#the-darkest-hedgehogs | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

heckinconfusedparade · 2 years ago

Note

I have a writing prompt for you! It's just a comfort fic of Nine helping Sonic as the blue blur gets fatally wounded (like idk stabbed in the stomach or something). So Sonic has to rest and heal but the speedster is restless and wants to help the rebels or help fix the world (probably both) but Nine refuses because he doesn't want Sonic to reopen his wound, so after begging doesn't work, Sonic tries sneaking out but is caught everytime. Then he has a horribly vivid nightmare about the rebels and his friends so when he gets caught sneaking out again he has an emotional breakdown. Comfort then ensues.

Deep Wounds Inside and Out

CW: GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND MAJOR MAIN CHARACTER INJURY. GRAPHIC NIGHTMARE DEPICTING MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH. I PUT RED TEXT LIKE THIS BEFORE AND AFTER THE NIGHTMARE JUST LISTEN TO THAT

Sonic hadn’t realized his injury at first. He is used to getting hit during battle, so he didn’t think to look down. The badnik that had hit him has already been destroyed by Sonic, so he didn’t see the blood on the robots arm.

Adrenaline still rushing through his body, pain was not present, but the warmth of his blood slowly trickling from the centre of his torso and the cold wind hitting his wound were.

Sonic spots Nine fighting off some Badniks. One is getting too close for comfort, so Sonic takes care of it, hitting it with a spin dash. Nine turns to thank Sonic, and his face suddenly drops when he sees Sonics current state. “What’s wrong?” Sonic follows Nines gaze to his chest.

When Sonic had been hit, the robots arm had stabbed him. The wound is deep and blood is leaving at an alarming rate as Sonics heart pumps faster and faster. Sonic laughs nervously “uh.. well. That’s not good.”

Nine panics and takes off his shirt and shoves it on Sonics wound in an effort to stop the bleeding. “Oi, what’s the holdup?” Knucks approaches the two, initially angry they had stopped fighting. Then he sees what’s happening. His body runs cold. Rebel soon joins and gasps. Sonic looks up at his friends. He coughs into his hand, then looks down in horror at his glove. Blood. He’s coughing up blood.

“Sonic, we have to get you help!” Nine places Sonics hand on the shirt to put pressure to stop the bleeding, or at least slow it down. Sonic wants to disagree, but he isn’t in the position to.

He tastes copper. His head is heavy.. sight slowly leaving him. The last thing he sees is Rebel running to find the Rebellion doctor, and terrified faces of Nine and Knucks before collapsing and losing consciousness.

Nine starts screaming, pleading for Sonic to come back, and that he needs him. He clutches the body of his first and only friend in his arms and feels his legs give way. Rebel comes rushing back with the doctor.

“Oh chaos, he’s not dead, is he?!” Rebel kneels down next to Sonic and Nine. Knucks tears his eyes away from the sight. He doesn’t want to look. He doesn’t want it to be real. A part of him feels like he had known Sonic for years. A part of him feels like Sonic is someone very important to him. The doctor checks his pulse “he’s still alive, but his pulse is weak,” the doctor instructs another rebellion member to lift up Sonic. Nine doesn’t give up easy, holding onto Sonic like a lifeline.

Knucks forced himself to look. He sees a terrified little boy. He crouches next to him “kid, let him go. Let the doc do what he needs to do.” Nine hesitantly let’s Sonic go. Sonic is quickly taken underground to safety.

Somewhere, Rusty, who is on the side of the Chaos Council, gets a glimpse at what’s happening. An unfamiliar feeling sweeps through her, and she feels something warm roll down her cheek. She touches the her cheek, and discovers that her organic eye is tearing up. She doesn’t understand this feeling or why her eye is leaking.. but she doesn’t like it.

Knucks and Rebel look at each other. Rebel tries to place her hand on Nines shoulder to comfort him, but Nine smacks her hand away.

“GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME” Nine sneers. Terror has turned to rage. “THIS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU COULDA JUST STAYED HIDDEN AND NOT HAD HIM FIGHT!” Nine screams through tears. He stands up. Knucks growls in anger and is about to lose his mind on this little kid, when Rebel shuts him down with a look. He sighs. This kid has just witnessed something horrifically traumatizing. Of course he’s going to be angry! Nine uses his mechanical tails to lunge away and completely destroy any robot who dares get in his way.

. . .

The battle is over before long and there’s a resting period. Rebel and Knucks return to base. They find the doctor who was waiting for them.

“How is he?” Knucks asks, preparing himself for the worst and planning how he’s gonna pass the news to the kid.

“It was a touch and go for a while. He lost a lot of blood. His heart gave out once.. Good news is, we finally managed to stabilize him and stitch up his injuries. They were very severe. He’s lucky to be alive.” the doctor says. The two breathe sighs of relief. Then the doctor continues “however, we’ve also found something very interesting. He appears to be healing at an abnormally fast pace. When he was stitched up, it only took an hour for his blood levels to return to normal.”

Knucks and Rebel are confused, but more thankful that the blue blur will be ok.

. . .

Rebel leaves Knucks to stay with Sonic who’s still asleep. Rebel attempts to find Nine’s lair, and after a while she manages to find it. She doesn’t know the code, so she knocks on the door, “Nine? It’s me, Rebel. Are you home?” Rebel listens for a moment. Bats have incredible hearing. She can hear him in there.. unless it’s an abnormally large rat. “Darling, I can hear you.. can I speak to you for a moment? Then I’ll leave you alone.”

The door slowly opens, but not all the way. Nine has replaced his shirt, and his eyes are red and puffy from crying, and his cheeks are still wet. “What do you want from me? Because Sonic is dead, you come crawling to me? After I left you to die in the Chaos Council HQ? Heh. You’re.. real dumb.” He tries to close the door, but Rebel pushes it back open, “Nine, Sonic isn’t dead, that’s what I came here to tell you.”

“What?” Nine squeaks out, not wanting to get his hopes up, “he’s.. no. You’re wrong. You saw his injuries. He’s dead.” He squeezes his eyes back shut in an effort to stop himself from crying again, “he’s gone. I’m alone again… I-I’m all alone.. again.. I’m an idiot. I’m an idiot for not realizing meeting him was too good to be true. And now.. those rotten egg bastards have signed their death warrant.” A hand is placed on his shoulder, making him jump. He’s about to pull away, but then he realizes that this hand is kind. This hand won’t hurt him. He opens his eyes to look at Rebel who’s still looking at him in kindness. His eyes meet hers. She’s telling him the truth.

“Nine. Sweetie. Sonic will be ok.. in fact, he’s apparently healing really fast!” Rebels words get a small chuckle out of Nine “everything about that guy is fast.”

Nine chooses to trust Rebel and prays that she’s telling him the truth. When they return to base, Sonic is wide awake and attempting to escape with Knucks and literally everyone else in the room trying to stop him. Nine feels a wave of relief wash over him “SONIC!” He runs over to Sonic with the biggest smile he’s had in years. Sonic looks down at him and smiles, then ruffles the fur on his little head “hey, lil buddy..” the sweet moment is interrupted by Knucks who is crossing his arms and looking pretty annoyed “oh good, you’re back. Tell this idiot to get back to bed. Sonic, you aren’t done healing. Your stitches will rupture. Do you hear me? Are my words connecting to you at all, or are they going in one ear and out the other?” Sonic rolls his eyes. Nine scoffs and taps his foot “go get rest you dope. You’re impossible, I swear.”

“But-“

“Sonic. Please?” Nine gives Sonic a pleading look. Sonic sighs and turns around and goes back to bed. Everyone’s thankful for this crusty yet adorable furball.

. . .

WARNING: NIGHTMARE FEATURING MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS. SKIP TO THE NEXT . . . IF YOU DON’T WISH TO READ IT. Stay safe!

Sonic tries to leave again on multiple more occasions over the next 24 hours, but is stopped by whoever happens to be standing guard. This is annoying.

During one of his many naps, he has a nightmare.

It’s almost real.

Sonic wasn’t there to help. Sonic was late. Careless.

The scene in front of him shakes him to his very core.

The Rebellion fought without him. The streets are littered with bodies stained with blood. Sonic feels sick. Then he sees.. them. Rebel, Knucks, Rusty, and Nine.

Rebel was very clearly gone, having suffered a blast that made her torso lose its shape.

Rusty was completely destroyed. Her parts are scattered everywhere.

Knucks took a shot to the heart and head. He’s hardly recognizable. He was guarding someone, taking the fatal hit.

That someone is Nine. Nine tried to get away. Nine didn’t get far.. the poor kid. His mechanical tails are not on him, but spotted far away like they had been blasted off of him.. along with his real tails. He has a second injury like the one Sonic had suffered, but the wound goes right through his small body.

Sonic drops to his knees. He wants to scream, but feels like he can no longer breathe. He then sees Nine move a little. He runs over to him and holds him.

“S..so..nic..?” Nine says weakly.

“Nine! Nine, oh my chaos.. Nine, look at me! Can you hear me??” He’s shaking. Sonics watching his little brother die in his arms.

“..t..this..y-your fault..” is all Nine can say before going completely limp. Sonic feels like the air has been knocked out of him. He wants to cry and yell, but nothing is happening. Instead, the despair and misery press down on his ribs with vengeance. Nine was just a kid. His life had barely begun. He never got to see a brighter world.

Then, something weird. Everything is fading. Nine’s body is no longer in Sonics arms. Sonic stands up and looks around. He is sent somewhere else, the familiar green hills. He sees his friends, their normal selves.

“If only he had listened..” Rouge says.

“He seriously frustrates me. How can someone be so careless?” Knuckles said.

“G..guys?” Sonic calls out. He is ignored.

Amy scoffs “Sonic ruined everything. I say we drop him. We will do just fine without him.” she rolls her eyes. Sonic feels his heart drop. What are they saying?

“Guys, I’m right h-“ Sonic is cut off by Tails who says “He’s a crummy brother anyway.. he doesn’t listen to a word I say. I’ve forgiven him so many times, only for him to mess up again and again. I’m not sure why I still consider him a brother, much less family. He’s no hero. Just a fool in an invisible cape pretending to be one.”

Those words stung. Sonic knows he messed up. He broke the world. Sonic knows he doesn’t deserve forgiveness, but for his own friends to say these terrible things? His own little brother whom he has raised himself to say such hurtful things? Nothing feels right. He can’t believe it. But still, his heart is broken.

He wants to do something. He HAS to do something.

. . .

END OF NIGHTMARE

. . .

“Sonic? Soniiic?”

Hearing his name be called, Sonic wakes up with a start. Nine is by his bedside sighing in relief. Sonic reaches over and pulls Nine into a very tight hug. Nine isn’t quite sure what’s happening.. “Sonic.. Sonic my ribs-“ Nine is released.

“I’m sorry, Nine.. nightmare..” Sonic smiles sheepishly.

“Yea, no shit, you were tossing turning, and lookin all depressed. You looked dumb.” Nine teases, sitting down on the side of the bed. Sonic just smiles weakly.. Nine doesn’t need to know.

Nine decides to snooze in a chair, then wakes up to yet again another attempted escape. Sonics slowly making his way out. Despite his amazing physical healing progress, it still hurts. His whole body is screaming at him to go back to bed, but his will overpowers the drawback. Nine rushes to block the door, “excuse me, where do you think you’re going?”

Sonic looks down at him. It’s a sorry look. He gently pushes Nine out of the way, shocking the young fox. Nine shakes off the shock and grabs Sonics wrist “you can’t keep trying to leave! Do I have to remind you that you nearly DIED??” Sonic whips around to face Nine.

“Nine. Listen to me. I HAVE to go,” he takes his wrist from Nine’s grasp, “this is all my fault. What good have I done? I hurt my best friend, I broke some magic rock, I’m being tossed across the multiverse, and! And I left them all behind. All because I’m a reckless careless idiot. And now I’m also a liability! And that’s sooo much fun~ I do enjoy getting to sit there and watch you all risk your necks and possible march towards death! If you couldn’t tell, that was sarcasm.”

Nine processes all this. Sonics once warm green eyes have grown cold. The sparkle of hope they once had has faded. Nine knows he has to do something before this idiot goes out and gets himself killed! He hits a button that shuts the doors and covers them in a metal plate. These were security measure to ensure nothing gets in or out. Including Sonic. Sonic jumps back. He slowly turns to look at Nine “Nine. Nine, let me out. Please”

“Sorry. I can’t.. you’re too important.” Nine can’t look Sonic in his eyes. He doesn’t want to break.

“Nine. Nine, Please.. please..” Sonic sits down on the cold concrete floor. He’s not crying. He’s tired, and feels a little betrayed.

Nine sucks at comfort! But hey, worth a shot! “Sonic. You may be an idiot. In fact, you’re one of the biggest idiots I know. And yes, you may be reckless and careless. But you aren’t a liability. We just want you to be safe..” he sticks out his tongue in disgust “I sound like air supply.. disgusting. Hate positivity. So get the fuck up and get your ass right back into bed before I force you there! I’m doing this because I tolerate your existence!”

Sonic snickers a little “that might’ve been the worst pep talk I’ve ever received..” he takes a shaky breath. His throat feels funny. It hurts. He tries to hold back. Unfortunately, this time his body wins and his eyes fill with tears. He covers his face with his hands. He hates to cry, and he hates crying in front of others even more. Nine feels awkward, so he just pats his head “uh.. th-there there?? Dude, what’s wrong with you?” he’s trying to be affectionate. Sonic softly mourns the friends he lost. The friends who probably hate his guts right now. Nine stands there. There’s one more thing to try. He crouches down and hugs Sonic. Sonic tenses for a moment, surprised Nine is actually hugging him. He hugs Nine back tightly. Nine feels his shoulder and back get wet from the emotional instability of a blue speedy hedgehog. Nine leans his head on Sonic “I don’t want you to kill yourself by doing something stupid. I nearly lost you once, and I’m not letting it happen again. Over my dead body am I letting you out prematurely.”

Then Sonics breathing gets shallow and fast. He’s remembering his nightmare. He clings to Nine like a lifeline. Nine recognizes this. It’s an anxiety attack. He’s had plenty himself, but he just waits it out since it’s always been just him. He lets Sonic cling. Sonic doesn’t want to talk about the nightmare, but the images of his friends dead, and the sounds of his original friends discussing dropping him keeps playing through his head like a broken record.

Nine prepares for the worst. If he has to sit here for hours, he will. Thankfully, he doesn’t, but Sonic is still pretty shaken.

All this has tuckered out poor Sonic. As soon as that attack is over, he’s put back in bed and the doors are back to normal. Nine now refuses to leave his side.

Sonics thankful to have this crusty dude. What would he do without him?

#this might be the darkest thing I’ve wrote #hope you all enjoyed it!#cause I will not be doing it again!#sonic the hedgehog #sonic prime #nine sonic prime #nine the fox #miles nine prower #prime sonic #rebel rouge #renegade knucks #miles prower

27 notes · View notes

calcifiedunderland · 1 year ago

Text

Pride & Prejudice: A TWSTed AU

The Rose Red Tyrant: R. Rosehearts

Introduction, or pick another route!

Riddle x GN Reader(they/them)

Warnings: Pride and Prejudice-level angst, Riddle-typical anger, Riddle insults you Darcy-style (he doesn’t mean it I promise <3)

———

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU THOUGHT THE VARNISH WAS PAINT?!”

Today was supposed to be an enjoyable unbirthday party. A party thrown for you, according to your tastes.

Riddle had triple and quadruple checked what your favorite desserts and pastries were, and relayed them to Trey. Cater was handling the table settings, and (despite his prior doubts) Ace and Deuce were taking care of the flamingos and hedgehogs for the croquet match. Everything was going to be perfect in accordance with the Queen’s and his standards. It was supposed to be splendid. Supposed to be.

And the roses were to be painted in (favorite color) and red. The richest, most vibrant (color) and the deepest ruby red, selfishly representing Riddle and You. This was supposed to be the unbirthday party that would charm you. But now?

Everything was perfect except the rose bushes, which were now in varying shades of pink and (color) after they’d dried from the varnish that the first years used. Wood varnish! That dried transparent! Not paint!

“We’re sorry Housewarden Rosehearts!” The first years yelled, hands clasped as they pleaded, “It was an accident!”

“THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!” At Riddle’s words, a sudden chill ran through everyone. Sure, there’d been a few times when the dorm leader snapped at everyone, and reminded them that even though he’d been changed for the better (and less angry), he was still himself. And sometimes, the angry Riddle pre-overblot made itself known.

But this time, it was as if the overblot never happened and he was still tyrannical as before.

“This,” he seethed, face deepening to scarlet and eyebrows pulling into a ‘v’ shape. “Is a disgrace. I instructed you to paint the roses red and (color). And what did you do?” His arm snapped up to point at the rose bushes, “YOU USED VARNISH! THEY’RE THE WRONG COLOR! THEY ARE RUINED!”

The first years shrank back. With all the yelling, it was impossible to not attract the attention of everyone around them, and Trey was all but running towards the scene when he finally overheard Riddle through the Heartslabyul kitchen walls.

Even you heard it, as you and Grim ambled on the path to Heartslabyul. “Hehe, I’ve been hungry since last week waitin’ for this party!” Grim cackled, “what do ya think Trey’s cooking? Strawberry tarts, chocolate cupcakes, crème brûlée?!” His voice went up in excitement, eyes lighting up. You laughed, “I guess we’ll see when we get there, Grim!” The two of you stopped when you heard yelling from within the rose maze. “Oh boy, is Riddle yellin’ again? I don’t wanna get collared,” Grim sulked, and you scooped him up to quiet him. “Hush, I want to see what’s happening,” you whispered and peeked around the corner.

“This unbirthday party is RUINED BECAUSE OF YOUR INSOLENCE! YOU’RE LUCKY THE PREFECT DIDN’T SEE THIS!” Riddle yelled, and you watched as Trey grabbed his arm from behind, “Riddle, it’s fine! The roses are fi-“ Riddle’s face was the darkest red you’d ever seen, and somehow his hair was standing up with rage? Riddle brandished his other arm, “OFF WITH YOUR-“

Grim squirmed in your arms and you lost your balance. You both tumbled into the open grass, right in front of Riddle, Trey, and the poor first years that looked like they were about to jump out of their skins. Riddle’s spell stopped, and his eyes widened when he met yours. “Prefect,” he said, uncharacteristically charming, given that he was about to behead about five students. “You’re here.”

He took a step towards you to help you up, but you picked Grim up and hugged him to your chest, scrambling upright. Something like hurt flashed in Riddle’s eyes. You looked around wildly, the tension becoming thick and unbearable. What the hell just happened?

You noted that the rose trees were…strangely more colorful than usual. Instead of the usual red and white, they were in varying shades of red, ranging from a light blush to a deep pink. They were also in (color), in all shades. They really did look pretty, but they don’t match the Queen’s rules, sadly. You could piece together why Riddle was mad now.

You cleared your throat uncomfortably, realizing everyone was staring at you now. “The- the roses look very pretty,” you wavered, forcing a smile on your face. Riddle’s face wasn’t as red now, and he seemed calmer at your words. “Yes, they’re lovely, aren’t they?” He replied, and the first years replied in unison “yes, sir!” Riddle shot them a look, and they fell silent. Then he turned back to you with a charming smile, smoothing his hair and holding out his other hand to you. “Now, shall we begin the party?”

———

As you headed back to Ramshackle, you thought about what happened earlier. Grim was as happy as a clam, holding the leftover (favorite dessert) that Trey allowed him to take back, but you were unsettled. It was safe to say that it was the weirdest unbirthday party you’d attended yet.

After you caught Riddle mid-collaring, everyone settled into a tense tea party. You were seated to the left of Riddle this time (unusual, since you’d normally sit with Ace and Deuce). The dorm leader himself even served you a slice of cherry tart, ears red. It was like his entire body was tense, and every once in a while, Trey had to mutter something reassuringly to him so he’d relax a bit.

But it kept happening every so often, from when Ace spilled brown tea over the pristine white tablecloth, to when Deuce put his whining hedgehog on the table to calm it down, to finally croquet time when the flamingos refused to stay still to hit the hedgehogs through the hoops.

Needless to say, if the tension wasn’t there, you would’ve thought it a normal, hectic, chaotic unbirthday party. As you and Grim headed into Ramshackle to wind down, you couldn’t shake off the way that everyone stared at you during the party. Odd to say the least, but hey, you got some of Trey’s pastries out of it. Win-win!

Back at Heartslabyul, Riddle crossed his arms at Trey and Cater, frowning. At least he isn’t yelling, Trey thought, adjusting his glasses. That’s good.

“I simply wanted the Prefect to have an enjoyable unbirthday party. There’s nothing wrong with me throwing a party in their honor and to their tastes,” Riddle said dismissively. “Well,” Trey began carefully, “it’s not every unbirthday party that you ensure their favorite desserts are there…”

Riddle tapped his foot impatiently. “Yes?”

“And seat them next to you.”

“And?”

Cater cut in, “the seat next to you goes to your second-in-command or the King of Hearts!” Trey stared at Cater without emotion. “What? Cay-cay reads the Queen’s rules when he feels like it!” To himself, he muttered “and it wasn’t like Riddle was gonna admit it, anyway…”

Riddle pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your point is?” Trey sighed. “You knew this, didn’t you? You wanted this unbirthday party to be different, right?”

Riddle grew quiet. So Trey did know. His vice dorm leader chuckled softly, fixing his glasses. “Well, since today didn’t go as… intended,” he said tactfully, Cater giving him a wide eyed look. “Perhaps you could… invite the Prefect out on a different outing?” “A date!” Cater said cheerfully as Riddle went pink in the face. Riddle thought aloud, “hmmm…”

———

“A… picnic?” You asked, frowning at Riddle, who fiddled with a basket bashfully. “This is a little sudden…”

You were back at Ramshackle alone. Earlier today, Grim was whisked off by Ace and Deuce, who wouldn’t give you a clear reason why they were taking Grim with them, and not you. “It’s ‘cause… Trey needs Grim to taste test his desserts!” Deuce said, picking Grim off the ground before he could protest. The cat monster wasn’t even bothered by this, “really?! Yes! Trey’s the best!”

When you tried to follow, Ace stopped you. “He just wanted Grim! Sorry, Prefect.” Ace suddenly grinned devilishly, “you won’t be lonely for too long, though!” The three of them slammed the door before you could react, and you slumped onto the dusty couch. Hey, at least if you were going to be alone, you could read that weird Prejudice and Pride book, which was surprisingly getting pretty good.

When you’d heard a knock on the front door about an hour later, you’d assumed that Grim was back, here to gloat and grin over his delicious pastry-tasting. You weren’t expecting an uncharacteristically shy Riddle holding a picnic basket, dressed casually in a red blazer and black button down, hair tucked behind one ear reminiscent of his groom-outfit from that time Eliza wanted to marry Idia. He looked so nice, and here you were, still decked out in your pajamas from last night.

Riddle cleared his throat awkwardly. “Yes. I found a clearing nearby, I thought we could both… hang out?” he tried to smile casually, the words feeling strange. Your brow furrowed, but you decided not to question it. He’s acting odd. Still, it’d be nice to get out of the dorm. “…Alright, just let me change.”

After changing into a nice, picnic-appropriate outfit that would make Crewel proud of your glow up, you walked with Riddle. To your surprise, a picnic blanket was already laid out, held down by a tri-candelabra. So Riddle planned this?

“What’s this for?” You asked suddenly as you both sat down. Riddle became tense, haltingly responding “is it strange to want to… do this?” He handed you a small plate, and passed a mini dessert onto it. “It’s nice, but…” You glanced at your dessert, “I thought Trey needed these?” Riddle looked confused. “What?”

“Ace and Deuce took Grim to taste-test stuff for Trey. Shouldn’t you be there? Since you’re the Housewarden and all.” Riddle fumbled his slice of tart. “…Trey can handle it without me. Now, is your dessert to your liking?”

The two of you chatted lightly, although it was still weird to you that Riddle wanted to have this picnic with just you. He seemed to constantly be on the verge of saying something, but holding it back, and instead asking you small things like how was your day? how has alchemy been? Once or twice, he repeated the same question, until finally you’d had enough of this little eggshell dance.

“Riddle, what is this all about?” By now you were on your seventh dessert. Riddle started at your suddenness, fork clattering onto the saucer, eyes wide. He hurriedly put it down and grabbed your hands urgently in his, eyes not quite meeting yours. He took a deep breath.

“You were a nuisance when we first met,” he began, clasping your hands. “And to be honest, you weren’t really anything impressive. You weren’t even sorted into a dorm, and you don’t have any magical talent at all, but I’m willing to overlook that now. And…” he looked you in the eye, grasping your hand delicately, rubbing his thumb over yours.

“You, Ace, and Deuce caused me quite the headache, but in the end, I grew to appreciate your opinion. You don’t have the same experience as anyone else here, and I… I grew to admire that about you,” he said matter-of-factly, becoming confident. “And I know your circumstances aren’t the best, given that you have no connections here, and-“

You blanked, tuning him out in shock. So this is what the picnic was all about. Was this Heartslabyul’s way of trying to get their Housewarden to warm up to you? To become used to your presence? Did Trey or your friends put Riddle up to this? You started laughing dryly, cutting Riddle off.

“…if I’m such a nuisance, then you probably didn’t even want to go on this stupid picnic.” You kicked the blanket edge with your foot, anger coursing in your heart. “And I guess I’m only ever going to be a trouble-causing magicless prefect. Who am I compared to the great Housewarden Rosehearts anyway?!” You scoffed, tears stinging your eyes.

His eyes widened, and he stood, face burning red with embarrassment. Unfortunately, you thought he was now angry at you. “With your temper and your arrogance, there’s no way we could work.”

“I-!” Riddle clenched his hands, steeling himself. He screwed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth in frustration. Then, he yelled “I’m asking your permission to court you!”

The silence was deafening. You stared at him, incredulous. Was this a joke? Did he just pity you or something? He just insulted you, and now he wants to ‘court’ you? “Is this your idea of a joke, Riddle?!”

You took a deep breath, eyes watery. “You are the last person I would date in this school, and I’m convinced that I’m the last person you could ever want.”

With that, you turned on your heel and marched yourself back to Ramshackle, bracing yourself for a loud off with your head!, but you were surprised that it never came.

If you’d looked back, you would’ve seen Riddle with a completely crushed expression.

Unknown to both of you, in a tree not too far behind, a pair of purple ears, golden eyes, and a tail curled, watching the scene unfold.

———

Heartslabyul was quiet. Too quiet.

The entire dorm felt tense each time Housewarden Rosehearts walked into the room, almost always accompanied by his Vice Housewarden who seemed to watch him like a hawk. Only him, Cater, Ace, and Deuce knew what had happened.

That day, after you stormed away from the picnic, he watched you leave, too shocked by what just happened. There weren’t many people who could shock him, both before and after his overblot. It seems you can still surprise him after all, he thought bitterly as he carried himself back to the dorm, in a foul mood. His eyes were watery, but he didn’t dare start crying. This was pointless, to cry would be pointless. He could hear his mother’s words already - “love is useless and beneath you. It will only weigh you down and distract you from your studies. No one is your equal match. No one is like you.” Still, he didn’t want anyone else, not when you were here.

Too wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn’t see the floating head bobbing next to him. “Nya~ what’s this?” Chen’ya leaned languidly next to Riddle, smiling. “What has our red queenie in such a bind?~” “Go away, Chen’ya,” Riddle grumbled, rubbing his eyes roughly with his sleeve. He could see the kitchen lights on through the window. He wasn’t ready to see Heartslabyul yet.

“Hmm?~” Chen’ya’s body materialized and he angled his head at Riddle. “You seem tense~ not the purrrrfect prosy rose you normally are~” He stared at Riddle. “I heard some mews from Trey that you had your own little rosie~ That little confession earlier didn’t go as planned, hm?”

Riddle flushed with embarrassment, frowning. “Keep your voice down!-“ “With all that yelling they’ll hear you, not meow~” Chen’ya regarded Riddle with a small mischievous look, “You kneow, your rosie may think you don’t like them with all those insults you said. Trey seemed worried about that~”

Riddle pouted, this is so unbecoming of a Housewarden. “The prefect didn’t believe me! Why would they not believe me! I wasn’t insulting them.” “Nya~ then make them believe you!” Chen’ya grinned at Riddle, giggling as he disappeared into thin air. Chen’ya’s still confusing as ever. But still, perhaps he has a point. By then, Trey had come outside to look for the rogue RSA student, starting when he saw Riddle. “How did it go?,” he asked, immediately regretting it when he saw Riddle considerably Prefect-less with a frown on his face.

Trey was surprised when Riddle seemed thoughtful, rather than upset. Perhaps the Prefect was right. Maybe Chen’ya was right, Riddle thought to himself. The Housewarden looked up at Trey, grey eyes steeling in determination. “Trey, I need to take care of a few things.”

———

A few weeks passed and both you and Riddle generally stayed out of each other’s orbit, except for Ace and Deuce, who tried to be a decent common ground. Still, the unbirthday parties seemed a bit less lively, but in any case Housewarden Rosehearts was back to the nicer ‘normal.’ No outbursts, no yelling, no anger - just a nice, pleasant party without the Prefect.

Your friends were pretty much as shocked as you were when you told them what happened. Your Heartslabyul friends reacted as well as you would’ve expected. “The Housewarden’s gonna kill us,” Ace lamented while Deuce just looked shell-shocked. “Planning that took forever, and Riddle kept asking us over and over what you liked, and you just said he never had a chance?! You basically killed him!”

You were exasperated by now. “Look, Riddle doesn’t respect me, he made that very clear! He literally said that I was a headache and talentless!” Still, they didn’t miss what you said after that when you went back to your food, “but I didn’t say he never had a chance.”

Ace and Deuce tried to invite you over to the unbirthday parties, but you resisted the sweet temptation of Trey’s pastries, Carter’s fun Magicam posts, and even Grim’s whines to go. It wasn’t like you were stopping Grim from going, but he just didn’t want to go without you. In any case, you found your days considerably off with your head! free, and no one around school seemed to bear a collar. You didn’t even notice it until Ace brought it up.

“Y’know Prefect, Riddle’s been a lot more relaxed lately,” he said slyly. You stopped eating your pasta, and gave him a suspicious look. “Ace, seriously? You agreed you wouldn’t bring it up,” Deuce frowned, glancing at you. You stopped and thought about it. You hadn’t seen too many collars around school lately. “Still, that doesn’t mean his temper’s gone,” you dismissed him.

Later that day, after club duties, you frowned, checking your phone texts. Seriously? No one’s seen Grim anywhere? It was getting late and you’d even asked the ghosts to help you search for him. Finally, you sighed and trudged over to the library, remembering that Grim had been struggling with yet another alchemy assignment. Maybe he’s found someone to tutor him or whatever.

You walked around the library, and then stopped in your tracks. What was Riddle doing there?

He was sitting down next to Grim, and quietly explaining the problems. Grim was frowning, clearly confused, and yet Riddle didn’t get frustrated at all, to your surprise. He’d just reexplain it, pointing at handmade drawings that you recognized were made by him, and ask Grim a few questions. Grim seemed to understand it better, and even looked relieved.

Color you surprised. This was…different than the Riddle you were used to. You supposed that even though Cater told you how Riddle helped him with learning spells, and Ace told you how Riddle was more patient, it was hard to believe. And yet now, it was right in front of you.

You moved to get closer to them, but your hand knocked over a stray book on the end of the shelf. You cringed and tried to grab it, but it loudly thudded against the floor. The two of them turned around, and you gave them a wide-eyed look. “Grim, I… I was looking for you.” The silence was so loud. Riddle stared at you while Grim grinned at you, looking proud. “Nya, henchhuman! Guess who’s going to get the highest grade in alchemy!” He cheered, while Riddle gently hushed him. Gently. You stared at him, unblinking. What?

Riddle met your eyes. “Prefect,” he greeted formally, hands together. “I found Grim in the library, and thought I’d help him. He seems to understand the material better.” Grim didn’t dispute that, so it must’ve been true. “…thank you, Riddle. It means a lot,” you said, and it did. You didn’t always have enough time to help Grim out with assignments, and more often than not, his test scores brought yours down.

Riddle looked carefully at you, and said quietly as Grim gathered his work, “if you’d like, Prefect, I could help you as well. Professor Crewel says you’re one of his most hardworking students, but Ace mentioned that Trein’s test is coming up. I know you’re not from here, but I could help you study for the history test.” He looked at you earnestly, “only if you want it.”

You looked back at him, weighing your options as Grim hopped off the chair. “Okay.”

———

So this was weird.

Over the next few weeks, you and Riddle sort of… coexisted after that day in the library. And the two of you were back to normal-ish terms.

Every week, Riddle would tutor you on any subject in the rose garden. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t look forward to it - it was peaceful, and the two of you would sip tea while discussing your classes. Grim even came every once in a while to study with you, and your friends certainly seemed less tense with you and their Housewarden in good spirits.

That was the other thing you’d noticed, you thought with surprise. Ace really wasn’t just saying that - Riddle did seem to be more patient and less… behead-y.

You were able to observe everyone in Heartslabyul during this time. And everyone seemed much more relaxed compared to before. Even the same students he’d yelled at during that one fateful unbirthday party seemed more relaxed. Though everyone still abided by his authority, it didn’t seem out of fear anymore - it was out of genuine respect. And try as you might, you found yourself warming up to him too.

If his overblot was anything to go by, you knew it was hard for Riddle to accept change, and yet here he was, attempting to change for himself and everyone. And as great as it was, it scared you. Because you found yourself thinking about him constantly, finding reminders of him when you were in class (Riddle taught that to me) or your tea (Riddle recommended this blend) and even Grim eating tuna (Riddle would reprimand him for eating so sloppy).

It became increasingly obvious. You could deny it no longer. You fell in love with him, but it didn’t repulse you as much as you thought it would have. It felt good. Which is why you kept beating yourself up over what you told him at the picnic - anyone in their right mind would stop liking someone if they said what you did.

Which is why when you went over to the rose maze for this week’s study session, you were horribly nervous. You had a hard time talking to Riddle, and at some point even dropped your teacup onto the grass. As Riddle poured you a new cup, you struggled not to notice how concentrated and gentle his grey eyes were, the gracefulness of his movements. Damn, he even smelled nice too, what cologne was that-

When Riddle looked at you questioningly, you dove into your textbook and scribbled something or other rapidly, hoping he wouldn’t speak to you. If you’d looked up, you would’ve seen the soft smile he gave you, leaning gently on his elbow and admiring you. The two of you stayed like this, until a drop fell onto your notebook. You looked up in time to get a raindrop directly into your eye. “It’s-!”

“Quickly, gather your things!” You grabbed your textbook and papers, and made to dash to the dorm when Riddle grabbed your arm. “The dorm is too far, there’s a gazebo nearby. The rain should pass soon!” The two of you ran, Riddle leading you through the winding maze, until finally you made it to a wooden gazebo with roses climbing the pillars. You sat down heavily, while Riddle peeled off his now-wet uniform blazer. The two of you were silent, until you spoke.

“…thanks, Riddle,” you felt a little awkward thanking him now of all times. He looked confused, “for what?”

“Tutoring me. Being…here. Thank you,” you licked your lips. “I…” you trailed off. Great, you made it awkward now.

You both stayed in silence while the rain pattered around you until Riddle said quietly, “you know, I never thought of you as a joke. Never.” Your eyes widened, but Riddle didn’t look at you, shutting his eyes tightly. “And I really did want to court you.” He coughed, “date you. And if-“ his voice faltered, but he continued softly. “If you still feel the same way you did before then… I’ll leave you be. But I enjoy everything - your company, your heart… you. My feelings haven’t changed. If anything, I’ve fallen even deeper in love with you, prefect.”

Your eyes shone, and Riddle peeked through his bangs to see your expression. You couldn’t contain yourself anymore, and you threw yourself at him. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, kissing his face over and over again while his eyes widened, and his arms went around your waist to stabilize you. You pulled back slightly, eyes glimmering, and a small smile grew on Riddle’s face as he moved to kiss you properly. Weeks and months of nervousness melted away from you both, and you stayed in each others arms, the sounds of murmuring and kissing each other breaking through the rain.

And as the sunlight began breaking through the clouds, you both knew that something new was just beginning. And you wouldn’t have it any other way.

~END

—————

Notes: this took longer than I thought it would but after many days of overthinking, here’s the first part :D

Thanks for reading, lmk if anyone wants to be added to the taglist!~ Take care, shrimpies!!

Taglist: @cerisescherries, @eclecticprincecollector, @ars-tral, @thehollowwriter, @twst-eeps, @casperandcats, @ttokkisbee, @mitsuriswaifu, @parad-ice-lostandfound,

@sad-sie, @moyo5653,

(If your name is in bold, it means I wasn’t able to tag you properly 😅

Edit: idk what’s going on with the tags and why I can’t tag some users?? Is this normal????)

#twst Pride and Prejudice au #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #twst riddle #riddle rosehearts #riddle rosehearts x reader #riddle x reader #twst riddle rosehearts #heartslabyul #disney twisted wonderland #twst yuu #twst #calcified writing

416 notes · View notes