Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I. Seed

“Non, non, what is Riddle now? A cake?” Rook lamented. He was giving up, Trey was throwing in the towel. “‘Your eyes are silver as a spoon, your hair as red as strawberries.’ You know well that I don't judge you, mon ami (my friend), but... Consider making changes.

Trey was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the hunter’s bed, his back against the wall. He had put a hand to his nose, under his frame, when he heard Rook’s comments about his ‘pitoyables’ (lame) attempts to use pick-up lines. Trey did not know what the word meant. He assumed it was nothing good.

“It’s been the best so far.” He tried to defend himself, but who was he kidding? “Well, the least bad among the worst of the rest.” He corrected himself.

There was progress over the course of that month, aside from the relevant event of the overblot of the Savanaclaw leader. It seemed clear to Rook that Clover wanted to take care of the matter of Riddle and himself on his own, only now that Clover was no longer denying his feelings, Rook kept catching him on the sidelines to bring it up more often, to tease him. Rook talked about Vil and he talked about Riddle, only, unlike the former, they were not dating and, for his part, he had no plans to do anything about it. Still, it entertained him to talk to his friend about it, he could even say it was liberating. There were three people who knew about it in all, and the secret was in danger with two of them, a fact that counteracted the earlier liberation. It was his fault, and his fault alone, that he had told Rook and Cater, he did not tell Vil as directly, but he added up among those in the know.

And a few days ago, the hunter suggested having a sleepover that suspiciously coincided in dates with one that Cater, Vil and Riddle were going to have in Diamond's room. He was not one to be suspicious of his friends, but he was, especially when those two were going to be with Rosehearts. Still, with the necessary permission from his leader, he ended up in Hunt's room, anxious about what might be going on in the other room. To make sure that no unfortunate words would come out of either of their mouths, Trey made a compromise with Vil: In exchange for him stopping Diamond every time he insinuated Clover's feelings for Rosehearts, he would have to do an entire catering menu for a little play for the movie appreciation club. They both benefited from the deal, so Vil agreed.

Suddenly the subject of pick-up lines had come up, and Trey, who sucked at it, had done what he could when his friend encouraged him to try. Rook was sitting in the centre of the bed, a safe distance away, but mimicking his posture. From his thoughtful expression, Trey wondered what was going to occur to him at that moment.

“If I may suggest, you could change it to something like, ‘Your silver orbs, like moonlight, light my road of life in the dark, and your maroon hair is like the roses that adorn that road, the one that I want to walk by your side.’” He recited. Trey blinked, puzzled.

Rook always managed to pull romantic phrases out of the ground, his vivid imagination always astonished him. His cheeks flushed pink as he imagined the real situation with Riddle. How embarrassing. He reached for the frames of his glasses, his golden eyes fixed on a spot on the bed. No, try as he might, he found it difficult. He was not one to express love through words, but actions.

“I mean, Rook, it’s not bad, but... If I told him that, he’d take me to the infirmary and then proceed to kick me out of the dorm, in that order.” He joked and chuckled, frowning. “It’s not something I would say.” Or perhaps, that he would not say out loud.

In truth, he could not know how Riddle would react, for it was such an improbable event that it was out of his reach. The reaction he mentioned would be a joking exaggeration, if anything. Rook, for his part, was smiling slyly.

“You can say what you like, Rose Chevalier, your Roi des Roses isn’t going to kick you out of anywhere.”

“Are you implying that Riddle makes exceptions for me?”

“Oh, admit that we are the pampered of our leaders, I don’t deny that they are usually strict. Both Vil and Riddle take their position very seriously and demand the same from us. But there’s that point where you know that, because it’s you, they downplay it. Like they take off that leader mask and just be them, you know? At least from what I’ve seen.” He pondered. “And surely Riddle would love you even if you did say such a pitoyable (lame) line to him!”

Trey pursed his lips and thought about what he had said. Well, in retrospect, Riddle had rarely tried to justify any of his failings, but his friend had not been reluctant to put him in his place when it had been necessary. At that stage when Riddle was no longer such a rule enforcer, it was clear that he was much more indulgent to him. Still, he decided to respond to that last sentence, he was getting tired of being the only embarrassed one in the room.

“Are you speaking from experience?” Trey asked with a mischievous grin. Rook looked at him in surprise.

“What a vicious attack, Rose Chevalier! What’s more, doubt offends, of course Vil is used to my flattery and my phrases and still loves me. Only, well, mine are more elaborate, my Roi du Poison deserves everything that's up to his standards.” Perhaps Vil was also used to listening to praise. Riddle, for his part, also saw more weight in actions, like Trey. “Love has to be shown every day. Whether it's in words or sweets, like you do.”

Trey vaguely recalled a conversation with Rook in the botanical garden earlier in the term related to the last thing he said. At the time, he was only the vice-leader of Heartslabyul and was responsible for pleasing his king with everything in his power. Trey most often denied his own feelings in order to refer to his role as his right-hand man, downplaying, along with his actions, everything he did. He realised how everything had changed since then, especially his relationship with Riddle.

“That’s where you’re right. I may not know how to use those phrases, but baking it's my forte.” And he did not deny how much it pleased him to see other people enjoying the things he made with such care, especially if it was Rosehearts. “Everyone has their own way of doing it.”

“That’s right, your flirting may be pitoyable (lame), but your baking makes up for it.” He still wondered what the hell that word meant. Rook suddenly looked at him as if something had crossed his mind. “Ah! Right, right, can I ask how you and Roi des Roses met? The whole story, if possible, you always postpone or summarise it, and I'm dying to know how it was. We have plenty of time today, and besides, I told you about mine with Vil in detail.”

“Huh? Well, all right, I’ll reminisce.” Although it would be hard to find anything he had not already said.

Yes, he had heard the story of Vil and Rook a few times, he suspected that every time he heard it, Rook either remembered something new, or made it up. Still, he knew Hunt was very secretive about his personal life and that he had told him something so intimate inspired him, in a way, to do the same. This friendship was becoming more and more sincere and worthy of being called such. Trey slid down on the mattress until he was lying with his legs dangling. Remembering that time always filled him with bittersweet feelings. Rook mimicked his actions and laid down next to him.

“Hmm, I'll start from the beginning.” He traced back to a specific moment. “Since I was a child, I have ‘worked’ in the family business, helping my parents in any way I could. My favourite part, besides baking, was decorating the shop windows, putting the sweets and breads on display for everyone to look at and hopefully enter and buy,” He rested his hands on his stomach, interlacing his fingers. His golden eyes stared at the ceiling, but he could only see what he was narrating at the moment.

“There was a certain boy my age who passed by outside every day with his mother, at the same time, and who looked very attentively at the strawberry tarts, but he never went in. I don’t believe in instant connections, far from it, but with Riddle... Let’s just say he caught my curiosity instantly. I’d never seen him playing in the street, or at school, and yet there he was, walking past my patisserie every day, looking at the sweets as if they were just out of his reach,” He pursed his lips and smiled slightly.

“and I, well, I wanted them to be. So one day, I decided to follow him and found out where he lived, in the Rosehearts residence, a few streets away from my house, conveniently. I told my other friend, Che’nya, and we tried to plan how to get a chat with him if he never left his house, let alone by himself. It was him who figured out Riddle’s schedule. By the way, you and Che’nya have a very slight resemblance, I think you two would get along well.”

He glanced at the hunter out of the corner of his eye and met his emerald gaze, watching him.

“Oh, c’est vrai? (really?) You’ll have to introduce us sometime.” A peculiar combination of those two would result, Trey was unsure if he wanted it to happen. “You could say you follow a certain pattern when it comes to making friends.”

“Yeah, and then there’s Riddle.” Who was not particularly ordinary either.

“Non, but you don’t just want Riddle as a friend.” He sardonically remarked. Trey cleared his throat, blushing. “And see! You didn’t mention the connection with him before, you just said you played together, you didn’t even mention that you followed him. The image of the little clover chasing the rose is too adorable, you were meant to be Rose Chevalier.”

“Anyway.” He interjected nervously. He wanted to get back to the subject immediately, for if he thought about every comment he made, then he would never finish, “Thanks to our friend, we managed to find a time when Riddle was home alone, so there we went. We knocked on his window and talked to him, telling him that we wanted to be his friend. At first he was a bit wary, explained his mother’s issues and prohibitions, his schedule, and was quite convinced that he wanted us to leave. However, when I showed him the strawberry tarts, it didn’t take him long to change his mind. I will never forget how guilty, yet so happy he looked when he was eating them.” And, once he had finished them, he found the idea of visiting him sometime very appropriate, even if he was still fearful of what would happen if they were discovered.

“Then, well, we became friends and talked to him every day and played with him. I felt that, as well as getting sweets within his reach, we also managed to give him a normal childhood. Riddle was so joyful and happy with us, his face would light up when he saw us and he opened up more and more instead of being the perfect little young master we knew” And Trey used to get that feeling every time he saw him. “Oh and there was no trace of anger in the way he used to be.”

Clover moistened his lips, the expression on his face turning solemn in a pause. Now came the worst part of the whole story, the part that took away both of their happiness. He breathed in. He exhaled. His memories took him back to his pastry shop, to that pained, regretful expression that still haunted him.

“Until one day, we both lost track of time. And Mrs. Rosehearts caught us red-handed.”

Che’nya was not free that evening until the decisive moment, so it was just the two of them. A generous amount of leftover sweets sealed the fate of that friendship. Trey had the idea of inviting Riddle to taste them. They enjoyed the treat and, as always, were careful to keep an eye on the time. But that day was different. Not only did Mrs. Rosehearts return earlier than expected, but she found the three of them outside the patisserie feasting on sweets.

“We enjoyed that day so much that we lost track of time because it seemed so short. It was just the two of us in my patisserie, enjoying the good company and the sweets.” He sighed before continuing. “Che’nya came later, and, of course, we were eating them when his mother found us. Mrs. Rosehearts ended up finding her son out of the house without permission and having something he was forbidden to eat.” He reached for the frames of his glasses and took them off. Then he folded up the temples. Finally, he laid them on the bed.

“So, according to her, we were the bad guys in the story when she found out we were taking Riddle to play. In addition to forbidding us to talk to him and visiting him, a five-hour reprimand at the Clover bakery was enough to abandon all hope of ever seeing him again. At the time, I didn't know what I had done wrong, I worried that I had, in fact, done something terrible. Nowadays I find it unbelievable to get angry like that over sweets and your child's friends, even more so at that age. But well, we were banished from the Rosehearts household, and Riddle suffered the most from it all. Even if his mother had scolded me and my family, I knew that he was going to get the worst of it. I felt very guilty.”

He would never forget the look on Riddle’s face, so hurt and remorseful. There was so much left unsaid, so much disbelief, anger and guilt in his body that he had not shaken off for years, that he carried with him today. Because of him, his friend's strict life was affected. Because of him, the tyrant of the rose was created. And for that, he had no right to restrain his present actions.

A sob brought him out of his thoughts, he looked immediately at Hunt, who was patting his trouser pockets with a tear-streaked face. Trey felt guilty seeing him like that. Rook realised he was looking at him.

“Oh, I beg your pardon.” He cried, wiping away his tears with a cloth handkerchief he had taken out. “Go on, Rose Chevalier, do not let my emotions distract you.”

“If you're not feeling well, I'll leave it for another day.” Rook shook his head. Trey decided it would be better to sum it up. “All right.” He reluctantly agreed. “I didn’t hear from him again until, well, you know the story at Night Raven College, don’t you?”

The conflict of uncertainty and excitement at the thought of seeing him again was born in him. He did not want to get his hopes up and, at the same time, he wanted the Riddle who paused in front of the mirror to be the same one he said farewell to, before what had happened. As expected, it was not. And Trey had one certainty, and that was that he had to make amends for his mistakes, that he would remain by his side and hope that, one day, he would be able to tell him everything he could not. For, even if he was unable to articulate those words, he needed, at the very least, to be there for him.

“Last year, we met again. Riddle was sorted in Heartslabyul. I offered to be his vice as soon as he was crowned as leader” A title he achieved in a mere week as a student at Night Raven College. “At first I thought my friend was nowhere to be found, but I realised that he was, I just didn’t know how to reach him. So instead, I just stuck to being the perfect vice like his leader, submissive to the unreasonable rules despite the devastation they were inflicting on both the dorm and my friend.” He turned to Rook to pat him on the shoulder, the poor guy was still crying, and Trey was starting to catch on to his sadness. He sighed bitterly before mumbling the same thing he had said to Riddle that night, after his overblot happened. “I’m a terrible friend.”

The distance between the two remained even at Night Raven College. At first he saw only the result of his mother’s ideology, impetuous to enforce the rules of the dormitory, no matter what havoc he might wreak. By recognising him as his vice he felt he had another chance to be by his side, and so he could not stop him under any circumstances, for that would mean standing up to his authority, to what Riddle lived for. The only way he could get close to him was through sweets and, of course, by being the right-hand man he needed at all costs.

For Trey could not allow letting him down again, for he would not forgive himself.

So he endured, and endured, for his leader’s sake. He wondered if that had really been standing by his side, indulging him in everything he did and said because he was afraid of losing him again, even more so when any slightest step against him would mean betrayal for Rosehearts. He still had nightmares of the last thing he said to him before he succumbed to the dark magic: “Even you... Are you going to tell me I'm wrong? After all I've done to preserve the rules!? After all I've suffered for them!?” The expression on Riddle’s face when he said those words to him reminded him of the one as terrified as the last time he had seen him before Night Raven College. With a shrinking heart, he wiped away a tear with his index finger. He had to finish the story before Rook intercepted with counter-arguments to that last comment. He inhaled and exhaled. He sat back down on the bed and sought again to lean against the wall.

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you the whole thing, I knew we were both going to get sentimental.” He lamented, with a croaky voice. In fact, he had not spoken of it since those days except casually to Cater and, of course, to Riddle, with whom he had shared the most tears of the three. His back was once again resting on the pristine white paper. “Let me finish, please, then tell me what you want.”

“I would if you hadn’t called yourself a horrible friend, you’re not!” He scowled at him. Trey smiled faintly. He picked up the glasses on the bed and put them back on.

“Yeah, Riddle told me that too.” And he believed it, at times, at least he dared to think he was a better friend now than he was last year. “I’ll finish it now. Our relationship stayed that way until his overblot came, when I saw his life in danger like that…” His expression twisted. He blamed himself again for not having done anything, for if he had perhaps restrained Riddle’s actions since his first year, then he would not have exposed himself to dark magic. “...I knew I had to tell him everything and so I did, that night I was able to be honest after all those years and I promised us both that I would stay by his side, this time as his real friend, if that's the way Riddle wanted it.” And of course he wanted it. “So that’s it, it can now be said that Riddle is not back, but that he simply allows himself a little more to be him rather than the rules he stands for.” He rested his cheek on his knees. “I’d say I’m closer to him than I was even in the past.” And he was glad to be able to share that novel era with him. “We are fine now, so don’t worry. For the moment, this tragic story has a happy ending.”

Trey kept the fact that there was, indeed, something he did not tell Riddle. It was not the appropriate time. It did not have to be reciprocated and, therefore, if he said it, then he would run the risk of them growing apart again. Under no circumstances did he want to get away from him now that he had him back. No way. That fact was known to Rook, Vil and Cater, and only one of them concluded a correct hypothesis. Hunt was convinced that Trey had loved Riddle since they were little, and that was precisely what had happened.

Riddle was his first love, and he still was.

Rook stood up abruptly and went in the direction of his desk, he saw him immediately grab some new tissues and unscrew the cap of a water bottle.

“Okay, give me a few moments, because I'm going to argue point by point with everything you've said. But it was magnifique (beautiful), Rose Chevalier, you don’t know what a joy it is to have your confidence in me.”

“I insist that it’s nothing, it’s just a story.” He emphasised. “I'm sorry I made you cry, I didn’t mean to, really.” He continued, still feeling terrible about it.

Trey reached for his phone in the corner of the bed and noticed that he had two new messages from Cater. He remembered they were having that sleepover, so they were probably selfies. He clicked on his chat and first came across a picture of Vil and him wearing a greenish mask. Well, Vil seemed to be pissed that Cater had taken the picture. He called Rook to come over and show it to him. As he went, he moved on to the next photo and immediately felt his pulse quicken. Riddle did not have a mask on his face, but he was hugging the clover pillow he had left for them to ‘keep them company in his place’ and that smile on his face was definitely not doing him any good. He looked as cute as ever.

II. Sprout

Apparently it was typical for teenagers to have sleepovers. Riddle had attended a total of two since his time at Night Raven College, both in Cater's room. The last time, Trey was with them, but this time it was the leader of Pomefiore in his place, as if they had switched dormitories.

He had tried new things, including a skin care, courtesy of Vil. It was the first time he had ever had it done and he could swear he had never felt his cheeks so soft. He was the first to finish with that routine, returning from the bathroom and again grabbing the dark green pillow that was supposed to represent Trey. It was in the shape of the clover his friend drew under his left eye every day, and it smelled like him, too. It definitely represented his vice. Cater caught him unawares when he was holding the squishy object for him to pose, he did not know what to do, so he just smiled and rested his head on it. He saw him typing very quickly, using his thumbs.

“Let’s see what TreyTrey replies. Ah, here we go!” Cater exclaimed. Riddle tilted his head as he saw him smiling mischievously. “For us a laugh sticker and for the leader a heart emoji, well, consider yourself lucky, RidRid!”

“I see, and what exactly does it mean when someone responds to that?” Riddle asked, as he was unfamiliar with the meaning of emojis. Cater and Vil exchanged glances, as they had been doing all evening.

“That he likes y…”

“That he likes the picture.” Vil interrupted Cater, speaking louder.

“And he appreciates you!” rephrased Diamond, causing the Pomefiore leader to frown. “I mean, he likes the picture and he also likes yo…” Vil elbowed him, causing him to howl in pain. “uuuu, your adorable expression, ouch!” He reproached Vil.

For some reason, that meaning comforted him, filling him with a familiar warmth. He thought about whether he should reply, but not via Cater’s chat. With a faint smile, he reached for his phone and tapped Trey’s chat. Yes, he deserved a heart too, because he appreciated him.

“Then I’ll send him one.” He decided, and as far as he could tell, neither of them were going to stop him, so it should be alright. He scrolled through the emojis until he found the hearts, there were too many. “Let’s see, the colour and the shape…”

“Do not send him one without context, tell him that you appreciate him too.” Vil told him. Riddle nodded and continued to look carefully at his options.

“Right, right, hehe.” Cater laughed nervously. “And geez, you guys reminded me of when I sent one to Malleus-kun and he started explaining to me about why hearts in that shape weren't #accurate. I laughed a lot when he sent me the emoji of the normal heart, like, the organ! And he told me that was the right one.” He said off the cuff. Riddle paused reflexively, wondering if he should then send the one Malleus had indicated to Cater.

“To each his own…” Vil muttered as he looked at the time on his phone's clock. “But I am not one to talk, it is an emoji that a certain person would send me.”

“That's what I was going to tell you, brave words from someone who is so close to Rook-kun.” emphasised Cater in a teasing tone. “Here the one with the most normal taste is Riddle-kun.” With the mention of his name he returned his attention to the conversation.

“Oh, yes, taste in what?” He had already sent him the message, he had chosen the same one he had sent to him to make sure there was no misunderstanding. He made sure to emphasise the appreciation. “Sorry, I was choosing the emoji for Trey.” and as soon as he said those words, he saw how he was typing in the chat. He blocked the phone to pay attention to them. Cater had a slightly malevolent expression, as much as he could make out with a face full of face mask, while Vil glared at him.

“Taste in boys! Come on, we’re among friends, what’s your type?” Cater pointed to the pillow he was hugging, accentuating his sly smile. “I’m sure it’s that one!”

“Cater.” Vil hissed, then sighed resignedly and looked at him. “Do not answer if you do not want to.”

Type? Oh, that type of type. He pursed his lips, feeling his cheeks heat up. So, Cater was implying that his type was someone normal and, moreover, related to the pillow. There was only one person he could think of who fit that description. For some reason, he felt his pulse quicken. And besides, it had just been revealed that Cater, at least, had an interest in Malleus, whereas Vil, from what he had said, would have to be Rook. He knew that at sleepovers it was a possible topic, it just had not come up the last time they had met like that. He wondered how the course of the conversation had changed so quickly.

“What!?” He questioned, wide-eyed and frowning, becoming defensive. “I have no idea, but are you suggesting it is Trey!?” Now he was the one glaring at him. Cater seemed to feel threatened by both leaders.

He had never asked himself that question. Riddle had been disconnected from relationships with other boys his age until nearly a year ago, at least, since he had last seen his two childhood friends. He had no time to focus on those kinds of experiences either, as he was crowned a leader two weeks after entering Night Raven College. He wondered if Trey was his type, but he had no idea where to even begin to answer that question. It reminded him of one that Vil asked him after a leaders' meeting and he used his vice as an example to objectively justify his answer. The seed of doubt was planted in him and it grew the more he thought about why Clover.

“I didn't say it, you said it.” Emphasised Cater, smiling slyly. The alarm on his phone rang at that very moment. “Whoops! The facemask, I'll be back for you now, Riddle-kun.” Before he could object, he stormed into the bathroom, humming ‘boys night’ repeatedly along the way. Vil’s lavender gaze immediately fixed on him.

“Riddle, listen.” He crossed his legs and rested his hands in his lap. “Unlike Cater, who reminds me of a certain loud chatty person I know...” Rook? “I am not going to push you and, as you seem confused and frustrated, I suggest you drop the subject.” He indicated calmly. “Anyway, if you have any doubts about it, don’t hesitate to come to me. I won’t speak for the other leaders, but in my case I know how difficult it is when such friction arises with a vice.” Rook, now that was him without a doubt. “That’s not public information, I’m warning you. I know you’re responsible.”

“You can trust me, but, back to the point.” The two insisted there was something between him and his vice beyond friendship, the two had been exchanging glances all night, and Vil silenced Cater often. If anyone should know anything, it was the two of them, and Riddle, for once, tipped the scales on the side of curiosity. Talking about such topics was justified at a sleepover, it was the rules to follow the course of the conversation, in fact, Vil had confirmed his own with Rook. That novel piece of information, for some reason, did not surprise him at all. “I’m not at all sure if I have feelings for Trey, although, I have to admit, you two have put me in doubt.” He sighed, resigned, seeking to quench the sparks of his anger. “If you could guide me, I would appreciate it, as you seem to be well versed in the subject. I want to talk about it further.” He did not reject the idea either, for, though he was frustrated by their comments, he now wanted to be sure of how he felt.

“I know, but I suspect you are only telling me this because Cater has already teased you and now you want to prove something to him.” Riddle pursed his lips at that accurate analysis. “And the truth is, this is about your best friend, it is not something to be taken lightly. Acknowledging romantic feelings can change everything. There is the uncertainty of not knowing about reciprocity and the fear of losing can be greater than the fear of winning.” He spoke wisely, as if he had experienced it first hand. “This is Trey we are talking about, keep him in mind and get back to me with your verdict. Are you willing to take the risks? Depending on what you tell me, I will respond without giving you any more warnings.”

The risks. Riddle had never faced such risks before, but he was someone who was not afraid of them. At first, he just wanted to know his feelings, not wanting them to influence his relationship with Trey, they did not have to, in fact. But, if he liked him... No, before going down that path, he should first make sure of the essential point. He looked at Vil.

“Who do you take me for? Of course I am.” He answered determinedly. Vil smiled at his impetus. “Even if it is Trey, I won’t let my feelings influence our relationship. If I lose, of course, but Vil-senpai…” He caught his smile. “Who says I’m not going to win?” He interpreted winning in the sense of making sure that they did not get in the way of their friendship. “So, how do I know if I like him?”

“So that’s your choice.” Riddle nodded. “I expected nothing less from the Queen of Hearts.” He stressed. “Well, everyone is different, but I’ll start with this example of yours. I’ve heard you say before that true beauty is on the inside.” He decided it would be a good idea to take notes, so he sat down in the chair in front of Cater’s desk and borrowed a blank sheet of paper and a pen. The shamrock cushion rested on his lap. “So think about Trey’s personality, what he is like and if you are attracted to him. Do not dismiss the physical either.”

“I won’t.” He muttered, concentrated, writing the headings on the lists. After all, Trey had the best of both worlds. “Although my opinion hasn’t changed much since that time you asked me. My vice would make an exemplary boyfriend.”

“Last time I asked you for an example of an ideal partner, and you described Trey point by point. I did not ask if you were attracted to him or not.” Riddle paused and raised his silver gaze. Vil’s violet eyes now sparkled just as Cater’s had. “Keep writing that list. Add your feelings too, if you feel anything towards him.”

Riddle obeyed with flushed cheeks. Vil was right, his answers were giving him away subconsciously. He had never asked himself such questions before, and yet his right hand scrolled across the paper, highlighting every detail he liked about Trey. The answers came to his mind at once in every aspect. He wondered when he had started to notice him so much, or if, in fact, he had always found him to be the most comforting and charming presence in his life. That warmth came to him again, so he wrote it down in the other section.

“I'm back! My face is super #soft, thank you a thousand times, Vil-kun!” Cater exclaimed from the bathroom door.

“Well, it is my turn.” He heard Vil get up and walk, possibly towards the bathroom.

“Oh, oh! What have you got there, Riddle-kun?” He covered the paper with his arms immediately, but realised that if he did not tell them the list then he would not make any progress. He reluctantly removed them again.

“I'm trying to find out whether I like Trey or not, because someone implied it.” He snapped. Cater seemed surprised by that, and moved over to the bedside table, curious, then started to read. Riddle clicked the button on the pen, embarrassed.

“It can’t be!” Cater exclaimed, smiling and surprised, covering his mouth. “Riddle-kun, this list is... It's very you, haha, you’ve put mostly aspects of vice, but! Look at all these aspects of his personality, what about his looks? Wow, handsome, huh?” He chuckled. Riddle nudged him to stop reading, his blood boiling. But it did not work. “Aww, you even like his eyes.” He immediately snatched the paper out of his hands

“Enough, shut up!” He was pretty sure his cheeks were flushed red. Cater fell backwards onto the bed at that second push. But it was not enough to silence his giggles.

“You should add if you want to go out with him, by the way.” He suggested from where he was lying. “You two would be cute! Technically you're already the king and queen of hearts, you can make it official.” He made a heart gesture with the index fingers and thumbs of both hands. “I #approve!”

“Cater!” He hissed. “You’re worse than Che’nya and his insinuati--”

He noticed that Che’nya was also very willing to make such insinuations, both in the past and in the present. He clenched his fist in anger, the one that held the pen, and frowned. Suddenly, he reminded of all the times he had mentioned or suggested that kind of relationship with Trey, yet now that he was considering the possibility, he no longer downplayed it so much, but it only added to his doubts. Cater sat up on the bed. Riddle, meanwhile, was embracing the pillow again.

“Oh, Che’nya! That kitty-cat is always so based, give me his magicam plisu!” He unlocked his phone and held it out to him. Riddle took it, grumpily, and began to type. “I’m sorry, Riddle-kun, are you alright? Let’s see, I heard right, didn’t I? You said you want to find out if you like him, didn’t you?” He nodded reluctantly. “I thought this day would never come! It’s like you’re already married, you’re husbands! You’re practically my parents!” He exclaimed excitedly. Riddle tapped the follow button and then looked at him in a fury, even more embarrassed. “‘kay, ‘kay, I’ll stop now.”

“You’d better, or I’ll use my unique magic against you.” He handed the phone back and folded his arms. If he went any further, he would be off with his head. “You know what? I’d rather wait for Vil-senpai.”

“Okay, then we’ll wait for Vil-kun so we can both give you some advice! I’d rather not lose my head.” Cater seemed delighted with what was going on, for nothing could wipe that little smile off his face. Riddle was sure he was going to blurt out another comment at any moment, because he could not remain silent for more than five seconds. “You know?” Of course he was going to continue. “If the conclusion is affirmative and you tell us you want to go out with him, we’ll have to discuss how you’re going to declare. We’re in our third year, my buddy.”

Declarations! Going out with Trey? But, but, why was he going so fast? The worst thing was that it was not such a nonsensical idea, because if he liked him, then one thing would lead to another. He felt that if he was able to decipher his feelings, then more questions would just come out. And Riddle, in truth, had always believed that he did not have time for that. He had never made room for love in his life, let alone a partner, he had not even considered it until literally minutes ago. With Trey, however, everything changed.

The unimportant details made sense, the ideas became more and more tangible. He had overlooked all the details, for he had always felt that way with Trey, they were nothing to dwell on, at least not until then. It was Cater’s last comment that hit him like a wave of reality. He was right, that year was his only chance to act, and the longer it took, the less time he had. He needed to find out as soon as possible, despite all the external inconveniences that would stand in the way of the very idea of going out together.

“If I don’t know if I even like him, how am I supposed to know what I like in a partner?” He watched him gesture towards the list on the table. Riddle picked up the pen with his right hand, but his left still clutched the clover. He pursed his lips as he read his friend's name on the sheet. True, not everything depended on him. “Besides, I don’t know how Trey feels. I doubt that…”

“Hey! Nope, nope, Riddle-kun, start writing.” He interjected quickly at that last comment, interrupting him. “Let’s start by tying up the loose ends and then we’ll worry about Trey-kun’s reciprocity.”

He reached for a ruler on the table and picked it up to make a perfect dividing line. He titled it what he was looking for in a couple. This time it was not so easy. He wrote a couple of general aspects and then stared at the rest of the blank sheet of paper. In his head there were only thoughts of one person in particular, they were distracting him, but they were also the ones that inspired him to write the third, and the fourth, and the fifth... When he finished them all, although the paper was divided, the aspects were mostly repeated, as if they were two identical lists. It could not be. He went through each of them point by point and found the same ones, only in a different order. He remembered Vil’s words.

He crumpled the paper immediately and hugged the pillow tightly, feeling that heat in his cheeks with more impetus, just as his pulse was quickening. He could not believe it, or maybe he did not want to, but that would only be denying the obvious. Everything was starting to point to the fact that he liked Trey. Trey, to whom he would be eternally grateful for those days in the Queendom of Roses and also for everything he had done as his right-hand man and vice leader. Trey, who had stood by his side when he needed him most. Trey, his best friend, whom he loved dearly. Trey... He looked back at his companions now that Vil had returned. His silver eyes glittered determinedly as he ran through the remaining aspects of the list in his head, of everything he cherished about him.

It had been Cater and Vil’s fault to start all that and now they had an obligation to help him finish it. It was up to Riddle to move forward along those thorny paths.

And he decided that he would.

III. Blossom

“Are you willing to take the risks?

It had been about a month since he had heard that question. Currently, Riddle had more answers and options in his deck. He was absolutely sure of what he felt and he wanted to play them, he wanted to win. He wanted to take the risks. Because the hardest thing was not having to look him in the face, being aware of everything, but facing the growing frustration of his own feelings. Now that he knew how to name it, now that he had all the cards on the table, he wanted to take the final step. He wanted to go out with Trey.

The experienced Vil and Cater were good advisors, some better than others, since Cater was not really looking for relationships, but for other kinds of short-term experiences. It was enlightening to talk to Schoenheit, who had been in a very similar situation with his vice, and to know that he had done well in talking things over and that it had been the right thing to do, filled him with confidence and inspiration.

They both gave him numerous lessons about relationships and feelings, practically on a daily basis. Once he found out he liked him, they moved on to the next question, the one that would change the course of their friendship. After going on several dates without giving them that name and spending more time with him using vice and leader excuses, he assumed his destiny. It confirmed what he already knew about himself and also made the idea of wanting to take the next step more prominent.

He also convinced himself that he could endure it if it was not reciprocated, for having Trey by his side had always been enough. He valued their friendship and did so above all else, but, if he had a chance to go further, then he would.

As for those external factors working against them, it was all more than measured to the last detail. In their dating years, they were still free to see each other, that year more than the others. And by the time they both finished their studies at Night Raven College, those factors would no longer be able to exercise control over them as they gained independence in accordance with their adulthood. At least, that was the basis of the plan. Hiding it from his mother would be hard, but he had chosen Trey once, and he would choose him again, just as he did when he accepted him as his vice leader. He would choose him a thousand more times.

So he arranged a day to meet him in the depths of the labyrinths of his dormitory, where no student could interrupt them. He started going there after his overblot and, given the heart-shaped trees, it could not have been a more appropriate place for his declaration. He used to take walks among the perfectly trimmed separations of branches and bushes, and sometimes Trey would accompany him. It was better to be with him than alone with his thoughts. It was there that they had, in fact, their first date without being called by that name, one of many where he and Clover would simply arrange a time, meet and talk like they had not spoken to each other in years. Usually, sweets accompanied them.

And that day, Riddle had tried to appear normal on the way there, but it had been hard. He had hardly slept, nor had he paid enough attention to his lessons that morning, nor had he eaten a proper breakfast and lunch. His nerves were going to get the better of him. He had to face the idea that maybe, by the end of the day, he could claim to be dating Trey. Every time he looked at him, he thought about it. Riddle feared that his rapid heartbeat would give him away too soon, or the flush on his cheeks. He had struggled to hide it every time he had been by his side. He could not fail now. To calm himself and secure the declaration, in the end he decided to go with Cater’s suggestion, one that both leaders had mocked, only he modified it at will to fit that one.

Trey, for his part, was delighted with Riddle's recent initiative. Before, he had occasionally felt like a piece of furniture in Heartslabyul, since his leader was in charge of organising and doing everything on his own, except for the baking. Now he had the opportunity to help him more often, such as in that task of painting the roses. They also spent time together as they did, leaving their positions of leader and vice leader behind for a pleasant time. They enjoyed each other’s company and he could help him, he could not ask for anything better.

Neither of the two present suspected that their feelings were reciprocal.

“I can’t believe there are actually white roses in this place and look at this, it's going to take us a while without magic.” Trey sighed, resigned but smiling. “The dormitory changes to its own accord. First this section appears, then a bunch of heart-shaped trees pop out, and now roses are sprouting from them. If you think about it, we really should have expected it.”

Of course it was to be expected, Riddle was the one who created the trees there and made sure that the white roses appeared in a very specific order. He carefully planned the declaration from beginning to end, though he had not intended to do it that way until he heard a certain crazy idea. His intention was to tell him straight out, but his senpais felt that he should not be so direct. So the question would not be on him, but on the roses.

“Yes, the gardens of Heartslabyul change periodically, so soldiers are forbidden to tread the depths of the labyrinths in times of change. The Queen of Hearts, however, is immune to that rule.” He remembered exactly what number it was and the section of the book. Trey had no idea what that rule was, he assumed it was one of the ones he had not memorised.

“What about me, am I immune?” He asked well meaning, though he just wanted to check what Rook told him about the exceptions. Riddle had to bite his tongue to keep from blurting out that he would be immune when he was his king.

“Technically the change period ended two hours ago, so no rules are being broken.” He said instead. He picked up the paint bucket and walked over to the first tree. “We’re going to paint them together, starting with the trees at the back and finishing with the ones closest to the exit.”

“Yes, leader.” He took the brush. Rook was wrong, he made no exceptions for him. “I'll start with the second tree.” Though he realised he was staring at him, so they locked eyes for a few seconds, until Trey decided to intervene again. “Is something wrong?”

“Don’t call me that when we’re alone.” He ordered, immediately directing his silver eyes to the whitish rose at his height. He began to paint it red.

“Oh.” Ah, no, maybe there were. He smiled slightly and mimicked his actions. “Alright, sorry, Riddle, it’s a habit.” When he looked at the roses, however, he noticed something unusual. “Hmm. Aren’t they positioned in a weird way? It’s like they form an ‘O’.” Riddle paused his movements. Fuck. He was already figuring it out. Trey glanced at his friend’s tree. “And yours it’s a ‘D’. D-rious (Curious), no doubt.” He joked. Riddle smiled nervously. “Let’s see the next one…”

If Trey started reading the letters, then he would ruin it. Riddle had to make amends at once. When he went to look at the third one to see if it had another letter, he stood between him and the tree with an impassive expression. He would have to tell him to go on a random tour of trees. And, to make him see that he was not angry, which he was not, just nervous; he would go on with what he had been using in his speech.

“Even if it’s D-rious, save the D-riosity for the end.” He intervened immediately. He hoped it did not make him suspicious. Trey blinked slowly before letting out a laugh. Clover's laughter calmed him for those mere moments, like a mermaid’s song luring sailors, lulling him briefly into a trance. “When we finish we’ll read them to see if it’s a message from the Queen.” And it was, it was a message from him. “You’d better take care of the second row, I’ll paint this one and then we’ll paint the third together, what do you think?”

Riddle insisted on not reading the message, if there was one. If he had a surprise for him, then it was in his best interest not to spoil it, well, in case it was. Just in case, he would go to the other end of the trees so as not to accidentally read anything. He did not want to spoil anything.

“No problem, I’ll start at the end then.” He pointed to the tree at the end of the second row. “But I also feel bad that we’ll be so far away, since we came together…” As Trey thought of another solution, Riddle recovered from that comment. He did not want to be far away from him either. “What if we paint random roses? I think the trees are odd, but we can always take two that are next to each other and then paint the extra together.” That was a brilliant idea, but Riddle knew Trey had realised his intentions. “Still, by hand it’ll take a while.”

“You’re allowed to use magic to paint the roses if I decide so, the conditions have to be that it’s an afternoon of an odd-numbered day, and indeed it is.” And now Trey knew that Riddle knew he sensed something. He pulled his wand out of his pocket. “You have my permission. Let's get this over with and go to two others.” If Trey was only handling the consonants, or the vowels, then he would not be able to conclude anything.

“All right, Riddle.” He emphasised, smiling slightly. The aforementioned struggled not to become absorbed in him again, so he returned the expression and immediately moved towards the roses. Trey pulled his wand out of his pocket as well. “Shall we all paint with magic and the last one by hand?” He suggested, as that way he would have an excuse to be near him.

“Sounds good to me.”

They enchanted the brushes, making them levitate, and dipped their bristles into the paint buckets. Riddle handled three of them at a time, while Trey only dared to use two. In addition to being part of the declaration, Riddle needed something to calm his nerves before taking that big step, for Trey, usually a calming presence, could not quite extinguish the flames of his anguish as he always did. Focusing on the roses was easy, so was painting them, but not staring at his friend’s handsome profile every time the objects did their bidding was complicated. He thought about their relationship, his future words, and then he would cling to the flowers again when his golden eyes met his silver ones.

Trey could tell that his leader was uneasy, but not an angry, wrathful uneasiness; it was a different kind of uncertainty. If he tried to ask him about it, he attempted to use escape routes, so he did not want to talk to him about it. Still, Clover was not going to give up so easily. He did not need to be told anything, but he did need him to feel comfortable in his presence, so if he needed a distraction, talking about other subjects should be enough. And it was. Riddle was not completely calm, but it worked to focus his attention on other ideas. Being with Trey filled him with security, even at times like that.

When they had finished painting the trees individually, they kept their promise not to use magic for the last of them. Riddle cleaned two of his brushes and left them stacked next to his bucket, Trey decided he would use his own, both of them, to finish the task. The trees were not overly tall, so Rosehearts took the top ones and Clover took the bottom ones, until their brushes matched up on the last rose in the shape of the letter 'E'. After a few hesitant and magnetic seconds in which their gazes met, they silently agreed to paint one half each. Before he knew it, they were finished. Riddle took a breath, futilely trying to calm the overflowing feelings inside him.

“That was the last one. In the end it was short for me.” Like every time he spent time with him. He cleaned the brushes with his magic and set them beside his bucket. “Well, all that’s left to do is read it, right?” Riddle clutched the instrument in his hand with pursed lips. He cleared his throat and psyched himself up that he could do it, for, after all, he was the leader of Heartslabyul, the Queen of Hearts was the one who had sent him that message, and now he had to face him.

“All right, let’s take a few steps back to get a better perspective.” Riddle instructed. All the trees were clearly visible from a specific point, so they only had to go there, or read them row by row.

Riddle took those few steps back, wand in hand. Trey did not have time to warn him of the bucket of paint behind him, but he did act in time to catch him around the waist before he fell. The worry on his face, his golden eyes intent on him, those hands holding him, his closeness... Rosehearts was losing his composure once again. He had to tell him, he had to tell him.

“Ouch. Good thing I caught you in time.” His kindness and attentiveness. He had to tell him. He had to tell him, but he ended up wrapping his arms around Trey’s waist, resting his head on his chest. First, he had to calm down. “Riddle? Are you okay?” That gesture took him by surprise, but he ended up hugging him too.

His poor Riddle seemed more nervous than before, and if he did not want to talk, there was only one way to comfort him. He hesitated for a few seconds before stroking his back gently, and when he saw that he welcomed the gesture, he continued to do so. Then he rested his head on top of his. He was worried about what might happen to him, he would have to do everything in his hand to make him feel better. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and muttered the name of his unique magic to make the nearby roses smell like flowers and not paint.

“Read the letters aloud.” He ordered him, tightening his grip even more. He settled into his arms as much as he could. Trey nodded. “Start with the trees in the back.”

All right, it was a hidden message from him, just as he had assumed. It had to be something important if his friend was acting like this. With curiosity growing in him, he held his saddle and looked towards the first row. The trees had the letters ‘D-O Y-O-U’ on them. Riddle released his grip slowly. He went to the second row and found a ‘W-A-N-T T-O’. Riddle took a few steps back. Finally, the third said ‘D-A-T-E M-E’. A question mark made of fire appeared out of nowhere next to that final ‘E’, he realised Riddle was summoning it with magic.

When he looked back at him, his face was all red and he had a rose in his hand. After a few seconds, he raised his silver gaze and held out the flower. Trey read the trees again, this time focusing on the words as a whole, and then he fell into what it said, the message, and had to reread it at least five more times, and six and seven. He felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest, that could not be happening, absolutely not. He went into a phase of mental denial each time he read it, over and over again, as a warmth flooded him from head to toe.

Because it was not possible, no way. It was not possible that Riddle was not only looking for a partner, but that he had chosen him. Him. And that implied, in turn, that his feelings were reciprocated. He wondered how it was that he had not noticed even when he was so close to Riddle, or if he had been the one to notice and was now choosing to take the step instead. Yet his head was still trying to hold on to that constant denial. Of course he could not realise anything if he did nothing but convince himself that the situation he was in at that very moment was impossible.

“Trey Clover…” He muttered. No. He had to speak loud and clear. “Trey!” Trey snapped out of his trance and looked at him again, well, tried to, because he was so embarrassed he could not hold his gaze. Riddle took a breath. There was no turning back now, and he did not want to turn back either. “Do you want to go out with me?”

He did not sound so decisive, he proposed in a slightly timid tone when he saw the surprised expression on his friend’s face. He held onto the wand and to the stem of the rose with his gloved hand, protecting him from the thorns. Trey was taking his time and the nerves in him were only growing, overflowing out of him and his pulse was racing. He brought the hand that held the rose to his chest. He decided he would continue.

“After much thought I have concluded that I have liked you since first year, and, in the end, there’s nothing I do not like about you, both inside and outside.” Trey was listening to him intently, incredulous and with blushing cheeks. “I know I am being selfish because you have not stopped sacrificing for me and now I am asking you for more responsibility, but it all fits, I am not sure about how you feel, that is my only uncertainty.” He left the rose in his hand and closed it carefully so that the thorns would not dig into him.

“I will repeat it, I am completely sure of what I feel, and I like you. I have also seen the undeniable compatibility we have, as well as the long term viability of a relationship, which I will be happy to explain to you if you ask me.” For those were one of the points he had discussed with Vil. “So, you do not have to answer me now, I just wanted to tell you because it is getting harder and harder for me to appear normal when you make me feel so many things, and besides, this is the year we’ll get to see each other the most.” He said that last statement in a bittersweet tone. But Riddle immediately pulled himself together. “Still, I would not want to lose you for anything in the world either. If you do not feel the same way that is fine, because you are the best friend I could have and I will not let my feelings get in the way of our friendship.”

That was it, he had let it out. There was no time for celebration at having been able to face up to what he felt as he had in rehearsals, for there was still no Trey response. Clover was now partially covering his face with the hand that held the rose, with the most sceptical and embarrassed expression Rosehearts had ever seen.

Riddle was far braver than Trey would ever be. He had been more than willing to take his feelings to his grave if it meant not having to ruin the relationship they had, he would have let that last year slide, he would have been content to merely be by his side without any further ado, but Riddle did not. Riddle did not. And because of that, he was considering everything he said to him.

The insecurities inside him were telling him that he did not deserve him, that he had no right to go out with him after everything that had happened, that it was all a joke. And he could deny what other people said, he could deny what he thought himself, but he could no longer deny it if it came out of the mouth of the person he cared about most. All of Riddle’s arguments silenced every negative thought, every word made him feel secure in his own feelings and emphasised that this was what he wanted too. He wanted to date Riddle. And Riddle wanted to date him. Heart pounding, pulse racing, cheeks reddening, after several attempts, he answered him.

“If I think about it any longer, I’ll end up blurting out something I’ll regret all my life.” He muttered, smiling nervously. He had to answer him at once, or his fears would choose in his place. He plucked up his courage, looked into his beautiful, attentive silver eyes and took his hands in his. He would be honest. “There is one last thing I have left to say to you after your overblot, one more to add to the sum of when we were children.” Because it was not the right time and because he did not believe his feelings were reciprocated.

“When I saw you again last year, at first, as I told you, I judged at first that there was nothing left of you. But after a while I discovered that there wasn’t, and you know, the only thing I could do to support you in any way was to stay by your side,” He took a breath and sighed, seeking to find calm in some way. He clasped Riddle’s hands under his own, ignoring the thorns on the roses, and pursed his lips. If ever there was a right time, that had to be it.

“You know that already, what you don't know is that I, after all this time, no matter how far apart we were, or how much you had changed, I realised that I still felt the same way. Maybe I didn’t know how to name it when I was nine, but I do now.” Now it was Riddle who was observing the situation with wide eyes. “I didn’t want to tell you this, not for the world, because of, as you said, fear that our relationship was in danger and because I also didn’t know if you felt anything,”

He cupped his flushed cheek, warm under his touch and tucked a reddish lock of hair behind his ear. Trey thought he was terrible at such things, that he was not good at being romantic, but he would try nonetheless. “I’m in love with you, Riddle. I always have been,” And admitting it out loud, to him, precisely, made all his doubts dissipate, as if he were capable of making a choice right then and there. Trey smiled timidly. “So, as you can understand, I accept your proposal. We’ll talk about what you’ve told me later. I would like to discuss it with you.”

Riddle was prepared for everything, for a positive response, and a negative one. But the theoretical preparation had been very different from the practical. The rising tension of his words and how they made him feel as he went along, the sincere softness of his tone of voice, his kind and delicate gaze and gestures, and, if that was not enough, what he had admitted. That he was in love with him, and had not realised it, had not doubted him for a moment, or suspected it. He wondered if the guilt he had spoken to him about after his overblot had been the cause of that hiddenness, or if Trey had never had any intention of taking the plunge. But those doubts would be resolved another time; now he could only grin wide at his response, with no trace of uncertainty within him.

“Very well, if you accept it, then we have an agreement.” He responded automatically, as he had practised. Then he decided that he would continue to improvise on what he had told him. “I had no idea of your feelings either, Trey, we’re a pair of blind fools.” Clover chuckled lightly at his comment. “But I’m glad I made the decision to tell you, I didn’t expect it at all to be reciprocated with such intensity.” Riddle did not know what to do with his free hand, so he positioned it over the one holding his cheek. He stroked the back of it with his gloved thumb. “I will endeavour to get to that point myself.” He sentenced, determined. Trey nodded, waiting for that to happen. “Well, you’re my king now, you tell me.” His smile turned sly. “How does it feel to have power?”

Trey could feel a range of emotions at the moment, but none were tied to the position of king, after all, he would still be Riddle’s vice. Perhaps Rook would change his nickname now that he was no longer the knight. Powerful was not the word he would use at the moment, he was happy, once again, to be by his side.

“Oh, the King of Hearts? It’s quite an honour, though I’m not sure if it’s a position I’d be worthy of.” Seeing his expression harden, Trey decided to make amends. “But I’ll live up to it, it’ll be nice to be immune to certain rules.” He sighed in relief as he saw him smile again. A question still lingered in the back of his mind and, as his confession had been, the time was right. If he gave it any more thought, he would not say it. “By the way, there’s one last thing I want to ask you, if I may…”

“Of course.”

Now he had to say it, well, there he went. He had not proposed it and he was already regretting it. Well, at least he was not going to blurt out to him anything to do with his eyes being silver as spoons, he remembered that one. Now that Riddle had taken the reins of the declaration, it would be his turn next.

“Let’s see, if I just became the king, this is like a ‘wedding’.” He would give the necessary roundabout way to justify his request. “And weddings always end with something specific.”

“With a reception.” Riddle reflected aloud. It seemed like a good idea to have one in the dormitory. Trey smiled, embarrassed. He was just in time to take it back, but he gestured that it was earlier. Riddle thought about what the real end of the ceremony was and...

Oh. Oh.

“Can I kiss you?”

Riddle froze for a few moments, absorbed in his determined golden gaze. He had planned a date to do it in case Trey agreed. But, in reality, he had no idea how to do it! Vil and Cater had spoken to him only far above such displays of affection, but! But now that his king had suggested it, he realised how much he wanted to do it right then, even if he did not know anything, he could trust him. If anyone was going to give him his first kiss, it had to be Trey.

First he admitted he was in love with him and now he wanted to kiss him, he would not give him a single breath to calm his emotions. When Trey went to open his mouth to take it back and make it clear that he did not have to be compelled, Riddle cut him off.

“If I give it any more thought, I shall regret my answer.” He commented solemnly, just as Trey had said. He smiled before answering seriously. “Yes, of course.” He reached up to grab the frames of his glasses and remove them. That was it. He did not know what else to do. “I’m not experienced, though.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” He had no experience either, but he wanted to look confident enough to give him a sense of security. As confident as someone who was finally going to kiss the person he had been in love with for nine years could be.

He placed one hand back on his cheek and left the other on his hip. Riddle chose to wrap both hands around his waist, as if to embrace him. Trey ran his thumb along his cheek until he reached his lips, Rosehearts shivered at the feel of his finger on them, then Trey placed it under his chin. They tilted their heads, just as Clover leaned down, Riddle rose a few centimetres on his tips. They closed their eyes.

The faint scent of roses flooding the air mixed with Trey's cologne, the softness of his gestures, as if he were a flower petal. Blossoming. The touch of his lips blossomed new feelings in Riddle, as if a spring breeze swept through him, filling him with calm and security and, in turn, causing the buds to open in its wake. He stretched out the seconds as long as he could, for it was like one of those dreams from which one did not want to awaken. The separation was slow. Riddle looked into his golden eyes, watching him intently and nervously, pupils dilated. Rosehearts moistened his lips, remembering that pleasant sensation.

“Again.” The queen commanded. The king smiled sheepishly and ventured back to his lips, gladly complying with his demand.

IV. Epilogue

The leaders and vice leaders of Heartslabyul and Pomefiore were in the botanical garden with certain objectives in mind.

They needed moonflowers for a particular potion, the nightmare-quenching Noctambulous. They had been growing them since the beginning of the school year, and now, in addition to Rosehearts, other people would benefit from their use.

Riddle and Rook had taken on the role of watering them, the hunter waiting for the rose leader to use the watering can and then spraying the buds himself with a mixture of the potion. Vil and Trey were doing the count a few metres away from them. Hunt kept drawing conversation from Rosehearts, which got in the way of his productivity as he could not fully concentrate on his task. He was used to casual chats with Trey, but Rook was a constant, incessant shower of comments and unquenchable questions. In truth, he reminded him slightly of Cater and, speaking of Cater, he remembered that he had yet to ask him how his first official date with Malleus had gone.

“So, Reine des Roses, do you have thoughts of keeping your hair white? Or perhaps you will follow your bedroom's beautiful tradition of dying it red again?” He asked that time. Riddle glanced sideways at him.

“Well, I don’t dislike the colour, but we’ve agreed on a day for Cater to dye with me.” And then they would use the appropriate spell to make the colour permanent. “So you could say we're going to paint the roses red.” He returned to his task of continuing to water.

“An excellent choice! Both colours suit you because of your eye colour, Riddle-kun. And speaking of colours! Did you know that green and red are complémentaires (complementary)? It’s so beautiful to see how you complement each other in absolutely everything. Ah! I’m so thrilled that you’ve finally been crowned Roi et Reine des Roses. I'm so happy about how votre relation (your relationship) has evolved, you don’t know how much.”

Riddle blinked slowly, still getting used to Trey's friend's rapid speech, he had even begun to skim the dictionary of the language that Hunt occasionally slipped into the middle of a sentence. They had barely spoken to each other in the corridors before, and now it could be said that they were at least acquaintances. Rook was one of those people who, if you gave him an opportunity to continue the conversation, would not shut up even if he was underwater. When he tried to answer him, he felt a hand on his waist, he looked back and there was Trey, holding the frame of his glasses.

“Rook.” Trey called out to him. “Could you leave my white rose alone? Please?” He requested, with a frown and a crooked smile.

“White rose, eh?” Rook repeated teasingly. Trey sighed, the nickname had come to him without thinking.

“Riddle, you can stand up for yourself, do not mind him.” Vil chipped in, appearing behind Clover, continuing to follow his way towards Rook. “And if you need help with the dyeing, let me know. Cater admitted to me that he followed my tutorial for the internal grey highlights, so it is the same way, only with my valuable presence.”

“I'll take that into consideration and I don’t mind Trey intervening, don’t worry.” He lowered the watering can and let his free hand rest on the one that held him. “I estimate that within two days you and Rook-senpai will have your potions. The taste isn’t pleasant, but it’s worth sleeping without nightmares. It works well for Trey and me.”

Trey also started using them shortly after Riddle. He had been having nightmares related to his boyfriend’s overblot since it happened. At first he kept them secret so he would not worry him, but eventually he told him about it.

“Yes, and now that there have been more overblots, the stock in Sam's shop is still not an option when there are so many royals interested in buying them.” Trey mentioned aloud, remembering that there was now more demand due to the overblots of three more students since they first started making them. “I’m glad I decided to make them on my own for Riddle.” He noticed that Rook was still looking at him sardonically. “What?”

“It’s just that, Roi des Roses, I got nostalgic when you were standing here earlier this year denying your feelings for Reine des Roses.” Riddle arched an eyebrow and looked at Trey, who was certainly not going to look down for anything in the world until the misunderstanding was cleared up. “And look at you now! It’s truly lovely that you’re together at last, and you are being so sincere, I’m so proud of you.” He remarked dreamily.

“Let’s see, even if I denied it…” He felt his silver eyes lock onto him. “I finally admitted them, which is the important thing.” His gloved hand squeezed his. No, he was not fixing it. “And I was embarrassed to tell you too, you threw even my pulses in my face, what did you want me to do? I had no choice.”

“Excuses!” Riddle interjected. “So denying them, eh?” Trey smiled guiltily at his accusation, while Riddle smiled too, but warningly. “No wonder I had to take the plunge myself”

“See, another one alike. Rook came at me with contradictory mirror metaphors and I did not even hear it from him.” Vil commented, folding his arms and wearing a resigned expression.

“I am pained by those words! Roi du Poison, I have never denied-” ‘My feelings for you.’ He was about to finish.

“Excuses!” Vil interrupted him, then, the poison queen looked at the rose queen, dropping the note blog between Rook’s hands. “They deserve to be in charge of the flowers, all by themselves, what do you say, Riddle?” The aforementioned took his boyfriend's hand and turned to face him. Clover had a bad feeling.

“I think you’re right, Vil.” He sentenced as he left the watering can in his hand, just as he did with that rose, and then turned towards the leader of Pomefiore. There was his bad feeling. Rook and Trey exchanged a sidelong glance. “You’ll have to make it up to us somehow.”

“Of course, let’s talk about it by eating the sweets Trey brought, shall we?” Vil knew that his, at least, would be appropriate as far as his diet was concerned.

“You took the words right out of my mouth.”

And their queens, without further ado, headed towards one of the small stone bridges, where the bag full of sweets was located. None of the vices wanted to get involved in their respective leader's decision making. Trey grabbed hold of the watering can and turned on his heel, only to find Rook's sprayer in front of his nose, spraying over the flower he had in his sights. Trey sighed and moved on to the next one, pouring water over it.

“Now we’ll have to make it up to them, any ideas?” They had to take advantage now that they were far enough away that they could not hear them. Rook smiled slyly at that question, then, Trey fell on a repetitive idea he had been telling him ever since his boyfriends returned. No, even earlier. Trey sighed again. “Don’t tell me you’ve been messing with them like that on purpose just to have a double date.” That was what he got for being more attentive to Riddle than to him.

Rook had been insisting on the idea for months, ever since he found out they were dating, to be precise. And now he had taken advantage of a moment in which the four of them were together to treacherously turn them against each other and have to make amends together. It had been his fault that he had underestimated, or rather, not seen it coming.

“I’d say I’m hurt by your accusation, but I’ve been caught.” There was not a hint of regret on his face. “Betrayal can be enchanting at times, don’t you think?” As he said that, Trey brought a hand to the bridge of his nose. “Well, I’ll start brainstorming!”

Trey's hand rested under the bud of one of the flowers, checking for threatening bugs, and, in the meantime, he listened to Hunt with a frown and a forced smile. Rook was spraying here and there as he was vigorously expressing all the ideas he had to make amends for his ‘accidental’ slip of the tongue. And Riddle and Vil shared a conversation as they watched their partners and enjoyed the delicious sweets. Clover averted his gaze to the bridge and looked up at Rosehearts. As he saw his attentive silver eyes and that grin on his face, he smiled too. When he looked at Riddle now, the future no longer filled him with uncertainty, but with reassurance.

Yes, things had changed significantly since that conversation in the botanical garden.