Take responsibility!

Aelric flew as fast as his fluttering wings could carry him, zipping through the academy halls like a dragonfly in distress, all while evading the terrifying, infuriated vampire hot on his tail. Bronn wasn't even using his full speed, which made it so much worse—he was stalking him at a steady, relentless pace, like a predator indulging in a slow chase.

How had things come to this? Oh, right—Helena. That scheming, chaotic, cackling menace of a vampire.

Just thinking about it made him want to scream.

That day, she had gleefully informed him that she was Bronn's fiancée, all while twirling a lock of her hair and smirking at him like a cat toying with a doomed mouse. Aelric had completely lost it—tears, anger, the works—all in front of Bronn, only for Helena to burst out laughing and casually reveal that she was actually Bronn's sister.

Sister!.

The realization hit him like a cursed lightning bolt, right after he had already humiliated himself.

Now Bronn probably knew. Now he had seen it—Aelric's hopeless, stupid, unreciprocated love that he had painstakingly hidden for two whole years.

So, like a genius, he ran and avoided the vampire. 

And now, he was seconds away from losing this chase.

Aelric flitted around a corner, heart racing, finally breathing a sigh of relief—had he lost him?

No. No, he had not.

A cold, firm hand suddenly grabbed him by the back of his collar mid-flight, stopping him like a misbehaving kitten.

Aelric let out a tiny, undignified squeak.

"Found you," Bronn muttered, voice far too smug.

Oh, this was bad.

Aelric immediately tried to wiggle free, but the vampire held him with absurd ease, like he weighed nothing. Which, okay, fair, but also rude. He kicked his feet in protest.

"Unhand me, fiend!"

"No."

"I have rights—"

"Not right now, you don't."

Aelric flailed harder as he was carried all the way to Bronn's dormitory, limbs dangling in a show of dramatic defeat. Upon reaching his room, Bronn shut the door, locked it, and finally—finally—set Aelric down.

But freedom was a lie.

The vampire stepped back, arms crossed, gaze unreadable as he stared Aelric down like an interrogator about to extract a confession.

"I believe you owe me an explanation," Bronn said, voice far too calm.

Aelric slumped further, his wings drooping like a sad, withered flower. His eyes darted around the room, scanning for a potential escape route. Window? Locked. Vent? Too small. Under the bed? Pathetic.

There was no way out.

Okay. Fine. If he was going down, he was going down with flair.

With a dramatic sigh, he stepped forward as if marching to his own execution. He straightened his back, closed his eyes, raised his chin defiantly, and pressed his lips into a determined frown—if not for his trembling hands, he might've actually looked confident.

"Yes," he declared, eyes still shut. "I have been avoiding you."

Silence.

Bronn waited, unimpressed.

"And yes, I like you."

Silence.

Aelric's heart pounded. Okay, here comes the disaster.

"Not just in the bro way," he continued, voice suddenly rising, "but in the 'I-want-to-kiss-your-stupid-face' way. And so what?"

He cracked one eye open, only to see Bronn still watching him, still unreadable. Aelric panicked and kept talking.

"It's your fault for being all handsome and broody and—seductive! Take responsibility!"

Bronn blinked.

Aelric folded his arms, chest puffed out, fully committing to his chaos. "You heard me, you vampiric menace. I demand compensation for two years of unreciprocated feelings. A formal apology, preferably written in blood—not mine."

The vampire just stared.

"You... actually have feelings for me?" Bronn finally asked, slowly, like he was trying to make sense of it.

Aelric huffed. "Yes. I know, it's a lot to take in. You must be flattered. Take your time to process it, I understand—" He turned on his heel, making a grand gesture towards the door. "I shall give you some space—"

His hand barely grazed the doorknob before he was scooped up again.

"Wh—?! Bronn! Put me down!"

"No."

"I will scream—"

"Then scream."

Aelric did not scream. Instead, he sulked as Bronn cradled him like an actual child, staring at him with something far too intense for Aelric's fragile heart to handle.

"You really have feelings for me?" Bronn repeated, gaze searching.

Aelric swallowed thickly.

"…Yes."

A pause.

"…Okay, then."

Aelric frowned. "Okay?"

"Yes." Bronn shrugged. "I'll take responsibility."

Aelric's brain short-circuited.

"…What?"

Bronn smirked. "You said I seduced you, didn't you? Well, that means I should take responsibility."

Aelric gawked. His wings fluttered in sheer disbelief.

"That's not—You can't just—" He flailed. "That's not how this works!"

Bronn tilted his head. "It's not?"

"NO!" Aelric buried his face in his hands, wings vibrating with sheer mortification. "There's supposed to be tension! Drama! Emotional turmoil!"

Bronn chuckled. "You already handled the drama part."

Aelric groaned.

"So," Bronn said, leaning in slightly, amused but serious. "Since I'm already responsible for your feelings, I may as well make it official."

Aelric peeked between his fingers, eyes wide. "Official?"

"Yes." Bronn smirked. "I'll be your boyfriend."

Aelric screamed.

Not a normal, dignified scream.

No, he let out a high-pitched, fey-level screech—the kind of sound only a fairy in absolute distress could produce. It was the noise of a man whose entire life had just imploded in the most unexpected way possible.

Bronn, of course, was entirely unbothered.

The vampire calmly covered his ears, waiting patiently for Aelric to finish having a full-blown meltdown.

Meanwhile, Aelric paced.

"No, no, NO!" he ranted, hands flailing. "You don't just skip steps like that! You're supposed to—I don't know—ignore me! Or say you need time to think! Or, or—be emotionally unavailable!"

Bronn arched a brow. "You… want me to ignore you?"

"No! I mean—maybe? I don't know!" Aelric clutched his hair. "What kind of crazy person immediately agrees to be someone's boyfriend the moment they confess?"

"…Me, apparently."

Aelric froze.

Bronn smirked.

The fairy groaned. Loudly.

"No, no, NO. You're supposed to be playing hard to get! I spent two years being miserable and pining! You're supposed to make me work for this!"

Bronn snorted. "You want me to reject you first? Would that make you feel better?"

"Yes!" Aelric paused. "…Wait. No. Wait."

Bronn laughed.

Aelric hated him.

"Listen," Bronn said, grabbing Aelric's flailing hands before the fairy could self-destruct. "You like me. I like you."