Chapter Text
Trey Clover knew his housewarden was cute.
He'd been aware of it from the moment he saw a little red head peeking through the window of the house that had so intrigued him and Che'nya. And of course he knew it, because he was the most affected, the weakest to the flashing gaze, the tender pout, the shy giggles. But if he himself was aware of the Riddle's charm, then many others were as well.
In the first week of Riddle's arrival at Night Raven College, there were whispers among the students about the pretty redhead who had moved into Heartsbyul. When Riddle dethroned the former housewarden and was crowned the dorm's new ruler, letters began to arrive from all directions: words of admiration, congratulations, gifts, and invitations. But the moment Riddle showed his sternness and began to rule as he saw fit, the letters and gifts stopped arriving, but the whispers never stopped.
Trey's school life as his childhood friend's right-hand man was tolerable, sure, he had sleepless nights where he questioned whether he was right to let Riddle enforce the strictness of the 810 rules, whether he should have prevented his friend from becoming a tyrant in the eyes of others. But he put that aside, allowing Riddle to have something of his own for the first time in his life.
It was after the overblot incident that Riddle gradually became more confident, letting his own desires guide him rather than following the rules. The chains imposed on him since birth (though they were still there) were loosened. His eyes had lost the gray storm that had stalked them, revealing a vivid blue, and a sigh-stealing smile became more prevalent on his face.
And to Trey's horror, the letters returned.
Ace and Deuce devoured the sweets and desserts that came with a handwritten dedication for only the recipient to read, Trey only took one of the chocolate-covered strawberries, it tasted good and without a doubt the flavor would have made Riddle smile, but Trey was the only one capable of forming that smile on his queen's lips with desserts worthy of him.
Cater forgot about the desserts and focused more on the other gifts: beautifully ornate accessories, gold, silver, and red-themed jewels that would have made Riddle shine even more. The eyeshadows and lipsticks were the perfect shade for Riddle, and the packaging was printed with the names of famous and expensive brands that even Cater himself wouldn't consider buying due to their exorbitant prices. The sender of the considerably expensive gift was a true connoisseur, and as much as it bothered him, he knew the identity of this admirer of his queen.
Ace and Deuce accidentally joined their seniors.
After a nighttime adventure with Jack, Epel, Yuu, and Grimm, they snuck back to Heartslbyul, fearing to find their housewarden ready to chop heads off, but instead found their seniors in the lounge, sorting through a dubious pile of letters and boxes on the table. They both looked at the first-years with tired eyes and anguished expressions.
"Ace, Deuce, if you help us, we won't tell Riddle you ran away after curfew."
They didn't need to be told twice before they both walked over and grabbed a small pile of letters each without even knowing what to do.
"Riddle used to receive hundreds last year, we took care of them personally so they wouldn't interfere with him, but this time it's double, even triple, it's too much work."
And at their doubtful and guilty expressions, Trey explained.
"We're not doing this out of malice," the vice housewarden clarified "It's something we're doing for his own good."
"Trey's right, our Riddle is exposed to people with bad intentions; it's our duty to keep him safe."
Although the two newcomers didn't understand at first, the more letters, sickly love messages, and exotic gifts they found, the more sense their seniors actions made.