Pride-Niklaus's Point of View
♕︎ ♕︎ ♕︎
Shaking my head, the grin curling at the corner of my lips, I felt a rush of amusement wash over me. I couldn't help it. It was all too easy, too perfect. Scarlet was going to regret everything. But first, I had another quick message to send to the headmaster, the one who seemed to enjoy playing matchmaker with her favorite students. The way she orchestrated all of this felt like some divine game, and I was here for every moment of it.
Me: Scarlet wants to pour that uncontainable wrath of hers into someone, and that someone needs to be up to the challenge—someone who can stomach it all, and challenge her back, so she won't feel guilty for being such a mean-spirited, corrupted bad bitch.
Me: I happen to be that someone.
The response came almost immediately, probably because she had been waiting for my text. I could practically hear her voice in the words she typed, the tone that was always so knowing, so calculated. She had a way of seeing through everything, reading the situation before anyone else could catch up.
Diana of Space: Let's see where that will get you.
Diana of Space: You have a year, dear.
Diana of Space: It will be hard to manipulate the results next year.
Diana of Space: For now, she's stuck with you, with no way out.
Diana of Space: Make the best use of this opportunity we are giving you.
Diana of Space: Breakthrough her walls and get under her skin for good.
I couldn't help but chuckle as I read her response. Of course, she was right. I had been waiting for this chance for far too long to mess it up now. No, I wasn't going to back out—not now, not ever.
Me: You are the best deity female-wingman ever, darling.
Me: It'll be kind of hard, but I won't give up.
Diana of Space: You've been obsessed with her for almost 13 years, dear.
Diana of Space: Giving up is the last thing I expect you to do.
Me: Obsessed is a strong word, darling. I prefer enchanted.
Diana of Space: Unhealthily addicted suits you better.
Me: dramatically offended gif
Me: It does, doesn't it?
Me: But I am enchanted nonetheless.
Me: I can't help but love the way she pushes my buttons.
I could practically hear her sigh from the other side of the screen. She wasn't wrong, though. I was addicted to her. I had been since the moment we met all those years ago, when she first provoked me with that sharp tongue of hers and those eyes that never stopped challenging me. I never stood a chance.
Diana of Space: And tries to kill you in all ways possible?
Me: That's part of our thing,
Me: I'm almost sure she is as attracted to it as much as I am.
Diana of Space: Again, don't mess this up. Persephone deserves better.
Me: Nice to meet you, my name is Better winking emoji
Me: Don't worry, darling, I am exactly what she needs, and she deserves way more than just 'better'. She deserves the world, and I'll give it to her. Even if she keeps trying to kill me, I'll take every single stab with pleasure.
Diana of Space: Masochist much?
Me: I prefer receptive to her love language, which is dagger-in-my-hearts.
Diana of Space: Fancy words to sum up a masochist.
Diana of Space: No. I'm wrong. You like inflicting pain, just not on her.
Diana of Space: Sadomasochist it is then.
Me: I prefer overprotective who doesn't mind spilling blood if needed.
Diana of Space: Don't let anyone know we had a hand in this, got it?
Me: My lips are sealed.
Diana of Space: Just not the way you wanted, uh?
Diana of Space: naughty grin sticker
No wonder the Gods of Fertility, Love, and Sexuality were her children. It was definitely in their blood to be naughty on those topics. And honestly, I didn't mind it at all.
Me: But it will happen,
Me: By the end of the year.
Diana of Space: Good luck with that.
Me: Luck is only needed when you're unprepared and might fail.
Me: I'll make this happen, I can tell she feels something.
Diana of Space: Oh, she does. It's called hatred and bloodlust.
Me: Ha, ha, ha, how funny you are, darling.
Diana of Space: Get off the phone and head to the lab, dear. Go to class. Make this work and again, don't mess this up.
Rolling my eyes, I locked my phone and slipped it back into my pocket. This conversation had gone on long enough. I couldn't help but smile at how easily Diana had been drawn into my ridiculous banter. The truth was, this whole thing was getting more serious than I had anticipated.
Scarlet was getting under my skin, in ways I hadn't planned for. I could feel the shift every time she was near me, like an electric current that ran through the air between us. Her sharp eyes, the way she tried so hard to act unaffected, but I knew better. I could see it. She couldn't hide it from me. And deep down, I wondered if she even realized it herself—how drawn she was to me, no matter how much she hated it.
The air around us had thickened in a way that made everything else feel irrelevant. Every glance, every word we exchanged, felt charged with something that neither of us wanted to admit. The tension between us was becoming unbearable, and I was starting to wonder just how much longer we could keep this game going before one of us finally snapped. But even though it was getting heavier, it only fueled the fire in me. I thrived in this kind of chaos.
Pushing her buttons, seeing her try to suppress that flare of desire she refused to acknowledge—it was like a delicious game, and I was winning. But now? Now it was no longer just fun and games. I could sense it in the air, in the way our interactions had changed. I knew it wasn't just about teasing anymore. There was something else brewing between us.
I thought about the times she'd come close to breaking, when she'd look at me with those fiery eyes, daring me to say something, do something. But she always kept her walls up, always pushed me away. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the chase, because I did, but there was something deeper that stirred in me when I thought about how much longer I could keep playing this cat-and-mouse game.
She was close. I could feel it in the way she responded, how she never fully pulled away. It wasn't a matter of if she'd break; it was when—and I planned to be there when it happened.
The thought of her finally giving in, of her finally letting her guard down, was too tantalizing to ignore. Every time I saw her, every time I felt her near, I could see the cracks in her armor. I could see that part of her wanted to give in, wanted to give me that satisfaction.
And damn, the idea of being the one to get under her skin for good? The thought alone made my heart race with anticipation. This was going to be a battle, and I would enjoy every minute of it.
I pulled my phone out again, my fingers moving instinctively over the screen, reading through the messages from Diana once more. A smug grin tugged at the corners of my lips. There was no way I was going to let this slip through my fingers now.
This was the moment I had been waiting for, the year that I would make sure everything fell into place. The pieces were coming together, and I couldn't ignore the satisfaction that bubbled up inside me. This was my year, and nothing—nothing—was going to stand in my way.
It wasn't just about Scarlet anymore, though. It was bigger than that. This was about us, about everything we'd built over the years, all the tension, all the games. It was about breaking through all the walls that she had so carefully constructed, brick by brick. I was ready to tear them down, one way or another.
And when it finally happened—when Scarlet could no longer deny what had been building between us—it would be everything. I could feel it in my bones. This was going to be the year I made her mine. The thought of her giving in, of us finally breaking that tension, made me hungry for the possibility. I couldn't wait to see it unfold.
As I stood there, my eyes gliding over the screen, I felt something shift inside me. I wasn't just ready anymore. I was eager. I was no longer just anticipating her next move; I was anticipating the moment she would finally stop fighting. And when that moment came, I would be waiting, with a smile on my face and the world in my hands.
This was it. The start of something bigger than either of us knew. And I couldn't wait for it to all come crashing down.