#crashy posts

“Yuuken, what’s your favorite food?” The question was innocent. Everyone else told their favorite foods around the table. Ace with a pick of hamburgers and cherry pie, Deuce with a few egg dishes, and Grim with anything. The thought to say ‘anything’ as well was big in his mind, but the words paused before he could say them. “Well.. I like tomatoes.” Instead a more truthful answer came out. “Tomatoes?” Ace laughed sharply, nudging an elbow into his side. “Really? That’s it? Nothing other than tomatoes?” “Well I like a lot of foods,” He continued, the focus on himself making a flush run to his face. “I like tomatoes, I like yakisoba, I like omurice,” “Pretty simple diet, huh?” He was sure Trey meant well when he said that, but for some reason that made a burning feeling radiate through Yuuken’s chest. “It’s nice to like simple foods like that.” “Is that a simple diet? That’s mostly what I had to eat growing up.” “Huh?” “Well,” He didn’t like those stares, like he said something strange. “...My parents weren’t around a lot of the time, so I had to make food myself.” “Yeah, and he’s a real bad cook!” Grim spoke through layers of cream and crust in his mouth. “He burnt breakfast this mornin’! And the mornin’ before!” “Ooh, if you get lessons you gotta get them from Trey!” Cater chimed in. “Although… how many times did you cut yourself with the knife today?” He glanced down at his bandaged fingers. “Only eight times. That’s a pretty good record, all things considered.”

“Right… Alright, time to use Doodle Suit,” Trey stood from his seat, grabbing the magical pen sitting in his jacket pocket. His face became straight and serious, sparkling white lights gathering around the ruby red jewel of the pen. “Doodle Suit!”

The sparkling lights gather before the slices of the mont blanc, surely casting some sort of magic on it.

“And, this did..?” Ace asked, glancing up at his senior with a raised eyebrow.

“Try it for yourselves,” Yuuken picked up his fork, sliding through the cream like it did before. Maybe it was just his mind overthinking it, but he could taste a tingle on his tongue, the taste of magic.

But instead of the sweet, creamy taste of the mont blanc, Yuuken’s eyes widened in surprise.

“...It tastes like tomatoes.”

“Oh man, mine tastes like omurice!”

“Hah, mine switches between hamburger and cherry pie!”

The taste was perfectly accurate to a tomato. The acidity on his tongue would be exactly like biting into a fresh, ripe one right off the vine. It was like back at home. Yuuken could visibly remember checking the garden each day, until they were ready to harvest and he could taste something fresh, something other than microwave meals or reheated leftovers.

“Yuuken? You okay?” It was Deuce’s voice that shook him out of it. He blinked, not realizing the tears that had gathered at the base of his eye. He blinked them away and glanced back down at the tart, taking another tomato-full bite.

Riddle never understood… Valentine’s day. It was a holiday his Mother never focused on celebrating. It felt like if Riddle never asked about it on the calendar, his Mother wouldn’t have ever talked about it, and he wouldn’t have ever known. ‘It’s a day where kids gorge on sugar, and where adults flaunt their love in performative ways. Really, it’s not a day a good kid like you should focus on, Riddle.’ And that had been his truth, for many years.

— — —

“Treyyyy! Happy Valentine’s!” The voice of Cater made Riddle turn around, wanting his two seniors. Cater’s grin was wide as he held a box of chocolates in one hand, the other on his phone ready to snap a picture for magicam. He couldn’t help the small sound that escaped his nose. “Getting a magicam shot again? I think I remember this happening last year,” The redhead commented, slightly enjoying the embarrassed smile on Trey’s face. “Though, Trey’s face wasn’t in that post.” “Well, last year he was just kinda my model,” Cater admitted, tilting the camera up right until the green haired boy was in view. “But this year, he’s the main star of the post!” “We’re not really dating…” Trey laughed a bit, taking the chocolates in hand. “But I’ll still accept these. I like this brand anyway. Mind if I use them for decorations?” “Aww, you’re not even gonna eat them?” “I don’t really get what’s special about this day anyway.” Riddle turned back to his homework, although the piles of papers were starting to exhaust him. “Is the most romantic time truly in the middle of winter? Most animal reproduction cycles would point to it being around mid to late spring.” “It’s… nothing like that,” Trey let out an awkward laugh, the kind he used whenever he wanted to trail off topic. “Not sure where it started either, but I’m sure the Queen of Hearts used it as an excuse to throw another party.” “Is that a suggestion I hear, Trey?” He teased, the grin got back confirming Trey was teasing too. “I’d rather not today, much too busy.” “Busy?” Cater questioned. A bit of silence hung in there before adding; “Oh! Right, Yuuken wanted to see you sometime today, Dorm Leader.” “...Yuuken?” He looked back up from his papers, and the eyes on both Cater and Trey made him rather worried. The eyes of mischief and tricks. “Tell him I’ll be in Heartslabyul later today. …He should know by now he’s allowed inside the dorm whenever he wishes.” “Well, you know him, Riddle,” Cater snaked an arm around his shoulder. “He’s rather cautious and a rule follower. …Kinda like you!” “Hah-” A quick laugh bubbled through him. “Oh, Yuuken is nothing like me. He’s kind, and sweet..” It had been quite a while since the start of the year. He could still remember thinking how awful and disorderly Yuuken was. That he was ruining the precious order around Night Raven, how he was trampling on all their traditions. In a way, he was right. Yet he couldn’t imagine how nice it would be to be more relaxed. The pressure that had been growing in his heart for years, how that day it was finally released. “Riddle?” Trey’s hand on his other shoulder blinked the Dorm Leader out of his own mind. “You have someplace to be, right?” “O-Oh!” Riddle stood from his chair, grabbing his prepared notes and textbooks. “Right, right, I have to go. I won’t be late, I won’t be late…” He scrambled out of the Dorm, hoping to make it on time to his meeting. And if he was late, it wasn’t his fault that his two right hand men were making a magicam post and distracting him!

—- —- —- 

It felt like it was late when he got back to the dorm’s, and the only thing on his mind was getting something to eat. Dropping off his materials to his room, he was a bit glad that the dorm for once was rather quiet. 

The kitchen looked almost untouched as he walked into it, searching the cabinets and fridge for anything to eat. He settled on a strawberry cake that had been leftover from the most recent unbirthday party. 

He was used to the hustle and bustle of school life by now, but never would he get used to Valentine’s day. The couples around him weren’t flaunting like the way his mother described it, but they weren’t being quiet either. If he had been in a relationship, he would prefer to keep it quiet.

More importantly, now he really wanted to eat something…

“Riddle?” Yuuken knocked gently on the side wall, the dorm leader jumping around with a start. The strawberry cake frosting smeared over the side of his face, already growing red at being startled suddenly. Quickly he grabbed his handkerchief and cleared away the mess across his lips. 

“Yuuken, it’s um… It’s good to see you,” He regained his composure, a polite smile coming to his face. “It’s not very often you visit Heartslabyul.” “I… suppose not.” The taller boy’s reaction made Riddle a tad bit nervous. It wasn’t like the Prefect to act like this. Shy? Almost timid? “...I, um, Riddle..” Instinctually, Riddle was already biting at the skin on his lips and picking at his fingernails. Did he do something to upset him? His mind was racing, trying to think of the possible wrongdoings he had done. He was sure he had become much laxer in the rules than before that happened. Did Yuuken still resent him for that? Well, he would have to, putting everyone in danger like that all because of a stupid, overreaction that lead to an overblot– “Here you are!” Riddle jumped again, hearing Yuuken shout out so suddenly. Before the apology could even spill from his mouth, he finally registered what was in his hands. A heart shaped box, inside sitting… lumps of coal, that could only be vaguely described as chocolate. He swore his heart skipped a beat or two. “Is… are these..?” “I’m sorry,” Yuuken quickly jumped in with his own apology. “They look terrible. I should’ve let Trey help me with them, but I really wanted to finish them on my own..” “No, oh, no no! These look great!” He picked up one of the chocolates with his fingers, feeling it flake away under his touch. That certainly wasn’t how chocolate acted… At least the chocolate Trey made. But Yuuken put so much effort into them… He popped the whole candy in his mouth, biting back to internal scolding from his Mother. It was more like eating a burnt lump than chocolate. There was the slightest layer of sweetness under the taste of incineration. Maybe this was the taste of karma, for Yuuken eating so many slices of that oyster sauce loaded tart earlier that year. “...Not good, huh?” “No..” Riddle swallowed it down, his throat feeling rather dry. “It’s, it’s good…” He was quite sure his lies were easily read through. “But, it’s less about the taste, Yuuken… This, your gift it.. It was sweet.” A smile came to Riddle’s face easily as he placed the rest of the box on the island table. The way the Ramshackle Prefect was smiling wide, ear to ear. The way his eyes shone at the way he liked the gift. Bump. Bump.

“So, um… Happy Valentine's day.” Yuuken said, unable to hide a hint of the light in his eyes. It was so nice, he couldn’t help but let out a giggle.

“Happy Valentine's day, Yuuken.”