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When he woke, that strange feeling from the night before had not faded. He went to breakfast with the rest of his dorm students, making sure he absolutely did not look into one Ace Trappola’s eyes, before heading to class just like what was expected of him. Surely a good few hours of study would clear this up.
He wrote down notes and learned of ancient Queendom history and scripture, and though fascinating in its own right, had not abated the feeling in the slightest. Throughout every line he read, the thought of Ace Trappola invaded his head again and again, until Riddle found it tempting to simply give up.
Him, Riddle Rosehearts, giving up on studies to think of a boy? Clearly, Ace had cast some kind of curse on him.
And thus, why he was now sitting in his history lecture hall after class ended, hands folded on the desk while he waited for Trein to finish packing up.
Finally, Trein packed the last paper into his bag, and when he glanced up, the man startled at the sight of him. “Rosehearts. What are you still doing here? Class ended five minutes ago.”
His hands grew sweaty under his gloves, and the chair squeaked as he pushed it back. “I… have something to discuss with you, professor. If that’s alright.”
“Of course. What do you require my assistance for?”
Riddle took a deep breath and steeled his nerves; either he told the professor now, or he’d spend the rest of his life dealing with these unwanted effects. “I have reason to believe that I’ve been cursed, Professor.”
Trein’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Cursed?”
The redhead nodded, one hand coming up to his chest. “Yes. I have been suffering its effects for weeks now, and I would appreciate any advice you might have to dispel it.”
Though his face blanched, Trein’s voice stayed just as steady as ever. “As you know, Rosehearts, curses are not exactly my specialty. However, if you’re willing to wait a few minutes, I can call Divus over. Perhaps he would be of more help.”
Ah. Perhaps he should have gone to Crewel first. “That would be alright.”
“Very well.”
Trein tapped at his phone a few times before setting it down on his desk, and apart from the sounds of Riddle flipping through his textbook again, the room went silent. Then Crewel arrived in a matter of minutes, striped coat flaring behind him as he stormed into the lecture hall, and stopped at the front.
"I heard something’s happened to one of our pups," he said, crossing his arms. His tone was clipped, but the gloved fingers drumming on the inside of his arm betrayed his worry. "A curse, was it? With your knowledge of magic, Rosehearts, I’d hate to see the student who managed to cast something like that on you. However, in the interest of breaking this curse, I must ask. Do you know who it might’ve been?"
"It... it was..." Just the thought of admitting it was enough to make his chest ache— yet another reason he needed this curse broken and over with, so he could go back to his normal life without having to think about Ace and his maddeningly endearing mannerisms or stupidly charming smile. "I think it was... Ace Trappola."
Riddle could count the amount of times he'd seen his professors this taken aback on one hand, and he likely wouldn't need to use all his fingers either. "Trappola? The pup who somehow managed to mess up the simplest potion in lab yesterday and took out Spade with him? That Ace Trappola?"
Shame curled in his chest as he nodded. "I believe it was during my overblot a few weeks prior. Many different types of magic were being used, and I would not be surprised if a curse had been one of them. He was the student with the least to lose, after all, and the effects started shortly after that event as well."
"Still, with the way that boy behaves in class, I find it hard to believe he knows any type of curse at all," Trein muttered under his breath.
"And I suppose if you've come to us for help, you don't know what kind of spell you're afflicted with." Riddle nodded, and Crewel sighed deeply. "Honestly, leave it to that pup to find a curse no one knows about. In that case, we'll need you to describe your symptoms so we know how best to tackle this. If you would?"
Where could Riddle even start? The heat curdling in his stomach at the thought of even brushing past Ace in the hall? The way his heart beat lightning-quick when Ace was in the vicinity? The never-ending, incessant thoughts of Ace’s smile, his loud laugh and soft touch, that plagued every moment of his life? He thought it over for a bit, compiling the list in his head, then opened his mouth.
"A few days ago..."
Teaching teenagers, and magically talented ones at that, was not a job just anyone could perform.
Teenagers themselves were already a nightmare, but with magic in the mix? Practically impossible to deal with. And having taught said magically talented teenagers for years, Trein thought he'd seen every kind of trouble they could possibly think up.
That was, until one of his best students said he'd been cursed, and then proceeded to describe a crush. On Ace Trappola, of all people.
Sevens above, he needed a raise.
"He— he invades my mind at every turn! I can't look him in the eyes properly without feeling something inside me go warm, and every time I hear him laugh, the sound does something to my chest. Every time I do something, I feel the need to look around and see if he’s been watching, or—"
If he were not in the company of others, Trein would've hung his head and sighed. Now, all he could do was remember one single, painful fact.
For as good a student as Riddle Rosehearts was, he too was just another magically talented teenager at the end of the day, and clearly, just as prone to trouble as the rest of them.
A snort came from beside him, and Trein resisted the urge to hand in his resignation right then and there. "Divus, do not laugh at the boy," he hissed, elbowing the alchemy professor in the side. "It's clear this is bothering him, and he has asked us to assist. As such, it's our job to hear him out."
Crewel's lips twitched upward, and his shoulders shook with what Trein presumed was the effort of keeping his laughter at bay. "The way you phrased it, I thought the pup was in some form of mortal danger. Forgive me if I find it a little amusing that we made all that fuss just to watch him figure out romantic feelings for the first time."
"You say that like I knew what the nature of this ‘curse’ might be… still, he trusts us enough to come to us for help, so the least we can do is give him some advice."
All the while, Riddle kept rambling in the background, now pacing circles in front of them while his hands traced patterns in the air. "And there has to be something wrong with me, because this doesn't happen with other people! I’ve tried getting it to trigger with Trey or Cater, but it isn’t the same as what happens with Ace! Whatever this curse is, it makes me imagine the strangest things, l-like holding his hand and having him look at me— once, I imagined us hugging right before I went to bed, and I couldn’t sleep the entire night!"
Crewel snorted again, leaning back on the wooden desk behind him. "How about getting better taste in men to start? It's none of my business which way my pups swing, but Trappola? Really?"
"You know as well as I that love is a mysterious force. Perhaps Rosehearts has fallen for some... inexplicable quality we have yet to see from Trappola."
At that, Crewel actually laughed, covering up the gesture with one hand. "Hah! Inexplicable quality. Right." He took a deep breath, then raised his voice. "Rosehearts."
Riddle stopped mid-sentence, his hands still hovering in the air, and he cleared his throat with a hopeful expression. "Yes, professors? Have you found out what manner of curse I'm under?"
The two professors glanced at each other, and Trein stepped forward first. "Rosehearts, what you are under is no manner of curse. It's simply—"
"A crush," Crewel finished with a chuckle. "You are in love, Rosehearts."
Riddle gaped at them, eyes wide and frozen in place. "That... that can't be right. Ace is nothing but a nuisance to me, so this has to be some form of curse! What else could make me lose sleep and study hours with such terrifying intensity?” His hands fell to his sides, voice getting quiet as if he was confessing to a crime. “But no matter what remedy or spell I try, I can't seem to dispel it."
"Rosehearts, we have stood here for the better part of ten minutes listening to you describe your romantic fantasies with Trappola. If he truly were a nuisance like you claim, you wouldn't have come to us." Riddle opened his mouth, but Crewel held up a hand and continued. "While Trappola is certainly an interesting target of affection, that is simply how it works sometimes, and there's little to nothing you can do about it. Love is a mysterious force."
"B-but I... he..." The redhead glanced down, but they would've had to be blind to miss the way his face went through five different expressions in seconds. "Ace is... he doesn't like me like that, does he?"
"The only way you can know for sure is to tell him," Trein said before Crewel could open his mouth. "If you do not communicate with Trappola, how will he know you harbor these feelings for him?"
"I see." Riddle looked up at them, utterly and completely lost. "Are there… any resources that I may study?"
Crewel barked out a laugh. "One does not study love, Rosehearts. There are no rulebooks or resources to speak of. It merely happens. All you have to do is listen to your heart."
The redhead frowned at that, clearly displeased with the answer. "How inefficient."
"Most things in life are." Trein sighed and dusted his coat off. "Now while I wish we could stay and assist you with your romance troubles, I'm afraid I must go feed Lucius."
A hollow excuse, especially because Lucius wasn’t due to be fed for another hour or so, but at that point, he would’ve given anything to stop Rosehearts from talking.
"Ah, of course. Thank you for your time, professors." Riddle bowed slightly, his magic picking up all his belongings from the desk, but as he gathered them into his arms, Trein couldn't help but notice that his arms seemed rather shaky. "You have given me... many things to think about."
With that, Riddle finally left, and Crewel waited until the door slammed shut to speak. "So. That was an eventful few minutes."
Trein sighed yet again. "That's certainly one way to describe it."
"I never thought I'd see the day Rosehearts succumbed to something like a crush. And for it to be on such an unruly pup too..."
"You never know. They could do each other good."
"If Trappola doesn't blow up the lab first. And speaking of which, I should get back now that this little ‘curse’ of ours has been broken." Crewel climbed the stairs of the lecture hall, but turned back halfway with a devilish smirk. "Care to make bets on who'll confess first, Mozus?"
"I do not bet on my students." Trein turned to his desk, but the quiet shuffling told him of the other's continued presence. "...it will likely be Trappola. Expecting Rosehearts to confess his own feelings would be like expecting Crowley to do his own administrative work."
"Hah! I knew there was some fun left in your old bones." The door at the top finally creaked open. "See you around. I look forward to winning this little bet of ours."
When it finally shut, Trein sat at his desk and put his head in his hands. He'd never be able to look at either of his students the same way again.
“Yo, Ace. The professor’s looking at you real hard,” Grim hissed, elbowing Ace’s ribs with a frown. “What the hell did you do this time?”
“Me?! I haven't done anything!” Ace huffed, crossing his arms. “I even did my homework yesterday! And on time too!”
“That was only because dorm head Rosehearts made you,” Deuce sighed as he took his notes out. “Otherwise, we all know you never would’ve gotten around to it.”
“But still! Class hasn’t even started yet!” Ace slumped over his desk, blowing his bangs out of his face. “What could I have possibly done to get Trein so riled up when nothing’s even happened?”
Grim snickered behind his paws. “Maybe he got pissed watching you walk in the room.”
“H-he did not! I’m sure it’s probably just a missing assignment or—”
“Trappola, Spade. Grim. Care to share what you all find more interesting than the beginning of lecture?”
They all flinched, Yuu sighing and shaking their head from the side. “N-nothing, Professor Trein!”
Trein gazed at them, his eyes staring holes into Ace’s forehead, then turning back to the blackboard with chalk in hand. “If you say so. Now then, if everyone will please open their textbooks to page 132…”
The three of them deflated as one. “Scary… I see what the hell you guys mean now,” Ace grumbled, flipping his textbook open to the right page. “Seriously, why’s he have it out for me?! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Whatever, let’s talk about this again after class… don’t need to give Trein a reason to give you the stink-eye, after all.”
“Yeah… but it’d be nice if I—”
“Trappola! Do you have a question up there?”
Ace flinched, pen falling out of his hand. “Grk—! N-no…”
“Then it would be wise to be quiet and listen. Lest you want me to inform your dorm head.”
“Yes, professor…”