girl-in-the-tower: 🌹⚘ for Jonah?
Thanks for the ask @girl-in-the-tower
I'm laughing behind the scene right now. You don't know how big my smile is. I had so much fun writing this. I didn't expect this to be so long. I wrote a Gaiden basically.
The garden was even more crowded than usual. But it wasn't like the rowdy Halloween party. It felt more elegant, more sophisticated. Young lady and gentleman gathered around, dressed in their most beautiful dress and suit, dancing around with the flow of the music.
Jonah sat on one of the garden bench's arm, playing with the button on his sleeve. It wasn't like he was disliking the special occasion. In fact, he was thrilled. Not because of the chances to form a connection with the lovely ladies, but because of the strange phenomenon that was the 'Red Eclipse'. He had heard about this. It said it only happened every 100 years, where the moon turned red and something alluring might happen. Looking up the sky, it was still dark blue. No even a cloud in the sky. He knew he should’ve brought his telescope.
Looking up he saw the familiar Heartsabyul Prefect walking toward him. Maroon suit-coat flowing behind him as he walked made him look even more regal, especially compared to Jonah who had his jacket hung on his shoulder.
"Senior Riddle." The one-eyed boy gave the redhead a small wave. "Hey."
"Alone? I thought at least Grim would be with you."
"Oh, he’s here." He pointed at the nearest table. "There." True, the raccoon was there, hogging all the cupcakes and macaroons. Ace and Deuce was also there. Ace seemed determined to beat Grim in that diabetes eating contest while Deuce just looked embarrassed.
Riddle sighed. "I’m not even surprised." He sat on the bench, carefully not sit on Jonah’s jacket. Looking at the boy, he noticed that he wasn’t even looking at the party. "You keep looking at the sky."
"Hmm?" Jonah looked down at him as he blinked several times. He then shrugged as he looked back up to the sky. "I’m just wondering when the moon will turn red. Still can’t believe we’re living in this generation to see it."
Riddle hummed in agreement. He leaned back to the bench and looked up. "True. Only a few handfuls of magicians can witness this more than once."
"You think Senior Vanrouge had seen this a million times?"
"He’s pretty vague about his age, so he might. Ace thought he’s a vampire. Trey is suspicious with him."
Jonah chuckled. They sat in silence again, enjoying the beautiful music in the air and the idle chatter among the students. Looking up again, he saw the clouds started to roll in front of the moon, hiding it from sight. Jonah sighed, tapping his feet to the ground. Riddle's eyes never left him really. His hand however is playing with something on the bench, out of Jonah's line of sight. He should give them to him. It wasn't the best thing he could give him, given the short amount of time for him to prepare himself, and he was kind of nervous. It was Cater's idea really. "You should bring something for him!" he said, "He'll appreciate it." Glancing to the side, he could saw his orange-haired senior was watching him. His eyes glanced from Riddle to his gift, to the pirate boy. RIddle puffed up his cheeks. He knew what that means. Don't pressure him.
Someone poked his cheek. He didn't need to guess who did it. "You okay?" the one-eyed boy asked. "You zoned out for a moment."
"I-I'm fine." He cleared his throat. "I... I have something for you."
Riddle nodded to himself then stood up, hiding his gift behind his back until he stopped in front of Jonah who watched him curiously. Riddle bit inside his cheek and gazed to another direction, a light pink blush on his cheek, before revealing the gift he had brought. "Here."
In his hand were two roses. One was blue, while the other was pink. Jonah didn't know whether it was magic or just a trick of the light, but the roses seemed like they were glittering.
"For me?" Jonah asked. Riddle gave a small nod. Jonah was still awestruck really as he reached for the roses, his hand purposely brushing with Riddle's (whose blush became even more visible). He brought the roses to his nose. They even smell so heavenly. "Is it from your garden?"
"Not exactly," Riddle answered, finally looking at Jonah again. "It’s a magic experiment. Blue roses are pretty rare. This is for someone who is mysterious and the seeker of the impossible."
The corner of Jonah's lips lifted up. "That didn’t sound like me."
Riddle shook his head, a gentle smile grazed on his face. "You’re one of a kind, Jonah. And, as the pink one says, thank you for coming into my life with grace and give me joy."
Jonah's eyes widened. "Riddle..." It was a rare sight for Riddle to see the captain speechless, a light blush on his cheeks as he ducked his head. He let out a small embarrassed laugh as he rubbed behind his head. "I... That's pretty poetic."
Riddle frowned. "Was it...cringy?"
"No, no! Not at all!" Jonah quickly said, not wanting to disappoint the redhead. "I was... I was not expecting this." He smiled. "Thank you."
Riddle blushed once again. "Y-You're welcome." He stepped forward. "Here." Riddle pulled Jonah's jacket closer as he took the roses again. He didn't have any pin, so he just broke the stem a little before sliding it into Jonah's breast pocket.
"Put your arms in there." Jonah just did what he told. Once he wore the jacket, Riddle buttoned up two of his lower buttons. "This is a ball, Mister Argentum. Please, follow the dress code."
Once, he was done fixing Jonah's loose tie. Riddle stepped back, watching the boy from top to bottom. He curled up a satisfied smile. "You look good with those."
Jonah looked at the roses. Blue and pink gave more color this plain white jacket. "It didn’t ruin my outfit? Big Brother Vil might be mad at the clashing color."
Riddle shook his head again. "No." He smiled. "You look good in every way."
Once again, Jonah stared at him with wide. Since when Riddle became this poetic? Or maybe he had been like his for a long time but he just never noticed it.
The clouds finally rolled away, revealing the shining red moon. However, Jonah didn't even notice it. For all his focus aimed toward the Prefect of Heartslabyul who stretched out his hand toward him.
"Jonah Argentum. May I have this dance?"
It was as if everything around him disappeared, leaving only him and Riddle in this world. The winds ruffled his hair softly, his ahoge dancing with the breeze. For a moment, Riddle looked way more mature. Gone was the flustering boy he usually was. That boy was replaced by this fine, confident, young man. His tummy felt funny. Was he excited? Confused? He didn't know this feeling inside.
But... He kinda likes it.
Jonah stood up and slowly reached for Riddle's hand. He could've sworn he felt the spark when they touched. Jonah bent his knee, giving Riddle a light bow. "Of course, Riddle Rosehearts."
Riddle smiled. He bent over to gave a light kiss at the back of Jonah's hand before pulling him toward the center of the garden. Riddle guided him, pulling him close as he took the lead in the waltz. Jonah didn't mind for he wasn't that great in dancing. Gliding and twirling in their own small world in the middle of this red night, never taking their eyes off from each other, filled love and passion. Red rose petals fluttered into the wind as the enchanted night continue. Our two main characters didn't care about the time. As long as they had each other in their hands, they would dance until the sun rises once again.