Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

”How the hell does this always happen to me?” Yuu wondered as she sat in Crewel’s classroom with Grim clinging to her shoulder. She'd usually offer her lap to him but unfortunately it was occupied by a pair of huffy cats that refused to quit yowling until Crewel stepped into the room carrying a box in his hands that rattled with the sound of glass bottles.

“Why is it when something happens, it's always you four pups?” Crewel said as he eyed Yuu, Grim and the two cats that each bore a marking on their face, one a little red heart and the other a black spade. Yuu couldn't deny the claim since 2 of her usual quartet were currently covering her patched covered uniform pants in cat fur as Crewel began adding ingredients to the bubbling cauldron in the center of the room.

“While the dispelling serum boils, why don't you go over what exactly happened to Mr Spade and Mr Trappola again,” Crewel said as he watched Yuu fidget in her seat from the corner of his eye as he stirred the mixture.

“Well,” Yuu started. “It happened in the middle of lunch.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Yuu, buddy!” Ace said as he draped an arm around her shoulder. “That's a tasty looking soup you got there.”

“Forget your wallet again, Ace?” Yuu said, smirking when she saw Ace grin in embarrassment from the corner of her eye. Deuce rolled his eyes at Ace’s antics before frowning at the single thermos of soup Yuu had as a meal.

“Is that really all you're eating? I thought Crowley increased your allowance recently.”

Oh he most definitely did. Crowley told her an anonymous student – Vil – brought up some grievances with the health and safety regulations in Ramshackle after she ended up needing a leg brace when she almost fell through the second floor after stepping on a particularly rotted part of the floor of one of the rooms she was cleaning. After that, Crowley added a little more to her monthly budget, which she immediately used to finally make repairs to the leaky roof that caused the wood to rot. She was getting by with food on her own just fine since was able to wrangle in a small corner of the backyard and planted a small garden filled with berries and vegetables that she'd use to make meals along with some discounted meat she'd buy at Sam's shop along with Grim’s tuna cans.

Sometimes it was hard when an unexpected expense happened; she needed a new notebook, Grim damaged something or one of her hand-me-down uniforms developed a tear. But, she made due. As long as Grim was fed and she had a roof over her head, she'd survive. But there was another reason she made her own meals.

Mixed into her lunch was a glamour potion created by Professor Crewel that changed her appearance to a boy. While her voice remained the same, her physical appearance and scent allowed her to pass as a boy well enough to fool even the sensitive noses of the beastmen students. The downside was the concoction tasted so foul that she'd mix her 2 daily doses into her breakfast and lunch to allow her to take it without gagging.

“It's chicken and lentil soup, it'll be enough until dinner,” she explained even as Deuce offered her half his sandwich he bought. Suddenly, Ace leaned over her and bit the sandwich half, causing Deuce to yelp and let go.

“That was for Yuu!” Deuce huffed as Ace let out a muffled snicker as he continued to munch on the sandwich hanging from his mouth.

“Yeah and he said he didn't want it,” Ace replied through a mouthful. Yuu shoved him off her as she felt crumbs falling onto her from Ace continuing to lean on her even as he ate.

“At least don't talk with your mouth full. Even Grim has more manners than you.”

“Yeah!” Grim replied, the fur around his mouth speckled with tuna after shoving his face in the tuna can. Meanwhile Deuce huffed as he took a bite of the other half of his sandwich, Yuu could faintly hear him still complaining about Ace under his breath between bites. His mood immediately brightened when she offered to bring him some leftover brownies she made yesterday after class for his effort.

As they were packing up to head to history, Yuu noticed Ace and Deuce had begun sweating heavily. Their white shirts were soaked in sweat as Ace removed his jacket.

“Are you two alright? Should I get the nurse?” Yuu asked, frowning when she felt Deuce's forehead to feel he was burning up.

“No, I'm just suddenly so itchy,” Deuce explained as he scratched at his neck. Suddenly Deuce and Ace disappeared in a puff of pink and grey smoke. When the smoke cleared, she found a pair of cats tangled in the pile of Ace and Deuce's clothes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I tried taking them to see the nurse but he said he was out of dispelling serum and told me to see you,” Yuu explained as Crewel filled two vials with the finished serum.

“Explains why he suddenly asked for a bulk amount.” Crewel muttered to himself as he snapped his fingers and pointed to the ground at his feet. “Down puppies, this will change you back.”

Ace and Deuce leapt from Yuu’s lap and stood by Crewel as he poured each bottle over their heads. Crewel suddenly stood in front of Yuu as Ace and Deuce transformed back and tossed them their clothes that Yuu passed to him.

“And this is exactly why we wash our hands after class!” Crewel scolded them. “I warned you all, transformation potions are easy to cross contaminate if any is left on your hands. Both of you return to your dorms and rest. I'll contact your teachers to excuse you for the remainder of the day.” Ace and Deuce scrambled to get dressed as Crowley continued to glare at them. Before You could follow them out, Crewel placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I need your assistance, pup.”

While Grim took the opportunity to follow the duo out, Yuu followed Crewel over to the cauldron and helped him begin bottling up the rest of the serum as she finished bottling the final bottle she shivered as the familiar feeling of eyes on her back washed over her.

“Bonjour, Trickster! I see you're trying to rival the Seven with your compassion!” Rook said with a grin as Yuu turned to see him standing behind her. It wasn't the first time she found Rook hovering behind her. In fact, ever since their first official meeting – she almost decked him when she felt someone standing behind her – she began to notice a flash of purple more often in the corner of her vision whenever she was walking through the halls between classes.

She wouldn't say feeling like a deer being tracked by a wolf was the best feeling but she wasn't going to complain when the most Rook would do is compliment her for the most random things. She still didn't understand last week’s compliment about her ability to prevent Grim from biting one overenthusiastic Ignihyde student that wanted to see if Grim’s ear flames burned him.

“Hunt, if you're going to bother my pup, at least help him bring these to the nurse's office.” Crewel pushed a box filled with vials of serum into Rook's hands followed by another box into Yuu's. “Now get out, I've got papers to grade.”

Yuu bit her lip to muffle her snickers as Crewel closed the door behind them. The trip to the nurse was uneventful besides Rook’s usual colorful commentary as he complimented the tired older nurse with an office filled with trinkets in the shape of llamas as they dropped off the two boxes.

“By the way, Rook,” Yuu said as she eyed him from the corner of her eye as he followed her. “Don't you usually have class right now?”

For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of surprise cross his face before it was masked by one of his signature grins.

“Oh ho? Will the hunter soon become the hunted?”

“Not likely,” she chuckled. “I just noticed I've never caught you following me to this class.”

“You're correct, Trickster. I usually have a class to get to at this time. Fortunately for today, class was cancelled since one of Professor Trein’s daughters is visiting Sage Island.”

She could see Rook’s interest was piqued when she turned a corner that led to the arts wing. Even though each room was enchanted with a spell to muffle noises, they could faintly hear the sound of off key singing and out of tune notes coming from some of the classrooms. When they reached Yuu’s class and she turned to say goodbye to Rook, she was almost blinded by how brightly he was beaming. She swore she could see sparkles coming off him as he took her hand in his.

”Remind me to ask Epel if Pomefiore students carry around packets of glitter.”

“Mon Dieu! You are full of surprises! I didn't know you were a lover of the arts!”

Yuu could feel her cheeks warm as she pulled her hand back. “I mean, I like musicals and it's one of the few classes where I don't have to rely on Grim for magic. I wouldn't say I'm good at it though.”

She meant for the last part of her sentence to pass by under her breath but it seemed Rook caught it as he frowned.

“Must one know every star in the sky to appreciate the heavens? Are paintings reserved only for artists to appreciate? All stand on equal ground when enjoying the arts.” He smiled as he reached for the doorknob to the classroom. “Maybe I should sit in and show you.”

“No!” Yuu yelped as she quickly grabbed his hand, her cheeks as bright as Riddle’s hair as she pushed a laughing Rook away from the door. “Nope, nada, absolutely not! Don't you have a housewarden to go compliment anyway?”

“Alright Trickster,” Rook said as he gave her a sly grin. “I'll just have to try harder to hear your siren song another day.”

She watched as Rook gave her a dramatic bow before leaving. Though his attempt to sit-in during her class did give her a minor heart attack, his previous comment continued to echo in her mind. She really did enjoy musicals. While she can't remember much of her life before waking up at NRC, she faintly remembered singing and dancing alone in a room. While she would sing to herself while cleaning in Ramshackle, everytime she tried to sing in front of others, she'd choke up and go silent.

“Yuu?”

Yuu jumped and turned to see Professor Arne Agnarrson, her performing arts teacher, peeking his head outside. He smiled brightly as he fully stepped out of the classroom, closing the door behind him.

“I've already been informed from Crewel about your reason for being late. Nervous about your solo test?”

Right, she had a test today. Each student was supposed to sing a solo from a list of songs given to them. She didn't know any of them and spent all of last night listening to each song before finally picking a song about meeting a lover in a dream.

“That's an understatement,” she admitted. Agnarrson smiled as he placed a reassuring hand on her head.

“That's alright. Just do your best, if you freeze up again, we can retake it later.” Agnarrson had to be Yuu’s favorite teacher. He was always so understanding and allowed students to retake their tests one-on-one if they have stage fright. He was probably loved by everyone at Royal Sword Academy before he transferred to work with his brother at Night Raven College. She smiled and nodded, following him into the classroom and taking her usual seat near the back of the room. As she sat down she let out a sigh, already feeling a lump beginning to form in her throat.

“Been wondering where you were, Yuu.”

She looked over to see the familiar shock of blonde hair that belonged to Finn Remana, a third year from Octavinelle that sat next to her and usually ended up being her partner for duet practice. She gave him a weak smile as his name was called to perform. He picked one of the more high paced songs that happened to be about surfing, something she knew he loved to talk about. When he finished he gave her a sharp toothed grin as he bowed, his gaze never leaving hers as he returned to his seat.

“You did great,” she whispered to him as another student was called up. She could see his cheeks redden as he smiled at her, leaning closer to whisper in her ear.

“Maybe sometime we can sneak off the school grounds and I can show you how to surf.”

Before she could reply, her name was called to perform. Immediately she felt her hands beginning to tremble as she stepped up onto the small stage.

”You can do this, you've done plenty of acting scenes just fine and can dance in front of an audience no problem. It's just a simple song.

Even as she repeated this thought over in her mind, the lump in her throat only continued to grow until it felt like she was suffocating as the music for her song began. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face as she looked out into the small group of students that made up her class.

“I…” she swallowed, her voice trailing off as she missed her cue and the music came to a stop as Agnarrson stopped playing to watch her. She bit her lip as she looked from the professor to the students. Even though she was struggling to speak, Finn still smiled at her as if she wasn't failing completely.

“I…I can't do it.” She looked down, feeling her face heat in embarrassment as Agnarrson tried to reassure her she could retake it another day. Even with his reassurance, she silently cursed her stage fright as she sat back down. She could hear Finn attempting to comfort her but she wasn't in the mood to talk at the moment. As the bell rang to signal the end of class and Yuu packed up her things, she was stopped by a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Hey Yuu,” Finn said, looking more nervous than she had ever seen him before. “If you're not busy tomorrow, would you want to visit the Monstro Lounge? I can get you a discount on the lunch special.”

Usually she'd spend her weekends repairing Ramshackle or working at Sam's shop. However, Sam had given her a bonus recently after helping him close a deal so she had a little more pocket money to treat herself and grim. She gave him a small smile and nodded.

“Sure, as long as you can get Grim some tuna as well.”

She raised an eyebrow when she noticed Finn’s smile wavered for a fraction of a second.

“Oh, you're bringing Grim with you?”

“Well yeah, he's my friend,” she said as if he asked her if water was wet. “Grim and I are a package deal. I'm not gonna go enjoy a nice meal without him.”

“Fine, I'll see you around lunch tomorrow.” Finn was still smiling but it felt slightly forced as she left him to head to her remaining classes. By her last class, botany, her trip up during performing arts class had been pushed into the back of her mind in favor of preventing Grim from eating the plant she was assigned to identify.

“Grim if you keep this up I'm not taking you to lunch with me tomorrow,” Yuu threatened as she grabbed Grim by the scruff of his neck when she caught him with a leaf in his mouth. Grim immediately perked up at the mention of food and quickly spat out the plant.

“Myah? Where are you going?” he asked, tugging on her coat as she carefully sketched an image of the plant’s leaves into her notebook. “Does it have tasty food? Fancy tuna? C'mon, tell me!”

“Finn offered a discounted lunch at Monstro Lounge tomorrow. I said I'd go if he got you some tuna. What's with the face?”

When she looked over to see Grim's reaction, he looked like he saw a ghost – excluding the ghosts they consider their roommates. He quickly looked behind them to look at Jade who was focused on tending to a cluster of mushrooms not too far behind them before he replied in a hushed whisper.

“Couldn't he get us lunch anywhere else? Those two that are friends with Azul give me the creeps!”

Yuu just rolled her eyes and shook her head. She agreed, Floyd and Jade were odd but if it wasn't for enduring Floyd's impulsive need to squeeze her and her willingness to try Jade’s mushroom based dishes, she wouldn't be able to feed Grim when Sam ran out of canned tuna.

Though she was beginning to suspect they would purposely buy out Sam's entire stock just to get her to visit since they'd “just so happen” to have some canned tuna when Azul constantly boasts about using fresh ingredients.

“Does that mean I'm going by myself to the longue tomorrow?” She asked as the bell rang and she began to put away her supplies. She smiled lightly when Grim leapt onto her back and clung to her shoulder as he quickly shook his head.

“No! I gotta make sure no one tries anything funny with my hench-human!”

Chapter Text

Yuu woke up with a start from the sound of crashing and banging coming from downstairs. She ignored Grim's sleepy yowls as she leapt out of bed and was down in the kitchen in a flash, her very non-magical broom raised in front of her like a sword. Instead of facing an intruder, Yuu stood face to semi-transparent face with one of the 3 ghosts she lived with. She could easily see through his face and noticed the other 2 were busy trying to prevent a slab of charcoal in the shape of eggs from catching fire.

“I thought I told you guys, I appreciate the help with repairs and cleaning but I can take care of cooking.” She sighed as she put away her broom and quickly turned off the stove, tossing the burnt eggs out the open kitchen window before setting to work preparing breakfast for herself and Grim.

“Sorry kid,” one of the ghosts apologized, cleaning up their mess and setting out two plates for her. “We thought you'd wanna sleep in since you mentioned not repairing anything today.”

She smiled as the smaller of the ghosts opened a cabinet for her where she held her weeks worth of glamour potions and carefully poured the shimmering liquid into her glass of orange juice. “Thanks guys but it's not a lazy day today, I still have an astrology test to study for then Grim and I are going out for lunch.”

Grim signaled his arrival with a loud yawn as Yuu set 2 plates of bacon and eggs on the table. Befe she sat down to eat she quickly downed her orange juice wincing as the bitter taste of the potion could still be tasted.

“Why are you even drinking one now?” Grim asked through a mouthful of eggs. “We're not leaving the house until lunch, right?”

“Yeah but you remember the last time I did that and Ace decided that was the day to hide from Riddle?” She'd never forget the day. Ace thought it was a smart idea to suddenly burst into Ramshackle without knocking. Meanwhile Yuu was sprawled out in the living room in shorts and a tank top after taking a shower. Ace could be dense sometimes but one look at her would have given away her real identity right away.

Ace still doesn't understand why Grim suddenly attacked his face while Yuu was busy quickly chugging a potion.

“Right, forgot about that,” Grim grumbled, immediately perking up when You slid him another slice of bacon off her plate. As he chewed on the strip he could already see the potion take effect as a faint pink haze surrounded her. In Grim's eyes, Yuu still looked the same but to anyone besides him, Crewel, Crowley and Malleus, Yuu would appear to them as a boy. If it meant he got to attend school to become the greatest mage around, he'd gladly keep her secret safe.

“Don't forget you have to practice for practical magic,” Yuu reminded him as she cleaned up after they finished eating. Maybe you could finally learn how to charm the broom so I don't have to sweep every other day.”

“I don't wanna.” Grim grumbled but hopped off his seat to dig out their textbook from her bag when she shook a bag of dried fish snacks she recently bought from Sam's shop. They spent the next few hours studying and practicing – Yuu would toss him a dried fish each time he would successfully cast a spell.

When it was almost lunch time Yuu changed into one of the few casual outfits she was able to save up and buy, downed her second dose of glamour and headed to the Mirror chamber. Almost immediately after stepping through the Octavinelle mirror she was yanked into a crushing hug that knocked Grim off his spot on her shoulder.

“Shrimpy! Took you long enough!” Floyd said in a singsong tone as he practically dragged her to the lounge with Grim hot on their heels while shouting at him. Mostro Lounge was as busy as always and for a moment Yuu worried she might be bothering Finn at work but was surprised when Floyd actually brought her over to a table where Finn was already sitting with some drinks and a few plates of food. When he looked up from his phone his mood seemed to brighten as Floyd dumped her into the seat across from him.

“You made it! I was starting to worry you weren't going to show up.”

A quick check from her phone showed it was about 5 minutes past noon. Grim climbed onto the free seat between them and almost started drooling when he saw two cans of fancy tuna sitting on a plate. Yuu rolled her eyes at Grim’s antics as she dug into her own food, pausing between bites to talk to Finn about their classes or events that happened that week.

“By the way, I thought you worked on weekends, did you make a deal with Azul for a day off or something?” Yuu joked as she took a sip of her drink, a milkshake made with a unique ice cream that had a sweet but slightly salty taste that was surprisingly good.

“Something like that,” Finn said with a chuckle, head resting on his palm as he watched Yuu finish her drink.

“Hey Yuu, has anyone ever told you that you're very pretty, for a guy.”

Yuu quickly covered her mouth to muffle her coughing as she almost choked from the sudden statement. She sent a weak glare in Grim's direction as he snickered at her. She knew she must have been blushing as she looked back at Finn to see his cheeks were slightly pink.

“Um, thanks? No, no one's ever told me that.” She didn't even know if she had ever been called pretty, for a guy or otherwise.

“Oh, well. I think you're really pretty and I really like you. I was hoping you might be interested in a date?”

Yuu’s eyes widened as she felt her face grow warmer. By the sound of an empty tin can hitting porcelain, even Grim wasn't expecting it.

“What?! Are you trying to take my hench-human?!” Grim accused as he leapt onto the table and pointed at Finn. “Listen here! This human belongs to the Great Grim! No one is allowed to take him from me!”

“This doesn't concern you, fur ball,” Finn said with a low growl. “You're lucky I even gave you that tuna. You're only here because you're leeching off Yuu.”

“The only reason I'm here is because of Grim!”

The lounge fell silent after a loud bang from Yuu slamming her hands on the table as she stood up.

“In case you forgot, I have no magic! The only reason I'm even here is because I'm sharing a grade with him.”

She glared at Finn as his expression morphed from angry to shocked. She could feel everyone's stare directed at her but she didn't care, Grim had been the one person she's been able to turn to when things felt overwhelming or she felt lost. Sometimes he could be a pain in the ass but he was the one who stayed up with her when she'd stay up awake wondering if she'd ever recover her memories or if she'd be able to survive if she was unable to return home.

“You’ve never even tried spending time with me after class. Do you know any of my friends? Anything I like? Or do you only want to date me because you think I'm pretty?”

She didn't wait for him to answer as she scooped Grim up into her arms and stormed over to the bar where Jade was along with a cackling Floyd. Even though her blurred vision she could tell Jade was smiling at her as she pulled out her wallet.

“How much was my meal? I don't care about the discount.” She asked, pulling out more than half of what she had saved up. A gloved hand covered hers and took only a few bills. Jade smoothly tucked away the bills in the nearby register and gave her a slight bow, hand over his heart.

“Consider your bill paid in full. Next time you visit, allow us to give you another meal to make up for your… less than ideal experience.”

“Shark bait really thought he had a chance with Shrimpy!” Floyd howled with laughter as Yuu quickly walked out of the lounge, the door closing behind her as Azul exited his office and started asking about the commotion.

“Myah! The nerve of that guy.” Grim huffed as he clung to Yuu’s shirt, tail whipping back and forth quickly with agitation. “Next time I see him, I'll burn his butt! No one insults the Great Grim! Right hench-human? Hench-human?”

Grim looked up as Yuu sat down under a large tree in the school courtyard. Her soft sniffling was heard only by Grim and the various plants surrounding them. He squirmed out of her hold as she wiped her eyes and stood on her crossed legs and gently pawed at her cheek.

“Yuu?”

Yuu was silent as she was lost in her thoughts. She didn't know why Finn’s words affected her so much. It's not like she was looking for a relationship at the moment, she had more important things to focus on like passing her classes and living in a world of magic without any of her own. Even so, hearing the first person to have an interest in her only liked her for her looks somehow hurt more than being called dead weight during her first days at school.

“Yuu?”

Yuu blinked and looked down at Grim’s concerned look. For a moment Finn's comment about Grim echoed through her mind and sent another wave of frustration through her. How could he call Grim a leech when between the two of them, she was the one leeching off him. She smiled softly and let out a yelp when Grim started batting at her cheeks with his paws.

“How dare you make me worry about you! You owe me more fancy tuna for this!”

“Alright, alright,” Yuu laughed, ignoring Grim’s protest as she kissed the top of his head. “After I finish my performing arts test, I'll buy you whatever tuna you want.”

“I thought that was yesterday! Are you telling me I skipped for nothing?!”

She gave Grim a pointed stare which he responded to with an innocent smile. “It was but I choked up. I just can't seem to do it in front of the class.”

“Well you seem to do it just fine at home.” Grim leapt off her lap and stood in front of her with his paws on his hips. “Just pretend you're cleaning back at home! You need to pass so we can go to the next grade!”

“Says the one that still can't cast a simple color changing spell,” she chuckled as she stood up, picking up a large stick. He was right, she had an audience of ghosts always watching her when she cleaned. If she could sing in front of them, how hard could it be to imagine the class was just another group of ghosts? She closed her eyes and imagined standing in front of the class. Her grip on the stick tightened as she swallowed back the lump forming in her throat.

“I…” she let out a shaky breath, “I know you, I've walked with you once upon a dream~.” Her voice echoed across the courtyard as she slowly began to sway until her swaying turned to a slow dance. As she sang her eyes opened to see Grim humming to himself as he weaved between her legs with each step. As she finished the song she dropped the stick to scoop up Grim and hugged him to her chest. Suddenly the sharp sound of clapping startled both of them as Rook emerged from behind a nearby tree.

“Mon Dieu Trickster, you truly are full of surprises.”

“How long have you been there?” Yuu asked, voice cracking as Grim let out a choked cry from Yuu hugging him too tightly.

“Long enough, filou des sirènes,” Rook admitted as he smiled. “I happened to need an ingredient from the greenhouse and was on my way back when I was lured away by an enchanting melody.” As Rook took a step closer to her, Grim let out a small puff of blue fire.

“Back off bowl cut or I'll give you a new hair-do!” Grim warned with an angry hiss. Rook only laughed as he gave a bow.

“My apologies Monsieur Hirsute, I simply meant to observe in silence but the pure joy between a gentleman and his furry companion was too moving to remain in obscurity.”

Yuu had to put in effort to focus on Rook's words though the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. She didn't know if it was his compliments or the knowledge that he was listening in that left her heart beating out of her chest but she found she didn't care either way. Anything was better than remembering what happened at the lounge.

“What are you working on?” Yuu asked, cutting Grim off before he could continue hissing threats. Rook beamed as he stepped forward, ignoring Grim's threats.

“Actually it's for Monsieur Pommette, he's having difficulty with an assignment and ran out of singing nettles.”

“Singing nettles? Is it for Crewel's mimic potion assignment?” She remembered having difficulty with the assignment herself due to the singing nettles needing to be boiled until the nettles that naturally sang off tune could sing in a symphony. “Is there any way I could help?”

Rook's eyes seemed to sparkle at her question.

“An enchanting voice and a tender heart. Trickster, are you sure you're not a prince out of a fairytale?”

While Yuu flushed at the comment, Grim rolled his eyes and jumped out of Yuu’s arms.

“I'm not spending my day off any longer here! Hench-human! If you're going with him then you better come back with double the tuna you promised!”

While Grim left for Ramshackle, Yuu followed Rook to Crewel's classroom where Epel was sweating over a bubbling cauldron while Crewel flipped through a fashion magazine at his desk. He looked up with a frown as Rook stepped into the classroom.

“I didn't think it would take that long to collect a bushel of singing nettles,” Crewel said, setting his magazine aside. “What took you so long, Hunt?”

“My apologies professor, I had been spirited away by the most enchanting voice. It was only by his mercy I was able to return,” Rook explained with his usual flourish as he stepped aside to reveal a red faced Yuu. Crewel simply raised an eyebrow as Yuu walked over to Epel and started questioning him about what he was having difficulty with. He watched silently as Yuu helped Epel listen for the right time to signal when to add the next component. In the end with Yuu’s assistance, Epel was able to create a passable mimic potion.

“It could use some improvements during the brewing process but it's acceptable,” Crewel critiqued. “I expect you to at least meet or exceed this standard by the time the assignment is due.”

“Thank you, professor,” Epel said as Yuu helped him clean up and followed him out along with Rook. As soon as they were far enough away Epel let out a relieved sigh.

“You're a lifesaver Yuu. I swear, any longer and he was gonna start chargin’ me for the loss of nettles,” Epel said with a sigh as the three stepped into the mirror chamber where Vil was standing by the mirror to Pomefiore. Even while occupied he made sure to acknowledge Epel with a nod as he passed by and into the mirror. Rook gave Yuu another bow along with another round of praise before he stepped through the mirror. Before Yuu could turn and head back to Ramshackle, a perfectly manicured hand landed on her shoulder.

“Just a moment, potato.”

Yuu stood silently by as Vil finished his call and pocketed his phone. She didn't notice the perfectly packaged gift bag by Vil’s feet until it was being held out to her.

“I was given a few outfits from some brands wanting me to model them but they clash with most of my wardrobe.” Before she could refuse, Vil silenced her with a look. “Rook informed me you helped Epel with his studies. Consider this a thank you for your assistance with one of my charges as a housewarden.”

Yuu just nodded as the bag was placed in her arms. The bag had some weight to it, signaling there was a significant amount of clothes in the large bag.

“Thanks.”

“This means I better not see you wearing that sad excuse for a shirt again,” Vil said, eyeing her faded T-shirt as if it had just insulted his mother before stepping through the mirror. Yuu slowly walked back to Ramshackle, making a quick stop to Sam's to grab a handful of tuna cans for Grim. Along the way she thought about everything that happened on what was supposed to be her day off and only had one thought.

”Why does all the strange stuff happen to me?”

By the time she was able to placate Grim with the tuna and relax enough to have the energy to look through the clothes the sun had set and her glamour had faded. She was right in guessing that Vil gave her a lot of clothes, she was only halfway through the bag and she already had an outfit for every day of the week.

“Alright, now I'm certain this bag is bigger on the inside,” she said as she pulled out another pair of slacks that could double as uniform pants if she needed them. “I thought he said these were given to him from brands, I haven't seen a single tag on anything…”

She set aside another button-up top in the pile that would end up on a hanger and froze in shock when she pulled out the next item. It wasn't anything flashy, a simple black material with a white sash that could be tied around the waist. If anyone else saw it they would probably be thrilled to have such a lovely piece of clothing.

Yuu would usually be among them if it wasn't for the fact she was hiding in an all boys school and housewarden Vil Schoenheit just gave her an ankle length skirt.

Chapter Text

“Hey Yuu, did you know you're the talk of the school?” Ace snickered while Yuu almost choked on her sandwich. Immediately Jack was patting her back while Grim ignored them in favor of swiping a slice of meat poking out of Jack's abandoned sandwich. Yuu sent Ace a glare while she chugged half her drink to clear her throat.

“What the hell did I do now?! Don't tell me people are still talking about the thing with Finn, that was weeks ago!”

“Nah that's been old news for a while,” he explained, shifting to the side as Grim leapt over the table to avoid Jack and his glare when he noticed the missing meat. “Rumor is you're gonna be working with Crewel as an assistant.”

That made more sense. Recently Crewel came to an agreement with Crowley to allow her to not only advance to the next level of potiononlogy but would act as a teacher's assistant for extra credit to compensate for removing Grim’s portion of the grading. She jumped at the chance to advance in a subject she actually had proficiency in.

“Yeah, starting next week we'll be switching to the second year's class. Grim has been dreading it since we'll be in the same class as Riddle and Floyd.”

“I'm not even gonna be graded! Why do I have to be there?” Grim whined, peeking his head over the table to see Jack pushed his plate over to Grim and accepted half of Yuu’s sandwich since her potion was mixed in her drink today.

“Because we're still counted as one person for attendance and you still need to learn the material.” She grinned as Grim huffed. “Unless you're not planning on being the greatest mage.”

She ignored Grim’s cries of becoming the greatest mage in favor of shifting her attention to a commotion a few tables over.

“What's going on? Why's my hair pink?!” A student from Diasomnia cried, tugging on his bright pink hair. At another table a student from Savanaclaw began shouting about his hair turning purple. Soon many students are shouting about their hair changing color. A yowl from Grim caused her to look back and gasp when she saw Grim's fur had changed from his usual grey to a neon green.

“My fur! My beautiful fur!” Grim practically sobbed as Yuu picked him up. He looked like he was dunked into a highlighter filled bath though there was no transfer onto her as he clung to her shirt while she followed the other affected students to the nurse's office. Already the office was almost filled to capacity by a rainbow of confused students while the poor nurse's assistant was holding his single sheet of sign-in paper like it was a lifeline.

“Alright kids, just find a place to stand or sit until the nurse can see you!” When he saw Yuu and Grim step in he told her she couldn't stay if she wasn't sick or injured and had to leave Grim. She left Grim to find a place to sit while she took a note that would excuse Grim for their next class. She had a couple minutes to kill before she really had to start heading to class and decided to grab a snack from Sam's shop along with some tuna since Grim would probably be irritable after his nurse visit.

She gave a wave to Sam and the shadowy figures that lurked around him before she lost herself in the packed to the brim aisles filled with everything from standard school supplies to kitchen appliances and car parts – who is buying car parts in a school store? She had no clue and wasn't about to ask. It was while she was trying to find where Sam’s “friends on the other side” moved the chips that she felt it, a nagging feeling that told her she was being watched. Her lip twitched upward as she wondered if Rook was already in the building or if he somehow slipped by Sam unnoticed since Sam says hi to every student and teacher that steps foot in the shop. Her eyes darted around looking for the familiar flash of purple or the hint of a feather ducking behind a shelf but she couldn’t find a trace of him.

”Doesn't help looking for him here is like playing one of those item searching games.” She shrugged and assumed Rook would pop out and surprise her when he's good and ready. She bent down to check the lower shelves and let out a soft “yes!” when she found one bag left of her favorite chips. Right when she stood up, chip bag held tightly in her hand, something fell in the aisle next to her which sent a chill up her spine.

”That can't be Rook…”

It felt as if all sound suddenly became muffled as she slowly walked one slow step after another to the end of the aisle, her ears straining to hear any footsteps walking away or approaching. The sound of her breathing was almost deafening as she slowly peeked her head into the next aisle and was met with an empty aisle with a single can of soda laying on the ground.

Suddenly, all sound returned as a large hand landed on her shoulder.

Yuu let out a shriek and jerked back, her back slamming into a shelf of tools which knocked over a large wrench that landed on her toes.

“Crap! Yuu, are you alright?”

“Jack?!”

Standing behind her, hand still hovering where she once stood was Jack, ears almost flat against his head and a look of surprise on his face. His surprise turned to concern when Yuu tried to take a step towards him and hissed in pain when she put weight on the foot that the wrench fell on.

“Here, take my arm, let me help with that.” He ignored Yuu's protests and bought a roll of medical wrap and ice. Soon enough Yuu found herself sitting on a bench outside the shop with Jack kneeling on the ground carefully wrapping her foot before placing the makeshift ice pack on top.

“Everything alright? I called your name almost five times and you didn't respond.” Jack frowned as he sat down next to her. Her thoughts drifted back to the feeling of being watched and rationalized it must have been Jack noticing her, even though if that was the case she would have heard him calling out to her.

“I'm fine, just spacing out I guess.” She shrugged and decided she had more important things to worry about. “Has anyone figured out what happened at lunch?”

“Oh yeah,” Jack said, his concern washing away as he rolled his eyes. “Apparently someone slipped something into a batch of the sandwiches and it was just a potion that temporarily changed hair color.”

“Such a shame,” Yuu said sarcastically as Jack helped her stand at the sound of the bell. “Green was such a good color on Grim.” The two shared a laugh and quickly parted ways to head to their next classes.The strange prank at lunch was the talk of the school for the rest of the day and caused many students to find alternative dinner plans than any food from the cafeteria.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Yuu!~ help me put up these posters will ya~?”

Yuu wasn't given a chance to reply before a stack of posters was shoved into her arms by an overly excited rabbit beastman. Of course she wouldn't have said no if she had the chance, hanging posters for that year's school play was just part of the job as a member of the theater club. In truth, she was thrilled to begin sticking the posters across the various news boards across campus since this year’s play was based on a tale she recently found in the school library and devoured the entire collection in the span of a few days.

The Tale of The Knight and The Huntsman; a tale that begins with a young and beautiful princess preparing to marry a noble prince that she was arranged to marry since birth and grew up believing they were perfect for each other. While saying their vows, the wedding is attacked by a fierce dragon that ends up taking the prince after shielding the princess from the beast. In an attempt to save her fiance, the princess disguises herself as a young knight and escapes the palace and travels into the enchanted forest in search of the dragon where she meets a young huntsman that was abandoned in the forest as an infant and knows the forest better than anyone.

The tale then follows their adventures through the woods meeting and evading the many dangers of the woods while they grow closer from reluctant allies to close friends. Along the way, the princess grows to love the thrill of adventure and declares her desire to remain an active knight to her fiance after saving him which is met with ridicule and the prince threatening to end their engagement if she continues her knighthood to which the princess reluctantly agrees.

The story ends with the huntsman interrupting the wedding to declare his love for the princess and desire to travel the world with her. The princess of course abandons the prince at the altar along with her crown and the two run away together to continue their adventures as a wandering knight with her beloved huntsman.

“Oh ho? And what is this? I am quite curious to know what has mon Trickster smiling brighter than starlight.”

Yuu jumped, pulled out of her thoughts as a familiar gloved hand delicately took a poster off her pile. She turned to see Rook’s eyes scanning the poster and audition information with an ever brightening smile.

“The Tale of The Knight and The Huntsman will be this year’s play? How wonderful!” He looked absolutely delighted, even more than when he's complimenting Vil or observing Leona. Yuu smiled at his excitement and felt her cheeks warm when she thought about how cute his excitement made him look.

“I take it you like the tale?”

“Mon Trickster, it's a personal favorite of mine. When I was growing up I would imagine myself as the clever hunter and used to explore all around my hometown and not come home until dark, covered in scrapes and mud. I may have given my mother quite the scare once or twice.”

Yuu had to cover her mouth to contain her giggles as she imagined a little well dressed rook wandering around the Sunset Savanna looking for adventure. Rook didn't seem to mind her reaction and only smiled brighter as he placed the poster on the message board for her.

“To be honest, I can barely imagine it. You're always so well dressed and neat I can't picture you covered in dirt.”

Her confession seemed to flip a switch in Rook because when he turned around, the smirk and narrowing of his eyes made him look downright devious.

“Oh Yuu,” he said, his smirk widening as she felt her cheeks heat up from hearing him say her name for the first time since she met him. “You should know there's more to people than meets the eye.”

With that, he gave her his usual bow and left her to make her way to the auditorium where she was meeting the rest of the theater club along with some of the various sport club members to coordinate backstage assignments and prop building tasks.

“Potato.”

The silent scream she made could probably only be heard by dogs as she turned around to face Vil who somehow could make disappointment look gorgeous as he frowned at her.

“You've been avoiding me.” It wasn't a question or a statement, it was a fact. Technically she wasn't avoiding him, she just so happened to have to be anywhere but in the same room as him the millisecond she notices him.

It's very easy to mix the two up.

Before she could deny it, Vil motioned for her to follow him into one of the empty classrooms. Whether it was curiosity or the reluctance to see a pissed off Vil, Yuu followed him into the classroom and tried not to flinch when he shut the door behind her.

“Vil, I-.”

“Hush.”

He held up his pen and tapped the door. He then walked over to the windows and tapped them before drawing the curtains closed. It was only then he seemed satisfied and nodded to her, the corner of his mouth slightly raised when he noticed her confused expression.

“A simple muting spell. It prevents anything we say from leaving this room.” He crossed his arms as the disappointed look returned. “I assume your avoidance is about me knowing about your secret?”

“How did you know? Crewel said it should have worked on everyone since no one realized I was a girl when I first showed up.”

“Unfortunately fame comes with a few cons,” Vil explained with a sigh as he revealed a delicate pendant from under his shirt. “One of those is some obsessed fans using glamour potions to sneak onto sets. I always wear a charm that leaves me unaffected by glamours. I've seen you as who you really are this whole time.”

“So, you're not going to tell anyone, are you?”

For a moment, Vil looked almost insulted that she even thought he would do such a thing before he hid it with a cough.

“Of course not, I understand why you have to hide it.”

“Then why did you also give me some skirts?”

“Because they'll compliment your figure,” he said with a sigh. “Fashion isn't something that should be gendered. If I look good in a dress, I'll wear it.”

Yuu wondered if Rook learned his devious smirk from Vil or if it was the other way around because the smirk he was giving her suddenly made her think she was about to be roped into something insane.

“I'll tell you what, if you wear the skirt I gave you, I'll wear a dress I've been saving for a trip into town.”

Her eyes widened at his offer. Her first instinct was to flat out say no. What if someone realized she was actually a girl and the glamour broke? Crowley emphasized only boys were allowed to attend the school. He'd throw her out and not only ruin her livelihood but also ruin Grim’s chance to attend. And yet the refusal died on her throat the longer she stared at Vil and the flowing uniform of Pomefiore and oh sweet Seven does he walk in those heels daily?!

“Well?”

”Am I really gonna say no to a chance to wear a skirt again?”

“Fine,” she said with a sigh and gave him a small smile. “But if I end up getting kicked out then you're paying for a new place for me and Grim to live.”

It must have been her lucky day as Vil gave her an honest to goodness –gonna develop laugh lines– laugh as he broke the spell on the doors and windows and opened the door for her.

“You won't be going anywhere, Sweet Potato. Trust me.”

Chapter Text

“I have come to pursue the dragon and save my beloved!”

“Wow, is he declaring his goals or looking for the bathroom?”

Yuu turned around in her seat to whack a snickering Finn sitting behind her with her clipboard before the poor Heartslabyul student auditioning for the Princess role heard him. Yuu, along with the theater club president and vice president, sat at a table in the middle of the gym going through auditions while members of the swim club worked on painting backdrops behind them. Yuu could tell the club president, a 3rd year Octavinelle student named Zephyr, was growing frustrated after hours of auditions.

“Why don't we take a break?” Yuu suggested, looking past Zephyr to Ollie, their overly excited 2nd year vice president from Scarabia. Ollie’s orange cat ear twitched as he looked between Yuu and Zephyr before looking at his clipboard.

“I think we only have one more student trying out for the Huntsman left. Though we don't have another Princess audition to pair with them for their lines.”

“I'll read the Princess lines if it means we take a break before Zeph summons a stormcloud,” Yuu offered while Zephyr stood up with a loud sigh.

“The last student told me he'd be running late anyway so let's break for now. I need to check on the spelldrive club in the auditorium.”

The 3 club leaders split off to each take care of their individual assignments. Yuu was in charge of backdrops with the track and field and swim clubs. Currently the swim club was painting the backdrop for one of the forest scenes until the track and field team was finished with practice.

“How are you guys doing? Need any more paint or brushes?”

“Nah, we should be good for now,” Finn said, gesturing to the pile of paints and brushes next to each student.

“Alright. Oh, Finn, you got some paint on your cheeks. Here, let me get it.”

Finn looked as pleased as a dog with a bone as Yuu carefully wiped a splatter of green paint off his cheek. Yuu was relieved she could still call Finn a friend even after she snapped at him during that lunch almost a month ago now. She feared she was going to lose the one person in their performance arts class she trusted not to step on her toes during dance practice.

“Hey Yuu, could I actually talk to you for a second?” Finn asked, standing up and gesturing to the empty bleachers where everyone left their bags and jackets to keep them safe from paint. Yuu nodded and followed Finn over to a spot clear of any possessions and took a seat next to him.

“Listen, I know you apologized for lunch but I still feel awful for suddenly dropping that on you. I wanna make it up to you with dinner for you and Grim.”

“Finn, you really don't have to.”

“But I want to, especially since I haven't had a chance to apologize for calling Grim names. Please, it'll just be for you and Grim and I'll take care of everything.”

“Well… I guess that would be alright. How about this weekend?”

She probably could have told Finn he won the lottery and he wouldn't be as happy as he was to hear her accept his offer as he went back to working with a spring in his step. As she was grabbing a bottle of water from her bag, she noticed the track and field team slowly filing in and getting situated with the swim team. Walking in last was Jack along with Deuce and Ace – which was odd since she thought the basketball club was supposed to be working on props.

She was even more confused when she noticed Deuce and Ace looked like they had been crying while Jack looked like he wanted to murder the two.

“Yuu!” Ace cried, almost breathless as he waved her over. As she walked over she quickly realized the two weren't crying because they were upset, they were crying from laughing too hard. “Yuu, you won't believe what happened. Go on Jack, tell him!”

Jack just crossed his arms and shook his head. Ace started poking at Jack's arm while Yuu tried to get an explanation out of Deuce; unfortunately the most she could get out of him between wheezes was “Jack”, “water” and “voice”. She didn't have to wait long to understand as Ace finally frustrated Jack enough to shout at him.

Though the more appropriate description would probably be squeaked.

When Jack yelled at Ace to knock it off, his voice was extremely high pitched as if he had swallowed a squeaky toy. Even his growls sounded higher pitched when he noticed Yuu covering her mouth so she didn't accidentally say anything to upset him further. According to Deuce – once he finally stopped laughing of course – they had just finished practice and met up with Ace when Jack drank some of his water from his water bottle. A few minutes later, his voice started rising until it was as high pitched as a yapping chihuahua. No one else in the club seemed to be affected, only Jack.

“Do you think it's The Joker?” Ace pondered. “He probably has to change up his game now that the school has more ghosts watching the kitchen.”

“The Joker” was the name given to the unknown student that had been pulling pranks for the last few weeks. From the color changing sandwiches to spiking the stew with a truth potion that fractured a lot of friendships – a few students ended up spending a few nights at her dorm due to arguments between roommates – the prankster always seemed to target the food served in the cafeteria. It's gotten to the point most students would buy snacks from Sam's shop or wait until someone else tried the food before eating.

It was only when the nurse stormed into Crowley's office screaming about the sudden influx of potion based accidents that Crowley assigned more ghosts to patrol the kitchen to avoid food tampering. Even the ghosts from Ramshackle were brought on to help so it's been unnervingly quiet at her dorm without their haunting.

“Who knows, maybe it's an unknown copycat because he can't access the kitchen,” Yuu mused and offered Jack a dispelling serum from her bag which he gladly took. Due to the amount of “accidents” from the pranks, she had been helping Crewel make more serums for the nurse and he allowed her to take a few for herself in case Grim or her friends were affected.

“Speaking of unknown, who's the guy in the cowboy hat?”

“Huh?”

She turned around to follow Ace’s pointing finger to see a young man with shaggy blonde hair standing with his back to them. She didn't recognize the figure and yet somehow he felt… familiar. She walked over to the boy, silently noting his torn jeans and leather vest as well as his well defined muscles. She could only guess he was a Savanaclaw student but she couldn't remember seeing anyone like him in the multiple trips to the dorm to visit Ruggie.

“Excuse me, are you here for auditions?”

When the boy turned around at her question, Yuu couldn't stop her jaw from dropping.

She would have definitely remembered his sun kissed face that was dotted with freckles as the blonde hair that framed his face was covered by a brown cowboy hat. The feeling of familiarity only worsened as the boy's green eyes glittered with mischief as he tipped his hat at her.

“Afternoon, mon Trickster.”

“Rook?!”

Yuu could hardly believe the voice that came from him was her favorite stalking hunter. Rook laughed as he took off his hat and gave her a oh-so familiar bow. There was no denying that the wild boy in front of her was the same elegant boy that spouted poetry as easily as breathing.

“Have I left you speechless? I admit, it has been ages since I donned my old dorm clothes. You can thank Roi du Poison for giving me one of his many creations that allowed me to quickly grow out my hair; although it pained him to allow me outside the dorm without a proper brushing.”

Speechless was an understatement. Yuu couldn't find the right words to say as her mind raced with multiple questions.

”You used to be in Savanaclaw?”

”Have you always been that muscular?”

”Have you always been so attractive??”

Finally, she was able to squeak out a single question.

“You have freckles?”

Rook seemed surprised at her question as he held his hat against his chest, his other hand touching the spattering of freckles across his nose. It was so quick but for a moment Yuu thought she saw the faintest hint of apprehension in his eyes.

“Do you not like them? I assumed they would be a proper portrayal of a hunter always out in the sun but–”

“I like them!” She quickly blurted out, startling even herself as she fumbled an explanation.

“I-I mean they look good on you, you should show them more often. I mean if you want to! I'm not trying to say what you should do. I'm just now curious why you'd hide such cute freckles… Oh look, Zephyr and Ollie are back! Let me go grab them so you can audition!”

She quickly excused herself, cheeks darkening as she heard Rook chuckling softly at her retreat, unaware of how he returned his hat to his head and tilted it low to cover his eyes and the pink on his cheeks that blended into his freckles.

A few minutes later she was sitting with Zephyr and Ollie as they watched mesmerized as Rook performed the Huntsman’s monologue. When he finished, Zephyr had to smack her arm to get her attention.

“Alright Yuu, get up there and do the princess part.”

“Huh?!”

Ollie leaned across Zephyr with a grin that told her she was in deep trouble.

“Remember before we took a break? You said you'd do the princess lines for the last auditioner!”

“Shit, I hoped you forgot about that.”

“Woo! Let's go Yuu!”

“Shouldn't you be at the auditorium already, Ace?!”

She ignored Ace's cheers as she walked over to Rook with a copy of the script. She really didn't need it, she had almost every line of the princess memorized since she first got a copy. The part she was to read was from a scene early on after the Huntsman and Princess meet where the Huntsman questions the Princess’s reason for searching for a dragon. The previous scene was to show how similar the two of them were through playful banter before ending with the Huntsman admitting he believes in love at first sight and the scene pauses as the Princess and Huntsman share their first of many intimate moments.

“So tell me, brave knight,” Rook said, easily slipping into the Huntsman role. “What does a single, solitary knight want with the location of a dragon?”

“Well if you must know, dear hunter,” Yuu smiled, slipping into her role of the Princess like she would do alone at Ramshackle. “I've come to pursue the dragon and save my beloved. He had been taken after saving me and I intend to rescue him.”

“This prince sounds like a lucky man,” Rook said with a smile. “He must be eagerly awaiting your arrival.”

“Well, to tell you the truth.” She turned her back to him and placed a hand over her heart. “We only just formally met on the altar. We were attacked before we could say our vows. I can only imagine he expects our family's armies to save him, not his betrothed.”

“You only just met?!” Rook gasped and walked around to face her. “And yet you'd risk your life to save him? Why?”

“Because it's love!” She reached out and took his hand, holding it close to her chest. Even though it was just part of the scene, she couldn't stop the blush from rising to her cheeks. “I've waited since I was a little girl to finally meet my love and I'll do anything to save him. Haven't you ever been in love?”

“I didn't before,” Rook said, stepping closer to her and reaching out to gently brush his gloved fingers across her cheek. “But I'm starting to believe in love at first sight.”

Have his eyes always been so green? She had never really taken the time to admire his eyes before. But now, standing there with him so close to her, she felt like the world disappeared around them until it was only the two of them.

“That… was… BEAUTIFUL!!!”

Yuu gasped and jerked back from Rook as if she had been burned and looked around to see the entire gym had fallen quiet and everyone was watching them as Ollie continued to sing their praises.

She quickly excused herself and left after grabbing her bag. She didn't stop running until she reached her dorm and quickly slammed the door behind her. She ignored Grim calling out to her as she quickly ran up to get room, grabbed her pillow and screamed into it until Grim came barreling into the room.

“Human! What's going on?!”

“I think I'm falling for Rook!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“And then Grim almost clawed my eyes out for worrying him,” Yuu said with a sigh, instinctively reaching her hand up to run through her hair only to have it smacked away by Vil.

“I can see why you enjoy the theater, you're almost as dramatic as him.”

“Are we just going to skip over the fact I just said I'm crushing on your vice housewarden?”

“What else is there to say? Stop squirming or I'm going to poke your eye.”

She sighed and remained still as Vil applied eyeliner to each eye with a flick of his wrist. She had been sitting in his room with the room sealed like the classroom for the past hour where she ended up venting about her feelings to Vil while he styled her hair and put on her makeup.

“I just can't be falling for someone right now, not when I have to constantly hide who I am so I have a place to live along with passing magic based classes without the ability to use magic.”

“I think you're adding unnecessary stress. You should try not overthinking and just go for what you want. There's no use just sitting around lamenting about what you can't do. Tilt your head up.”

She lifted her head and sat still as Vil cupped her face and carefully applied lipstick and then a lovely floral perfume that probably cost more than she could make in a year.

“Besides, you're still Yuu no matter your gender. I know Rook well enough to know he falls for inner beauty.”

He stepped aside to allow Yuu to observe herself in his mirror. For a moment she thought she could suddenly see the glamour that masked her as Vil did her makeup in a way that not only accentuated her features but also gave her a more boyish charm that matched the elegant braid he did for her hair. When she stood up to look at the full outfit she couldn't believe she was staring at herself.

Vil paired the ankle length skirt with a deep green silk top that matched the flats he gave her and made her look like a fairy prince walking through a forest. In contrast, Vil looked like he was an ocean deity with his blue sundress with white accents that looked almost like waves crashing across a beach as the fabric flowed around him. Vil smiled and held out a hand to her as he unsealed the door and opened it.

“Ready?”

The butterflies in her stomach were creating a storm inside her as she smiled and took his hand, allowing Vil to lead her out to the Pomefiore common room.

Chapter Text

The trip to Foothill Town was surprisingly uneventful as Yuu followed Vil off campus along with the other students that decided to spend their weekend visiting the one other destination on the island besides Royal Sword Academy. She was grateful for the sunglasses Vil gave her as the sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky as they weaved through the various shops collecting the ingredients and materials each sought. Throughout the day Yuu's confidence steadily grew as many shop owners and students complimented her outfit and makeup. Once from the corner of her eye she saw Vil smile like a proud mother when Yuu didn't panic after an older woman called her as pretty as a girl.

“It seems that fear of yours wasn't as serious as I thought,” Vil commented as they sat under a shaded table outside a small cafe. Yuu chuckled at the comment as she sipped her tea.

“Oh trust me, I was screaming internally. If there were any telepaths within a five mile radius they've surely been deafened by my screams.”

Vil simply shook his head with a chuckle. They sat in silence, enjoying the view before Vil suddenly broke the silence.

“You know there's more to him than what he shows, don't you.”

She didn't need him to tell her who he was talking about. She knew, just as she knew he was more than likely nearby. After all, the Queen is rarely seen without her Huntsman.

“I always felt like there was but it became obvious when he came to the audition looking like a completely different person.”

“More like seeing a glimpse of a side he rarely shows now. Even I haven't seen that old uniform since our first year.”

She looked over at Vil who was staring into the distance as if remembering a memory of the past. She was tempted to ask more about Rook when they were first years but a part of her felt she should hear it from him instead of Vil.

“Rook knows me better than I know myself sometimes but truthfully, I know little about him.” Vil looked over at Yuu with a small smile as he reached out and took her hand. “But there's two things I do know: he never does anything without a reason and he's never shown that side of him to anyone after transferring to Pomefiore. ”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and stood up to leave after mentioning some work he needed to finish. Before he left, a thought crossed her mind that she still never figured out.

“By the way, the clothes you gave me. What brand sent you them? I didn't see any tags.”

Vil chuckled as he slipped his own sunglasses back on. "Unfortunately, Potato, I promised him I wouldn't tell you.”

“Him?”

He didn't answer her as he left, leaving her with more questions than answers as she began to head back herself. As she walked through the winding forest path that led back to campus, she felt the familiar feeling of eyes on her. She turned around, eyes scanning the woods for a trace of him as the forest seemed to fall silent around her.

“Rook?” She called out, head snapping to a nearby tree where she thought she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Her heart thudded rapidly in her chest as she stepped closer, a hand reaching out to touch the rough bark as her ears strained to hear any sound.

“Rook?”

“You called?”

She gasped, turning around quickly to find Rook standing behind him. His eyes glittered with his usual mischief though as she turned, they looked much sharper, like a predator on the lookout for danger.

“Shit, Rook! I could have sworn you were behind here,” she said, hand over her heart as she leaned against the tree. Rook chuckled as he stepped closer, placing a hand against the as he almost leaned over her.

“Maybe I've just made it harder for une chasseresse to spot me.”

She could feel herself blush as she looked up at him. His hair had been brushed and braided back while he wore his usual Pomefiore uniform. She hoped it wasn't obvious her blush darkened when she realized his freckles were still visible despite his return to elegance.

“You're staring, Trickster.”

“Can you really blame me? I feel like I'm about to be devoured” She admitted, placing a hand on his chest and gently pushing him back for which he complied with a chuckle.

“Cela pourrait être arrangé.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing, dear Trickster.”

She rolled her eyes and made a mental note to ask Vil to recommend some books on the local languages as she walked with him towards campus, his hand on the small of her back almost leading her away as the forest seemed to return to life as the birds chirped overhead.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Myah? You're really gonna go in that getup?” Grim asked, following after Yuu as they walked to the mirror chamber. “I'm surprised Vil convinced you to wear a skirt in the first place.”

“I spent the whole day wearing this, might as well since it's already on. I'm sure the whole school has already seen me like this.”

“Yuu! Hey!”

“I stand corrected.”

Kalim grinned as he ran over to them with Jamil trailing behind. Kalim’s eyes were practically sparkling as he looked her up and down.

“Yuu! You look so pretty! Are you guys celebrating?”

“Hey Kalim, Grim and I are just grabbing dinner at Mostro Lounge.”

“Great! We're heading that way now!”

Yuu raised an eyebrow and looked at Jamil who let out a sigh.

“I ran out of a few ingredients and since we're not allowed in the school kitchen, Azul offered the lounge kitchen so I could cook for Kalim.”

When they arrived at the lounge, Kalim suggested they sit together as Jamil followed Jade back to the kitchen. She followed Kalim to an open table where they got into a discussion about the upcoming play. He was almost bouncing in his seat as he pulled out the cast list that was posted earlier that day. He excitedly pointed to his name where he was cast as one of the background knights. Curious about the other roles, she looked through the cast list where she saw a few of her friends got the parts they wanted. When she reached the top of the list she wasn't surprised to see Rook took the role of The Huntsman.

What shocked her was when she saw her name next to the role of The Princess.

“How is that possible? I didn't audition!”

“What about when you read lines for Rook?” Grim asked, climbing into her lap so he could read the cast list. A loud clattering of plates startled them and they looked up to see Finn placing two plates of food in front of her and Grim. He smiled as he looked between her and Kalim.

“Housewarden Kalim, I wasn't expecting to see you here, with Yuu. Can I get you anything?”

Kalim laughed and explained the situation while Finn continued to politely smile until he had to excuse himself to check another table. Yuu was surprised to see when Jamil returned he not only had a meal made for himself and Kalim but two extra plates for Grim and herself.

“Here, consider it thanks for watching him, Jade said it was fine to make extra,” Jamil said with a wink as he sat down. Grim grumbled for a moment for his lack of tuna but it didn't stop him from devouring his plate as the other three chatted until their plates were clear. By the time they finished it was close to closing and the four ended up leaving together until they had to part to their respective dorms. It was only as she was climbing into bed that she realized Finn never returned to the table.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Alright everyone! We don't have much time to practice before winter break so let's try to focus ok? That means you too, backstage crew!” Zephyr announced as everyone took their places. Yuu was impressed with the progress made in only a week as the group practiced the first dance number. She only wished she could say the same about her stage fright. While she was able to sing with the group during practice, as soon as she took the stage to practice her solo or her duets she’d freeze. Even though Zephyr reassured her that she'd be ready in time, she was beginning to doubt she'd ever be able to sing on stage.

“Yuu! Help!”

Kalim suddenly burst into the auditorium almost hysterical as he cried out for her. She was practically dragged all the way to Scarabia as Kalim tried to explain through sobs and hiccups. She didn't need an explanation when she was brought into Jamil’s room where she found Jamil almost curled up in a ball on his bed, sweating profusely.

According to Kalim, when Jamil brought him lunch, he noticed a strange smell coming from the rice so Jamil took a bite to determine if he got his spices wrong when he suddenly collapsed. After that, his temperature started rising until it felt like Kalim would burn his hand if he even touched Jamil. Yuu asked if they still had the plate and Kalim quickly passed her the plate. One sniff was all it took for her to know something was wrong.

“That smells like drake's breath. It's used in many fire based treatments. It's supposed to be infused into a topical salve and never directly added into anything consumed or it'll reverse the effects onto the user.”

She ordered Kalim to get Crewel while she sent Grim to grab a serum from her bag. She didn't expect the serum to completely work but it should at least bring his internal temperature down. The next hour was a flurry of orders and shouting as Crewel and the nurse set to treating Jamil while Yuu consoled Kalim who was still in hysterics from Jamil's condition. To everyone's – especially Kalim – relief, Jamil was able to quickly recover under Crewel's care, luckily he only ate a small portion of the rice. Yuu soon found herself sitting with Crewel in Crowley's office recounting everything they witnessed after Kalim was sent back to his dorm after giving his own account of the incident.

“It’s fortunate Mr. Viper will make a full recovery and Mr. Asim didn't eat any of the food. I see every student like my own child so the thought of any of them suffering wounds me greatly.”

Crewel and Yuu looked at each other with a similar look that said “more like you don't want to lose the Asim family’s donations”. Crowley suddenly pointed at Yuu as he proclaimed loudly. “Yuu! As prefect of Ramshackle, I trust you to find the cause of these devious pranks!”

“Huh?!”

“You can't be serious…”

“Absolutely! Yuu is beloved by the staff and students, who better to sniff out a fiend with malicious intentions than everyone's favorite magicless prefect!”

No matter how much Crewel or Yuu tried to convince him otherwise, Crowley would not be swayed and made her investigate the string of pranks or he'd cut her weekly allowance. Crewel and Yuu left the office with matching scowls as Yuu silently cursed Crowley with all her magicless might.

“Before you go Yuu, a word.”

Crewel asked to hand over the phone Crowley gave her which he pocketed and handed her another phone after transferring all her data to it.

“Take this, it's set to only work in your hands. My number along with the rest of the staff has already been added. Don't hesitate to use it if you feel in danger.”

“Oh, thank you.”

As she pocketed her new phone, Crewel reached out and adjusted the collar of her button-up. With how close he was she could make out him muttering something about wrong collar measurements before he seemed satisfied and told her she could go. By now practice would have finished so she decided to head back to her dorm. As she was walking back she was practically ran over by Epel as he slammed into her and knocked her over.

“I'm so sorry!” Epel said, his voice cracking as if he was on the brink of a breakdown”I'm looking for Professor– Yuu? Even better. You have to come to Pomefiore!”

“What the hell is going on? What happened?” She asked, a knot already forming in the pit of her stomach. That knot only tightened when Epel answered with a trembling voice.

“It's Vil.”

Chapter Text

The doors to Pomefiore burst open as Yuu tore through the entrance and climbed the stairs to Vil's room two at a time. As she drew closer, she skidded to a halt at the figure leaning against the wall next to Vil's door.

“Rook?”

He didn't seem to notice her as he continued to burn a hole into the wall opposite of him. As she drew closer she could see he was digging his nails into his crossed arms as he worried his lip to the point of bleeding.

He looked like an overdrawn bowstring ready to snap at the slightest touch as she gently reached out and touched his hand. He flinched as if he was burned and looked over at her with wide eyes.

“Yuu, when did you get here?” The waver in his voice sent a pang through her heart as she explained she just arrived. It was obvious whatever happened to Vil left him shaken badly as his hair had looked run through so many times that tangles had begun to form at the ends.

“What happened? Epel wouldn't explain anything before he went looking for Professor Crewel.”

“It's hard to say. Everything was fine the night before but this morning Vil didn't come downstairs for breakfast. He was supposed to have an early morning meeting with the theater club so we assumed he had already left but when Zephyr mentioned not seeing him all day to me, I went to his room to find this.”

Her eyes widened when Rook opened the door and she was greeted with a furious peacock sitting on Vil’s bed. When the door opened the peacock shot them a glare so bitter she didn't even have to question if that was Vil or not.

“Yeah, we're definitely gonna need Crewel to fix this.”

Her only reply was an angry screech from the peacock transformed Vil.

It took Crewel only an hour to brew a proper cure for Vil and change him back to normal. When Vil had finally calmed down after a furious monologue as soon as he could speak, he explained the night before he had drunk one of his before bed smoothies and woke up the next day as a peacock.

“I can't imagine someone from Pomefiore would do this so it must have been this prankster,” Yuu mused. “Do you remember anyone from the other dorms stopping by?”

“No, evening visitors aren't allowed without mine or Rook’s approval. Besides, I make all my smoothies fresh. Even if there was someone there, I would have seen them even if I couldn't hear them.”

“Huh? What do you mean you couldn't hear?”

Vil recounted while preparing his smoothie, it felt like someone cast a silencing spell nearby since he suddenly couldn't hear the blender working when he stepped out of the kitchen to check if anyone was nearby all the sound suddenly returned. Yuu suddenly felt light headed when she realized Vil's descriptions sounded similar to what she experienced at Sam's shop and in the woods.

“Yuu, what's wrong? You're trembling,” Rook said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He was forced to step back when she suddenly shot up from her seat.

“I have to talk to Jamil.”

“Yuu!”

She sprinted out of Vil's room, almost knocking over Rook in her haste to leave. When Vil looked over at Rook he could tell something was wrong; Rook had a look like a hunter just learning something new about his prey.

“I want answers Rook, now.”

“It's only a theory but I believe it has something to do with our beloved Trickster.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Sudden silence?” Jamil said as he frowned, catching the bowl of cucumber salad Kalim almost dropped when he ran into the room. After recovering from the tainted rice, he was forced to take a few additional days to rest while eating as many cold foods as he could (apparently three students had to help watch Kalim prepare the dishes that he insisted on making for Jamil himself).

“Yeah, like the world suddenly lost all sound?” Yuu elaborated. “Did you have anything like that happen while cooking?”

While Jamil was thinking Kalim leapt up from where he tripped and leaned against Yuu.

“What about when I couldn't hear anything?” Kalim explained that while he was studying with some other students in the next room, everything suddenly went silent which scared everyone enough to run into the kitchen and grab Jamil to find the source of the silence.

“They dragged me out of the kitchen screaming about the room being quiet. When I walked in though, everything seemed normal.” Jamil's frown deepened when he noticed Yuu seemed to pale at his explanation. “What's going on Yuu?”

She explained with a slight tremble about her experience at Sam's shop followed by a similar experience in the forest. The only explanation they could come up with was it was a student’s signature spell. One answer only seemed to create more since the only thing running though Yuu's mind after leaving Scarabia was was the prankster following her and was she their next target.

She ended up messaging Ace to ask if Grim could stay over at Heartslabyul for the night. The idea of staying in Ramshackle without the ghosts almost made her sick. Ruggie still owed her for convincing Sam to let him take a bunch of snacks that were almost expired so he might be able to help her convince Leona to let her stay the night at Savannaclaw.

“Yuu.”

She gasped and quickly turned around to see Rook leaning against a nearby pillar. She let out a relieved sigh and walked over to him, noticing he had changed into a white shirt and a forest green vest that matched the pants he wore. She immediately recognized it as one of the costumes for his Huntsman character. His hair was still braided back from wearing his Pomefiore uniform but he replaced his usual uniform hat with his Savanaclaw one as he smiled at her and offered her his gloved hand.

“It looks like you could use a distraction, mon cher.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“It's not much farther now.”

“You said that twenty minutes ago!”

Rook’s only response was a laugh while Yuu grumbled behind him. When she agreed she needed a distraction she wasn't expecting a hike through the woods behind the school that could put her day in Jade's club to shame! When she looked up after almost tripping on her third root of the trip, she paused when she saw Rook had disappeared from view.

“Rook?” She called out, receiving only the twittering of birds in response. Before she could call out again, the sound of music began to echo through the trees from somewhere nearby followed by Rook's voice as he began to sing from wherever he was hidden. It quickly dawned on her why the song sounded so familiar.

It was the duet the Princess and Hunter sing as their love for each other is revealed to the audience. It was the main song that she still struggled to sing with Rook.

“How is this supposed to be a distraction? Feels more like switching from one stress to another,” she grumbled, already feeling the familiar lump beginning to form. Where the hell was he anyway? During the scene, the Huntsman is supposed to walk through the forest by the Princess’s side while singing. When the princess began to sing, he would then dart deeper into the woods for the Princess to chase after him. They would then sing and dance together as the stage revealed they stumbled into a beautiful meadow that felt created just for them to find.

If only she could stop freezing when her turn to sing came up.

She started to follow Rook's voice as his singing and the music began to move. As her part of the duet began to play it would play for a few seconds before the song started over again and he sang his part again. Each time the song repeated, she grew more frustrated; not at Rook but herself. She was so focused on the music she failed to see the raised root until she tripped and fell hard to the ground. She could hear the music stop and footsteps rushing to her but called out before he could get too close.

“Stop.”

The footsteps stopped.

“Play it again, right before my part.”

The music began to play again after a moment of silence and he returned to singing. As his voice trailed off at his last note, she dug her fingers into the dirt as her voice cracked on her first note. The music continued as she forced herself to stand, swallowing the lump in her throat as each note became clearer and more confident. She returned to following the music as she sang until she reached the crescendo where she found Rook’s phone leaning against a tree and felt a hand grab her own.

She smiled as Rook spun her around and they sang together in unison. She didn't hesitate as Rook led her through their dance that they had practiced so many times before, the sounds of the forest almost fading away as they continued to sing. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he pulled her closer until their lips almost touched as the last lines of their song echoed around them and the music faded away. She didn't register at some point her eyes had slipped closed until they shot open as she felt Rook's lips on hers. Rook must have felt her tense since he immediately pulled away, the same flash of apprehension crossing his face as he stepped back.

She didn't give him a chance to apologize as she grabbed him by his vest and tugged him down into another kiss. She'd apologize to Vil later if the back of her shirt was ruined as he pinned her against the tree behind her as Rook switched to peppering her cheeks and the corner of her lips with gentle pecks as she caught her breath.

“Was this what you had in mind for a distraction?”

“Non, I only intended to help you with your stage fright. But, you looked too irrésistible to resist.”

She couldn't help but giggle when he kissed the tip of her nose. The sudden rustling of leaves nearby caused her to tense as Rook quickly placed a hand over her mouth and softly shushed her. Neither moved as the rustling grew louder until a beautiful young doe stepped out of the bushes followed by a tiny fawn that stumbled and leapt around its mother. Rook removed his hand from her mouth and silently gestured for her to take out her phone. As slowly and quietly as she could, Yuu slipped her phone out of her pocket and handed it to him. She watched as he opened her camera app and took a handful of pictures of the mother and her baby until they finally wandered off.

“That had to be the closest to a deer I've ever been,” Yuu said breathlessly, still trying to comprehend what she just saw. Rook chuckled as he handed her phone back so she could see the pictures. The images looked straight out of a nature magazine. She couldn't believe he was able to take such gorgeous shots with just a phone camera.

“Maybe someday you could come with me when I bring my camera. I once sat so still while waiting for the perfect moment to capture a mother bear that her cub ended up climbing over my legs and falling asleep in my lap.”

“Maybe don't start with that one,” Yuu laughed as he took her hand and pressed his lips to her fingers as he smiled down at her.

“I promise, no harm will come to you as long as I live.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Enjoy your winter break everyone!” Crowley waved as most of the school's students began to leave for winter break. Since Vil and Jamil's accident it seemed the severity of pranks returned to normal as incidents of hair growing potions were found in the gym showers or the water fountains were spiked with speed walking tonics. Each interview with the affected students just ended in a dead end with no new information.

“Well, now that just leaves what to do with you two,” Crowley said as he turned his attention to Yuu and Grim. “While I was planning to bring you with me, I have recently been asked to attend a very important conference and wouldn't be able to take you.”

As Crowley dramatically sobbed, he didn't realize a cruise pamphlet could obviously be seen poking out of his coat pocket.

“As much as I wish I could bring you both along, unfortunately it seems you'll have to remain here for winter break.”

“Absolutely not!”

All three jumped at Crewel's sudden outburst and looked at him as he quickly composed himself.

“What I mean is, due to Yuu's…condition, it would be in his best interest if he came with me on my trip back home.”

“Huh?” Yuu blinked at Crewel as he continued to talk with Crowley. A few minutes later she was loading her few clothes and possessions into a suitcase Crewel gave her and was following him through the mirror along with the other students from the Queendom of Roses.

Somehow, she was just given the chance to see more of Twisted Wonderland.

Chapter Text

The Queendom of Roses had to be the most beautiful place she had ever seen. She could see how the country got its name with the various rose bushes that lined many homes with roses in full bloom even as a fine layer of snow covered everything. Crewel's spacious home just outside the city he lived in was surrounded by white and black rose bushes that formed a natural fence around the large backyard. When they arrived at his home they were greeted by a pair of young men in the front yard shoveling the driveway to clear off the snow.

“Divus! Welcome back!” The taller of the two men said as he leaned against the snow shovel he was using. “We got your message and the spare bedroom has been set up and all ready for the little miss.”

Crewel introduced the two as his oldest friends, Jensen and Horatio. According to Crewel, they maintained the property and cared for his dogs during the school year. Yuu quickly met said dogs when Horatio stepped inside to grab something and two black and white blurs slipped out and almost knocked her over.

“Penelope! Baxter! Down!” With a single sharp whistle, both dalmatians obediently sat down as their tails wagged rapidly. After a moment to allow the dogs to calm down, he allowed them to stand and gave them each a treat and a pet on the head as he turned his attention to Yuu.

“During your stay here I expect you to assist in Baxter and Penelope’s care. Other than feeding and the occasional walk, you're free to come and go as you please.” He paused for a moment before continuing, voice softer than before. “Its up to you whether you want to take your glamour or not while on vacation, I'll keep a few serums available for you.”

It was a fair trade even if Grim looked less than pleased as Baxter covered him in kisses and left his fur soaked in dog drool. Like Jensen said, a spare bedroom had been already prepared for her to stay in including fresh sheets, a vase of fresh roses sitting on a small desk next to a window and a small wardrobe filled with a variety of clothes that perfectly fit her. It didn't take her long to notice as she changed into her pajamas that evening that none of the clothes had a tag or a brand label.

Just as she was climbing into the incredibly comfy bed her phone pinged with a message. Picking up the phone she was greeted by her wallpaper of Ace, Deuce, Epel and Jack in a group photo she took after Jack and Deuce both placed high in one of the interschool track meets. At the top of her screen was a notification that she had a new message from Rook which she clicked and immediately smiled when she was greeted with a gorgeous picture of a sunset along with a group of grazing zebras.

Rook: Such a beautiful sight and yet it pales in comparison to your beauty!

She giggled at the message, hugging one of the pillows to her chest as she continued to read Rook's message and how he returned home but already missed her. Ever since their kiss in the woods, while she wasn't ready yet to put a label on what they were, Rook agreed to keep their relationship to themselves – leave it to Rook to enjoy a good old secret romance trope. Still while her mind said she still wasn't ready to be in a relationship, that didn't stop her heart from skipping at every brush of their fingers as they passed each other in the halls or the secret kisses between the aisles of the library or behind a tree during her now regular walks through the woods. Sometimes she wondered why she was hesitating to officially date him until she remembered he still didn't know she was actually a girl.

She refused to let that sudden negative thought sour her as she stepped out of bed and walked over to the windowed door that led to a small balcony outside her room with a beautiful view of the city lit up in the snowy evening. She did her best to take the perfect picture that included both the snow covered balcony and the city in the background.

Yuu: My view is almost just as beautiful. If only there was a handsome huntsman to complete the picture.

She received a flurry of romantic poems and declarations of his eternal devotion in return that left her blushing brightly and muffling her laughter into her pillow which continued until she finally fell asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“C'mon Baxter! God, you'd think you were a husky with how much you like snow…” Yuu said as she tried to convince the rambunctious dalmatian to get out of a large snow pile. By her side stood Penelope, as elegant as ever wearing her fluffy winter dog coat. Half of winter break had already passed and it was getting close to New Year's Eve. Crewel mentioned Jensen and Horatio insisting to throw a small party since her and Grim would be spending New Year's with them. While Crewel acted like it was an inconvenience, he had closed himself off in his studio room the last few days to prepare a new outfit for her and Grim. While he was busy, Yuu had planned to search for a small thank you gift for Crewel for allowing her and Grim to stay with him over break.

If only Baxter was on the same page as her.

“Grim, will you be alright taking Penelope home? At this rate she's going to freeze before he wants to leave,” she said with a sigh, passing Penelope's leash to Grim. Luckily they weren't too far from home and Penelope seemed to like Grim so she trusted they would be able to get home safely while she watched Baxter throw himself into another snow pile. It took another half hour until she was able to drag the now content dalmatian out of the snow and into the nearby shopping district. As they walked, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. Remembering what she learned about the mysterious prankster at school sent a chill up her spine and she quickly turned to see if she could find anyone watching her. The sidewalk behind her was completely empty save for their footprints in the freshly fallen snow.

”I have to be imagining things, Crewel said no one would recognize me when I'm not in glamour.”

In an attempt to calm herself she slipped into the first shop she saw and let out a sigh of relief when the feeling began to fade.

“Welcome Miss! If you need help with anything just ask.” The older woman at the shop counter smiled at her as she looked around, making sure Baxter was on his best behavior as she examined a small display counter filled with various trinkets and accessories. She was about to leave when her eyes caught a pair of driving gloves. They were a lovely red that would match his tie perfectly.

“An excellent choice dear,” the store clerk said as she packed up her purchase in a small bag. “Is this a gift for your father?”

“Actually it's for one of my teachers,” she quickly explained. The store clerk just chuckled as she handed her the bag with a smile.

“Well then he must be a special teacher for you to get him a gift.”

She nodded and thanked the woman before stepping back out into the snow covered street. Thankfully Baxter seemed just as eager to return as she was and led her in the direction of home. As they were crossing through the nearby park she felt a chill run up her spine when the crunching of their footsteps suddenly ceased. The tranquility of the park turned into an unnerving silence. When she looked down at Baxter her heart almost stopped.

Baxter was looking behind her with his hackles raised. She didn't need to hear to know he was growling by his bared teeth and his posture, preparing to strike if anything got close to her. The feeling of being watched had returned even stronger than before. It had to be the prankster, if she could even call him that anymore. Did he know it was her? Did he follow her and was watching her this whole time? This could be her chance to catch him, finally find out who was behind hurting Jamil and sneaking into Pomefiore. All she had to do was turn around.

Instead she tugged on Baxter's leash as she broke into a sprint. She could feel the sting of the cold freeze her tears as she ran as fast as she could. She kept running even as sound returned and Baxter's barking echoed through the street until they ran up the front yard just as the door opened and Crewel stepped out, his magic pen at the ready.

“What's going on out here?!”

Yuu didn't respond as she dropped Baxter's leash and ran up and clung onto him as she began to sob. Crewel quickly wrapped an arm around her and brought her inside while Baxter barked until the door was firmly locked behind them. She was brought into the lounge and wrapped in a blanket as she told Crewel about the strange silence incidents at school and what just occurred. By the end of her story, Crewel was silent as he told her to stay with his dogs as he stepped outside while calling Jensen and Horatio to quickly come over.

When the two arrived they found Crewel standing just outside his property, hands balled into tight fists as he stared at a set of footprints that followed Yuu and Baxter's until they crossed into his yard then turned around and disappeared into a nearby covered alley.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Here, a little something warm to calm your nerves.” Crewel said as he handed her a warm glass which she quickly realized was mulled wine. As she was sipping the warm drink, Crewel held up a small soaked shopping bag that she quickly recognized as her gift.

“I found this just outside, is it yours?”

“Yeah, well, it's actually for you.”

Crewel raised an eyebrow and sat down next to her as she finished her mull wine and carefully pulled out the brand new driving gloves. Of course it was made of a much cheaper material than what he usually wore but he didn't care as he slipped them on and smiled softly glancing over at Yuu who let out a sleepy yawn – understandable after the day she had.

“Come on pup, time for bed.”

“Okay, Dad.”

Crewel's eyes widened as Yuu – unaware of what she just said – headed upstairs to her room. He couldn't deny he had grown fond of her, she had quickly become one of his best students. Even without magic, she could become a skilled pharmacist or teacher with the correct guidance. He only meant to watch over her as she completed her studies or Crowley found her a way home. At some point it developed into caring for her well-being by providing her a proper phone and new clothes he made himself. Even now, with this new development about someone stalking her had him sending Jensen and Horatio out searching for anyone suspicious nearby.

He spent a little longer downstairs until he got an all clear call from Horatio. As he headed to his own room he stopped by Yuu's room to check on her and found her fast asleep with Grim curled up protectively at her side. He stepped in and tugged the cover higher to tuck her in and gently pet her head. As he stepped out, he paused to look back at her and whispered softly.

“Sleep tight, Yuu.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Careful dear, too much and the whole thing will be ruined.”

“Right,” Yuu said, carefully pouring a mixture into the large bowl. Crewel smiled and added the remaining ingredients into the bowl and mixed everything together. After a tentative sip of the mixture he gave an approving nod.

“Perfect, everything should be ready now.”

“I didn't think punch making was such serious work,” Yuu said with a chuckle as she stepped back to examine the table filled with snacks and drinks. Crewel simply chuckled as he walked over to her and straightened the vest he made for her that perfectly complimented the button up shirt and stylish skirt/pant combo she wore.

“My dear, I would have thought you'd learn by now, I expect perfection in everything I do.” He chuckled as he pulled out a silver and blue silk ribbon and tied it around her neck. Grim ran into the room, wearing his own matching ribbon, with Baxter and Penelope trailing behind him. Of course he immediately tried to swipe a few slices of meat from a tray until he was stopped by Yuu picking him up.

“True, but I'm still confused why we needed to make so much food. Isn't it just going to be the five of us? I'm sorry, seven of us.” She quickly corrected herself when she heard a huff from Penelope. “Also, why did you insist I take my glamour?”

“Don't worry, you'll understand soon.” Crewel simply replied as the doorbell chimed through the house. “Ah, why don't you grab that. It must be Jenkins with more supplies.”

She raised an eyebrow but nodded, setting Grim down to walk over to the door. Opening the door, she was almost knocked off her feet when two figures tackled her into a hug.

“Surprise!”

“Ace?! Deuce?!” Yuu cried out, hugging both boys as they laughed at her shocked expression. In the doorway Jack, Epel and Finn grinned and waved, waiting for her to free herself from the other two before each giving her a tight hug.

“What are you guys doing here?!”

“Professor Crewel invited us,” Epel explained. “He thought you'd like some company for your first New Years here.”

Before she could reply she was cut off by a low, guttural snarl from behind her and turned to see Baxter with his hackles raised and baring his teeth at Jack and Finn.

Chapter Text

I've realized I have bitten more than I can chew recently as I am actively working on 6 multi-chapter fics along with a few oneshots and side stories for said fics. As much as I don't want to put a pause on any of my fics because I love writing them so much, to prevent a burnout or abandoning any of them, I've decided to put a few fics on a temporary hold including this one.

I want to make it clear I'm still active and writing for Twisted Wonderland but I'll be focusing mostly on the following fics.

It's Not A Romcom, It's Our Life: A Jack/female OC fic with a Vil/Male Yuu side story that I'm working on with my dear friend SeliniaCallidora

Caught in The Crosshairs: a Jade/Yuu fic set in a Mafia AU

What if We Rewrite The Stars?: A Jamil/female OC and Kalim/ Female Yuu fic

Once I'm finished with most or all of these then I'll be able to better focus on this one. I want to put out the best version of this fic and I feel like I won't be able to do that if I feel like I have to rush so I can work on one of the other ones immediately after updating.

Thank you everyone that has been enjoying this fic so far and I either hope to maybe see you checking out one of my other fics or see you again when I can return to this one and give it the love it properly deserves!!