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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 2 years

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The Stars Don’t Shine; They Burn

Happy Mother’s Day, Deuce and Ruggie.

I’m really into your looks 🥰 Think you can introduce me to your mom/grandma? This is a MHYK joke

***Mild spoilers for the Wish Upon a Star event!***

Imagine this...

The shooting stars were a spectacle to behold.

Blinking, twinkling, as they hung in the sky, like celestial beads decorating a dusky dress, like ornaments strewn up amid dark leaves. Then they fell from grace, plummeting to the earth as blurs of light streaking the night. Trails of sparkles followed, raining down like fine glitter--the stuff of faith, trust, and a little pixie dust.

All the people’s desires, come to seek their loving wishers.

This was the annual Star Sending.

It was a rare time of unity for the students and the staff of Night Raven College. One long, solemn breath held in their chests as they looked to the sky above.

So crystal clear, so spacious. Every little shimmering secret swirling overhead reflected back in Deuce’s watery eyes.

I did this. I helped make this a reality.

He sniffed, wiping at the tear trails left behind on his cheeks. The wetness was cool, temporary relief from the blazing summer heat, comforting him as he was cradled by the stars.

... I did it, mom.

She had sounded so close over the phone, almost as though she were right next to him, a hand laid on his shoulder as they watched the stars fall. He could see her smiling at him now, her face the portrait of motherly confidence.

A breeze sweeping her hair up in dark wisps. Starlight refracting in the peacock green of her irises.

Physical traits they shared.

Like mother, like son.

“I’m so proud of you, Deuce,” she had told him. “My little Stargazer. You’ve changed so much.”

Fresh sniffles tore through him at the memory.

He continued to rub at his eyes, whisking away the tears—but new ones formed, only to be continuously battered away. His face would likely be swollen and red by the end of the night.

Rosebuds blooming into full flowers in the heady summer.

Burning tears collected in the corners of Deuce’s eyes. They clung to him like dewdrops on morning leaves, refusing to fall until their dying moments.

Overhead, the constellations shifted. Shining sugar continued to drift down upon the world.

I’m... no longer the person I was before. I’m moving forward. These tears... are just proof of that, aren’t they?

Deuce clasped his hands together, casting a wobbling smile to the sky.

“I’m... changing.”

The wind rushed out of him when he uttered those words—almost as though a binding spell had been released. The magic, his expelled breath, fanned through the field, at last liberated to the world.

He laughed through his tears, throwing his arms out to embrace the sky, the stars. Fabric billowed. The accessories on his outfit tinkled in turn, ringing in a merry welcome, a new start.

The sun, the moon, the stars.

The galaxy expanding before his very eyes.

Deuce was spellbound by it all.

A jostle to his arm snapped him out of it. He stumbled, found his footing again, and whipped his head to face his impish assailant.

“Whoops, sorry ‘bout that! Didn’t see you there, Deuce-kun.”

“Bucchi-senpai!!”

Deuce’s hands instinctively flew to his pockets—or where they would be, were it not for his Stargazer robes. There had been no place to stash his wallet, and therefore, nothing of value for Ruggie to swipe. The first year sighed in relief—before he realized that his eyes were still wet, and panic seized him.

“I-I wasn’t crying! I was so amazed by the shooting stars that I forgot to blink!!” Deuce blurted out. “I-It’s just pollen allergies!”

“Uh, that’s one more excuse than you needed there,” Ruggie pointed out, snickering. “Chill, I won’t rat you out or anything. I’m just here to get a good view of the stars.”

“O-Oh, right!!” He robotically side stepped and gestured, offering up the space where he had once been standing to his upperclassman.

“Nishishi, how nice of you~ Don’t mind if I do!”

Ruggie slid over, staring out into space. His snickers gave way to quiet, his gaze steadily passing from star to star as they blazed through the sky.

Strangely solemn.

“Man... Ortho-kun went so high up. He cleared that cloud like it was nothing...” the hyena mumbled. His eyes were glazed over, yet slightly shiny--like the glaze on the donuts he loved so much.

“Bucchi-senpai...” Deuce balled his hands. Passion rose up in his throat. “I understand how you’re feeling!”

“Huh, you do?”

“The stars are so pretty, you’ve forgotten to blink too, right?!” The first year eagerly pumped hist fists into the air. “You just want to watch them forever and ever!”

“Uh... sure, let’s go with that.” Inwardly, Ruggie groaned. Sheesh, is this guy naive or what? Who’d wanna do something as sappy as that?

But in spite of his thoughts, he found his own eyes drawn to the sky once more. The stars, magnetic.

“... Hey,” he said slowly, his head still angled upward, “do you think we’ll ever be able to reach those stars someday? If our voices will ever reach the same heights?”

Deuce’s answer was immediate, and just as earnest.

“Well, I still need to work on my flying. I’m nowhere near as good as you are--but I’m sure that if we both keep practicing, we’ll be able to reach the stars!”

Ruggie’s mouth twisted into a wry smile, a laugh escaping from between his lips. “You make it sound so easy.”

“It won’t be. We’ll definitely mess up or fail...! But what matters most is getting up and trying again and again until we finally succeed!” Deuce returned his grin, determination dancing in his eyes.

“That’s the whole reason we’re able to see the star shower today. Everyone tried so much to make it a reality. You’re one of the hardest workers I’ve ever known, Bucchi-senpai...! So I’m sure that you can do it too! The stars... they’ll surely hear you!”

Ruggie stared at him.

For a moment, there was only darkness, their shadows stretching across the lawn. Then came the stars that shattered it, silver shards piercing them every which way. Exposing, glaring light in the night.

Ruggie chuckled softly.

It swelled, becoming a laugh, and then a cackle, then a crazed laugh. Loud, erratic, and high-pitched, the sort of laugh only a hyena was capable of.

“Did I say something funny?” Deuce asked, his expression folding into confusion.

“Nah, it’s nothing like that. I just...” Ruggie caught himself and stopped, forced himself to veer his head and look away. “... Sorry, I think I hear Leona-san calling for me.”

“Really? I didn’t hear any...”

“A beastman’s got his ways!” Ruggie indicated his fluffy ears, which wiggled mischievously. “Ahhhh, looks like my time stargazing’s over~ I gotta get going before Leona-san starts whining.”

He quickly turned away, rushing by his junior with a pat on the back.

“Catch ya later, Deuce-kun. Thanks for keeping me company!”

“Hey, wait...!”

He pivoted and reached out, but just narrowly missed grabbing ahold of Ruggie’s scruff. An expert dodge, an animal slipping through his fingers and bolting away.

“Huh?”

It was brief, but for a second, Deuce thought he had glimpsed something wet and shiny. A flash, a glimmer. Drops as crystal clear as the night sky.

Something that wasn’t a star upon Ruggie’s face.

“Was that...?”

"There you are.”

Leona uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off of the tree trunk he had been leaning against. Slipping his hands into his pockets, he lazily prowled toward his right-hand man. Leona wore his regal features well, even if they were marred by irritation and the tears left over from a yawn.

“I was beginning to wonder how long you’d stand there and gawk,” he called. “The ceremony’s over now. Let’s get going back to Savanaclaw.”

The lion stopped short a few paces before Ruggie.

“You’re crying.”

His brow furrowed, his lips pinching into a sideways frown.

“I’m not,” Ruggie stubbornly insisted. His mind worked as fast as his fingers did, leaping to borrow Deuce’s excuse. “I... just looked at the stars for too long. I forgot to blink.”

“Right.”

Both of them knew that Leona didn’t believe him.

“... Did someone hurt your precious feelings?” the prince asked, a certain snideness set to his voice. Sarcasm to conceal true concern. “Really, I thought you were hardier than that.”

“The only thing that’s hurting here’s your pride, Leona-san. Can’t last a few minutes without me, can ya?” Ruggie shook his head, letting his shaggy bangs fall over his eyes--hoping that they would hide his tears.

“Hmph. Looks like you’re doing just fine if you can still talk back to me like that. My worry is wasted on you.”

“Aww, you were worried about me? You big softie.”

Leona growled, brushing by him.

“Move your tail.”

“Gotcha. You’re the boss, Boss~”

Ruggie trailed after his dorm leader, his steps falling in line with Leona’s. Despite the saunter, the lion left quite an impression in the grass where he walked--large sandals smoothing out the land, forcing it to make way for him. Meanwhile Ruggie, on his light and agile feet, easily followed, his footsteps left unseen in the shadow of Leona’s.

A smaller star, orbiting one that burned so brightly. Eclipsed by him, and the world.

Ruggie’s steps slowed.

He lifted his head to the sprawling sky, and the multitude of lights that littered it. Took in the sights and the sounds and the mysteries of the universe.

Amid the darkness, he found the twinkle of eyes, the broad curve that made up a smile. A kind face carved out in the stars, a gentle laugh whispered by the wind.

His breath stilled, his heart stopped.

Deuce’s words resonated in his mind, and in his chest.

“You’re one of the hardest workers I’ve ever known, Bucchi-senpai...! So I’m sure that you can do it too! The stars... they’ll surely hear you!”

“........................ Yeah. Maybe they will.”

“Mm?” Leona glanced over his shoulder. “Did you say something?”

The hyena was looking upward, his intense gaze fixated on a point in the sky. Seeing something that Leona couldn’t.

That’s right, his mom is...

Leona’s expression creased, complicating his handsomeness.

“... Oi, Ruggie. I’m going ahead without you,” he announced gruffly, folding his arms. “You stay here and do whatever. Stare at the stars until you get bored of them, I don’t care.”

There was a break in Ruggie’s face. Surprise that lasted for a second before he relaxed, his shoulders lowering in defeat.

“... Thanks, Leona-san. You’re a real one.”

"Don’t thank me just yet,” the lion snorted. “I still expect you up bright and early for Magift Club practice tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Leona nodded, saying said nothing more as he turned on his heel and departed. To the naked eye, his stride was as slow as ever--but Ruggie understood that his pace had quickened, that he was making haste.

A graceful exit, permission for privacy.

When his dorm leader was completely out of sight, Ruggie let the feelings fly.

Silent tears dripped down his face, heavy and salty waterfalls he had long held back. His mouth wobbled as it was pulled back into a wide grin, a howl of laughter thrown out.

Simultaneously crying and smiling.

Sad and happy.

Painful and painless.

“Mom...” Ruggie nearly choked on the word. “You’re up there too. Are you watching over me? Are you... proud of me?”

The wind whistled. It didn’t give a response, and it didn’t seek to soothe him.

Not that he had expected them to.

No matter what his grandma’s stories were, the stars could never speak. “They are people of the past,” she’d say. “People we’ve loved. People we’ve lost. But if you wish hard and listen closely, your voice will reach them.”

Ruggie sniffled into his sleeve. “................. Stupid.”

It’s just a fairy tale.

“IT ISN’T STUPID, BUCCHI-SENPAI!!”

“H-Huh?!”

Ruggie keeled over with a shout. His bum slammed into the earth, sending a dull thud of pain racing through him. The sky and the stars crashed into one another in his vision, darkness grasping light in its clutches.

“Oops, s-sorry! I didn’t mean to make you fall over!” Deuce sputtered, rushing over to offer a hand. “Here, let me help!”

“What are you...” Ruggie bristled, lurching back from the freshman, hand retracted. His voice lost its steam when he took a look at Deuce. It looked as though a damn had burst, flooding his entire face. “Why are you crying?”

“I er... I overheard it,” Deuce confessed sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I followed you because I was curious, and I... well, you know.”

“Oh.”

Ruggie’s ears flattened. He carefully stood, ignoring Deuce’s hand, and dusted himself off.

An awkward silence filled the air between them.

“................... Um! I-If I can say something!!” Deuce cried, clenching both of his fists. “I think... if your mom was here, she’d give you a big hug and tell you how proud she is of everything you’ve done.”

“How would you know? You don’t know her. I didn’t even know her. She died before I even had the chance to.”

“I! I just know!! I know she’d be!!” Deuce shouted indignantly. He flew at Ruggie, seizing him by the arms. “You’re more amazing than you realize you are, senpai! You can smile like this when you’re so sad inside. So please... Have more faith in yourself!”

“Are you seriously gonna lecture me while you’re bawling your own eyes out?!”

“Y-You’re doing the same!!”

“At least cry about something else, not about me! ‘S embarrassing...!”

“I respectfully refuse!! I will repeat myself until you stop crying!”

“You stop first!!”

Their argument echoed into a dark expanse, the bickering turning playful with time and the scornful snickers turning into true laughter. All around them, the stars formed a shimmering veil, sheltering them as they huddled.

Two boys, not quite men, still yet to find their ways in the world.

A single star inlaid in the apex of the sky shone, burning loudly, proudly.

#Deuce Spade #Ruggie Bucchi #twst #Leona Kingscholar #twisted wonderland imagines #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #something no one asked for #twisted wonderland scenarios #happy mother’s day y’all #angst #spoilers #I made the random decision to add Leona in this piece halfway through writing #NO IT'S NOT BECAUSE I WANTED TO WRITE KIND OF SOFT LEONA SHUT UP #beyond the looking glass #imagine this #not the NRC boys being emotionally constipated 👁👄👁

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