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Jamil had been told many a time that he had quite the intense stare. By his sister, by his parents, by his peers. It had never been a compliment. People tended to squirm, look away, laugh nervously, or, if he was looking into their eyes to use Snake Charmer on them, immediately bend to his will.
The one in front of him didn't waver. Stared, instead, right back, no hesitation in those clear, clear, green dots for eyes. Eyes that resembled a certain someone with uncanny accuracy, down to the little scar. Well, it wasn't just the eyes, to be fair. All the way from the ears to the tail, there was an absolute and complete resemblance to Leona Kingscholar.
At first, when it had just fucking dropped out of the sky, Jamil had wondered if it was some sort of weird prank. A round little thing, almost comically disproportionate, tiny little stubs for arms and legs, and a massive head, just as prone to shutting its eyes and dozing off as the real thing. Like a plushie almost, although who'd be fanatical enough about Leona to make a plushie of him was up for debate. Cheka, maybe.
There was, of course, also the fact that the thing was alive. Jamil had been about to start practicing on the court, having set down the weird tiny Leona, when he had realised that someone had apparently stolen all the balls. He had looked, then, at Leona's likeness on the bench, at its unblinking eyes and button nose, round little body and tiny little limbs. Chuckability: five out of five stars, Jamil had decided, advancing towards it.
Jamil had been right.
It was indeed quite chuckable. Unfortunately, it also made sad little oomph noises and grumbled when it thumped against the ground and the rim of the basket, bouncy as it was. Jamil couldn't quite bring himself to keep slamming it against the ground with it making such pathetic noises, even though Jamil suspected the noises were less out of pain and more out of annoyance at its peaceful rest being disturbed.
"What the fuck are you," Jamil wondered out loud, holding Chuckable Leona up to his face, barely resisting the Floyd-like urge to squeeeeeeeze. Chuckable Leona didn't deign to respond, somehow managing to settle deeper in Jamil's palms, eyes already drooping. "You're not Leona, are you? This isn't some weird curse put on you, right?" Chuckable Leona continued to refuse to give him any response whatsoever.
What was it they said about breaking curses? A kiss? Jamil considered Chuckable Leona. It was sleeping. Jamil was many things, but he wasn't a fucking creep that went around kissing sleeping living plushie-like lookalikes of his... friends, if you could call what he had with Leona friendship. Even if Tartarus had meant they were far less readily hostile towards each other, Jamil was hesitant to put any sort of label on their tentative companionship.
"I should probably go make sure Leona's still regular-sized before I do anything drastic," he told Chuckable Leona decisively.
Jamil was only slightly annoyed to be missing out on some extra practice; he wasn't exactly in dire need of it, and there weren't any upcoming matches he needed to worry about, even if he could almost hear Coach Vargas nagging in his head. There would be time for practice later. Ensuring Leona hadn't been demoted from humanoid form was probably a more urgent case to take care of. Jamil stared at Chuckable Leona, wondering how carrying a tiny round Leona around campus would go; knowing NRC, it could either be completely ignored, just another day in the life, or it could go completely sideways. Jamil shuddered to think what Azul might do with a marketable Leona plushie. Immediate exploitation, barely a day after dropping out of the sky. Jamil grabbed his bag and stuffed Chuckable Leona in it, making sure not to close it completely. It probably needed air, right?
It was warm day, the Sun almost too bright, clouds white fluffy wisps floating in the cerulean- unnaturally clear blue- sky. Jamil squinted upwards. There was definitely something odd going on, Jamil decided.
The Botanical Garden had been the first place he had decided to check, if only because it was closest. As much as Leona loved his naps in that place, it would likely be a sauna today, considering how warm it was outside. Jamil couldn't imagine Leona would like sweltering to death, but it never hurt to check.
As expected, there was no Leona. Instead, he came across Trey, who was taking turns looking very intensely at a book balanced on his knee and some kind of strange plant in front of him, a plant Jamil did not recall ever seeing before in the Botanical Garden. He decided to observe from afar, the rare furrow between Trey's eyebrows and his near-franticness, the clench of his jaw as he picked at the pages of the book.
"Hello, Trey," Jamil said finally, softly, careful not to seem suspicious, but Trey's eyes flicked up, wide, almost panicked, before they iced over nearly instantly. Trey adjusted his glasses and smiled. Jamil could appreciate that, someone with a grip over their emotions as tight as Jamil's own. "I couldn't help but notice your... plant. What is it?"
"Oh, nothing much," Trey said easily, and Jamil might have almost not known it was a lie if he hadn't seen him earlier, or recognised the dimness in Trey's eyes as the same that clouded his own. "Just... well, a possible remedy for an unexpected issue."
Jamil stared at Trey. Trey stared back.
Jamil smiled finally. "Good luck, then." Trey nodded his thanks, and Jamil smiled wider. "By the way, have you seen Leona, by any chance?"
"Leona?" Trey frowned, something almost searching in the way he looked at Jamil now. "Kingscholar?" As though there were another Leona on campus. When Jamil nodded, Trey raised his eyebrows briefly with a thoughtful hum. "I don't think I have, no, sorry. Is there anything I can help with?"
"That's alright," Jamil said, straightening up, keenly aware of the weight on his back. "I've just got to return something to him."
He left the Botanical Garden then, nothing left to find there. An unexpected issue, huh.
His next stop was the Library. He had nearly decided to go to Savanaclaw, but realised that Leona might be likely to go to the Library on a day like this, to get some peace and quiet, with how noisy people milling about outside and inside surely would be.
He was hit with a gust of cold air from the air conditioning, goosebumps rising from the sudden change in temperature. He sighed. Leona wouldn't be here. It was far too cold.
Even so, he went in, checking Leona's usual spot, some feeble hope that he would find him lounging there as if he owned the place. This feeble hope was shattered when, in Leona's place, he found Vil Schoenheit, poring over some thick tome.
"Vil," Jamil said, somewhat surprised to find him without Rook hanging about. "You're here. And... alone."
"I could say the same of you," Vil raised an eyebrow in that condescending way of his. "No master to tag along behind today?"
Jamil smiled with his teeth gritted, suddenly reminded of the intense dislike for Vil that warred with his respect for him. "I'm afraid not." Jamil not-so-surreptitiously leaned over to look at the contents of the book Vil was reading, suspicion immediately spiking when Vil's first reaction was to try to close it, hide it from Jamil. He put on his most mind-numbingly vapid smile. "Something private, Vil?"
"No. Of course not," Vil said immediately, snappish, defensive. Jamil's smile grew.
"Of course not," he agreed easily. "I'm sure anything with one of your calibre could be blown out of proportion and turned into a scandal. It's no surprise you would be the private type."
"Really, Jamil, you make it sound so..." Vil shook his head, something like a smile twisting his lips. "Fine, then. It's really nothing quite so exciting as you might imagine. Rook has simply brought some strange creatures back from an... expedition of his. I'm merely trying to gain a clue as to how to care for them."
"How surprisingly sweet of you. I wasn't under the impression that you allowed creatures into Pomefiore."
"Neither was I," Vil said somewhat tiredly, and did not explain further.
"Have you had any luck?" Jamil asked, feeling that he had an inkling as to what sort of creature Vil might be referring to. Vil looked up, eyes narrowed.
"I'm afraid not. Have you a knack for strange creatures?"
"Only a passing interest."
Vil nodded. "Shall I keep you informed of my findings, then?"
"Please do. And, if you don't mind, one more thing."
Vil looked at him expectantly, lips pursed and eyebrow raised, his light tapping indicating his impatience to get back to his work.
"Have you seen Leona?"
This startled a laugh out of Vil, something almost maliciously joyful. "This isn't, by any chance, the creature you're seeking?"
Jamil thought of Chuckable Leona, probably sound asleep in his bag. "Well. Not quite, no."
"Hm," Vil grinned at him, almost at odds with his usual poised presentation of himself. "I've not seen him, but I assure you, he's likely just fine. You'll find him lurking somewhere, I'm sure."
"Hm," Jamil said. "I'll take your word for it."
There was only one more place Jamil could think of where Leona might be; his dorm. Vil's reassurance had only slightly alleviated Jamil's concerns, and Jamil was still half-convinced Leona had been compressed into Chuckable Leona.
Jamil did his best to ignore the stares he garnered, hiking his bag further up his shoulder, navigating his way through the throng of students gathered in front of fans, or attempting and failing to use crappy cooling spells. The attention moved off him abruptly when a loud cheering ensemble of students arrived, triumphantly holding up a carton of vials, presumably cooling potions from Sam.
"Jamil? What are you doing here?"
"Looking for Leona. Is he around?"
Jack frowned, white fluffy ears drooping somewhat with uncertainty. "Um. I'm not really sure if-"
"Oh, Jamil! Thank fuck you're here!"
Jamil turned, frowning at Ruggie at his enthusiastic greeting. "Did something happen?"
"It's a fucking infestation, man."
Jamil stared, not following.
Ruggie sighed. "Just follow me."
Jack made what seemed to be distressed wolf noises. "Are we sure that-"
"Chillax, dude," Ruggie waved him off, crossing two fingers together. "Leona and Jamil are tight. Like this." He shoved the crossed fingers in Jack's general direction, who just about dodged getting whacked in the chest. "Besides, we've already alerted the old crow. This ain't exactly gonna be quiet much longer."
"Headmage Crowley?" Jamil said. "That serious?"
Ruggie and Jack shared a look.
"I mean," Ruggie shrugged, "it depends on your definition of serious, really. Oh, wouldja look at that. We're here." The last part was said in the same deadpan tone as the first, something reluctant in the way he eyed the handle of the door.
"Do you want me to-" Ruggie immediately stepped back, beckoning Jamil forwards, clearly relieved- "oh, okay." Jamil's hand hovered over the handle for a moment, before he finally pushed down, and cracked the door open.
Almost immediately, an overgrown hamster flew straight at Jamil's face.
Jamil was, not for the first time, glad for his quick reflexes, catching ahold of the hamster right before it made disastrous contact with his face.
"Took you long enough- oh. Jamil."
Jamil stared at the not-an-overgrown-hamster in his hands, nearly stumbling as Ruggie shoved him in and closed the door behind him, not daring to come inside himself. "You seem disappointed," Jamil said numbly, mostly habit rather than any cognitive function. This was, Jamil was sure of it, Ruggie Bucchi. It was in the floppy blond mess for hair, the soulless sales merchant eyes, the snicker he could just about hear from the damn thing. Except it was- like Chuckable Leona. Jamil set Chuckable Ruggie down, noting the Chuckable Jack whizzing around the room.
"Not disappointed," Leona said, sitting up straighter. "You're jus' not who I was expectin'."
"Disappointed," Jamil reiterated. "Why in the name of literally anything are you the designated... whatever-the-fuck-these-are-sitter?"
Leona shrugged. "My absence is less weird than that of those two. 'M just glad there isn't a tiny me runnin' around. Now that would be- oh, fuck, what the fuck."
Jamil presented Chuckable Leona with what was probably a bit too much glee. "Beautiful, isn't it? Just like you." Jamil felt his face flame up immediately, realising the absolute what-the-fuckery of what had just come out of his mouth. His eyes darted to Leona's, only to find him staring at him.
"I dunno if I should be flattered or insulted by that," Leona said, something red and soft dusting his cheeks.
Jamil grinned. "I played basketball with it."
"It can play-"
"It was the ball."
Leona was staring at him again. Jamil came closer, careful to avoid tripping on the Chuckable Jack, avoiding Chuckable Ruggie's concentrated attempts to get in his way, wading through to Leona's side, depositing Chuckable Leona in Leona's lap. Leona stared at it as though it had personally offended him.
"Jamil. Never have children."
Jamil laughed, unsure of where this lightness was coming from, but leaning into it all the same. Leaning into Leona, he realised. He put a carefully respectable amount of distance between them. "I'm usually praised for my natural way with kids, you know."
Leona scoffed, leaning right back into the space Jamil had left between them, their arms nearly touching. Jamil imagined he could feel every atom of space between them. "They clearly don't know you as I do. Usin' mini-me as a ball? Fuckin' outrageous."
Jamil raised an eyebrow, looking down at the space- or near lack thereof- between them. "I do hope this isn't how you flirt as well. Quite a lot of mixed signals with you." He felt sick with his heartbeat, dizzy. No, the dizziness was surely from watching Chuckable Jack spring across the room like that. Surely.
Leona grinned, reaching out to twirl one of Jamie's braids around his finger. Once, twice, he spun the braid around his finger like a cocoon. "Damn. And here I thought I was doin' a good job of it."
Jamil raised an eyebrow, slow and lofty. Heart thudding. Thud. Thud. Thud. "Are you flirting with me, Leona?"
Leona tugged at the braid lightly, and Jamil followed the direction of the pull, as close to him as possible without touching him. "Maybe. What would you say if I was?"
Jamil paused to look at Leona, look at him properly, the casual mess of his hair, the ever-present lazy smirk on his lips, the perpetual boredom in his eyes. The two braids that adorned his face, the tightness of his smile, evidence that he was holding his breath, the keen interest he observed Jamil with.
Jamil shrugged, blood singing. "Nothing." He almost would have missed the slight drop in Leona's shoulders, his ears, the waver of disappointment, the slight distance Leona put between them at that.
"That mundane an occurrence for you?" Leona's smile was infinitely more forced, and Jamil almost felt sorry for him. Jamil hummed, taking hold of the finger disentangling itself from his hair, preventing it from moving away. Leona seemed to freeze, eyeing him with something akin to caution. "You're not exactly provin' yourself to be much better with your mixed signals, y'know."
Jamil grabbed Leona by the back of his head, pulling him forwards, close enough he was sure Leona would be able to feel his heart shuddering, the heat of his blush radiating off his skin. Leona inhaled sharply, licking his lips, uncertain for the first time since Jamil had met him. Chuckable Leona decided it'd had enough and jumped off Leona to settle in a more comfortable, preferably unmoving, spot.
"If you were flirting with me, I'd kiss you," Jamil said, something like a supernatural calm taking over his senses, aware of every tiny movement in the room. Chuckable Jack still jumping around, Chuckable Leona trying to reach Leona's windowsill with the least amount of effort possible, Chuckable Ruggie suspiciously quiet and still. Leona's every breath from his parted lips, his wide eyes, the slight tremble of his hand in Jamil's grip. "Are you?"
Determination set into Leona's features and he breathed out a soft laugh. "You sure do like to keep things interestin', huh? Yes, so fuckin' kiss me."
Jamil did, his grin slightly too wild as he did so, his blood and his bones and his lips singing, seared through with tingling heat. Leona kissed like he was hungry, like he had been waiting for this, this very moment, for a long time now. Leona's palms traced across Jamil's face, fingers curling around the back of his neck, and Jamil pressed closer, hand in Leona's hair splaying to better angle Leona's face.
Except then the handle of the door was turning, and they sprang apart, leapt away from each other, Leona stretching his arms out in front of him, head bowing to hide his face, faking a long stretch, and Jamil bolted across the room, face still stinging, grabbed the hyperactive Chuckable Jack just as it went to fly at the opening door, under the pretence of giving a shit as to whether the newcomer- likely Headmage Crowley- got smacked in the face with a giant ball of fluff.
"Well," Headmage Crowley said. "What do we have here?"