Work Text:
Yuu aimlessly rubs Grim's sleepy, furry head as they talk to Ace, and Deuce, damnably, finds that spark of irritation in his chest again as he watches their hand's slow, steady strokes.
He tries to listen on the conversation, but his eyes and attention keep drifting to Yuu's hand. Grim purrs contentedly despite the direbeast always insisting he isn't a cat.
When did this begin? Good question. Like the questions in the pop quizzes of his nightmares though, he has no answers. He knows though, that it probably took too long for him to realize he was even feeling something at the sight of Yuu scratching Grim, and too long to clock that annoying feeling as jealousy.
Jealous of what? Being pet, apparently. Probably. It's not like he can ask Yuu to check. No way in hell is he bringing this up to Ace.
It's a very stupid thing to want. What is he? A dog? Is this what having Professor Crewel as a teacher does to a person? But then, he's the only one having this ridiculous thought right? Ace doesn't look at Yuu's hands when they pet Grim-
"Oi, Grim, wake up!"
The monster ngyah's at Ace and turns over, continuing to ignore this supposed study session. Yuu just chuckles and rouses the monster to do his half of the paper.
Maybe he's not jealous of being pet. Maybe he's jealous of how much Grim can get away with. Grim's a troublemaker too, but Yuu loves him anyway. He's warmed up even Riddle and Vil and Jamil, somehow, and it's almost some kind of cute, when he makes a mistake. Because Grim the not-cat monster-thing is half a student, and a creature that doesn't know better, and is a half-student of nice, responsible Yuu who's there to pick up the slack-
Wait. So is he jealous of that? Of being a half-student? Of being a pet? Is that worse? That seems worse, wanting to be a pet than just being pet and o-KAY Deuce stop thinking before you start being a pervert instead of a weirdo-
"You doing okay, Deuce?" Shit, Yuu's noticed Yuu's frowning at him-!
He turns back to his unsolved worksheets. He shouldn't have looked up and gotten distracted to begin with-
"Need help?"
It's kind of embarrassing, like super embarrassing, that Yuu's better at him at theories and formulas on magic when they don't have a drop of it in them. He should- no he will do better-!
"A little," he admits, and Ace snickers but Yuu smacks the jerk for it.
Yuu leans over to see what he's working on, and he apologizes. They just smile, patient.
Hey, asking for help is the mature thing to do, right?
They swap worksheets after, and check it against the guide Riddle gave that Yuu keeps because they're the only one who can be trusted not to peek at it
He does better than Grim, but Grim gets a pet and a good job! and a smile for it anyway, and Yuu reaches out a hand to pet their partner despite his half-hearted protests, and oh, oh no, it is the 'being pet' thing isn't it, and that may not be as bad as wanting to be a pet but still. Still, Deuce Spade, your mother raised you better than this-!
"Hey, what's with the long face? You did pretty good too!"
Yuu smiles at him, and he does cheer up a little at the praise, but he still finds himself prying his eyes from their hand and the emptiness atop his head to look at the next worksheet, making an excuse about how he can do better.
No, not an excuse, because he can do better.
He will do better!
__________
He does not do better.
On the test, sure. Yuu's help and study sessions and Riddle's watchful eye have been loads of help. The other problem though?
Still there. And worse. In his defense, this is kind of Jack's fault. No. This is Jack's fault, because what kind of self-respecting person flops over another person to be scratched and pet and brushed?!
He would, if he had the excuse of Jack's UM-
No. No no NO shut up brain, none of that, you are a good citizen and good honor student who does not get jealous of a good friend and clubmate for being pet-
He is though.
He is so fucking jealous what the hell is wrong with him?!
A click snaps him out of his thoughts. A pad of fluff drifts down from the brush Yuu has in hand, and joins the pile of others in the ground.
"So uh," Yuu says. "You wanna help me or. . .?"
Jack lifts his big wolf-head to give Yuu a look.
Yuu returns it. "Look, I have only have two hands! I agreed to help but holy fluff this is a lot of fluff!"
Jack growls. Deuce knows the guy well enough to not step back at the dangerous-sounding tone, to hear the you know I can deal with this myself right?
"Just lie back down! You were pretty relaxed just now, yeah? Come on, Deuce, can you grab the other slicker brush?"
He does. He resists the urge to run it through his hair because it's probably Jack's.
Jack huffs. Instead of turning back into a self-respecting beastman, the guy lies back down and closes his eyes as if to ignore all this. Maybe Leona's rubbing off on him.
Deuce kneels beside Yuu and despite the weirdness of helping groom his clubmate on Ramshackle's floor, there is something nice about brushing a great big warm fluffy mass. Jack makes a. . .whatever the canine equivalent to a purr is. A grumble? A growl? Maybe it's involuntary. Is it embarrasing to make a sound like that? He'd probably be embarrassed if he made a sound like that, if Yuu was petting-
Jack and Yuu both make a startled sound at Deuce's faceplant, probably because he faceplanted right into Jack's side.
"Sorry." Deuce says, trying not to mumble as he sits up.
Yuu laughs. "Hey, it's fine, I've done that too. Pretty soft, huh?"
Jack whines. Don't go telling people it's fine to-!
The wolf huffs in exasperation and places his head back on the ground.
"Sorry, Jack," Yuu says unsorrily, arm outstretched as they wave it over Jack's fur like they're trying to make a wing on a snow angel.
Jack just grumbles.
Deuce thinks he does too, a little, at the sight.
__________
Deuce wakes up to feeling hurt but warm, and something running through his hair. . .
. . .maybe he isn't awake. Maybe he's dreaming. Everything feels warm and nice despite the distant pangs of pain and he turns his head to nuzzle into the weirdly-shaped pillow-
"Deuce. . .?"
. . .Yuu. . .Yuu-?
His eyes snap open and he tries to get up, only for Yuu to place their arm across his chest to set him back down. What the fuck what is happening what's-!
"Hey hey, easy now! Are you okay? Are you feeling okay?"
His eyes focus. Yuu's looking at him worriedly, but they look alright. He calms down a little, breathes.
They're on a bench. A bench in Foothill Town. In a park? It's. . .it's not a schoolday. Which is why they're not in uniforms. Well, not him. Yuu's wearing the dress shirt still, but they have a vest from Riddle on, and a cardigan from Epel too. He's lying back on the bench, on Yuu-
On Yuu?!
Yes. On Yuu. That's why they can look down at him like that. That's why his head's on something soft-
"Deuce?"
He blinks. His head hurts a little. He tries not to think about what-who he's lying on.
"You okay? You remember what happened?"
". . .we're in Foothill Town?"
"Yep."
"We. . .we got permission to leave NRC. . .to pick up some uh. . ." He blinked at the covered thing draped across the bench. "Curtains?"
"Crowley's suit. One of them, anyway. Azul found out and asked us to pick up something too and well. . ."
He remembers then- some guy running past Yuu and taking the package as they left the shop, him running after the thief and getting slammed against the wall in an alley only to get back at the guy enough to knock him out and come back with the goods.
"You said you just had to rest a little. And not to call anyone. Then you passed out "
That explained the end of his memory.
Yuu sighed. "You really had me worried there. You didn't seem to have a concussion. . .I figured it was just the all-nighter. I told you you should have just gone back."
They told him that earlier, when he came to Ramshackle to escort them to Foothill Town. He'd finished his practice tests last night even if it meant he barely got two hours of sleep. It's why he was allowed to leave Heartslabyul while Ace wasn't, and with Grim still campus-bound after the last time the direbeast accompanied Yuu on their out-of-school errand, he'd been glad to give them some company.
"Then the thief would have gotten away with it."
Yuu sighed. They don't deny it though, instead- "Next time, if you pass out that long, I'm gonna drag you to a hospital whether you want it or not."
" 'm fine though. . ."
"I know you don't want to worry your mom, but I think this counts as self-defense."
Did it? The thief had shoved Yuu, had something sharp in hand to cut the package strings they were holding it up with. If the guy had slipped-
His hand's not broken, but it feels the kinda sore it would only feel after a good punch, or two, or several. There're cuts that would come from hitting teeth. There might be blood if he looks. If he hopes it's only his, does that count as a lie?
". . .probably wasn't honor-student-like," he mutters. "Maybe we should have called the police."
"Well, what's done is done," Yuu says. "We should charge Azul extra. His fault there was something you had to guard, right?"
Not really. He'd still be there to guard Yuu regardless of Azul's add-on chore or not. That's kind of a weird thing to say though. . .
"Are you feeling okay enough to stand?"
He could. He probably could. But Yuu's hand was in his hair, and their lap was actually pretty comfortable, and he was being ridiculous and selfish when they were technically on a job, but he was genuinely tired. . .
"Can we stay like this a bit longer?"
"Sure," they say. "You probably need some sleep."
Sleep. Yeah. He'd go with that later, if Ace asks. For now though, this was nice. . .
"Hmm?"
"Hmm?" His eyes flicker up to Yuu. he tries to focus. "Sorry, did you say something?"
"No, I thought you did? Thought you said something was nice?"
. . .did he say that out loud?
"A-a-uhm-" He'd bury his face in the pillow. But the pillow was Yuu's lap. "You're um, your. . ."
If this wasn't weird, if he wasn't weird, he should be able to say it with a straight face. He shouldn't make it weird.
"Your uh, hand. . ."
That's as far as he gets, but Yuu's eyes widen.
"Oh! I- I was a bit worried. About a bump. Since you passed out. Back home, when I hit my head, my mom said I should like, roll a hard-boiled egg over it. Never really knew the reason but I thought it had to have some kind of reason? Didn't have an egg but I should at least try to massage the area? Should I stop?"
Probably. Common sense said probably. Common sense may still be lying in that alley with the thief though, so the part that said No won out. "I think Grandma said something like that too."
Yuu blinks. "Really? Maybe old wives' tales cross worlds, huh?"
Maybe, he tries to say, but it comes out as more of a hum. He lets his eyes slide shut. Yuu said he could nap right?
"Hey Deuce?"
"Yeah. . .?"
"Thanks for getting Azul's stuff back. He'd probably charge my soul if I lost it."
He thinks he laughs.
"Thanks. Really. . .and I probably shouldn't say this but- it was pretty cool, when you chased after the guy and beat him up."
They sound both softer and louder after, like they've leaned close to whisper in his ear, when they say, "Don't tell Riddle I said that. . .or this. I think you did good."
He thinks he smiles. He definitely feels like he smiles.
It must be nice to be a dog, praised and pet. No tests or trials of being a good person, a good honor student. Just instinct and affection and simple orders. Is there even a wrong way to bite, if a good dog attacks what it's supposed to? It would be praised even then, wouldn't it?
This isn't so bad though. . .everything wonderful and nice as he nods off. The words settling warmly in his chest, the soothing hand on his head, the patient friend that he could proudly show Mom one day. . .