Chapter Text
“Congratulations on securing your spot as Dorm Head, Riddle-san.”
Riddle Rosehearts looks up from putting his books in his school bag. History class with Mozus Trein has just ended, and he’s eager to head off to the cafeteria. It’s past noon, much later than he’s used to eating lunch, but despite his hunger, he still acknowledges the classmate addressing him. After all, rule number 20 of Her Highness, the Queen of Hearts, dictates that one must always heed the word of whoever’s speaking, no matter what—with the only exception being if the speaker is a rule-breaker making excuses for themselves.
He finds himself having to hold his head quite high to meet the eyes of the other party: a teenager with teal hair accentuated by a long, black bang hanging off the side of his face. With his impressive height and his straight standing posture, the still-sitting, admittedly-not-nearly-as-tall Riddle feels like he’s straining his neck just by looking at him.
“Jade Leech,” he greets, having memorized all of his peers’ names by the end of the first day of school. It would have been unbecoming had he not done so. “Thank you. I suppose word travels fast?”
“Of course. The entire school is talking about it.” Jade places a hand on his heart, closing his eyes in thought. “For a first-year to usurp the position from his upperclassman only a week into the year… It’s very impressive. I couldn’t help but want to congratulate you on such an outstanding feat.”
Riddle’s not sure how he feels about being the newest subject of gossip on campus. He only challenged the previous Dorm Head to a magic duel because he didn’t like how openly he was disregarding the rules of Her Highness, the Queen of Hearts. Shouldn’t someone in a leadership position take that sort of thing more seriously? What good are rules if no one is going to uphold them?
He opts to let Jade know that. “Once again, thank you, but I didn’t do it to appear ‘impressive’ to others. I just couldn’t stand by and watch him undermine Heartslabyul and its order any longer.”
Jade’s eyes widen for a moment like he’s surprised at how open Riddle is. He recovers quickly, however; his smile returns, and he chuckles. “I see. A stickler for the rules, are you not?”
Riddle finds himself bristling at that, but the other boy continues before he can properly retort.
“That is not an insult.” Jade opens his eyes again, and for the first time, Riddle notices that they don’t reflect his smile. “I have a close friend who also values organization. He himself is aiming to become Octavinelle’s Dorm Head eventually, and he has promised to appoint me as Vice Dorm Head whenever that happens. I’m sure he would appreciate any pointers you may offer, so he can… achieve his goal sooner.”
“...I’ll pass,” Riddle says slowly, not liking the way Jade’s outright grinning by now, revealing an entire row of sharp teeth. He has a hunch there’s something underneath that polite exterior, and he’s not sure he wants to open himself up to that. “If he really wants to be Dorm Head, then he should work for it himself. He must show to everyone that he’s capable of leading them without any outside help.”
Jade closes his mouth, his expression falling back to something more neutral. “I see.” If he’s disappointed that Riddle has refused him, he doesn’t show it. “Well, thank you, anyway. I’m sorry to have kept you—”
“Jaaaaade! What’s taking you so long?”
A loud, shrill voice cuts through their conversation, almost causing Riddle to jump out of his seat in surprise. He turns in the direction of the interruption, ready to chide whoever it is for so rudely butting in, only for his words to melt on his tongue when he’s greeted with the sight of a second Jade.
Or, no, that is perhaps inaccurate. Sure, the individual standing in the doorway looks like the mirror image of Jade, but all signs indicate that this is a different person entirely. Between the unironed shirt and the lack of a tie, his school uniform is clearly a lot messier, as if he overslept in the morning and threw it on in five seconds to avoid being late to class. His mismatched eyes droop lazily in contrast to Jade’s sharp ones, and he’s wearing a pout, not unlike one of a petulant child.
If Jade represents orderliness and tranquility, this one seems to represent chaos and madness. At least, just based on looks. He gets the sense that there’s nothing tranquil or orderly about Jade Leech.
“Floyd…” Jade sighs with a mix of exasperation and affection. “I told you to wait outside.”
“You were taking too long, and I got bored.” The lookalike—Floyd—waltzes into the classroom and approaches them, and it’s only then that Riddle notices that everyone else, even Trein, has already left. “C’mon, I’m hungry! The small fry are gonna take all the good stuff!”
“Ah, forgive me. I suppose I got a little sidetracked.” Jade’s eyes return to Riddle, offering a look of apology. “Pardon the intrusion, Riddle-san. This is my twin, Floyd.”
Twins. Of course. He should’ve realized that instead of automatically considering that Jade somehow had the same unique magic as his upperclassman Cater. After all, there’s no way that any version of Jade would act so sloppily, right?
Floyd’s face lights up in realization. “Riddle? You mean, the one who became Dorm Head a week into school?” He bends down as if to examine Riddle more closely, and the latter can’t help but fidget at the looming presence. “That’s you? Wooow, you’re smaller than I expected.”
Riddle’s jaw drops, and his voice returns to him in an instant. “Excuse me?!”
Floyd nods like he didn’t just spout the most offensive thing. “Yeah! I was expecting this real huge guy, sorta like those guys from Savanaclaw? Heartslabyul’s old Dorm Head isn’t that short, so I didn’t think someone who looked like you could beat him! That’s so interesting~”
Riddle feels his face heat up more and more with each word coming out of Floyd’s mouth. “You… How dare you?!” He looks to Jade for help. Jade, in return, shows no indication that he’s about to defend him from his brother. “Do you know who you’re talking to?!”
“Ehhh? 'Course I do.” Floyd crosses his arms, and he smiles. “Didn’t I just say that you beat the old Dorm Head?”
“That was rhetorical!”
“Haha, your face is so red,” Floyd laughs. “You’re small and red… like a goldfish! You’re so funny, looking at me like that~”
“Are you even listening to me?!” Riddle swears he’s about to blow a fuse. “Jade, what are you doing?! Are you just going to stand by and let him treat me this way?!”
“My apologies,” Jade speaks up, though it’s clear he’s not apologetic at all. “Come now, Floyd, we must go to the cafeteria. If we hurry, we might still be able to get that sandwich you were interested in.”
“Oh, right!” Floyd turns to leave as Jade begins to make his way to the door, but he can’t help but shoot one last amused look at Riddle. “You’re really funny, Goldfish. Hope to see you again soon~”
Riddle almost decapitates him for that, but he and Jade are too quick. They’re out of sight before the new Dorm Head can take his magical pen out of his breast pocket.
What an ill-mannered student! he fumes as he resumes putting away his things. Though the interaction ended rather quickly, he still can’t help the fury building up in the pit of his stomach. He feels relieved that Jade’s the one that’s his classmate because although there’s definitely something fishy about him, he’s at least decent enough to treat him with the respect he deserves.
Or maybe not, considering how he just let Floyd say all of that until Riddle called him out. Still, it’s not like his classmate blatantly looks down on him, so his point still stands.
He just hopes that, contrary to Floyd’s wishes, he does not see him again any time soon. Or, if not that, he gets reprimanded by his brother about basic social etiquette, so he doesn’t demean him like that ever again. He’s not sure he can handle four years of Night Raven College with a sound mind if this is what he has to put up with.
But Floyd neither leaves him alone nor gains a better sense of how to treat others, not the next time they meet, not the next time after that, and definitely not the next time after that. And for the next few years of his life, Riddle is forced to put up with it, to do his best to survive someone who quickly becomes the bane of his school life.
To think that the student who became Dorm Head a week after entering Night Raven College can so easily be brought down with one single, stupid nickname.