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Ace could pinpoint the time he fell in love to the very second, something that amazes him because precision had never been his strong suit. But he remembers exactly when his heartbeat first quickened at the face of Riddle, his face flushed pink at Riddle’s voice. He remembers exactly when - remembers the hedgehogs climbing all over his head as he attempted to handle them, handing them back to Riddle.
Ace knows that he fell in love with Riddle’s smile. The first time Riddle smiled sweetly at him, in fact. He fell in love with a Riddle he hadn’t seen before, one who thanked him with an ear-to-ear smile and bright, sparkling eyes. Ace knows he fell in love at that very second, feeling his heart drop to his feet.
“Ace?” Riddle asked, the smile still on his face. “What did you say?”
“Nothing,” Ace shook his head, realized that he had been staring. “Just - this is easy work if it’s for you.”
He attempted to pull his regular grin, shaking off the flush of his face.
“Because I’m an ace.”
Riddle laughed softly at his proclamation and Ace felt his internal alarm ringing out. Shit, shit, shit. the words flashed in his mind. The demon dorm head is actually sweet. The demon dorm head is actually cute.
“Well then,” Riddle said and picked up a hedgehog from Ace’s head. His smile widened as he held the hedgehog close to his cheeks. “I’ll be relying on you from here on.”
Not fair, Ace thought. Riddle was not playing fair.
“O-of course,” he said instead. “Whatever!”
He remembers exactly how he felt as he watched Riddle’s back turn on him to join the rest of their dorm for the Unbirthday Party. He remembers how he was frozen in place until Riddle looked back at him and called out his name.
“Ace,” Riddle said, and Ace did not know how his name could have sounded so pretty in someone else’s voice. “Are you coming?”
“Yes, dorm head,” he defaulted to the required response as he ran to Riddle’s side.
He had known how bad this was from the very second he felt this feeling. He had known that he shouldn’t fall in love with a boy who weeks ago he just called a tyrant.
He had known, without having to think it through, that this was the start of yet another series of bad decisions.
“Ace,” it’s the prefect’s voice that breaks him out of his reverie. “You’re zoning out again, should you go to the school nurse?”
Ace shakes his head and slowly the familiar noise of the cafeteria fills his senses once more. It’s lunch time, he realizes, and the incident with Riddle happened more than a week ago.
He has been anxious around Riddle ever since, avoiding his dorm head as much as possible. One part of him absolutely hates that - why should he be skittish around Riddle? Did they not fight for their rights against Riddle in that first week of school? Did they not win the privilege of being more easygoing around their dorm head?
“If you ask me,” Grim says with a mischievous grin. “Ace is in love.”
“What!?” Ace reacts, all too quickly, slamming his hands down on the table until his plate and utensils shake. He shakes his head, crossing his arms. “I am not in love.”
“So you’re sick?” Jack raises his eyebrow.
“I’m not—“ Ace starts, then sighs. “I’m okay, you guys are just exaggerating everything.”
“You’re sighing a lot more,” Deuce points out. “And zoning out a lot more.”
“Don’t wanna hear that from a guy who zones out so badly in Trein-sensei’s class he didn’t hear his name being called,” Ace huffs.
It’s not that he doesn’t trust his friends - after all, they have been through enough together they could be called, truly and entirely friends - but I’m in love with my dorm head isn’t something he wants to talk about with this crowd. Especially not while he’s still figuring everything out.
All he knows right now is that he loves Riddle’s smile. All he knows is how he wants to bring about that smile more - that smile which is special because of how rare it is.
Sure, Riddle smiles when reciting the rules. But it’s not the same smile he had when he saw that the hedgehogs were safe with Ace. That was the smile Ace fell in love with, and the smile Ace wants to see again.
“Well, if you’re not in love and you’re not sick,” Deuce says, musing over the information spread out in front of him. “You must be plotting something. You’re not planning to cheat on the next test, are you?”
“Why do you guys assume the worst of me?” Ace shakes his head warily.
“Being in love is not so bad,” the prefect says with a gentle smile.
It’s not, Ace thinks. Unless it’s with a guy who would marry a rule book before even considering you.
“If you’re troubled by anything,” a smooth voice suddenly interjects between them. “Us at Mostro Lounge might be able to help you.”
The whole table turns to see Jade Leech, standing in a servant-like manner with his hand over his chest.
“You’re going to ask for something unreasonable in return,” Jack points out. “Ace, don’t do this again.”
“Seriously!” Ace whines. “Why do you all keep assuming the worst!?”
“There’s nothing wrong with promoting our services,” Floyd, who stands beside his brother grins. “Azul will be happy to welcome you! Don’t you have, like, eight drinks left to get the advice session?”
Jack shoots Ace a glare then. Ace clears his throat. He has indeed been a regular at Mostro lounge, saving all his points for an eventual study advice session with Azul. He’s not going to waste his hard work collecting those points for this, he tells himself.
This will pass, he has been telling himself that for the past week. This shall pass and his heart will no longer beat faster at the mere thought of Riddle. This shall pass and he will stop imagining Riddle’s smile at every waking hour.
“Go away,” he sighs at the eel brothers.
But Floyd’s cackling makes him think that this won’t be the last he sees of them.
Besides, Ace thinks. He just has to avoid Riddle and it’ll eventually fade away as memories do. Even the sight of Riddle’s brilliant smile will fade eventually. There’s nothing else he can do but to go on with his life.
Forget about it, he tells himself as he walks towards where the hedgehogs are kept. Hedgehogs are just hedgehogs and have nothing to do with Riddle. Chores are chores and he has to do them if he doesn’t want to see Riddle angry. That’s all. He doesn’t want his magic sealed again. That’s really all.
But he freezes as he gets to the hedgehogs’ cages.
Riddle is there, on his knees picking up a hedgehog.
“You’re going to do well next croquet game, won’t you?” Riddle speaks to the hedgehog. Unlike other members of Hearts Labyul, Riddle does not use baby talk with the hedgehog. He speaks to them with his normal voice, with proper words.
Ace knows this much, but overhearing this he can’t help but think how sweet the whole scene is.
The smile that Ace loves seems reserved for these hedgehogs.
What is he? A fairytale princess? Ace thinks, holding back a sigh. He can’t help but keep watching as Riddle chatters to the hedgehog with that smile on his face. He can’t help but have his heart race at the sight.
Ace bites down on his tongue, but just as he’s about to excuse himself, he drops his mop with a bang.
“Who’s there?” The smile is wiped off Riddle’s face as he turns towards the source of the noise. With a sheepish smile, Ace walks out from behind the wall.
“‘S my turn to clean the hedgehogs’ cages,” he says, as if making an excuse to be there, interrupting something sacred. Despite what he says, he makes no attempt to pick the mop up.
“Oh,” Riddle’s expression grows less tense. “It’s you, Ace.”
Ace walks over to where Riddle is, crouching down next to the dorm head.
“Are you here to play with them, dorm head?”
Riddle goes quiet for a second. Then, he smiles once more.
A smile so soft that it steals Ace’s breath away.
“They do well with people talking to them,” Riddle says. “That’s what Trein-sensei said.”
“So you’re taking it on yourself to do so?”
“Well,” Riddle huffs. “I know how a lot of you don’t talk to them.”
“Hey, I do talk to them,” Ace replies with a chuckle. He keeps his gaze away from Riddle, as if doing so would stop Riddle from reading his expression. At least, Ace hopes Riddle can’t tell how cute Ace thinks he is.
“Prove it,” Riddle says. He picks up a hedgehog, holding it up to Ace. “Talk to Peachy here.”
“Her name is Peachy?” Ace raises an eyebrow.
“His name is Peachy,” Riddle answers like it’s obvious. “Come on, Ace, didn’t you say it’s okay for me to rely on you?”
“You’re going to use it for something like this?” Ace laughs. “Alright, fine, hello Peachy, how are you today?”
Riddle holds Peachy’s paw in between his index finger and thumb to make the hedgehog wave at Ace.
“Now praise him.”
“Praise him?!”
“Trein-sensei said it’s good for them.”
Ace sighs.
“Fine, fine, uh, you sure are cute today,” Ace says. But as he’s saying it, he can feel his gaze shift from the hedgehog to Riddle behind the hedgehog. He gulps down nervously, shaking his head. “You sure are cute today, Peachy.”
He emphasises the hedgehog’s name. But regardless, Riddle doesn’t seem to notice. Instead, Riddle turns the hedgehog towards himself, kissing the hedgehog’s nose.
“Looks like Ace thinks you’re cute, Peachy,” he says. “Do I have to compete with him for your affection?”
“No,” Ace lets the word spill from his lips. This, now, earns an eyebrow raise from Riddle.
Shit, Ace thinks. I was doing so well too.
“I mean,” Ace attempts to say something, waving his hands. “You’re here often, aren’t you, dorm head? I’m sure I’m nothing to Peachy next to you.”
“Hm,” Riddle hums. “Perhaps.”
Riddle places the hedgehog back into his cage, then his sharp gaze turns to Ace.
“Ace,” he says, shifting closer to the other boy. “I have a question for you.”
“Y-yeah?”
“Have you been avoiding me?”
Ace could not help but let out a nervous laugh.
“Of course not, dorm head,” he says, waving his hands around. “You must be imagining it.”
“Truth is I meant to ask you for a while,” Riddle says. “That’s why I’m here. I know it’s your turn to take care of the hedgehogs.”
Ace curses himself.
Of all people he could fall in love with, why must he fall in love with someone so smart? He was counting on Riddle not being very good socially to not notice his avoidance, but looks like Riddle actually did. Then again, for someone who can memorize some few hundred rules, remembering Ace’s schedule enough to notice he’s being avoided is probably child’s play for Riddle.
“It’s just,” Riddle says softly, a small pout on his lips. “I think I’ve gotten better. You know, about not getting angry all the time.”
“You have!” Ace says quickly. “You really have! I’ve just been —“
Emotionally compromised?
“Busy,” Ace settles for.
“I see,” Riddle says. He doesn’t sound like he completely believes Ace, but this should be good enough for now. “You better be telling the truth, or I’ll have your head off.”
Even at a time like this, Riddle could fit in a threat. That sends a shiver down Ace’s spine, remembering exactly the extent of Riddle’s power - but that reminder causes him to think about how impressive Riddle truly is. Surely, someone like him wouldn’t be interested in someone like Ace. Riddle has others around him too, such as Trey and Cater, who annoy him much less than Ace.
“I’m telling the truth,” Ace says. “It’s really not you.”
Or rather, it is Riddle. Just not in the way Riddle thinks.
“Really?” Riddle asks. “Would you say you’re happy to be in Hearts Labyul now?”
The question takes Ace aback. There’s something vulnerable with how Riddle asks him that question. In fact, he can see Riddle fidget ever so slightly as he looks earnestly into Ace’s eyes.
“A+ to the dorm head,” Ace replies with a grin. “Seriously.”
“Good,” Riddle says, smiling right at Ace.
Shooting arrows straight into Ace’s heart.
Ace would like to say that he isn’t sure how he ends up here in Mostro Lounge ordering eight drinks to complete his points card, but Jack’s glaring at him is enough to remind him. He’s here to see Azul, redeeming his one hundred points for some godforsaken love advice.
“I don’t like this,” Jack growls, even if he makes no move to stop Grim from inhaling all the drinks. “You should just tell us what’s going on.”
“If it’s about studying we can help,” Deuce says. Even Deuce says that with worry in his voice.
“You can’t help me with studying, Deuce,” Ace reminds his supposed rival with a sigh.
“Then what is it?” The prefect asks. “Is there really nothing we can help with?”
It’s really nothing Ace can tell them. He shakes his head.
“It’s... personal.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” it’s Jade who finds them. “Azul is ready to see you now.”
Ace gets up from his seat and waves to his friends. Jack is still glaring at him while the prefect and Deuce are looking at him with worried eyes. Only Grim is too preoccupied with filling himself with the drinks Ace ordered to pay him any mind.
He follows Jade through the somewhat familiar corridor of Mostro Lounge, arriving at the VIP room. There, Azul waits for him.
The older boy adjusts his glasses.
“Ace from Hearts Labyul,” he says. “How may I help you today? Would you like some study notes? Ways to fill your attendance without going to class? Feel free to tell me anything; after all, you are a valued customer here at Mostro Lounge.”
Now that Ace is here, he wonders if it’s really a good idea to ask Azul of all people about this. He might not be overly familiar with the upperclassman, but Azul does not seem to have a romantic bone on his body.
“Just wanna know first,” Ace says, scratching the back of his head. “This service is confidential, right?”
The word sparks a glint in Azul’s eyes. Seems like that’s his favorite kind of case.
“Of course!” Azul proclaims happily. “You can trust us - we are only here to make the sale, after all.”
“Alright,” Ace takes a deep breath as he sits opposite of Azul. “The truth is, well, I think I’m in love with someone.”
With the way Azul’s eyes widen, Ace can guess that is not what Azul was expecting to hear. But ever the excellent salesman, Azul is able to regain his composure quickly.
“Ah,” he says. “So you want... a love potion?”
“No!” Ace answers quickly. He doesn’t want Riddle to like him by using that kind of method. “I don’t know. I don’t know why I’m here. Maybe I want to not be in love with this person?”
“There’s a potion for that too,” Azul says with an easy shrug. “But I suppose what you really want from me is advice.”
“I guess?” Ace says with a vague gesture of his hands.
“Let’s see... I assume you haven’t told this person,” Azul starts off. “Why not?”
“I don’t know,” Ace says again, feeling like a broken record. “I guess I think he won’t like me back.”
“And why wouldn’t he?”
“I’ve always been a bit of a pain in the ass for him,” Ace says, this time saying the words out slowly. “Like, I’m not good with following the rules, so.”
Azul blinks rapidly at this.
“I think I know who you’re in love with,” Azul says. “It’s—“
Before Azul could say anything more, the door of the VIP room opens with a bang.
“—Riddle Rosehearts,” Azul finishes his sentence as he looks to the boy at the doorway.
Dressed in his Hearts Labyul uniform, Riddle stands with arms crossed in the doorway of the VIP room.
“Excuse me, Azul,” he says with an angry scowl on his face. “I’m here to pick up my dorm member before he gets eaten up by you again.”
“I’m not doing anything to him,” Azul says shaking his head. “He comes here of his own accord.”
“Well,” Riddle huffs, throwing a glare at Ace. “He’s not thinking.”
“Yes, that much I can agree with,” Azul says with an amused laugh. “Give him a good talking to, Riddle.”
Riddle grabs Ace’s arm, dragging him away from the VIP room and right through Mostro Lounge. Seeing the two of them, the prefect, Grim, Deuce and Jack follow them all the way to the outside of the Octavinelle dorm.
There, Riddle drops Ace.
“Dorm head, I’m—“ Ace is about to start, but he realizes he really doesn’t have anything to say at that very moment. He goes quiet as he sits on the ground, shuffling himself to be as small as possible.
Riddle sighs deeply.
“If you’ve a problem, why didn’t you come to me?” Riddle scolds. “I thought you’ve learnt your lesson, to not make a deal with that octopus!”
“I used my points card!” Ace says as if that excuses anything. He then shakes his head, realizing Riddle probably doesn’t know what he’s talking about. “I paid him by buying drinks at Mostro Lounge.”
“Why would you do that?” Riddle huffs.
“It’s just —“ Ace starts. “I can’t go to you with every problem, dorm head.”
Especially not if the problem is being in love with Riddle.
“Why not?” Riddle pushes, he steps closer to Ace, kneeling down. Even though it’s not the time for it, Ace finds himself blushing at how close Riddle’s face is to his. “Because you can’t trust me? Because I’m not good enough as a dorm head?”
Ace bites down on his lip. He wants to make Riddle smile and this is the complete opposite of that.
“It’s none of that,” he mumbles quietly.
“Say that again?” Riddle says.
“Look,” Ace takes a deep breath. “Look, I... I’m in love with you.”
“What?!”
The exclamation comes from Grim, not Riddle. Not Riddle because the older boy has completely frozen over, eyes widening at Ace’s proclamation.
“A-ace,” he manages finally as he gets up and steps back from Ace. “You— if you’re joking I’ll have your head off!”
“I’m not!” Ace replies back quickly. Loudly. He has lost control of the volume of his voice. “I’m in love with you and that’s why I went to Azul-senpai for advice.”
Azul, who followed them from the VIP room and is currently watching this and enjoying it very much, is making some sort of commentary that causes Riddle to snap a “shut up” at him.
But it’s not a commentary Ace heard. He pulls himself to his feet, looking straight at Riddle.
“Dorm head, I’m,” he starts again, this time his voice is steady. “I’m in love with you.”
Riddle takes a deep breath at this third confession in the span of five minutes.
“I need to think,” Riddle replies quietly. “Give me time.”
He turns his heels, leaving Ace with the peanut gallery.
“So you’re actually really in love?” Grim calls out. “This great me guessed correctly! Now all of you owe me a can of tuna! Each!”
“Shut up Grim,” the prefect says, putting a hand over Grim’s mouth. “Not the time for this!’
Ace sighs.
He should’ve expected this much. This is exactly why he didn’t want to tell Riddle - Riddle isn’t going to like him back after all.
Tired, he slumps down on the ground once more as his friends surround him, giving him words of consolation he barely hears.
Ace lies awake in his bed that night, remembering how Riddle walked away from him. Unlike the time with the hedgehog where Riddle walking away from him gave him butterflies in his stomach, filling him with excitement and elevating his crush, the incident from earlier today leaves him with a sense of dread. How is he going to face Riddle next time? He can’t avoid his dorm head forever.
He shouldn’t have confessed. Should’ve taken Azul’s potion that could cure him from his lovesickness.
As he wonders about all the different possible dos and don’ts, there’s a knock at his door.
This late at night? he wonders. The rest of his dorm room is asleep, leaving just him to answer the door. He gets up to check who it might be.
And for the second time that day, Riddle Rosehearts stands in the doorway facing him.
“Dorm head,” Ace’s eyes widens. “You’re—“
“Can we talk?” Riddle says, he peeks behind Ace to see his sleeping roommates and frowns. “Out here.”
“Y-yeah,” Ace says, perhaps against his better judgement. “Yeah, we can.”
He walks out of his room, closing the door behind him.
There’s a silence between them that feels awkward. Understandable, really, considering the events of the day.
“Isn’t it against the rules to wander around at night?”
Ace attempts at a flimsy joke.
“It’s not wandering if I’ve a destination,” Riddle replies. “And we’re not walking around right now, are we? We’re just standing here.”
“Right,” Ace nods. Guess Riddle knowing all the rules also meant Riddle knowing where the rules aren’t perfect.
“So,” Riddle starts. “About today.”
“About today,” Ace echoes awkwardly.
“I,” Riddle seems to be struggling with his words. “I’d like to go out with you. If you’re still, well, inclined.”
Huh?
That is not what Ace expects to hear.
“S-seriously?” He manages. Not exactly eloquent there, Ace, he tells himself. But perhaps eloquence is overrated in a situation like this.
“If you want!” Riddle says quickly.
“So you like me too, dorm head?”
“I, well, I guess” Riddle huffs, annoyed at how bad he is with his words in this situation. Must be hard, considering Riddle is always perfect. But that’s exactly what’s cute about the Riddle in front of Ace right now. The Riddle who Ace is only beginning to see.
“You guess?” Ace can’t help but to tease. “I told you I’m in love with you, dorm head.”
“And I wouldn’t be here,” Riddle crosses his arms. “If I don’t feel the same way.”
Ace closes the gap between them.
“So,” he says, holding Riddle’s hand in his. “You want to go out with me?”
Riddle squeezes Ace’s hand back.
“Yes,” Riddle says softly.
He gives an unsure smile, unsure but soft, illuminated by the moonlight outside the window.
How unfair, Ace thinks. Making me fall in love again
But he doesn’t let go.
He’s not going to let this feeling go.