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Riddle was walking through the Heartslabyul corridors, heading towards Trey's room, as he wanted to talk to him about the upcoming Unbirthday Party. However, when he knocked, there was no answer, so, a little worried, he opened the door, discovering that the room was empty; there was no sign of Trey.
"That's strange. He's usually in his room by now, a couple of hours before curfew so he can have some peace and quiet," the housewarden thought, tilting his head.
The boy sighed and quietly closed the door, then put a hand to his chin, lost in thought.
"If he's not here, he's probably with Cater," he said to himself softly. "It's unlikely he'd left Heartslabyul at this hour."
So, Riddle headed to Cater's room, not far from there, to ask if he knew where Trey was, or simply to check if he was with him. As he approached, he thought he heard a muffled laugh, which made him raise an eyebrow, confused.
Once he was at the door, he grasped the handle and then raised his hand to knock. However, he stopped when he heard Trey's voice behind the door, saying:
"Are you sure you locked it?"
“Hey, I made that mistake once, and it’s not going to happen again,” he heard Cater say, feigning annoyance. “I locked the door, of course.”
“You’re lucky we hadn’t even taken our pants off that time, and that Riddle always knocks before coming in.”
Hearing what his friend had just said, Riddle blushed and quickly moved a foot away from the door.
“Yeah, that’s true. Honestly, of all the people who could catch us, he’s the one I’d like least: he’s pretty naive about these things, and I think he’d be a little annoyed. I hope he never catches us in the act,” Cater continued, then chuckled and added: “Just imagining the look on his face makes me laugh. Ha ha, he’d make the same face he does when he’s been caught doing something minor, I’m sure of it!”
“Keep your voice down, he’s probably doing a check! At this hour..." Trey hissed, immediately sighing. "You're really screaming."
"What a shame I can't do it now, isn't it? You love hearing me. Especially when I say your name."
"Shut up."
"Oh, come on. You love it, and besides, we won't see each other for a couple of months. But don't you think that if we were quiet, with my face covered...?" As soon as he heard a muffled sigh from a kiss, Riddle shook his head several times, his blush deepening, and he hurried away, not wanting to know what came next.
The boy brought a hand to his face, unsure whether to feel shame or disgust, or perhaps both, as he imagined where that conversation he'd just overheard was headed.
"I won't be able to look them in the face the same way after this," he thought, then made a face of disgust and felt a kind of shiver run through his body.
Riddle inhaled and exhaled through slightly parted lips, trying to push away any thoughts of Cater and Trey.
"So what do I do now? I should talk to someone about this, even if it's not Trey..."
An idea flashed through his mind, so he smiled as he turned on his heel, heading in the opposite direction toward the second-year dorm wing.
"I'm sure Ace has some good ideas. And whatever it is, I'm sure Deuce will want to help," he thought aloud, descending the steps from the floor he was on to the next one.
He quickly went into the hallway where Ace and Deuce's shared bedroom was located, knowing that they would both be there; they would probably be playing cards, as he had caught them on other occasions.
Even with that thought in mind, he approached the door, finding it open. He positioned himself in the space between the door and the frame, peering inside, though intending to knock. However, after taking a brief look into the room, Riddle turned away and pressed his back against the nearest wall.
"It can't be..." the houswewarden lamented, blushing again, feeling as though he might burst into tears at any moment from sheer despair.
It turned out that, when he peeked in, he had seen nothing but Ace pinning Deuce against his bed, kissing him in a way that... Riddle didn't even want to describe. It seemed obscene, perhaps brazen, but above all, disgusting, though perhaps the latter was because they were two younger students than him, and on top of that, his friends.
"At least they had their clothes on," Riddle muttered before leaving again, but not before slapping his forehead at a muffled groan from Deuce followed by, "Hey, don't bite my tongue!"
Riddle began to wander the corridors of Heartslabyul, knowing he would have to leave the party business for the next day. As he walked, the images and conversations he had overheard returned to his mind, filling him with a kind of revulsion in every sense of the word.
"Do I really have such a demonized view of sex, or is it just because they're my friends?" he wondered as he headed back to his room.
Knowing he couldn't find peace within the walls of Heartslabyul, since the walls seemed to echo the sounds bouncing around in the recesses of his mind, he slipped on some sneakers, and after putting his fluffy sleeping robe over his pajamas, he quietly slipped out of Heartslabyul. He couldn't let anyone see the housewarden leaving the house less than two hours before curfew, but he couldn't stay there any longer either.
*
Yūken fastened his sleeping robe belt before hurrying downstairs, since there had been a knock at Ramshackle's front door.
"I wonder who that is at this hour," the boy muttered before opening the door, finding his boyfriend on the threshold. "Riddle?"
"Hey, Yūken. Do you mind if I spend a couple of hours with you? I can't stay in Heartslabyul any longer," said the redhead, fiddling with the laces of his robe to avoid having to look at his boyfriend, ashamed.
"You're always welcome here," Yūken offered a reassuring smile, which Riddle caught out of the corner of his eye. He looked up and smiled back. "Come on in, it's starting to get chilly."
Riddle entered Ramshackle's foyer, and Yūken closed the door behind him, walking with him to the guest room.
"So, what happened? Were Ace and Deuce up to no good? Was Cater eating after hours? Was Trey being a little too lenient?" the Japanese man asked, causing his boyfriend to wince as he sat down on one of the guest room sofas.
"Don't mention those four. Please..."
"What happened?" Yūken sat down next to Riddle, his concern growing.
"I caught them, every couple... You know. Some were about to... Well. And the others were kissing like there was no tomorrow," the housewarden explained, blushing more and more as he spoke.
Yūken nodded, then added:
"So, Cater and Trey were going at it like crazy, and Ace was practically shoving his tongue down Deuce's throat."
Riddle's eyes widened at his boyfriend's use of those terms, so he turned to him and exclaimed:
"How can you use such obscene, vulgar language?!"
Yūken started laughing, confusing Riddle, who frowned.
"I may consider myself asexual, but that doesn't mean I don't find sex jokes funny, especially if I can make you blush. Look at you, your face is the same color as your hair. How adorable", he said the last part in his native language.
Riddle pouted and playfully punched his boyfriend on the shoulder, who just laughed at him again.
"It's not funny. I find the whole thing disgusting... Why does it disgust me, now that I think about it? They're my friends, okay, but I don't think it should make me feel this way," Riddle said, thinking aloud.
"Don't worry about it, Riddle. There are many branches within the asexual umbrella, and one of them includes asexuals who feel aversion or disgust towards sex, you know? It doesn't matter what caused it, but it's completely normal, just like those in other branches, like those who have no problem at all or those who are ashamed because of society's view of the issue, like me. You just make sure you lock your doors and wear noise-canceling headphones", Yūken replied, running his hand down Riddle's back and stroking it in circles.
"Ah, have you brought a guest home, Yū?" Without warning, one of Ramshackle's ghosts appeared, passing through the wall with a mischievous grin.
"And you didn't offer him a cup of tea? Some manners," said another ghost, emerging from the floor.
"It's the least you should do when there's a guest," added a third ghost, appearing from behind a wardrobe.
"True, such manners of mine," Yūken stood up and smiled as he said: "I'll make some caffeine-free tea, so it won't keep you awake. I'll be right back."
Riddle nodded, and as soon as Yūken left, he looked around at the ghosts, who seemed to be talking to someone else; however, Riddle couldn't see who.
"My, Yū left the light on... Ah, Rosehearts," Riddle turned his head toward the entrance of the room, where Grim had just appeared.
"Good evening, Grim. I'm surprised to see you're still awake," said the housewarden of Heartslabyul by way of greeting.
"And I'm surprised to see you here at night. What's wrong, couldn't you wait until tomorrow to see Yū?" the feline-like creature asked as he leaped onto the sofa next to Riddle, who glared at him.
Riddle sighed, and deciding to be patient, shook his head a couple of times and replied:
"I came because I needed some peace and quiet: certain things are happening in Heartslabyul that I can't stop, no matter how much I want to."
"So you come here looking for peace? There's everything but peace here, especially if you're here to make out with Yū."
"It's obvious you don't have Ace and Deuce to stir things up," Yūken said, grinning, from the doorway.
The boy approached with a tray bearing a teapot, two teacups, and a bowl of tuna. Carefully, he bent down and placed the tray on the low table in front of the sofa, pouring tea into a cup for Riddle, that immediately handed it to him.
"I figured you were awake, so I brought you dinner," Yūken said, setting the bowl on the table, separate from the tray, allowing Grim to reach it and eagerly eat from the bowl. "Wow, it doesn't even look like you ate two hours ago. Ah, the vigor, it's almost pornographic," he joked.
"It's so unusual for you to say something like that, I'm sure it must be a reference to one of your favorite shows, like it's happened before," Riddle inquired before taking a sip of tea.
"Ding, ding, ding."
The housewarden of Heartslabyul hid a tiny smile behind his teacup, then looked at Yūken and said:
"Hey, is there a deck of cards around here? I still owe you a rematch from last time."
"That was last year, do you really still remember that?" Yūken asked, then walked over to one of the living room cabinets and opened its compartments, taking out a poker deck, a deck of family cards, and a Scrabble board.
"I remember almost everything I do with you," Riddle murmured as his cheeks flushed a soft pink.
Yūken looked at his boyfriend and mirrored his expression, then felt a breath on his cheek, which made him smile and wave his hand, as if shooing away a fly.
"Well, I'm claiming my rematch. Shall we play?" Yūken took the poker deck box and pulled out the first card, which turned out to be a Joker, showing it to his boyfriend.
Riddle chuckled softly and nodded, so Yūken knelt before the small table and shuffled the deck after moving the tray to a table next to the sofa's armrest. Once shuffled, he dealt the cards, dividing them into seven small decks.
"If you don't mind, I'd like everyone here to play this time," Yūken said, referring to the two of them, Grim, who had already left his empty bowl and was looking at the cards with interest, and the ghosts.
"Okay, but you've dealt seven decks. There are six of us."
"There are seven of us. There's a fourth ghost, but you can't see him, for some reason," his boyfriend replied, before picking up some Scrabble tiles and placing them on the table, revealing how they moved on their own and formed the word "Hello".
Riddle's eyes widened, but before he could ask anything, Yūken was already instructing the ghosts on how to play.
*
"Dude, nobody can win like this," Grim protested, discarding his cards in front of Riddle's victorious grin, who playfully stuck his tongue out at him.
"Ace taught me well," was all Riddle said, taking the candies and sweets they had been assigned for the bet and putting them in his pajama pocket to distribute among his students the next day.
Yūken sighed, feigning regret at the defeat, and gathered the cards.
"Hey, I don't mean to be a spoilsport, but I think it's almost time to..." Before he could finish his sentence, the boy strained his ears and, puzzled, stood up and went to the window to look out. "Uh, Riddle, it's pouring rain."
"Oh, no" Riddle stood up and went over to his boyfriend, watching the raindrops fall on the grass in Ramshackle's garden. "Well, it doesn't seem too bad yet. Just give me an umbrella and I'll be fine."
“I’m not going to let you go out there in the rain wearing just pajamas and a robe,” Yūken protested, worried.
“Really, Yūken, I’ll hurry.” He’d barely finished speaking when Riddle froze, having heard a clap of thunder in the distance.
Riddle gasped, his eyes wide, and clutched the curtain, frightened.
“Ah, Riddle, are you scared of thunderstorms?” one of the ghosts asked, approaching him.
“Hey, don’t stress him out. He’s got enough to deal with with the thunder,” Yūken chided, draping an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders, intending to offer him support. The ghost merely shrugged, making the Japanese man sigh. “Hey, Riddle, don’t worry. I don’t think the storm will let up anytime soon, but you can spend the night in Ramshackle.”
"Really?" Riddle asked, lifting his head to Yūken.
"No problem."
Riddle pursed his lips and hugged his boyfriend, surprising him with the sudden gesture. The housewarden of Heartslabyul buried his face in Yūken's chest, feeling his boyfriend's body heat.
"Thank you," he whispered, making Yūken smile before returning the hug.
*
Riddle entered Yūken and Grim's room, where the feline had already settled into his bed, sprawled out on the mattress.
"I see Grim has already claimed the bed. I can let you sleep in this room, and that way you'll have him with you and the storm will be easier on you," Yūken said, entering the room and carrying a couple of blankets.
"But it's your bed, Yūken, I'm not going to let you sleep anywhere else," Riddle replied, avoiding looking out the window.
"Normally, you'd sleep in one of these beds and Grim with me, but..."
"No way, this is my bed," Grim interrupted, making the Japanese man shrug.
"See? But don’t worry, really: there are a couple more rooms in Ramshackle, I just have to take down the sheets on the furniture,” Yūken said as he placed one blanket over Grim and the other at the foot of his bed.
“Hey, why don’t you two share the bed? You’re a couple, there shouldn’t be any problem,” Grim remarked, turning onto his side to look at the two humans.
They looked at each other and blushed furiously, unsure of what to say.
"I don't know, it's a little soon, don't you think? I mean, maybe it's a little awkward..." Riddle stammered.
"Yeah, it's a big step..." Yūken agreed.
"Do whatever you want, but hurry up, I want to sleep."
Riddle rolled his eyes and looked away, still undecided.
Yūken sighed wearily and slowly took Riddle's hand and led him to his bed, sitting him on the edge.
"It's just for tonight, okay? And if we don't feel comfortable after this, we can postpone it until we're really ready, okay?" he suggested, waiting for his boyfriend's answer.
Riddle hesitated for a few moments, lost in thought; in a couple of seconds, however, he had untied the knot of his robe and left it neatly folded at the foot of the bed.
"I'll take that as a yes," Yūken said before mimicking him and pulling back the covers, allowing them both to lie down. Then, he turned off the bedside lamp and said goodnight to Grim, who fell asleep in just a few seconds.
Yūken pulled the sheets up to cover half his body and half Riddle's, doing the same with the blanket, before resting his head on the pillow and looking directly into his eyes. The housewarden of Hearstlabyul was a little stiff due to the close proximity—they had to sleep close together because the bed was too small for both of them—and the situation they were in. His eyes also shone with a hint of fear because of the thunder.
"Your body's tense, relax it, man," the Japanese man joked, placing a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder and gently pushing him down, urging him to relax.
"Sorry, it's just that this is all new and I don't really know what to do. I don’t know what the protocol is, I mean, should I cuddle, do nothing, or like Cater says, ‘spoon’?” Riddle replied, placing one hand on the pillow, right in front of his nose, acting as a barrier between his and his boyfriend’s.
“You don’t have to do anything if you’re not comfortable. Just relax and try to sleep…”
A clap of thunder echoed in the distance, making Riddle jump as he saw the silhouettes of the beds in the room, illuminated by a flash of lightning. One of his hands unconsciously clutched his boyfriend’s pajamas, who looked at him, feeling sorry for him.
Yūken sighed and gently pulled Riddle close, embracing him and stroking his head with one hand.
"It's okay. Sleep well, nothing's going to happen to you," he whispered in his ear, trying to soothe him.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, another flash of lightning appeared in the sky, revealing spectral, gloved hands around Riddle's ears. Yūken tilted his head slightly, meeting a calm gaze from ruby-colored eyes, partially hidden behind round glasses, and a kind smile.
"Thank you," Yūken whispered, smiling at the person in front of him, who mouthed, "You're welcome."
The Japanese man looked back at Riddle, who was beginning to drift off, soothed by his boyfriend's scent and the peaceful feeling of silence from the thunder, muffled by Skully's spectral hands.
*
Riddle awoke in the morning, greeted by the sun's rays on his face, along with a gentle morning breeze. He slowly opened his eyes, finding himself face to face with Yūken, who was still asleep.
The housewarden of Heartslabyul shifted his weight slightly in bed and brushed his hair away from his face, which wasn't too disheveled since he'd been in the same position practically all night.
Riddle carefully observed his boyfriend's serene face: he noticed his eyelashes, the color of ebony with a hint of the deepest cerulean lapis lazuli; his cheeks, slightly flushed from the night's heat; his lips, slightly parted, thin yet somewhat full, through which Yūken exhaled his peaceful breath. Riddle reached out and touched his boyfriend's hair, as soft as silk, and stroked a strand, slightly distracted.
"You were staring at me, mesmerized," he suddenly heard, so he looked at Yūken, surprised, and saw him awake, his eyes half-open and a smile on his lips. "Good morning, Riddle. Did you sleep well?"
"Good morning, Yūken. Yes, I slept well, thank you. Thank you for letting me stay here," Riddle replied, looking into his boyfriend's eyes.
Yūken's smile widened before he leaned slightly toward Riddle and kissed his forehead affectionately.
"Whenever you want".
Riddle smiled back, and although he hesitated at first, he decided to imitate his boyfriend, but this time kissing him on the lips, closing his eyes in the process. Yūken also closed his eyes, and careful not to break the contact, he took Riddle by the waist and sat them both down on the bed, allowing them both more comfort while kissing.
"It's so nice to wake up in the morning and have the first thing I do be kissing my boyfriend," Yūken said, pulling away slightly from Riddle and whispering against the other's parted lips.
Riddle smiled before leaning over Yūken again, kissing him once more.
"Ew."
The couple turned to face Grim, who, still sleepy, was looking at them with disgust.
"What are you doing up at this hour? It's barely seven fifteen," said Yūken, turning his head towards Grim, pulling Riddle towards his chest so he could hug him.
"How should I know... Don't make any noise, it's Saturday," the feline-looking one muttered before closing his eyes and falling asleep again.
"I think the fact that Grim interrupted us is a sign that we should wake up," Riddle commented, reaching for his robe.
However, he opened his eyes in surprise when he felt Yūken pull him close again, then pull him down onto the bed next to him, and wrap him in a hug.
"Yūken, what are you doing?"
"Come on, Riddle: it's Saturday, it's seven fifteen, and it's not time for the Heartslabyul students to get up yet," his boyfriend said, tightening his grip around his waist slightly to let him know he was just joking.
Riddle glanced sideways, as if weighing an idea, before wrapping his arms around Yūken's neck, bringing his face closer to the other's.
“You’re right. At this hour, I’d be the only one awake, and I don’t ask my students to get up before nine on weekends. I suppose we have some time,” he said, a smile playing on his lips.
Yūken raised an eyebrow, confused, and when he was about to speak, Riddle silenced him with another kiss. Feigning resignation, Yūken closed his eyes, ready to spend a little more time lazing in bed with his boyfriend.
*
“Hey, did you guys hear the storm last night? It sounded like ten thousand gongs were banging,” said Cater, sipping from his mug of warm milk.
“I didn’t hear anything, but I remember getting up and seeing a slightly burnt hedge out the window,” replied Deuce, leaning on Ace’s shoulder, who was chewing on a freshly baked biscuit.
Trey, Cater, Ace, and Deuce had gotten up earlier than usual, around a quarter to nine, and had met on their way to the kitchen.
“I wonder how Riddle fared. He’s not much of a storm person,” Trey remarked, sounding dejected.
“He probably didn’t even hear it, Trey-Trey. I bet you anything he was asleep by then,” Cater told him, trying to reassure him.
“Speaking of the housewarden, shouldn’t he be up by now?” Ace remarked, drawing everyone’s attention.
They blinked, and realizing Ace was right, their eyes widened in shock.
"Damn, it's true! Oh, and nobody else is awake! If he heard the storm, along with this, all hell's going to break loose..." Trey exclaimed, putting a hand to his head.
Before anyone could reply, Ace's phone vibrated, so he answered it.
"Oh, sorry, Yū's video calling me," the boy said, answering the call and smiling into the phone. "What's up, Yū? How was your night?"
"I slept like a log. The storm barely bothered me," Yūken replied from the screen. "How about you?"
"Good, I'm here with the guys," Ace said, turning the screen so Yūken could see the others.
"Don't ask about Riddle, we think he's still in his room," Cater said before taking another sip from his mug.
"It's kind of weird for him, but whatever," Deuce commented.
"It's ridiculous that he has a strict schedule and then just lie around twiddling the sheets," Ace muttered, frowning.
"I heard you, you jerk." Yūken smiled as he felt Riddle behind him, looking at his phone over his shoulder.
"A-Ah, housewarden Rosehearts, good morning," Ace stammered, a little scared by the headmaster's angry expression.
"Riddle? What are you doing with Yū in Ramshackle?" Trey asked, peeking at his phone to check on his friend.
"I had to come here for shelter because somone was being really loud. Please, Ace, don't bite Deuce's tongue, and Trey, don't make Cater scream," the housewarden of Heartslabyul replied, making the other four students in the house blush.
"And I suppose you stayed there because it started to rain, right?" Deuce asked, trying to steer the conversation away from them.
Yūken nodded, and answered for his boyfriend:
"Since it was pouring, Riddle spent the night here in Ramshackle. It wasn't a good idea to go out in the middle of a storm."
"And you slept together? I bet Grim had the bed to himself," Trey remarked, rubbing his head.
Riddle looked away nervously before stepping back a little from Yūken as he said:
"I see a hickey on your neck, Clover."
Trey cleared his throat as he adjusted the collar of his pajamas, then asked, having noticed something:
"Isn't that one of Yū's T-shirts? I remember seeing him wear it one of those times I went to Ramshackle to bring him some candy during his 'vacation' back then."
Riddle raised both eyebrows, blushing, and before abruptly hanging up, said:
"Guess what we've been doing to get me to wear his shirt. Do you think you and your boyfriend were doing the same thing tonight?" On his mind, Riddle was grinning, imagining the dumbfounded looks on his friends' faces when they heard that.
"Ew!" Ace protested once Riddle hung up. "Dude, because of you I found out something I didn't want to know."
Deuce bit his lower lip as he smiled and looked at Cater, then asked him:
"Should you tell him or should I?"
Cater pouted as he nodded, and cleared his throat before turning to Ace and saying:
"Honey, Riddle's asexual. In no universe has he ever been doing what Trey and I were doing."
"And the same goes for Yū, don't you remember he told us? Riddle probably took a shower and Yu gave him a change of clothes while he looks for something his size," Deuce added.
While Ace made a face of confusion, Trey tilted his head and thought aloud:
"Well, maybe they didn't do anything like that, but Riddle's lips were red."
“I thought that was their natural color,” Deuce remarked.
“No, their lips are pink, but Trey’s right: their lips were red, and Yū’s lower lip was slightly swollen, so they…” Cater replied.
“Oh, for Seven’s sake!” Ace and Deuce exclaimed simultaneously, disgusted at the thought of their housewarden kissing their friend.
Trey sighed, defeated, while Cater laughed, amused by the whole morning conversation.
-MGGBBRAE