The glass dome still lingered in Auren's mind long after he and Eiran departed to their respective dorm rooms. Moonlight had bathed the flowers in silence, and the words they had exchanged weighed heavier than any training session they had together.
Their paths diverged as they walked through the academy dormitory towers, Eiran heading for the third floor of the fox dorms, while Auren made his way to the eighth. The corridors were quiet at that hour, lamplight pooling in soft halos along polished floors.
When Auren opened the door to his room, he was met with the sight of Gray hunched over the dining table. His roommate's ink-stained fingers danced across paper, his pen scratching rapidly. Gray didn't even look up until Auren's presence brushed the room like a silent shadow.
"You're late," Gray said, his tone unusually bright for someone usually so reserved. "Don't tell me you were dragged into trouble again."
Auren raised a brow, offering only a small grunt as greeting. Gray, in turn, beamed, a chirpier answer than expected. He was clearly in good spirits, though Auren didn't bother to ask why. He had his own assignments to finish, and silence filled the room as the Auren enter his room.
By the time Auren was done, he gave his body a good stretch, rubbing the stiffness from his fingers as it was well past midnight. He shut his notebook, switched off his lamp light, and lay down on the bed. His eyes had only just closed when his terminal chimed faintly at the bedside.
He reached for it lazily, then paused when he saw the sender.
Zevaros.
The message was short. A single line.
: 'Are you dating that fox?'
Auren blinked. Then, unexpectedly, he laughed. The sound startled even himself. For someone as cold and dangerous as Zevaros, the message was… absurd. And yet it proved the man's reach. Every move, every breath, was apparently under the watchful gaze of the Alpha.
His fingers moved across the terminal, typing a response.
: 'Won't ask if I'm hurt?'
The reply came instantly, like a blade sliding from its sheath.
: 'I can kill the owl for you. So… are you dating the fox?'
Auren smirked, cerulean blue eyes gleaming in the dark with pleasure. He decided to push. To tease the lion who claimed no affection but spoke with such possessiveness. He wanted to make sure that all Zevaros was thinking off was him.
: 'What if I am?'
After that message was read by Zevaros, the terminal fell silent. One minute passed. Then two. By the fifth minute, Auren wondered if the message had struck deeper than expected. His lips curved into something between amusement and mischief. [Ah~ I really want this one to myself]
Then his terminal rang as a call came through, it was not from Zevaros, but from Eiran who should be asleep.
The fox's voice exploded the moment Auren answered.
"That man threatened me because of you!" Eiran snapped. "Do you know what it feels like to have a death threat sitting in your inbox at midnight? He doesn't even like you properly and he's already...already.... fuck!"
Auren chuckled, entirely too entertained. "What did you do?"
"I cursed him out, of course!" Eiran barked, his fiery temper blazing. "I told him he was an arrogant bastard with nothing better to do than stalk teenagers. Do you know what it means that he watches every move? Terrifying. And you....don't fucking laugh, Auren. I mean it, you'd better protect me!"
Auren rolled onto his side, his eyes glimmering with joy in the dark. "Relax. He's not interested in you. He asked me if we're dating."
Eiran choked. "He what?! Does he also believe those shitty rumours?"
Before Auren could elaborate, another message from Zevaros appeared on the screen.
: 'I know he's your friend. I approve of the fox.'
Auren read it aloud.
Eiran went silent for half a heartbeat, then erupted again. "Approve?! That...ugh! Who does he think he is, the arbiter of my worth?! Give me that terminal, I'll curse him again!"
Eiran was so worked up he forgot he can just use his terminal and that they are not in the same room.
"I think he ignored your last string of curses," Auren said dryly.
"Of course he did!" Eiran nearly hissed. "He doesn't care about anyone but you! Do you know how insulting it is to waste my breath on a lion who can't even be bothered to respond?!"
Auren's shoulders shook with quiet laughter. The fox was so easy to provoke when pride was wounded. "Don't be such a pissy omega, no Alpha will want you."
"Auren you better listen carefully, I'm probably going's to end up in a healthy relationship being your part time psychiatrist from the toxicity this man gives you. And how old is he anyway?!"
Auren smiled and just answered, " He's 19 years old. He's an upperclassman at Genesis."
In his shock and fury, Eiran cut the call abruptly as he had nothing more to say to this whole situation. "I'll see you in class. And you'd better spill everything. Don't you dare hold back."
The line went dead, leaving Auren alone with the faintly glowing terminal. Zevaros's name still lingered on the screen like a shadow. Another message appeared soon after.
: 'Ignore the fox. Tell me about you.'
Auren stared at the words, lips curving faintly. He typed a few lines, short and simple, catching up with Zevaros in their cryptic style. Nothing soft, nothing openly tender, but beneath every word was an edge of intimacy that others would never understand.
Eventually, exhaustion claimed him. He drifted into sleep with the terminal still warm in his hand.
Morning came with a pale sky. The corridors of Nexus Academy filled with voices, footsteps, and the clatter of books. Katelyn stood outside Class 1-N's door as usual. Her schedule placed her in Class 1-E, but she had developed a habit of hovering near Auren and Eiran, lingering like a shadow of her own.
This morning, however, she was caught in Eiran's stare. Alone with the fox, her voice faltered. "How does Auren survive this? That… aura you give off?" Eiran smirked faintly, tail flicking behind him. "He's stubborn. Stronger than most. You? I don't think you'd last five minutes."
Before she could answer, Auren arrived. He walked past her without pause, but at the threshold of the door he murmured, "Bye." A simple word. A tiny acknowledgment. Yet Katelyn's eyes widened in surprise. It was the first time he had ever addressed her directly.
She hurried off to her own class, flustered.
Inside, Eiran wasted no time. The moment Auren sat down, the fox leaned forward, onyx eyes burning with curiosity. "Details. Now."
And Auren, true to his word, spilled them. The messages. The teasing. The silence. The sudden approval. Every word made Eiran shift between outrage and disbelief, and by the end he slumped into his chair, muttering curses under his breath.
Yet somewhere, deep down, a treacherous thought took root. As Auren spoke, Eiran found himself picturing the wolf and the lion together. It should have been absurd. The obsessive Auren with the ruthless Zevaros but somehow, it wasn't. Subconsciously, the fox began to ship them.
"Ridiculous," Eiran muttered to himself, but the image wouldn't leave his head.
Classes dragged on. Auren's mind was half-distracted, half-focused, and by the end of the day he was drained. But Eiran wasn't done. He appeared at Auren's side with a small stack of books, neatly bound and marked.
"These," Eiran announced, "are what my sisters have been reading since we were young. I read them too. You'll need them if you really want to understand what you're getting into."
Auren raised a brow. "Books? Why not download on a terminal?"
"Don't look at me like that," Eiran said, thrusting the pile into his hands. "Just read. You'll see. It's better if it's a physical book."
With no choice, Auren carried them back to his dorm. The rest of his day was consumed by earning points to participate in the inter academy games,helping teachers, completing drills, making up for the points he had lost for disrupting the duel that day.
By the time night fell, exhaustion once again pushed at his eyes. Still, curiosity won. He opened the first book under the dim glow of his bedside lamp. The first few pages seemed harmless, elegant descriptions, hints of emotion, stories of loyalty and desire. Then, without warning, the words became sharper, hotter, unmistakably lewd and vivid.
Auren froze. His eyes widened in shock and other emotions. His hand slammed the book shut with uncharacteristic speed. His face was red. Burning. He buried his head into his pillow, muttering darkly to himself.
"Eiran is too perverted. Why would he even read this books?"
The fox's laughter would haunt him in the morning. This is because, temptation succeeded and Auren spent the night reading about a human who became a door to the demon realm and gets drilled everyday by the same white haired demon.