Chapter Text
"Come on, henchman, tell them about the letter!" Grim urged, one of his ears flicking unconsciously as he shakes the shoulder of his Prefect. They, however, nonchalantly takes another bite of their sandwich, unfazed by the creature's impatience. Ace and Deuce, who sat across the table from the two, looked on curiously at the Ramshackle Dorm residents. "If you won't tell 'em, I will!"
"What's this about a letter?" Deuce decided to speak up, tugging back his plate of pie from Ace, who had slyly slid his slice away from him. Deuce sent him a short glare, to which Ace only looked away while bringing the straw of his drink to his lips, acting like he did not just try and steal his dormmate's food.
Yuu picks Grim up by the scruff on his neck, to his protest, and settles him back in front of his tuna sandwich. "It's nothing to make such a fuss about, really." Grim huffs at being manhandled but stuffs his face with his food immediately after. "Someone anonymously left me a love letter this morning. Dropped it off with a basket of flowers at our dorm's doorstep." They shrug their shoulders.
Ace accidentally sprayed out the beverage in his mouth—fortunately not in the direction of any of the students nearby—while Deuce had gripped his spoon so hard, it would have been broken had it not been made of metal. Good thing he was finished eating though, because his utensil was now bent and unusable without reheating and bending it back.
"—Love letter?!"
"—Flowers?!"
Yuu raised their eyebrows, expressing surprise at their friends' outbursts. "Yes... that's what I said." They then brought out their hands in front of them, palms facing each other, and distanced them a little over a foot apart. "It was about this big, and the letter was tied around one of the—"
"That's not what we meant!" Deuce exclaimed.
Ace abruptly stood up, slamming one of his hands on the table while shaking the other to get rid of the liquid residue that resulted from his surprise. "How are you so calm after just being confessed to?!"
"Whayt?! (Right?!)" Grim jumped to his feet, crumbs falling from the corners of his mouth as he talked. Yuu's hand immediately went to shush his next words with a napkin, seemingly ready and expecting his messy mannerisms.
"Don't talk with your mouth full." The little creature grumbled under his breath, but snatched the napkin and hurriedly chewed his food to swallow. Yuu turned their attention to the two Heartslabyul Dorm residents. "Is it that surprising?"
The sight of Yuu's furrowed brows made Ace and Deuce panic. "N-Not at all...!" Deuce immediately refuted, joining Ace in standing.
"I'm actually surprised this is the first this's happened!" Ace said immediately after Deuce, and the two proceeded to alternate sentences like the comedic duo that they seem to be.
"What Ace said! Because, you know..."
"You're the first Housewarden of the newly established dorm!"
"Yeah, and you're so smart! You managed to score top 50 during the exam! Even without magic, too"
"You've been so kind ever since you came here!"
"And you're still the kindest to people around you!—"
The two ceased their rambling when Yuu began to laugh. The melodic sound making their cheeks flush red. "It was just a light-hearted comment." Grim eyed the two weirdly, throwing the used napkin in his paw haphazardly behind his back. "Thanks for the compliments though." Yuu had said, but they knew in their head that the words were not sinking in their mind to be properly appreciated. Because they think they aren't worthy of being appreciated.
"Yeah, yeah, you're great and all that, but I wanna know who's the dude who sent you those flowers!" Grim exclaimed. Ace and Deuce slowly moved to take their seats, embarrassed when they realized they drew the attention of many with their outbursts. "He could've given you something more useful, like tuna!"
"If he were to send something to me, wouldn't it be something that I like?" Yuu finishes off their food and unconsciously folds the wrapper neatly into a small square. They realize after, but pay it no mind, while they proceed to take Grim's wrapper and do unto it the same treatment. Deuce lets out a sound of agreement at Yuu's words, while Ace silently stares at them.
"I agree with Grim about your admirer's Identity, though." Ace said, uncharacteristically solemn of him, whilst fiddling with the straw of his drink with his forefinger and thumb. "If he wanted to confess, why not say it to you himself, and why stay anonymous?" Why do it in such a cowardly way? is what Ace meant to add, but he kept the thought to himself.
"That's why I thought of it as a prank, at first. But while I was buying lunch, the ghosts that were serving told me that someone paid a portion of the price of my food." Yuu gestured to one of the wrappers on their hand. "They probably wanted me to decide on lunch myself and pay for the greatest common amount on the menu. A little weird, but as long as I'm not accepting food from strangers, I guess it's fine."
"They paid for your sandwich?!" The three of them, Grim, Ace, and Deuce, exclaimed in sync, earning attention once again from the people in the cafeteria. A pair of grey eyes glared in their direction, but the three didn't seem to notice.
"You are so loud today." Yuu blankly said to them, shaking their head while standing to throw their trash. "That's what I just said."
"—Hold on, henchman! This is the first I've heard-a this!"
"—What do you mean by that?!"
"—They really paid for your food?!
Grim, Deuce and Ace shuffled after the Prefect, the last two hurriedly gathering their trash and plates. Grim climbed the shoulder of Deuce, and the three attempted to run after Yuu, who suddenly seemed to walk so fast, or was it because they were slowed by their duty to clean up after themselves? Nah, it's definitely the first.
"You three, stop in your tracks this instant." They froze at the familiar authoritative voice. The person walked into their line of sight and then stopped in front of them. "Do you know how loud you three were being?" Riddle crosses his arms, intially opting to scold the two Heartslabyul Dorm residents, but the involvement of the monster is not unaccepted.
"Yes, yes, we're sorry, Housewarden Rosehearts." Riddle thought the rules were finally being imprinted in Ace's brain when he properly addressed him, but his next words sent those hopes down the drain. "We're kind of in a hurry right now, so maybe you can postpone your lecture 'till after—"
"Not so fast." Ace shifted his attention from Yuu—who was waving at them a few feet behind Riddle before walking away—to meet the cold stare of his dorm leader. He flinched at the intensity in his gaze. "What is so demanding of your attention that you have the nerve to speak against your Housewarden?" Riddle knitted his eyebrows, turning behind him and watching the back of Yuu getting farther and farther away. "Prefect Yuu is perfectly capable of walking to their next class."
"Well, you see, Housewarden Rosehearts, Yuu's secret admirer sent them flowers this morning—" Deuce explained, but Riddle cut him off.
"I am not interested in the Prefect's romantic life." He gripped his forearms unconsciously, looking at Ace and Deuce, while Grim curled away from Riddle's stern gaze. "However, your behavior during lunch is unacceptable for Heartslabyul dorm students. You will be rightfully punished." He didn't need a Queen of Heart's rule to know that it was basic etiquette to keep one's noise down while eating in a room with people doing the same, but there is a rule such as that. It is the Queen of Heart's rule #270, before Queen of Heart's rule #271, stating that 'One must leave the table within fifteen minutes of completing their lunch.'
Riddle realized his tightened grip and unfolded his arms. Why was he clutching his forearms so tightly? "Unfortunately, lunch is nearly coming to a close, so your punishment will be decided after school. You may leave to quietly walk to your next class."
At his dismissal, Ace and Deuce nearly tripped over their own feet to quickly put down their plates and throw their trash before hurrying after Yuu, completely disregarding the 'quietly' within Riddle's sentence.
Riddle resisted the urge to sigh as he walked back to Trey and Cater.
"Oooh, what's this I hear about Yuu having a secret admirer?" Cater pulled out his phone. He didn't intend to post gossip about the Prefect; it was more of a force of habit for him. "This is the first I've heard of this."
"Though, it would be surprising that they wouldn't already have more than one admirer." Trey decided to join in the discussion, his usual smile plastered on his face as the three of them began to walk out of the cafeteria. "Secret or not." Riddle visibly stiffened at his friend's words.
"For real, Yuu's just so adorbs!"
"It is disrespectful to talk about Prefect Yuu behind their back." Riddle quickened his pace to walk ahead of the two. Without looking back, he continued. "Get a move on, else you will be late for class, Cater, Trey."
"—Of course, Riddle"
"—Yes, yes, Housewarden!"
"Mx. Yuu," The mentioned Ramshackle Housewarden turned to the one who called, pulling their lab goggles off of their eyes and laying them on their head. Divus Crewel strutted to stand in front of them, his fluffy black and white coat swaying to keep up with his movements. "A word, if you will."
"Of course, Professor Crewel," Yuu obediently nodded. They turned to Deuce, who was already staring at them. "You can go on ahead. Tell Ace and Grim that I'll catch them in the next class." The mentioned two had bound out of the room the moment Crewel dismissed the class, and so did the rest of the class, leaving Yuu and Deuce in the room alone with the Professor.
Deuce furrowed his brows and hesitated, but he eventually nodded, "... ok" Did he think they were in trouble?
When Yuu made sure Deuce walked out of the greenhouse to inform their other friends, they removed their goggles from their head, before following their teacher.
"Your Apocynaceae plant is growing exceedingly well, I must say." Crewel started when Yuu reached to where he was standing in front of a field of potted plants endemic only to Twisted Wonderland. The afternoon sun was shining above them, refracted by the glass of the greenhouse. "Very impressive, considering this is your first time cultivating such a species." He eyed them, but did not turn his head to face them. It was so he could gauge their reaction subtly.
"I had learned the basic principles of gardening in my home world." Was he suspicious that Yuu cheated?
Crewel hummed in response, "And your knowledge of potionology?"
"My world's education system had us learn chemistry." Yeah, he was suspecting them. The other students who saw Yuu's ranking during the exam gave them glares, and some went as far as calling them a cheater and starting a magic fight with them before Azul's anemones dragged the crowd away. Yuu was hurt by the names they called them—cheater, teacher's pet, principal's favorite—because they worked so hard and—
"What I mean to say is," Yuu stared at their Alchemy teacher, waiting for their possible deduction of points due to their alleged cheating. "overworked puppies tend to perform worse in the long run." Divus had said the words so uncharacteristically gently that it threw Yuu off guard.
"I..." They blinked when Divus finally turned to face them, the tip of his pointer resting on the palm of his hand. "I'm sorry, Professor Crewel, what?"
"The gardener reported seeing you constantly tending to your plant every day, before and after classes. That alone would be okay. However, they reported to have seen you doing so even in the middle of the night." He knitted his eyebrows, his usual stern voice back so soon. Yuu was questioning themselves if his previous tone was a fabric of their imagination. "I applaud your hard work and diligence, but the longer you work yourself this way, the easier it is for you to burn out... And puppies who collapse due to exhaustion is far too troubling."
"I'm..." They were confused. "I apologize for making you worry, Professor Crewel." Yuu bowed, hiding their frown by closing their eyes. "I will... try not to take on more work than I am able."
"That's not enough." Yuu straightened at his words, eyes widened a fraction in surprise. But Divus continued, head held high and unfazed by their reaction. "I want to hear you say that you will not exhaust yourself past your limit."
"Professor Crewel, there's no need—" Yuu cut their sentence short when Divus lowered his eyebrows in response. "Th-Then... I will... try not to overwork myself from now on."
"Good dog! Now, go." Yuu nodded and turned to leave. Frowning in confusion at the exchange they just had with the teacher.
"I must be honest, Mx. Yuu, I didn't expect you to visit again so soon." The little garden helper tries to keep up with the Ramshackle Dorm Prefect, voicing out their concern. "Your Apocynaceae project is in good hands, if that is what brings you here."
"I'm sorry to have made you so concerned." They looked down and smiled apologetically at the elfling. "I just came here as a force of habit, don't worry." As if to prove a point, they kept their eyes on the garden helper as their legs walked them through the greenhouse, muscle memory underway.
"Is that so?" The gardener hesitated when they arrived at their destination, and Yuu crouched in front of the pots of Apocynaceae plants. "Then, if you need any help, I will be by the Subtropical Zone. You can call on me anytime, Mx. Yuu"
"I will."
The little garden helper scurried along and past other foliage to cross to the other side of the greenhouse.
Yuu turned their attention back to the rows of their potted projects. Their eyes skimmed through the labels etched on the pots with magic until they landed on the one with their name. They duck-walked their way closer and reached a hand to caress a leaf.
"Oh dear," Yuu mumbled, brushing a thumb on the base of the stem of the plant to move the dirt and get a better look at the odd coloring. "I took a day—wait, no, half a day—of a break from visiting you, and you show early signs of discoloration. Did I pamper you too much?" Their project was the biggest and most foliaged among their class, a result of Yuu's great care and effort. "Did I overwater you?"
Yuu was about to go and gather the necessary materials to help with the discoloration, but they stopped when they realized they did not know what was wrong—this type of plant problem was far different from what occurs in Yuu's home world—so they crouched back down.
So noisy.
Leona lazily opens his eyes as he props up his elbow and sits himself upright. That herbivore is so noisy. He was familiar with the voice that spoke through the silence of the botanical garden.
He woke up with the sound of the gardener's hops, but Yuu's voice kept him up when he tried to go back to sleep. He kept his eyes closed even as the Prefect started to talk to their plant. Normally, he would be angry at anyone who would disrupt his sleep, but in this case, he couldn't help but be amused at Yuu.
He stood up and couldn't be bothered to dust his clothes off as he walked around a wall of foliage. Leona saw Yuu with their chin propped on their folded arms that rested on their knees. He saw that Yuu was crouching, and he wondered if they didn't want to sit on the dirty ground.
"You're here, again." He said. It wasn't a question nor an exclamation of surprise; it was a statement. He wasn't confused, and he especially wasn't surprised to see Yuu in the botanical garden... again. He scratched his head, as if frustrated to see them here ... again. "How many times does the elf have to explain that you don't have to keep comin' here for your plant."
Yuu looked up at the Savanaclaw Housewarden. "Hello, Housewarden Leona." Was all they said before they shifted their attention back to the plant in front of them.
Their bluntness suddenly irked Leona, and he huffed as he nudged Yuu's shoulder to lose balance and sit on their butt. "Wha—" Yuu wasn't able to finish their word before Leona laid his head down... on their lap.
"This is fun and all, for you, but I still have to tend to my project."
Yuu drummed their finger on his forehead, before they moved to tap on either of his cheek. He refused to budge even as Yuu kept tapping on his face.
"... Do ya' like that type of sappy stuff?"
He spoke out of the blue that it caught Yuu off guard. They took a moment to process what he had just said, but they couldn't understand what he was referring to. "What do you mean?" They stopped poking him, and their fingers began to comb through Leona's hair. It had a lot of tangles, especially around the area of his braids.
He also took a while to respond, and Yuu wondered if he was offended at them touching his mane. "The flowers, and the letter." Leona frowned, and seemed displeased to say it out loud as he spat his words out. It clicked in Yuu's mind. His attitude towards it amused them, and they let out a small chuckle. They noticed how Leona's eyebrows relax.
"So you've heard. I didn't think this was that big of a deal that it made THE Kingscholar of Night Raven College speak up about it." Leona made no comment at that, and it prompted Yuu to continue. "Do I like that kind of gesture..." They trailed off.
When Yuu first arrived in the world of Twisted Wonderland, they were scared. They were taken away from their home, and brought into an entirely new and dangerous world of magic. They were scared, but they hid it behind a mask of confusion.
Yuu was in good graces with the Headmage, and they used that connection to rebuild Ramshackle Dorm and access the library of Night Raven College. Yuu had no time to enjoy the things they once did; if they weren't saving the Housewardens and Jamil from overblots, they would be busy doing homework and learning the principles and mechanics of the world of Twisted Wonderland.
They were busy surviving.
"As long as it doesn't hurt anyone, then I'm okay with it." Yuu finally answered. They almost jolted when they lowered their head and met Leona's scrutinizing eyes. They let out an awkward chuckle at the intensity of his gaze. "Is there something on my face?"
Leona only huffed and sat up and off of Yuu's lap. They blinked at his actions but soon recovered and was about to tend to their plant again when they heard the shuffle of Leona's clothes, then the rustle of leaves, before a distinct snap of a plant stem. "?! Housewarden Leona—" When Yuu turned their head to see what made that noise that could make any gardener cry, a flower was pushed in front of their face, making their head move back to avoid being smacked.
The Savanaclaw Dorm Leader raised his free hand to hover above his yawning mouth. He was sleepy and wanted to go back to sleep, yet here he was, standing on his feet and extending to Yuu a beautiful golden six-petaled flower that he had randomly plucked from a poor student's plant.
They wanted to refuse, but thinking that they could no longer graft the bloomed bud back onto its stem—with how merciless the Kingscholar prince did to cut it off— and that Leona would throw it away if they said no, Yuu accepted. They wrapped their fingers around the stem with such grace that Leona wondered if they played any musical instruments.
Yuu sighed and brought the 'gift' closer for them to notice that it was from a kind of plant that one of the students from Class 1-C was cultivating. "... Thank you, Leona." Their words were genuine, he could tell, truly touched by his gesture. "But maybe don't pick your bouquet from here next time?"
Butterflies thought to be hunger. Leona can only look smug in response.
Sebek was walking, with a purpose, it seems, as his head whips from side to side to search for something... or someone. He briskly walks through the doors of the library, the first place on campus where he expects to find them after, of course, their dorm. He doesn't look at the tables of the reading area in the library, which should be the first place to look for someone who frequents the place, but he knows better. He goes straight to the shelves of books pertaining to History and Magic Mechanics.
"Human!" He yelled, and immediately received loud shushes from the library goers. The one whom he called on flinched a little at the volume of his voice that sliced through the once silent air, but moved the book they were reading away from their face and looked down to meet Sebek's green eyes.
"Oh, hi Sebek." The boy still had to get used to someone other than his Young Master, Master Lilia, and rival Silver greeting him so casually. Yuu propped up their elbow, and they leaned their cheek on their hand so as not to strain their neck to look down at the loud Diasomnia student. "Do you need something from me?" They assumed, because they had already gone through the topic of Yuu's safety and comfortability laying on the empty topmost shelf a hundred times already, so it couldn't be about that.
Sebek's gaze lowered to read the book that was in Yuu's other hand. Though three of their fingers slightly obscured the text on the cover, with one of their fingers used as a temporary bookmark within the pages, he could still make out the title of the book. Paging Through Time: The Valley of Thorns ‖ Dallas McKennon. "That is a fantastic book choice, human!" He grinned, remembering the book to be the same one his Master Lilia introduced to him when he was younger. "The author is reputable for having accurate depictions of the History of the Valley of Thorns." He now made sure to be more considerate to the other people in the library, having lowered the volume of his voice when he spoke.
"But I digress," Sebek shook his head, and he looked up at Yuu smiling gently at him. "I would like to have a word with you related to the recent news I heard about you having an anonymous admirer." He could not miss their soft smile morphing into a teasing smirk, a mischievous glint in their eyes—not unlikely to be taken from the more troublesome friends they have—and he suddenly lost a part of his composure. "Th-That's mainly because if Young Master finds out a friend of mine had a dangerous partner, he would surely refuse my service!"
"Shhhh!"
"So you admit we're friends." That...
Sebek pursed his lips in embarrassment, red hueing his pale cheeks. He looked back up and demanded, trying not to seem as less composed as he was. "Just come down, human!" He was not expecting Yuu's next course of action, though.
"Alright, catch me." Wait, what? Before he could ask for clarification on their words, they laid the book that they were holding down before rolling on their side and off of the shelf. Sebek's eyes widened and his arms shot out to extend. He takes a step and a half forward, and Yuu lands on his readied arms with a soft thud and shuffle of clothes. His heart was beating a mile a minute, and he tried to slow it down by taking deep breaths. He regains his normal pulse rate and whips his head down to scold at Yuu for their reckless and impulsive move. When they laugh, he shuts his mouth, and his mind goes blank for a moment. "Nice catch, oh great knight." All he could do now was sigh.
Dire Crowley served as a father figure for Yuu as they continued to live in Twisted Wonderland. It was unspoken, of course, because neither of the two would like to admit it. He visits them once every two weeks—one week if Crowley decides to rope Yuu into helping with his paperwork—and provides them with a sufficient allowance to last them for a month. Oh, such pleasant displays of graciousness from the Headmaster!
During his most recent visit, however, Crowley let himself in when no one came to the door. He noticed a peculiar empty basket on top of the Ramshackle lounge's coffee table, and a particularly noisier Grim in the kitchen. He went to see what the source of Grim's exclamations was, and sure enough, Yuu was with him. Or perhaps should it be, Grim was with Yuu? Anyway, the two have their backs turned to Crowley, and he couldn't see what they were huddling around for from where he was standing at the archway of the kitchen.
"Mya-ha! Finally, something useful!" Grim cheered, punching his paws in the air in glee.
"They said it was because they thought I should spend my money on myself and not on—and I quote—'your blue-flamed cat'." Crowley could see a little over Yuu's shoulder, and as he walked closer, he could see that Yuu was holding and reading... a letter?
"WHAT?! I ain't no cat!" Grim was offended, but it soon faded when Yuu gently put down what they were holding and reached to get a can from the stacks in front of them. They opened the lid and placed the tuna in front of him. "Your secret admirer's got the Great Grim's seal of approval!" And all because he got them tuna.
"SECRET ADMIRER?!" The two Ramshackle Dorm residents in front of Crowley jolted at his exclaim, both of them turning to face behind them.
"Wh-Where'd you come from?!" Grim was the first to speak after their little scare, pointing accusingly at the Headmage.
The Headmaster did not react to Grim's rude gesture, too shocked as his gaze roamed from the stacks of tuna cans partially wrapped in cloth and the piece of paper on the kitchen counter. Grim said it was from Yuu's secret admirer, but Crowley is confused as all he sees in front of him are tuna cans meant for Grim. "Would someone care to elaborate on this..." He refused to repeat himself and say the words again, so he vaguely gestured at the counter in front of him.
.
.
.
"I see, I see. Well, my dear Yuu has become the center of attention a myriad of times throughout the school year. It was only a matter of time before someone gathered enough audacity—I mean, courage to profess their admiration." Crowley had coughed midsentence, and it was apparent to either of the Ramshackle Dorm residents that it was fake. "But, oh, I had not anticipated it to happen so soon!" His tears were as false as his woe.
"Anyway, is there some way to know who's been sending me stuff in baskets?" Yuu had asked, and Crowley's attention was back on them after raising his head from his hands. "I don't think I can continue to accept free stuff without knowing who to thank." And, internally, Yuu doesn't think they've done anything remarkable to be gifted to and admired in the first place. They thought of making it up to the anonymous person by gifting them in exchange for the trouble they'd spent preparing the baskets.
Their question made Crowley cup his chin and hum in thought. "I suppose it is a little suspicious for a Night Raven College student to give and not receive in return." That wasn't what Yuu had said, but he did make a valid point. "Very well, I will look into the matter, because I am so kind!" He smiled and gestured grandly to emphasize his words.
"Thank you, Headmaster." Yuu bowed their head, before prying Grim away from eating his 20th can of tuna.