You posted something about needing ideas for Twisted Wonderland... I got something a little angsty if you don't mind (hurt/comfort).
What if reader/yuu is having a hard time being away from home. Like infront of others they act like nothing is wrong, they aren't overwhelmed with everything they have to do (school, side jobs to pay for food, studying, fixing up Ramshackle), and like they aren't desperately missing home and all their friends and family.
Maybe they see a sibling moment or hear someone talking about missing their family or being home sick, and reader/yuu just couldn't hold it in anymore and bursts into tears.
How would the characters react to that or like would they be there or find out through friends/classmates and do they immediately go looking for reader/yuu or do they wait until they see them next?
Preferably Leona, Cater, and Malleus, but do whoever you want!
If you're not comfortable with this request, that's perfectly fine! I hope you have a good day/night :)
Homesick
a/n: hey sorry this took a while. i really liked this request but pee pee poo poo fuckass tumblr was misbehaving and i am on the brink of shoving a tennis ball up its nostril. yeah anyways enjoy 🫰
Yuu, oh Yuu, how selfish can you be? To dare to open the depths of your emotions?— perish the thought; you would only be compounding a mountain of troubles.
Yuu, oh Yuu, how languid can you be? Surely, you possess far nobler pursuits than to dwell on the echoes of home.
Ah, the tumultuous thoughts that plague you could not be more unbearable. At this point, you have become a walking, delicate ornament— teetering on the brink of collapse. One more push today, and you swear it would surely send you off the edge. Figuratively, hopefully...
Leona:
Thankfully enough, the day was nearly over— and all that was left to do was to let loose. Leona and you were in the botanical gardens, his head lying comfortably on your lap. Though, the peaceful atmosphere was soon breached by the arrival of two students, prattling between eachother.
“Shucks, the cafeteria food was a bit mediocre today, I miss my mom's cooking!”
“Yeah, I kinda miss my mom's culinary skills too.”
“Yeah, you get me!”
Moms, huh? Awh, you found yourself reeling back to the cherished days of your childhood, b̶a̴c̸k̴ ̷a̴t̵ h̸̨̢̨͔͔̔̈̂̈́̈́̀ó̴̢̗͉̫̯̲̀̓̆ṃ̸̅̂̒́͌͘ë̸̺̭̫͕͇͜, where you recalled how your mother would prepare her signature soup the evening prior to any significant event— be it a competition, an exam, a celebratory party... The warmth of her hands, tenderly caressing your cheeks, felt just as vivid as the gentle breeze that played upon your skin. You could still picture her soft embrace, her smile radiating warmth and love, enveloping you in a cocoon of comfort that never failed to ignite a delightful flutter within your heart.
Leona's tranquil reverie was abruptly disrupted by the sensation of a warm droplet falling down onto his cheek. With a reluctant groan, he pried open one eye, anticipating the sight of your drooling, slumbering face. Instead, he was met with the sight of a blank, teary-eyed prefect.
A moment of silence enveloped them, punctuated only by the faint chatter of the two students.
“... Oi, herbivore. What's the matter?” he grumbled, his voice uncharacteristically softer than usual.
“... Huh?” you murmured, jolted from your brief trance. A wave of realization washed over you as you noticed your vision had blurred slightly, and your cheeks felt damp— when had you begun to cry? In a flurry, you wiped at your streaked face, stifling the small 'hics!' that escaped your lips with each breath.
Yet, the more you thought about it, the deeper you sank into despair.
One undeniable truth emerged from the turmoil within:
You missed your mother.
Y̸̢̏o̴͕͑u̷͖͐ ̵͓̚r̶͈̈́e̵̪̔ȃ̷̠l̶̺̒ľ̸̼y̸̧͘,̵͎̀ ̶̢͐ṟ̷̽e̸͙͠a̸͈̕l̶̹̏l̸͓̉y̶͚̌ ̸̩̂m̸͕̂i̴͍͑ṣ̵̕s̶̱̾e̶̙̓d̵͓̑ ̶̳̉m̷̙̚o̶̖̅m̸̫̂.̴̰̈́
“Sorry, it's—... err, nothing. It's nothing. Sorry for waking you up.” You stammered, desperately attempting to bury the topic deep within yourself.
“... That's stupid.” You thought you heard him mutter, prompting you to swiftly turn your head to meet his gaze.
“Huh?”
“I said, that's stupid. You don’t need to bother yourself with hiding your feelings, especially when it’s so glaringly obvious, herbivore. Honestly, you look like a stray dog that just got kicked.” His words, though blunt, carried an unexpected hint of understanding.
Another moment of silence passed, but it lasted arguably shorter than the last.
“... Uhm, it’s... about home. I miss home.” You confess, your voice barely above a whisper. You fidget with your hands, struggling to suppress the tears that threaten to spill over again.
Leona scoffed lightly. “Home, huh? That dull little world of yours?”
“Dull? ... Don’t speak as if you could ever grasp it. Even if it were mundane, it was mine. My home.” You replied, slightly ticked off. “I belonged. But now, that's a thing of the past. Now I'm completely abnormal. I'm an anomaly— I'm not meant to be here. I mean, seriously— a magicless human in a place for mages? Don't make me laugh—”
Leona snorted. “There it is, the self pity.”
“Excuse you—”
He interrupted you. “You think crying is gonna miraculously open a portal to go back to your world?”
“Even so, it doesn't mean—”
He cuts you off once more. “The answer is that it doesn't. You're stuck here just as the rest of us are stuck with our own stupid circumstances.”
A tick of absolute silence passed. It seemed the students from before have left long ago, to which you failed to notice.
“But you know what? You’ve survived this long without magic. You’ve got the Housewardens eating out of your hand, you’ve stopped overblots, and you haven’t been eaten by Savanaclaw folks. Clearly, that takes more backbone than most people have.”
“... Doesn't feel like backbone, it's just day-to-day surviving—”
“Good, then. That's what you should be doing.” He smirked, revealing his sharp fang. He added, “Herbivores who stop to cry get eaten. Predators who stop to cry starve. The only way to get through a cage is to make it your territory. You haven't done that yet. You're still looking backward.”
You felt like you were going to cry again.But clearly, it was far too late to stop the tears from spilling.
His tail visibly lashes. “Tsk, don't do that. I’m not Riddle or Trey— I’m not going to pat your head or feed you tea.”
He flicked your forehead, and ruffled your head.
“Focus. If you’re going to be miserable, be miserable usefully. Go bother Ruggie. He knows how to scavenge for weird snacks. You miss your world’s food, don't you? Ruggie can find you something close enough. It won't fix it, but it'll shut your stomache up so your brain can think clearly.”
Cater:
Whenever you and Cater were in eachothers' presence, him opening Magicam was undeniably inevitable. Today, though, you were clearly unlucky. Maybe you shouldn't have opened that app— because now, your tears were cascading freely down your cheeks while Cater desperately tried to console you. It's not like you meant to break down, on no account whatsoever!
To recap, you were approaching the end of a long day when you fortuitously crossed paths with Cater. A lively conversation quickly sparked between you two, as he had a knack for making dialogue flow effortlessly and joyfully. Eventually, he suggested capturing the moment with a selfie on Magicam, a platform you seldom frequented due to having other, more imperative things to tend to. But in the end— with a hesitant smile— you acquiesced.
After taking the selfie, it went under Cater's radar that you had taken your phone out. He only noticed after posting the picture under the caption “Ran into my favorite prefect today! @ yuu_.ramshackle ✨ #NightRavenCollege #CaterApproved #SoooCute”.
Glancing at you, he had a sudden, bright epiphany and quickly suggested: “Oh, hey, you should post it too! C'mon, it'll be fun! You never post anything, and your followers are starving for content. I mean, seriously, your last post was, like, three months ago? That's practically a crime in this economy!”
You hesitated. He's right— you rarely use Magicam. But maybe... maybe it would be nice to have something normal. Something that makes you feel like you exist in this world.
So you opened Magicam.
“@yuu_.ramshackle is now online!”
You swiped through your homepage a bit, stumbling across Vil's usual skincare routine, Ace's complaints about exams, Deuce's disputes with Ace, and even some other first year's post about a magical artifact. But that's when you notice a particular post that stuck with you.
It was a post from someone you didn't even know. A family dinner photo. The plates and silverware are lined neatly, yet the atmosphere is anything but. It was chaotic and tender— in the most heartwarming way possible. The post was captioned: “Dinner with the fam! #MissedThis #FamilyBondingTime”. It was a beautiful chaos, rich with love and connection, evoking memories of your own family dinners.
You recall those evenings filled with a cacophony of laughter and playful banter, where every remark sparked another round of joyful conversation. The atmosphere was invigorating, a testament to the bonds that tie families together. It was in these moments, amidst the delightful noise and the shared stories, that you found a sense of b̵̛̰̼̅͒e̷͖͉͔̊͊̂l̴͓͓͍̗̈́õ̶̥͉̝̼̆͠ǹ̶͖̲ģ̵̦͆͆ͅi̴͇̘̍͊n̷̯͆̅̀g̵̝̖͈͛́͝ͅ ̶̧̪̯͗̄̅̆å̷͇̺n̵̤͒̄d̸̛̪̖͕͌̋̆ ̸̼̅͌̕͝w̷̡͔͚͙̎á̶̹̦̤̀͗r̵̖̒́m̸̬̣̘̦̆̈́̕͠ț̷͒̑̎h̷̡͎̾̅͝͝— a reminder that love often thrives in the most chaotic of settings...
“Woah! Prefect, you okay? You look really— Hey! No, wait! Why are you crying? Is it something I did? Was it the caption? Did I offend you?! I—I was just joking 'bout the followers thing, by the way! No pressure, prefect! Prefect? Heey~..! Ohmysevens, just cancel me already!” He spoke with fervor, his words tumbling forth in a frantic rush before he placed his hands upon your shoulders.
But you didn't respond. The tears were already falling, hot and unstoppable, because of that photo— that stupid, ordinary photo— reminded you of a table you'll (most likely) never sit at again. A hand you'll never feel. A voice you'll never hear call your name. “Okay, okay, um— deep breaths! Do you need water? A tissue? A distraction? I can do a magic trick! I can do, like, three magic tricks! Or I can call Trey! He's got, like, emotional support pastries! Wait, no, that's not a thing, but I can MAKE it a thing! Do you want me to make it a thing? I'll make it a thing if you want me to make it a thing so long as it isn't already a thing?!” Cater panicked, desperately trying to console you.
You blinked before slightly chuckling at Cater's franticness, gently touching your own cheeks— your hands now tainted with the dampness of your tears.
“Mmh, sorry. Don't worry, you didn't do anything. It's nothing, really— if anything, I'm just being dramatic.” You wiped your tears with your thumbs, only for them to pool at the corner of your eyes again.
Cater's hands remained on your shoulders, only now, they were slighty steadier. A silent second passed, before Cater leaned down to meet you at eye level.
“Hey, hey... Look at me for a moment.”
You blink away the tears and meet his gaze. His usual enthusiasm was dialed back, unveiling a deeper, more genuine side of Cater.
“I, uh... I know you're used to seeing the more 'yippee-ki-yay' Cay-cay, but hey, listen to me for just a sec, 'kay?” He took one, deep breath. “I can sooorta understand what you feel. Missing close ones, right? Yup. I mean, my family's not exactly the ‘family dinner’ type. We're more the ‘group chat that's been on read for six months’ type. So when I see stuff like that...” He gestured awkwardly towards your phone. “...I get it. It stings.”
He gently takes your phone— but not snatching it, just carefully prying it from your fingers.
“Let's do something else, okay? Something waaay more fun to take your mind off of all this.” He pat your head lightly. “And if you still feel like crying— I'll let you cry on my shoulder, capiche? Just don't get you mascara on me— kidding!~”
Malleus:
It had been a tiring day— but you pulled through anyway. You were on your usual nightly stroll, gazing at the unfamiliar tapestry of stars before your eyes. If you were back at home, you could probably still name every star and constellation. Too bad, isn't it?
“Child of man.”
You quickly shift your attention towards the additional presence in your vicinity, immediately recognizing the familiar black hair and chartreuse eyes— though you could have easily discerned whom it was by registering the voice alone.
“Hornton,” You smiled, beckoning him to your side to join you, as usual. He settled beside you with practiced ease, his shoulder brushing yours— close enough to be warm, though far enough to be proper. For a long moment, neither of you spoke.At moments like these, you found his presence to be really grounding.
Your gaze shifted towards the extensive array of stars in the firmament. It was profoundly mesmerizing, yet equally as unfamiliar. You didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing— probably the latter. You were once highly knowledgeable in astrology. It would appear that your novelty in this world has rendered the knowledge from your old world completely worthless.
Just then, something pulled you out of your trance.
“Child of man, I notice you looking at the stars often.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah... I do. Back in my world, they used to keep me grounded. I do the same here, just... I guess it's a little less effective since I'm not all that acquainted with the astronomy here.”
“Would you like to?”
“Would I like to what?”
He gestured toward the empyrean. “Know them. All of them.” He offered with such excruciating tenderness, something you wouldn't except to come from him at first glance. “I have lived long enough to familiarize myself with the names of the stars. Child of man, I'd be more than willing to share it with you.”
You paused for a brief moment before politely declining. “Thank you, Hornton. Maybe some other time. I really appreciate the offer, though.”
He hummed in response. “As you wish.”
And thus, silence enveloped your surroundings once more. Your gaze remained anchored to the ground, your retinas fixated, until you mustered the fortitude to lift your head towards the sky once more. A tremulous breath escaped your lips as your eyes desperately darted from star, to star, to constellation, to star— yearning for something familiar, or at the very least, a glimmer of recognition.
Then, from your peripheral, you caught something; a cluster of stars that appeared vaguely reminiscent. Your brows knitted together in concentration.
“Child of man? Is something the matter?”
You remained silent, feeling that in that fleeting moment, should you allow your focus to waver, should you relinquish that mounting frustration for even an instant—
You swore you recognized that constellation. The faint one, poised slightly to the left…
You clenched your fists.
Wait, no. No no no no. The angle was off. The brightness was off. This wasn't it. Of course it wasn't— what were you thinking?
You tightened your jaw.
“Child of man, now I am sure there is something bothering you. Please—”
Your eyebrows furrowed further.
Come on. Come on. Come on. Just one star. One. Star. o̶̡̢̺̻̜͙̺̘͐͒̌͝n̷̡̛̛̝̣̹̞̣̦̎̓͆̅̽̃̕ͅě̸̢̡̞͓͉̲͚̈́͋ ̴̨̻̰͙̫̦̠̗̊̈́ͅs̵̢̫͓̬̼̠̈́t̸̡̝̠̯́̅͝á̵̭̠̦̠͎͍̰͗̓̾̐͒͌ṙ̴͉̺̣̠̙ o̶̡̢̺̻̜͙̺̘͐͒̌͝n̷̡̛̛̝̣̹̞̣̦̎̓͆̅̽̃̕ͅě̸̢̡̞͓͉̲͚̈́͋ ̴̨̻̰͙̫̦̠̗̊̈́ͅs̵̢̫͓̬̼̠̈́t̸̡̝̠̯́̅͝á̵̭̠̦̠͎͍̰͗̓̾̐͒͌ṙ̴͉̺̣̠̙ o̶̡̢̺̻̜͙̺̘͐͒̌͝n̷̡̛̛̝̣̹̞̣̦̎̓͆̅̽̃̕ͅě̸̢̡̞͓͉̲͚̈́͋ ̴̨̻̰͙̫̦̠̗̊̈́ͅs̵̢̫͓̬̼̠̈́t̸̡̝̠̯́̅͝á̵̭̠̦̠͎͍̰͗̓̾̐͒͌ṙ̴͉̺̣̠̙ o̶̡̢̺̻̜͙̺̘͐͒̌͝n̷̡̛̛̝̣̹̞̣̦̎̓͆̅̽̃̕ͅě̸̢̡̞͓͉̲͚̈́͋ ̴̨̻̰͙̫̦̠̗̊̈́ͅs̵̢̫͓̬̼̠̈́t̸̡̝̠̯́̅͝á̵̭̠̦̠͎͍̰͗̓̾̐͒͌ṙ̴͉̺̣̠̙ o̶̡̢̺̻̜͙̺̘͐͒̌͝n̷̡̛̛̝̣̹̞̣̦̎̓͆̅̽̃̕ͅě̸̢̡̞͓͉̲͚̈́͋ ̴̨̻̰͙̫̦̠̗̊̈́ͅs̵̢̫͓̬̼̠̈́t̸̡̝̠̯́̅͝á̵̭̠̦̠͎͍̰͗̓̾̐͒͌ṙ̴͉̺̣̠̙.
...
Nothing.
ņ̶̧̧̺̞̘̰͍͓͍̪̯̣̮̟̰̜̲͔͈͍͈͔̗̪̰̫̭̫͎̞͚̓͜͜ͅó̴̧̡̢̳͈̗̟̬̞͌̀͂͂̄͐̽̇̈́̈́͑̔͛́̄̀͂̇̀̀͘͠t̵̡̛̩̳̖͈̟͓̞̼̊̊́̒̍͐͐̑̋̂̀͝h̴̗̪͇̬̲̬̞͂́̈́̉̀̊́̉̐͋̈́̌̅̍̔̎̀͋̄̀̆̓́̈́̽̅̓̈̀͘̚̚͝͠͝͝ỉ̷̡̡̢̨̨̧̛̛̠̜͉̟̞̜̣̩̫͔̞̪͈̣͚̰̦̠͔̬̬̜͓̪͙͚̯̭̜̻̏͋̏͒̾͘͜͝ņ̷̢̞͓͍̖̝̦̠̠͙̺͍͙͍̭̟̮̰̱̰͙̝̯̘͍̫̻̱̫̒̄́̐̄͑͆͜͜ḡ̷̛̼̟̙̱̥͚͚̒̕.
No North Star. No Orion. No Little Dipper. No familiar face in the sky.
Your breath hitched.
Even after months.
You still
couldn't find
a single
trace of
“Child of—”
Finally, tears came. They didn't slowly emerge, you simply erupted into a teary mess. A choked sob tore out of your throat. The tears were hot. Uncontrollable. Utterly violent.
Your hands shot up to cover your face.
To desperately attempt to veil the ugliness.
“Child of man.” Malleus called out steadily, to which you couldn't answer.
You could barely breathe. The tears were streaming through your fingers, and you were making sounds that even you didn't recognize. Those sounds materialized from the mold that slowly manifested inside you over the course of months. The mold that rampaged through your mind and erred every active neuron in your head. The mold that you chose to ignore.
“Hic— hic... I... Can't find them. I can't find them. Ȋ̵̝͑͠͠ ̶̘̮̮͕̋́̚c̴͔̰̒́̊a̴̝͍͍̿̄͐̒ń̷̰̞'̸̘͊̾̂̍ţ̶̠̱̈́ ̷̜͙̣̑̐f̷̣̀͜i̴̩̟̝̔̀n̵̫͔̓͛̓d̷̡͎̖̅̈́ ̶̪̮̓t̴̢̖̗͊͂͋h̶͇̋̋e̶̬̾̔̅͋ḿ̵̫̣͍̓͘.̷̞̠͗ Ȋ̵̝͑͠͠ ̶̘̮̮͕̋́̚c̴͔̰̒́̊a̴̝͍͍̿̄͐̒ń̷̰̞'̸̘͊̾̂̍ţ̶̠̱̈́ ̷̜͙̣̑̐f̷̣̀͜i̴̩̟̝̔̀n̵̫͔̓͛̓d̷̡͎̖̅̈́ ̶̪̮̓t̴̢̖̗͊͂͋h̶͇̋̋e̶̬̾̔̅͋ḿ̵̫̣͍̓͘.̷̞̠͗ Ȋ̵̝͑͠͠ ̶̘̮̮͕̋́̚c̴͔̰̒́̊a̴̝͍͍̿̄͐̒ń̷̰̞'̸̘͊̾̂̍ţ̶̠̱̈́ ̷̜͙̣̑̐f̷̣̀͜i̴̩̟̝̔̀n̵̫͔̓͛̓d̷̡͎̖̅̈́ ̶̪̮̓t̴̢̖̗͊͂͋h̶͇̋̋e̶̬̾̔̅͋ḿ̵̫̣͍̓͘.̷̞̠͗”
“Find what? Tell me what you're looking for. I'll search every nook and cranny of this world for you.”
You shook your head vigorously. “You can't. You won't be able to. Because it's not in this world. The stars. They're not... it... It's all...” You went on to spiral into a mess of incoherent ramblings. Your voice cracked completely, dissolving into another wave of sobs. You doubled over, hugging yourself, trying to make yourself smaller.
Malleus froze. For a long, terrible moment, he didn't know what to do. He had faced armies, dragons, and centuries of isolation— but this was foreign territory. This was fragile.
He slowly knelt down to your level, careful not to startle you. He did not pull you into a sudden embrace. He did not hold your hand and say it would be alright.
“Child of man, may I touch you?” He inquired gently, lacing his words with a soft tone.
Unable to form a verbal response, you could only muster a faint nod.
Then, his hand found your back. He did not rub or pat. He did not make any soothing noises. He merely anchored his hand upon you— it was a mere weight. Something to remind you, he was there.
“Breathe, Child of man. I am not going anywhere.” He murmured, shifting ever-so-slightly closer towards you.
He waited. He let you cry. He let you shake and sob and fall apart right there on the grass beneath the unfamiliar stars— but he didn't try to fix it whatsoever. He didn't try to make it better.
He merely... stayed.
Eventually, your sobs turned into hics, and hics into sniffles, until you were finally able to pry apart your own hands from your face. A moment of silence passed. It's weird, really. You'd expected the silence to be awkward— but if anything, it was... comforting.
“Uhm... Hornton, I'm sorr..—”
“Do not apologize. You have no such obligation.” He interrupted you, firm and steady.
“But—”
“No. I will not be accepting such apologies from you. Not for this.”
You finally looked up at him.. — and found no pity in his eyes. Not a single hint of awkward discomfort. Just— y'know, tender warmth. And understanding.
Malleus spoke slowly, ensuring you were able to grasp each and every syllable of his words. “Child of man, you have been carrying a weight that would crush most mortals. You have been displaced, alone, and forced to navigate a world that was never meant for you. And yet, you endure.” He tilted his head, his expression unbearably soft. “You are allowed to break, Child of Man. You are allowed to fall apart. I will be here to help you piece yourself back together.”
He reached out towards you— unhurriedly, giving you time to pull away— and brushed a stray tear from your cheek with his thumb. The gesture was so careful, so reverent, that it made your breath catch.
He begun speaking again, with the exact same tone. “I do not know the stars of your world. I cannot bring them back to you. But I can teach you the stars of this one.” He smiled— a genuine smile. “And in time, perhaps they will begin to feel like yours as well. Of course, not a replacement. In contrast... a companion.”
He nodded towards the night sky.
“Shall we start with that one?” He pointed to a faint, shimmering cluster. "That one is the 'Dragon's Vow'...”
a/n: eat, children. i'm so sleepy.
