The other side of a glass tank - Octavinelle (& Twisted Wonderland) X Reader

Chapter 40 - Apologizing

"Riddle!"

"Gah!" You, the magicless prefect and the aforementioned housewarden were all suddenly pulled out from that dream-like world, back to the current reality.

"They're all back!" Ace exclaimed as he was crouched down in front of you.

"Well, it's about time... We were just about losin our heads here-" Cater sighed heavily and started, then suddenly stopping for half a moment to get a second take to what he had just said.

"Figure of speech, sorry- 'cause we thought you might never wake up!" He quickly added, nervously twisting a strand of his hair with his finger.

Yuu was still getting back to their senses when Grim suddenly leaped on their lap without a word, almost tackling them down. They confusedly looked down at him and gently stroked his head with the back of their hand.

"... What in the world happened...?" Riddle panted as he looked around the tattered garden with wide eyes. He seemed to be trembling so you gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

His gaze immediately snapped on you almost in a panic, but seeing your soft expression seemed to calm him down a whole lot, letting loose to a bit of the tension in his body.

"Ah, the professor, Mr. Rosehearts and young Yuu appear to have regained consciousness. Excellent." Crowley, who had apparently come back as you were unconscious, spoke with a delighted smile.

"I'd like to thank you for assisting my students, esteemed professor. I'm desolated for not being able to call for help in time." The man then said, bowing his head politely to you. Shouldn't he worry more about his students, rather than your intake on the emergency?

"Don't worry, Riddle. Just try to rest." Trey told his childhood friend, speaking in a low tone.

"Yo, that's just the sort of coddling that led to him going nuts in the first place!" The first year ginger scowled in annoyance while looking at his upperclassman and you gently tugged his sleeve, quietly asking him to tone it down while smiling wryly.

He almost sulked and spoke again, a bit quieter than a moment before. "What? Now the garden is tore up from the floor up, not to mention that we could've died." He said with a slight scoff, crossing his arms.

"He's right. It was looking bad for a while there." Deuce agreed as he supported you and dark blonde prefect up with an hand behind both of your backs.

"For cryin' out loud. When you humans let that stress build up, the results sure ain't pretty." Grim grumbled as he crossed his paws over his fluffy chest and remained sitting on Yuu's lap.

There was a moment of silence until you felt someone gripping the sleeve of the arm you had reached out toward Riddle, since you still had your hand on his shoulder.

"The truth is, I..." The redhead began speaking in a really quiet tone, which was a little rough from the yelling earlier.

"I really wanted to eat the chestnut tart." He admitted, taking everyone a bit off guard.

"And I don't care if the roses are white, or the flamingos are pink." He kept going despite everyone's confusion.

"And I prefer honey to sugar cubes in my tea, and I like milk tea better than lemon tea anyhow." His voice gradually became more strained as the grip on your sleeve became tighter.

Yuu had already gotten up with Deuce's help, but you stayed seated on the grass beside Riddle, feeling like he needed the support, even if it just meant offering him your presence.

"And after a meal, I want to be the one sitting around talking with everyone..." Tears started swelling up in his grayish blue eyes and his words started to turn shaky and dragged out.