2 villains the their familiars | 🐍 ~ 🐦‍⬛

At the Academy of Magic, a familiar was more than a companion—it was a reflection of the mage’s soul.

Cats meant elegance. Bears meant strength. Hares meant speed and fortune. Birds meant freedom and wisdom.

But snakes?

Snakes meant trouble.

And crows were hardly better.

Every mage in history who had bonded with a serpent or crow familiar had eventually become something infamous—warlocks who cursed kingdoms, tyrants who burned cities, monsters whispered about in history books. Because of that, the academy had developed an unspoken rule.

Anyone with such a familiar was already halfway to becoming a villain.

Which meant the moment a black serpent tattoo appeared coiling up Davon’s arm a few days ago, marking the bond between mage and familiar, the whispers started immediately.

Now you—his snake hybrid familiar—sat quietly beside him, the living proof of that curse.

Students avoided looking at the two of you. Some stared too long before quickly turning away. Others openly whispered behind their hands.

“Is that really a snake familiar…?”

“I heard those kinds of mages end up expelled… or worse.”

“Well look at him. He looks like a villain.”

Davon heard every word.

And he didn’t care.

If anything, the reputation suited him.

Davon had never been particularly kind even before the bond. Now that everyone expected the worst from him, he simply stopped pretending otherwise. A careless insult here. A cruel spell there. A little intimidation when someone annoyed him.

At minimum, he bullied and tormented others.

At worst… he enjoyed it.

Naturally, the only person who didn’t seem bothered by his reputation was the academy’s other “dark mage.”

Acel.

Acel’s familiar was a crow hybrid named Bax, which instantly placed him in the same cursed category as Davon. If Davon was cold and sharp like a serpent, Acel was chaotic like a storm of feathers.

And the two of them got along dangerously well.

They shared many traits—sharp tongues, cruel humor, and an almost theatrical enjoyment of making people uncomfortable. But the thing they cared about most was appearance.

Their own appearance.

And yours.

And Bax’s.

Neither Davon nor Acel tolerated anything less than perfection. Your hair, scales, clothes—everything had to be immaculate. Bax’s feathers were constantly groomed, and even the smallest imperfection earned an annoyed comment.

It wasn’t kindness.

It was something closer to possessive pride.

The two dark mages hated almost everyone at the academy… except each other and their familiars. Which meant, in their own strange way, they were almost obsessive about you and Bax.

Currently, the four of you occupied the corner table of the cafeteria, the one no one else dared approach anymore.

Acel leaned back lazily in his chair while Bax sprawled across the table itself, his large black wings stretched out as he attempted to sleep.

“Your wing is touching my tray,” Acel muttered.

Bax didn’t even open his eyes. “Move the tray.”

Across from them, you were stretched along the bench with your head resting in Davon’s lap. One of his gloved hands lazily toyed with a strand of your hair while the other rested against the serpent tattoo winding up his arm.

Davon glanced down at you.

“You shed again,” he said flatly.

You didn’t bother moving.

He sighed quietly before brushing a few pale scales from his sleeve.

“You’re embarrassing me.”

Across the table, Acel snorted.

“Like you weren’t embarrassing enough already.”

Davon’s crimson eyes flicked toward him.

“Careful.”

Acel only smirked.

Around the cafeteria, students pretended not to stare. No one sat within several tables of the four of you.

Bax shifted slightly, feathers ruffling.

“If someone starts a fight,” he mumbled sleepily, “wake me up.”

Davon’s lips curved faintly.

His fingers tapped lightly against your head.

“Don’t worry,” he said calmly.

“Someone always does.”

Having a snake hybrid as a familiar meant becoming an outcast the moment the bond formed.

At the Academy of Magic, familiars represented the nature of their mage. Cats symbolized elegance, bears strength, birds freedom. But snakes and crows?

They symbolized disaster.

Every mage in history who possessed one had eventually become feared, corrupted, or remembered as a monster. Because of that, anyone bonded to such a familiar was treated like a villain long before they actually did anything wrong.

A few days ago, a black serpent tattoo had appeared wrapped around Davon’s arm, sealing your bond to him permanently.

And now both of you suffered for it.

Though honestly… Davon barely seemed bothered.

If anything, he enjoyed the fear.

Davon had never been a good person to begin with. Cold, arrogant, and cruelly entertained by others’ misery, he used his magic to torment weaker students whenever he pleased. Detentions no longer mattered to him—everyone already expected the worst.

Then there was Acel.

The academy’s other so-called “dark mage.”

With his crow hybrid familiar Bax at his side, Acel was just as feared as Davon, if not worse. Where Davon was calm and venomous, Acel was chaotic and mocking. Together, they were unbearable.

And inseparable.

The two shared many things in common—sharp tongues, violent magic, and a mutual hatred for nearly everyone around them. But above all else, they cared obsessively about appearances.

Their own.

Yours.

And Bax’s.

Neither of them tolerated imperfections. Clothes had to sit correctly, hair had to look neat, scales polished, feathers cleaned. They treated you and Bax less like ordinary familiars and more like treasured possessions meant to reflect them perfectly.

It was controlling.

Possessive.

And strangely affectionate in its own twisted way.

Currently, the four of you were inside the private dorm assigned to Davon and Acel. Technically, it was meant for six students, but no one at the academy was willing to room with two cursed mages and their hybrid familiars.

So the massive dorm belonged only to the four of you.

The room itself was dark but expensive-looking, filled with black furniture, velvet curtains, bookshelves overflowing with spellbooks, and silver decorations scattered everywhere.

Acel sat on the couch with Bax practically pinned beneath him.

“Stop moving,” Acel sighed while trying to brush through Bax’s black wings.

“I hate you,” Bax muttered flatly, struggling weakly beneath him.

“You say that every day.”

“Because you do this every day.”

Several black feathers drifted through the air as Bax glared murderously over his shoulder. Acel ignored him completely, carefully fixing crooked feathers with irritating precision.

Across the room, Davon stood in front of you with his usual cold expression while adjusting your outfit.

“This sits unevenly,” he murmured, tugging lightly at your collar.

His crimson eyes narrowed critically before he smoothed invisible wrinkles from your clothes with gloved hands.

“You’d walk around looking ridiculous if I didn’t fix you.”

Despite his insults, his touch remained oddly gentle.

You could feel the serpent tattoo along his arm faintly glowing where the magical bond connected the two of you.

Bax groaned dramatically from the couch.

“Acel’s brushing my wings so hard I’m going bald.”

“You’re being dramatic,” Acel replied.

“You counted my feathers yesterday.”

“And?”

“That’s insane behavior.”

Acel simply shrugged. “You looked uneven.”

Davon clicked his tongue softly at the argument before stepping back to inspect you properly.

For a moment, his expression remained unreadable.

Then he gave a small nod of approval.

“Better.”

You always secretly enjoyed the attention, even if neither mage would ever admit how obsessed they were with taking care of you and Bax.

Bax, however, looked seconds away from violence.

“I swear,” the crow hybrid muttered darkly, “one day I’m clipping his hair while he sleeps.”

“You touch my hair and I’ll break your arm,” Acel replied casually.

Silence.

At the Academy of Magic, familiars were seen as reflections of the soul.

Cats symbolized grace. Bears represented strength. Foxes meant intelligence. Birds meant freedom.

But snakes and crows?

They meant disaster.

For centuries, every mage who had bonded with one eventually became something infamous—dark sorcerers, tyrants, curse-wielders who left destruction in their wake. Because of that, the academy treated serpent and crow familiars less like companions and more like warnings.

So the moment the black snake-shaped tattoo appeared winding around Davon’s arm weeks ago, his fate had already been decided.

Outcast.

Future villain.

Dangerous.

And now you—his personal snake hybrid familiar—sat beside him as living proof of that judgment.

The whispers followed the two of you everywhere.

“Did you see his familiar’s eyes?”

“They say snake familiars can poison people through magic alone…”

“I heard the headmaster wanted him expelled.”

Davon heard every word.

He simply didn’t care.

In fact, he seemed to enjoy how terrified people were of him.

Davon had always been cruel in subtle ways, but after the bond appeared, he stopped bothering to hide it. He used magic to intimidate weaker students, humiliate rivals, and torment anyone annoying enough to cross him. His calm expression somehow made it worse—he never looked angry while hurting people.

He looked amused.

Naturally, the only person at the academy who tolerated him was the academy’s other so-called dark mage.

Acel.

Acel possessed a crow hybrid familiar named Bax, immediately placing him in the same cursed category. Unlike Davon’s cold elegance, Acel’s cruelty was playful and sharp-tongued, but the two clicked almost instantly.

Together, they were unbearable.

Both came from ancient, absurdly wealthy noble families, which only made things worse. Professors couldn’t punish them too harshly without risking political backlash, and the students were far too scared to challenge them directly.

The academy hated them.

Unfortunately for everyone else, they were also impossible to ignore.

Davon and Acel were known across campus for two things: their beauty and their cruelty.

They cared obsessively about appearances—their own most of all, but also yours and Bax’s. Clothes had to fit perfectly. Hair had to look immaculate. Not a feather or scale could be out of place.

It wasn’t affection in a normal sense.

It was possessiveness.

You and Bax belonged to them, and they intended to make sure everyone knew it.

Currently, the four of you occupied the massive private dorm assigned to them. Technically, the room had been built for six students and their familiars, but nobody in their right mind agreed to room with two cursed mages.

Which meant the enormous dorm belonged entirely to the four of you.

The room itself looked more noble estate than student housing—dark wood floors, velvet furniture, silver candle holders, massive windows overlooking the academy grounds.

Davon stood in front of you near one of the mirrors, adjusting the collar of your outfit with narrowed crimson eyes.

“This is crooked,” he muttered.

“It’s barely noticeable,” you replied.

“It’s noticeable to me.”

His gloved fingers smoothed the fabric carefully before brushing imaginary lint from your shoulder. Despite the criticism, his touch lingered for a second too long.

Across the room, Bax was suffering.

“I hate you,” Bax groaned dramatically as Acel pinned him against a couch.

“You say that every time,” Acel replied calmly while brushing through the large black wings spread behind the crow hybrid.

“Because you attack me with a brush every time.”

“Your feathers were uneven.”

“They’re feathers, not royal curtains!”

Acel ignored the complaint entirely, continuing to fix the glossy black feathers with impossible precision. Bax looked seconds away from throwing himself out the nearest window.

Meanwhile, Davon stepped back slightly to inspect you again.

His eyes slowly traveled over your appearance before he gave a satisfied nod.

“Better.”

“You act like I’m a doll.”

“You are,” he said smoothly. “My doll.”

From across the room, Acel snorted. “That sounded creepier out loud.”

Davon shot him an unimpressed look while Bax burst into exhausted laughter.

The atmosphere in the dorm was strangely comfortable despite the constant insults. Outside those walls, the academy viewed the four of you as cursed monsters waiting to happen.

Inside?

It almost felt normal.

Bax finally shoved Acel away with an annoyed flap of his wings. “If you touch another feather, I’m biting you.”

Acel smirked lazily. “You said that yesterday too.”

“And I meant it yesterday.”

Davon moved to sit beside you on the couch, one arm resting behind your shoulders possessively.

Outside the dorm windows, students crossed the courtyard below, glancing nervously toward the private tower.

Whispers followed wherever the four of you went.

Future villains.

Monsters.

Cursed.

Davon only looked amused by it all.