Chapter Text
“Get out, Jonah.”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it.”
“Leave. Now.”
“Come on! It was only a joke!”
“Get off of me!”
“Don’t be like that, Vik—”
The words were halted by a loud crack, the kind that only followed a particularly hard slap, most likely to the face. In the deserted hallway beyond, Jayce Talis came to an abrupt halt, the stack of books in his arms shifting violently at the sharp movement.
It was late, nearly midnight. Late enough that the academy halls were dark, the lamp balanced precariously on top of the pile barely enough to light the way. But Jayce knew the twists and turns of the academy well enough to know precisely where the odd little argument must be coming from: The office of one Councilor Cecil B. Heimerdinger himself. However, much to Jayce’s surprise and intense interest, neither of the two voices seemed to belong to the personable old yordle…
Inside the office, the tension spiked, passions flaring.
“I said get out!”
“You vicious bi—”
“Go ahead,” came the snarled reply, loud enough that it seemed barely muffled by the heavy wood of the office door. “Why don’t you finish that sentence and see how that works out for you?” The words were heavy with anger and something else—an odd accent, one he couldn’t quite place. It made the threat that followed sound like an incantation, some old, dark magic.
Jayce had never considered himself a particularly nosy person, but even so, he found himself straining to listen, desperately interested in the odd little drama unfolding behind the closed door. A fight in the academy was, after all, a relatively rare occurrence. But a fight taking place inside the office of one of the city’s founders, well after curfew? That was unheard of.
The temptation was, in the end, far too much to resist. And Jayce found himself waiting with bated breath—however, it appeared he wouldn’t need to wait very long at all. A moment later, the door crashed open, and a strapping young man in a fine suit came stumbling out as if he had been violently shoved. The scent of ozone followed him. Alpha, and an angry one at that.
He was, Jayce supposed, rather handsome in an average sort of way—his close-cropped hair golden, pale jaw sharp and haughty. In the warm light that poured from the open door, Jayce could make out the faint outline of a crest stitched into the man’s jacket, though its colors—green and acid yellow were not a house he recognized. The angry alpha was followed a moment later by another man, supporting himself on a simple cane. Unlike the other, he wore an academy uniform, though it looked too large on his thin frame.
The new entrant was tall and lanky, almost waifish compared to the first, but even so, there was something about him that demanded attention. His thick brown hair was wild—looking distinctly as though someone had attempted to run their hands through it. Given the snatch of the conversation Jayce had heard, it seemed as though this was likely the case.
In fact, the longer he looked, the more Jayce couldn’t help but notice that was not the only thing about the student that looked undone. His uniform was rumpled rather badly, tie grievously askew, and that didn’t even cover the delicate flush covering his pale cheeks in a warm glow. The overall effect would have been rather fetching if it wasn’t for the way his pretty face was twisted in pure disgust—golden eyes flashing even in the dark.
“If you ever try something like that again,” he said, melodic voice dripping with icy venom, “I will make sure you regret it. That is a promise.”
“Is that right? What do you think you could possibly do to me you—you—sump-rat?” The larger man seemed caught between being angry and taken aback at the sudden turn of events, words approaching stuttering. Jayce watched with bated breath as the man’s blue eyes narrowed, clearly settling on anger. “You think you can threaten me and get away with it? I’ll have you dismissed from your post. We’ll see what you have to say when you’re back down in the depths with all the other whores—”
Jayce watched in stunned silence as the odd man with the golden eyes leaned in dangerously close, almost as if for a kiss. There was a strange light behind those glittering eyes as he reached out—face transforming from furious to demure in an instant as a thin finger traced a long line against the blonde man’s chest, parting the horrible fabric of his jacket with ease.
Jayce was almost as taken back as the first man at the sudden change in tone, eyes widening slightly at the heat behind that golden gaze. However, when at last he spoke, the dark-haired man’s melodic voice was toxic purr—corrosive and terrible. It brought the hair on the back of Jayce’s neck upright, sending a cool shiver down his spine. He gripped the stack of books a little tighter—holding his breath.
“ No ,” said the man, golden eyes flashing, “You won’t. Because if you ever breathe so much as a single word to my employer—if I see you even thinking about it, I will pay a visit to your patron’s and let them know exactly what is it is their prized pet has been getting up to in his spare time, hm? It would be the least I could do…After all, it would be a shame for them to keep throwing good money after such a bad investment. Rich as they are, I doubt they could afford such a scandal.”
“You wouldn’t”—the blonde man was sputtering, eyes wide in open disbelief—“They wouldn’t believe you anyway.” It was clear he was aiming for certainty, but the fear behind the words was poorly suppressed—shattering the forced bluster with ease.
The dark-haired man stepped back, smiling icily.
“Do you really want to make that bet?” There was no answer, and Jayce found himself oddly impressed. In only a few words, this odd student seemed to have single-handedly put the fear of the gods into this man, and it appeared he wasn’t done. “Actually,”—that pretty smile turned wicked—“I supposed you might. After all, judging the odds correctly has hardly been your strong suit, has it? You really should seek professional help…while you can still afford it, of course.”
“You…” The words trailed off—the victory decisive. Jayce was impressed. He didn’t think he’d ever seen an alpha brought to his knees so efficiently, too afraid to even bare his teeth. Certainly not one that clearly had a temper.
“That’s what I thought,” said the golden-eyed man with what Jayce could only describe as the most venomous smile he had ever seen. “Now, get out and don’t come back.”
The blonde sprang into motion, darting off into the halls as though his life depended on it. Jayce watched him go until, at last, the frantic footfalls receded into the distance, leaving nothing but empty silence in their wake. Until…
“Can I help you with something, Mr. Talis?”
Jayce started, managing little more than a rather dumb-sounding “uh” in response. The man with the golden eyes gave him the once over, decidedly unimpressed.
“No...I—uh—I was just walking.”
“Walking?” The golden-eyed man arched one perfect brow, gaze pointedly flickering towards the pile of books in his arms. “In the dark? With half the library?” Jayce flushed. If his hands weren’t fully occupied, he might have hidden behind them.
“Uh…Yeah,” He said haltingly. “I was at the library, doing some work, but it closed, so I was headed back to my—Are you alright? That seemed a little…he didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Those brilliant eyes widened just a fraction, pouty lips parting in a silent ‘oh.’ He clearly hadn’t expected that—the care, or perhaps, the interest. In an instant, the hall was flooded with the scent of summer—strawberries, vanilla, honey cake. Omega.
Jayce bit his lip, trying desperately not to flare his nostrils. Sniffing a stranger was beyond rude in any case, but sniffing this man was likely to earn him several cane-shaped bruises. A thought which suddenly didn’t sound that unpleasant. In fact, at this exact moment, it sounded rather enticing.
Jayce gripped the stack of books tighter, trying to ignore the way the scent seemed to intensify as those golden eyes raked over him. Yet, much to his relief—and utter disappointment—the man with the golden eyes, recovered very quickly, his pretty face slipping into a blank mask.
“I can take care of myself.”
“I saw that,” Jayce said with a soft smile.
The omega’s head tilted to the side, a quiet question sparkling behind those pretty eyes. Jayce wondered if it would be inappropriate to ask him out to dinner. It felt like it, but then again...
He had almost mustered the courage when the thin man spoke, tone low and lilting. “Good night then, Mr. Talis. Enjoy your... walk .”
Jayce nodded dumbly. He also didn’t move, standing there as though he’d been frozen in place. After a moment, the omega sighed, giving Jayce one last searching look before he turned on his heel and strode back into the office without a word—leaving Jayce alone in the hall, straining to catch the last traces of strawberries.
His mother had often told the story of how she had met his father. It had been, by all accounts, magical—straight out of a fairytale. They had met at a dance and spent the night in each other’s arms, lights and music swirling around them. A perfect scene.
Could Jayce have chosen the setting himself, it certainly wouldn’t have been a pitch-black hallway in the dead of night. A rose garden would have been nice, or perhaps a museum...but this...Jayce could work with this.