twisted wonderland one-shots (requests CLOSED! for now)

platonic!crewel x male!reader

synopsis: crewel has decided that you, the prefect, are now his unofficial son. he does his best to keep you out of trouble while your friends do their best to keep putting you in it

a/n: man i had such fucking bad writers block doing this one. here have it

"Do I need to separate the four of you?"

You gulp, slowly looking up at the terrifying silhouette of your professor. Crewel has both of his arms crossed, the infamous switch hanging off of one of his wrists while he glares down at you, Grim, Ace and Deuce. You're already thinking about what your funeral might be like when Crewel speaks up again, eyes trained on your friends.

"Trappola and Spade. You two are clearly disturbing the Prefect. Will I have to change the seating, or will you be able to conduct yourselves around him?" he asks, and immediately the two boys are nodding in fervor, straightening up instantly and leaning away from your desk. Crewel looks much more pleased at that, stepping back to the front of the room to continue his lecture.

"Dude," Ace whispers to you as soon as Crewel is far away enough to not hear, "why were we the only ones to get in trouble? You were talking just as much as us!"

"Was not," you shoot back, refraining from looking at the redhead. "You guys are just loud as fuck."

Ace gasps indignantly. "Am not!"

"Mister Trappola!" Crewel whips around, giving Ace a look that froze the poor boy into place. You try not to snicker as Crewel stomps over, keeping your face as straight as possible while the blood drains out of Ace's face. "What did I tell you about bothering the Prefect?!"

"Ah, shit."

***

"Ah, Prefect," calls Crewel, right as his class ends. "Come here for a second. I have a book I think may interest you." You head over to his desk, slinging your bag over your shoulder while your friends trail behind you. As soon as you reach him, Crewel's sharp gaze is being thrown over your shoulder, latching onto the two unfortunate boys behind you.

"The rest of you are dismissed," he barks, and doesn't turn his attention back to you until Ace and Deuce have skittered out the door. Grim has scrambled after them, apparently not in the mood to stick around and leaving you all alone with your professor. "Finally," says the man, pulling out the book from under a stack after your friends leave. "Those two are nothing but troublemakers. I have no idea how you can stand being around them."

"I mean, they're nice," you say, but it sounds weak, even to you. "Well, Deuce is nice. Ace is sometimes nice. It's a fifty-fifty chance whether or not he's nice." Crewel doesn't look any more convinced, but he lets the subject go. Instead, he hands you the book and a slip of paper.

"It's going to get a bit colder soon. I've given you a list of things you can ask Sam to give you for the cooler months that'll help keep Ramshackle warm." You blink. That's...surprisingly kind, given everything. You take the list and look over it, feeling the blood drain out of your face at how much all of this will inevitably cost.

"Professor, this is really nice of you, but I don't think that I'll have the money for all of this. Maybe I can shorten the list and—"

"There's no need for that, Prefect. Sam and I have come to the agreement that your headmaster should've already included these within Ramshackle—and because of that, the money is coming out of his own funds, so you won't need to pay a single cent. Just go and ask Sam for these, and  if you need any help setting them up, I'm sure he'll be glad to help." Crewel gives you a gentle smile that you hesitantly return; a question makes it's way to the front of your mind.

"How, um, how did you get Crowley to pay for all of this? Am I going to have to pay him back? He's very particular about things like this," you say, feeling a little bad as the smile slowly slides off of Crewel's face.

"No, no, of course you won't have to—has he tried to do that before? Never mind, don't answer that," he tells you, forcing a grin back onto his face. "Just ask for these things and don't worry about anything else, yes?"

You try not to let your enthusiasm show as you nod and hurry away, the list clutched tightly in your hand.

***

"Just one," whines Azul as he leans over your desk, trying to look at you face-to-face. "Just one deal. You'll do scores better than everyone else on this next exam!"

You stand, scooping all of your books into your bag. "No. I'll be fine on my own. I know how to study, y'know." Before you have to keep arguing, Crewel appears behind you, seemingly from nowhere, putting a hand on your shoulder and pulling you away from Azul.

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't interfere with the academic integrity of others, Mister Ashengrotto," he bites out. "I suggest that you find a better way to make use of your unique magic." When it looks like Azul is actually going to try to argue, Crewel's grip on your shoulder tightens. You heave a sigh of relief when the other student packs it up and leaves, but when you notice that Crewel hasn't moved his hand off from your shoulder you give him a questioning look.

"I don't doubt that you're capable enough to pass my next exam," he starts, leading you over to his desk. "However, I have noticed that your friends have been nothing but distractions as of late, and I have decided that it would be unfair for you to fall behind because of their antics." You quirk an eyebrow, sitting down in front of his desk.

"Are you sure this isn't just because I'm your favorite student?"

"Technically, that holds no professional weight, so I'm obligated to say no. Now—ask away, and I'll help however I can."

"Okay. What's the answer to the universe and everything?"

Crewel gives you a look of his own, but it carries no heat, especially when you break out into a grin. "Stay focused, pup. If you're going to get a perfect score, you have to ask something that's relevant."

"Right, right. We're definitely gonna be here for a while, then," you say, reaching into your bag and pulling out a binder that rattles the quills on Crewel's desk when you let it drop. "I came prepared." For a second Crewel looks a bit bewildered, but just as quickly he's giving you a smile that's beaming with pride.

"This is why you're my favorite student."

"I'm sure Vil would love to hear that."

"He doesn't need to know."