The living room was dim but cozy, a lazy bass beat humming from the speakers. Azrael sat on the long couch with drink in hand, while Theodore sat with his leg crossed on the marble floor, flipping a lighter open and closed with bored precision. Rhydric leaned back in the single chair, legs spread, nonchalant as always, his phone glowing in his hand though he wasn't really typing anything. Eryx sat at the edge of the couch, elbow on his knee, swirling the dark liquid in his glass as if it was more interesting than anything else.
Azrael leaned forward, refilling his glass with a small smile. "Jokes aside, did y'all see the new girl? Athena. Holy shit." His voice dropped, replaced with something that looked like silent admiration. "That boldness? That walk? And when she let her hair down…" He smirked, shaking his head. "Fuck, she was damn gorgeous. I didn't even know I had a thing for whiteheads until today."
Theodore smirked wide, eyes glinting. "Angel hair with a devil's mouth. The cafeteria wasn't ready for that actually."
Even the cold Rhydric, raised a brow, finally looking up from his phone. "Neither was Adrianna. Her face looked like it got slapped without a hand touching her." he stated almost rolling his eyes.
That sent Azrael and Eryx a into fit of laughter. Even Theodore slapped the carpet, muttering, "Goddamn, I can't breathe."
But then, Theodore's grin sharpened, sly as ever. He tilted his head toward Eryx, voice smooth. "Speaking of… didn't she say something about making you beg between her legs and tossing you back to Adrianna?"
The room shifted. The laughter died down into a thick pause, and suddenly all eyes landed on Eryx and hissmile varnished.
Eryx groaned, dragging a hand down his face like he wanted to disappear. "For fuck's sake…"
Azrael smirked wider, he was enjoying every bit of it.
And Theodore, he wasn't going to let it go, over his dead body."Come on, man, don't act like we didn't all hear it. The cafeteria went silent for that line. Even I felt my balls twist when she said it."
Rhydric, calm as ever, just leaned back and dropped the quietest bomb of all."But she didn't look at Adrianna when she said it." His gaze flicked lazily to Eryx, his voice dripping with quiet tease. "She looked at you."
Another pause. Azrael's grin widened. Theodore's eyebrows shot up.
Eryx exhaled sharply, slamming his glass down on the table, his patience snapping. "I'm not Adrianna's fucking man, alright? I fucked her once. One fucking time. She's been on me since then, throwing herself at me like I owe her something. I gave her what she wanted, and now she's parading like she owns me."
The silence after that was heavy but then Azrael burst out laughing, shaking his head. "Damn, you sound pressed, brother."
Theodore leaned back, smirk stretching slow and wicked. "Pressed, and yet you haven't denied Athena got under your skin."
Eryx shot him a glare sharp enough to cut, but Theodore only chuckled harder. Rhydric's lips tugged again, barely a smile, but enough to show he'd caught the whole thing.
Theodore still playing with the lighter, eyes gleaming. "Guess the cafeteria wasn't the only one she froze today."
"Shut the fuck up, Theo," Eryx snapped, grabbing his glass again and downing the last of it in one harsh swallow. His jaw tightened, but the heat in his eyes gave him away.
Theodore chuckled low, leaning forward on his elbows. "You didn't deny it though."
"Deny what?" Eryx shot back.
"That Athena got you fucked up," Theodore replied smoothly, his smirk irritatingly calm. "Your eyes were all over her, bro. Don't even try that 'I don't give a fuck' shit with us. We were there. We saw it."
The silence stretched. Eryx clenched his jaw, looking like he wanted to fight his way out of the corner they had him in. Finally, he groaned and rubbed his temples.
"Alright. Fine." He slammed his glass down again, this time more controlled. "The girl's hot. There, you happy? Fucking hot. The way she stood there dripping wet, jacket off, shirt see-through, nipples showing like she didn't give a single damn about the world—fuck." His voice dropped, rough.
Azrael barked out a laugh, clutching his chest. "Finally!"
Theodore smirked wide in victory, eyes narrowing in triumph. "Knew it. The way you shifted in your seat when she said your name without saying your name? It was obvious."
"Obvious as hell," Calm azrael added, raising his glass in a mocking toast.
Eryx shot them both a look that could kill, but his ears were red. He muttered under his breath, "Doesn't change the fact Adrianna's a pain in my ass. And now thanks to Athena, the whole school thinks I'm some kind of trophy to be won."
"Correction," Theodore drawled, flicking his lighter open again. Click. Snap. Click. "They don't think you're a trophy, man. They think Athen fucked you already."
Azrael choked on his drink, as he doubled over. "Oh, shit, the way she said it'make you beg between her legs and toss you back.' That was brutal. Even I felt that burn, and it wasn't even aimed at me."
"Adrianna looked like her soul left her body," Theodore added with a satisfied smirk. "Girl's been walking around like queen bee, and Athena just…" He clapped his hands once. "snatched her crown and stomped on it. First day."
Eryx pinched the bridge of his nose. "You assholes are enjoying this way too much."
"We are," Theodore admitted, grinning like a devil. "And I'm not even sorry." he added.
Rhydric, who had been quiet the longest, suddenly spoke again, his voice deep and steady. "I'll admit it. She's something else. But one thing.." He paused, his sharp gaze flicking between them. "do humans even have white hair like that? Because let's be real here, man… that shit wasn't dyed."
The room stilled.
Theodore blinked, lowering his glass slightly. "Fuck… you're right. That didn't look fake at all."
Azrael tilted his head, frowning. "Yeah. Too long, too natural. If that's wasn't dye, then it's witchcraft."
Eryx leaned back slowly, his eyes narrowing in thought, though his lips curved into the faintest smirk. "Guess the new girl's full of surprises."
Theodore chuckled low, shaking his head. "And you're just dying to unwrap them all, aren't you?"
Eryx suddenly leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, and for the first time since the teasing began, his grin came back sharp and playful. That dangerous Eryx grin.
"Alright, alright. You had your fun." He pointed his finger around the room, one by one. "But don't think you can just dump this shit on me. You fuckers aren't innocent either."
Theodore raised a brow, lighter clicking in his hand. "Excuse me?"
Eryx leaned back, smirk widening. "Theo, you stared so hard at her tits I thought your frosty ass was about to melt on the spot. Don't act like you weren't two seconds away from standing up and giving the class a demonstration."
Theodore froze for a beat, jaw tightening but the corner of his mouth twitched like he was holding back a smile.
Azrael burst out laughing again, clapping his hands together. "Goddamn, he got you there, Frost."
Eryx turned to Azrael next, his eyes narrowing with amusement. "And you, don't even try to hide it. You tilted your head like a hungry dog the second she let down that hair. If you could've, you would've asked her to spin around just for you."
Azrael's smirk faltered for a second, then he threw his hands up, chuckling. "Fair. Girl had me curious as hell. I'll give you that one."
Then Eryx's gaze shifted, finally toward Rhydric. The air shifted a little. "And you… Mr. Stonecold-Face. Think you fooled anyone with that blank look? Nah. I saw it. Don't even deny it."
Rhydric's sharp eyes flicked toward Eryx, a faint muscle ticking in his jaw. He didn't move, didn't speak, but the heavy silence was loud enough.
Theodore leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "Ooooh. He's not denying it."
"Exactly," Eryx said smugly, spreading his arms. "So don't you assholes sit there and act like I'm the only one who thought she was hot. We all felt it. Admit it."
Theodore finally exhaled slowly, lips curving into the faintest smirk. "You talk too much."
The others chuckled, but Eryx just stretched and grinned wider. "Don't even try me. I saw all of you staring, even Rhydric. Don't push this all on me. Admit it."
Rhydric finally lifted his glass, his deep voice calm. "She stirred something, yes. But not just because of her hair or her fire." He paused, eyes darkening slightly. "She's… different."
The laughter died down for a moment, silence thickenin.
Azrael tilted his head. "Different how?"
Rhydric's gaze flicked between them, the weight in his tone sharpening. "You've all heard the whispers. About the shadows… about a Seer."
That single word dropped like a stone.
Theodore brow arched. "Seer? Don't tell me you're buying into the Council's ghost stories. There hasn't been one in." He cut himself off, jaw tightening.
Eryx tried to ease the tension with a grin. "What, you think the moon's gonna spit one out just for us? Maybe if we howl loud enough, huh?" His laugh rang out, but the others didn't join.
Rhydric set his drink down with a soft thud. "It's not just talk, Eryx. I've heard the Council's been searching. Quietly. Desperately. If the shadow chaos is real—"
"It's real," Azrael interrupted, voice lower than before, his smirk gone. "And if it's real, then a Seer isn't just a bedtime tale. It's a necessity."
Eryx's grin faltered, but he masked it by downing the rest of his drink. "Great. So we're fucked, unless a miracle walks through the door."
Silence lingered, the weight of unspoken thoughts pressing between them. For the first time that night, their easy chaos was replaced with something heavier, something none of them wanted to admit out loud.