fαℓℓιиg ∂σωи α яαввιт нσℓє
𝔖𝔬𝔫𝔤: 𝔚𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔚𝔬𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡 - 𝔄𝔫𝔰𝔬𝔫 𝔖𝔢𝔞𝔟𝔯𝔞
F/f - favourite food
⚜ ————- ⚜Ѽ⚜ ————- ⚜
"Y/N? What's going on?"
The cat-eared girl turned to her boyfriend, an excited smile on her face. She said nothing and instead continued to lead him through the undergrowth, gently pushing bushes and branches out of their way, careful not to let a single thing touch Riddle's perfect clothing. True, they were nothing more than the pyjamas that he wore to bed every night, but Y/N knew that he still wanted to keep them clean. And the last thing she wanted was for him to miss out on the joy of the evening while he was worrying about soiled clothing.
"Where are we going," Riddle asked, trying to get an answer out of the girl. He noticed a small rose that had yet to bloom just a few paces off, and he smiled at the sight. It was rare for flowers to bloom so late in the fall, but it seemed that the little flower had some certain resilience, stronger than that of the wilted flowers around it.
"You'll see," Y/N whispered. She stepped over a fallen branch and held a bush to the side, helping Riddle over it and back down onto the other side. Once his feet, free from his usual heels, touched down on the other side, Y/N pushed him forward, quickly taking the lead again and pulling him deeper into the forest.
"Why can't you tell me?"
Y/N paused and turned to Riddle, taking his hands in hers. "Just trust me." For once, she wasn't the hyper Pinker girl that she usually was. She was strangely calm, though her eyes shone with an undeniable excitement. It was what had drawn Riddle from his bed, despite knowing that it was well past curfew and that he ought to remain in his room. He couldn't be discovered breaking his own rules!
Y/N gave him a gleeful smile and continued running through the brush, a destination clear in her mind. She leapt gracefully over a fallen branch, scooping Riddle into her arms before she did, and landing easily on the other side. She didn't even stop to admire Riddle's flushed face as she continued to run.
Soon the two emerged on the other end of the forest, where a lone oak tree stood, taller than the other trees in the woods. And at its base, amongst the roots, was a large black hole. A curious smell came from the hole. Tea, cakes, tea cakes, and...
"Roses," Riddle asked, frowning.
Y/N nodded and grinned. "Uh-huh." She pulled Riddle closer, walking backwards as she neared the hole. "Riddle, Riddle, Riddle me this... what lurks at the bottom of this pit." She stood on the edge of the hole, the toe of her shoe threatening to fall in at any moment, and peered down into the darkness, her eyes shining with excitement. Her hold on Riddle's hand tightened in excitement and she turned to face him, nearly jumping up and down in excitement.
"This is what I wanted to show you, Riddle," she whispered, her tail standing straight up behind her. She gently pulled Riddle towards the hole, though she stopped when she was met with resistance.
"Wait," Riddle said, pulling his hand back. He glanced over her shoulder and stared down into the void, his heart sinking when he realised that he couldn't see the bottom. He swallowed painfully, taking a step back from the edge of the hole, his hand slipping from his girlfriend's. "I-I can't..."
Y/N's ears drooped, but she stepped away from the hole, following Riddle as he headed back to the edge of the forest, his arms wrapped tightly around himself. He couldn't. He could never look at darkness the same after what he had witnessed in the Nowhere. But Y/N didn't know that. She couldn't even remember that she had been lost...
"Riddle?"
The ruby-haired boy hadn't even noticed he was crying until Y/N gently brushed away the tear, flicking it to the side. Riddle stared at the tiny wet spot on the ground made by the tear. The last time he had cried in front of Y/N... he shuddered at the thought and turned away from her.
"Riddle... did I do something? Did I do something wrong?" Y/N didn't dare touch him, but the sight of him flinching away from her broke her in two.
He didn't answer. Yes, she had done something. But it wasn't her. It hadn't been her. It had been a twisted form of who she truly was; the madness dialled up to the extreme.
Riddle flinched at the sound of sniffling behind him and whirled around, gasping when he realised that Y/N was no longer standing, but was crouched on the forest floor behind him, wiping away her never-ending tears with already damp sleeves. He immediately flew to her side and helped her wipe away the tears, apologizing over and over again until his throat was raw. He couldn't hold it against her. Not when it was his fault that she had ended up there in the first place...
"I'm so sorry, Y/N," Riddle whispered, taking her hands in his and pulling them away from her face. "Y... you didn't do anything. I... I'm just scared." He tried to fight the tears that pooled in his eyes. "I... I'm so... sorry, Y/N." He pressed his forehead against Y/N's, focusing on her warmth. This was Y/N. Not the phantom that plagued his nightmares. Not the eerie voice that he still heard in the twilight. The girl in front of him. She was Y/N.
The two slowly fell silent, unable to cry anymore.
Y/N pulled away hesitantly, getting to her feet and pulling Riddle with her. "We should head back to the dorm."
Once again she was met with resistance.
"Riddle."
"Show me," Riddle whispered, still staring at the ground beneath them, littered with leaves of ruby, topaz, and gold.
He wanted to trust this Y/N. He wanted to trust his Y/N. The Y/N that looked at him as though he was the only thing in the world The Y/N that never hesitated in loving him. Even as he wielded his anger like a double-edged sword, even as he shouted at her for being careless, even when she witnessed his anger towards the irresponsible first years, even when he broke down in her arms, she never stopped loving him. And despite her flirtatious tendencies, she allowed him to move through their relationship at his own pace, allowing him to take control rather than her.
"Pardon?"
"Show me," Riddle said, his body shaking. "Show me what's down the hole."
Y/N slowly approached the boy and cupped his chin, turning it to face her. For once, she didn't look like the third Leech triplet. She looked like... her. Worried for Riddle, worried that she was pushing him too far, worried... that she would do something wrong.
"Are you sure," she whispered. "You don't hav-"
Riddle silenced her with a kiss, gently cupping her cheek as he stroked her cheek. "I'm sure."
Y/N smiled and slowly pulled him back over to the hole. Before she pulled him in, however, she paused. "Tell me if you want to turn back at any time, okay?"
Riddle nodded.
Y/N grinned and threw her arms around Riddle's waist, picking him up so that he clung to her like a koala. She snickered at his flushed expression and pecked his cheek.
"My little kitty," she whispered. "You ready?"
"Ye-AH!"
Y/N fell back into the hall, falling head first and holding Riddle close to her. One hand pressed his head to her shoulder, allowing him to hide away from his fears, the other holding his waist to her stomach. His legs were wrapped tightly around her waist, his arms around her neck.
"Open your eyes, Riddle," Y/N whispered.
Riddle did as instructed and felt his heart stop when he realised where he was. He could recognise it instantly from the stories he had read.
"A rabbit hole," he breathed, his eyes widening with every passing second. Tea cups, saucers, clocks and cards swirled around the two, accompanied by pianos, tables, and enough chairs for an entire royal parade. Though the hole had seemed to be nothing but a black pit at the beginning, Riddle felt enchanted by the golden artefacts as they floated about, embedding themselves in the walls and decorating it like they were getting ready for a Halloween party.
"This is beautiful," Riddle said, allowing himself to float away from Y/N.
He floated over to a bookshelf and grabbed it as he fell, pulling a wave of books down on both him and Y/N. Though they rained down on him like hail, they formed a staircase for Y/N, allowing her to slow her fall. She lept from the last book onto a spring-loaded mattress and jumped off. She flew towards Riddle and threw her arms around him, pulling him into her protective embrace once again.
"Here comes the not-so-fun part," Y/N suddenly shouted.
"What?!"
Y/N pointed to the end of the tunnel, and before Riddle could shout, they crashed through the peppermint-coloured tiles, Y/N wrapping her body around Riddle's as much as possible to protect him from the impact. Suddenly, she disappeared from his side and Riddle panicked as he floated into the air.
Gravity kicked in and he started to fall again.
"AH! Y/N!"
He shut his eyes, waiting for the impact of the ground against his back. But instead, he landed on something that felt rather weird. Or rather, in something. He slowly opened one eye, opening the other quickly when he realised that Y/N was holding him, a coy smirk on her face.
"You're cute when you're scared," Y/N purred, nuzzling into his cheek.
Riddle ignored her and hopped down to the ground. "Where are we?"
Y/N took his hand and led him over to a small door. It was much too small for either of them, only about a foot tall.
"Here, drink this," Y/N said, handing Riddle a small bottle of a misty blue liquid. He frowned at it, wondering what it would do to him, but he decided to trust Y/N. He uncorked it and swallowed the contents, humming at the delightful taste. Strawberry tart. He watched Y/N drink an identical vial.
"Hmm," she purred, "F/f."
A tingling sensation filled Riddle, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head, and he let out a small scream when he realised that he was shrinking. "Ah! Y/N!"
"Don't worry, that's what it was supposed to do."
Once the two had stopped shrinking, Y/N pulled open the door. "Now. Simply step through the door and be ready to feast your eyes."
Riddle couldn't believe the sight before him. It seemed as though he had been transported to another world. Lights of orange and red glimmered in the night, accompanied by the sparkles that flickered about the stone courtyard. Pumpkins lined the edges, propped up on hay bales and tucked beneath pumpkin-headed scarecrows. Even dead and barren trees had been decorated with the classic Halloween decorations of ghosts and pumpkins. Black cats roamed the street, weaving between the dancing feet of couples and children, and licking at the platters of milk set out for them.
"What is this place," Riddle asked, taking a step away from the portal.
Y/N grinned and disappeared from her spot next to him, reappearing a second later atop the fountain in the centre of the square. "It's Wonderland, Riddle! I finally found it!" She grabbed the arm of the statue at the top of the fountain and swung herself around, laughing and giggling all the while.
"It's the Cheshire Cat," someone yelled.
Y/N smirked and climbed up on top of the statue, waving to the crowd as if she was the queen of the village. "How wonderlandiful to see you all again," she shouted, her lips curled into her usual smirk. She bowed to the village, and suddenly leapt from the top of the statue, disappearing in mid-air. The entire crowd gasped and started to search for her.
"Looking for me," Y/N asked. She was now standing in between two children, the hat of the boy sitting crooked on her head, the little girl's teacup balanced on her nose. The children giggled and took back their things, hugging Y/N around the legs as she stood up. They didn't even come up to her waist.
She started to walk around, the children laughing as she swung them back and forth as if they were as light as feathers.
"Do a trick," another child yelled.
"Hmm..." Y/N purred, disappearing from the grasp of the two children. She reappeared in front of the one who had shouted, floating on her stomach in front of her. She wiggled her nose and flicked her ears, winking at Riddle who was standing a few feet behind the girl. "Say the magic words~"
"Trick or treat," the children all yelled, running out from behind their parents, holding out baskets in the shape of pumpkins for Y/N.
Y/N rolled so that she was lying on her back, still floating around as though she was a ghost. "Hm... What's a good... trick?" She scratched her chin in thought and looked around. Her eyes landed on the fountain and she smirked, beckoning the children closer.
"Closer~," she cooed, her finger flicking in a come-hither motion. Even the adults seemed to lean in, eager to see what the trick would be. Riddle leaned in too. He had never seen Y/N float before. What other sorts of things could she do in this strange and mystical world of madness?
"Closer~"
Everyone was now leaning over the edge of the fountain.
"Trick or treat!"
Y/N dove into the fountain, and as her fingers touched the surface of the water, the fountain exploded, showering the village with, not water, but mountains and mountains of candy and chocolate. The children all squealed in joy and ran about, catching whatever candy they so desired in their buckets until they were full. Even the adults, who had pulled buckets and baskets from seemingly nowhere, were now running to and fro, collecting their favourite sweet treats.
A shadow fell over Riddle and almost instinctively, he held out his hands. A large glistening strawberry tart landed in his open arms, shining like the one that Trey had made.
"Do you like it?"
Riddle looked up to see Y/N walking towards him, a strangely shy look on her face. He smiled and walked up to her, taking her hand in his and pulling her down to peck her lips.
"I love it." He took a bite of the pastry and moaned at the taste. "Best Halloween ever."
Y/N grinned. "Maybe I should have gotten Trey to make you a tart for the past Halloweens then."
Riddle shook his head. "No. You are what made it special, Y/N." He kissed her again. "I love you."
"I love you too."
And so, the two sat there, on the edge of the village, watching the children and adults fill their homes with as much candy as impossible until the sun rose and they were forced to leave. But with promises to the village that they would return soon.