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The Unbirthday Party had passed its peak, and most of the Heartslabyul students trickled out of the rose garden, walking back to their rooms and chattering happily on their way.
Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves.
Enma hadn’t failed to notice the atmosphere of light-heartedness that had hesitantly thrown a light net over everyone after their housewarden hadn’t flown off the handle when he had spied white roses which hadn’t been painted red.
Maybe, they would have felt even more comfortable if they had seen Riddle shyly presenting his self-made tart. Or how he had dissolved into relieved laughter after his eyes had worriedly flickered over all of them when Trey had stopped laughing to explain his oyster sauce prank.
If they had seen that side of their leader.
On the other hand…
Maybe it was best that this vulnerable version of Riddle only came out in front of that special group of Trey, Cater, Ace and Deuce.
Speaking of the two freshmen, Enma watched them where they sat opposite to him, his mind pleasantly blank, while they munched little pastries with sugar icing.
Grim was with them, and his plate was outrageously loaded with seemingly all the food lying picturesque on serving plates and étagères. (Over the course of the whole afternoon, Enma had tried to discreetly take a few things off his plate.)
Trey, only two seats away from Enma, joked around with Cater, who simultaneously took pictures of what he was eating. Occasionally though, only for a second, so it was easy to miss, they glanced to the head of the table.
Where Riddle sat on his throne-like chair, a little constrained.
The spark that had flickered in his large grey eyes after Enma had told him, “You are the one who got up and kept going.“, had dimmed over the last two hours. Exhaustion had settled into his features, showing that he hadn’t fully recovered from his Overblot yet. His pale face was composed. Only a shadow of his beaming smile after the Unbirthday Party had begun remained, and with a raw edge to it. And he avoided eye contact, holding his gaze below everyone else’s.
His hands had grabbed his cup of tea, not letting go of it although the tea inside must have cooled a while ago.
His self-baked tart stood in front of him, untouched except for the six thin slices he had given them to taste.
Enma shoved his chair back, and went up to Riddle. He felt Trey and Cater’s eyes on his back.
When Heartslabyul’s housewarden noticed him, he ripped his gaze away from his cup, but Enma didn’t give him time to say anything. His honest, straightforward nature had him not beat around the bush.
“I wanted to ask you something. Can I have your tart?“
Riddle gaped at him, blinking, processing.
“What… for?“
Enma rubbed his neck, a bit self-conscious, and gave the younger boy a crooked smile.
“I really liked the taste of it. So… I’d like to eat it.“
And just like that, Riddle’s facade crumbled to dust in front of him.
Enma concentrated on the disbelief shining in those round eyes, nothing else, until the other nodded haltingly.
A faint blush entered his cheeks, and he mumbled something Enma didn’t understand, wringing his fingers in his lap, completely unlike him.
Eventually, though, he stuttered out:
“Let me give it to you as a gift.“
Enma smiled in response, happy to see the spark in Riddle’s eyes lighten up again.
And all it took was a small word of praise.
xXx
~Two days later~
xXx
“Yuuuhuuuuuu! Trey is in front of the door!“
Grim shouted down from upstairs, interrupting Enma’s thought process on his History of Magic homework. Before he could forget the first part of the sentence he had formulated in his head, he jotted it down messily.
“Never mind. He’s going away again.“
Enma flopped back down on the sofa, wondering what Trey had wanted that he came all the way to Ramshackle.
He shrugged his shoulders.
Probably nothing important.
“Wait!“
Enma craned his neck up to Ramshackle’s gallery.
“Grim? What is it now?“
“He’s comin’ back.“
“What?“
Enma asked himself, not saying it loud enough for Grim to hear.
“Now he’s going to knock! Oh, no, he isn’t. He’s shuffling from one foot to the other. Say, did you invite him, Yuu?“
“No…“
“Huh… Why is he loitering around our dorm then?“
“I don’t know. Is he still in front of the door?“
“Yeah. He’s shaking his head. And saying somethin’. Dunno what, though.“
With every comment Grim made, more question marks filled Enmas head. Had he missed something?
“Ooooh, now he looks determined. He’s so gonna knock.“
Obviously, Grim had taken a liking to whatever Trey did, eagerly playing the commentator.
“Nope, false alarm.“
Enma could hear Grim’s giggles, but decided to cut the strange spectacle short.
“I’m answering the door now.“
And he did. Catching Trey’s fist hovering over the door as if he had planned on knocking.
Enma invited him inside unceremoniously.
And there Trey stood.
It was awkward, especially since they still heard Grim laugh from above, and the Heartslabyul seemed clearly embarrassed, but he covered it with his trademark smile and that one lifted eyebrow of his.
Enma only wondered –and not for the first time– why he had ended up in another world with such strange people.
“I feel a bit stupid doing this, but… I only came to thank you for what you said to Riddle at the Unbirthday Party. About his tart.“
“I wasn’t lying when I said I enjoyed the taste of it.“
“I know that. Still…
Thank you.“
Then, a small, but unbelievably genuine smile Enma had never seen before on his face, appeared on Trey’s lips.
“You should have seen him after you all went home.“
Trey, Cater and Riddle were the last to leave the garden and stroll back to the dorm. And both he and Cater couldn’t rip their gaze away from Riddle because he was beaming. His chest was puffed out and he practically glowed with pride. There was even a slight swing to his step.
“Did something happen?“ Trey inquired, and Riddle directed that beaming smile at him. He almost staggered back a step.
“Yuu said he really liked my tart and asked me if he could have it!“
“You have no idea how much that meant to him.“
But when Enma looked the Heartslabyul in the eyes, he saw a glimpse of it, and could well imagine how much.
xXx
“Grim, wait!“
Enma groaned as Grim disappeared out of view in no time. When food was involved, the one rational braincell of his turned off completely.
Well, Enma wasn’t in the mood to run after him, only so his voice of reason could be overheard.
“Yuu!“
He stopped as he heard the familiar voice, surprised to be called by him, but hoping that Grim hadn’t caused trouble.
Riddle hurried to his side, slightly out of breath.
“T-This is for you.“
There was a paper box in his hands, and he shoved it into Enma’s arms without saying another word and without looking at him. His cheeks were slightly red.
Enma, momentarily caught off-guard, slowly opened the box, curious as to what was inside. And found a chestnut tart, a bit squashed, but looking appetizing all the same. It smelled delicious.
Riddle immediately tried to justify himself and launched into an explanation that he tried his best for the tart to look picture-perfect, but that he couldn’t explain why it didn’t, and so on. Enma knew where that would lead to and interrupted him mid-sentence with a warm “Thank you.“
At that moment, when the Heartslabyul obviously didn’t know what else to say, Riddle reminded him so much of Koito from his Kendo team, it was almost painful.
“Why don’t you come over to Ramshackle then? We could eat your tart together.“
Riddle’s face turned into a pained grimace.
“Uhm…“
And Enma burst out laughing as he remembered that he and Grim were the only ones actually liking the salty flavour of the oyster sauce, and laughed at Riddle’s disgusted face, who started to chuckle in turn.
Maybe, Enma thought then, Maybe I can be a part of that special group of people too.