"Riiiiiddle!"
Yuu awoke with a start, eyes wide as she examined her surroundings.
She winced at the sudden, loud, "Yuu!" That resounded directly next to her ear.
"Ugh, not so loud..." She grumbled, sitting up shakily, noting that she was only slightly banged up.
"Sorry!" Yuu looked at the cat monster, who looked as if he'd been crying. "Guys! She's awake!" He called to the others, scrambling to the Headmage, gaining his attention.
"Miss Yuu!" The Headmage made his way over to her, grabbing her face in his hand and examining her. He sighed in relief before bonking her with his staff.
"What about standing firm, did you not understand?!" He crowed, irked at her recklessness.
"Sorry, sir. But it was the only thing I could do..." She apologized awkwardly, raising her hand as if asking him to help her up, which Crowley did, however, picking her up and carrying her, rather than letting her walk.
"Wha- Headmage! I can walk!" She yelped, face red as a rose from the embarrassment.
From beside where she'd woken, Riddle shot up, disoriented and terrified.
"He's back!" Ace remarked, noticing Yuu's current position.
"Well, it's about time... We were just about losin' our heads here - figure of speech, sorry - 'cause we thought you might never wake up!" Cater remarked, attempting to lighten the mood. He shot an awkward grin at Yuu, who reciprocated, squirming to get the headmage to put her down.
"What in the world happened...?" Riddle yelped with a gasp. His eyes locked onto Yuu, who gave him a soft smile.
"Ah, Mr. Rosehearts appears to have regained consciousness. Excellent." Crowley stated, finally allowing himself to let her walk. Yuu stumbled a bit, but managed to regain her balance.
The pregnant woman made her way over to the fragile boy, standing near him, giving him a gentle smile.
Trey gently pushed Riddle into a more relaxed position. "Don't worry, Riddle. Just try to rest." He looked at Yuu, allowing her to come closer.
Yuu was promptly pulled back by Ace, who huffed in annoyance.
"Yo, that's just the sort of coddling that led to him going nuts in the first place!" He gestured dramatically to the dorm's once beautiful garden as if demonstrating his evidence. "Now the garden is torn up from the floor up, not to mention that we could've died!"
Yuu scowled, gently tugging her arm out of Ace's grasp, but sighed, nodding.
"Hate to admit it, but he makes a good point, I guess."
"They're right. It was looking bad for a while there." Deuce agreed.
"For cryin' out loud. When you humans let that stress build up, the results sure ain't pretty." Grim hissed, scampering up Yuu's leg and back, perching himself on her shoulder.
Riddle, while completely disoriented and just barely conscious, bit his lip, averting his eyes in shame. Yuu fought the urge to go and protect the boy.
"The truth is, I... I really wanted to eat the chestnut tart." He began, shocking Ace.
"And I don't care if the roses are white, or the flamingos are pink. And I prefer honey to sugar cubes in my tea, and I like milk tea better than lemon tea anyhow. And after a meal, I want to be the one sitting around talking with everyone..." Riddle began to ramble, Trey looking concerned for his childhood friend.
"Riddle...?"
"And I really wanted to play with you and Chenya more, Trey." Riddle's voice cracked once more, sniffling as tears began to spill. Yuu's eyes widened as she went to the boy, who had begun sobbing loudly.
"Woah there... easy." She said, attempting to ease the crying boy.
"Riddle Rosehearts, in tears... Hashtag #WOW." Cater said, disbelieving.
"You think a few crocodile tears is all it'll take for me to forgive you?" Ace scoffed, getting nudged in the ribs by Deuce.
"Give the guy a break, Ace." He said, watching awkwardly as Yuu shot a look at Ace.
"I'm sorry, Riddle. I knew you were suffering, and all I did was pretend not to notice." Trey apologized, making Riddle sob harder.
"So I'm gonna say what I should have said earlier. Your way of doing things was wrong, and you owe everyone an apology." The vice housewarden told Riddle, who struggled to regain a bit of composure.
"... I'm sorry... I'm really sorry." He cried, closing his eyes.
Ace paused, considering the apology for a moment. Yuu eyed the ginger suspiciously as he took a breath to speak.
"I know I've been saying I wanted an apology from Riddle, but now that I got one, y'know what?" He inhaled again before scowling. "One stupid 'I'm sorry' doesn't even come close to making up for what he did!"
Yuu's jaw dropped at Ace's lack of sympathy, clearly shocking the others present.
"DUDE! Way to be a capital-J Jerk!" Cater commented while Yuu simply stared.
"And proud of it! Have you forgotten how he made a total fool outta me?!" Ace growled. "Have you forgotten how he just threw away that chestnut tart we worked so hard on?! That ain't something you can make go away with a few tears and a flimsy 'I'm sorry'!"
Grim looked surprised before speaking. "Wow. I ain't never met anyone who was better at holdin' grudges than I am."
Yuu nodded. "I think that may be the pettiest guy I've ever met in my life. And coming from my family, that's saying something.
Riddle looked at Ace, doe-eyed and scared. "Then... Then what do you want me to do?!"
Ace paused for a moment.
"You know... I don't got a birthday coming up anytime soon." He mentioned casually, leaving the group confused.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Deuce asked aloud, looking at Ace.
Ace ignored him, walking over to Riddle.
"So I demand a do-over for the unbirthday party! Except this time, we ain't gotta do squat. This time, YOU'RE the one who brings the tart!" He pointed at Riddle, who stared incredulously.
"And no getting Trey to make it for you! Do that, and then things are square between us." Ace quickly added.
Yuu felt herself scoff at Ace's remark. "This from the guy that begged us all to help his make his tart." She gestured toward Ace, making Grim and Deuce snicker.
"Quiet from the peanut gallery!" Ace barked as he cleared his throat. "Anyway... What do you say, Riddle? We clear?" Ace flicked Riddle's forehead, making Riddle blink in surprise before he slowly nodded in agreement.
"Yes... We're clear."
The group jumped at the sudden boisterous laugh behind them.
"Ah, yes. Compromise is a beautiful thing. I believe that concludes this matter." Crowley smiled.
YOU ARE READING
Expectations When Expecting
Fanfiction"Memories of the previous hour danced across her memory like a flurry of snowflakes in a snowstorm. Images of a white and azure colored clinic and a doctor smiling assuredly while she delivered hopeful and terrifying news to her. Pregnant? Her? She...
