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“Man, I’ve never looked forward so much to getting yelled at in my entire life.” Cater remarked as they dragged themselves back to Heartslabyul dorm.
Before they entered the dorm mirror he turned and flung his hat away as hard as he could.
“And FUCK these outfits bro. Can’t believe we got tricked into thinking these were fire. I look stupid.”
“i dunno, I still think I look pretty snazzy. Buuuuut, I could do without the probably 1 hour plus scolding we’re gonna. At least it’s better than whatever THAT was.” Ace took off his own hat and shuddered. “Did not really have turning into a doll on my bucket list. But for real, Housewarden is gonna be furious. Better get ready to have a new piece of jewelry for a week…”
“Yeeesh. I mean to be fair at least the collars are kinda cute. Hashtag unwillingly accessorized. What about you Trey?” Cater turned around, “Excited about—hey what’s up?”
The green haired Junior was unusually silent, trailing reluctantly behind the two. for a moment Cater thought perhaps Trey was just feeling a bit stiff still, but the way he dragged his feet, brows furrowed and looking at the ground…
“I…genuinely have no idea what I’m supposed to say to him. It’s one thing for you guys but I really let him down this time. I am such a terrible boyfriend.”
“Oh….right.”
“I know this does suck for you but any chance you could go in first and make out with him or something so he forgets about us?” Ace asked hopefully.
“Ace man come ON. you need to read the room!.” Cater turned around abruptly and glared before turning back to Trey. “Trey I dunno man I think you just might have to suck it up and take the L on this one honestly.”
“Can you two just wait out here? I’ll…go in first. It was my fault anyway.” Trey stopped them just after the main entrance before they actually entered the just walked ahead of them and disappeared into the dorm.
“Yeahhhh I’m okay waiting out here.” Cater flopped down on a bench. “It at least gives us a little more time. Not like I wanna face Riddle either.”
Trey heard Riddle before he saw him. He was screaming at some students about failing a quiz, how he’d tried the nice way and no one respected him unless he was threatening some kind of punishment.
Fuck that made him feel even worse. Riddle sounded stressed and upset.
Stupid stupid why’d you have to go and do that Trey Clover?! What were you thinking??
He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking up as the students who had been in the Lounge shuffled out.
“Oh you’re back huh? Some Vice warden you are. You run off and Teapot Tyrant loses his mind.”
“What, you get so sick of him too that you ran off and left us to deal with him?”
“Riddle—!” Trey pushed past them and rounded the corner.
Riddle was standing in the middle of the room, with his back to the door, gasping to calm himself down, hands hung limply by his sides, holding his magic pen in one hand.
“Riddle…? We’re back. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”
“…Trey?”
Riddle’s voice was barely above a whisper. He turned to look at him with an expression Trey had never seen before. Rage, relief, hurt, frustration.
“Why?” It was so faint he almost didn’t hear the Housewarden. “Why did you go?”
“Im sorry. I was wrong, I shouldn’t have gone. I should have tried to stop them—“
“Ace…I understand. He’s..never listened to me anyway.” Riddle put a hand over his chest in an attempt to stay somewhat calm. “Cater, I expected better of. But I wake up…I…wake up to find…you…were gone.”
Riddle’s entire body was now visibly shaking, either from rage or from being upset, Trey wasn’t sure.
“I told you. I told you not to go. And you went. You disrespected me as a Housewarden…and…and betrayed me as a friend…a—hkk..” his voice broke.
“You could have…died. Trey! You could…could have died!! You! Cater! Ace! Dead!! How would that look for me?!!! How…would…”
“Riddle calm down!” Trey’s regret turned into concern as his boyfriend began to stutter and gasp, panic taking over whatever rational part of him was left after what Trey imagined had been a very awful day.
“Trey…if you died…why didn’t you listen?!? Why?! Wh—why?! Am I bad Housewarden? Does no one truly respect me? What…am I…doing…wrong?”
The Housewarden was now in his own world, sinking to his knees, covering his face with his hands and mumbling the same words over and over again.
“Holy shit! What happened?!” Cater ran in and crouched next to Trey. “Is he gonna—?”
Trey shook his head and motioned for Cater to get out without turning his head.
“Riddle, look at me. Calm down.” Trey grabbed Riddle’s face between his hands, kneeling in front of the other and brought his face up level with his own. “I’m alive.”
Riddle grabbed onto Trey’s hands and made a choking sound as he took in a stuttering breath, some semblance of light coming back into his dull eyes.
“R-right…”
“Okay? Here,” he started to sit down on the floor before he thought better of it, knowing Riddle would balk at the idea. Instead he hoisted the other up and onto the red velvet couch and sat down next to him. “Better?”
“I am…still very upset with you.” Was the first full sentence the Housewarden managed after a few minutes.
“I know.”
Trey went to get up but Riddle grabbed onto his arm with an iron grip completely out of place for someone his size.
“Relax, I'm just going to make you tea.”
When he returned five minutes later with a tray of tea and assorted pastries, Riddle looked much better but also much angrier than before.
“Don’t you dare think you can bribe your way out of this one with sweets, Trey Clover.“ He folded his arms across his chest and glared. “Explain yourself immediately. I will have you know that right now you have broken at least 27 Rules AND more egregiously, skipped a days worth of classes, not to mention directly defied my specific order not to go.”
Trey put the tea on the table and took off his hat, got down on one knee in front of Riddle and took his hand and pressed it to his own forehead.
“I’m sorry I skipped classes, broke at least 27 Rudles and directly defied your order not to go, but please let me at least tell you what happened before you put me on trial.”
“Very well. But I hope you are not under the assumption that anything you say will get you out of that. Cater and Ace too. I am certain they sent you in here to plead on their behalf.”
“Nothing gets past you, does it?”
“No indeed. Sit.” Riddle patted the spot next to him on the couch, “You had better tell me all about what made this trip so enticing.”
As soon as Trey sat down, Riddle took off his crown and put it on the table, then rested his head against Trey’s shoulder.
“Are you going to listen or fall asleep?” Trey teased.
“Thinking.”
“About?”
“About what your sentence should be.”
“Okay okay.”
”—and then every time one of us broke one of the rules, we’d get turned into wooden puppets somehow. It was…an awful feeling if I’m being honest.”
To his surprise, Riddle actually reached over and took his hand.
“I would have found a way to turn you back.”
“I don’t doubt that, actually. Not that you would try but that you would actually find a way.”
“I must admit though,” the Housewarden’s head was starting to droop as he rested it back down on Trey’s shoulder, “this Ernesto had a few good points. After all, it is a privilege to be able to attend College here.”
“I did think about you when he was saying that. Just the kind of thing you'd say.”
“Hmph. But, I am glad you are alive.”
“Me too.” Trey leaned down to kiss Riddle’s head, but the Housewarden turned at the last minute so Trey ended up kissing him on the mouth instead.
“Can I lessen my sentence, Queen Riddle?” He teased when the pulled away.
“Mmm, trying to bribe the court, are we? That’s against the rules.”
“Well, I’ve already broken a lot of them.”
Trey tilted Riddle’s chin up towards him and dipped back down to kiss him again. He pressed their lips together while his other hand came up to rest on his cheek. Riddle’s arms wrapped around his neck and Trey broke away for a brief moment.
“Sorry. Glasses.”
“Mmhmm.”
This time it was Riddle who yanked him in for another kiss, a smaller gloved hand finding its way to Trey’s hair. Trey was just about to push him down to the couch when someone cleared their throat from around the corner. Riddle jolted away lightning fast and put his crown back on his head, picked up his teacup and saucer and pretended Trey hadn’t been sucking his face off two seconds ago.
“Heya…um…Housewarden” Cater stepped in followed by Ace who he was very clearly forcing to come along.
“Cater and Ace. The two other embarrassments from my Dorm. Well? Explain yourselves.”
The two gave Trey a disappointed look, but the other just shrugged.
“Sorry, Housewarden.”
“Well. It seems as though you’ve already had a surprisingly halfway decent lecture on the importance of school, but that does not change the fact that I’m putting you three on trial.”
“Yes Housewarden.”
Later that night, Trey and Riddle lay in Riddle’s bed, the redhead clinging to him like a bur.
“Don’t leave again, please.” Riddle mumbled, burying his face into Trey’s chest.
“I won’t. Not without telling you first.”
“You know,” he started again after a brief pause, “I remember thinking, after I got turned into a puppet, that I would never get to hold you again.”
“I thought you really had finally grown tired of me.” Riddle replied in a small voice. “It’s what…everyone said.”
“What do they know?!” Trey hissed, tightening his hold on the other. “They don’t know what they’re talking about. I love you.”
“I…beleive you. It’s just…”
“I’ve done a terrible job of showing it, I know. I’m sorry, I’m going to make it up to you.”
“Still not getting out of the trial.” Riddle mumbled.
“Yes, yes I know that’s important to you. Don’t worry I’m not trying to get out of it.”
It was quiet for a bit more, the alarm clock on Riddle’s nightstand ticking, the sounds of the dorm settling.
“Trey?” Riddle spoke again in a soft voice.
“Hmm?”
“I don’t…actually want to have a trial.”
“Huh?” This woke Trey up out of his sleepy daze.
“I…the three of you are safe, that is simply all I wanted. But I…can’t tell myself no. It’s the rules. It makes my head hurt when I think about it. I am so tired of it. I just want to overlook it just this once, but if I do, no one will ever take me seriously again! And then what would become of all my work?”
“Well. Think of it this way maybe. If the dorm sees you make an exception this once, I bet they’ll appreciate it. It could really drive home that you’re trying to change, you know? And….right now…I’m sure lots of them are feeling that you…are kinda relapsing right now.” Trey reached forward to rearrange the two heart shaped strands on Riddle’s head.
“Oh. I…see. I will think it over then.”
“You know Riddle,” Trey started again, lying back and intertwining their fingers together under the blankets. “You could always make new rules.”
“New rules?!”
“Sure, why not? You’re an incredible mage and a great Housewarden. No reason why you can’t revise the rules a bit.”
“But…but! The Queen of Hearts—“
“I know I know, but think about it, she probably made those rules specifically for her people for their best interests, so wouldn’t the spirit of the Queen of Hearts be to write a set of rules that best fits the subjects?”
Riddle was quiet for a long moment.
“I never thought about that before. Trey, that is a genius idea! I shall dedicate all my time into curating the perfect set of rules for the dorm to follow and ensure everyone is at the top of their classes, excelling in manners and the arts, and mmph—“
He was cut off by Trey kissing him.
“Just go to sleep now, though. You can fuss over it in the morning.”
“No trial????!”
“Trey you’re a SAINT!!!”
“Hey. You should thank Riddle for that. He’s the one who decided to not go through with it.” Trey shook his head and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder to Riddle who was marching towards them with an ominously large stack of papers. “Unfortunately—-“
“Trey! Cater! Perfect! Oh hello Ace and Deuce, you can also be present for this.” He heaved the mass of papers onto the table. “I’ve compiled a preliminary rewrite of all the current rules. There will now be 427 rules for Heartslabyul and each one is specifically made to ensure the members of this dorm are at their best!”
“…T—Trey…what did you DO?!”
~Fin