Chapter Text
The sound of Riddle’s pen scratching against paper and the flipping of his textbook’s pages was the only noise he heard, his mind automatically tuning out all of the background noises that threatened to ruin his focus. No thoughts entered his mind but the content he was studying, his eyes flicking over the words lying on pages packed with information he had to memorize before the upcoming test.
It was familiar, something that came more naturally to Riddle than breathing. Studying was nothing new to him, as he was not only the housewarden of the dorm praised for its strictness, but was also the student whose name could always be found at the top of all exam results. He worked hard to make sure that his name stayed there, inscribed on the paper in opaque black ink, next to the pristine 100% that signified his perfect score.
The crimson-haired boy was seated at an old wooden table, textbooks and papers arranged in front of him in neat piles, and was engrossed in his studies. He was focused on retaining the information, completely in his own world where everything was neatly laid out for him to understand on crisp, white textbook pages and homework problems.
Riddle did his best to eliminate all possible distractions while studying, whether that be by turning his phone on silent or by simply studying alone. It was common knowledge that a calm, quiet environment devoid of distractions was essential for a successful study session.
However, some things were out of his control–or rather, some people.
“Goldfishie~!”
The voice shattered Riddle’s concentration immediately, the gravelly voice grating against his brain as Riddle sighed in annoyance. He didn’t bother replying, knowing fully well that nothing he said could help him escape his fate. After all, Riddle knew from experience that attempting to study whenever Floyd was around was harder than any test he could be given.
Floyd leaned forward, his body obscuring the light from reaching the page Riddle was previously attempting to read as he craned his neck to peer at the textbook lying in front of the redhead.
“Whatcha doin’?” Floyd probed, either not noticing the red beginning to creep up Riddle’s face or choosing to ignore it in favor of provoking him more.
“I was studying, before you so rudely decided to disrupt me,” Riddle huffed, crossing his arms and looking up at Floyd. The merman’s mismatched eyes met Riddle’s storm-gray ones, and Riddle noted the amusement lingering in his irises with a frown. Floyd, on the other hand, grinned as he noticed the irritated expression that the smaller boy wore.
“Ehh, studyin’s not all that important. Shouldn’t ya be spending your lunch break having, I dunno, a break?”
“Of course you would say that.” Riddle turned back to his papers, aware that he still had content he wanted to get through before the end of his break.
“But it’s true! I mean, don’tcha get bored sittin’ here all by yourself, like some lone fish?”
“I am doing perfectly alright without distractions. Now, I would like to get back to studying, so if it isn’t too difficult for you, I’d appreciate it if you left me alone,” Riddle replied, his voice pointed. He picked up his pen once again, trying to signal that he was done with their conversation. But Floyd was never one to pick up on cues, or if he did, he simply didn’t care.
“Sounds pretty boring to me!” Floyd plopped himself down in a chair next to Riddle, leaning against the back of the chair and kicking his feet forward. Riddle had to bite his tongue to stop him from reprimanding Floyd for his horrendous posture, a few rules about maintaining appearances entering his mind. “Don’tcha wanna do something fun instead?”
Riddle scoffed in annoyance at the merman’s blatant insolence.
“I have a history exam coming up, and I cannot afford to be anything less than completely prepared for it! Neglecting studying just because of boredom is an incredibly immature mindset!”
Floyd only laughed, leaning over Riddle’s shoulder to peer at the notebook adorned with lines of neat handwriting.
“Wow, Goldfishie, you never stop working, huh?”
“My name–”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever, I think Goldfishie suits ya better.” Floyd rested his head on one hand, gazing up at Riddle with a wide, lazy smile. “‘sides, it doesn’t hurt to spend one little lunch break doing somethin’ other than studying for once, right?”
Floyd’s downturned eyes met Riddle’s once again, and he held his gaze as he spoke his next words.
“Even you need to take breaks sometimes, y’know. It can’t be healthy to spend way too much time staring at a buncha words.”
Riddle felt his face get warm, and he dropped Floyd’s gaze as he instead stared at his paper once again. Was Floyd Leech , of all people, actually attempting to give him genuine advice? Riddle would have thought that would be as likely as Crowley actually doing his job.
Although, Riddle had been studying nearly nonstop for the past week, so perhaps it wouldn’t be detrimental for him to take a short break. Maybe Floyd did have a point, although Riddle wasn’t keen on admitting that the bothersome eel could ever say anything reasonable.
“I suppose a few minutes of a break couldn’t hurt…” he started, before he was abruptly cut off by the sound of a bell ringing through the air, signifying the end of lunch break.
Riddle had completely lost track of time and had let himself get distracted, resulting in him not getting the appropriate amount of studying in! This meant he would have to adjust his schedule to fit in extra studying time before going to bed if he didn’t want to fall behind and risk not completing all the studying necessary before his test.
“Argh, Floyd! Because you distracted me, I was unable to complete studying section 4.2 of the history of mages. This will throw off my schedule for the rest of the day…” Riddle fumed, standing up abruptly and collecting his books.
He picked up his bag and turned on his heels, muttering about how he was to get to class two minutes early to set a good example as the housewarden of Heartslabyul.
Floyd remained seated, his head still resting on his hand as he watched Riddle’s retreating figure, a slightly disappointed expression on his face. He had gotten so close to convincing Riddle to finally do something other than studying for once, if it hadn’t been for that annoying bell.
Floyd disliked seeing him so serious all the time, his eyes always lost in thought and a frown permanently painted onto his face. He preferred it when Riddle paid attention to him, or at least had some expression other than that stoic seriousness he carried around like a bag of weights. He liked seeing him get all annoyed and mad, his face turning the same pretty shade of red as his hair.
Floyd also noticed that he found himself in a good mood after teasing the short-tempered boy, as if his own gloomy moods could be lifted just by talking with Riddle. It was interesting, a mystery that Floyd hadn’t yet been able to figure out. After all, it wasn’t just anyone who piqued Floyd’s interest, and interesting was one of the many ways to describe Riddle.
***
Riddle strode through the hallways of Night Raven College with his head held high and pace brisk, forever the perfect example of a model student even when those around him were too preoccupied to pay him any attention. The hallways were as crowded as usual, with students from every dorm pushing past each other to get to their next class and the air filled with noise from various conversations as people walked past each other.
Riddle clutched the covers of his books tighter as he made his way towards his next class, his mind rearranging his duties for after school to slot in some extra study time to make up for his earlier blunder. It was essential for him to review all the required material for the exam if he wanted to continue his record of perfect marks, especially considering just how soon the exam was.
Riddle continued on, his feet leading him down the familiar path that he had walked countless times before without sparing a thought, allowing him to get lost in his mind during the short walk between classes. The housewarden was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn’t notice the figure in front of him until his path was abruptly cut off as he crashed into the student.
Stepping back in surprise, Riddle looked up to see a familiar merman peering down at him in curiosity.
“Well, what do we have here?” Jade looked down at Riddle with a pleasant smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Is there any way I can assist you, Riddle?”
Riddle coughed, hugging his books closer to his chest as he face began to turn red with embarrassment.
“My apologies, Jade. I didn’t notice you standing there.”
“You’re looking awfully frustrated today, Riddle. Is something the matter? I would be more than willing to help with any grievances you may have,” Jade inquired, his voice laced with feigned concern. As if Riddle didn’t know better than to trust a sinister eel like him.
Riddle felt himself growing increasingly impatient under Jade’s scrutinizing gaze. He wanted to end this conversation as quickly as possible so he could continue on his way towards class. Even just the thought of being late was absolutely unacceptable, and time was ticking down. But proper manners were just as important as being on time, as clearly highlighted in many of the Queen of Heart’s rules.
“Thank you for your concern, but nothing is the matter,” the redhead replied, matching the eel’s insincere politeness with his own. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must head to class.”
Riddle had begun to walk away, fully intent on ending the conversation then and there, when Jade spoke up once again.
“Ah, is it Floyd who’s bothering you again?”
Riddle felt his frown deepen as he turned around once again to meet Jade’s innocent smile.
It was well-known that Floyd had been following Riddle around, annoying him whenever he got the opportunity. Jade was especially familiar with Riddle’s complaints about the troubles that his brother brought, and yet, he made no effort to prevent Floyd from seeking Riddle out and pestering him to no end. Instead, Jade chose to observe with an amused expression, claiming that Floyd’s actions were out of his control.
So to have the merman inquire about whether or not his brother was the source of Riddle’s frustration when the answer was blatantly obvious only served to make his blood boil further.
And that annoying grin Jade was wearing certainly wasn’t helping.
“Yes, he is, as he does nearly every day. As his brother, surely there must be something you can do about it? I cannot afford to have such distractions if I am to remain at the top of my class,” Riddle replied, his eyes narrowing as he eyed the taller boy.
Jade’s hand moved to rest on his chin as he considered his words with a thoughtful expression.
“I suppose I could try, though I cannot promise that he will listen.” Jade grinned wider, his sharp teeth framing his expression. “I’d be happy to assist you with this small favor. I do wonder what I’ll ask for in return.”
Riddle frowned, reminded of just who he was talking to. The scheming glint in Jade’s eye banished any thought of the possibility that Jade would be willing to help Riddle; no pesky nuisance would be worth becoming indebted to the vice housewarden of Octavinelle over.
“Just–forget it! I’ll be leaving now.”
Despite Riddle’s words, he found himself once again roped back into the conversation as Jade made another remark, his tone flippant and casual despite Riddle’s clear irritation.
“Although, are you sure that you would like Floyd to stop seeking you out? As it would appear to me that you don’t dislike his presence as much as you may claim.”
Riddle bristled immediately, successfully riled up once again. What was Jade trying to imply? Floyd was nothing but a nuisance, an annoyance who prevented Riddle from being efficient and distracted him when he was trying to focus. He was nothing but a rule breaker: the very embodiment of chaos and disorder.
Riddle did not enjoy his presence. End of story.
“I do not associate with rule breakers, and Floyd is no exception!”
Jade paused, pretending to think over Riddle’s words for a moment before responding.
“Ah, I just assumed that perhaps you didn’t mind Floyd as much, considering I see you both together an awful lot lately. My apologies for making such an incorrect assumption.” He didn’t even try to hide his smirk as he watched Riddle’s face contort into a multitude of expressions as he tried to process his words and formulate a coherent response.
The housewarden recovered quickly, checking his watch before leveling Jade with a glare.
“I must get going now if I want to make it to class on time. Goodbye, Jade.”
The red-haired boy stalked off without waiting for a reply.
But as Riddle walked through the halls of the magic academy once again, Jade’s words replayed themselves in his head; a constant cacophony of ‘ It would appear to me that you don’t dislike his presence as much as you may claim ’ ringing in his ears.
With an irritated huff, Riddle shook his head as he stomped off in the direction of his next class.
“Curse those damn Leech twins…” he muttered, annoyance covering any other feelings that had been swirling in his mind. He made a mental note to reprimand Floyd himself the next time he saw him.
After all, Riddle was the Head of Heartslabyul, and he would not fall victim to such trivial distractions.
***
The light of a lamp sitting neatly at the corner of Riddle’s desk illuminated his notebooks with a soft hue, highlighting the careful notes inscribed on the nearly filled page. The housewarden’s crimson hair framed his face; his slightly furrowed eyebrows and concentrated look in his gray eyes outlined by locks of bright red.
As Riddle’s eyes scanned the last of the printed words of the section he was currently reading, he allowed himself to set his pen down on the desk and peel his eyes off his studies. Folding his arms neatly in his lap, Riddle leaned back in his chair and surveyed his notes with satisfaction. He had made good progress; at this rate, he would be back on track in no time.
The red-haired boy stood up and stretched, his eyes glancing over to the clock resting on the desk near his bed. The pointed hands on the clock informed him that it was 7:42 PM: an ideal time for an evening stroll, had he not had more studies to get through before the end of the day. Although, Riddle supposed that a simple change in scenery wouldn’t do any harm, as long as the new study spot was just as quiet and peaceful as his personal dorm room.
The gardens of the Heartslabyul dorm fit the requirements well enough, as long as no students were out causing any disruptions. Besides, if that were to be the case, Riddle would take care of that quickly by taking their head.
Riddle gathered the few things he’d need–some textbooks, a notebook, and his pen–before exiting his room and making his way through the winding hallways of Heartslabyul. He navigated the dorm easily, as Riddle had made sure to memorize the entirety of the dorm’s layout early in his assignment to the dorm of strictness. After all, what kind of housewarden would he be if he couldn’t even find his way around his own dorm?
It wasn’t long before Riddle reached his destination, exiting the dorm and walking towards a secluded area out of sight of the main entrance. It was unlikely that anyone would approach him, lest they lose their head, but it didn’t hurt to take a few precautions to avoid any possible distractions.
He found a spot in the shadow of a tree with white, unpainted roses and a warm green hue, the colorless flowers dull in comparison to the lush grass and evening sky. Riddle laid out his study material, taking a moment to soak in the view before him. The walls of the maze wove around the pristine lawn, twists and turns hidden behind tangled bushes. The weather was pleasant; a cool breeze drifted across the empty gardens, carrying leaves to rest below the trees of all shapes and sizes. He could’ve sworn he heard a bird quietly singing, the sound drifting through the cool air. It was a welcome change to the rigid order forever present in Riddle’s own room.
A small smile made its way onto Riddle’s face, and he let out a soft hum as he opened his notebook once again. His eyes scanned his previous notes, refamiliarizing himself with the content he had just gone over. Once he felt sufficiently ready, he reached over to grab his textbook, his eyes not leaving the pages covered with writing.
But his fingers met open air in the spot where his book had previously been. Riddle looked to his side, and sure enough, his textbook was gone.
“Lookin’ for this, Goldfishie?” a painfully familiar voice spoke.
The crimson-haired boy whipped around to see Floyd leaning against a tree, Riddle’s textbook in hand. The merman flipped through the pages lazily, his eyes barely scanning each page as a disinterested expression graced his features.
“Mannn, this looks boring. Still studying the same stuff from lunch, huh?”
Riddle stared at him in shock for a few moments, processing the fact Floyd Leech was indeed here , in the Heartslabyul gardens–in Riddle’s dorm–holding his textbook and leaning against a tree too short for his absurd amount of height. Was Riddle never allowed a single moment of respite?
He sprang to his feet, balling his hands into fists as he glared up at Floyd, his cheeks already filling with color and annoyance.
“Floyd Leech ,” he hissed, “give me back my textbook this instant.”
The moray merely grinned a sharp-toothed smile, positively beaming despite the murder lurking in Riddle’s eyes. If looks could kill, Floyd’s head would already be rolling down the lawn.
“Mm, I don’t really wanna. That’s no fun.” He didn’t even look up from the textbook as he spoke, purposefully provoking Riddle by refusing to comply.
Riddle gritted his teeth, his face quickly turning the same shade of red as his hair as his irritation increased. He was in no mood to entertain Floyd, especially considering the fact that the merman was the main reason he had more work to complete in the first place. Floyd’s behavior was absolutely unacceptable; the number of rules he’d broken in such a short time was more than enough to warrant losing his head over already.
“Whatsa matter, Goldfishie? You’re startin’ to get really red, just like an actual goldfish,” Floyd laughed, finally looking up from Riddle’s textbook to meet the shorter boy’s eyes with a teasing look.
Riddle’s patience finally wore out, and he whipped out his magical pen and pointed it at Floyd in one swift motion.
“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”
But the spell never landed, overridden with the eel’s own unique magic. Riddle barely resisted the urge to stomp his foot in frustration or simply leave, his own stubbornness keeping him where he was. Of course today was one of those days where Floyd was in a good enough mood to use his unique spell, rendering Riddle’s own magic useless against him. It was beyond aggravating.
“Ya don’t need to get so mad, Goldfishie!” Floyd remarked. “‘sides, it can’t be too good to use your unique magic so much. Especially since ya overblotted not that long ago and stuff, y’know.”
Floyd shrugged, his tone casual, as if he had just made an unimportant comment on the weather. Riddle was caught somewhat off guard, and he lowered his pen in surprise, fixing Floyd with a scrutinizing look. This wasn’t the first time he’d said something resembling advice in one day, as if he hadn’t been annoying Riddle just a few moments earlier. His intentions were just as confusing as ever, and Riddle felt like his head was spinning even thinking about it.
“Soo, Goldfishie, you want this textbook back or not?”
That served to get Riddle’s focus back on Floyd, bringing him back to his present situation. Floyd was looking at Riddle once again, his lips curved up into an irritating smile as his fingers curled around the cover of the textbook.
The redhead approached Floyd with his hands on his hips, meeting his gaze with a pointed look.
“If you may, I would like my textbook back right now,” he demanded.
But nothing with Floyd was ever that easy. Riddle knew that he had dug himself into a hole at the sight of the lazy smile that spread on the merman’s face, mischief filling his eyes as he grinned brightly.
“Well, come and get it, then.”
Riddle reached out to snatch the textbook back, but Floyd tauntingly held it over his head, well out of the shorter boy’s reach.
A frustrated sound came from Riddle’s throat as he glared up at Floyd.
“Did you seriously come to Heartslabyul just to annoy me, Floyd? Is there nothing better to be doing, such as working at Mostro Lounge with Azul and Jade?” his voice was laced with exasperation as he shook his head, anger replaced with a milder feeling of annoyance.
“Yup! I came here just to see you, Goldfishie! No one’s as fun as you are!” Floyd replied cheerfully, as if there were nothing more obvious.
Riddle felt his face go warm once again–his cheeks dusted with a light hue of pink–although this time it wasn’t due to anger.
Floyd laughed, the raspy sound filling Riddle’s ears and only serving to darken the blush on his face.
“Aha ha, you should see how red your face is! Are you mad again?” he leaned closer, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Or is it ‘cause of somethin’ else?”
Riddle was caught off guard once again, and he fumbled for the words to respond. Suddenly registering just how close Floyd was to him, he took a step back as he attempted to compose himself. He let out another frustrated sigh, dragging his hand down his face as though he could wipe the blush away.
“Floyd,” he hissed, “just hand me my textbook and exit these premises immediately. I don’t have time for silly games.”
“Whaaat? Ya sure you want me to leave? You looked like you were havin’ fun,'' Floyd protested.
Riddle glared at him. “There is nothing ‘fun’ about this! Leave, lest I drag you out of here myself!”
“Ooo, Goldfishie’s gonna drag me all the way to Octavinelle? Ya sure you can reach me up here, though?”
Riddle fumed at the jab towards his height, painfully aware of how he had to practically crane his neck to look at Floyd when standing near him. How could someone so annoying also be so tall ?
Truthfully, Riddle threats held no volume towards the moray. His unique magic and spells couldn’t help him when up against Floyd’s unique magic, and Riddle’s physical strength was no match against Floyd’s. He would have to hope that the teal-haired boy’s mood swings would cause him to lose interest in bothering Riddle soon, although Floyd seemed determined to completely wear out Riddle’s patience.
“Hey hey, I have an idea! Why don’t we play a little game?”
Riddle narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He did not like the sound of that.
“You want me to give ya your textbook back, right? Then all you gotta do is catch me!”
“Absolutely n–” Riddle started, but was cut off as Floyd took off running, tauntingly waving Riddle’s textbook as he wove through the trees.
“Hey–Floyd!” The housewarden of Heartslabyul sprinted after him, less than happy to be roped into Floyd’s antics once again. “I’ll have your head for this!”
The sound of Floyd’s gravelly laughter echoed through the garden, delighted that Riddle had–though rather unwillingly–taken up his game of tag.
***
Despite Riddle’s best efforts at catching Floyd and various shouted threats, Floyd had the upper hand when it came to stamina and speed. The merman ran fast enough that Riddle couldn’t catch up to him, yet slowed his pace when he noticed the shorter boy falling too far behind, thus making their game of tag never ending.
Riddle continued to chase after him, determined to retrieve his textbook despite the clear disadvantage he had. Usually, he’d have given up and returned to his room by now, as Floyd usually gave the things he stole back a few days later, but this time Riddle needed his textbook to not fall behind on his studies. He was also quite stubborn, never one to give up easily. That trait of his led to him getting caught up in Floyd’s games more often than not, much to Floyd’s joy and to Riddle’s irritation.
Riddle spotted a flash of teal hair turning a corner, ducking out of his line of sight and running out to the main entrance of Heartslabyul. Riddle followed him, only to find himself nearly crashing into the taller boy, who had abruptly stopped just outside the dorm’s gates. Riddle opened his mouth to shout at Floyd once again, when he spotted a nearly identical copy of Floyd standing just past Floyd, a bemused expression resting on his face.
Jade smirked, taking in Riddle’s disheveled and red-faced appearance in contrast to Floyd’s grinning face.
“Hm,” he started, looking directly at Riddle. “Am I interrupting something?”
Riddle was convinced that his face would be permanently stained red at this point. He returned Jade’s smug expression with a glare, their earlier conversation replaying in his mind.
“Whatcha doin’ here, Jade? Goldfishie and I were having fun,” Floyd replied.
“This was not fun in the least!” Riddle protested, turning his glare towards Floyd.
Jade chuckled, purposefully ignoring Riddle’s denial of Floyd’s statement as he turned to his brother.
“I hate to cut your fun short, but Azul wishes to speak with you at the Mostro Lounge. It’s best if you don’t keep him waiting.”
Floyd pouted for a moment, before he turned to Riddle, deciding that he had gotten all the entertainment he wanted from the short-tempered boy for today.
“Here’s ya textbook back, Goldfishie! This was fun, we should do it again sometime!”
And with that, the two Leech brothers walked away, leaving a fuming Riddle standing alone in front of the Heartslabyul dorm.
After taking a moment to collect himself, the crimson-haired boy made his way back to his room, a creeping tiredness starting to take root within his chest. Riddle was eager to return to his room and finally complete his studies before allowing himself to rest, his energy worn out from Floyd’s antics.
Riddle sighed, walking through the winding hallways of Heartslabyul once again before entering his room. He flopped down on his chair, suddenly remembering that he had completely forgotten to rebuke Floyd for his actions earlier in the day.
Oh well , he mused. I’m sure that he’ll seek me out again soon enough .
There would be countless opportunities to scold Floyd in the future. Floyd’s constant presence and pestering had become nearly routine for Riddle, after all.
Riddle opened his textbook once again, determined to make up for lost time. Floyd had managed to distract Riddle from his studies for far too long. And yet…it didn’t feel like a complete loss. As if…maybe Riddle had somewhat enjoyed Floyd’s presence, as if the distraction he provided away from Riddle’s constant workload wasn’t completely disliked by the housewarden.
Ridiculous , he thought. I lost time that could have been spent studying and reviewing .
Any thoughts regarding the merman and the confusing feelings he brought were pushed to the back of Riddle’s mind, locked away somewhere where even Riddle himself would be unable to reach.
It was for the best, he reminded himself. Floyd was a rulebreaker. A nuisance .
What would his mother think if she knew he had been wasting his time on someone like Floyd?