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There wasn’t any holiday of love in Twisted Wonderland. Key word: wasn’t.
All of that changed this year. One boring lunch in the campus’s cafeteria, about a month ago, the Ramshackle prefect was passionately speaking of holidays they had back in their world, ranting excitedly about a holiday called “Valentine’s Day”. According to the prefect, it was a day that celebrated romantic love and close friendships, though mostly romantic love.
Epel still remembered cringing out of his soul when he first heard about that. The idea of having a full day to just be lovey-dovey with a significant other… Epel couldn’t imagine it, really. All he did was internally cringe out of his soul.
But the prefect seemed incredibly excited and eager for it. Even if they were stuck in Twisted Wonderland, where there was no such holiday… they still seemed incredibly eager for it. The prefect had passion for the holiday, at least.
So much passion, in fact, that the prefect contacted the headmage. To supposedly write the day in the campus’s calendar. And somehow, the headmage had agreed. Probably without the other staff’s approval, knowing the headmage. Yet, for February’s calendar, alongside the annual Beanfest, there was a day marked on the 14th of February. Valentine’s Day.
So, now there was a celebration of love occurring on NRC’s campus. A campus holiday, if it could be called that.
Though, on a holiday of romance and love… Epel didn’t really care that much about it.
Though it wasn’t like Epel hated the idea of it or anything. Ever since he was young, he had never experienced any romantic feelings towards anybody. Back in Harveston, there was nobody there around his age range to have a crush on or anything. Back at his elementary and middle schools… he did like some of the muscular and masculine boys in his class, yes. But it wasn’t a crush or anything romantic. It was just gender envy, which was almost hilarious to draw a conclusion to years later.
Rather than looking at boys or girls, he was often more close towards his family. It’s not that his family ever nagged him about it or anything, either. They were all fine with Epel not even experiencing something as small as a crush on anybody, and Epel was thankful for it.
So, in short, Epel didn’t care too much about Valentine’s Day. Why was the day on his mind? Simple. It was February today, specifically the 13th. And, according to both the prefect and headmaster, Valentine’s Day would be tomorrow. And stupidly, Epel was thinking about the holiday.
Even now, as it was drawing an end to the day, Epel was still thinking of the upcoming holiday. He had taken his skincare routine and his evening shower; a towel wrapped around his hair, dressed in his nightwear, a replacement of his binder, and curled up in his bed. Cuddling his apple pillow plushie, the blanket sewed by his meemaw covering his body, and his phone in hand. All of his other roommates were gone for the night, probably staying over with their significant other for the grand day tomorrow.
He had already sent his night texts to his ma and pa. So, as of right now, Epel was mindlessly scrolling through his phone. Mindlessly scrolling, right on the verge of falling asleep. But a post caught his attention, making his eyes flutter up again once more.
It was a post from Deuce. Posted about 15 minutes ago, and it was just a simple heart gesture with his hands. The caption being nothing more than a little hand heart emoticon. Following a heart, wolf, and lightning emoji.
Epel nearly wanted to roll his eyes at that. It was wholesomely the sappiest shit Epel saw all day. It would’ve been cringe if not for how cute it was.
That also happened to remind Epel. Ah… that was right. Throughout the entirety of tomorrow, he’ll be surrounded by such sappy and romantic shit. Not just having to deal with Vil’s and Rook’s sappy romance, hopefully not having to walk in on them making out again, but also having to deal with his friends. For fucks sake.
Ace, Deuce, Jack, Sebek. Ace’s constant flirts and teases towards them. Deuce’s overly sappy and protective touches towards them. Jack’s constant reassurances and tail wags towards them. Sebek’s constant hugs and PDA towards them. All of that, on top of seeing all four of them kissing each other like crazy. All because it would be a holiday of love tomorrow.
This was going to make Epel feel sick.
Not because he was homophobic! Well… no, he wasn’t being homophobic towards them. They were all gay, and he was chill with it. It was the fact that they were all going to be so sickeningly romantic and lovey-dovey with each other. All while Epel would be third-wheeling.
And that there was a weird feeling growing in his gut. A small, subtle feeling, one which didn’t settle too well. It wasn’t that Epel had eaten anything nasty or anything; this wasn’t the first time this familiar feeling lingered in his gut. Whenever Epel had seen all four of them together, being so close, so intimate, so caring…
Epel’s phone was thrown to the side of his bed before he even realized it. A small frustrated pout grew on his face, a sigh escaping his lips. Smothering his face into his apple plushie once more, Epel tried his best to go to sleep. Closing his eyes, relaxing his body, and going to sleep.
Maybe thinking of all four of them as he closed his eyes, but whatever. That wasn’t relevant.
Not even an hour in the next day, Epel couldn’t take this.
Epel didn’t wake up on the wrong side of bed or anything. He had naturally woken up early, just as always. Nor did he have any sour mood; for the first five minutes of peace and quiet from waking up, he felt well. That was until he went outside of his dorm room and saw Vil and Rook.
Vil and Rook, acting so lovey-dovey together. It was horrible. They were horrible enough on a regular day. But on a holiday of love? Absolutely horrendous. Not even an hour in, and the entire dormitory was decorated full of purple amaryllises, all for Vil. According to Rook, those flowers represented both beauty, strength, love… and many other words which Epel spaced out on.
Classes weren’t ongoing for today. According to the headmage, Valentine’s Day was a very special occasion which all should celebrate and take a break for. Whether this was another of Crowley’s sudden whims, Epel didn’t know. Nor did he really care. There was a day off school, Epel would take advantage of it.
And how would Epel take advantage of it?
By being with his friends, of course. Even if they would be giving each other constant kisses and affection. By being a perfect third-wheel.
Honestly, Epel didn’t mind too much. Even if they were all kissing, it wasn’t like they were leaving Epel out or anything. They would still provide Epel plenty of attention, would carry their own bags and whatnot, all of that. Even if it was slightly annoying to see them kissing each other so much, Epel could deal with it. This was a day to express love, after all.
The campus was decorated for the occasion, alongside the Mostro Lounge. Sam’s Mystery Shop would also probably be decorated and a popular attraction for the day. The entire campus was celebrating the day as though Valentine’s Day was a very special celebration. Even if the idea of a love holiday didn’t exist at all in NRC’s campus until this year. Nonetheless, it would be a fun time to be around his friends and close ones.
So. Breakfast in Pomefiore’s dormitory was eventful enough, seeing as Rook decorated the whole dormitory in flowers overnight for Vil. Though, considering his many eccentries, it wasn’t too much of a surprise. There were also some students who had their own significant others brought into the dormitory, whether they were in Pomefiore or not, and Epel had to witness all of that romantic stuff.
Now, however, he was back in his room. He did his morning skincare routine, applied his makeup and lipstick, and finished getting his binder and dorm uniform on. Seeing as classes weren’t being taken today, other students would probably be wearing their dorm uniforms around campus as well. Not to mention that Pomefiore’s dormitory uniform also provided some warmth, which was nice, considering the growing chilly conditions outside. That wasn’t to say that Epel couldn’t handle the cold; he most certainly could. It simply felt nice to have the warmth.
Tying his black sash, he glanced back at his phone. Jack was the one who texted him, saying that they were all going to be walking around the campus. Probably around Sam’s shop, then taking a couple walks around the campus. So that would be fun, at the very least.
Before leaving his bedroom, Epel made sure to bring a small bag alongside him. But it wasn’t just any small bag; this small bag contained many containers of chocolates. White chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and beastfolk-friendly chocolate. All different types of chocolate, all for the four of them. Ace liked dark chocolate, Deuce liked white chocolate, Sebek liked milk chocolate, and the beastfolk-friendly chocolate… well, it was obvious who that belonged to. It was the flavour that Jack liked, anyway.
All four of those chocolates, packed up in his bag. All of the chocolates were in a unique and beautiful design, having a drizzle and chocolate sauce inside it. It was Epel’s favourite brand of chocolate, after all. Hopefully his friends liked it. After double checking his bag with a smile and nod, Epel picked the bag up and left the dormitory room moments after, closing the door behind him.
Time for an eventful day. Hopefully Epel didn’t notice any hickeys on their necks.
Before long, Epel was strolling around campus. Bag on his back, phone in hand, trying to find his four friends.
The entire campus of NRC was definitely full of people. Regular students, housewardens, vice-housewardens… nearly everyone was walking around throughout the campus. Epel was trying his best to walk around and navigate through the crowd. But considering the crowd consisted of all sorts of tall, muscular students… it didn't help Epel’s small figure at all.
A small sigh escaped his lips, rolling his eyes. Epel wished that he had some sort of bigger, taller figure. Not only would he appear more masculine with it, but it would also help him navigate crowds such as this without getting lost in them. He has been walking in this hall back and fourth for the past 5 minutes; where were they? Did Epel just happen to accidentally enter the wrong hallway? Maybe Epel had-
“Oi, Epel!”
Ace’s voice caught his attention instantly. He jolted back up, looking around at the crowd. But he didn’t notice any of them. Huh. Maybe he imagined that?
“Epel! Over here!”
No, Epel definitely didn’t imagine that. The voice certainly came from somewhere towards his left side. Surely enough, as he managed to navigate his way through the large crowd…
There all four of them were.
Ace’s strawberry blonde hair seemed to glow in the sun’s light. Deuce’s blue hair, the back and outline of it from the sun’s light also creating a soft glow. Jack’s white spiked hair, looking so incredibly soft. Sebek’s mint hair, slicked up as always in that same handsome manner. All of their eyes, looking absolutely beautiful… and looking at him. All four of them were looking back at them, all with their beautiful gazes. And no noticeable love bites on their neck, thank goodness.
All four of them were looking at him, and he was looking back. He was probably looking like a damn idiot with the way he was just standing there awkwardly in the crowded hallway.
Before he could bump into somebody or anything, he managed to approach the four of them all with a smile of his own. Hanging his bag on his shoulder, he looked up at all four of them. Having to bend his neck to meet their gazes like this nearly made him want to groan and roll his eyes in annoyance. So much for his short height. But looking at all four of them like this was worth it, definitely.
“Ah, there y’all are!” Epel tried to brush off any of the awkward air, trying to clear his throat. “Happy Valentine’s Day!”
And of course, what better way to greet all four of them with a kiss on their cheek?
It wasn’t uncommon for Epel to give them cheek kisses as a greeting. It was a habit that he grew throughout his childhood from Harveston; giving kisses. Typically, it would be a kiss on the cheek, in a way to express gratitude or happiness towards someone, or sometimes as a simple greeting.
So, when Epel had to pull all of them down a little bit to place a kiss on all of their cheeks… Epel didn’t expect any of them to react too much or anything.
All four of them were used to this habit, by this point. They’d all blush a little… probably from embarrassment, but it was alright. All Epel was expecting was a little blush from all of them; nothing too much. There was nothing different about today other than the fact that it was Valentine’s Day.
First, Ace. Ace was the one who blushed least out of the four, Epel rarely saw him blushing. Which made sense; Ace had experience with romance and whatnot. Yet… Ace blushed from that little, surely insignificant kiss on the cheek. It was definitely a surprise to Epel, he didn’t think that Ace would blush from a kiss like that.
Second, Deuce. Deuce’s face grew more flushed, as expected. Even when Epel kissed his cheek on a regular basis, Deuce always blushed a little bit. But it seemed as though Deuce was blushing more than usual, his face was noticeably more pink.
Third, Jack. Jack’s reactions were always cute when Epel gave him kisses on the cheek. His ears would sit up a little, and a little blush would appear on his face. And the same thing happened with this kiss. Jack grew a blush on his face, his ears stood up, and his tail was also wagging more than usual.
Last, Sebek. Just like Jack, Sebek was equally just as much of a tsundere, alongside having the cutest reactions. His face would always turn pink, following a flustered comment. And just as Epel expected, Sebek’s face turned pink almost instantly. Except he didn’t make out a flustered comment. Instead, he kept stammering.
All of them had their regular reactions. Except, they all seemed more flustered than usual. They were treating a mere kiss on their cheek like it was some kind of kiss on their lips. It’s not like Epel did anything different or anything! There were kiss marks on all their cheeks now, yes, but it wasn’t like it was weird to Epel, at least.
When Epel backed away from all their faces and noticed all these differences, he was certainly surprised for a moment.
Why were they acting weird? Was this because of Valentine’s Day? Were…were they interpreting the kiss in the wrong way?!
“…Are y’all good?” Epel questioned aloud at all four of them, eyes looking up at all of theirs. Immediately, all four of them reacted, probably to get themselves in check with reality once more. “Y’all are actin’ like yer off yer rockers.”
“Hmph! Of… of course we’re fine!” Sebek huffed in return, arms crossing. “A mere kiss on the cheek wouldn't affect any of us that much.”
Epel’s eyes only squinted further from confusion. Sebek’s face was red, he stammered for a moment, and he most certainly didn’t look fine. He looked like he was about to pass out from a heat wave or something, judging by how red he was. Before he could ask, Jack interrupted.
“Y-Yeah, we’re good,” Jack cleared his throat. His tail was wagging abnormally faster than regular. “We should be gettin’ on with today, yeah? We’ve got the whole afternoon to hang out.”
Very clearly, Jack was just as flustered as Sebek was. Jack’s tail was wagging faster than Epel had ever seen. Epel tried to interrupt and ask again until Ace interrupted.
“Oh, yeah. We should be goin’ already,” Ace nodded in return with a chill smile. The smile looked far too relaxed on him. “Heard there’s lots of Valentine’s Day’s attractions scattered around campus. We should probably get going before it’s too crowded. We might lose Epel in the crowd again~.”
“Wh- fuck you! Ya fuckin’-“
“Ace, c’mon. Give it a break.” Deuce interrupted, putting a hand to his hip. Similarly to Ace, he had a blush on his face as well, only Deuce’s was certainly more noticeable.
Ace immediately pouted and gave a retaliating response. “Oh, says you! You were the one thinkin’ that Epel might’ve gotten lost in the crowd and suggested for us to walk around and find him!”
“I did not say that!”
“Ace, you’re just plain lyin’.”
“Enough with your deceiving, Ace.”
“Oh, shut up! How ‘bout you…”
And all four of them were already arguing. Epel did nothing more than fondly rolling his eyes with a smile.
This would be an eventful day. That much was for sure.
Before long, all five of them were at their first destination: Sam’s Mystery Shop. And to Epel’s surprise, it was heavily decorated for the occasion as well. Various heart and sappy decorations were all over the shop. And there was a heavy amount of students all around the shop; around the exterior, and even more people inside and walking around.
“Jamil told me that Sam’s shop had lots of gifts and other shit like that,” Ace started off with a grin. “Looks like everyone else had the same idea to come here, huh?”
“Obviously,” Jack nodded. “The place is crowded inside, look with your eyes.”
“Can you quit it?!—“
“We should all go buy something for each other,” Deuce interrupted with a smile. The smile turned competitive as he continued. “The fastest person’ll win, right?”
“A competition to purchase gifts for one another?” Sebek questioned shortly after. “Even while the inside of Sam’s shop is crowded as such?”
“Oh, don’t be a killjoy, Sebek,” Ace replied back. “Havin’ people there would make it fun, wouldn’t it? Not only are we finding things for each other, but the crowded space will only make it more fun!”
“It’d be fun, yeah,” Jack began. “But that’d also be a bit dangerous, yeah? One of us could end up rushing and crashin’ into someone or some object, that’d just cause chaos around the entire shop. And considering how competitive we all are, that’s basically guaranteein’ trouble.”
Epel hummed quietly in thought for a moment. Deuce’s suggestion to make it a race to buy gifts, huh? The racing part was risky, but that also added to part of the thrill. Though Epel didn’t want to end up breaking something in the shop or anything. Then again…
“…Then again, we got Ace and Deuce here. I reckon those two’ll probably end up bonkin’ heads and breakin’ somethin’, anyway.” Epel spoke aloud, eyes glancing up at the two.
At Epel’s words, Ace only rolled his eyes while Deuce seemed to silently agree upon the idea.
Epel shrugged a moment after. “We could still go shoppin’ in there for each other, though, and meet up again after a few minutes. That good for y’all?”
And gradually, all four of them agreed. Before long, all four of them entered Sam’s Mystery Shop. They all agreed to meet outside of the shop after 10 minutes, which would hopefully be enough time to find everyone some presents.
On his tippy toes, Epel was looking through some of the shelves to start off. There were some really random items on the shelves; a green apple, an apple pie, some apple juice, and… a bottle of applejack. This entire shelf in particular had Epel doubting the entire shop. An entire shelf just consisting of food and drinks? Being purely isolated from the rest of the shop’s contents? And why was Sam selling alcohol in the middle of the shop?!
Though, there were some candles on the shelf right underneath it. A red cherry candle, a vanilla bean candle, a pear-scented candle, and another candle which smelled incredibly sweet, though Epel most certainly couldn’t read the name of it. All of these candles were merchandise which was bought from some place in Briar Valley, crafted by many fae and their magic.
Epel made sure to give each candle a smell. And with every smell that Epel took from the candles, it certainly reminded Epel of all four of the men. Ace fitted the cherry smell, the vanilla fitted Deuce, the pear scent fitted Jack, and the sweet one fitted Sebek.
Epel’s lips quirked up, and his hand reached out to grab all four of the candles. When they were all securely in his hold, Epel took the time to continue walking around the shop. There was still a couple of minutes until Epel had to meet with the group of first years, so what was the harm in walking around a little bit? Maybe Epel could find something else, too.
Though his head was rather in the clouds as he was walking around the shop.
He was passing by all sorts of people in Sam’s shop. Some people he recognized, others he didn’t. Though with every person he passed, they were always with another person. Smiling and laughing away, alongside checking out some items on the shops.
Stupidly, his mind was trailing off back to his friends again. All of their smiles, their laughs, all of their small traits which Epel admired and loved about them…
Why did the shop suddenly feel warmer than regular? And why was Epel feeling that weird gut feeling all over again? Did he eat something wrong back at Pomefiore, maybe? Epel couldn’t brush the feeling off. And it was growing more and more intense…
He was already scrambling out his free hand to open his phone and to text a certain someone.
[11:30]
epel : vil
epel : vil help
It felt as though Epel was pacing around the shop now, doing circles all over the place. Yet, he couldn’t help it! He knew that there was a high possibility that Vil might’ve been busy with Rook for the current time, and that Vil wouldn’t reply to him, and that—
Vil : Epel. What do you need help with?
A sigh escaped Epel’s lips, a sigh which Epel didn’t even realize he was holding in until now.
epel : vil how didy ou realize you likded p rook
Epel quickly fixed up the word “Pa” to “Rook” before it was too late. Hopefully Vil didn’t catch the spelling error.
Epel knew he was making spelling errors, obviously. He was panicking now, and for fucks sake, he felt as though the gut feeling was getting worse. Vil would’ve probably scolded him through text to watch his formality on spelling on any other day. Though, hopefully on this day at least, Vil would spare him the motherly lecture.
Vil : I don’t know how I came to like Rook, truly. It was as though it was some feeling in my heart and gut. I admired and appreciated many things which Rook did as well.
Vil : I’m afraid I won’t be able to provide much more in the current moment, as I’m busy.
Vil : Just think more closely about who you’re thinking about. Think about how much things you love and appreciate them for.
Vil : Though you’re telling Rook and I all about this later, alongside who this special someone seems to be. Do not make a fuss of it.
And Vil was already offline before Epel could even think of a reply. Vil provided advice, at the very least.
To think about them.
All of their cute, silly smiles. All of the small little details about them. Ace’s dimples, alongside his remarkable brutal honesty. Deuce’s familiar pout as he focused, alongside how cool he was with mechanics. Jack’s muscle strength, alongside how damn fluffy he was in his wolf form. Sebek’s muscular endurance and sharp eyes, alongside how cute he was when all huddled up in warmth.
He thought about the four of them all over again. Whenever his mind went to think about them, Epel started feeling that weird sensation. He wasn’t physically sick or anything- he couldn’t be.
What was this feeling?! Epel hasn’t ever felt this way before, and this feeling only occurred when he was thinking about those four! Those four only!
And a dawning realization made Epel freeze from his absentminded strolling.
Whenever Epel thought about any of those four, that weird feeling would occur in his gut. A feeling which grew stronger as time passed on. When Epel heard the news that they had all entered a polyamorous relationship with one another, that feeling only intensified deeper in his gut. And today, it was a holiday of love, February 14th.
Was this… a crush? On all four of them?
Epel immediately shook his head.
No. That wouldn’t be possible.
A loud ringing noise from his phone interrupted his ongoing crisis. Epel jolted up for a moment, looked downward at his phone, and wanted to slap himself in the face.
Epel had to meet up with the rest of them now. Great. And all Epel found in the store were their favourite scented candles. Then again… Epel did have that chocolate to give all four of them, too.
“C’mon, Epel,” He muttered silently to himself, walking towards the shop’s exit. “Get yer shit together. This feelin’ ain’t anythin’ at all.”
Though the weird feeling was practically overloading Epel by this point… Epel tried to ignore it. He didn’t want to run directly at it while he was still busy with the four potential causes for these feelings, after all.
And Epel had been so caught up in his feelings that he had even forgotten to pay for the candles. That only dawned on him the minute he walked out of the shop.
By the time Epel arrived back outside, trying hard to forget that he had basically stolen four items from Sam’s Mystery Shop, all four of his friends were already there. Already having the shopping bag which came from paying, too. If asked, Epel could just lie and say that he didn’t ask for a bag, though.
Epel’s eyes quickly scanned at all four of them. They were all looking at him, and they all had this… weird glint in their eye. It was obvious with Ace and Deuce, but with both Jack and Sebek having the same look as the troublemaker duo? Now that didn’t seem really trustable. But they also looked… concerned?
“Epel, are you okay?” Deuce’s voice interrupted. “You look red.”
Epel immediately paused. Oh, for fucks sake. Did he really look red?!
He stupidly stammered for a moment, clearing his throat. “Ah- yeah! Yeah, Aah’m good.” He hoped they wouldn’t ask any further.
It felt as though they all gave them a little glare, even though Epel didn’t catch it with his eyes. Though everyone else moved on from it, apparently.
“…Epel,” Sebek cleared his throat. “There’s something we’ve all wanted to discuss with you. And I must be honest, we-“
Epel seemed to immediately freeze in place for a moment. His brain already needed a moment to process how Epel felt about all four of them, and Sebek was saying that they all needed a talk with him? Hell no!
“Nah uh, let me talk first,” Epel interrupted, trying to remain as casual as he could. “Aah got gifts for all of y’all that I wanna give before we’re goin’ on a walk or somethin’! Just… ah… close yer eyes for a minute.”
His gaze glared at Ace’s direction for a moment longer, knowing damn well that Ace would’ve probably ended up peeking anyway. Once Epel saw all their hesitant eyes flutter to a close, he made an effort to get the chocolates out.
He was already trying to pull off his bag to quickly gift them all both gifts at once. The chocolate bars, all of their favourite flavours, and the scented candles. His mind was still racing, despite his desperate attempts to stop these intensifying thoughts and feelings.
He took a deep breath, internally yelling at himself to calm down.
He pulled out all the chocolates, placing them beside the candles. The dark chocolate and cherry candles went to Ace, the white chocolate and vanilla bean candle for Deuce, the beastfolk-friendly chocolate and pear-scented candles went to Jack, and the milk chocolate and fancy candle for Sebek. When he finally had all of his things gathered, he moved towards all four of them, all of which still had their eyes closed.
First towards Ace. Epel pulled Ace’s arms out, making sure that Ace didn’t look or peek at all. Epel placed the candle and chocolate bar before leaning up and pressing his lips to Ace’s other cheek. Feeling the callousness of Ace’s hands and face, yet they also felt so right to him. Ace already had a little smirk on his face, showing off his dimples further. Epel loved seeing Ace’s dimples, to be honest.
“Happy Valentine’s day.” He whispered in Ace’s ear, watching as a small blush began to grow on Ace’s face. That might’ve been the most Epel has ever seen Ace blush, really.
Epel already felt himself growing red in the face all over again. He tried to ignore it.
Next was Deuce. Deuce had one hand resting on his hip, the other rested on his side. With another silent deep breath, Epel took his hands into Deuce’s, stretching them out long enough. Deuce didn’t resist; there already seemed to be a faint blush growing on his face. Epel smiled softly, placing both the candle and the chocolate bars into Deuce’s hands. His hands were both soft and rough all at once, still gazed up in a little bit of scars. Epel found the scars beautiful regardless.
Another kiss to Deuce’s cheek, almost instantly causing a pink blush to grow. With a grin, he leaned up and whispered in his ear, “Happy Valentine’s day”.
The familiar feeling in Epel’s gut was growing more intense. He told himself that it didn’t matter.
Next, Jack. Jack was rested on his usual stance, arms crossed and tail wagging abnormally faster than regular. It looked so damn fluffy, but Epel couldn’t dwell upon it any further right now, obviously. Epel’s hands took hold of Jack’s hands, feeling both the callousness and softness at once. Once Jack’s arms were out, Epel placed both the candle and chocolate in his hands.
Now, however, Epel had physically tried to pull Jack down lower so that Epel didn’t have to break his neck. Thankfully, Jack seemed to get the message and leaned down. Epel gave a soft kiss to his other cheek, whispering another, “Happy Valentine’s day”. Jack’s tail was wagging incredibly fast, alongside the racing blush across his face.
Epel felt his own heart racing as well. He tried ignoring it harder.
Now, Sebek. Sebek was still in his uptight posture, one which could show his muscular body. Similarly to Jack, Epel tried to signal to Sebek to lean down, and Sebek did just that. With another small smile, Epel took Sebek’s hands into his own, feeling the softness of Sebek’s hands. Considering Sebek, Epel was always moderately surprised when he felt how smooth and soft Sebek’s skin was. He placed both the candle and the chocolate into Sebek’s hand.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.” A final kiss which lingered onto Sebek’s soft cheek. Sebek’s expression looked… tender, almost. Admittedly, it was incredibly cute.
Epel felt weird. He couldn’t ignore it for any longer.
All four of their reactions were… cute. And the feeling of his lips lingering on all their cheeks felt… good. It felt better than it usually did. It felt addicting, almost. And the textures of their hands, all so different yet feeling so right…
Oh, for fucks sake! What was Epel even thinking about?! Epel never had these types of thoughts beforehand!
Epel shook his head roughly, internally slapping himself in the face. “Get yerself together, damn it! These feelin’s ain’t anythin’ good! Ya cant be crushin’ on ‘em and shit! They’re all in a relationship, anyway! That’d just be invadin’ it!”
After a moment, Epel cleared his throat. “Yeah, y’all can open your eyes now.”
Gradually, all four of them opened their eyes. Blue eyes met all of them; a warm pair of scarlet eyes, a cyan gaze, a sharp golden-brown look, and a yellow-green stare. All of their faces were flushed with a pink blush, varying per each person. Ace’s face was blushing the least (though it was still coated with a faint pink blush), and Sebek was likely the most.
It was quiet. A calming, quiet moment between all four of them. It was only really this quiet when they had sleepovers at Ramshackle. Honestly, it was rather weird at how quiet they were all being—
“WE LOVE YOU!”
Epel blinked for a moment.
A confused blink, startled by the sudden noise. The words didn’t even register in his brain. There was already a small group of students gathering around the outside of Sam’s shop, clearly caught off-guard from the sudden yell.
Briefly, Epel could see all four of their facial expressions had changed. It was Sebek who had yelled it out. Ace had probably slapped himself in the face or was visibly trying to tell Sebek to wait. Deuce’s face was growing increasingly pink, he was still in place. Jack was turning into a blushing mess, subtly distancing himself from the rest of the group.
“…Huh?” Epel finally managed to mutter out.
Sebek cleared his throat. “Did you not hear me? I said that we-“
“Bro! We said we were gonna wait!” Ace interrupted almost instantly. As Sebek’s mouth widened again, Ace’s hand moved up to cover Sebek’s mouth. “Shut up, dude!”
And now Ace and Sebek were trying to tell each other to shut up, being chaotic in the process. Deuce was still as frozen as a statue, though he was still holding the chocolate and candles in hand. And Jack…
“…We should probably get going on our walk,” Jack cleared his throat, trying to subtly hide his blush with his hand. “We’ll just tell you there, Epel.”
“Wh- hey! Y’all can’t just-“ Ace was already pushing him forward, practically dragging him. Just like how they first interacted back in Orientation, Ace was still able to manhandle his body. “Ace, ya darn motherfucker! Lemme go!”
“No can do, Epel!” Ace snickered in response, continuing to drag him out of the area.
Epel was demanding to know what the hell was going on, not minding his dialect slipping out at all. Though none of them were telling him anything. Ace was still laughing his ass off, Deuce was shaking his head and nudging at Ace to stop being an asshole, Jack was still trying to hide his noticeable blush, and Sebek was trying his best to remain quiet. It was a little impressive, really.
Epel shook his head in defeat. Just what was going on…?
After a few minutes of Epel’s confused grumbling, the five of them were eventually in a garden. A garden somewhere on campus; though Epel never even remembered being here before. But regardless… it was beautiful. Trees surrounding all around it, the sky looking particularly gorgeous from this angle, and a light amount of snow was coating the grass and ground.
Once Ace let go of him, a loud grumbling sigh escaped Epel’s lips. “What the hell was that about?!”
Deuce cleared his throat. “We were just… uh… surprised. From your gifts. How did you know I was wanting milk chocolate?”
“That ain’t what I’m talkin’ about!!”
Jack sighed loudly, nudging gently at Sebek’s arm for a moment. “You were the one who yelled that out aloud. You explain it.”
“Why must I explain it?!” A blush was already coating Sebek’s face. “I didn’t situate anything of the sort! I refuse to be the one who says it!”
“You just said it a few minutes ago!”
“I did not-“
“Epel,” Deuce took a deep breath, looking at Epel directly in the eyes. Epel’s gaze soon met Deuce’s determined one. “I’ll be entirely honest. I love you.”
“And I love you.” Ace added in smoothly after, playfully jabbing at Epel’s arm. Epel’s eyes met Ace’s. There was still a faint blush, though a big smirk on his face.
“…And I love you.” Jack replied after a moment, tail wagging out of control. Epel looked at Jack, noticing the blush coating his face altogether.
“And I…” Sebek gulped, face utterly pink when Epel took a glance at it. It was a blush; not from the cool atmosphere. “I love you too.”
Epel blinked again. In pure, absolute confusion.
It was getting hot outside. So unbearably hot outside. Which, considering how they were literally outside, was a little bit weird. But fuck, Epel felt hot. As though some heat wave was about to hit him hard. Did he have a fever or something? And why was it hitting him now?!
And his gut felt uncomfortable. There was a growing intense feeling in his gut from earlier, and it wasn’t going away. Epel couldn’t even ignore it in the slightest. The gut feeling was practically taking over him.
What the hell was happening?!
“Wh… what?” Epel squinted his eyes up at all of them in confusion.
“Did you not hear all of us admit it? We love you.” Sebek stated, much more bluntly this time despite his face being an impossible shade of pink.
“Oh- obviously I heard that!” Epel stammered out. “Aah love y’all too, ya know that.”
“No, we mean romantically,” Ace blurted out. “We love you. Romantically.”
Romantically.
Epel could feel his body practically failing itself now. He felt way too hot. He felt red. He felt like his heart was about to fall out from his chest with the way it was beating. And his mind was still racing, not comprehending the words properly.
Romantically.
“What?!” Epel stammered out, feeling his breath slipping away.
Deuce took a confused glance at the rest of the three before looking back at Epel. “Were we wrong? I thought…”
“What- no! Aah ain’t gay!”
Epel wanted to slap himself in the face the moment he said that. Epel could've at least phrased it nicer. It was the first excuse that came up in Epel’s head, but…
He wasn’t gay. He wasn’t gay. He wasn’t gay. He did not like boys like that. He could not like boys like that. Because that was gay, and he wasn’t gay-
“Epel, that’s just a flat out lie.” Jack interrupted, ear twitching.
“No it ain’t! I ain’t likin’ boys like that!” Epel muttered out. It was as though he was trying to convince himself. “Like- I ain’t homophobic or anythin’! Y'all can be gay and whatever, Aah don’t give a fuck, but-“
“Epel,” Ace sighed fondly, shaking his head. It seemed like he was on the verge of… chuckling? “Just think for a minute, Epel. Think about why your gut feels so weird and shit.”
“Ace, shut the fuck up-“
“No, really,” Deuce nodded. “Just do it.”
Jack and Sebek gave their own nods in return, telling Epel to do the same as well. With a loud huff and sigh, Epel reluctantly closed his eyes.
He thought for a moment. About all four of them all over again. Their dumb eyes. Their dumb smiles. Their dumb hair. The dumb texture of their skin. The weird feelings he got whenever he was thinking about any of them. The way it felt so abnormally hot whenever he was thinking about any of them. The way he was feeling so weird on a holiday meant for love…
Love.
Epel loved them all. Epel loved Ace. Epel loved Deuce. Epel loved Jack. Epel loved Sebek.
“Wh- do not pass out here!!!!” Sebek shouted before Epel could feel himself slipping away, giving Epel’s shoulders a rough shake.
“Agh- ow!” Epel exclaimed.
He shook his head awake, and looked at all four of them again. They were all… smiling at him. With a warm gaze. Epel could practically sense hearts behind all of their gazes.
“…On a serious note,” Jack said after a moment. “That’s what our Valentine’s gift was for you.”
And then, in unison, they all asked, “Do you want to be our boyfriend?”
Epel stood there awkwardly for a moment. Head still bent at an awkward angle to meet all of their gazes. Though… it was as though Epel’s brain wasn’t thinking.
“…Y'all want me to join yer relationship?” Epel muttered out.
“Yeah, that’s what we just asked.” Ace replied bluntly.
“Wouldn’t that be intrudin’ on it?” Epel muttered out again.
All of them shook their heads, though Deuce was the one that spoke up about it. “You wouldn’t be intruding on anything. We’re the ones asking you, after all.”
“Yeah, but…”
“But what?” Jack asked aloud, his regular rough voice in an oddly softer manner.
Ugh, this moment was so intimate it was making Epel cringe. Though Epel tried to compose himself, taking a deep breath for a second.
“…Would that really be good with y’all?”
“Yes, of course! That’s what Ace had said just a moment ago!” Sebek nodded frantically in reassurance. “We were talking about this for about a week before today! We’re sure that we’d want you in our relationship!”
Epel’s eyes squinted in confusion. Had they really been planning it for so long…?
Epel took another look at all their gazes. All of their eyes and gazes looked beautiful, really. More beautiful than Epel remembered them to be. But looking into all of their gazes, with the romantic tension between their group… looking at all of them felt different. It felt… good. Perfect, even.
Epel sighed aloud. He gulped down a lump in his throat, and said his next words without another thought to interrupt.
“Yeah. Aah wanna be in yer relationship.”
And immediately, Epel was toppled over in a hug by all four of them, following his scream and all of their loud cheers and laughter.
Without even processing the moment, they were all in the snow. Yet all of them were laughing away without a care in the world. All of their lips were meeting Epel’s, and Epel was finally able to kiss them elsewhere besides the cheek. They were smiling and laughing and chuckling away without a care in the world. The empty pit in his gut was gone, replaced by a much warmer feeling.
All of their faces were covered in red kiss marks when they finally sat up from the snow. All of their hair and clothes were glittered in snow. Yet, in this current moment… Epel couldn’t care.
He loved all of them, and they loved him back.
The day couldn’t have gone any better than this.