other’s tongue.
Ruggie’s hands come up to hold onto the front of Kalim’s jacket as a shudder runs through his lean frame. It transmits to every point of contact between them, chest to chest, hip to hip, and the part of Kalim’s thigh that is pressed between Ruggie’s legs.
He continues to pull his lover closer, distantly cataloguing the mutters and whistles around them until he feels a tug against his jacket.
He finally lets go, allowing the two of them to breathe. Ruggie’s ears are pinned back as he stared up at Kalim with a dazed look. His cheeks are flushed scarlet, spreading down his throat and below as he continues to breathe heavily. His lips, swollen pink, were parted as if he wanted to say something.
Kalim didn’t want to hear it. Not now, not yet.
Bending down, he slipped his hands behind Ruggie’s knees and in a single fluid motion he lifted the boy over his shoulder. It earns him even more whistles, gasps, and a yelp from Ruggie whose hands scrabble around Kalim’s back from something to hold. His tail lashes around, slightly hitting near Kalim’s head as the Scarabian student turns to leave, not minding a single student trying to talk to him.
“What- Kalim what-”
“I’m taking you to my room!”
He guesses Ruggie’s question easily and marches out of the restaurant and dorm. Despite the frantic rhythm in his chest, his footsteps were careful and unhurried so as to not drop or sway his lover around. It takes him a short while to reach his dorm and with no one around in the common room, it takes him even shorter to reach his room.
He hears a short gasp from Ruggie as he locks his door with one hand. He could envision his lover’s expression right now, lips pressed together and face flushed with embarrassment. It makes him walk faster to his bed, unmade and exactly like he left it.
He drops Ruggie onto the crimson silk and gently as possible but he ends up landing with a soft oof anyway. His vest was ridden up, either during the journey or when Kalim had tried to place him down, exposing a strip of his bare stomach, his ears flattened against his messed up hair and eyes narrowed towards his shameless lover.
“Okay,” Ruggie spoke breathlessly and props himself up to look at Kalim with bewilderment. The shock of Kalim’s actions had an underlying emotion of excitement underneath that the white haired boy could discern easily. “Okay what was that? Not that I- no I- but you just- dude that was in front of everyone!?”
Kalim doesn’t answer right away. He stands at the edge of the bed, taking in the view of his boyfriend lying on his bed and for a moment, nothing but their breathing fills the room.
Ruggie was finally with him now. With no one else to interrupt them and only for Kalim to have. They were alone and the adrenaline was finally starting to fade away, leaving something rawer to reveal itself.
Ruggie, far more observant and clever than Kalim could be, softens his voice as he calls out again.
“Kalim? You’re makin’ a pretty intense face right now.”
He snickers lightheartedly as Kalim lowers himself onto the bed. Instead of sitting by the blonde, he moves over him; one knee pressing against the mattress beside Ruggie’s hip and his arms braced on either side of the hyena’s shoulders. Ruggie’s breath catches as Kalim’s shadow casts over him and the ruby eyed boy is able to watch as his steel blue eyed lover’s pupils dilate once more, irises shrinking into thin rings.
“Kalim-”
“You’re mine, right?”
The words scrape raw against his throat and he tastes guilt on his tongue as Ruggie’s expression immediately gives way to understanding. Far too sharp for his own good.
“You got jealous?”
The question sounds almost tender but the taste of guilt is bitter and pungent and it makes Kalim ramble as an apology.
“No, I’m sorry…I’m sorry I know we’re all friends, and they’re all just, they like you a lot but today…I don’t- everyone was all over you and it was so…annoying. You’re mine. You’re mine and yet no one cares and they touch you and then I-” he swallows, the confession tumbling out before he could think his words through.
“And then…and then I started thinking, you’re so amazing. You’re pretty, clever, funny and I get why people like you so much but still…still! you’re mine aren’t you? You won’t- you won’t…I won’t let you wake up one day and realize-”
His words choke up as a warm hand touches his cheek.
“You’re the amazing one.”
A small smile is splayed against Ruggie’s lips and he rubs his thumb on Kalim’s cheek. Kalim leans into it as the boy continues on.
“You’re way prettier, much more fun, an’ people don’t say it but you’re pretty smart when you gotta be. You’re also hella kind, generous, and every single day I wake up and when I remember I’m still yours, I gotta admit it makes me the happiest guy alive.”
Kalim’s arms trembled above Ruggie who still looked at him with a fondness that made his eyes water. The poisonous flame finally dissipated and the horrible feeling around Kalim’s chest that had been wound tight finally loosened. He had so much he wanted to say, so much more he wanted to hear from Ruggie. But as Ruggie’s hand moved from his cheek to the back of his neck, he allowed himself to be pulled down, any words he wanted to say disappearing as he felt their lips touch once more.
He allows Ruggie to take control of the moment, far more quicker and more playful than Kalim as he swipes his tongue over Kalim’s lips and then the inside of his mouth. He runs along Kalim’s teeth, his tongue, and once, against the roof of his mouth which wracks a shudder out of Kalim. He lowers the rest of his body to let his lover run his hands over his back, up and down, curling his fingers around Kalim’s shoulders as he pushes harder.
They go on for a while, losing track of time as the sun begins to sink downwards, painting their skin with varying shades of orange. Kalim is forced to stop when Ruggie finally pushes him away, their breaths heavy and eyes glistening with a quiet satisfaction. The moment will be over soon. When Kalim mentions being hungry and Ruggie starts making fun of him for ruining the moment and Jamil, unnecessarily sharp with his timing, will knock on the door at that exact second to call them out for dinner.
When that happens, Kalim will let Ruggie go. They will walk out together and Kalim will watch as Ruggie gets surrounded again. As popular as he deserved to be.
And he will be fine with that.
Because right now, he was the one holding Ruggie in his arms. And he was the only one being held by Ruggie. Because he is sure that Ruggie was his, and just as much, he was Ruggie’s. And because he knows that if anyone else dared to take away what they had, Kalim would make sure that they regretted having the very idea.
With such thoughts running through his mind, he shares a fond smile with his lover and allows the moment to end. Not by his hunger, but with another set of words instead. One that would bring out another set of beautiful reactions from his beloved that he would continue to treasure again and again.
“I love you.”
Bonus scene #1
“...and so, yeah, basically it’s goin’ great.”
Ruggie’s lighthearted voice was not enough to soothe the annoyance Jamil felt rushing through his blood. He had woken up early to prepare breakfast by himself, per usual, when his moment of peace was interrupted by a certain blonde that took him over two weeks to accept. Ruggie had wandered in fully dressed and was now leaning against the counter by the stove, chatting away as though Jamil cared about anything that was coming out of his mouth.
“Did I ask?” Jamil asked, letting the other know he did not care, “seriously, did I ask?”
The question only made Ruggie snicker and change his position, half-leaning over the counter with his hand on his chin as he looked up at Jamil. Jamil made a point to not look over at the boy.
“Still, I was thinkin’. Has Kalim always been so generous- oh ya need any help by the way?”
“I wouldn’t use the word generous and sure, grab a pan and start making the omelettes.”
Straightening up to slip off his blazer, the hyena began to roll up the sleeves of his uniform as he continued to ask questions that Jamil could not care any less about.
“Not generous? What does that mean?”
“It means” -Jamil grabbed a pan for Ruggie and handed it to him- “that he’s just used to giving things away.”
“Now I gotta ask what your definition of generous is.”
He rolled his eyes at the boy who began to prepare the omelettes, humming to himself as he grabbed a few eggs Jamil had already taken out. Despite himself, Jamil glanced over and found himself impressed by how skillfully Ruggie cracked and beat the eggs all with one hand. It was at times like these he failed to understand how someone as careful as Ruggie could have fallen so head over heels for the very careless Kalim.
“He grew up being able to get anything he wants. Even if he gives something away he can just get one again, so he’s never had qualms against sharing. I mean who would if they can just get the same thing again?”
Ruggie hummed in response. He is surprised to not hear a laugh nor quip from the boy and with a strange nervousness rising in him, he side-eyed the boy next to him once more.
Ruggie wasn’t smiling anymore. His lips were pursed and brows furrowed as though he was thinking about something that left him stuck. Jamil couldn’t help but keep staring, curiosity a vice that made him want to press further about his unhappiness.
“What’s up?”
“Nothin’ just…wondering about what you said.”
“It’s not that deep dude, don’t think too much about it.”
Ruggie hummed again and before Jamil could risk another glance an arm slings over his shoulder and he is hit with what he’s sure is Kalim’s berry-scented shampoo along with the spices around them.
“Say Jamil.”
Ruggie’s tone had turned from monotonous to mischievous as the deep tinny of his voice echoed in Jamil’s ears. He had half a mind to push the boy away, the breath against his cheek leaving shivers down his spine. But he stayed still, letting the food in his pan sizzle as he waited for Ruggie’s next set of words, a smirk playing on his face as he spoke.
“Want to do something fun?”
Bonus scene #2
Unlike his usual routine, Riddle had decided to study at the library before classes that morning. His spontaneous decision proves to be regrettable when he saw a certain blonde hyena making his way over, wearing a smile that made alarms ring across Riddle’s head.
“Ruggie.” He greeted him anyway, politeness long embedded into his system.
“Riddle,” Ruggie replied in the same tone as he rounded the table to move closer. “Kinda need that book. Got an assignment coming up.”
“The one professor Trein has assigned us?”
“That’s the one.”
“Unfortunately I need this book for that exact same reason so you shall have to wait.”
“Starting on an assignment this late? You’re falling off man.”
“You-”
Riddle turned to snap at the boy before quickly reeling himself in. He has known Ruggie long enough to know that the other was simply trying to get on his nerves. He wouldn’t be surprised if the plan was to cause him to snap so that Ruggie could steal away the book from right under Riddle’s nose. Well, he refused to be so predictable.
“I have finished more than eighty percentage of the work and wished to refer to this book to write the conclusion.” He gave Ruggie a smirk that rivalled the hyena’s, “you should know better than to wait around to do such a large project until the final minute.”
The remark left Ruggie clearly taken aback. Riddle turned back to his book and celebrated his victory internally. But before he could tell the Savanaclaw student to leave him alone, an arm slings over his shoulder and something soft presses against his cheek, filling his senses of what he could momentarily presume was the scent of fruit.
“Come on man! You barely have anything left to do, help a friend out wouldn’t ya?”
“Y- we are…” though Riddle prided himself in his devout concentration, all he could focus on at the moment was the softness of Ruggie’s hair. Strands of it floated around, tickling his cheek. He had always noted how fluffy the hyena’s hair can be, especially on days it was as messed up as this one. But to be able to feel it as such proximity was not something Riddle had ever imagined for himself.
“Or should I say you’re Kalim’s friend?”
The name of Ruggie’s lover was enough to snap him out of his daze and attempted to get out of Ruggie’s hold to no avail.
“And where is Kalim? It’s rare to see the two of you not stuck to one another.”
“Yeah well, he’s probably on his way over right now.” Ruggie answered, sounding like he was waiting for something. “I’m waiting for him to find us.”
Riddle doesn’t bother to ask why as Ruggie sidled up even closer to him. The red in his cheeks deepened the more he tried to hide it and for once, Riddle could only pray that it was mistaken for anger instead of embarrassment. He prayed that Kalim would make it here faster and take his dreaded boyfriend away from here.
Before Riddle blew up at him for good, that is.
Bonus scene #3
The droning of the professor was akin to a lullaby in Silver’s ears, as such were most sounds whenever he felt his eyelids turn heavier.
He did his best to stay awake though. There were not many students he can ask for notes in his current class, and on top of that he had received a warning from the professor to at least do his best to not doze off.
Silver was doing his best. He pushed his nail into the skin of his hand repeatedly, but pain was a feeling Silver had gotten far too used to in his line of work and training. He had shook his head to wake himself up multiple times, focusing and re-focusing on the professor’s voice until it turned softer again. He even tried to take notes, but after his hand slipped for the fourth time he was quick to give up on making a mess of his page.
His head swayed from side to side and he nodded off for a few seconds before straightening up again. It was a futile effort and Silver found himself slowly succumbing to the depths of sleep when he felt Ruggie, his current seatmate, nudging his side.
“Dude, are you good?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled in response and tried to nudge back. He ended up leaning on the boy though and felt a slight shake come from him.
“Want me to lend you a shoulder?”
Even as he asked, Ruggie was already bringing his shoulder down and allowing Silver to lean against it. The Diasomnia student did, even going as far to make himself comfortable against the wrinkled blazer. Ruggie’s shoulder was lean and made a pleasantly good pillow, and as the professor concluded the lesson, the noise finally turned to silence and Silver found himself nuzzling up against his classmate and falling asleep.
Bonus scene #4
Ruggie opened his eyes at the break of dawn, his body long adapted to the habit of starting the day early. But instead of getting up and out of bed usual, he merely stretched and turned over to face his sleeping lover. Blissfully ignorant to the start of a new day.
In the silence of the room Ruggie took his time to admire the beauty next to him. Long, white eyelashes fluttered a little as rays of sun began to seep through the curtains, lightly touching against his cheeks. His lips, soft and unchapped, were pursed as he took in little breaths and his nose twitched ever so slightly. It made Ruggie laugh and he reached out to run his fingers through Kalim's short hair, enjoying the coarse feel of it.
As he did, his mind turned back to yesterday's event and Ruggie felt heat rush to his cheeks once more.
He was thankful that Octavinelle was placed right next to Scarabia, letting their- or rather, Kalim's walk be far shorter than necessary. He would be thankful that it happened on a slow day in the Mostro lounge but the sight had been witnessed by not only Azul and his two lackeys, but Ruggie had also seen Cater with his phone up in the corner of his eyes. Hell, he did not want to open his phone to see what was trending today.
It was worth it though, he appeased himself internally while turning around onto his stomach. The look on Kalim's face did cause him to feel the slightest amount of guilt but when he thought back on last night, the uncharacteristically intense look on Kalim's face, the way sweat had dripped down his neck as leaned over, the grip he had on Ruggie...
He raised his arm and seeing the bruised shape of a hand on his wrist, Ruggie's face sank further into the pillow as to hide his smirk from the still sleeping world.
So what if he had wanted his boyfriend with the giving heart to become a little selfish? What if he wanted Kalim all over and all for himself once in a while?
Sue him.