((Requests are hopefully going to start coming out soon! Sorry for the delay or slow inconvenience of less updates, I have been lacking motivation due to quarantine and social distancing. I made this extra long for you guys, so I hope you enjoy this for the time being!))

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°•Grian's POV•°

Life for me is an incredible enigma. 

Just let me start by saying- Where the hell is my chocolate going?! I have a secret stash locked away in my college dorm, right inside the vent that is located above my bed, so why the hell are my chocolates disappearing right before my eyes? I have not seen one person open that vent beside me.

This is a case for Sherlock Grian!

First off, let's narrow it down to the suspects. I only have two roommates. One is a really hot guy by the name of Mumbo and another is a Swedish lad named Iskall. 

Mumbo, straight off the bat, doesn't like sweet things. I discovered this the hard way since I bought him something to celebrate our first half of the semester year but Mumbo didn't accept it. I rarely see him eat a cookie or ice cream, he's not one for sugar.

Iskall, on the other hand, loves sweet treats. But he would probably play the gentleman's game and ask if he can eat some of my 'private stash'. Besides, Iskall is not exactly the brightest bulb in the box. It took him three weeks to notice the books that Mumbo has on the shelf above Mumbo's bed. 

I highly doubt Iskall would notice my little stash of treats since it is tucked away in the darkness and would usually require ripping a sheet of metal from the ventilation system to get access.

Now that just leaves me super confused. It can't be Mumbo because he dislikes consuming chocolate and it possibly cannot be Iskall since he is too nice to do such a cruel thing. 

So maybe it could be the visitors that come by? I heard Scar likes cookies. Heck, he was the cookie Jangler on HermitCampus, I can see why I would think it was him since he is a frequent visitor.

However, typically when a guest is over, I am usually in the dorm with my glasses on, studying or doing my homework, so I would know if someone was climbing on my bed and ripping the vent's hinge off next to me. As evident as it should be.

Our dorm is not that big. Iskall's and Mumbo's beds are right against one another on the longer wall while my little twin-sized bed is on the shorter wall where the window is at. There is a desk tucked away in the corner, right at the foot of my bed, and a bathroom door next to Mumbo's bed.

It was cozy though. We all agreed on having simple decorations that match a cool theme and decided that we will change the theme every quarter of the school year. 

Enough about that since it is completely irrelevant. I still need to find out who is kidnapping my sweet chocolates. It's driving me up the wall because of the massive suspense. The chocolates have been disappearing one by one.

At first, I thought I was delusional, thinking that I keep eating one too much. But no, I came into the door after one of my biology course classes to find three specific Dove wrappers on the wastebasket. Unbelievable! This person is good with cleaning themselves but doesn't realize that the wastebasket, which is next to the door's wooden frame, can be easily sorted through.

I feel like I am going mad. I am going to find out who this person is, even if this is the last thing I do.

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°•Mumbo's POV•°

I'm not sure what is up with Grian's new outfit but it does make me intrigued. He suddenly began to dress in a black trench coat with a striped blue scarf around his neck. Every time he looks at me or Iskall, Grian would cock an eyebrow and thin his lips with concentration. 

Even Iskall was a little confused about this new persona of Grian's, but I guess we will let it slide until this phase is over. I didn't bother asking about it since I thought he would go in a tangent. 

"Goodbye, boys! I have a structural art class, so see you guys when I come back!" Grian chirps, waving his hand high over his head with a bag strapped along his shoulders. I wave at him, not glimpsing up from my phone, and listen as the door clicks shut after Iskall said his goodbye.

"Whatever that boy is doing must be unstoppable," Iskall said first after the door shut fully. "I'm not entirely sure what he is trying to do but I hope it isn't bad."

"Wasn't that his Sherlock outfit? I could've sworn he wore that exact outfit when he was trying to figure out who the Jangle was," I said before lifting my attention away from my phone to look at Iskall. The Swedish man shrugs his shoulder with an unsure face, shuffling on his small bed so he can face his homework better. 

"Not sure, but it does look familiar. Oh, maybe he is finally catching on about Code C," Iskall plasters a smirk and looks down at his papers. He taps his pen along his lips in thought.

"I hope not," I grumble and look at Grian's bed. The little vent above his bed is providing a soft breeze of fresh air inside of our dorm since we live right on the corner of the building. By looking at the vent, I can practically taste the savory chocolates hidden among the iron sheet.

Look, I'm not a monster. I just... I have been craving chocolate recently and it's very embarrassing to say that to Grian, especially when my huge crush on him makes it hard to talk to him. I will admit that I am very timid around Grian and it's not exactly easy to walk up to your crush and say "Oh yeah, I have been eating your chocolates."

Maybe it's just my anxiety making scenarios up, but I do not want to be stuck in a situation where I have to confess to Grian about slowly eating his private stash. I just feel that it's awkward since I don't usually enjoy sweets.

If Grian discovers about Code C, a name between Iskall and I to say chocolate, I feel like I am going to be the laughing stock of Grian. My crush on him is going to spring at his adorable laugh and I will feel humiliated around Grian for a long while since he might hold this as a grudge.

It's only been recent that I have been craving these delectable sweets. I know guys can have intense mood swings like females, it would only be worse if Grian figured that out since he takes classes about biology. If Grian figures out that I am going through a mood like a teenage girl on puberty, I am going to cry in pure embarrassment. 

Gosh, that adorable dork is just-

I stuff a pillow to my face and scream in irritation plus shame. Iskall jumps at the sudden action before chuckling nervously.

"Are you alright, Mumbo?" Iskall asks, hovering his hand over his mouth to prevent himself from laughing anymore. I make sure to deliver a glare at Iskall without shifting around too much. He knows full well that I am not 'alright'. When will this horrendous nightmare end? Once this nightmare reaches its peak, I am going to melt into the ground so it can swallow me, my existence wiping clean like a blank slab.

I only managed to grumble into the wool of my pillow cover since I was in no mood to explain how I feel. That's when I jump up, finally registering that Grian is gone for a couple of hours. It brings a smile to rain on my lips.

"He is going to catch you, ya know?" Iskall perks a grin, but I ignore it by pacing past him to climb on Grian's bed. My knees sink into his comfortable mattress as I begin to pull on the grating metal. 

"Psh, no. This will be quick and easy, no worries," I finally pull the vent's metal bars and set it down on Grian's bed, right next to my lanky legs. I can tell Iskall did a casual roll of his eyes from my response.

I look down the vent's tube and place my hand on the bottom layer of sheet metal. It was considered easy to rip it off, knowing full well that Grian has done it countless times. When I set the torn wall of the vent next to my legs, I notice a miniature black device with a blinking crimson light.

I inspect it closer, squinting my hazel eyes before plucking a wrapped Ghirardelli sweet into my hand, one being a small square piece with a delicious amount of salted caramel inside the dark chocolate walls. I couldn't help myself as I grabbed another one, but my eyes glued back to the tiny device next to the treats, pointed directly at me.

Is that a miniature camera?

"What the-"

The room's door bursts in an outrageous motion, the harsh BOOM! striking inside of the dorm to spike my ears. Iskall and I release screams that belong in a higher octave and take a moment to breathe when we see the culprit stepping inside.

"Mumbo Jumbolio! I caught you red-handed!" Grian drops his bag dramatically to point at me.

Uhhhh- Oh no...

"U-Uhm, so, Grian," my horrible stuttering is not helping my case. "Let me- I'll explain! It's not-"

Iskall chortles with a snort at my pathetic attempt to make an excuse. Grian storms up to me, crossing his arms as his expression yells 'Explain'. A highly-strung smile carves onto my face before I begin to place the chocolates back to their respective, original place.

"Well, as you can see- Uhm, you know?" My reply only made me scream curses inside my head. Welp, time to go wallow around in misery and discomfort for the rest of my college experience. 

"Grian," Iskall begins, snapping both of our attention towards him. "He is on his man period."

"Iskall!" I hiss. My cheeks flush ferociously as I begin to grit my teeth together to sustain my sanity. I can imagine clawing out Iskall. Hopefully, my glowering eyes pinning him is enough to make him rethink his life choices.

Grian begins to cackle at that remark and it was only a short matter of seconds before the two obnoxious roommates roar out in laughter. I press my back against the wall and sink on Grian's bed. My eyes are stinging from upcoming tears of authentic embarrassment as I place my hands on my face.

Please, can someone shoot my brains out so I never have to see the light of day ever again? That question may be dark and brutal, but my goodness, the sweet relief of inevitable death is better than this. Just strike my brain with a bullet and I will be better off in hell than deal with this.

"I'm only joking around," Grian laughs. I part two of my fingers so I can peek at Iskall and Grian. The honey-haired boy grabbed his dropped bag from the ground so he can toss it on his bed next to me. Iskall was taking in deep breaths, his laughter was always contagious and easy to trigger since anything can be remotely amusing for him. 

I was not laughing. I have been in an agonizing mood all week and the piling frustration of humiliation has finally caused a crack. When hot tears began falling down my face, I started to mentally holler at myself, but that only resorted for me to sob harder.

For once in my life, I cannot get a grip on humanity or society. Anvils upon anvils of distress, exasperation, and disheartening emotions coil inside of my brain to drive painful tears out of my dark eyes. I just want to leave, I cannot deal with these actively flocking emotions pouring inside of me all because I got caught stealing chocolate.

I curl my knees close to my chest and wrap my arms around them so I can bury my face into the pit of my tense arms. I'm not sure if Grian or Iskall caught on yet, but the sooner this entire occurence ends, the sooner I can recover.

I've never tackled intense embarrassment with confidence because I am very shy, my bashful behavior always results in me crying to my heart's content. Seeing as I hate attention, I try to limit my sobbing as quietly as possible. But I think it's too late because Grian and Iskall have gone utterly silent.

I think they are beginning to acknowledge how truly sensitive I am. Normally, I don't weep, maybe having tears in my eyes when I am around them, but I have never actually cried in front of them until this point of time. Oh no, what if they think I am some weakling and then they begin to mock me for my sensitive emotions? If they do that, I would seriously consider death.

The tears that manage to escape my eyelids burn as they glide down my pasty cheeks and absorb into the fabric of my woven sleeves. My body is trembling even though my sobbing is surprisingly light. I just want to relish under my sheets and cry for the next year, staying away from all humans since they downright suck.

A comforting, warming embrace envelope my side like a thick blanket, skinny arms encasing me into a deep hug. Based on the faint dip of a light weight on the mattress and a familiar scent, I can make a strong guess on who the person is. I detangle myself so I can hug Grian's waist and settle my head on his thighs.

"Mumbo, I'm sorry- I- I forgot how sensitive you are," Grian says, stroking my raven hair gently. I noticed that Grian dispatches a glowering expression towards Iskall, forcing the Swedish friend to mutter an apology also. Grian seemed satisfied with Iskall's small apology, giving a quick nod, then tugging his focus back to me.

"I shouldn't- I'm just pathetic is- is all," a painful chuckle rips from my throat. Grian grabs something from his bag and peels the top layer of a small red box. A gentle smile is playing on his lips as he pulls a white bag from the red box to tear it open.

"No, you are not. I don't mind that it's you anyways. But that leaves me puzzled because I know you dislike sweet things," Grian opens the thick bag with a struggle. 

"Hate to interrupt, but have to go to the bathroom," Iskall darts off of his bed to dash out of the dorm, making sure to close the dorm room on his way out. That just leaves me and Grian...

I look up at Grian, watching as his fingers plunge into the small bag to draw out a Pocky stick. He wedges the chocolate end of the Japanese candy in between his flushed lips. His half lidded eyes meet with my watery ones, his hand reaching up to gently caress my cheek to wipe the tears.

"Care to play a round of the Pocky game with me?" Grian beams and tilts my chin up so I can get a better glimpse of him and his freckled face. "Iskall is gone, so I really want to play while he is absent."

"Are you being serious?!" I squeak, lifting my head from his legs so I can sit upright to properly face him. His only response is a shrug, no reddening of his cheeks to portray if he is embarrassed or not. I can feel my own cheeks bustling with heat as I finally resolve to take the biscuit end of the Pocky stick into my mouth.

Momentarily, Grian seemed completely satisfied with my choice as he inches closer, taking more Pocky into his mouth. The temperature in my pale cheeks only grew worse, skyrocketing since I can feel Grian's heat trailing closer to my leaning body. I cross my legs, my knees touching with his as my fingers itch to weave around his hand to embrace more warmth.

I inch closer. 

Instantly, Grian does the same. 

I reluctantly inch closer. 

Grian quickly follows suit. 

My heart is racing inside of my chest, my breathing becoming irregular but I try to keep it under control. Grian can't be serious with this, can he? Oh lord, he is not one to give up easily and since he is the one who offered this game, I know he is not going to back down. What if I accidentally pull away, making this entire thing more awkward? 

My inching has become more noticeably smaller as I near Grian's lips. There was hardly any of the candly left, his lips slightly grazing across my own, his warm breath blending with mine. I close my eyes while making the tiny jump to bite more of the Pocky. Grian takes the rest of it into his mouth to firmly press his soft lips onto my own.

I wasn't ready for his arms to wrap around my neck as his chest presses against me. Sparks are flying out like the 4th of July inside of my heart and when Grian pulls away after the short kiss, he gives me a heart warming smile while booping my nose.

"You know what I discovered today?" Grian giggles, his eyes bubbling with a love struck shimmer.

"What?" I tilt my head like a confused canine. He bites his bottom lip shortly, his eyelids falling half way down his bright eyes.

"I'd rather have another taste of your lips because they are sweeter than any candy I've ever had."

My face flares up, erupting in scorching heat across my cheeks and neck. Grian begins to twirl his finger around one of the longer strands of my thick raven locks, his face still holding a small blush as he proceeds to bite his pink lips. He pulls his face close to mine to press his hot breath along the shell of my ear.

"But I'm also really curious about what you really taste like~" His hands move to my chest to press me down until my back is settled on his mattress. Grian straddles my lap with a lustful smirk before skimming his fingers over my shirt.

You know what? I think I'm starting to enjoy this...