Academy Courtyard / Afternoon
Ruby finally stopped running once they rounded the side of the main building, hidden from view.
She bent over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath, and then, all at once, she burst out laughing.
Actual, genuine, uncontrollable laughter.
"Holy crap," she gasped between fits of giggles.
"He's so embarrassing... I almost felt bad"
Kain leaned casually against the wall, arms folded, watching her with a slow, amused smirk.
Her laughter was adorable.
Way too bright for the mess they'd just fled.
Still chuckling, Ruby stepped closer and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Thanks for surviving that with me," she teased.
Kain arched an eyebrow, savoring the tiny kiss, but said nothing.
Too cool to make a big deal out of it.
"I gotta meet with a professor," Ruby said, tugging her bag up her shoulder.
"Something about... project proposals. Don't get into trouble without me, okay?"
Kain gave a lazy two-fingered salute.
"Don't wait up," he said with a small grin.
Ruby winked and headed off, disappearing into the maze of academy halls.
"Yes… I won't make any trouble"
For he had a different mission entirely.
Magical Study Rooms / Academy East Wing
The heavy oak doors creaked slightly as Kain slipped into the study wing.
It was a quiet, sterile place, thick tomes floating midair, enchanted chalk writing out formulas on endless blackboards.
Students bustled around, busy pretending to be productive.
But Kain wasn't here to waste time memorizing magic circles.
No.
He had a target.
Lyla Vi Frost.
Top of the class in Cryomancy.
Ice magic prodigy.
The Ice Queen of Room 205.
Cold, distant, fiercely proper.
The kind of girl who wore her school uniform perfectly, not a thread out of place, posture straight like she had a sword rammed up her spine.
Her behavior around Finn was even more telling: she was careful, respectful, never too close, but Kain had seen the tiny, tiny cracks.
A fleeting glance.
A half-second hesitation.
A microexpression of longing, she thought no one noticed.
Finn, of course, was too much of a fucking moron to see it.
Completely blind to the way Lyla's carefully controlled demeanor wobbled when he so much as smiled at her.
But Kain saw it.
He always saw it.
And right now, Lyla's Affection and Lust toward Finn were at 1%.
A fucking glacial crawl compared to the others.
She was loyal.
Proud.
Exactly the kind of challenge that made Kain's blood sing.
He drifted toward the back of the study hall, hands in his pockets, scanning the crowd with sharp, lazy eyes.
And there she was:
Lyla.
Seated perfectly upright at a table near the frosted windows, quill scratching across parchment, a single elegant finger tapping her chin in thought.
Untouchable.
Unapproachable.
Until now.
Kain's smirk widened slightly as he changed course, his steps slow, deliberate, predatory.
Her short white hair and blue eyes truly make her look like a snow queen.
A beauty, you'd see, in those types of fantasy movies, with a prince and stuff.
He slid into the seat across from her without asking for permission, the chair creaking softly under his weight.
Lyla didn't flinch.
She didn't even look up at first.
She finished the last flourish of her sentence, dipped her quill neatly into its inkwell, then, only then, did her glacier-blue eyes lift to meet his.
Cold.
Calm.
Measuring.
"Kain," she said, her voice as smooth and crisp as new-fallen snow.
"To what do I owe the… pleasure?"
Not a hint of emotion.
Not a crack in that perfect porcelain mask.
But Kain knew better.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table lazily, chin in one hand like he had all the time in the world.
"You're wasting your afternoon," he said casually, nodding toward the floating books and endless equations scrawling themselves into the air.
"You and I both know you already mastered this junk last year"
A flicker of acknowledgment in her gaze.
A slight tilt of her head.
Still... silent.
Kain's grin sharpened.
Most guys would fold under her stare, they would start sweating, mumbling, and apologizing for even breathing near her.
Kain?
He simply stretched his legs out under the table, close enough that the tips of his boots almost brushed hers.
"I'm not here for magic study either," he said, voice dropping lower, a little rougher.
"I'm hunting"
Lyla's fingers stilled, hovering above the parchment.
Her brows lifted a fraction.
"How... ominous," she said coolly.
"Should I alert the faculty?"
He chuckled, low and slow, sending a ripple through the quiet around them.
"No need. My target isn't stupid enough to make a scene"
He let the words hang there, loaded.
Heavy.
For a split second, a crack, Lyla's throat bobbed in a swallow she probably didn't even realize she made.
Kain's smirk deepened.
Good.
He was already under her skin.
He straightened, pushing back his chair just slightly, casual but deliberate.
"See you around, Ice Queen," he murmured, voice like velvet and danger.
And then he was gone, slipping into the maze of tables and students, leaving Lyla staring after him, her quill forgotten, her heart thudding just a little faster than before.
Unapproachable?
Untouchable?
Maybe.
But every queen had her moments of loneliness.
And Kain?
He knew exactly how to exploit them.
Or so he thought.
Magical Study Rooms / Moments Later
He swaggered out of the study hall like he'd just conquered a kingdom.
Hands in his pockets.
Grin lazily.
Confidence was leaking off him like smoke.
'Easy pickings,' he thought smugly.
'Cold types like her always melt faster once you crack the shell'
The system notification chimed in his head:
[ Affection Update: Lyla Vi Frost. 1% → -50% ]
Kain froze mid-stride.
Blinking.
Slowly turning his head like he must've misread that.
[-50%]
There it was again.
Bold.
Mocking.
A brutal slap to the face.
He stood there in the middle of the hallway like an idiot, one eye twitching slightly.
"What the fuck—"
He replayed the conversation in his mind:
Cool entrance? Check.
Cocky grin? Check.
Mild intimidation? Check.
Low-key sexual threat energy? ...Check.
"Okay maybe that last part could use some fucking work," Kain admitted grudgingly.
Some nearby students edged around him, giving weird looks to the white-haired guy vibrating with suppressed rage.
Internally, Kain was having an absolute mental breakdown.
'How the hell does a number even go negative?! That's not affection, that's straight-up murder territory!'
He rubbed his temples, trying to do damage control in his own brain.
'Maybe she's into Finn because he's a harmless fucking puppy,' he thought bitterly.
'Meanwhile, I'm over here giving 'I'm gonna kidnap you in a white van' energy'
The worst part?
He couldn't even blame her.
Not really.
His whole "predatory wolf" act probably came off as a less charming rogue and more actual serial killer.
He leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling, soul leaving his body.
"Fucking figures"
"Here I am trying to dethrone Finn in the arena of love, and I end up speedrunning 'restraining order' route instead"
Somewhere down the hall, he heard Lyla's voice, cold, sharp, barking out an order to a junior student:
"If you see that Kain person again, kindly tell him to throw himself off the east tower. Politely, of course"
Kain just closed his eyes.
Savoring the burn.
'Goddamn, I'm good,' he thought darkly.
"So good, I fucked myself over in under two minutes"
And because he was a true degenerate, a tiny, evil part of him still smirked and muttered under his breath:
"...Bet she'd still look hot stomping on my corpse, though"
East Tower / Late Afternoon
Kain stood near the ledge, arms folded, utterly still as he stared over the courtyard below.
The juniors he'd "borrowed" were gathered behind him, three first-years, all looking equal parts confused and terrified.
"Alright," Kain said flatly, "you heard the lady. I need you to throw me off"
They looked at each other.
Looked at him.
Looked back at each other.
"...Seriously?" one of them asked, voice cracking.
"You gonna disobey a senior?" Kain said, smirking.
That was all it took.
One kid grabbed his left arm.
Another grabbed his right.
The third tried to shove him from behind with both hands.
Kain just stood there.
Not budging an inch.
Like a damn stone pillar.
The juniors strained, faces going red, veins popping.
"Throw harder," Kain said lazily, rolling his eyes.
"I'm literally dying over here—!" the third kid wailed.
Finally, just for fun, Kain let them almost tip him off balance before flexing his shoulders, sending all three of them sprawling backward like bowling pins.
He dusted off his sleeves, unimpressed.
"Pathetic"
The juniors whimpered and scrambled away like scared rabbits.
Five Minutes Later
He leaned against the stairwell wall, thinking hard.
"Alright. Plan A. Alpha Wolf Intimidation? Backfired into a fucking crime"
"Plan B. Dead Inside Comedy? Might work... but not enough to pull her from the Finn cult"
"Plan C..."
He paused.
An idea forming.
A horrible, beautiful idea.
His lips curled into a slow, evil grin.
"If she loves Finn for being pure and innocent... Then all I have to do is..."
"Is act even more innocent!"
His brain, high on its own stupidity, was already firing off possibilities:
Trip and "accidentally" spill books everywhere.
Blush like a virgin schoolboy when she looks at him.
Help a cat down from a tree while humming a sad song.
Maybe even... a tiny stutter.
He clenched his fist dramatically.
"Operation Virgin: Begin"
Outside Study Room / A Few Minutes Later
Lyla sat reading by herself again, pale hair falling like snow around her perfect posture.
Kain crept closer, mentally psyching himself up.
"Alright, step one: Appear weak and helpless"
He intentionally stumbled over absolutely nothing, letting his books fly out of his arms and scatter everywhere.
Papers everywhere.
Total disaster.
Heads turned.
Lyla looked up sharply.
Kain forced his expression into pure, weaponized embarrassment.
He even threw in a soft, wounded whimper for good measure.
"A-ah, s-sorry...! I-I'm so clumsy..." he stammered.
He could feel the eyes of other students burning into his back.
Humiliation?
Who cares.
This was war.
Lyla's cold blue eyes narrowed slightly.
She slowly rose from her chair, walking toward him like a glacier sliding into a village.
Kain's heart beat faster.
'It's working'
'Holy shit, it's actually working—'
And then.
Without a word.
Without blinking.
She bent down, grabbed one of his papers...
...and shoved it so hard into his chest it knocked him flat on his ass.
"Control yourself," she said, her voice cold enough to freeze hell itself.
"You are a disgrace to basic human motor function"
Kain just sat there on the floor, stunned, papers falling like sad confetti around him.
Another system ping echoed in his mind:
[ Affection Update: -50% → -80%]
He laid back on the ground and stared up at the cracked ceiling.
"...Maybe the tower idea wasn't so bad after all," he muttered.
Still lying on the cold, unforgiving stone floor, Kain tilted his head lazily to the side.
Lyla had already turned her back on him, stalking away like the dignified snow queen she was.
Students were whispering all around him.
Some laughed.
Some pitied him.
A few started betting on how long he'd survive pulling another stunt like that.
Kain tuned it all out.
His mind was racing.
His heart was pounding.
Not with shame.
Not with defeat.
No, something better.
Because as Lyla retook her seat...
He saw it.
His silver lining.
Finn, the lovable idiot himself, was waving at her from across the hall, beaming like a dumb puppy.
A huge, hopeful grin.
No shame.
No clue.
No survival instincts.
And Lyla, proud, perfect Lyla, glanced up at him...
...and immediately stiffened like she'd been slapped with a frozen fish.
Her hand tightened around her quill just a little too hard.
Her eyes sharpened dangerously.
That rigid, barely controlled fury.
That microexpression of jealousy.
That trembling hesitation.
And then—
She looked at Kain.
Right at him.
And for a fraction of a second, so fast anyone else would've missed it, her eyes gleamed.
A flicker.
A crack in the armor.
Something hungry.
Something very, very wrong.
Kain's lazy grin curled into something sharper, darker.
'Ohhh…' he thought, slowly sitting up, ignoring the bruises.
'You're just like the rest, huh?'
'You're just better at pretending'
The idea hit him like a drug.
If he couldn't win by playing the hero…
If he couldn't win by acting pure…
If Lyla were a secret pervert pretending to be a saint.
Then the answer was obvious.
Cuck Finn.
Cuck Finn so hard, that she wouldn't even look at him without thinking about Kain.
The thrill of the thought made Kain's blood run hot.
A slow, shameless excitement curled in his gut.
It was wrong.
It was vile.
It was beautiful.
Lyla, still staring at him, narrowed her eyes slightly, and Kain swore he saw the faintest pink dust on her pale cheeks before she violently snapped her book shut.
He laughed under his breath.
Low and wicked.
The fight wasn't over.
It was just beginning.
And this time?
He was playing dirty.
He dusted himself off with lazy, exaggerated slaps to his pants, ignoring the lingering whispers around the study hall.
His bruises would fade.
His dignity?
That shit was sold a long time ago.
He spotted Finn still across the room, now hopelessly trying to flirt with a group of Juniors, who were clearly just using him to stall their homework.
Pathetic.
Beautifully pathetic.
Kain slouched over, hands in his pockets, looking like he didn't have a single coherent thought in his head.
"Yo," he drawled when he reached him.
Finn turned, flashing his usual golden retriever smile.
"Sup, bro? You good?"
Kain just smirked wider.
"Thinking about dinner," he said casually, hooking a thumb over his shoulder.
"You, me, Lyla"
Finn blinked.
"Wait... dinner? With her?"
He practically lit up like a damn Christmas tree.
"You think she'd wanna?"
"Yeah, man. C'mon. She's all studious and stressed out"
Kain shrugged.
"Offer her a free meal. Girls love that shit"
Finn bought it instantly.
God, he really was that easy.
"Bet!" Finn said, practically jogging over to her table.
Kain followed a few steps behind, savoring the awkwardness.
Lyla glanced up, icy and guarded, as Finn stumbled through his invitation.
To Kain's shock and amusement, she actually agreed.
Reluctantly.
With a tiny nod.
Academy Dining Hall / Later That Evening
The three of them sat tucked away at one of the back tables, near the tall windows where no one really bothered them.
It should've been casual.
It should've been normal.
But the tension was thick enough to chew.
Finn was glowing.
Absolutely beaming with pride.
"And, like, when Ruby gave me a box of chocolates? Bro, I thought I was gonna pass out," Finn said, grinning wide enough to split his face.
Kain lounged lazily across from him, stirring his drink with a straw, looking bored.
"Oh? That's cool"
Finn just laughed, kicking his feet under the table.
'I mean I mixed my saliva with your girl when she was making the damn thing,' Kain thought with a slight chuckle.
Across from them, Lyla sat perfect and poised, her posture textbook straight, barely touching her food.
Kain noticed every micro-flinch she made whenever Finn said "Ruby"
It was beautiful.
And cruel.
And so, so much fun.
Kain waited until Finn launched into another brainless story about "how amazing Ruby's smile was" before casually cutting in:
"Man," Kain drawled, stretching with a loud pop of his shoulders, "Ruby's so affectionate these days"
Finn nodded, proud.
"Yeah! She's the best"
Kain grinned lazily at Lyla, watching her carefully over the rim of his glass.
"I mean, earlier? She was hanging all over me," he said with a shrug.
"So grateful after I helped her out"
Finn, too dumb to process the nuance, just laughed along.
"Yeah, she's super clingy sometimes"
Kain chuckled darkly.
"Can't blame her. I'd cling to me, too."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Finn?
Oblivious.
Lyla?
Lyla finally stopped pretending to eat.
Fork still raised halfway to her mouth.
Eyes sharpened, frosted over, locked squarely on Kain.
He smiled at her, a slow, knowing, vicious little smile.
Finn, meanwhile, kept talking about Ruby like a proud idiot, completely missing the way the table dynamic had shifted.
Kain leaned back, arms folded, stretching his legs out so casually under the table that he accidentally bumped Lyla's foot.
She didn't pull away.
She pressed back, a small, sharp movement, like a tiny challenge.
Kain's smirk deepened.
Well.
Well.
Maybe the Ice Queen wasn't as frigid as she pretended to be.
Not when it came to stealing.
Not when it came to breaking rules.
Not when it came to a sick little fantasy forming in the back of her mind.
One Kain was more than willing to exploit.
He tapped his finger lightly against the rim of his glass, still half-watching Finn ramble about Ruby's "gorgeous eyes" and "perfect laugh," letting the background noise blur into static.
Under the table, Lyla's shoe nudged his ankle again.
More deliberate this time.
Testing him.
Inviting him.
Kain barely twitched.
Just shifted a little in his seat, tilting one leg to brush the inside of her calf, slow and lazy, like he had all the time in the goddamn world.
She froze for half a second.
Then pushed back harder.
A scrape of polished shoe leather against his shin.
Still staring Finn dead in the face, Kain allowed himself the tiniest flicker of a grin.
He wasn't imagining it.
The Ice Queen was cracking.
And she was doing it for him.
Finn, still oblivious, was trying to show them a blurry photo on his cracked phone screen of Ruby holding a heart-shaped cookie.
"Look! She baked these for me!" he said, practically vibrating with excitement.
Kain tilted his head lazily, pretending to admire it.
"Yeah..." he drawled, voice low, almost purring.
"I recognize her... hands"
Lyla's foot jerked under the table, but not away.
She pressed against his ankle again, this time grinding her shoe lightly against his pant leg.
It was subtle.
It was reckless.
It was dirty.
Especially with Finn sitting three feet away.
Kain leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head with a wide yawn.
Casually, so casually, he let his foot slide up Lyla's leg, inching under the hem of her skirt just slightly.
Nothing major.
Barely even skin.
Just enough to feel the heat radiating off her thigh.
Lyla's fork clinked loudly against her plate as she dropped it, fingers suddenly clumsy.
Finn didn't notice.
Of course, he didn't.
He was too busy telling some dumbass story about how Ruby kissed him on the cheek after a training match.
Despite giving Kain a blow job five minutes before.
Kain smirked wider, staring at Lyla like he could see through her.
See the rising color in her cheeks.
See the way she was breathing just a little too fast.
Seeing the way her eyes burned furious and hungry, and humiliated all at once.
She liked it.
Liked being made to squirm.
Liked being caught doing something filthy and wrong.
And Kain?
He fucking thrived on it.
He dragged the tip of his shoe higher, brushing the bare curve of her inner knee.
Lyla snapped her legs together under the table like a goddamn bear trap, catching his foot between her thighs.
Tight.
Dangerously tight.
She still didn't say a word.
Just stared at him, daring him to react.
Kain let out a low chuckle, barely audible over Finn's rambling.
It was official.
It was about war.
He chuckled under his breath, dragging his foot free from Lyla's iron grip beneath the table.
He stretched lazily again, as if he didn't have a goddamn care in the world.
"Man, that hit the spot," he said, standing up with a slow roll of his shoulders.
"I'm gonna head back. Got some stuff I need to finish up"
Finn blinked at him mid-sentence, still halfway into a story about Ruby making him a friendship bracelet.
"Aw, already? Bro, we should hit the training yard after!"
Kain just flashed a lazy, wolfish grin.
"Rain check," he said, tossing a casual wink toward Lyla, who sat stiff and furious at the table, her fork stabbing mindlessly at cold pasta.
He left without another word, hands shoved deep in his pockets, humming lightly under his breath.
The walk back to his dorm was quick.
Too quick.
He could still feel the pressure of Lyla's thighs clamped around his ankle.
Still taste the tension crackling in the air.
God, he loved this stupid school.
When he reached his room, he shoved the door open without thinking.
And nearly stumbled backward.
Ruby was waiting for him.
Perched on his bed.
Skirt hitched scandalously high up her thighs.
Golden hair tumbling wild over her shoulders.
Lips already parted.
And the second, the door clicked shut behind him.
She pounced.
Their mouths crashed together with a savage, clumsy heat.
Kain caught her easily by the waist, spinning and pressing her back against the door without breaking the kiss.
Ruby moaned low in her throat, threading her fingers desperately through his hair, tugging him closer.
Teeth clashed.
Tongues tangled.
It wasn't pretty.
It wasn't gentle.
It was starving.
Like they'd both been waiting too goddamn long to breathe.
Ruby whimpered when Kain's hands roamed lower, greedy and rough.
She bit his bottom lip hard enough to sting.
Kain laughed into her mouth, a low, wicked sound that made her shudder against him.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he pulled away.
Barely.
Just enough to breathe.
Ruby's lips were swollen and glistening.
Her eyes, usually so sweet and bright, were darkened, almost glassy.
"Welcome back," she whispered, voice wrecked and teasing.
Kain snorted, forehead resting lightly against hers.
"You broke in"
She just smiled, unrepentant.
He peeled himself off the door with a groan, dragging his hand through his hair.
Still buzzing.
Still starving.
But he had shit to do first.
"Five minutes," he muttered, mostly to himself.
He flopped onto his desk chair, ignoring the way Ruby was still watching him hungrily from the bed, and pulled up his Status Menu with a flick of his wrist.
The familiar holographic panel bloomed to life in front of him.
[ Stat Points Available: 10 ]
Without hesitation, he dumped a few into Strength and a couple more into Perception.
[ Strength: +2 ]
[ Perception: +3 ]
The boost buzzed under his skin, hot and electric.
He felt good.
He felt dangerous.
Then, grinning lazily, he opened the Affection Meter.
He snickered under his breath as the number loaded.
[ Affection: -83% → -37% ]
"Oho," Kain murmured, tapping his finger against the screen.
Not exactly love.
But it wasn't pure hate anymore either.
More like...
Pure, seething, horny rage.
The best kind.
Ruby, still sprawled on his bed, tilted her head.
"Something good?" she asked, voice low and curious.
Kain flashed her a slow, dangerous smile.
"Yeah," he said.
"Real good"
He was officially in the game now.
"Hey, Ruby"
"Yeah?"
"Give me blowjob"
"Okay!"
Morning / Kain's Room
Morning sunlight leaked through the cracks in the curtains, slashing across the messy room in crooked stripes.
Kain lay sprawled in bed, arms behind his head, blanket half-tossed over his bare hips.
Ruby was tucked under the sheets, lazily tracing patterns on his stomach with one perfectly manicured nail, still glowing from their nightly activities.
There was a sudden bang, the door slammed open so hard it bounced off the wall.
"YO, BRO!" Finn shouted, striding in like he owned the place.
"You will not believe what happened last night!"
Ruby squeaked, diving under the covers like a feral cat.
Kain just grunted, dragging the blanket higher to hide her wiggling form as he shot Finn a death glare.
"Jesus Christ, knock next time," Kain muttered, rubbing his face.
Finn didn't even notice.
He was too busy pacing the room like he was on a caffeine bender, waving his arms around.
"Dude, dude, Lyla was acting weird after you left!" he said, like it was the fucking gossip of the century.
Kain raised an eyebrow lazily, pretending he wasn't covering for the half-naked girl desperately trying to escape under his blanket.
"Oh?"
Kain said, voice dry as hell.
"Define weird"
Ruby, meanwhile, slid out the other side of the bed like a ninja, grabbing her clothes in a silent scramble.
She shot Kain a sheepish wink as she crept toward the window.
Kain rolled his eyes fondly and shifted slightly to block Finn's view as she pushed the window open and disappeared like smoke into the morning air.
Finn plopped down in Kain's desk chair, spinning once like a fucking five-year-old before leaning in conspiratorially.
"Bro, she kept stabbing her food with her fork like she wanted to murder it," Finn said, wide-eyed.
"And then she snapped at this poor waitress for nothing. Like, legit rage mode. I think maybe she was, like, hangry or something?"
Kain snorted quietly, hiding his smirk behind his hand.
"Hangry," he repeated.
Finn nodded, dead serious. "Yup. Definitely hangry"
Kain dragged a hand through his hair, chuckling under his breath.
He could still feel the heat of Lyla's glare from across the table last night.
Could still feel her legs clamping around him like she was ready to kill him or fuck him.
Maybe both.
Hangry, huh?
Yeah, sure, Finn.
Let's go with that.
"You're an idiot," Kain said fondly.
Finn grinned like he'd just been complimented.
"Thanks, bro!"
Kain swung his legs out of bed, standing and stretching with a wide yawn.
His body ached in all the best ways.
It was gonna be a good goddamn day.
"So," he said lazily, slapping Finn on the back hard enough to make him stumble, "what's on the agenda today?"
Finn beamed.
"Breakfast first! Ruby said she's meeting us there!"
Kain just grinned, dark and slow, tugging a hoodie over his head.
Perfect.
He was starving.
And maybe the menu had a cold dessert to offer.