The school store is a lot bigger than Deuce was expecting. Beyond that, it carries so many items that he's never seen before. Crystal skulls, magical text…
"What sort of animal is this?" Hard to say, when he can't even figure out what it is that he's looking at.
"Waaah…" Grim props himself on top of Yuu's head. "Can we really find some fresh cream here?"
"Who knows, who knows~?" Yuu is too busy looking over the list to give a proper answer. "Do you know?"
He barely even blinks at the dark-skinned young man that had suddenly appeared before them. He stands at a height far taller than them, with magenta-colored eyes and black-and-purple hair that's styled into dreads. He has such a welcoming smile on his face, for someone who just scared the living daylights out of Grim.
"Hey there little demons—what can I help you with?" he greets them enthusiastically. "Welcome to Mr. S's Mystery Shop. I'm Sam, the owner of this shop. What can I get for you today?"
He reaches into his maroon-colored blazer and pulls out a small trinket that he quickly shoves into Deuce's hand.
"A charm for uncharted lands?" Sam turns to Yuu and holds up a mirror to his face. "An ancient king's mirror? Or maybe…"
The mirror in his hands disappears in a puff of smoke, soon replaced with a deck of cards that he quickly shuffles.
"Some cursed tarot cards?"
It's all too much for Deuce to process all at once. Not helping is how handsome he finds Sam's face—shit, he's staring.
"Um…" Deuce averts his gaze, a prominent blush soon spreading across his face.
"Do you have these things?" Yuu holds out the list to Sam.
Sam takes the paper from him, reading it over as magic continues to shuffle the deck behind him. "Would this be all?"
"And some canned tuna!" Grim pipes up, holding a paw up in the air.
"N-No!" Deuce quickly reacts. "We will not buy any canned tuna!"
"We still have some at home, silly!" Yuu reaches up to tap Grim on the nose. "I'll give you some when we get back."
"You little demons sure have a sweet line-up!" Sam snaps his fingers, the deck quickly disappearing in a puff of smoke. "OK! Coming right up!"
It takes him a few minutes to return with everything that they need. Where he left, Deuce doesn't know—Sam had disappeared as easily as he reappeared, without anyone noticing him. It's rather eerie, and if he wasn't so distracted by how attractive he found Sam, then Deuce would have actually been unnerved.
Instead, he has a mess of feelings that he has to work out because what the actual fuck.
"I didn't ask for this." Deuce also didn't ask for a special bag to carry all of these things, which is why he turns down Sam's offer when he mentions that he can throw it in at a discount. "W-We're good!"
They have enough things as is, and only enough money to cover those costs. It's a shame, but oh well.
"Maybe next time!" Yuu suggests, earning a smile from Sam.
"Looking forward to it, little demons!" He waves at them as they leave his shop with their bags in tow.
…
…
"You're so stingy, Deuce!" Grim hisses, his paws pressing down on Yuu's head.
"Stingy?!" Deuce glares at Grim, who only averts his gaze. Just like a child throwing a fit…
"Calm down, calm down!" Yuu tries to dissuade them from fighting, stopping only to adjust his hold on his bags. "Ehehe, these are pretty heavy, huh?"
"I imagine so, since you're carrying the bag with canned fruits." Deuce knows that Yuu is a lot stronger than he appears, and yet…that still doesn't stop him from saying, "Let me hold that for you."
"Are you sure?" Yuu tilts his head, his eyes closing shut when Grim's paw suddenly presses down on his nose. "You're already carrying so much."
"It's fine." Deuce waves off his concern. "I'm used to carrying heavy stuff. My mom always buys a lot during sales, so I end up helping her with the bags."
"Oh, I know how that feels!" Yuu responds all too quickly, catching himself by surprise. "Feel…? Huh."
That's new.
"You also help out at home?" Deuce tries to keep the conversation going, as it's the only thing he seems to have in common with Yuu. He still knows so little about him, beyond what he's already seen. "I'm the only man in the household, so I'm used to doing hard labor…ah—I'm sorry. I keep talking about myself."
This is turning into a one-sided conversation…
"It's fine, it's fine!" Yuu reassures him with a smile on his face. "I like hearing you talk! In fact—I think it's really sweet that you care about your mom!"
"That's…That's not true at all." The guilt still lingers so strongly, in ways that almost make Deuce feel sick. "I always…"
The truth almost comes out, but something interrupts him—it's a hard shove that makes him drop one of his bags.
"Aaugh!" His eyes go wide at the sound of eggs cracking. "Ahhh!"
"The eggs!" Grim shrieks.
"We just bought those!" Yuu whines childishly.
Deuce grabs the bag to quickly look over the damage. "Shit—all of the eggs in the carton are broken! There's egg all over the bag…!"
"Hey! Watch where you're—wait…" A dark-skinned student with silver hair stops to look at them. He looks awfully familiar, for reasons that only click when he points a finger at Yuu. "You're the little asshole who ruined the egg in my carbonara during lunch today!"
"Damn, we just can't get a break, huh?" The red-haired student next to him laughs.
"You broke our eggs!" Yuu stomps his foot on the ground.
"Well, now you know how it feels." The silver-haired student grins. "Maybe you should let him bite you while we're at it."
"We can call it even after that!" says the redhead a bit too eagerly.
"Don't you even dare!" Deuce pushes Yuu behind himself. "This is between you and me—you're the ones who bumped into me, after all."
Yuu has nothing to do with this, beyond his actions during lunch. And even then…
"It's not like you couldn't eat your egg!" It was still on his plate, while the eggs that they bought are completely unusable. "It doesn't even compare to what you did to our carton of eggs!"
"Yeah, that's right!" Grim taps his paws on Yuu's head. "They're completely destroyed!"
"And?" The silver-haired student places his hand on his hip. "You sayin' it's my fault?"
"Yes," Deuce answers immediately. "Now pay us back for the eggs—and please apologize to the chickens."
"Chickens?" Yuu tilts his head to the side. "I didn't seen any chickens…"
"He's talking about the eggs, idiot!" Grim presses his paw down forcefully on Yuu's head. "Get a clue!"
"They were gonna make us a delicious tart instead of becoming a chick…" It's infuriating to Deuce that this had all been a waste.
"Haaaah~?" The red-haired student grins. "You sure are making such a huge fuss over a bunch of eggs."
"It didn't even hit the ground, so you can still eat it!" The silver-haired student barks out a laugh. "You're making a big deal over nothing!"
"We even saved you the trouble of breaking them!" the red-haired student remarks, laughing afterwards with his silver-haired companion.
"That's not how it works!" Yuu wants to say, but is stopped by Deuce himself. He mutters something under his breath, prompting Yuu to go, "Huh?"
"This ain't something to laugh about!" It's embarrassing how easy it is for Deuce to drop the goody two-shoes façade. Of course, it's the last thing on his mind as he can only focus on how pissed off he is. "You ain't got any other choice but to apologize for something that's your fault! Do you understand me, huh?!"
His voice is loud, with an audible growl that's all too threatening for the other two students.
"Wh-What's with him all of a sudden…?!" The red-haired student cowers under Deuce's gaze.
"If you don't wanna pay for the eggs you broke…" Deuce starts cracking his knuckles, his face contorting into a severe scowl. "Then I'll just have to beat the shit out of you for every egg you broke! Grit your teeth, assholes!"
He barely gives them any room to react, throwing the first punch at the silver-haired student. His fist collides with his face with enough force to send him flying. The red-haired student can only watch in shock, reacting only when it's his turn to get hit.
THUD!
"Holy crap…!" Grim's eyes are wide with shock.
"Woooww!" Yuu is impressed at first…and then the scuffle goes on for far longer than it should, prompting them to react. "H-Hey—that's enough!"
Deuce will get in trouble with Crowley if he catches him in the act. That's the last thing they need after yesterday's fiasco.
"C'mon!" Yuu has to physically pull Deuce away from the two, who are all too willing to throw money at them as they yell their apologies to the chickens before fleeing from the scene.
"Apologize a hundred times the next time you eat eggs!" Deuce holds up his fist in the air. "Dumbasses!"
"Calm down—they're gone already!" There's no need for him to be so angry anymore. "We're fine—see?"
It takes a moment, but Deuce eventually snaps out of it.
"Geez…" Grim heaves out a sigh.
"I…I did it again." Deuce closes his eyes, his head hanging low in shame. "I promised myself that I'd be a model student for sure, this time…and yet!"
It all spills out before he has a chance to compose himself, the guilt far too much for him to keep quiet.
"I was very different when I was in middle school…I always skipped class, and I got into fights every single day. I disrespected my teachers and hung around a bad crowd of upperclassmen…" He stops for a moment to grab a lock of his hair. This color… "Even my hairstyle was a lot wilder back then."
It took so long for him to dye his hair back to its usual navy color… Of course, he always knew it wouldn't be that easy to walk away from his past. Especially since…
Since…
"I…I even used my magic against others." The fact that he's stuck around Yuu as long as he has… "I was a horrible person who used magic on even those who couldn't it."
Against people who were just like Yuu…
"I'm sorry—I know I shouldn't be apologizing to you, but…" Deuce still feels so terrible for allowing these feelings of guilt to influence the way he's acted around Yuu. He should have been more genuine instead… "You don't deserve to be treated this way."
To be used in a way that eases his own guilt…
"Hmm…" Yuu furrows their brow. It's kind of annoying to process all of this, but… "Thanks for telling me, Deuce—but I honestly don't care about that."
"Haaa?" Deuce wasn't expecting that.
"What matters now is that you're learning!" Yuu explains, giving Deuce a slight poke in the stomach. "And maybe you just wanted to make yourself feel better by being nice to me, but…there has to be more than that, you know?"
Otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten this far. It would have all fallen apart earlier if that was the case…
"We're friends now!" Whether Deuce wants to admit it or not. "And as your friend, I'll be there to help you move forward! It's not going to be easy, but it's better than trying to forget about the past."
"I-I see…" So that's how it is. "Then…friends?"
Yuu only nods their head, causing of surge of warmth to surface in Deuce's face.
"Friends…" To think that he would actually make a friend…
"So why'd you change?" Grim looks questioningly at Deuce. "You didn't tell us everything, did you?"
"N-No…" And Deuce would have kept it to himself if he didn't feel so comfortable around Yuu. "It happened one night—I saw my mom crying as she talked to my grandma. She was questioning where she went wrong in raising me, thinking that she failed as a single mother…but that's not true! None of it was her fault. Everything was my fault."
Just like the chandelier…
"When the black carriage from the prestigious Night Raven College came to pick me up, my mom was so happy…" The memory is still fresh in his head. "I decided then that I never wanted to make her cry again. So I tried to become a model student that even my mom can be proud of, but…it's just too difficult."
It's hard standing by, just letting things happen him and those that are around him.
"Hmm…" Grim gives Deuce a rather scrutinizing look. He still doesn't know what to make of him, after hearing all that, but… "I don't think enduring all of that is part of being a model student."
"Even model students can get angry sometimes!" Yuu nods their head, pausing for a moment to get serious. "But don't overdo it, okay?!"
"I see…" Deuce feels a wave of relief wash over him, leaving him feeling somewhat lightheaded. "Then…I guess those little chicks will probably feel at ease now, too, huh?"
That comment alone catches Yuu's attention. Is that what he meant by chickens? Then… "Uhh, Deuce? Those eggs aren't fertilized—they don't turn into chicks."
"Eeeehhh?! Are you freakin' kidding me?!" Of all the things to find out now! "Aahhh, I must look like an idiot…!"
"Yep!" Grim refuses to hold back his punches.
"Ugh…" Deuce hangs his head low, his face feeling far too hot for comfort. He can feel Yuu's hand patting his back reassuringly. "Please don't look at me."
"There, there…" Yuu says calmly. "We all make mistakes."
This is seriously too embarrassing…
…
…
"Oh, they're finally back!" Ace comments as soon as he sees Deuce, Yuu, and Grim enter the kitchen. "What took you guys so long?"
Deuce refuses to respond, so Yuu answers in his place. "Talking!"
Which isn't far from the truth, as Sam had a few questions to ask Yuu. But that's a different topic for another day.
"Let's just get this over with, shall we~?" Trey feels that any longer, and they'll overstay their welcome in the Heartslabyul kitchen. With a wave of his pen, Trey's magic gets everything started. "Just keep up with me, yeah?"
"Y-Yeah!" Deuce nods his head.
"Looks like you're stuck whipping this cream with me, huh?" Ace looks at Yuu, who is far too eager to get started. "Geez, does nothing faze you?"
Yuu pauses for a moment and then replies, "Spiders."
"Seriously?" That's so predictable! "You're such a wimp."
It's actually rather cute…
Their combined efforts speed up the process, and within half an hour, they finish making the tarts. There is one giant marron tart, and a few smaller ones left out for them to taste for themselves. Trey is quite pleased with the sight, carefully dusting the tops with powdered sugar.
"Finished!" Grim and Ace exclaim, with Deuce wearily saying it himself.
"Did something happen while you were out?" Now that Ace thinks about it, there's something up with Deuce.
"Chick shock!" Yuu laughs, catching Ace completely by surprise.
He knows next to nothing about it and when he turns to Deuce, all he can hear is a, "Just what the hell did I believe in for sixteen years…?"
"Uuuugh, whatever!" Ace is too tired for this shit. "Who knew that making desserts would take this long? I'm so tired…"
"At least we're done!" No more chestnuts to peel, nor cream to whip! Yuu is absolutely done and ready to pass out—maybe now. "Hhh…"
"H-Hey—don't just drop like that!" Ace catches Yuu before he falls to the floor. "Geez…"
"Aww did Yuu-chan tire himself out?" Cater makes his appearance, taking note of the tarts that he sees. "Ohh, nice work~! This is totes MagiCammable!"
Ace barely even reacts to the flash of Cater's camera. He heaves out a sigh, his left eye twitching slightly at the drool that started to cover his arm. "C'mon—don't be gross."
"Zzzz…" Yuu furrows their brow in response to the finger that suddenly flicks their forehead. "Ehhh…"
"Where the hell have you been?" Ace turns his attention to Cater.
"Just came to see how my cute little underclassmen were doing!" And snap a few photos while he was at it! "You all look so tired!"
It's quite the understatement, considering that Yuu has since passed out from exhaustion.
"Doing things you're not used to can be tiring." Trey adjusts his glasses. "Some sweets should be able to fix that. Let's try our freshly-made marron tart!"
"Oi…wake up." Ace flicks Yuu on the forehead for a second time, their eyes immediately snapping open. "It's time to eat."
"Ffffnnmmmm…" Yuu rubs their eyes. "Imma…eat."
"Here you go!" Cater swoops in to hand Yuu a tart. "Enjoy~!"
"Omm…" They don't even hesitate to take a bite out of the tart. "Mmm!"
"Are these tarts the only reason you came here?" Ace narrows his eyes at Cater, who only smiles at him.
"Maybe~!" Cater winks playfully at him. "I'm not gonna reveal all my secrets!"
Flash!
As usual, Yuu never fails to be photogenic, even when making a mess as they eat. Trey shakes his head as he reaches out to wipe their face with a napkin.
"Take it easy—there's enough for everyone…" Yet again, Trey is reminded of such heart-wrenching memories. Really, just what made Yuu like this?
"It's just so sweet and good~!" Grim cries out, his pupils dilating. "I can taste all the chestnuts!"
"It's definitely better than the ones you buy in a store!" Deuce is surprised that he actually helped make these.
"You certainly did a good job!" Cater nods his head. "Hey, hey—Trey-kun! Do the thing!"
"That?" Trey turns to Cater. "Oh…I see."
"What're you talking about?" Ace asks with his mouth full of tart.
"What are your favorite foods?" Trey asks, making sure to take note of them for future references.
Ace blinks and then swallows. "Mine's cherry pie and hamburger."
"Mine is canned tuna!" Grim pipes up. "Oh, and cheese omelets and grilled meat and pudding and—"
It's hard for Grim to just pick one, when everything else is just too good.
"If I were to choose…omurice." Deuce wipes his mouth.
"Mine's grilled lamb with diablo sauce!" Cater is far too eager to answer.
"Kinoko gohan…" Yuu doesn't know where that came from, but something about it…feels right. Yeah…it's right! "Extra mushrooms!"
"Alright, here we go!" Trey waves his hand. "Doodle Suit!"
There is a burst of magical energy that comes and goes, doing nothing particularly visible. It's only when Trey encourages them all to take another bite out of their tarts that the difference is soon noticed.
"This is a marron tart…but I can taste cherry pie!" Ace's eyes widen.
"It tastes like tuna!" Grim cheerfully exclaims, his pupils dilating even more when the taste suddenly changes. "Now it's cheese omelet! And grilled chicken! Pudding!"
"Isn't it interesting?" Cater holds up his index finger. "Dontcha thing this will impress girls at a tea party?"
Cater certainly thinks so.
"The texture's weird, but the taste is good." Yuu still prefers eating the actual meal itself…but this isn't too bad. "Ehehe."
"Is changing a food's flavor your unique magic, Clover-senpai?" It might not seem like much to others, but to Deuce, it's already quite impressive.
"To be more precise, it's magic that 'overwrites a component,'" Trey explains. "It's not just taste, but also color and smell—anything, really. But it's only temporary, Kind of like a sketch. Hence the name, Doodle Suit."
Ahh…Yuu has cream on their face again. How messy…
"Having an all-you-can-eat canned tuna wouldn't be a dream anymore with your Doodle Suit magic!" It's the first thing that pops into Grim's head. "It's so much better than that magic Riddle uses to bully people…"
"No…my magic is merely a toy when compared to the Dorm Leader." Trey's tone is no longer so lighthearted as he continues to wipe Yuu's face with a napkin. "Our levels are just too different…alright! It's gotten late. Let's give this tart to the Dorm Leader tomorrow."
Trey stops for a moment to ruffle Yuu's hair. It's an affectionate gesture, for all the trouble they've put him through just now.
"Make sure to brush your teeth," he says, turning his attention to the others. "Tomorrow is the Unbirthday Party, so don't be late!"
"Hey, Prefect—can I sleep over again?" Ace asks unabashedly. "I don't think this mean senpai will let me back in just yet."
"Ahh, so prickly!" Of course, Cater won't hesitate.
"Of course!" Yuu doesn't mind sharing a bed again.
"Don't force the Prefect to spoil you too much!" Deuce scolds Ace, who only clicks his tongue.
"If you want to stay, then pay up ten cans of tuna!" That comment alone earns Grim a light tap to his nose.
"Be nice!" Yuu puffs up their cheeks.
"Yeah, don't make me sleep outside." That won't be any fun…
"Then Deuce—why don't you stay over to keep an eye on Ace?" Trey suggests. "I give you permission as Vice Dorm Leader."
"Aren't you being too soft on them, Trey-kun?!" Ahh, now Cater wants to join in on the fun, too! "Heey, Yuu-chan~! Can I stay with you guys, too?"
"Denied," Trey's response is instantaneous.
"Wah, how mean!" So much for that…
"Maybe next time!" Yuu tries to reassure Cater. "I don't think there's enough room in my bed for one more person."
"Ahh, you're certainly making quite the reputation for yourself!" Cater winks playfully at Yuu, who only winks back at him. "So innocent~!"
He can tell that they have no idea what he's trying to jokingly imply.
"I apologize for leaving these two in your care again." Although, in Trey's opinion, it might just be for the best… "We'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay~!" Yuu links their arms with Deuce and Ace, pulling them closer to themselves. "Let's gooo!"
Grim quickly follow suits, purposely using Ace as leverage to jump onto Yuu's shoulder. He sticks out his tongue at Ace, who only scowls at him. He tries to say something, but is stopped by Yuu as they suddenly start running.
"H-Hey—slow down!"
"No can do!"
"Ahhh!"
"How cute, how cute~!" Cater is quite glad that he managed to catch all of that on camera. Ahh, what a cute video to post on Yuu's MagiCam account… "Ah, more comments."
What fun.
"Try not to go overboard." Trey adjusts his glasses, letting out a tired sigh afterwards. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day."
Hopefully, things go well for them…
…
…
As far as sleepovers go, Deuce feels like things could be better. Instead, he's stuck in a game of Old Maid with Ace and Grim, because Yuu has long since passed out. He is currently sleeping peacefully on the bed, completely unaware of the chaos going on between the three of them. Of course, it's mainly between Ace and Deuce, as Grim has a terrible poker face when he has the Joker card…
The game could have gone on longer for another hour, but then the ghosts that live in this dorm forced them to go to sleep by suddenly cutting off the power in the room.
"Dibs on this side." Ace refuses to sleep next to Deuce.
"Yeah, yeah…" Deuce feels similarly as he takes his place on the side opposite of Ace.
Yuu sleeps in between them, providing a reasonable barrier for the two to keep their distance, with Grim soon making his presence known as he hisses at the two of them to put more space between themselves and Yuu. Not that it actually matters, come the morning…
Deuce stares blankly at the ceiling as Ace breathes directly into his ear. Sometime during the night, Yuu had rolled over Deuce and now sleeps to his left, allowing Ace to move closer to him in his sleep. The two are especially close to him, with Grim currently weighing his chest down with his weight.
"Is this what sleepovers are like?" Deuce doubts it, as this doesn't sound like anything he's heard from the people he hung around in middle school. He wonders how much longer he'll allow this to go on…and then Yuu starts drooling on him. "Okay—that's it."
Deuce decides that now is a good time as any to wake everyone up…starting by shoving Ace off the bed.
THUD!
"What the hell?!" Ace's reaction is instantaneous as his head pops up the side of the bed. "Hey—why are you in the middle?"
"The Prefect rolled over." And right now, Deuce is currently in the middle of peeling him off of his arm. "Hey—wake up!"
"Mmmmm…!" His attempts to wake up Yuu only succeed in rousing Grim from his sleep. It really takes until he lets out a loud yawn for Yuu to finally respond.
"GGggggghhuhhh…" Yuu rubs at his eyes, still far too drowsy to speak coherently.
"C'mon—today's the Unbirthday Party." Deuce pinches Yuu's nose. "It's off with our heads if we're late."
"Aahhhh!" Yuu finally opens his eyes. "Mmkay."
Knock! Knock!
"Ahh, someone's at the door." Ace lets out a loud yawn as he stretches out his arms. "I'll get it, I guess…"
Thud!
"Pfft, dumbass!" Ace barks out a laugh at the sight of Yuu falling out of bed. "Should be more careful."
"You're on the floor too!" Yuu exclaims.
"Yeah, cuz of Deuce." Ace will get his revenge…eventually.
"Good morning!" a chipper voice echoes through the empty hallways.
"Ahh, seems one of the ghosts opened the door." How convenient, Deuce thinks. "We should get going now."
"What about breakfast?" Grim continues stretching out his body.
"Food's provided at the party." Or so Deuce has heard—honestly, he barely remembers anything from the explanation. "We'll get something to eat there."
"The tarts!" Grim immediately perks up. "C'mon, Yuu—let's go, let's go!"
Yuu nearly falls back onto the floor as a result of Grim jumping onto his shoulder. He barely manages to maintain his balance…before promptly crashing into a wall.
"Don't hurt yourself." Ace decides to help out the Prefect—just a little. "You owe me after this."
Deuce is slowly starting to wonder if there's more to Ace than he lets on. He shrugs it off, deciding it isn't any of his business.
In the entrance, waits Cater, who has a wide smile on his face as he waves at them. "Did you enjoy your sleepover? Any pillow fights or card games I should know about?"
"Not much pillow fights to be had when there are only like two pillows." Which Yuu was hogging all to himself last night, but Deuce keeps that to himself.
"We did play cards, though." Ace lets out another yawn, quickly reaching out to pinch Yuu's nose. "Don't fall asleep."
"Ehhhh!" Yuu scrunches his face.
"Quick picking on the Prefect." Deuce lightly slaps Ace's hand.
"Yeah, yeah." Ace scoffs at Yuu's poor attempts to pinch his nose. "Higher, lower—that's my chest—yikes!"
Alright, that's enough!
"You sure are having fun!" Cater thinks it's oddly adorable, seeing Ace like this. "Ahh, youth!"
How he wishes to be part of it.
"Anyways—let's hurry and bring the tarts we made to apologize to Riddle-kun!" Time waits for no one, and Riddle will be especially furious if they're late. "Gotta hurry to the Unbirthday Party, boys~!"
Ace considers it an absolute miracle that they manage to make it to Heartslabyul without any issues, such as Yuu passing out on them. In fact, he manages to stay awake the entire time.
Thud!
Too bad his sense of balance is still shit.
"Oof, that look like it hurt!" says…Cater?
"Hey, what the hell?" Is Ace seeing things, or are there two Caters?
"D-Diamond-senpai?" Deuce is just as confused.
"Twins?" Yuu furrows his brow.
"Nope!" one of the Caters quickly responds. "I'm the only male sibling! This is just my unique magic, Split Card! I can make clones of myself using magic~!"
As if to prove his point, there are other copies of himself around the area, all busy doing different tasks around the area.
"That's' so cool, Paisen!" Yuu exclaims.
"Ahh, being praised by such a cute kohai~!" So this is what it's like to be a senpai! "I'm so happy!"
"Is it that easy to win you over?" If that's the case, then Ace will make sure to use it to his advantage in the future.
"It really depends." Cater twirls a lock of his hair. "Anyways, I'm the real Cater! Cloning myself can get very tiring, so I don't want to prolong this."
There are still a few tasks left for him to finish…
"Come on, and give us a hand before we're late!" The faster they finish this, the better. "When we're done, I'll take you to Riddle-kun."
"Painting the roses red again?" Grim can smell the paint on Cater's body.
"Uh-huh!" Cater nods his head. "C'mon, c'mon—just follow me!"
"Not this again…" At least this time, Ace doesn't have to worry about getting kicked out again…
"H-How do we paint the roses red?" Deuce remembers seeing Cater use magic every so often to turn a rose red when he wasn't physically painting one.
"Just think about the color red when you use your magic on a white rose!" It's a simple as that. "For those who can't use magic—just make sure not to spill any paint."
"Okay!"
"Meh."
…
…
Ace watches enviously as Cater, Deuce, and Grim use their magic to turn the white roses red. He shifts his attention back to the rose he was painting and heaves out a sigh before dipping his brush back into the paint can. He pauses for a moment, reaching out to tap Yuu on the shoulder.
"You missed a spot." Ace knows he can reach it himself, but he'd rather watch Yuu struggle to do so instead. It's the only thing that takes his mind off this boringly mundane task. Just a little longer, and he'll have his magic back. "Just a little bit more…"
In the meantime, it's entertaining to watch Yuu try to paint a rose that's out of his reach. Really, he could stand to ask Ace if he'd like to borrow the ladder.
And yet, the thought escapes his mind until Ace offers to lend him the ladder instead.
"How clueless can you get?" Ace lightly pinches Yuu's cheek. "Be more perceptive!"
"Stoooppp!" Yuu whines childishly. "Take this!"
"Ahahahaa!" As expected, Yuu reacts exactly how Ace had expected. "So predictable!"
"Oi, oi—stop messing around!" Grim hisses.
"At this rate, you'll never get that collar off." Deuce shakes his head and sighs.
"You two can mess around as much as you want when we're done!" There's a teasing tone to Cater's voice, but it goes completely unnoticed as Ace hurries back to his task. "Wah, so serious!"
Well, it's to be expected, given their time limit and the circumstances involving Riddle… Really, there isn't much room for any of them to mess around. And yet, that still doesn't stop Cater from having one of his clones pull a small prank on Ace.
"Hey—who changed the paint to blue?!"
"Sorry, sorry! You left yourself wide open!"
Shockingly enough, all the roses are painted red without a single drop of paint being spilled. Deuce doesn't know how, but he's relieved nonetheless.
"That was hard work!" Grim allows himself to go limp in Yuu's arms, not even caring about the way they've started messing with his paw pads. He'll bite them later when they least expect it…
"Done, done~!" Yuu cheerfully sings. "Party, party~!"
"Speaking of which, it's almost time!" Cater raises his hand into the air. "C'mon, everyone—we're done for today!"
With one last "Aye-aye, sir!", all of Cater's clones disappear into puffs of smoke. There's a weary sigh that leaves Cater's mouth, though he quickly hides his exhaustion with a dazzling smile.
"Follow me!" He gestures at his underclassmen. "The fun's about to begin!"
Farther into Heartslabyul, there is a garden set aside specifically for teatime and parties. Students rush from left to right to ensure that every decoration is perfectly set into place. The tablecloths are white, and the roses are red.
Trey places a teapot in the center of the main table, stopping momentarily to carefully peer into the teapot. "Still asleep…"
A jar of jam sits by the teapot as a precaution, in case the dormouse inside the teapot wakes up. Hopefully, there isn't any need for it…
"Please let this Unbirthday Party go without any issues." Trey is growing concerned with the number of collars he sees on his fellow dormmates. "This is getting out of hand."
And yet, there is not a single thing he can say to Riddle as he watches him take his place in the extravagant heart-shaped chair that's at the center of the main table, just by the teapot.
"This truly is a perfect Unbirthday Party." Riddle nods his head in satisfaction.
Trey sighs inwardly in relief, far too happy to hear that comment from his Dorm Leader.
"Whoa! What's with the outfit?! He looks so cool!" And then there's this added element of unpredictability!
So much for easing Riddle into this…
"Please behave." A small bead of sweat rolls down Trey's face as he watches Yuu shush Grim.
"Uninvited guests, huh?" Riddle's eyes shift to the side. "I take it they've been informed already of the dress code?"
"Rest assured, Cater has it handled." Hopefully, Trey thinks to himself as he adjusts his glasses.
…
"The Heartslabyul dorm uniform is super cool, huh?" Of course, Cater thinks that Riddle's uniform is the coolest of them all, with its stylish heels and tiny crown. "The Queen of Hearts states that a dress code is necessary for party days, so it's time to get changed! I'll coordinate your clothes for you as a special service for today!"
It doesn't take Cater too long for him to use his magic to switch out their school uniforms with the Heartslabyul dorm uniform. He even switches out Grim's ribbon, replacing the tattered black-and-white striped fabric with a new one that resembles their uniform.
"Whoa…!" Deuce can't stop looking at himself. For once, he actually looks like a model student…
"Looking good, huh?" Ace likes what he sees, from the red vest to the checkered pattern on his blazer's left sleeve. Even the paint-splattered rose pinned to his chest isn't that bad. "Oh? I think you missed one."
Compared to their fancy uniforms, Yuu is still dressed in his totally drab clothes.
"Don't I get one?" Yuu frowns, feeling somewhat left out.
"Sorry, sorry—didn't mean to leave you out!" Cater smiles sheepishly at Yuu. "Just give me a moment to work on you!"
It's his first time coordinating an uninvited guest, after all. And while it uses the same amount of magic, the complexity is far different from the spell that he used for Ace, Deuce, and Grim. It's why he is unable to restrain his glee when he gets it right on the first try.
"Success~!" Cater exclaims, quickly snapping a photo with his camera. "Sorry about the outfit, but it's part of the Alice look!"
It's certainly a cute outfit, consisting of a light blue romper and a white apron, paired with striped stockings and heeled Mary Jane shoes. A black bow decorates the headband that Yuu now wears in their hair, adding a simple, yet stylish flourish to their outfit.
"In case of uninvited guests, one must look the part of the Queen's most infamous guest." Such are the laws of the Queen of Hearts. "Don't take it too personally—it's just for formality's sake."
And to keep Riddle from losing his temper. Speaking of which, he looks a lot more approachable now.
"Thanks, Paisen~!" Yuu can't stop shaking—they're just so happy. "Ahhh~, it's so cuuuute!"
"It's sure is rather girly." Ace is surprised with how well it suits Yuu. "Though, it's certainly better than what you were wearing before."
"Don't be mean." Deuce tries to flick Ace's forehead, only to get his hand slapped away.
"Nope!" Ace sticks out his tongue.
"Hey, hey—shouldn't we sit down?" Yuu asks, having noticed that Grim was already at the table. There are certainly a lot of empty seats at the table…maybe Riddle is lonely? There aren't that many people sitting by him… "Okay!"
Yuu has decided that they'll keep Riddle company.
"Didn't anyone tell him?"
"Only an Alice would be stupid enough to sit by the Red Ruler…"
"Well…it's only an Alice."
"Better him than us…"
Trey can already feel the years leaving his lifespan. Really, how could Cater forget to inform Yuu about the seating arrangement? Even if there is enough room at the table, one must always act as though that isn't the case. And yet, there Yuu is—sitting in the seat closest to Riddle. Grim soon joins them, not really caring much about Riddle, beyond the quiet hiss that leaves his mouth when their eyes meet.
"You are certainly living up to your role as Alice." Thankfully, this Unbirthday Party is still salvageable, so Riddle lets it slide (albeit begrudgingly). It's not like he can do anything about Yuu anyways, when they aren't even part of his dorm. "Try not to break any more rules, or you'll be forced to leave."
"But then you'll be lonely!" No one else wants to sit by Riddle, and Trey isn't really sitting down, so…
"I am not lonely," Riddle responds coolly. "This is just how it's supposed to be."
"As if anyone would want to sit next to this bully." Grim doesn't understand why Yuu even tries. "Oh?"
Did the teapot just move?
"Ignoring our rule-breaking Alice—you are now allowed to take your seats." Riddle does his best to remain calm, even though Yuu is already pouring tea into his teacup.
"The other teapot didn't have any tea!" Yuu is blissfully unaware of how annoying they are.
"You aren't supposed to disturb that teapot." Fortunately, it seems as though the dormouse is still asleep. "Try not to speak too loudly."
"Gotcha!" Yuu smiles widely as they reach for the sugar bowl. "How many cubes? Or do you want honey?"
Do they even have any honey? Ahh, where is it?
"It's in the jar by the jam," Trey answers, hoping that it will keep Yuu from making a mess, or worse—waking up the dormouse.
"Thanks!" Yuu hums happily to themselves as they stir the honey inside the jar. "Honey, honey~! Hi, honey!"
They're having far too much fun messing with the dipper to notice how quiet everything has gotten. No one dares to make any movements either—they're too invested in whatever mess that Yuu will get into next that could provoke Riddle.
Clink!
"Here you go!" Yuu holds out a teacup with its saucer.
"It has honey…" Riddle is supposed to drink lemon tea with two sugars…
"Did you want sugar instead?" Yuu frowns. "Or are you worried about the lemon tea? You haven't eaten anything yet, so it should be fine, right?"
"R-Right." Riddle clears his throat. How clumsy of him to forget… "Very well—I'll accept this."
It should be fine, even if Yuu is causing him so much distress.
"How do you like your tea?" Yuu asks Grim as they pour them a cup of tea.
"Milk and sugar!" Grim replies all too eagerly.
"Can you drink milk?" Yuu tilts their head to the side. "Hmm…well, if you want milk, then have milk!"
Grim should know better about what he can and can't eat, after all.
"You look really nice, by the way!" Yuu flashes Riddle a smile. "A very, merry unbirthday to you~!"
Ba-dump!
"What the…!" Riddle's eyes widen. "I…!"
Trey coughs into his hand. "Well…"
This is unexpected…
"Did Cater plan this?" Trey looks over to Cater, who only winks at him as he starts pouring tea into his cup.
"C'mon, c'mon—can't leave your cup empty!" he says, trying to encourage those that are around him.
Cater's words are effective in getting everyone to ease up. It's just enough for Ace to react without screaming when Cater jabs his elbow into his side.
"The tarts—go and take them to Riddle-kun while he's distracted." Cater gestures at the table that's full of food. "I had Trey-kun set them aside for you. Now go!"
He gives Ace a somewhat forceful shove, nearly knocking him out of his seat.
"Asshole…!" Ace swears under his breath. He turns to Riddle, who looks like he's seen better days, with the way Yuu keeps pushing his buttons. "Better now than never…"
…
…
"Um…Dorm Leader…?" Oh geez—Riddle's stare is quite intense.
"You're the first year that stole my tart." Riddle stares at the large tray in Ace's hands. "I assume you have the replacement?"
"Y-Yeah…I made a new batch of tarts as an apology for what I did." Ace sets down the tray on the table, nearly knocking over Grim's cup of tea.
"Hmm?" There are quite a lot of tarts, with one in particular being rather large… "Very well, though…just to be sure—what kind of tarts are these?"
"Thank you for asking!" Ace grins. "It's marron tart, made with lots of chestnuts!"
Ace is especially proud of his hard work, considering the time and effort that went into making these tarts (without magic, too!).
"Marron tart?!" Riddle stands up from his seat. "Y-You—how dare you!"
"Eeh?!" Ace takes a few steps back. "Wh-What did I do?!"
"Rule No. 562 of the Queen of Hearts: One must never bring marron tarts to an Unbirthday Party." Riddle slams his hand on the table. "Do you realize that you've committed such a serious violation?!"
"How many rules even are there?" That sounds like such a hassle to Yuu.
"810—I've memorized them all, too." Riddle is quite proud of it too. "As expected of a Dorm Leader."
"That's troublesome." Yuu would rather eat a tart than memorized so many rules. Speaking of which…
"What are you doing?" Riddle asks upon seeing Yuu reach out for a tart.
"I'm gonna eat a tart." It should be obvious, no? "I didn't eat breakfast, so I'm hungry."
Marron tarts don't make for a very good breakfast, but it's better than starving.
"Vargas-sensei said I should eat more." Which is why Yuu shoves an entire tart into their mouth. "Mmmm!"
It's just as tasty as ever.
"Unbelievable…" Riddle can't take his eyes off of Yuu. The nerve of this rulebreaker…!
"You want one?" Yuu notices that Riddle is staring. "There's enough to go around!"
Although, these marron tarts are meant for Riddle…oops.
"I'll make you a new one to replace the one I just ate, okay?" In the meantime… "Have one!"
Yuu holds out a marron tart to Riddle.
"Idiot…!"
"How can someone be so dense?!"
"Get that out of my face!" Riddle has done his best to put up with Yuu's antics, but this has gone on for too long. He slaps the tart out of Yuu's hand, watching as it falls to the ground.
"H-Hey!" Grim growls, his fur bristling. "What's the big idea?! It's just a tart!"
"Why are you getting so worked up about a tart?!" Ace blurts out, now that the shock has finally worn off.
"Sorry—this is my fault this happened…" Trey steps in, hoping to deescalate the situation. "Don't take it out on them."
"The problem isn't that you made them—it's that you brought them here!" Therefore, ruining such a perfect Unbirthday Party…and that's ignoring the issues that Yuu has been causing them.
"Why is there even a rule about tarts?!" There are so many rules, that they're starting to make Ace's head spin. "Augh, this is so stupid!"
"Stupid, you say?" Riddle narrows his eyes.
"R-Riddle-kun?" Cater decides to jump in, even though he'd rather not. "They're just first-years—go easy on them, yeah?"
"I said what I said!" Ace slams his hand on the table, knocking over a few teacups and a teapot. "I think it's stupid to throw away a tart because of a rule!"
He didn't put all that work and effort, just to see everything get thrown away because of a stupid rule he didn't even know about. The chestnuts that fell on him and the others…the spiky shells that he had to peel without magic—the whipped cream…!
"DON'T MESS WITH ME!" Ace is done letting Riddle walk all over him.
"Ah…a mouse." Yuu's sudden comment catches everyone by surprise.
"Oh no…!" Cater's eyes widened.
"The dormouse is awake!"
"It's escaping!"
"Get the jam!"
A tiny dormouse scurries across the table, having left the confines of the teapot it had been sleeping inside. It lets out a terrified squeak as it narrowly avoids getting pounced on by Grim.
"Hey—don't do that!" Yuu grabs Grim by the scruff of his neck. "This dormouse is important to them!"
Which is why they should help catch it!
Chaos ensues, as everyone rushes to catch the fleeing dormouse. Tables are flipped over, teacups are smashed, heads often knock into each other—a lot happens in the process of trying to corner such a tiny creature.
In the end, it's Yuu who manages to corner it amongst the marron tarts. They hold out the terrified dormouse as it trembles in their hands. Trey rushes over to Yuu, carrying the jar of jam with him. He uses a butterknife to quickly slather jam onto the dormouse's nose, which has an instant calming effect on it as it slowly goes back to sleep. He takes the dormouse from Yuu, barely having much time to react before Deuce drops by to throw Yuu over his shoulder and run off.
"Ah…" Trey watches as Deuce grabs Ace and treats him the same way he treated Yuu.
"Hey!" Ace yells out a few swears, his fists pounding on Deuce's back as he ran off into the rose maze.
"H-Hey!" Grim trails after them, narrowly avoiding the burst of magic that's sent his way.
"Unforgivable…" Riddle grips his pen tightly in his fist. "Absolutely unforgiveable!"
This is why rulebreakers are the absolute worst!
"…all this over a stupid tart."
"Look at this mess we'll have to clean up…"
"He really overreacted…"
"What was that?!" Riddle can hear everyone loud and clear. "Must I make examples out of everyone? Off With Your Head!"
Trey closes his eyes and sighs. This…really did escalate, didn't it?
"I'm starting to worry about Riddle-kun…" Cater whispers into his ear.
"Yeah…me too." Really, this is getting out of hand…
…
…
…
A/N Yo, it's been a while! You can blame the current event for dragging me back into the depths of Twisted Wonderland hell!
Anyways, I said I was going to finish chapter one in this chapter, but…I kinda realized this was already getting long, so I take that back—next chapter will be the one, though.
Thank you all so much for the feedback and art—I really appreciate it! Sorry about disappearing all of a sudden, I got distracted with stuff, but also, I was waiting for more story from Twisted Wonderland…and yeah.
I've waited a whole year to get to this chapter so I can throw Yuu (ewe) into the Alice outfit—by the by, it's based off Ciel Phantomhive's Alice in Wonderland outfit. Thought it'd be funny to reference Black Butler while I was at it, since it's another Yana work, ehehe.
I'm currently on summer break, but I start school next month. I also got a job—in the process of getting officially hired though, which should keep me busy as I go through my final year of college. Also, I'm graduating, which should take a huge load off of my shoulders, so aaaayy.
Until then, you can slam my inbox on tumblr (klonoadreams) with asks about Yuu (ewe) or anything else. Currently got like three AUs for this floofy sheep, and it just BAFFLES my mind lmao. And at the side, we got two FGO characters, and other stuff, too, because I'm in gacha hell.
I'm also in Genshin Impact, stuck in Inazuma—but that's an entirely different subject, so we'll revisit that at a later date when more story comes out for it.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I had a fun time writing it. It's just Deuce experiences crushes, deals with having friends, and Ace otherwise having an angery time with Riddle, while Yuu smacks the hornet's nest.
We got an Overblot coming in the next chapter, so stay tuned, y'all!
Let me know what you think, or again, you can spam my inbox on tumblr.
Until next time, y'all! Stay safe!
