"KAT!"
A paw with cold, slightly clammy toebeans touched her cheek.
Kat yelped, eyes snapping open with a shiver.
"ACK! Fuck-- wh-what the... AH-!"
She'd tried to sit up, but her head throbbed with pain.
She hissed, pressing her hand to the top of her head and lying back with a grimace.
"Ow....."
"H-Holy shit-- you're AWAKE!" She heard Ace say, letting out a long, shaking breath. "Fuck... You--"
He gave a weak, nervous laugh.
"You almost gave us a HEART ATTACK, you know that?!"
Kat grunted in response, rubbing her closed eyes with the back of her hand.
"Sorry....."
....Her face was wet.
Had she been crying?
The pain was fading away, and she sat up cautiously.
Her head still hurt a little bit...
But it seemed to be radiating from a spot a little above her left ear, not from the inside anymore.
That was probably just where she bonked her head when she fell...
She opened one eye, then the other-- okay, the light hurt her eyes a little bit, but nothing too bad.
Everything was pretty blurry, though...
She patted her face.
".....Where are my glasses?"
"Here," Deuce said from right next to her, pressing them into her hand.
"Thanks," she said, unfolding the arms and pushing them back onto her face.
"...What happened?"
"You passed out," Deuce said.
Even though she wasn't looking at him, she could feel that he had his hands raised, ready to grab her shoulders if she showed any signs of falling.
"After you used the housewarden's staff to break that thing's head, you got a faceful of that black stuff and just keeled right over..."
"...Oh," Kat said, pushing her glasses up and rubbing her eye with the heel of her hand for another second.
So that's what happened, huh...?
Well, it didn't feel like her airways had been damaged, which was probably the biggest concern...
Her eyes were okay too, besides still hurting a little.
Stupid sensitive blue eyes...
And they still felt a little tired. Maybe she really had been crying in her sleep or something?
"KAT!"
Suddenly, Grim pounced into her chest, hugging her around the neck and nuzzling his face into her collarbone.
"G-Geez--!"
He sniffled, a little muffledly.
"What'd you have to go an' do THAT for, huh?! You can't go makin' your boss worry about you like that, dangit!"
"Aw-- Grim," she laughed quietly, stroking him between the ears.
"I'm okay, don't cry..."
"I-- I'm not CRYIN'!" Grim protested, pulling back from her and wiping his eyes hurriedly on his paws.
"I was just--"
He sniffled grumpily, shaking his head. "--That nasty black smoke must've gotten into my eyes or somethin'..."
Kat exchanged a small, thin smile with Ace, who'd crouched down next to her.
"Whatever you say..."
She rubbed her cheek, looking around at the garden.
Yikes-- talk about a disaster zone...
It seriously looked like a tornado had passed through the hedge maze, ripping up chunks of ground and tossing stuff everywhere.
Shaking her head, she looked back at Ace, then down at Grim.
"Well-- like I said, I'm mostly okay, but... How are YOU guys? I mean--"
She turned to Deuce, giving him a worried look.
"Last time I saw you, it looked like that cauldron avalanche you pulled off took a lot out of you... Are you okay? And Ace, too-- I know you said you were fine, but getting sent flying like that couldn't have been very fun..."
Deuce blushed a little, rubbing the back of his head.
"I-- I'm okay," he muttered, giving her a small smile. "Thanks for asking..."
He still looked a little pale, and there were definitely a few scratches and bumps on his face and hands. Those ragged slashes in his uniform, on his side and knee, were actually stained with a bit of red...
Well, it didn't look like he was actively bleeding or anything.
Ace snorted.
"Yeah, suuuure... So fine you almost threw up three times while Princess Pre-K was taking her little nap, huh?"
Deuce and Kat both gave him an unimpressed look.
"I take it THAT means you're fine, too, then?" She asked, scanning him critically.
He was just as battered and scratched-up as Deuce, and definitely seemed a little unsteady as he crouched next to her.
He grimaced, glancing away and avoiding her gaze.
"...I'll live," he muttered begrudgingly, ruffling his hair. "Thanks... And-- glad you're okay, too."
"You're welcome," she responded, struggling to conceal a small smile.
Geez-- what a textbook tsun...
Shaking her head, she looked around the wrecked garden again.
"...What about Trey and Cater? Are THEY okay?"
An uncomfortable silence fell across the small group.
Ace and Deuce glanced at each other, shifting awkwardly.
"Um... Well, Clover-senpai and Diamond-senpai are both okay... Mostly," Deuce ventured after a second.
"Um-- they're actually-- over there..."
He nodded towards the center of the garden, and she looked over, blinking.
There was a small group of people over there-- one lying very still, with bright red hair.
"Shit-- RIDDLE!" Kat hissed.
Scrambling to her feet, she wobbled over to the small group huddled on the wrecked lawn.
Trey was kneeling, cradling Riddle's small frame in his arms and shaking him.
"Riddle... RIDDLE!"
Riddle's face was still pale, but not that shockingly white anymore...
It wasn't a healthy color, but it was a definite improvement from the previous Halloween makeup paleness.
He was back in his dorm uniform, but it definitely wasn't the same pristine white as before. It was battered, slightly ripped in places, and stained with dirt, grass stains, and the odd black smear.
Christ, he really was small...
He seriously looked like a child, especially all still and fragile like this.
His head lolled around like a doll's as Trey shook him, making Kat wince.
"H-Hey-- Trey," she said, stepping forward with her hands raised. "M-Maybe calm down a little? I mean, you don't wanna--"
Riddle gave a soft moan.
His eyelids fluttered.
Then his eyes snapped open, staring blankly at the sky as his body arched and he gasped.
An audible sigh swept through the garden, and Kat's shoulders slumped.
"Oh, thank god," she muttered, tottering a few steps to the side.
Ace came up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady her.
"Ah-- he's awake," he huffed, the note of relief in his voice obvious, even as he tried to scoff.
"Phew--!"
Cater gasped, slumping down into a seated position on the grass and twirling a lock of hair around his finger.
"Geez, way to give us an aneurysm! I was seriously about to freak the fuck out... I thought you were never gonna wake up for a second!"
Riddle tried to sit up, but fell back into Trey's arms, slender frame wracked with a few weak coughs.
He pushed his bangs back with a shaking hand, blinking hard.
"I-- I... What-- in the world... What-- happened to me? What... What did I do?"
"Oh, thank goodness," Crowley's voice sighed.
Kat looked around to see the Headmaster standing nearby, shoulders slumping as he gave an exaggerated exhale, shaking his head.
"It seems Rosehearts-kun has finally regained consciousness..."
"I'm fine, too," Kat muttered, giving him a disapproving sideeye.
He didn't seem to hear her, beaming down at Trey and Riddle with his hands on his hips.
Okay, first off, where the fuck had he even come from? Ugh...
"Don't worry about that right now," Trey murmured, relaxing visibly and looking down at Riddle with a serious expression, but gentle eyes.
"Just take it easy, okay?"
"Ah-ahh," Ace grumbled from behind her, taking his hand off her shoulder and stomping over to the pair on the ground. "Taking it easy on him like that's exactly what led to all THIS, remember?"
He gestured around.
"I mean, LOOK at all this! This place is totally wrecked-- AND we got wrapped up in a super-dangerous situation too, you know? Like, we could've fuckin' DIED!"
The sky was bright blue and filled with clouds again, but the garden was, to put it nicely, a hot mess.
A good half of the hedge maze had been knocked over like dominos. There were twisted bits of wrought-iron fences sticking up or scattered around here and there, with the uprooted rosebushes tossed around the cracked, demolished and slightly acid-eaten lawn.
"Yeah, it-- it was pretty dangerous," Deuce agreed, rubbing the back of his head as he wandered over cautiously.
Grim grumbled, jumping up Kat's leg and clawing his way back up to her shoulder.
"For cryin' out loud... Lettin' the stress build up like that isn't healthy, ya know? You can't just bottle it up until you literally explode..."
"GUYS," Kat scolded, walking forward.
"You're right about all that, but this really isn't a great time... For fuck's sake, look at the poor guy! Plus, besides him, we're all pretty beat up.... Like, MAYBE we should wait until everybody gets some medical assistance, mayhaps?"
Shoving past Ace, she crouched down next to Trey, tilting her head and giving the exhausted Riddle a small smile.
"You okay? How do you feel?"
Riddle blinked, giving her a shocked look. Then he blushed visibly, looking down and avoiding her gaze like a shy child.
"I..." He mumbled, turning his head away a little. "Th-The truth is, I..."
Reaching out, he seemed to grip at Trey's vest without realizing, gloved hand trembling a little.
"I... Really wanted to... Eat it. The marron tart...."
"Wh-- eh?" Ace muttered from behind her.
Shaking his head a little, Riddle clung a little tighter to Trey's clothes.
"The roses-- I... I don't mind if they're white... A-And the flamingos-- if they're pink, it's just fine. They're-- they're both pretty..."
His voice shook, and he sniffled.
"...And I-- actually like honey better than sugar cubes... A-And I don't even like lemon tea! Milk tea is tastier..."
Riddle's shoulders started shaking, and he rubbed his eyes hard with the back of his other hand.
"I-- I want to sit around and chat with everyone longer after a meal... Everyone looks so happy when they're talking with each other. I-- I want to do that, too... I want to be that happy, too!"
Trey's eyes widened.
"R-Riddle...?" He murmured, freezing in shock, like he wasn't sure what to do next.
Riddle shook his head, sniffling loudly again.
"And I-- I really, really wanted to... To play with you and Che'nya more, Trey... I-- I..."
He sobbed.
Then he buried his face in Trey's chest, sobs rising into hoarse wails as he clutched tighter and tighter to the taller boy's vest.
Trey remained frozen for a few more seconds.
Then, cautiously, he laid one hand on Riddle's back, startled expression falling away into a faint, gentle frown.
Cater, still sitting nearby, actually drew back, an incredulous expression washing across his face.
"Wh-- n-no way... Seriously?! THE Riddle Rosehearts, crying like a baby... Unbelievable...!"
"Wh-- Hey, hey, hold on a sec!" Ace protested. Kat turned her head to see him crossing his arms, stomping up with a stubborn scowl on his face.
"What, d'ya think we're gonna forgive you just like that just 'cause you went and burst into tears?!"
Standing up, Kat elbowed him hard in the side, making him stagger sideways with a hiss of pain.
"OW!" He complained, giving her an offended look. "What the hell was THAT for?!"
"Read the FUCKIN' room, Trappola!" She hissed back, glaring. "Jesus Christ!"
"Yeah, Ace-- come on," Deuce agreed, giving him a disappointed look. "Is this really the time to keep holding a grudge? Give it a break, man."
Shaking his head, Trey put his other arm around Riddle's shoulders, pulling him into a gentle hug.
"Riddle... I'm sorry," he murmured, closing his eyes.
"I knew you were suffering this whole time, but I-- I just- pretended not to notice it, turned a blind eye... I-- I thought saying anything would just make it worse, but-- but I..."
He trailed off as Riddle gave another sob, shaking his head a little like he was nuzzling his face into Trey's chest.
Deuce came up next to Kat, staring with wordless awe at the scene in front of them.
Unconsciously, Kat reached out, holding his sleeve lightly and pressing the knuckles of her other hand to her mouth.
Oh, man-- her eyes were starting to mist up again...
"So," Trey continued after a second. "Today-- right here-- I'm... I'm gonna say what I should've said all along."
Opening his eyes, he looked down at Riddle, putting his hands on his shoulders and pushing him back a little bit.
"Riddle..."
Riddle sniffled again, scrubbing at his face with his fists and shaking his head.
His face was flushed, and sticky with tears and snot as he looked apprehensively up at Trey.
"...You were wrong," Trey said, gently, but firmly.
"Your way of doing things-- no, your whole worldview-- it was wrong. You were wrong about everything..."
Lowering his head for a second, he sighed, then looked back at Riddle.
"So... That's why. You have to apologize... To everyone. Tell them all you're sorry... For all the awful things you've done to everyone."
Riddle looked shocked for a moment. Then he glanced down again, face flushing even more as more tears welled up in his eyes.
"I'm--"
He took a few wet, gulping gasps, shaking his head again as he tried to wipe his face on his hands.
"I'm... I'm sorry," he slurred, clutching at his arms as he started to shake again.
"I'm... I'm really-- I'm... Sorry... I'm-- I'm so, SO sorry!"
Another wail burst out, and he buried his face in his hands, shoulders heaving as he gasped for breath between sobs.
Kat gripped a little tighter to Deuce's sleeve, feeling herself start to choke up as her vision went misty.
Turning away, she sniffled a little, shaking the gathering tears away.
Then she looked around at the rest of the group, trying to distract herself from starting to cry as well.
Deuce was staring at the sobbing housewarden, face a bit pale as his jaw hung open. Cater had gotten back to his feet, looking around in pure, utter bafflement, like he was expecting someone to pop out and announce it was all a prank.
Crowley, meanwhile, had pulled a white handkerchief out of nowhere, turning away and sniffling loudly as he dabbed at the mask's eyes.
Okay-- that was a little funny...
But also extremely irritating.
SMH my head-- why's he gotta make everything so dramatic?
Rolling her eyes, she glanced sideways at Grim, still on her shoulder.
He was also staring at Riddle in shock, ears drooping a little with his mouth hanging open like Deuce's.
Closing his eyes again, Trey put his arm around Riddle's shoulders, pulling him back into a hug.
The smaller boy shook his head again, face buried in his hands as he still tried to choke out mumbled apologies through the tears.
Giving one final sniffle, Kat managed to fight down the empathetic tears for the time being.
Turning her head, she looked at the last person in the ragged little circle-- Ace.
Taking a few steps back, Ace sighed quietly, putting one hand on his hip as he ruffled his hair with the other.
"Aw, man..." He muttered, shaking his head a little and looking down at the ruined lawn.
"I-- I know I've been saying I wanted an apology from the dorm head this whole time, but... Now that I've actually got one, I mean-- how do I say this..."
He sighed again.
Then he huffed, crossing his arms as he stepped forward, stopping and looking down at Trey and Riddle.
Both of them looked up at him, blinking in confusion.
Ace stood silently for another moment.
His jaw worked, like he was chewing something tough and unpleasant.
Then he took a deep breath, chest expanding as he squared his shoulders.
"There's... There's NO FUCKIN' WAY ONE STUPID LITTLE 'I'M SORRY' IS EVER GONNA CUT IT! I AM LITERALLY NEVER GONNA FORGIVE YOU FOR ALL THIS CRAP, YOU HEAR ME?!"
Everybody jumped, bristling with shock and staring at the glowering Ace.
"Wh-- S-SERIOUSLY?!" Cater spluttered, putting his hands up and drawing back. "Dude-- you're STILL going on about that?! Even at a time like this?!"
"You're GODDAMN RIGHT I am!" Ace retorted.
"Did you forget how THIS little jackass--" He pointed an accusatory finger at the stunned Riddle.
"Made a COMPLETE FOOL outta me? Huh?!"
He jabbed his finger through the air a couple more times, glowering.
"And what about how he wanted to just throw out that stupid marron tart, even after all the work we put in to make the thing?! And how it DID end up getting wrecked because of him anyway, too?! All that ain't something that a few stupid tears and a lousy 'I'm sorry' is EVER gonna-- OW!"
Growling under her breath, Kat had stomped over to him, moving behind him and kicking him hard in the back of the knee.
He shrieked and spluttered as his leg buckled and he dropped into an awkward half-kneel.
"Ow-- Ow, ow, OW! FUCK! Shit-- KAT! What the--"
"What the FUCK is your problem?!" She demanded.
Quickly, she reached out, grabbing him by the ear and tugging his head back a little to glare down into his face.
"Seriously-- what part of 'read the room' did you NOT understand, you little punk-ass BITCH?!"
"Ow-- FUCK!" He complained, wincing as his hand went up, trying to pry her fingers off his ear. "Kat-- SERIOUSLY! You're gonna rip my ear off-- OW!"
"Shut the hell up," She interrupted, finally letting go of his ear, only to grab him by the back of the jacket instead. "Get back here RIGHT now."
She dragged him bodily back a few paces, away from the stunned Trey and Riddle.
Scrambling back up to his feet, Ace panted, whipping around with a growl and glaring at her as he rubbed his ear.
"What the--" he tried.
"Shhhhhut UP," Kat snapped, planting her fists on her hips and glaring right back. "Shut UP. Do not even START with any of this shit. Now is really, really, REALLY not the time, you hear me?!"
Grim, who'd jumped down off her shoulder when she started storming towards Ace, came back up next to her.
"Geez," he grumbled, shaking his head.
"I ain't NEVER met anybody who holds grudges harder than ME before..."
"B-But--"
Riddle sniffled again, rubbing his eyes hard with his forearm. Then he looked up at Ace, eyes wide and full of distress.
"Th-Then... What-- should I... What should I do? I don't-- I don't-- I mean..."
He trailed off helplessly, lip starting to quiver again.
"Hey-- it's okay," Trey interrupted quietly, hands on Riddle's shoulders again.
"Take it easy-- don't push yourself, okay?"
"N-NO!" Riddle insisted, shaking his head. Pushing Trey away, he scrambled into an unsteady kneeling position on his own.
"I want to-- no, I... I HAVE to apologize! To Ace-- and-- to, to everyone... So I-- I..."
He trailed off again, and Kat turned, giving Ace a meaningful glower.
He actually looked a little shocked, eyes darting between her and the unsteady Riddle.
Then he sighed again, ruffling the back of his hair.
"...You know," he said after a second.
"It's-- not like I've got a birthday coming up soon or anything..."
Now it was Kat's turn to look shocked, pulling her head back and blinking in surprise.
"...Huh?" Deuce managed finally, turning and giving Ace a suspicious look.
"The hell are you talking about, man?"
"SO," Ace interrupted, raising his voice and planting his hands on his hips again. "That's why I'm demanding a do-over of the Unbirthday Party."
He scowled at Riddle, who seemed just as lost for words as everyone else.
"Except THIS time, YOU'RE gonna be the one makin' the tart. WE already put in all the work-- so now it's YOUR turn. Ah-- and no getting Trey-senpai to help you out, either! You do it all yourself, or it's no deal!"
He glared at Riddle for a few more moments, then grumbled quietly. Turning to the side, he rubbed the back of his neck.
"If you do all that, then... Then I guess there'd be no problem with forgiving you.... I guess. Maybe."
Kat blinked.
Then she snorted.
Putting the side of her fist to her mouth, she started giggling helplessly, wrapping her other arm around her stomach.
"You-- PFFT!" She choked, gasping for breath between squeals of laughter.
"You are-- SUCH a fuckin' tsundere...! I-- I... Pfft-- AHAHAHA!!"
"Wh-- HEY!" Ace protested, whirling around to glare at her and blushing visibly.
"No comments from the peanut gallery, you got that?!"
She shook her head, wheezing and turning away as she doubled over.
Finally managing to fight off the last of the giggles, she straightened back up, watching as Ace stepped forward.
He stopped in front of the still-kneeling Riddle, who was looking up at him in obvious stunned silence.
"Well?" The taller redhead demanded, bending over and poking him on the forehead. "You got all that?"
Riddle blinked, looking blankly back at Ace. Then he looked around at the other assembled watchers.
Deuce had wandered back over next to her, folding his arms and looking at Ace with an unsure expression.
Cater had one hand on the side of his neck, looking at the unfolding scene with a wry smile.
Crowley had stowed the handkerchief away somewhere, standing with both hands on the head of his walking stick again.
Clambering back up to her shoulder, Grim propped his cheek up on his paw, smirking a little at the expression on Riddle's face.
Holding her elbow, Kat tilted her head, giving Riddle a small, comforting smile as he looked her way.
Finally, Riddle looked back at Trey.
Then he looked down, sniffling again and starting to fidget with his fingers a little as he blushed.
"Y-Yes... I-- I did," he confirmed, nodding. "I understand..."
Ace stepped back, hand on the back of his neck again as he sighed, turning away.
"Maaaaan," he muttered, giving a small, disappointed tongue-click.
"Seriously though, all this has been a real pain in the ass..."
Crowley gave a satisfied sigh.
Kat looked over at him, seeing him spreading his hands again, beaming from ear to pointy ear.
"Ahh... How wonderful! Compromise is truly a beautiful thing, is it not?"
He tucked the walking stick neatly under his arm, turning the brilliant smile to all of them in turn.
"I believe this concludes this little matter... Very well done, everyone! Spectacular work!"
Kat grunted, rolling her eyes so hard she thought they might fall out and vanish forever into what was left of the hedge maze.
_______________________________________
Me writing this: Hey check out how hard I can cry!
*PWWWWFFFFSSSSSHHHFFFWWWWW*
For y'all cat owners out there, you ever notice how sometimes, your cat'll touch you with their beans, and their beans are, like... Really cold for some reason?
Yeah.
That's the end of the thought.
Kat be like: I'm having a baby! It's you, sign here.
(My Riddle/Trey bias might be showing a little. Just a little.)
(Plus, my boy is just touch-starved. So, so touch-starved. He needs all the affection. Give it to him.)
@ Ace: When will you learn.
WHEN WILL YOU LEARN?!
THAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES?!?!?!
Random thought, but. I read Epel's Halloween vignette and.
Um.
Riddle.
I think he might have some kind of disordered eating thing??
Like.... Honey.
Have you ever just... Eaten until you're full? Like, until you don't wanna eat anymore?
...God, is that the reason why he's so small? Because he literally doesn't have the energy from the calories necessary to put him through a growth spurt???
I said it last chapter, but KIDS ARE SUPPOSED TO EAT A LOT! ESPECIALLY PREPUBESCENT ONES!
Is he just MALNOURISHED? Like how somebody suggested Giorno might be since he's such a delicate little twink compared to both of his biodads, even before the head swap?