Chapter Text
If there's one thing the Heartslabyul Dorm Leader, Riddle Rosehearts, is known for, it's his emotions. His default expressions are either neutral or angry. On occasion, they see him turn red with fury, and there was that one time he started crying after his overblot. But other than that, the Heartslabyul students don't see their queen emote anything else. Well, most of the students. It's no secret that Riddle has a small group of favorites amongst his card soldiers. The resident dorm mom and vice dorm leader, their MagiCam influencer, and a pair of infamous first years. And this group of favorite card soldiers has been lucky enough to see their queen with a very rare expression, a smile. Sure, Riddle was seen smiling during the Unbirthday Party redo at the beginning, but no one has seen it since. Well, no one, except Trey Clover, Ace Trappola, Cater Diamond, and Deuce Spade.
Trey:
Trey has known Riddle since they were children. Naturally, Trey is quite familiar with Riddle's smile. He will never forget the days they spent playing together with Chenya. The redhead always looked like he was having so much fun trying new things and playing games. But the one smile Trey will never forget is when Riddle tried his family's strawberry tart for the first time. It was the brightest smile he had ever seen on Riddle's face. Unfortunately, that was the last time he ever saw Riddle smile. When they reunited at Night Raven College, Riddle rarely expressed emotions outside of anger. The small smiles Riddle would give in approval of something could never compare to the ones he had as a child. But during the Unbirthday Party at the beginning of their 2nd and 3rd year, Trey finally saw a smile that was similar to the one from their childhood. When Riddle had fallen for his oyster sauce prank and started laughing along with him. That was the first time he saw a genuine smile from Riddle since they were kids. It gave him hope that Riddle's true smile could come back.
Trey didn't have to wait too long. As usual, an Unbirthday Party was going to be held in a matter of days. He was busy in the dorm kitchen preparing the desserts for the party. He doesn't usually care for help, but today is different. Riddle had come by earlier to check on him. After seeing that Trey was doing well, he asked if he wanted any help. Normally, Trey would have refused. The last time he had help in the kitchen, it was almost a disaster if he hadn't managed to fix everything. But oyster sauce prank aside, Riddle was pretty competent in the kitchen. Baking was more precise than cooking, so he knew it was something Riddle would be more comfortable with. Trey was currently whipping some cream while Riddle kept an eye on the custard filling on the stove. The two made conversation a few times. They mostly talked about school-related topics like club activities and class work. After putting the tarts in the oven to bake, Trey suggests a tea break while they wait. Riddle agrees to the break and goes to prepare the slices of cake while Trey makes some tea.
As soon as the tea is ready, the childhood friends take a seat at the counter and enjoy their break. Once Riddle takes a bite of the cake, he smiles as he savors the taste. It was soft, sweet, and the strawberries added a fresh tartness to balance out the sweetness. Trey smiles at the redhead. This is the most genuine smile Riddle has shown since coming to NRC. It reminds him of the strawberry tart from when they were kids. Guess back then and even now, Riddle still and will always have a weakness for sweets, and Trey couldn't be more delighted knowing that his sweets would bring that smile to his friend's face.
Ace:
Now, Ace and Riddle have had their ups and downs. Their relationship is rather...complicated. Ace is traditionally on the receiving end of a punishment for some sort of nonsense he gets up to with Deuce and the Ramshackle Prefect. While Ace can be a pain in Riddle's behind and Riddle the same to Ace, the two have their moments, such as when Ace found the missing hedgehogs. That was the first time Ace saw Riddle's smile. It was nice to look at. He even admitted it to himself quietly. Too bad the only ones receiving said nice smile are the hedgehogs.
But that was about to change. Ace and Deuce were placed on flamingo duty one morning. For once, they finished early. Deuce went back to the dorm to shower and change, but Ace decides to stop by the hedgehog pen. Ever since their escape incident, the little creatures have taken a liking to him, and Ace has put a bit more attention into their care. Not that he'd admit it out-loud or let anyone else know. As Ace is petting one of the hedgehogs, he hears the familiar click clack of high heels. Riddle had come by to see the hedgehogs, a pastime he apparently does often. After picking up a hedgehog to pet as well, he gives Ace a smile. One Ace recognizes as the same one from back then. He thanks Ace for helping care for the hedgehogs. That they seem much happier lately, and he had been wanting to thank the student who had been putting in the extra effort. Ace rubs the back of his neck, playing it off as him simply entertaining them since they're so attached to him. Riddle can see the through the act and plays along. The two remain in the hedgehog pens until Riddle orders Ace to prepare for classes soon. Something about being 15 minutes early and rule stuff. As Ace was walking back his dorm room, he couldn't help by smile as well. For once, the hedgehogs weren't the ones Riddle smiled at.
Cater:
As a MagiCam influencer, Cater is always taking photos of anything and everything. Once Riddle had started lightening up with the rule-enforcing, Cater started noticing that their rigid and strict queen was much more expressive than he initially believed. He often sighed in disappointment, expressed pride in his students if he was made aware of accomplishments, and he even started being more sarcastic. How, Cater wouldn't be able to tell you. But one thing he noticed more was that Riddle had been smiling. When he's painting the roses, taking care of the hedgehogs, and eating sweets. And after hearing Trey and Ace mention Riddle's smile, Cater was determined to get a smile out of their queen. But nothing like the small smiles he's caught glimpses of. A real smile.
For a while, Cater would watch Riddle in hopes of finding the perfect opportunity to snap a pic of his smile. Unfortunately, Cater's quest ends with no results. Riddle either caught him and scolded him, or he wouldn't, and it wasn't the right expression. Riddle eventually interrogates him, and Cater begs him for ONE picture. Just one. Riddle relents. If it gets Cater to get back to work, then so be it. Cater cheerfully wraps an arm around Riddle and holds up his phone with a "Smile!" Once back in his room, he looks at the picture he took with Riddle earlier. It was awkward since Riddle was clearly not used to being in front of a camera. But it also held a unique and genuine emotion behind it. While forced to some degree, Cater could tell there were some hints of amusement behind it. Cater gives a genuine smile of his own before marking the photo as a Favorite.
Deuce:
Something Deuce wouldn't admit to Ace or his seniors is that he's borne witness to Riddle's smile rather frequently. Sometime after Riddle's Overblot, Deuce started taking advantage of Riddle's tutoring services. It was a challenge for both of them, but whenever Deuce understood a concept, Riddle would always smile in approval at him. It made Deuce feel like he was making progress, and it encouraged him to work harder. Slowly, his grades started improving. They didn't get higher with every assignment or test, but Riddle's tutoring sessions were helping. And Riddle was always reassuring Deuce that everything was ok. That he's here to help. He even thanks Deuce for relying on him to help when others are too afraid to come to him, or he has to intervene personally. This only helped to fuel Deuce's determination to do better, not only to make his mom proud, but Riddle too.
At the end of one of Professor Trein's classes, he passes out some graded essays. Ace, who sat next to him, smirked as he showed off his 95. He elbows Deuce, encouraging him to show him his score. Deuce anxiously looks down at his paper. 90/100. Deuce smiles and makes a gesture of success. The moment classes and club activities end for the day, he finds Riddle in the dorm rose maze. He excitedly shows Riddle his recent essay, thanking him for his help. Had it not been for Riddle finding a way to help Deuce memorize history better, he would have never gotten a grade this high. Riddle smiles proudly at Deuce's excitement. The card soldier is known for thinking with his heart, and his emotions are rather infectious. Riddle promises to help Deuce for as long as he needs him. Deuce had no plans of stopping their tutoring sessions, which made Riddle smile happily. It felt nice to be relied on, and the end results made both of their efforts worth it. Deuce couldn't help but notice that Riddle looked softer. His smile was...rather innocent looking.
~~~
In the following weeks, the 4 of them started taking note of their queen's expressions. He smiled more often around them, as well as his change in behavior around them. Trey and Riddle would frequently have tea and sweets together. They would reminisce, discuss dorm matters, or simply chat as friends. Ace would help Riddle take care of the hedgehogs while also being a bit more lenient on him. Riddle was making an effort to understand Cater and MagiCam. He'd allow Cater to take more photos that would include him. As for him and Deuce, their study sessions continued. Now that Riddle has figured out a strategy for Deuce's learning comprehension, things have been smooth sailing for Deuce, and his grades have improved.
The quartet of card soldiers was hanging out in the lounge. Deuce was waiting for Riddle to arrive for their next tutoring session. Ace was hanging out to watch Deuce be tutored. Cater was also there to hang out. The tutoring session seemed like a nice MagiCam moment. Trey was just there to keep Ace and Cater in check. But he also had some tea prepared for Riddle and Deuce. As they were waiting for Riddle, they overheard some passing students gossip about being punished by Riddle again. Something about them causing trouble, and Riddle put them on flamingo duty for a week. One of the students mumbled about how they'd be more willing if Riddle smiled more. The 4 favorites turn to each other and laugh. If only the others knew how easy it was to get a smile out of Riddle nowadays. All of them could agree that when Riddle smiled, it softened his features. It's rather innocent and sometimes awkward if he has to smile for pictures. But that's what made it all the more charming. Riddle steps into the lounge to see his card soldiers laughing.
"What is so funny? Did I miss something?"
"Not at all, Riddle." Trey smiles.
"Nothing to worry about, Rids! (｡ゝᴗ•)."
"Yeah. Don't worry, Dorm Leader. Just dumb stuff."
"I'm glad you're here, Bos-Dorm Leader. I look forward to learning from you again today." Riddle looks between the group before sighing with a smile.
"Whatever you all say. Alright, Deuce. Let's get started."