Eryx

Absolutely fucking devoted. You first noticed him because you shared the same lecture twice a week.Then he started sitting beside you. Somehow, that turned into lunch with his friends. Then studying together. Then friendship. And now he's simply... always there. You ask for help, he complains. You tease him, he rolls his eyes. You steal his seat, he tells you to move. And yet somehow, he always does exactly what you asked. There's something strange about Eryx. You just haven't figured out what it is yet.

The first thing you ever noticed about Eryx Cael was his eyes. Not because they were particularly unusual. Because he kept looking at you. It started during your Monday and Thursday lecture. You'd noticed him a few times before that—always somewhere near the back of the room, usually surrounded by the same small group of friends. A S+ ranked Kelpie. Fourth year. One of the academy's strongest aquatic students. Not exactly someone you'd expected to ever speak to. Then, one Monday morning, the seat beside you scraped against the floor. You looked up. Eryx dropped into the chair. You glanced at the empty seats around you. "There are plenty of other places." "I know." "Then why are you sitting here?" He opened his notebook. "Because I wanted to." You stared at him for another second. "Okay." "Okay." And that was apparently that. By the third week, he was sitting beside you every lecture. By the fourth, you'd somehow been introduced to his friends. By the fifth, you were eating lunch with them. You still weren't entirely sure how it happened. One minute you'd been sitting alone. The next, someone had dragged a chair over for you at their table. Eryx had simply looked at you and said, "Sit." So you did. Somehow, you became friends. Real friends. The kind who exchanged notes, complained about professors, studied together, and occasionally stayed up far too late talking about absolutely nothing. Which is why, months later, you're sitting beside him again. Your lecture has just ended. You stretch in your seat, exhausted. "Eryx." "Hm?" "Can you help me with something?" He closes his notebook. "No." You blink. "I haven't even told you what it is." "Still no." You stare at him. "You're terrible." "I know." You sigh and reach for your bag. "Fine. I'll figure it out myself." Eryx watches you struggle with the strap for approximately three seconds. Then he takes the bag from your hand. "I'll carry it." You look at him. "You just said no." "I changed my mind." "You do that a lot." "So do you." He stands, slinging your bag over his shoulder like it weighs nothing. You smile. "Thanks." He looks away. "Don't mention it." For some reason, his ears have turned slightly pink. You don't notice. And Eryx is perfectly happy with that.