Work Text:
Riddle Rosehearts didn’t seem to care about what the people called, “friends.”
Growing up, he never had any time in his busy schedule to play. Truth be told, he was never allowed to make time for playing. He liked to not think about it and follow his mother’s rules like a diligent child.
Yet, like every other person, he too had his weak spots. There are times where he would dare to rebel and steal for himself, a little normality in his extremely fantasy- induced life.
For him, the act of rebelling came in the form of strawberry tarts. It was nothing special, but then again, it was something highly special to him. Maybe it was the sentiment attached with it. No scratch that, it was definitely because of the emotional value.
Riddle knew he wasn’t a bad man. If someone came to apologise to him with a pure heart and a strawberry tart, he would accept it. After all, he too deserved a chance at being a kid.
He was always viewed in the wrong way though. And even if he tried to be lenient with rules, old habits die hard. Within a few days of being at Night Raven, he had accepted that he was not here to make friends. Rather, no one would want to take the fall the way Trey and Che’nya did- He was okay with that.
To Riddle, his first friend, maybe more, aside from Che’nya and Trey came to him in the form of what he liked to call, a devillous octopus.
—
The first time he saw him was on the day of the Sorting Ceremony. He didn’t care much though, he was just another student here.
That was until he felt someone sit next to him. He turned around to see the newly sorted-into-Octavinelle student smile softly at him. He had a beauty spot under his lip and he was what Riddle could only describe as pretty.
“Azul Ashengrotto,” He said, extending his hand for Riddle to shake.
“I’m Riddle Rosehearts.”
Their conversation wasn’t long- In fact, it wasn’t even a full conversation.
But it was a start. And we all start somewhere to go a long way. Like one would say, you can’t form sentences without learning the alphabets first.
The next time he spoke to Ashengrotto was a week after he started attending NRC. It was his first day as the dorm leader and there was a huge responsibility on his head now, but he believed in himself enough to not blunder.
He was leaving his first class of the day when he heard heavy footsteps approaching. He turned back to see that “pretty boy with the beauty spot” hurriedly making his way to him.
“You should not be running in the hallways Ashengrotto, that is against the rules.” Riddle said as he clutched his books to his chest.
The Octavinelle student smiled as he caught his breath- The new Heartslabyul dorm leader was as uptight as the Queen of Hearts. A deserving student indeed.
“Ah, my bad. I just wanted to congratulate you on becoming the dorm leader within your first week here- It is a notable feat indeed.”
Riddle nodded. He agreed with his classmate.
“Thank you. I am not surprised as I had been preparing for this ever since I was young. I hope I can live up to the Queen’s standards.”
“Do not worry, I am sure you will manage.” Azul smiled widely at Riddle. It was devilish.
“Thank you. Now if you would excuse me, I need to reach my next class on time.” Riddle said as he nodded and made his way to his classroom. He felt like he was repeating his words but boy , Ashengrotto was devilish and there was definitely something lurking under that sweet smile of his.
Riddle didn’t know if he really wanted to dive deep into someone else’s secrets like that. But Azul Ashengrotto’s smile was alluring and he felt strangely curious about his slyness.
Azul was not someone who you could just miss in a crowd. His silver hair stood out among the other’s and Riddle often saw him during classes. At times, very rarely, when they made eye contact, Azul would smile and wave at him. Don’t get him wrong, Riddle always paid attention to his classes. Yet sometimes, he allowed his eyes to wander- He has studied this already and could definitely ace even a surprise test on the topic.
Azul during flying classes was a different story though. Riddle wasn’t one to judge, but there are times when he couldn’t lie and had to accept that some things could only be described as utterly obnoxious.
Which included his own flying too but as long as his magic skills were good, it didn’t really matter.
Despite the little glances and unknown to the other staring, Riddle and Azul didn’t talk much. In the words of Idia Shroud, some characters start as NPCs- You could only hope they are playable in the future.
The next time Riddle spoke to Azul was 6 months after he became the housewarden.
The rules of the Queen of Hearts were quite… unconventional to say the least. One of them stated that if anyone were to get wet in the rain, they were to dry themself by running in circles, in the sea . Quite impossible really, but not for Riddle.
Honestly, he was quite disappointed in himself for not taking necessary precautions against the rain. One would wonder why Riddle would blame himself for getting wet in sudden rain but well, they mostly pass it off by calling him a ‘weirdo.’
Riddle could never, even if he tried to, forget how tired he got that day after running around in Octavinelle dorm for 6 hours straight- or in circles. Semantics.
He swore he could pass out from exhaustion right there, but thankfully Azul came to his rescue.
“All dry now, housewarden?” He asked him, handing him a bottle of water. Riddle couldn’t reply, he was too out of breath to string proper sentences and speak. He uncapped the bottle and almost drank the entire bottle of water in one go; Little bit of water escaped from the corner of his mouth and trickled down his shirt, adding to the dampness caused by his sweating.
Azul sat down on the floor next to him and spoke again. “What was the point of drying yourself off like that when you’re all sweaty and wet now?” He asked, smirking.
A bitch, really.
“It’s the rules.” Riddle replied as he finally caught his breath. He tried to get back up but his legs were aching so bad.
“Indeed. Now, would you like to rest for a few minutes and dry off under the fan before you get going?” Azul asked sweetly as he stood up and offered Riddle a hand.
“You’re not allowed to refuse” was written all over his face, which he skillfully masked with a deceitful smile. Riddle narrowed his eyes at him but took his hand nonetheless. A little rest wouldn’t hurt.
As Riddle made his way to the couch in the lounge, he noticed a notebook with a menu of sorts.
Soon after, Azul sat next to him and started a conversation with him about his future plans.
“Riddle-San,” He started. “Very soon, I shall be starting a restaurant here at our dorm. I hope to overtake the housewarden position next.”
“He’s ambitious,” Riddle thought. He could not understand why Azul was telling him all of this though. Could it be that he was trying to show him that he wasn’t the only student in their batch who could become the Housewarden in their first year? Or maybe, there could be some other reason.
Or maybe he just needed some assistance.
“That is remarkable. May I see your menu?” Riddle asked. He was specifically interested in seeing the desserts Azul had to offer. Riddle was hoping to find strawberry tart on the list.
Riddle went through the entire menu thrice to make sure he didn't accidentally miss the strawberry tart. Much to his dismay, there was no strawberry tart.
“Azul, there are no strawberry tarts here.” Riddle pointed out in an accusatory but disheartened tone.
“I already put in the lemon tarts though.” He replied, pushing his glasses up his nose and pointing to the dessert section.
“What about the strawberry tarts?” Riddle asked..
“We don’t need the strawberry tarts.”
“But they’re strawberry tarts.”
Azul laughed. He knew what Riddle was trying to imply.
“Do you want me to add strawberry tarts to the menu?” Azul asked, placing his hand under his chin. He looked charming, in a very negative way.
“What? No. It’s your restaurant not mine.” It was as if a switch had been turned back on in Riddle
Azul laughed again. Riddle was like a little kid throwing a tantrum. It was cute.
“Alright, I’ll make you an offer.” Azul started. “I’m going to add strawberry tarts to the menu if you promise to come here as a regular customer at least once every week.” He proposed, as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.
He looked intimidating. It was like a business deal.
Riddle didn’t have to think it over or anything. He could easily spare time once every week for desserts. The fact that he wasn’t allowed to eat them back home only made him crave more sweets.
“You have my word. Now if you shall excuse me, I need to get back to my dorm.” Riddle said, standing up and hurriedly making his way back to Heartslabyul.
“Thank you for having me.” He said as he left the dorm.
Riddle was very happy. Now he wouldn’t have to pester Trey to make him his tarts, and he could also get other stuff like tea to go along with it. “Azul is doing an amazing job.” He thought, as he smiled and entered his own dorm.
---
“Jade.” Azul called out.
“Call the house-, my bad, the ex -house warden here and tell him that I have met his conditions of at least 20 confirmed customers for Mostro Lounge.”
“Right on it, Housewarden Azul.”
When not in class, Riddle spent a lot of time in the library, or at his dorm. But recently, he made frequent detours to Mostro Lounge.
“Did Riddle make a friend?” Was Cater’s main concern in this entire case. Despite Riddle being his housewarden, he felt proud of his junior for finally making a friend. Trey was very happy too.
But obviously, Riddle turned them down by saying that he only visits Mostro Lounge because of a promise.
“It’s only for the strawberry tarts.” He repeated countless times but the other Heartslabyul members would never believe him. According to Cater, since Riddle didn’t have friends when he was young, friendship was probably a foreign feeling to him, which is why he waved it off as a promise or whatever.
But Riddle knew that he wasn’t friends with the Octavinelle housewarden. When Riddle was over at Mostro Lounge, Azul often joined him for snacks or tea. But Riddle wouldn’t consider them friends.
They didn’t talk much. Maybe light conversations from time to time but it wasn’t much. They usually just sat next to each other and went about their own jobs.
Oh, but one thing Riddle noticed was that Azul tried to shield him from Floyd, if he was in a good mood. Floyd’s constant “Kingyo-chan~” were a major cause of his headaches and sometimes Azul stopped his friend from further gnawing at Riddle’s receding sanity.
Riddle was thankful for it. Otherwise he would’ve strangled the eel a long time ago.
It was at one of Azul and Riddle’s weekly meet-ups that the Scarabia dorm-head, Kalim approached them, smiling brightly.
“Yo! Riddle-San, Azul-San!” He said as he sat between the two.
“Good evening Kalim, would you like to order something?” Azul asked as he got up and went behind the counter to serve as the prince’s personal bartender.
Riddle narrowed his eyes at the action. Why was he never welcomed with such hospitality?
“Oh, just a lemonade would be fine.” He said, waving his hand dismissively. He was a bright one and spending too much time with him felt like being left out in the sun without sunscreen. Vil Schoenheit would absolutely hate that, by the way.
Azul only hummed softly as he rolled up his sleeves and got to work. Riddle looked at him from his seat, observing the way he made the drink. He looked quite focused on making the simple drink. Despite being crafty and sly, Riddle couldn’t deny that Azul was a hard and determined worker. Didn’t make him like the stupid octopus though.
“How’s everything in your dorm, Riddle-San?” Kalim asked, turning to face him.
“There’s always going to be a few troublemakers, but everything is going smoothly otherwise. Thanks for asking.”
“That’s great. Thank you for the drink Azul.” Kalim said as he took the lemonade from Azul’s hand who had taken his spot at the bartender’s place.
Kalim took a sip from the lemonade before he set it down on the counter and started talking again.
“I came here to ask for a favour from you two.” He said sheepishly.
Azul raised an eyebrow at that. What could Kalim possibly want from both of them?
“I was hoping you two could tutor me on weekends. My grades are falling and some extra help would be highly appreciated.” He stated, his face slightly red.
“That won’t be a problem for me.” Riddle spoke, nodding slightly. “It would serve as a revision for me as well.”
“That’s amazing, thank you very much Riddle-San!”
“I don’t mind tutoring you, but what does it have in return for me?” Azul asked, placing his hand under his chin and leaning forward slightly. He looked like a predator intimidating his prey. Riddle could faintly remember seeing him do this pose before as well. Must be a common manipulation technique for him.
Kalim laughed nervously. “What would you want in return, Azul-San?”
“I’ll think of it and let you know.”
Kalim’s shoulders visibly relaxed as he thanked Azul and paid him for the lemonade. He confirmed timing and meetup spots with the two before leaving to head back to his dorm.
“You were trying to intimidate him.” Riddle said, once Kalim left.
“Is that so?” Azul asked, nonchalantly.
“You made him nervous.” Riddle said, leaning back in his chair a little.
“You seem to observe a lot, don’t you?” Azul asked, smirking a bit. Riddle frowned. Azul was absolutely infuriating.
“But surely, I wasn’t trying to intimidate him. You must have misunderstood it for something else.” Azul said dismissively. Liar.
“You did the thing.” Riddle said, as he gestured with his hands. “Hand under chin, then you lean.”
“Oh? You’ve noticed a lot about me, haven’t you? Tell me, is it a nice view then?” He said, pushing up his glasses.
Riddle was getting mad now. He didn’t understand how, but Azul irritated him as much as Floyd did. Must be something common in all the Octavinelle members.
“I’m observant, that’s all.” Riddle said, as he paid for his drinks and got up from his seat. He didn’t want to get mad and the best option was to leave the place.
As he was leaving the cafe, he heard Azul chuckle softly. Oh he was having fun with this, wasn’t he?!
“Tsk.”
Azul Ashengrotto absolutely enraged him and there was nothing Riddle Rosehearts wanted to do more than wipe that infuriating smirk off his pretty face.
Over the next few months, Riddle found himself around Azul more often. Be it relaxing at Mostro Lounge, tutoring Kalim or reluctantly being made project partners in Trein’s class. It was movie-like, to say the least. Rivals by day, but courteous to each other at night.
During tutoring sessions with Kalim, they were both focused. Chatting could wait.
Azul was good at explaining and Riddle was observant. Azul taught Kalim the lessons and Riddle noted down where he was lacking, and made questions for him accordingly. Working with Azul wasn’t half that bad.
One night Azul and Riddle were working in the library. Azul doing some finance stuff for Mostro Lounge and Riddle going over Kalim’s quiz.
“Azul,” he said. “Kalim keeps messing up alchemy.”
Azul took the paper from Riddle’s hand, their hands lightly brushing in the process.
“I don’t really blame him, alchemy could be confusing for some. But we will manage, don’t worry.” He said, looking at the other answers.
“However, Riddle-San, you have been checking his paper with black ink.” Azul said as he returned it to his companion.
Riddle’s eyes widened as he realised his mistake. He was incredibly tired and it showed.
“Thank you for pointing it out.” He said, as he took out a pot of red ink from his bag. He was exhausted- mentally and physically. He didn’t like how he let something like that hinder his work.
He was about to start working again when he felt a hand on his wrist, stopping him from writing any further.
“Leave it to me. I’ll do that after I finish my register.” He said, taking the pen out of Riddle’s hands who was now frowning at him.
“It’s alright Azul, I can do it.” Riddle tried to interject but Azul refused.
“You need to rest.” He said, as he lightly snatched the papers. Quite a feisty one.
Riddle had no energy to argue. “Fine” he said as he laid his head on the desk.
“Is something bothering you?” Azul asked after a while. Riddle wasn’t asleep. Right now, he wanted to do nothing but stare at empty space.
“I’m just tired.” He answered, not looking at Azul.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I have nothing to say.” Riddle said, closing his eyes. Azul hummed in response.
Riddle grew up in a house where showing emotion was uncommon. Of course, he had seen his fair share of anger and disobedience- But he really didn’t remember the last time he cried and was not asked to “get a grip.”
Over the years he made rules for himself too. Of course, following the rules of the Queen of Hearts was number one, but number two was that he wasn’t allowed to feel anything. A ruler didn’t have a place to deal with something as pathetic as feeling burnt out and exhausted or having days where fulfilling duties would be the last one thing on one’s mind.
No, he was supposed to keep his head held high and go on about his day. As one might call it, “Fake it till you make it.”
Riddle never really made it. He longed for comfort and a hand to hold. It was quite unknown to him too, because he didn’t know exactly when he put all his feelings in a box and buried them under a pile of rules and duties.
He heard shuffling of papers before he felt Azul sit next to him the way he did when they first met. Riddle turned to face him but didn’t say anything. Azul didn’t either, he just got back to work.
Riddle closed his eyes. He felt strangely comforted by his presence. He didn’t trust him, nor were they friends but once, just once, he hoped Azul stayed.
And in Azul’s world, right now there was just them. Just him and Riddle.
-
The members of Heartslabyul dorm, the few who were awake actually, were quite surprised when the Octavinelle housewarden came into their dorm levitating a sleeping Riddle.
“Show me his bedroom.” Azul ordered. He lightly put Riddle down in his bed and was about to leave when the vice-housewarden appeared at the doorway.
“Azul-San, thank you for bringing him here.” He said nervously, his face devoid of any makeup.
“You need to take better care of your housewarden.” Azul said as he walked past Trey and left the dorm.
One would wonder how Azul levitated Riddle all the way from the library to Heartslabyul dorm and not run out of magic or drop the sleeping boy.
Maybe he was just that good a mage. Or maybe he just princess-carried Riddle for the most part. Who knows.
By the end of their first year, Riddle and Azul were friends- of sorts.
Riddle didn’t like how crafty Azul could be- the entire contract system of his Lounge wasn’t the most lawful.
Azul didn’t like how uptight Riddle was. Rules, rules, rules, it felt like even sneezing around him would have a hidden rule reprimanding his ways. It filled him with a strange glee whenever Riddle broke one of his rules. Everytime it happened, he secretly hoped Riddle would do it again.
However, they both accepted the other as talented, and powerful mages. It wasn’t unusual since they also enjoyed teasing the other and making them mad.
It turned out that they worked quite well together (if they wanted to), which is why teachers often paired them up for projects. One time when they were working on an alchemy project, Riddle turned up at Octavinelle dorm unannounced, looking for his partner.
“What brings little Goldfishie here?” Floyd asked from behind the counter.
“Where is Azul?”
“I’m hurt. You didn’t even tell me hi.” Floyd said, sniffling a little.
Riddle rolled his eyes at the twin’s childish antics.
“Jade, where is Azul?”
“He’s chilling in the pool.” The less insane but equally evil brother replied.
“Oh then I’ll come by later.” Riddle said, already walking towards the exit.
“You should join him.”
“Huh?”
“The pool is that way.” Floyd said as he appeared behind Riddle and pushed him towards the pool.
He didn’t understand why the Octavinelle dorm had a huge ass pool when the entire dorm was under the sea. Maybe for privacy or something, he thought.
When he pushed open the door to the pool, he saw Azul in his octopus form pressed against the railings, his hands stretched out and his shoulders flexing.
He silently walked over to the other side of the pool where the chairs were- it was the side which Azul was facing. His eyes were closed and the moonlight danced over his features. His damp hair, which was now pushed out of his face and resting atop his scalp, as if it had been gelled, looked dazzling too.
“The moonlight really suited him,” Riddle thought. This was where Azul looked the most beautiful and vulnerable. Riddle felt like he was imposing on Azul’s personal time and was about to leave without saying anything, when he felt something wrap around his ankles and pull him down inside the pool.
He screamed; He has been thrown into the water. It was without a doubt, a prank Azul played with one of his 8 tentacles.
Riddle gasped for air as he came up to the surface.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING AZUL?!” He screamed.
“Calm down Riddle-san.” He replied, laughing. Oh this was very funny to him huh?!
“YOU CANNOT JUST MISUSE YOUR TENTACLES LIKE THAT AND SUDDENLY PULL SOMEONE UNDER THE WATER!!” Riddle scolded, unknowingly moving closer to the trickster octopus.
“Sorry Riddle, I wanted to have some fun.”
“You spend too much time with Floyd.” Riddle said, a little softer, before he spoke again. “My clothes are wet now Azul.” He declared looking him right in the eye.
Azul just shrugged. “Then take them off,” he said.
Azul could never forget the way Riddle’s face flushed 10 different shades of red when he said that.
“HUH?!”
“Do you plan to wear clothes in the pool?” Azul asked sarcastically.
Riddle groaned. He absolutely hated Azul; He made him so fucking mad.
“Curse you Azul.” He muttered as he took off his blazer. “At least turn around when I’m undressing.”
“Oh sorry.” Azul said as he turned around, creating lots of ripples in the water.
Riddle stared hard at the back of Azul’s head as he stripped his clothes. Azul was having too much fun with this. But then again, he was encroaching on the hydro territory.
“I’m done.” He said, folding his clothes and keeping them near the chairs. He turned around and crossed his arms to stare at Azul from the opposite side of the pool.
Azul blankly stared back at him for a few beats before he offered a swimming race, which was turned down by Riddle.
“You have 8 legs.” He said. Fair enough.
Riddle decided to still swim though. He asked Azul to keep track of his laps to which he gladly agreed.
“I’m cold, and tired.” Riddle said, after just 3 laps. Azul raised his eyebrow at that, and wrapped one of his tentacles around Riddle’s waist as he pulled him towards himself. Riddle yelped. Absolutely. Not. Fair.
“You’re so loud.” He complained.
“You need to stop pulling me with your tentacles Azul.” Riddle threatened him. More like, he tried to threaten him.
“I only wanted you to be warm. Is this how you repay my kindness?” Azul asked, wiping fake tears off his face.
“God, you’re unbelievable.” Riddle groaned, his face in his hands. He decided to give in and lean against Azul's body which was surprisingly warm. Good for him, I guess.
The pair stayed silent for a while, just basking in each other’s presence before Azul spoke.
“It’s time, we got out.” Azul said, to which Riddle nodded.
Azul got out first and helped Riddle up before he picked up a towel and wiped himself.
“Sit here. And don’t look.” He ordered, as he transformed back and put on his clothes.
Azul then went to his dorm to get a clean towel for Riddle and some clothes for him. He was the reason his clothes were now ruined, he had to take responsibility for it.
He chose a plain black shirt and sweats before he returned to Riddle, who was waiting for him. The dorm was mostly empty by now, which he was thankful for.
“Were you missing home?” Riddle asked Azul when he gave him the clothes, who hummed in response. It was understandable, at the end of the day we all want to go back to our roots. Or tentacles, in Azul’s case.
“Thank you for these.” He said as he accepted the clothes. What Riddle wanted to say was thank you for the time you spent with me today because honestly, it’s good to relax once in a while.
“It’s nothing. I’ll wait for you outside.” Azul said as he left Riddle alone to change.
Riddle wished he would have spoken truthfully to him but he didn’t and though he didn’t regret it, per say, it wouldn’t be half bad if he did actually tell him the truth.
“The clothes are so big on you.” Azul commented as soon as he saw Riddle.
“I didn’t know you could see without your glasses.” He replied bitterly. He still had one year to grow. Azul chuckled at that. It was a home run and he knew it.
“You look cute in them.” He said. Riddle could feel his face heat up again. Why did Azul have to make him this mad?
“Goodnight.” Riddle curtly replied as he stepped out of Octavinelle dorm.
“Goodnight, Prince Red!” Azul said sweetly before he lightly shut the door.
“He’s such a bitch.” Riddle muttered softly to himself as he went towards the hall of mirrors.
Azul’s shirt was comfortable though. Riddle was secretly glad that he refused to take it back when he went to Octavinelle the next day to return the shirt.
Riddle’s first year at Night Raven ended with him coming first, Azul shortly following behind him in second place. They still disliked each other and their relationship was incredibly competitive.They knew how to be polite to each other though, and keeping in mind their close proximity during the past year, one could argue whether they really hated each other or not.
“Your friend is here,” Cater would tease Riddle whenever he saw Azul approaching them. Riddle would just scold him off but that didn’t stop him from poking fun at the two.
Cater remembered the one time when Azul and Riddle were working in the Heartslabyul common area for a change, and he saw the two prefects show some solidarity and praise for each other, under the pretext of proving that magic was more important than athletics.
“Azul is successful and runs a cafe. How does it matter that he fell from his broom yesterday and broke his glasses?” Riddle debated.
“Yes, and Riddle-San is powerful enough to bind your magic in less than a second. I don’t think you are in the right place to mock him for being the slowest runner in our class.” Azul tried to defend his classmate.
Cater laughed. Those two couldn’t go on denying their friendship any longer.
-
The starting of their second year was eventful to say the least. With a rowdy talking cat disrupting their ceremony, to the arrival of the magicless student- It really was quite the unusual case.
Azul and Riddle had to work together to catch the cat, who they now knew was called Grim. They surely did argue, but they were both talented mages who managed to do what was expected of them.
Riddle expected this year to go as smoothly as the last one did- With the exceptions of a “few” troublemakers and a hundred and eighteen cases of “Off With Your Head.”
Turned out that his new dorm students were way more rowdy than what he would’ve liked. The Ramshackle prefect wasn’t someone he was fond of either. Riddle did not know how he allowed himself to lose control like that, but the overblot wasn’t something just on his magic stone- It was something which would blot his peace of mind and self esteem for years to come.
He knew he wasn’t quite in touch with his emotions. But still, there are times when everything feels too much- Like you’re right in the middle of a vast ocean, and you keep trying to swim to the shore. But your lungs keep taking in more and more water, making it hard to breathe and a heavy feeling settles upon your entire self.
The shore is still far away, but you’re drowning with no life boat to hold you in place. Not even a pirate to keep you captive in his den. You just keep going down and down, till the hand you’re holding out is out of sight. Riddle could laugh at this feeling. He knew it wouldn’t be long before he was out of mind too.
Because who would want a “weirdo” by their side who wouldn’t allow them to drink coffee or eat as many sweets as they wished. Heartslabyul would be better off without him, he thought.
If it meant his dorm members being happy and thriving in the absence of a tyrant ruler like him, he would step down. Maybe all the years he spent preparing for this position was never really meant for fruition. To him, it felt like everything he built himself on came crumbling down like a tower of cards in a fast tornado.
Riddle wanted to cry. He wanted to scream and lose his voice. He wanted to rid himself of his magic which felt completely black to him right now.
There was nowhere to go, no one to turn to. He felt like an empty shell of who he once was, thrown away into a dark room with no one around because his presence was heavy on everyone’s fun and quite unwanted.
Thankfully this time, no one cared. No one around was there to tell him to not cry. Even if they were, he had long disappointed them and turned into a disaster who would never be able to fulfil their expectations.
Riddle cried because he hated the way he was. Riddle cried because he put everyone in danger. Riddle cried because he disappointed his mother. But most importantly, he cried because he was lonely.
All alone in his room, where even the sun refused to peek. He was in a sorry condition and the way Trey knocked at his door made him hate himself even more. Why was he concerned for someone like him? He was too pure of heart, and Riddle was afraid that he would end up hurting his dorm students even more than he already did if he faced them.
“Go away Trey.” He managed to call out.
“I’m not Trey.”
“THEN FUCKING GO AWAY CATER.” Riddle screamed as he started crying again. He was so angry, and he felt so abhorrent towards his own self. If only he was different. If only he was someone people would like.
He heard the door to his room unlock, definitely with magic and he was about to scream again when he saw Azul shut the door behind him and walk up to his bed.
Riddle didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t let Azul see him in such a condition- His eyes red from all the crying, his hair dishevelled and greasy, his clothes the same he was wearing three days ago. He wondered what Azul would think of him, and it only made him hate himself more.
“My, my,” Azul said, placing a box of what possibly were donuts and his laptop on Riddle’s bedside table before he pulled out his handkerchief and softly cradled the crying boy’s face with one hand, wiping away his tears with the other. The touch made him want to cry even more, and right now he had no impulse control so he started sobbing again; a fresh set of tears dampened Azul’s handkerchief.
Azul let out a soft breath as he gingerly patted Riddle’s cheeks before he left his side to go to the bathroom. He wasn’t trying to insult him in any way, but he knew that even humans felt better after a bath. He turned on the water in the bathtub before he came back to Riddle who had now stopped crying but was still sniffling.
“Riddle-San, you need to take care of yourself. Why don’t you go take a bath?” He knew there was no use asking because he was sure the other Housewarden would refuse so he took matters into his own hands. Quite literally, because he scooped the smaller boy into his arms and took him straight to the bathroom.
“Put me down Azul!” He protested, his voice hoarse but that wasn’t what Azul cared about right now. He was here with a mission in mind and no amount of screaming and whining from Riddle’s side could shake his intentions.
Azul softly dropped Riddle into the bathtub, clothes on and all. There was a strong sense of deja vu but he shook it off.
“Don’t drown yourself Riddle. I’m going to get you a fresh set of clothes.” He said, before he drew the shower curtain and stepped out of the bathroom. He knew that he wasn’t giving him an option, but it was in his best intentions.
Azul asked himself what his intentions were. Why was he going out of his way to take care of who he regarded as his biggest rival? Surely, there was nothing in it for him. And it’s not like Riddle’s signature spell was his own either, neither did they have a contract. He really didn’t know why he was making strawberry tarts specially for him.
He once read that friends took care of each other and were there for them when the other needed someone, without anything in return. But Azul didn’t have friends- he had contracts. Jade and Floyd weren’t his friends either- They just had similar interests. And that he managed to keep them entertained.
His own actions surprised him to no extent. But sometimes, some things don’t need to make sense. Having a friend and caring for them was like a once in a lifetime, fairytale-like moment for him. So he would indulge in this thoughtless fantasy and allow himself to tell Riddle that everything would be alright.
Riddle too, could not understand why Azul was helping him out. Rather, he could not understand why people still bothered with him. He wanted to ask Azul why he was doing this for him, but he did not want to act ungrateful. Right now, Riddle was more than just thankful for the warm water around him and the boy rummaging through his closet.
One thing that Azul learnt that day was that dark coloured shirts in Riddle’s closet were quite the minority. He remembered what he looked like that day in his own shirt and came to the conclusion that he had to somehow convince him to buy more dark coloured clothes.
While Riddle bathed and cleaned himself up, Azul cleaned his bedroom and set up a movie for the two. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do, so he did some research and apparently other people watch movies and TV shows when they’re feeling down or “hanging out.” He also learnt that the show trending on number 1 right now was ‘Euphoria’ so he decided to watch that. They both could use some knowledge about trending things really.
“I see you’ve made yourself comfortable on my bed?” Riddle said as he stepped out of the shower, a towel hanging from his neck.
Azul laughed. He was glad to see that Heartslabyul hadn’t completely lost its prefect. “Was I not supposed to?” He asked, setting his laptop aside.
“I don’t mind.” Riddle muttered as he got in beside Azul. This was the first time he was sharing his bed with someone and though he was supposed to feel nervousness or unease, there was really none.
“Should I dry your hair for you?” he offered, to which Riddle nodded. Azul didn’t regret his decision- Riddle really needed someone to be with him right now.
“It’s in the first drawer.”
Azul cast a silencing spell on the blow-dryer and he sat behind Riddle, lightly pulling him into his chest so that he could relax.
“I don’t know what you’re feeling right now.” Azul said softly.
“I hope you never do,” Riddle thought.
“But you’re not alone in this Riddle-San. I’m here if you want to say something. And even if you don’t, I’ll still be here because I don’t think I want to leave you alone like this.” He said, softly massaging Riddle’s scalp.
“I’m glad that you’re here Azul.”
Azul hummed as he turned off the dryer and picked up the food he brought.
“You need to eat.” He said as he gave Riddle a strawberry tart and reached for his laptop “I’ll put on a TV show; it’s apparently trending right now.”
-
“Is this what teenagers are into these days?!” Riddle said, his face contorted into a look of terror.
Azul wasn’t doing the best as well because he too, was absolutely horrified by the contents on his laptop screen.
“I don’t think this show is for us.” He said softly, shaking his head right and left. He thought that ‘Euphoria’ would be like a fairytale or a fantasy show but god was he wrong.
After a few minutes of sitting there in total silence, Azul spoke again.
“Uh- Do you want to try watching something else?” He said awkwardly.
Riddle laughed softly. Azul looked cute, he wouldn’t lie.
“I have watched a few episodes of this show called ‘Friends’ with Cater and the others. We could watch that.” He suggested.
“Sure.”
Riddle leaned into his pillows as Azul looked for the show on his computer. He had never experienced something like this before and everything Azul was doing for him overwhelmed him. He was a good friend, an amazing friend actually. If it wasn’t for him, he would still be drowning in his misery. Before this, he never would’ve wanted to accept Azul Ashengrotto as his friend. But somewhere, somehow, something changed and Azul ended up feeding Riddle tarts.
“Thank you Azul. You’re a good friend.” Riddle said, placing his hand on top of Azul’s, whose eyes widened and a soft blush dusted his cheeks. But he soon smiled and took hold of Riddle’s hand and that moment Riddle could swear he was the happiest.
Azul didn’t understand how he managed to make a friend. But right now he felt free. No contracts were binding him and there was not even a sliver of deceit in his mind. Just pure adoration, and Riddle Rosehearts’ hand in his.