Doctor Elliott wasn't kidding. The scarring on Cobalt's knuckles really did refuse to fade. Where the jagged ice had ripped and gouged his flesh, the Incubus was left with fresh, warped marks upon the backs of his hands, making them appear to be those of a professional prize fighter's, and not the hands of a rookie schoolteacher. The sight of them dismayed the Incubus, but upon remembering the other things that Elliott had told him, he took solace in the fact that if he didn't have these scars, Jelli likely wouldn't be alive.
Jelli...
He couldn't get her words out of his head, nor the taste of her lips out of his mouth.
It felt wrong. it had to be wrong, right? Izzbelle was being forced to say what she said that day - at least he hoped so - but who was making Jelli say those things?
What was she thinking?!
It must have been the shock from her outburst. It had to have been. Her emotional state was probably still in flux, and the fear and panic of the whole situation must have been misread by her brain as feelings of...
"Love..." the Incubus murmured aloud, sitting up in his futon.
Outside, he could hear the students of B.I.D. stirring, getting ready to face their day. The sun was shining much earlier these days; it was definitely spring, and that meant the Spring Festival would be soon. A time for families to get together for one huge, extravagant feast to celebrate family and the coming of better days.
"Best get ready, don't want to leave any more bad impressions on Viola," he murmured, climbing out of bed.
After making himself a quick breakfast, he began to go about his morning, feeling comforted by the routine. Things had been so hectic lately that he had almost forgotten how to start his day normally.
But to be fair, he had gone through a lot in his first year, and now that he was entering the final term, Cobalt couldn't help but feel a little bit proud of himself. Sure, class 2-F had only improved slightly - if at all - but at this stage it was baby steps, and he still had another year with them to go.
As for the Halloween incident, the Sulfur Bloods and what had just happened at the pool... Well, Cobalt just considered himself lucky to be alive.
"Things could be worse, Trayer. You could be-"
"- pinned beneath a pair of purple thighs, eye blindfolded and tongue awash with tasteful splendours?" chimed a sing-song voice from his window.
Damn near leaping out of his skin, the Incubus whipped around, almost tripping and falling directly into his wardrobe. As expected, Karazelle Terna was seated on his windowsill, reading from a paperback novel she held in one hand.
"K- Karazelle! I told you about breaking in like this a dozen times!" Cobalt cried, though at this stage he felt like protesting was an effort in futility.
The Succubus grinned that shining grin of hers and hopped down into her teacher's room.
"And didn't I tell you how much I enjoy the rush of breaking rules? Really sugar, I thought you knew me better!"
With an overdramatic sigh, she collapsed onto the couch and picked up a newspaper that sat on the coffee table; one of the ones that were delivered to everyone in the dorms every week.
"But I guess I don't know you as well as I thought either. Didn't have you pegged for hero material, sugar," continued Karazelle, sliding the paper over to him.
He opened his mouth to speak, but cut himself off upon seeing the image plastered right in the middle of a large centre page spread. The photograph looked as though it had been taken on a phone, and clearly depicted the destroyed swimming pool of the Brimstone Baths. More importantly, it plainly showed an image of Cobalt carrying a hypothermic Jelli out of a huge cocoon of ice, his eyes set firm and his hands bleeding heavily. Swallowing, he glanced up at the headline.
New Hero Emerges, Or A Spectre Of The Past?
"People are going wild over this. Apparently the mayor's trying to get this pulled," Karazelle explained, pointing to the newspaper.
"Why...?" breathed Cobalt, rereading the words over and over.
Spectre of the past... That could only mean one thing. But why was he being compared to the Hellhound; especially like this.
"Dunno. The article is pretty vague. Doesn't even mention why you were there. Which reminds me; what were you and Jelli doing at the pool, sugar? What happened to teacher-student fraternisation and all that?" the Succubus asked in a stern tone, planting her hands on her hips.
"I, um... I- I just wanted to help her..."
"Mmhmm, a likely story. Wait until Elya hears about this..."
"Wait, Karazelle, no-!"
But her serious face quickly broke out into a wide smile. Laughing, she staggered over to Cobalt and slapped him on the back.
"I'm kidding, sugar, I'm kidding! I know that Jelli was looking for Izzbelle to join her, but she had to cancel. Only made sense for her to ask you."
He raised an eyebrow.
"If you knew she needed someone to go with, why didn't you offer?"
The Succubus whistled nonchalantly as she returned to the couch.
"I could have. But I think she wanted you to herself," she replied with a wink.
"What's that supposed to-?!"
There was a loud clang as something suddenly bumped into the window. Both demons slowly turned their heads to see Whitney Brode cowering on the outside windowsill, rubbing her nose after running headfirst into one of the panes.
"Whitney...?!" Cobalt cried, pulling the window open.
"Butterskin?! Did you break into my room?!" Karazelle gasped, staring over at the open window on the other side.
"It's not fair that you get direct access..." the Nymph whined, clutching her reddening nose as she staggered into the room.
"So you broke into my room, defiled my personal support beam and damn near broke your teacher's window because you couldn't wait to see him in class?!"
"I was worried! About this!"
She pulled out a newspaper that she had tucked under her arm, opening it up to the centre spread.
"Oh, that..."
"Lemme see them!"
"See what?"
"Lemme see!"
Tossing the newspaper at Karazelle, Whitney grabbed Cobalt's wrists and forced his sleeves up, displaying his scarred knuckles for all to see. Whatever retort the Succubus had planned died in her throat as she gawked, raising an adventurous fingers to feel the warped flesh.
"Wow... Did you really punch through a wall for these...?" asked the Nymph, wide-eyed and awestruck.
"N- No, I..."
Karazelle's smile returned as soon as it faded.
"Hot damn, sugar. Going for the 'good boy with a bad side' look, are we? Gotta say; this is kinda working for me," she quipped, licking her lips theatrically.
"Don't be gross, Whoretits."
"How's that gross? At least I'm upfront about it, and not so ashamed I gotta lock myself in my own bathroom to indulge in my fantasies."
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Whitney gasped and staggered back.
"How'd you-?!"
She snapped her eyes onto Cobalt.
"N- No, I- I don't!"
She looked back at Karazelle.
"Y- You-!"
The Succubus rolled her eyes and slowly put an arm around Whitney's shoulder, shushing the girl condescendingly.
"Shh, it's alright. I just heard you through the pipes, is all."
"I think everyone did. Sounded like a cat getting strangled," spoke a sudden voice from the kitchenette, surprising everyone in Cobalt's room.
Over by the fridge, Quinn was casually prying the door off Cobalt's with a screwdriver while Lottie knelt by and watched her work, looking up only to smile and wave at her friends.
"Hiya Kara! Hiya Whiddy! Hiya Mr. Traya! I saw you in the news!" she cried excitedly.
"Um, hi Lottie. How exactly did you two get into my room, exactly?" Cobalt asked, glancing over at the window.
"We climbed!"
"You what?!"
With a triumphant grunt, the Imp pulled the oven door off and arduously handed it to Lottie, who just hugged it close. Climbing into the oven, she began to tinker with the heating element.
"Yeah, been teaching Lottie how to get around the support beams. You'd be surprised how well she can climb with these things," called Quinn, tapping the Golem's hooves with her screwdriver.
"Climbing's fun! My family loves climbing!" Lottie tittered.
"Your family lives on a mountain, I'd bet a fiver that they don't have a choice in the matter."
"Quinn, could you stop dismantling my oven, please?!" Cobalt called.
Karazelle patted his shoulder.
"She's probably just tuning it up for you. She did that for mine as well. Only cost me twenty brands," the Succubus explained, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder at the open window.
Whitney nodded.
"Yeah, same here. I find mine is actually-"
She cut herself off as he eyes went wide.
"How come she only charged you twenty?! She gouged me for eighty!"
"Ah, balls," Quinn remarked quietly from the kitchen.
Cobalt cleared his throat and clutched his head. So early into the morning, and things were already devolving into abject chaos. Taking a deep breath, the Incubus planted his hands on his hips and tried to bring himself across as an authority figure.
"Karazelle, Whitney, please stop shouting at each other. Quinn, please don't scam your friends, and please stop working on appliances without qualifications. And Lottie, please stop drinking all of my milk!"
The Golem pulled her head out of the fridge, already halfway through a carton of semi skimmed. Pulling it away from her lips, she spilled a little on the floor before belching loudly.
"Sorry. I was thirsty," she said, putting the milk back in the fridge without replacing the cap.
"I- It's alright, just ask next time, okay? Right, as I was about to say, it's well past time that you all got ready for class, so-"
"YOU!"
The window damn near exploded as a mass of rage and smoke suddenly smashed through it, scattering shattered glass all over Cobalt's room. Nobody could react as the Incubus was grabbed by the throat and held aloft by one very angry Izzbelle Suyas.
"EXPLAIN!" she roared, unfurling a scorched newspaper she held in her other hand.
"I- Izzbelle...! I- I- I can't, b- breathe... P- Please...!" Cobalt choked, kicking his legs fruitlessly.
"Bloody Hell, did you jump that?" commented Quinn, poking at the jagged remains of what was Cobalt's window.
"SHUT IT! I'M TALKIN' TO HIM!"
With a deep sigh, Karazelle placed her hands on Izzbelle's bicep and gently brushed some of the glass off.
"Easy there tiger, easy. It's not what it looks like. That's not a terribly flattering photo, anyway. No offense, sugar," she stated calmly, plucking the burnt newspaper from the Oni's hand.
"THEN WHERE THE FUCK IS JELLI! WHY THE FUCK IS SHE HURT?!" Izzbelle growled, jabbing a finger at the image of the Glutton.
"She had an outburst in the pool when you were out of town. This one here managed to save her. Pretty sure she'll be out of the hospital in a few days," responded the Succubus, patting Cobalt's shoulder.
At once, her grip loosened as her eyes widened. Smoke stopped billowing from Izzbelle's mouth as she awkwardly set her teacher back down on the floor.
"You... You did?" she asked in a much smaller voice.
"I- I suppose so... All I did was-"
"'Break through a wall of ice reported to be tougher than steel'. Says right here. Izzbelle, did you not read the article?" asked Whitney, brushing glass off the couch as she gazed at the newspaper on the coffee table.
"I, uh..."
Scratching the back of her head, the Oni turned back to Cobalt, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"Sorry about the window... And the, uh... yeah."
She took a breath.
"I- I just saw that picture of Jelli and I just fuckin' lost it, y'know? What happened? Is she okay? Fuck, I knew I should have gone with her!"
Rubbing his neck with one hand, Cobalt leaned forward and patted his student's bare shoulder.
"It's alright, Izzbelle. She just had an anxiety-triggered outburst. She'll be fine."
"That's good... what about you?"
He glanced down at his hands, prompting Izzbelle to do the same. Her eyes widened and she grabbed his wrists.
"Fuck..." she breathed, running a finger across them.
Cobalt nodded at one of the many scars lining the Oni's arms, likely mementos of past brawls.
"I guess I'm part of the club, huh?" he joked with a smile.
But she didn't return the gesture.
"Nah... I don't... don't like seein' you get scars like this..."
Catching herself in the moment, Izzbelle cleared her throat and stepped back.
"Y- Yeah, anyway... Thanks for savin' Jelli. That means a lot. To me and her, I guess. You know what I'm tryin' to say."
"Just hug him!" Karazelle piped from the floor, where she was gingerly picking up bits of broken glass.
The Oni growled, but rather than back away, she stepped closer and nervously opened her arms. Stiffly wrapping them around the Incubus, she patted his back awkwardly.
"Harder!" the Succubus called again, helping Quinn sweep some glass up.
Izzbelle gritted her teeth, but obliged. As she began to squeeze Cobalt into her chest, he glance up to see something on the side of her neck. A fresh cut, shaped like an X. Just what was that...?
"Now give him a kiss!"
"OKAY THAT IS TOO FUCKIN' FAR!"
Taking advantage of the Oni's distraction, Karazelle rushed up behind the Oni and embraced her. Setting her brush aside, Whitney grinned and joined the ever-expanding group hug. Lottie soon hugged Cobalt from behind, squeezing him like a pillow.
"Quinn, join our cuddle huddle!" called the Succubus.
Over in the kitchen, the Imp snorted and folded her arms.
"You're alright, love. I might get crushed."
"Join us or I'll make Butterskin scream so loud she'll burst your eardrums."
Whitney raised an eyebrow.
"Um, what the fuck do you mean by tha-AAAAAAAAAGH!" screeched Whitney right as Karazelle leaned across and licked the entire length of her ear.
Startled by the sudden bout of screaming from the Nymph, Quinn sighed, tossed her tools aside and latched onto the group, squeezing herself in between Izzbelle and Lottie.
It was a strange experience for Cobalt, and that wasn't just because he couldn't really breathe properly. Though he knew this wasn't appropriate, there was something comforting about being hugged like this, and the combined scent of his students was almost homely in a strange way. Burnt spices, engine oil, ozone, milk and sweet perfume. He was only missing the sugary smell of Jelli.
He frowned. Why was he remembering his students by scent?
"This is nice," sighed Karazelle.
"Yeah, but what are we gonna do about Cobalt's window?" asked Quinn.
There was a moment of silence.
"Shit."
"Fuck."
"Bollocks."
"Oh no!"
"Fuckin' bullshit!"
The group hug fell apart, allowing Cobalt to topple to the ground, completely dazed. A little dizzy from the lack of oxygen, he just sat down and helplessly watched as his students fussed over his obliterated window.
"Quinn, does this look like something you could, like, fix?" asked Whitney, prodding a protruding splinter.
The Imp frowned and tapped the remains of a glass pane, causing it to crack.
"Nah, not on my own. Cor, Izzy's front bumpers really did a number on this."
"My fuckin' what?!"
"Well you did come in through the window boob-first. Didn't consider maybe opening it first?" Karazelle reasoned.
"I was fuckin' mad, okay?!"
"Mad because you thought your boy-crush killed your girl-crush."
"YOU WANNA FUCKIN' SAY THAT AGAIN, BITCH?!"
Lottie suddenly gasped, causing her cowlick to wobble to and fro.
"I have an idea!" the Golem cried, eyes sparkling.
Everyone turned to face her, completely silent. As a rule, Lottie generally tended not to have ideas. This was a big moment.
With a smile, she regarded everyone in the room before pointing at the hole in the wall.
"We say a birdie did it!"
Letting out a deep breath, Quinn stepped over to the Golem and stood up on her tiptoes. She patted Lottie's head, before she opened her catlike eyes, which glinted in the light.
"A very big bird."
She grabbed Lottie's hand.
"Seeya at homeroom, blood brother!" she called, leaping out onto the support beams.
Taking that as their cue, the other three quickly bid farewell and darted back across the beam towards Karazelle's room, leaving Cobalt alone in his destroyed dormitory. The wind blustered through the shattered window, causing the many shards of glass to tinkle all over the floor.
Behind him, Cobalt heard his door open.
"Hey man, I heard a bunch of-"
Arnn Srenth stopped dead in his tracks as he stared boggle-eyed at the destruction in his teacher's room. He looked from the ruined window, over to the half-dismantled oven, over the the milk-leaking fridge, then down to Cobalt.
"What the Hell happened in here?!" the Imp cried.
Cobalt took a deep breath.
"... A bird."
He looked up at Arnn, already exhausted despite the early hour.
"A very big bird."