Mirren acted normal after Remiah left.
The Wolves and Royals found themselves unable to comfort Mirren since they weren't too sure if the male wanted to talk about it, but they knew better than to bring it up and kept quiet.
Niven and a few of them did try to cheer Mirren up even if he insisted he was fine. Niven was a lot more careful in the coming days and weeks, clinging onto Mirren just to make sure he was okay which pleasantly surprised the male. He was grateful and silently thanked to whatever God was up there that he managed to snatch Niven's attention for a long time.
But that didn't mean he liked the attention of the others.
He continued to get smothered by the others despite him always saying that he disliked them right to their faces.
Agustine cautiously approached Mirren and wanted to see if he was okay as well. He figured showing off his rock collection would make the brunet happy and while Mirren was actually impressed by it, he'd rather spend his time with just Niven.
Silas' attitude toward the beastman wasn't as cold as before and he tried getting along with him, but Mirren straight up told him to knock it off. It somehow disgusted the brunet, but Silas saw that as some sort of challenge and made jokes and several puns which irked Mirren even more.
His alpha was the least annoying, but Mirren still didn't like him. He kept a watchful eye on the brunet and often accompanied Mirren on some days without making conversation. He knew Mirren well enough to remember he didn't like small talk. Arien's actions only reminded Mirren of what a stalker would've looked like so he actually grew more fearful than disgusted and had to watch out for Arien, always avoiding him when he could.
But the people he hated to be pitied on were the twins, mostly Levi.
They didn't pick on him like Mirren thought. They tried comforting him, though it was awkward and too tense.
Once, Levi went up to Mirren and gave him a firm clap on the shoulder which made the beastman grow confused until Levi said something.
"It's okay... my fathers and mother are dead and were horrible as well."
He said it with such a blank expression and bland tone that made Mirren scowl. Of course Levi would try to understand Mirren by comparing how awful their parents were.
It was at these times, Mirren suddenly realized he absolutely hated socializing and rather be in solitude with Niven.
Right now, that was what Mirren was focusing on. He was back at his dorm room with Niven, both under the covers of his bed sheets. He had an arm wrapped around the blonde's waist and held onto him tightly as they both slumbered.
Crescent and King were outside in the living room, meticulously cleaning everything up and preparing dinner for their owners. They finally came to the conclusion that Mirren and Niven were officially together a while ago and rejoiced in knowing that fact... yet King was slightly disturbed in knowing Niven had others partners as well.
The penguin absolutely disliked Simeon and Levi's familiars. They were always so rough with the penguin and never picked up their messes, so he favored the student council's familiars a lot better.
By the time dinner was ready, Mirren was the first one to wake up by the strong aroma protruding from the kitchen. He lazily sat right up and pressed his lips into a thin line, blankly staring at the wall.
He did this a few times after Remiah left the academy. Mirren didn't particularly have any thoughts, but he often wondered about the man and where he was at these days. If he was doing well or not, and sometimes he'd think if Remiah also thought about him as well.
Probably not. He'd be busy thinking about Bennett instead.
With a sigh, Mirren looked down to his side and saw Niven curled up right next to him. He instantly beamed and felt his mood dissipate once he remembered Niven planned to stay a few nights at his dorm. He was extremely happy in knowing this.
He didn't even notice Niven waking up from his sleep, seeing Mirren with a wide grin.
Niven frowned. "What are you smiling about?"
Mirren laid back and directly sprawled across Niven's small form, almost crushing the boy. He purred in content and nuzzled his face in the crook of Niven's neck.
"I'm so glad you're here with me."
"You said that before we took a nap."
"I'm really happy you're staying here for a few nights."
"You also said that once I came over."
Still, Mirren was in a good mood and kept on purring. He stuck close to the boy and lazily kept his hands wandering on Niven's body, merely showing his own way of affection by constantly touching him just to make sure Niven was really here.
Niven didn't mind it and ran his hand through Mirren's hair. It caused the beastman to purr even louder, making Niven smile a little in amusement.
"Mirren?"
"Yes, baby?"
"Later this week, would you like to come with me to see my mother?"
Mirren's purring stopped and he suddenly got up, looking down at the boy with wide eyes.
"You want me to meet your mother? The grand duchess?"
"You've already met my father. I want to announce our relationship to my mother as well. She'll be happy to see you."
"I'm not... really sure if she'd like me," Mirren admitted hesitantly.
Mirren already heard a lot about the grand duke and recalled how strict the man was when it came to relationships. He considered nearly everyone an eyesore and was incredibly arrogant, so he didn't even put the imperial family in his eyes despite them also being powerful.
It was hard enough for Mirren to believe he got the man's invitation to come over, but he wondered if the grand duchess would accept him since he came from such a lowly background.
Silas and Agustine were aristocrats and their family had a long history, and their parents were highly influential. While Arien's tribe is different since they don't necessarily establish such a hierarchy, he still came from a very long line of powerful beastmen and was a descendant of a dire wolf so his abilities he possessed were unnatural for any beastman to have. Even Grimmwolf could be considered better than him considering he was practically raised in Arien's tribe.
Mirren doesn't have anything like them. He doesn't even have his own guardian anymore... he's basically by himself.
"I don't know what you're thinking of, but you should stop it," Niven stated with a frown. "I don't really get why you're so worried. I already told my mother about you and she'll be really happy if you'd come with me."
"Are you sure? She won't like, chase me out or anything?"
"Yeah." Niven grabbed the brunet's face and gripped onto him tightly, making sure Mirren was paying attention to what he was saying. "I'm completely sure."
Mirren dropped back down on top of Niven, slightly relieved to know he was probably worrying about nothing.
Since the boy was pretty adamant about this, Mirren supposed it wouldn't hurt to try and visit the rest of his family.
~*~
"I didn't think you'd have over this many people, Niven! I'm really happy you invited them over for the weekend!" Grand Duchess Adrienne exclaimed over the dinner table. "I've always wanted to meet your boyfriends ever since you broke the news to me."
The whole family was present. Right next to the woman was Grand Duke Uriel, looking over the Wolves and Royals with a blank gaze. He didn't say anything, but he did give a cold smile to acknowledge what his wife said.
Dahlia sat right next to her brother while her wife, Anais Cantillon Kingston, was with her. Anais gave the Wolves nervous smiles and was quiet throughout the whole ordeal.
Niven glanced at his partners, finding them sit up a little straighter due to their nerves. He could practically see Agustine shaking though, wanting to hide away since he didn't want to meet with his father's gaze at all.
Grand Duchess Adrienne looked at the very end of the table and smiled even wider at the person sitting down. He noticed the woman's gaze and giggled, twirling his glass around several times and making the juice splash around.
"I'm also a little surprised you invited your teacher, but this is still good. I haven't had this many guests in such a long time!"
Vasili's giggle grew louder and he grinned strangely. "To be honest, Your Highness, I actually didn't get your child's permission to go with him. I just tagged along!"
"It's still nice to meet the man who's been taking care of Niven," the woman quipped.
Niven sighed and picked at his food. He didn't think Vasili would get word of him visiting his family and was surprised to see him also coming, not taking no for an answer. It wasn't like the boy could do anything about it since Vasili had other ways to invite himself over.
Though it was sort of weird seeing him here and not in the classroom. He always figured the man was tethered to the room for some reason.
"It's been a while, Vasili," his father murmured out.
"I see you still haven't changed at all when you were my student!" Vasili stated. "You were always such a grumpy little child... now you've evolved into crabby, pettish man-child!"
The grand duchess suddenly laughed, but instantly covered her mouth as her husband's expression shifted. Vasili didn't mind the icy glare he was getting from the grand duke and turned to look at Niven instead.
"Your son is way better than you. In fact, he's my star pupil! Right next to Agustine!"
Grand Duchess Adrienne looked over to the quivering demon and sent him a questioning look. It made Agustine wilt even further at how she was gazing at him.
The woman could obviously tell he wasn't used to these sort of gatherings and pursed her lips. Well, it's not like she minded. She was once like Agustine when she was young.
"I heard my sister-in-law gifted a mask to you. Several in fact," the woman said with a grin. "Is the one you're wearing now from her?"
Agustine slowly nodded, still cautious. He didn't want to say a word to anyone and wondered if Niven's parents would be offended by his silence.
"He looks great in that, right?" Dahlia cut in with a proud tone. "I spent hours trying to decide which mask was worthy enough for Agustine. I'm pleased to see you wearing them!"
Agustine didn't respond and kept quiet, but his brother spoke up instead.
"Agustine really liked the gifts you gave him. He uses it everyday at the academy," Silas said.
Dahlia grinned. "Does he now? Well, Agustine, have you broken any of them so far? Don't hesitate to tell me, I'll be glad to buy you new ones."
"He'll be happy to accept more."
While they conversed, Anais curiously looked around and hesitantly spoke to Arien sitting next to her.
"Why doesn't he speak for himself?"
Arien lowered his head and whispered, "He prefers not to talk. He doesn't like his voice very much."
"And... what about the mask? W-Would I offend him by asking about that?"
"He doesn't like to show his face as well."
Anais was a little surprised. "Really? Then who's the person next to you?"
Grim paused from eating and tilted his head a little. Arien gestured a hand over to the beastman and addressed him, "This is Grimmwolf. He came from my tribe and has accompanied me for a while."
"I've actually never seen a beastman before... I'm honestly in awe."
Arien looked at the woman for a while and noticed just how timid she was compared to her wife. She reminded him of Niven a little bit.
While the two of them talked, Arien eventually found out the woman came from a fallen noble family. Her motherland used to be Astrax until it was conquered and turned into ruins, but she eventually met Dahlia and the two of them fell in love and got married.
So when Niven was being shipped off into the academy, Anais decided to place him under her old family name since Grand Duke Uriel wanted Niven to start fresh which was why the Wolves never suspected Niven to be a Kingston in the beginning.
Seeing Arien and Anais pleasantly converse with each other, the grand duchess finally turned her attention to Mirren.
"You know, my son was right about you. You are handsome."
Niven choked on his water just as Mirren was taken aback. The jagaur beastman looked at the boy for a moment before finding himself grin a little. This was getting to be pretty funny actually.
"He said that?"
"He told me you were really handsome-"
"Mother," Niven cut her off. "Let's not talk about that..."
"What else did he say?" Mirren prompted, ignoring how embarrassed Niven was.
As they talked, Grand Duke Uriel leaned against his chair and looked all over at the table. Everyone was having a good time with the student council, even Anais, his shy sister-in-law.
He knew that his wife was immediately taken with then group and was happy for their son, so they instantly got her blessings. The grand duchess wanted to see what her husband thought of them though.
At first, he didn't really have any thoughts on the Wolves. All he knew was that Arien was taking good care of Niven which was enough for him to be reassured his son was in good hands, but he never would've guessed Niven's partners would turn out to be them.
He didn't like it in the beginning. There were plenty of other people the grand duke thought about who were better for Niven, but he chose to stay silent for a while when he realized just how happy his son was.
The grand duke eventually came to the conclusion these students weren't so bad. At least they were genuine about their feelings for his son and felt that this was good enough, but the twins were an entirely different story.
Levi and Simeon were at the end of the table. They were silent and hadn't spoke one bit. They knew better to.
Grand Duke Uriel looked at them for a long time with a cold gaze. He eventually drank away the last of his wine and firmly set the glass down on the table, attracting everyone present. Even Vasili perked up, eyes wide and brimming with excitement when he saw the man get up.
"Niven, Simeon, Levi." The grand duke called. "I need a word with you three."
Everyone was silent as they watched the three of them get up to follow the man. The Wolves felt the need to also follow since the atmosphere suddenly felt tense between the family, but the grand duchess hurriedly intervened and grabbed their attention.
Arien and Silas warily looked at each other before gradually focusing at the other family members. This was a private matter they couldn't intervene.
After Niven and the twins left the dining hall, they moved to a different room to speak to his father privately.
Niven sat in between the twins, facing Grand Duke Uriel with a nervous smile. The twins were still silent.
"You're choosing them?" His father bluntly asked.
"Yes."
"How come you chose them? It can't just be that they're nice to you."
Niven was getting a lot more nervous once he realized his father was actually interrogating him.
"Arien has been watching over me since I became part of the student council. He takes care of me like the others and protects me a lot."
"I thought you didn't like protection."
"I don't, but he caught onto it quickly and lets me stand on my own."
When they were still new to each other, Arien always hovered over Niven and treated the boy like he needed protection. Niven didn't really mind at first since he thought that's just how all beastmen were until he gradually got to know Arien better. That's when his alpha also knew Niven didn't like being smothered and allowed him to do his own things, though Arien was still willing to step in if it was necessary.
He liked that about Arien. His family and friends would've never let Niven go just like that because he was sick.
His father gave him a curious look after Niven stated a few more things about Arien. Grand Duke Uriel already heard good things about the wolf beastman from other people, especially from Bennett and Dahlia. If Niven really liked him then he'll allow this relationship to happen.
"You know about Grimmwolf, right?" Niven questioned.
He was surprised to see his father smile at the mention of the albino beastman.
"I'm honestly impressed by Grim. He's powerful enough to be placed as a Royal in the academy... that's not something you see everyday. If you like him then I'll be more than glad to have him as family, but your mother still isn't too sure about him. We'll have to wait and see a little longer."
Niven couldn't say this was a bad thing. It was already a surprising thing to hear that his father actually praised someone, so he'll take any chance he'll get. As for his mother, Niven knew she'll eventually come to accept him. There wasn't much to worry about.
"As for Silas and Agustine..."
"I know about their situation already. I thought you were merely friends with them, so I'm hesitant about actually letting you be with two men whose abilities are crippled," his father said.
"They've been getting better. You know this as well, you helped me with Silas' ring."
"I don't know much about Agustine. He doesn't even talk or allow us to see his face."
Niven frowned deeply. "There's nothing wrong with that."
"I'm mostly concerned about his Jinx."
"It's not as bad as before. Even Uncle says it himself, so Agustine won't hurt anyone."
His father didn't look entirely convinced. He already knew enough about Silas and he was already willing to accept him into the family, but he didn't know if he disliked Silas' brother. From his view, Agustine was a person who could easily be scared and hides away from minor inconveniences. He doesn't need anyone like that around his son and would prefer if Niven doesn't interact with him anyone.
Niven could see the bland expression worsening on his father and panicked a little.
"Dad, he makes me happy. And I know you probably think he isn't good for me, but he's not really that timid. If he was, he wouldn't even be part of the Wolves in the first place. He could go against Arien if he wanted to... he just doesn't like instigating fights or arguments."
Grand Duke Uriel thought back to what his brother said about the student council. They were powerful students, almost as strong as them whenever he and Bennett attended the academy. He completely overlooked the fact Agustine was right below Arien's rank in the Wolves, so he shouldn't be so worried about the demon.
He just can't get over how much of a coward Agustine looked. He looked like he could barely try to defend himself whether it'd be an actual fight or a verbal disagreement... yet Agustine was also a demon. He was the exact opposite of Silas, so the grand duke couldn't help but feel a little unsettled about Agustine.
Maybe there really was more to him than he originally thought.
"If you're that certain about him then I have nothing more to discuss. Your aunt has already taken a liking to Agustine, so I can't even say that I can't accept him otherwise she'll beat me up."
Niven clicked his tongue and looked at the man in disappointment. His father was really weak against his aunt. But then again, the grand duke could never say no to his sister.
"Then... Mirren?"
"Oh, he's a different story. I don't accept him at all, but you're more than welcome to have the others come back again."
Levi and Simeon looked straight at Niven, witnessing him grow dumbfounded by what his father said. Even the twins didn't know what to think of this situation.
"What? Why?"
"Other than the fact Remiah's now a criminal, his background isn't-"
"Are you serious?" Niven scoffed. "Aunt Anais came from a fallen noble family, yet you accepted her!"
"That was because if I didn't, your Aunt Dahlia would have skinned me alive. And she's still of noble birth no matter how Anais' family fell."
"There's nothing wrong with Mirren! He's also part of the student council, so isn't that enough for you? Even Mom likes him!"
"If Remiah was still here then I would've considered him, but he doesn't have anyone to rely on anymore. Without a proper backing, I won't take him in. I'd rather have Levi and Simeon replace Mirren."
The twins quickly looked up at the grand duke, shocked and at a loss for words. Even Niven was taken aback and narrowed his eyes at his father.
Grand Duke Uriel sighed, "I already know about the three of you getting together. To be honest, I still don't exactly like this arrangement, but I trust the twins to take care of you so there's no reason why I shouldn't accept. The only problem I have is Mirren."
Finally, Simeon chose to speak up on Niven's behalf and suddenly tried defending Mirren.
"Mirren might not have had a proper family, but he's still Remiah's son. Remiah took him in and taught him personally. His abilities are powerful enough, so you don't have to worry about him not being able to protect Niven if that's what you're so worried about."
"I thought you didn't like Mirren."
"He's grown on us. Somewhat."
"Then what about you, Levi? What do you think?"
The three of them turned their attention to Levi. The male merely glanced at his twin and didn't say anything for a while, trying to gather his thoughts first.
"I like him..."
Niven could tell that was a lie. Levi and Simeon didn't like Mirren at all, yet the two of them were learning how to tolerate the jaguar beastman and the rest of the student council. He immediately felt relieved and gave Levi such a grateful look.
Maybe the twins could actually learn how to get along with the rest of the Wolves.
Grand Duke Uriel pressed his lips in a thin line and still wasn't convinced. He admits that he honestly liked Mirren, but he was a traditional person. His fathers had always taught him to consider the benefits of a relationship and made sure the grand duke learned that making connections and gaining power was much more important. He couldn't get adjusted to the idea of accepting Mirren into the family straight away like Dahlia did, and he was sure Bennett also approved of Mirren.
Reluctantly, he let out another sigh and looked at his son.
"I just want you to be happy. You've never been this happy before since you were so caught up on Roselia and the imperial family. If you really want Mirren then I won't say another word about it, but the ones you really have to convince are your grandfathers. They're a lot more stubborn than I am."
Niven hitched a breath. "You're really accepting him?"
"I like the four of them."
"And Simeon and Levi?"
His father gave an aloof smile. "I can tolerate them."
That was enough for the twins to be relieved. Even Niven couldn't suppress his excitement and grinned widely at his father, wanting to get up and hug him.
"Dad, you can't take your words back, okay?"
"Okay."
"I mean it. These people are my partners now."
Grand Duke Uriel kept on nodding. "Okay."
He really did accept them. He gave his approval to all seven and was willing to acknowledge them as his partners. It won't be long until the grand duke and duchess plans an engagement party for Niven and the others since this was the first time their son was this happy to be with someone other than Roselia.
Grand Duke Uriel chatted with Niven a while longer before eventually getting into a deep conversation with the twins. He knew their relationship with them was strained, but he was trying to make an effort and the twins were as well. They might dislike each other, but this was enough for the three of them to tolerate one another.
Once Niven and the twins returned and left the grand duke behind, he saw his mother and aunts were gone.
Niven sat down right next to Mirren and asked, "Where did they go?"
"They wanted to let us talk privately, so they left."
"What did you guys talk about?" Silas questioned.
"World domination!" Vasili giggled from the other end of the table. He munched on the side of a broken tea cup. "I wouldn't be surprised if they discussed such a thing!"
"Actually, my father talked about you guys."
That grabbed everyone's attention. Even Vasili stoped giggling to himself and went quiet, curious to know what the grand duke said.
Vasili didn't have to wait long to know that the man actually went ahead and approved of everyone. He could see the Wolves sag their shoulders in relief, yet Vasili was puzzled and a little irritated.
The grand duke wasn't someone who'd accept anyone so easily. How come he did this then? Not only that, but he heard Niven whispering to Grimmwolf on how much his father actually like the albino beastman. He saw Grim grow embarrassed and confused, wondering why the man was that impressed with him.
Seeing them like this, Vasili set his drink and snacks down and stood up without warning. He looked at Niven with a bitter smile.
"Well! Since everyone's all dandy and flowery, I'm gonna go and head home now!"
"You're... going home?" Silas retorted. "I thought you lived in the academy's basement."
"I thought you slept on top of books," Simeon grumbled. "Even Arien told me he once saw you sleeping inside of a refrigerator."
Agustine couldn't hold in a snicker and had to be nudged by Grim, effectively shutting him up.
Vasili rolled his eyes. "Ha... very funny. Whatever, I don't even care anymore. I've stayed here for far too long, so I'm gonna go outside and leave. Bye, brats."
The students were quiet as the man picked up his cane and left the room without another word. They expected Vasili to make fun of them or mumble out something offensive, but he actually went out and didn't even look back.
Vasili strode out all the way to the entrance of the estate with a dark look on his face. His grip on his cane tightened out of anger at the thought of Lord Uriel accepting those brats again.
It didn't make any fucking sense. He's known the man for decades now. Vasili didn't want anyone to be with Niven if he couldn't have the boy, so he relied on the grand duke to separate them.
"Fucking bullshit," Vasili sneered and finally got outside. He banged his cane on the ground, waiting for a portal to open up.
Seeing the portal slowly forming, Vasili grew a little more frustrated and banged on the ground with the cane once more.
"I'm surprised it hasn't broken yet."
Vasili was startled. He looked over his shoulder to see Niven approaching him. The boy stopped right next to his professor and glanced at his cane.
"You know, after all this time, I don't really know much about you. You've never told me anything about yourself."
Vasili forced a smile and let the corners of his mouth curl up unnaturally.
"Are you curious about my home?"
"Is it bad of me to ask?"
"Nonsense! I'll tell you what, I'll answer three questions if yours. In return, you'll have to answer one question of mine!"
Niven looked at him strangely, unsure if he should agree until Vasili thrusted a hand out for the boy to shake.
Slowly, he took his hand and shook it. It caused Vasili to giggle loudly.
"I already know what your first question is, my boy! I come from Egypt! I was planning to return home right now since it's been so long since I last seen the place."
"Egypt?" Niven was bewildered.
Egypt was part of the old world. He hardly ever heard about that country since new ones had been formed centuries ago. To think Vasili came from that place seemed impossible considering how one nation conquered it all and renamed it, even merging it with other lands so Egypt shouldn't even exist anymore.
It shouldn't exist... Niven grew pale from that thought.
Vasili noticed and looked down at the boy with unhidden excitement.
"What's wrong, dearest?"
"H-How old are you, Professor?"
"Old enough to outlast your own ancestors! I'm pretty powerful."
Niven hurriedly pull his hand away and stared at him, appalled by the revelation. He thought Vasili was joking like he always did, but he saw how serious the man was and he even looked at the boy in a funny way, seeming as if he didn't understand what was so shocking about what he said.
"How did you—wait, I've never even heard of someone actually being immortal! What are the rest of your abilities? How did you get to the academy? Why couldn't you leave? Wait, wait, wait... if you had enough power, then why didn't you just get up and leave yourself if you-"
"Careful now. You only get one last question, dearest."
Vasili was enlightened by the shock coming from the boy. He couldn't help but laugh, finding his expression even more adorable.
Niven had to stop and think carefully. There were hundreds of questions he had for Vasili, though he didn't know which one to ask. He always knew his professor was eccentric, but he didn't think Vasili was actually part of the old world! No wonder he seemed crazy. He was so bored of doing the same old thing every day and because he was basically immortal, he wanted to entertain himself by becoming batshit crazy!
"What are you?" He finally asked in a quiet tone.
Vasili grinned. "That's your question?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Hmm, let's see! I've been living for quite a while... how long did I spend my time in Egypt? It's been a millennia, so it hasn't been that long since I—oh, well! I don't remember! The concept of time doesn't pertain to me so I forgot nearly everything about myself! I don't know who I am! Hehe..."
Niven was a little afraid. "Millennia?"
"Goodness me! How embarrassing! I didn't think you'd come to know my age, so I'm a little flustered!" Vasili placed his hands on his cheeks and looked extremely shy for some reason. "I admit I'm a traditional man, but I can still be cool! How about we go to Egypt right now and I'll show you everything? Trust me, I'm like... what am I like? A God? Right, I'm something like that. Anyways, I should have a shrine still standing so you can just learn what it's like to be me! Wouldn't that be fun?"
"I-I'm okay, I'm fine staying here..."
"Oh, there's always next time!" Vasili sighed. "Are you ready to answer my question then? Don't worry, it's not hard. I just want to know what Simeon's third ability is!"
Niven furrowed his brows. "Simeon's power? I can't tell you-"
"Huh? That's no good! Not good at all! You're breaking our deal!"
"No, I really can't say! I-I don't know myself! Even Levi doesn't know!"
"Eh?"
Vasili was actually stunned.
Levi and Niven doesn't know? How could that be? Vasili's been trying to figure out what Simeon's third ability was ever since the male beat his own twin. It was a power Vasili hasn't seen before, but then again, the male didn't even really do anything. All Simeon did was take down Levi so fast that his own brother lasted ten seconds.
It's been so many years. Vasili has to know.
"Do you think if he lasted against you, you'd win?"
Niven shook his head. "I went against him several times when we were younger. I lost even with my Luck. I kept asking him what it was, but he could never tell me. I doubt Arien and the rest of the Wolves would win if they all teamed up together to take him down."
Vasili rocked on his heels, humming in thought.
How surprising.
"I guess I'll have to find out in another way. Welp, time for me to go, dearest! If you excuse me..." Vasili raised his cane and made it levitate in the air.
Niven was about to question what the man was doing until he heard his professor chant something out in an ancient dialect. His voice turned rough and a little aggressive, but he remained silent until he saw Vasili's cane bending unnaturally and expanding to form a silhouette.
He nervously stood behind the man and continued to see the silhouette keep growing until a hand stuck out and grabbed onto something else that was forming. And then he saw it, some sort of weapon being created and glinting against the sunlight.
A scythe.
Vasili laughed loudly, "There you are! It's been two centuries since I last called upon you, cutie!"
"What is that?"
The man hummed, "Come to think of it, I haven't shown you my familiar at all. Get a closer look then! This is... well, I don't think humans of this age can pronounce his name anymore. But you're welcome to call him 𓇓𓅱𓐍𓏏𓃫!
"What did you just say?"
"Forget it, forget it! Just call him Reaper or Cutie or whatever you'd like."
Niven was terrified by it. He's always seen depictions of what a grim reaper would look like, but he didn't think he'd actually get to see one in real life! It floated menacingly in the air, holding onto his scythe with very pale hand that its the bones underneath the skin. What sort of familiar is this?
Vasili's portal finally opened up wide enough for him and his familiar to step through. Vasili turned around and gave the boy a tender look.
"I like you a lot, you know? It's quite unfortunate you're still a minor though. Let's keep our little kiss a secret from your pops, alright? When you're older, we can try again!" He pressed a sudden kiss on the boy's forehead before stepping away. "Before I forget, you kids have a substitute in the academy! I won't be back for some time now that I retained my freedom. I'll still show up for Roselia's wedding though, but until then, I'll see you whenever I feel like it!"
"Vasili-"
"Toodles!" And then he fell through the portal.
His familiar took one look at Niven and bowed before following his master through. The portal closed behind them immediately, leaving Niven absolutely aghast by what just happened.
He stood outside for quite some time, still processing what Vasili said and was dumbfounded when the man actually said he liked Niven.
The blond thought if Noah was here, he'd possibly call the authorities to catch someone as perverted as Vasili.
"Baby? What are you doing?"
Mirren and Grim came outside when they got tired of waiting for Niven to return. The two of them saw how flushed the boy was and wanted to know what happened with Vasili, but Niven stammered some excuses. He figured this was a private matter between him and the man.
He'll worry about it later.
Mirren found his responses vague and odd, but he didn't point it out and wrapped an arm around the boy before dipping his head low and planting a soft kiss on Niven's lips.
"The others are at the gardens with your mother. We should go."
"You aunt is really impatient as well... she's been waiting for you," Grim stated softly.
"Okay."
As they walked, Mirren couldn't help but keep staring down at the boy next to him with a wide grin.
"I'm really happy that we're finally together, Niven. I was worried your father wouldn't accept us."
"It took a while if I'm being honest, but everything worked out in the end. I'm actually glad that you guys wanted to be with me. I'm still kinda nervous that you'll find me boring or-"
"We won't," Grim interrupted. He looked a little offended by what Niven said. "I can't speak on the others' behalf, but I know they're in love with you. You might not believe it, but that's okay. We have all the time in the world to prove it to you now that we're officially together."
"Grim's right, baby. I don't know why you keep saying that about yourself. We're really lucky you ended up with us... we're not the most sane people."
"Oh, I know," Niven dryly replied. "No need to remind me."
"Geez, you don't have to say it that way," Mirren muttered. "I promise we'll do better, alright?"
"If Mirren and the others don't respect your wishes then I will. The two of us can just leave the others behind and marry each other instead," Grim reassured him.
"Grimmwolf, have I ever told you how fucking annoying you are?"
"I don't really care what you think."
"Why don't you just piss off?"
Niven held in a small laugh as the two of them started to banter with each other. He noticed there wasn't any hostility between them like before and was pretty glad to know they were starting to get along.
He was really happy.
They still had a bit of a long way to go considering they were new in their relationship and need to deal their strange possessiveness over the boy, and there was still the problems of Vasili. Even Niven thought the matters of Bennett and Remiah were far from over.
But they were going to be alright. They were going to take things slowly and move forward. That was all Niven wanted.
They were going to be okay.
~*~
|End|