𝟓𝟎% 𝐎𝐅𝐅!【✘MALE! YANDERE VARIOUS】(dom! reader)

34. "it's okay."

■warning: fantasy eugenics and odius

you were in deep thought, questions and hypotheses fading in and out of your mind like needle and thread. doubts stitching themselves into your brain.

a voice snaps you out of your trance, "i do have to ask, you've been acting more off than usual." brahm says casually as you use a finger to shave the excess petals off your measuring-cup.

you're quiet for the first few seconds, staring at the bubbling water, not daring to look at the man resting his forearms on the table. playful, play it off.

"awe! so you do care about me, rosie!" you flutter your eyelashes at him, wincing slightly as hot water sizzled like scalding-oil as soon as you dropped your petals. fucking ouch.

you see him scowl from the corner of your eye, crossing his arms, even, "you know that's not what i mean," he says your full name for emphasis.

your expression drops "why do you care anyway? is it because my mood is affecting my performance?" you coo mockingly.

he looked unsure of himself, stern expression faltering slightly, brahm? worrying about someone aside from himself? about you of all people? who've been nothing but a thorn at his side? what a funny joke.

he tries for a bit, "it's not that, but if you're going to be talking about worrying about performances, your hand is getting to close to the pot." he points out, deflecting.

you whip your hand away, hurrying towards the next ingredient. what was it? coffee?

you grab a handful of the roasted beans, hand blindly searching amidst the chaos that was your table for a grinder, in your slowly becoming frantic search you've managed to not once, not twice, but bump your hand on his arm three times.

jod damn it. frustration bubbling in your throat.

"i really do mean it when i ask what's wrong. you of all people know that i'm not the type to ask people that just as a conversation starter."

your resolve fade, you don't know him but you will tell him just enough to ask for the appropriate advice. you ignore the frantic, vulnerable thoughts of spilling everything.

"an..." not acquaintance, he'll think it's something more suspicious and loved-one has romantical connotations, "a family member has been struck with the... sh... they're getting extinguished."

Brahm sympathetic, asks "is she unable to or have no one able to take them to the church and ask for an exorcist?"

fuck, wait, what if the andebert household took her there? you'll ask nicholas about that later. play it cool.

"why an exorcist but not a healer?"

you see his face twist, "right-- healer, sorry i... i mixed them up. but yes, a healer! they could cure it, they're very good with fixing broken people." he smiles, forced 

you remember, fish-bone thin teeth pushing through irritated gums, flesh never used to the retractable quality of his teeth despite his biology's intent. narrow and easy to snap. his pupils can fade into the iris and his iris can hide his sclera.

hybrid.

"right... but do you have any... any advice on how to mitigate the effects while... on the road?"

his expression relaxes, "keep them hydrated, ginger and citrus for the fever, it's best to keep them submerged on a bathtub with cold-to-lukewarm water."

the water on the pot makes a horrible sound and you rush to fix it. the conversation is over.

...

it was finally foraging class, and on foraging class, you shared it with auric.

you two were finally on good terms, but auric still hasn't gotten over his habit of openly insulting you, and well, your habit of escalating it. it wasn't anything like last time, this was banter.

it just to happened that when it was auric's turn to insult you, he just so happened to be overheard.

by odius, the foraging professor.

he chided, "well, that's not a nice thing to say to a fellow scholar.

"it's not a nice thing to listen in to other people's conversation." he snapped back instinctively.

most times when someone'd talk back to the teacher, a few people would 'oooh', some gasp or snicker, loudly-- it happened last time with the previous teacher, specially with auric and you, but now... it sounded so quiet compared to before.

odius frowned, auric backtracked, "i apologize, professor. it will not happen again." he said somewhat sincere, for disrupting the class and the disrespect but not the jab.

"i forgive your transgression but... what was the scolding one would use with children again? it's not me you have to apologize to but the actual target?"

a brave few snickered.

auric slowly turns towards me, "i... i apologize it wasn't my intention to cause harm."

"now, let's see if mx," he dragged through every syllable slowly, savoring, "forgives you."

under any circumstances, you'd feel absolutely cathartic because ha, karma! but... it feels uncomfortable?

"it's okay." you reassured, more to odius than auric.

"good, good. you could really hurt someone, we have to smother that ember before it becomes a forest fire, remember, dextrose? your family name is already on thin ice."

he did already insult the wrong person, you. but considering the way that was phrased, it sounds like odius knows---

jod, he knows. you hope he isn't the jealous type really. because if a normal odius is already... scheming. you don't want to know what a jealous one would do... 

"oh?" the professor switched his attention to you, mistaking the paranoia coating your features as confusion.

"don't worry, it isn't something that bad," with the way he worded it, it definitely was. "just that he's the new heir to the family name."

the entire classroom goes quiet, you think some are even holding their breath. whispers far and few between.

okay! nevermind he doesn't know, tension leaving your shoulders, but immediately pulling taut again at the implication... you don't know much about nobility and their customs...

"i'm... going to the restroom---" you moved to get up your seat but a hand to your shoulder sets you back down.

"already? the lesson's barely started!" his green eyes looked toxic, "you don't seem the type to skip class, now, onto the history of---"

the rest of the lesson went on like normal, except everyone behaved like model students.

the bell rang. odius waved you bye-bye when you left the room, smiling gently.

---

[brahm hopes she's doing okay.]

[auric... feels nauseos, how dare he! at least use his name when speaking ill--]

[odius' happy to teach his lesson, at least part of it.]

i am back! lore time!