givemeyourhonor | The Arrangement Chapter 4-A Twisted Wonderland fanfic

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland
Pairing/Characters: Jade Leech/Deuce Spade
Rating: PG-13 for a little bit of suggestive language but it's not a smut chapter
Warnings: Hurt/comfort
Notes: Xposted to squidgeworld and Ao3 at Silvermagess.
Summary: Deuce has an accident and Jade comes to visit him.

"Test your new Magic Wheel? Me?" Deuce pointed to himself in shock, not sure if he was hearing it right.

Ortho nodded. "That is correct, Deuce Spade. Big Brother wants to see how it handles around cliffs and mountains. Based on prior experience and our data, you are the only licensed Magic Wheel operator who has the skill and ability to pull off our tests."

"I-I'd be honored! Just tell me what I have to do!"

The explanation of the test was simple enough: there was a set path that the bike would follow up and down the cliffs and through the roads outside the campus to test the handling of the Magic Wheel. Deuce would be required to wear some sensors to detect things like his pulse, breathing, and other biometrics.

"Though, Ortho, why isn't Shroud-senpai the one asking me? I felt like we were on pretty good terms." Deuce hadn't exactly gotten along with him during the Stargazer festival, but he felt like they'd still reached an understanding.

"Big Brother finds you hard to handle. He can't deal with energetic jock types."

Deuce had a lot he could say about that, such as the fact that he didn't think Idia could handle any type. But instead, he just sighed and shrugged, because he really did want to try out that Magic Wheel. "Well as long as he lets me drive it, I have no complaints. Just let me know when and where."

"You idiot, going and breaking your bones like that," Ace sighed, crossing his arms as he looked down at Deuce who was lying in bed, feeling utterly miserable. "See this is why I can't get into shit like that."

"You just don't understand," Deuce muttered under his breath and tried to sit up only to wince. "Just… hand me the glass of water." Rolling his eyes, Ace did as requested.

"I'm almost kind of jealous that you get to be on bed rest the next few days until your ribs heal all the way."

"Don't be," Deuce grimaced as he took a swallow. "It's terrible. I'm lucky it wasn't worse." It had been a miracle that he hadn't gotten a concussion or anything like that. Just a busted leg and some cracked ribs.

"You should be more scared of knocking your head around like that because you can't afford to lose any more brain cells," Ace chuckled and then frowned, likely seeing the scowl plastered across Deuce's face. "Is that the look you want to give the guy who is going to be sharing all his notes with you? And helping you with your homework?"

"You're only doing it because the Dorm Head told you to." Lately, Riddle had been pushing for the 1^st years in Heartslabyul to improve their overall grade average. It was well known that Deuce was the one dragging them down, so everyone had a vested interest in helping him, even lazy Ace.

Ace shrugged. "It comes out the same either way," he said rubbing the back of his head. "But I'm going to the store with Yuu and Grim, so I'll get you something nice, alright? Then you really can't complain." Can't complain that you owe me money, Deuce thought, but he was too tired to bicker more.

But Ace left and Deuce was left alone, their other roommates already gone for the day. Trey and Cater had come by once to check on him, but otherwise, the morning was a quiet one. Boring too, Deuce thought as he scrolled through his phone. The potions they'd given him would heal Deuce's body up faster than normal so that he would be able to move around more and engage in light activity. There were instant cure-alls for broken bones, but those were expensive and common wisdom was that it was better to let your body use its own healing energy when possible. Too much magic healing and enhancement might throw everything out of whack.

Still waiting like this was miserable. Deuce's leg sucked enough on it, but every time he turned, his side ached. There wasn't much he could really do except study or play around on his phone. And that had gotten old fast, especially knowing he could be running right now, or even sitting in class.

Damn, he actually missed sitting through Trein's lectures. But at least there Deuce could be around other people if he was bored. That was the other problem. When classes started, it got lonely. Two hours in as he was thinking about that though, he had a message from his phone and looked at it. "Jade?" It was unusual for him to text Deuce at this time of day when he was also in class. He'd heard from Riddle that the Jade took his lessons seriously.

Jade: I heard from Riddle that you had a serious accident. Are you well?

Well, that explained it, Deuce thought to himself, feeling a little guilty now. He should have messaged Jade sooner.

Deuce: just really sore and bored. They told me to sit in bed the next few days and take it easy.

Jade: I wish I'd known. I would have come to visit you.

Deuce: sorry for not saying anything. The meds they put me on knocked me out pretty good.

Jade: No need to apologize. I shall make up for it this afternoon

This afternoon? Deuce felt a surge of warmth at the thought, then felt his nerves start to fray. They were trying to be discreet about their relationship. It would look weird if Jade visited him, right? And Heartslabyul was always so busy.

Jade: and do not worry about anyone asking unnecessary questions. I shall find a way. But I had better get back to class now, so rest well.

Deuce sat the phone back on his lap and looked up at the ceiling. Jade visiting him while he was injured? Something about it warmed his heart and Deuce closed his eyes, sighing contentedly. They really were in a relationship, weren't they?

"….and anyways, Crewel then lashed the table so hard he dumped the butterfly wings into the cauldron and there was pink smoke everywhere!" Ace grinned. "Tess has shocking magenta hair! And it's not coming out!"

"Too bad he's a Pomefiore student, or else we could just have him feed the flamingos every day." Deuce chuckled and then sighed as he looked over Ace's notes. "I can't believe you wrote down what happened in class for once."

"Hey, I can if I try," Ace frowned and put his hands in his pockets. "Besides, it's not like Riddle won't have my ass if I don't."

"Riiight," Deuce sighed. Leave it to Ace to not take a compliment ever. "So are you going to Basketball practice now?"

"Yep," Ace said as he cracked his neck and reached for his gym bag. "You get yelled at by Vargas for getting injured?" Deuce's expression must have said it all, because Ace tsked. "I don't know what you expected when you had a big meet coming up."

"I didn't expect it to spin out like that on the curve," Deuce sunk deeper into his bed or tried to. Ace was relentless though.

"That doesn't mean it's not a pain for your team though, right?" There was a long silence and then Ace shrugged and sighed. "Just think about that a little the next time you go running around on one of those motorbikes," Ace said as he slung the bag over his shoulder and left. Deuce sunk even deeper into the mattress, sulking.

He was simmering in there, stewing when he heard a knock on the door. "It's open," he called out and then froze when he saw Jade step in, a soft smile on his face. "J-Jade? Oh, right you said you were going to come and visit," he murmured. "But how?"

"Ah, I asked Riddle if I could go over some notes with him. And I also asked Trey to share a recipe for a chocolate torte we had the other day and since he is still busy with club activities and Riddle has already shared his notes, I might as well kill a little time and visit an injured underclassman," Jade took the chair from Deuce's desk and pulled it next to his bed.

"I'm sorry I didn't message you or-"

"-there shall be none of that," Jade said as he raised his hand. "It's quite understandable that you might otherwise be preoccupied. Still, I am curious as to what happened. I was made to understand that you were a fairly skilled rider. Or was that just bragging?"

"No! Definitely not!"

And Deuce started to explain. The test drive had been going very well. Idia's Magic Wheel, named Arion, had handled like a dream. So light and fast and responsive, turning so tight that it had been exciting. Then Deuce had gotten to the curve that had thrown him and he'd felt something, a small little spike in the magic that helped give Magic Wheels their special thrust and handling, and the jolt been enough to cause him to not take the curve as he should and he'd wiped out, resulting in a few broken ribs and a broken leg, along with a bunch of scrapes and bruises.

"Shroud-senpai thinks that there was a mistake he made in the circuit because he'd made it to be lighter and faster, though he's not sure what, because it didn't come up when he was debugging it."

"I see," Jade frowned as he reached out and took Deuce's hand, holding it loosely in his. "At least you'' know better than to ride it again."

"Know better? I plan on riding again as soon as I can! Once Shroud-senpai fixes it of course!" Deuce accidentally rose up a little and winced as his ribs let him know what he'd done wrong. "Though we'll probably try it again on a gentler hill next time."

Jade as looking down at Deuce's hand in his, frowning as he stroked the knuckles, lovingly tracing a few scars on them. "You wish to do it again? I can't imagine it. That's as absurd as wanting to be on a broom."

"It's completely different from a broom though!" Deuce said, flinching as he felt a muscle twinge from over excitement. He forced himself to take a breath and calm down, uncomfortable as it was. "For one thing, you're on the ground. And the broom doesn't feel the same way between your legs and it doesn't go as fast!"

"I think there are far better things you can have between your legs," Jade said with a pointed look and Deuce raised an eyebrow. "After spending time with me, my meaning should be clear," Jade leaned forward and rested a hand on Deuce's thigh.

"Uh crystal clear," Deuce flushed and mentally cursed that he was in this state now. "But you know, you shouldn't knock it. It's an experience unlike any other."

"I prefer my fins in the water and my feet on the ground though," Jade sighed, removing his hand, looking equally disappointed.

This bites, Deuce sighed. Even though realistically he knew that anyone could come back to his dorm room at any time. Hell, it'd probably look a little weird right now, since it was Jade of all people. "Maybe… once I'm better, I could take you on a ride? To show you what it's like." There was a long silence and a shocked look on Jade's face. Deuce swallowed, wondering if he'd misstepped. "I-I mean, I just thought since I'm probably going to be worthless this week that going on a date would be nice. You invited me to go camping and-" Jade's fingers were pressed against his lips.

Jade's face then schooled itself into a small smile and he shook his head. "I was just surprised that you asked. And I would be delighted to go once you are well. You shared in my hobby so now it's time I shared in yours, correct? Isn't that what one does when they're dating?"

"Uh, yep, it is," Deuce blushed a little, still elated. "I don't know when it will be and… I promise it will be a normal Magic Wheel, instead of an experimental one. Not that I don't plan on riding the other one, but I'll be more careful and well…" Deuce trailed off and looked at Jade nervously.

"You are the expert, so I shall defer to you. Though, please let me know when you are about to do something so dangerous next time. So I can prepare myself."

"I promise this is a rare occurrence. It's accident free nine times out of ten. This just happened to be the tenth."

For a moment it looked like Jade was going to fight him on it, only to have the other sigh. "I didn't come here to complain about your riding," he pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to calm himself. Was Jade worried? But before Deuce could ask, the other picked up his bag and pulled out some things. A few apples and a small paper bag. "I hear serving up fruit is traditional for human patients and I also brought some tea for you can have later. It should help you relax a little."

"Are you going to cut those apples for me?" Deuce asked as Jade took out a knife and began to indeed neatly slice through the flesh. It wasn’t as fancy as Epel's work, but each slice was clean and perfect as Jade arranged them on a plate he'd brought, along with a small fork. He stabbed the fork into one and then held it out.

"Say ah," Jade smirked and Deuce felt himself go red. "Come on now, no need to be shy."

Deuce chuckled and then opened his mouth. "Aaaah," he said taking a bite once the apple was in his mouth. As he chewed, he took in Jade's expression, which was now soft, warm, and genuine. Or at least as genuine as Jade got. "Is it that fun to feed me?"

"Very much so. As I have said before, it is traditional when one is visiting someone at the hospital. And back home, when you are close to someone, be they family or lovers, feeding one another is a natural part of such a relationship," Jade said as he held out another piece of fruit that Deuce obediently ate.

"Then I hope one day I get to do the same for you," Deuce said and then paused, "unless you're going to claim you don't get sick?" Then he flustered, realizing how it sounded. "Not that I want you to get sick or injured or anything like that!"

"Unfortunately for you, I seldom fall ill or suffer from any injuries," Jade smiled as he took a bite of apple for himself. "But, if I ever do, I shall expect you to vis-" Before Jade could finish the door opened and Trey's head poked in.

"There you are, Jade. I’d say I was sorry to keep you waiting, but it looks like you had a good time entertaining my troublesome junior," Trey said, his expression questioning. "Though I will have to say that if you made any contracts…"

"I would never dream of it," Jade said as he rose. "Not after Riddle has made his stance on such matters perfectly clear: no deals on Heartslabyul grounds. Anywhere else is perfectly acceptable though."

"You worry me sometimes," Trey shook his head and then smiled at Deuce. "How are you doing?"

"Alright," Deuce shrugged. "Just a little bored. But I'm supposed to be able to move around a little tomorrow, as long as I don’t do anything too rough." He'd still have to mostly stay in bed though, but it'd be much better than it was right now.

Nodding, Trey smiled. "Good. We're going to be making some tortes, so I'll make sure you get one later."

"That would be wonderful!" Deuce smiled and then nodded at Jade, trying to school his smile into something less mushy. "Thank you for visiting me senpai, it was nice of you."

"How could I not visit my junior when he was injured, especially when we've worked together in the past," Jade nodded as he picked up his bag. "Please enjoy the rest of the fruit and the tea later on then, alright Deuce?" He said with a nod as he left, with Trey giving a little wave.

Sinking back into the blankets, Deuce couldn't help but grin. He felt giddy, like when he saw a brand new Magic Wheel. If only he could get up and move, he could have asked to go make tortes with them. Wouldn't that have been amazing? Sure they would have to pretend to have a normal relationship around Trey, but it would have been fun to watch Jade cook.

"I shouldn't complain though," Deuce sighed to himself. "Just the visit was enough."

"I can't believe you get a whole cake to yourself," Ace sighed as he stretched out on his bed, eyes focused on his phone. "They're really babying you."

"Stop being jealous. It's not that fun to have broken ribs," Deuce said as he took a bite, smiling around it.

"Still, is it okay to eat something Jade-senpai made? I heard once from Floyd-senpai that his brother likes to put weird things in his food. That's why we never saw him cooking when we worked at the Lounge," Ace said as he glanced at Deuce.

"Nothing weird's happening so far," Deuce said as he took another bite. "And Clover-senpai was with him, so he probably didn't have the time to do anything." And he hasn't poisoned me yet, Deuce thought to himself, but he didn't say that out loud.

Ace shrugged and was silent, scrolling through his phone some more before he finally spoke again. "Is it that good? You're grinning like a Cheshire cat."

"…it is," Deuce chuckled. "And I'm not sharing," he said which caused Ace to roll his eyes, ending the conversation. It was definitely good and not just because of the taste, but because Jade had made it for him. And he had a Magic Wheel date to look forward to in the future. Maybe breaking your bones wasn't so bad.