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“Hm, no, this won’t do,” Riddle mutters to himself as he scrolls up and down Ace’s Night Raven University application. “Is this really all you have about yourself?”
“I think? I don’t know, Riddle, this stuff is tiring me out,” Ace whines, slumping on the table as the redhead clicks his tongue. “It should be good enough, right? I'm good at making drinks, but not this kinda stuff.”
“Absolutely not. Night Raven is highly selective, even for those who are qualified. You may be qualified, but do you stand out?”
“That’s what I’m hoping.”
“You can’t just hope, Ace. You need to make it true with your own two hands.”
Ace groans and pops his earbud in, turning his music up with a flick of a finger. “You sound like my mom.”
“She seems like a wonderful woman then.”
“Ugh. Remind me never to let you two meet, like ever.”
“Mhm, I’m sure we’ll get along wonderfully,” Riddle says in a deadpan voice, “and turn your music down, I can hear it from here.”
Ace thinks about it, then tosses the other earbud over, cracking a smile as Riddle struggles to catch it. “I’ll turn it down if you listen with me.”
“If it’ll get you to turn it down… very well.” Riddle slips it into his ear, and if he has an opinion on Ace’s choice of music, he doesn’t voice it. After a while though, Ace realizes that Riddle’s humming along to the chorus, and he smiles as he lays his head down on his arms and gazes up at the redhead. It’s, for lack of a better word in Ace’s mind, absolutely adorable, and-
“Ah, here. You can definitely add some more detail to-” Riddle glances up and meets Ace’s eyes. “What are you staring at me for?”
It’s then that Ace snaps out of his trance, and he looks down at the table. “Sorry. Just spaced out.”
Riddle frowns and crosses his arms. “Is it really that boring?”
“No, I was just… thinking. About a lot of things.”
“If you say so.” Riddle turns the laptop back towards Ace and points to a text box on the screen. “Now, about this, are you really sure there’s nothing else you can put here?”
Ace hums and slides the laptop closer to him. “Uh, maybe? If I told them about this, how do you think it would…”
Two months later:
There’s an email in his inbox from Night Raven University.
It’s been there since yesterday, and as tempting as it is to tap on it and see whether he got in or not, Ace would much rather wait to share the good (or possibly bad) news with Riddle. It’s the least he can do after all the help the redhead had given him on his application. Ace glances at his screen again, and the bold letters that read Your decision flash, tempting him to tap it.
He physically shakes his head and stashes his phone in his pocket, rocking back and forth on his heels as he drums his fingers on the counter. Just as he’s about to go back and make himself some coffee, the bell dings and Riddle strolls in through the door. Ace’s phone is unlocked and in his hands before he can think, and he’s already flipped the screen towards Riddle by the time the redhead reaches the counter.
“Riddle. It’s out,” Ace blurts, his free hand gripping the edge of the countertop.
“What’s ou- oh. Already? I wasn’t aware they were doing decisions this early,” Riddle replies with a tilt of his head.
“I did, uh, early decision or whatever it’s called.”
“Ah, I see. No wonder you had me look over your application so early.” Riddle gently pushes the phone down and puts one hand atop Ace’s. “Calm down, Ace, you’re shaking. I know you’re nervous, but one, it won’t help anyone if you spill something on yourself, and two, I’m sure you’ll get in.”
Ace’s shoulders slump and he hangs his head as he tries to focus on how warm Riddle’s hand is. “Yeah… ok, thanks for the vote of confidence.” He straightens up and sighs, tucking his phone into his pocket. “Your usual today?”
“If you would, please.” Riddle pats his hand with a gentle smile before moving it back to his bag. “Take your time, I’ll wait.” Ace nods gratefully as he puts the money in the register as usual, and as soon as he steps into the back, he lets muscle memory take over. His hands are steeping tea, but his mind is whirring as he mechanically pours it out and carries the cup out to Riddle’s table.
As soon as the cup is safely in the redhead’s hands, Ace collapses into the nearby chair and puts his head down on top of his arms. Ceramic clinks against wood. Suddenly there’s a hand on top of Ace’s head, but he doesn’t even need to look up to know whose it is.
“If you’d like, I can read the decision for you,” Riddle offers, and wow, his voice is a lot closer than Ace would’ve thought at first. “And you can keep your head down as well.”
Ace nods and fishes his phone out of his pocket, sliding it across the table. “Password’s 463711.”
“You’re not afraid of just giving me your password like that?”
“You’re a law student, I think you’d rather die before doing anything illegal with my phone.”
Riddle chuckles, and Ace unconsciously smiles. “Well, I suppose you’re not wrong. Alright, here goes. It reads, ‘hi Ace, thank you for your application to Night Raven University. This year, we had the largest pool of applicants the school has ever seen in all of its history, and naturally, we could not admit all of them-’”
Ace raises his hand, his heart sinking with each word said. “You can stop, Riddle.”
“There’s more. Are you sure you don’t want to hear the rest of it?”
“I think I can guess what it’ll say.”
“You never know. And it might benefit you to listen to all of it before passing judgment.”
“...fine, you can keep going.”
“Wonderful. Let’s see, I stopped at… ah, here. ‘Now with that out of the way, I, the illustriously gracious headmage of Night Raven University, would like to announce that you have been admitted into our wonderful institution! I, alongside the rest of the staff, do welcome you into our first-year class! We are honored and highly excited to have you, and we’ll see you on campus in the fall. Welcome to NRU!’”
Ace slowly raises his head and gazes at Riddle in confusion. “What?”
Riddle grins as he stands and returns Ace’s phone. “You heard me.”
“I got in? Like actually?” Ace stares dumbfounded as Riddle nods with a smile, and he glances down at the screen. “That’s… I… really?”
“You did it, Ace. Congratulations, truly. I suppose I’ll see you this upcoming fall, then.”
Ace blinks, then leaps from his seat and throws his arms around Riddle with a laugh, grinning as he squeezes the redhead tight. “I made it, Seven, I really did! And I never could’ve done it without-” Realization crashes into him like a wave, and Ace is suddenly too aware of just how close they are. “You.”
“That’s a lie. Your own accomplishments certainly speak for themselves.” Nevertheless, Riddle’s arms wrap around his waist with a quiet hum. “Well, no matter. I’m proud of you.”
“Ah- heh, thanks…” Ace can’t help but flush, both at the praise and the fact that he’s still holding onto Riddle; part of him wants to draw back, but the other part is more than happy to stay right where he is. “So…”
Riddle pulls back a little to gaze up into Ace’s eyes. “So?”
“So, uh-” Seven, what can he say here that isn’t awkward- “Drinks are free! On the house as thanks.”
“You really don’t have to.” Riddle steps back, his arms falling to his sides as he returns to his seat. “The satisfaction from knowing I helped is more than enough.”
Ace lets his own arms drop and hopes his disappointment doesn’t show. “Still, I can’t just let you leave without doing something!” He jogs over to the register, slips a few thaumarks out, and hands it back. “C’mon, just take it, please?”
“Ah, Ace…” Riddle stares at it before taking it and tucking it into his bag. “Alright, alright. Thank you kindly.”
“It’s nothing! I should be the one thanking you.” Ace strolls back around to the other side of the counter with a grin. “So, anything else you want for today? As long as it isn’t seven lattes again, cause one, I don’t want you to pass out again, and two, I don’t want your scary roommate to kill me.”
Riddle sputters and glares at Ace, chair legs squeaking as he abruptly stands. “Ace! I thought you wouldn’t bring that up anymore!”
“Just trying to look out for you~”
“And it wasn’t seven lattes, it was just six!”
Ace chuckles and leans against the counter. “You have to admit I was close then!”
“No! There’s a big difference there!” Riddle sits back down in his chair with a pout and arms crossed. “Anyway… I’ll tell Jamil not to go after you. He’s not scary if you get to know him.”
“Riddle, no offense to him, but I’ve never felt more threatened by a plastic knife in my life.”
“Well, he is a rather talented chef. And assassin.”
“Yeah, with the way he was handling that thing, I’d believe it.” Ace blinks as the rest of the sentence registers in his mind, and he whips his head around in shock. “Wait, did you just say he was an assassin ?!”
Riddle gazes at him curiously over his cup of tea. “Is there something wrong with that?”
“Oh, nothing really, if it wasn’t for the fact that I actually could’ve died !”
“He wouldn’t dare stab you with me around, don’t worry.”
“So he would stab me if you weren’t around?!”
The redhead sighs and daintily sips from his tea again. “He won’t be stabbing you at all after I’m done talking to him. There won’t be any more attempts made on your life, so do calm down.”
“No, because how is someone an assassin at, what, 19 years old?!”
“He told me he had training from his family since he was little, though the only thing he cuts up now is meat and vegetables. Even if Azul said he did once see Jamil go after someone with a knife once… which is technically assault, but I’ll let it slide since I haven’t seen it myself.”
Ace scrunches his nose, all of his fear suddenly gone. “Eh, somehow that doesn’t sound real… I think they’re both messing with you.”
Riddle finishes the last of his tea and innocently beams at Ace. “Of course not! If anything, I’m honored they felt like they could share something of that caliber with me.”
“Well, if you really say so… ah, I’ll take that.” Ace scoops the cup and saucer up and jogs back into the kitchen to dump it in the sink. “Want anything else? I can make another drink for you if you want.”
“Perhaps another day. I’ve got a few assignments I’d like to get done as soon as I can, so just keep the offer in mind, I suppose.” Riddle stands, hoisting his bag over one shoulder, and waves with a smile. “I’ll see you next week, as always.”
“Of course! See you then, Riddle.” The redhead waves again and rounds the corner, and Ace waits until he’s completely disappeared from view before slumping against the counter with a massive sigh. What in Wonderland is wrong with him?! He shouldn’t have hugged Riddle so suddenly like that, he couldn’t have made it more obvious that he…
Hm. Let’s not think about that now.
Night Raven University is bigger and better than Ace could’ve hoped for. He knows he probably looks way too excited for something as stupid as orientation, but he can’t be blamed! The campus is huge and majestic, and Ace swears he’s never seen the massive castle even after all his years living in the area.
“This is where I’m going to school,” he whispers to himself as he dashes down the winding path to the castle. “Holy shit, this is where I’m gonna be in a few months!” Once he reaches the end of Main Street, he gazes up at the castle and pulls his phone out to take pictures, before glancing at the clock and…
“Shit, I’m gonna be late!” Ace frantically glances around, hoping for a map or something, but there aren’t any to be found. “Damn, I should’ve gone to that session before sightseeing! I can’t even follow the map because I don’t know where I am!”
(He swears he heard about this from Riddle once, something about how Crowley is a terribly useless headmaster… maybe this is what he meant.)
“Excuse me, did you need some help? You seem a little- ah, Ace?”
Ace grins when he hears the familiar voice, and when he turns, it’s exactly who he expected. “Riddle! Just got out of class?”
“Study session at the library, actually.” Riddle shifts the textbooks in his arms. “I almost didn’t recognize you without the uniform, if I’m being completely honest.”
Ace huffs and pouts. “Rude. I’m that forgettable, huh?” Riddle sputters indignantly, but Ace grins and waves it off. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Anyway, you know where the hall of mirrors is? I’m supposed to be starting orientation there soon, but I uh… got distracted by the castle and now I’m lost…”
“Oh, so that’s what you’re here for. I didn’t realize it was first-year orientation today. No wonder I saw so many new faces around.” Riddle nods towards the path. “As it turns out, I’m headed there myself. Follow me.”
“Sweet! Thanks Riddle, you’re the best.” Ace trails after Riddle as they go down the path together. “What is the hall of mirrors anyway? Sounds cool.”
“The headmage just calls it that to make it sound nicer. It’s just a subway station that connects all the dorms.”
“Wait, dorms? I thought you didn’t live on campus. Why are you going there?”
“I’m one of Heartslabyul’s resident advisors. I pop in every few days to check on things and help Trey out, since he lives there. You may see him around, since Crowley is supposed to take you all on a tour of the dorms. Key word, ‘supposed to’, because whenever work is involved, he’ll surely find a way to foist it off on someone else.”
“Heartslabyul, huh… I think Lance lived in that one when he was here.”
“Well, it’d be nice if you continued the tradition, wouldn’t it?” Riddle shifts his books all under one arm. “I know Trey would be happy to have you. Ah, turn left here. The hall of mirrors is just down this road.”
“Yeah, that’d be cool!” They turn the corner, and Ace spots the crowd almost immediately. “That’s probably where I’m supposed to go. See you later, Riddle!” He takes off down the path, and Ace is almost at the door when he realizes he doesn’t want to leave the redhead hanging, so he turns and starts running backwards. “Maybe after I’m done here, we could hang out some more!”
Riddle blinks at the sudden call, but smiles and nods. “I’d like that very much! Now turn around, you’re going to trip!” Ace waves a hand as if to say “it’s fine”, but as soon as he turns back around, his foot catches on a rock and he unceremoniously sprawls to the ground.
“And this must be our last participant! Welcome aboard, Trappola,” Crowley exclaims. “We’ve been waiting for you. And with that, we can now begin the tour!” Ace picks himself up without a word and follows at the very back, pretending he can’t feel Riddle’s amused gaze even after he disappears into the building.
~-~-~-~-~
When Ace walks out of the building, Riddle’s waiting under a tree and chatting with three people, all of whom Ace recognizes as Riddle's roommates. Their eyes meet, and the redhead perks up, running over to greet him. “Did orientation go well, Ace?” Riddle asks with a tilt of his head.
“Yeah, it went fine! We toured all the dorms and they’re super nice, though I see what you mean about Crowley being a-”
The silver-haired boy adjusts his glasses with a grin and slides right in between them, fervently shaking Ace’s hand. “Ace? Seven, we finally meet that cool barista you keep talking about, Riddle! I’m Azul Ashengrotto, one of Riddle’s roommates. Here’s my business card.”
A little white card is pushed into Ace’s hands, and… “Hold up, you run Mostro Lounge?! Literally everyone from my school goes there at least once a week! How rich are you, dude?”
“Ah ah, discussing salary at a first meeting is highly unprofessional. Let’s just say it’s a lot.”
Riddle sighs and crosses his arms. “Azul, kindly do not rope him into your business. He has a job already.”
“Yeah, and I kinda like it there, so thanks, but no thanks.”
Azul shrugs good-naturedly and steps back. “Well, so be it. But should you choose to head for greener pastures, the Lounge will always welcome someone with fine barista skills.”
“Barista? Oh, oh! You’re the guy Riddle goes out to meet!” Another boy jumps in front of Ace and enthusiastically shakes his hand. “Hi, hi! It’s so cool to finally get to meet you! I’m Kalim, and over there is Jamil!” Kalim points to where Jamil is leaning against the tree, and he raises a hand in greeting.
Ace awkwardly does the same. “Hey there, scary person who threatened me with a plastic knife.”
“Good to see you away from the coffee machine for a while, latte guy.”
Ace blinks, then narrows his eyes at Jamil. “Wait, hold on, is that supposed to be a nickname or something-”
“It was you ?!” Kalim’s eyes go wide, and he looks at Ace in wonder. “You’re the one Riddle drank six lattes for! You heard about the dance competition, right? Seven, we were all super scared when Riddle came home shaking because he never does that, and then he told us what happened, and then he stayed up really late, and-”
“Kalim, please, not so loud,” Riddle hisses, lightly shaking the other’s shoulder. Kalim claps his hands over his mouth, and the redhead sighs as he turns back to Ace. “Anyway. If you were still, ahem, down for that hangout, as Cater says, I know a good restaurant a few minutes’ walk from here. I’ll treat you.”
Azul and Jamil’s mouths drop open, and they both grin smugly, Azul not so subtly nudging Riddle’s shoulder. “Ooh? Taking him out already?”
Riddle grumbles under his breath, pushing Azul away from him. “Quiet in the peanut gallery. I’m just trying to pay him back for all the coffee he’s made me.”
Jamil snickers, moving away from the tree to pat the redhead’s back. “Whatever you say, Riddle.”
“Goodness, I’m ever so proud!” Azul wipes a mock tear away from his eyes. “Do tell us how it goes after you get back.”
“This is just about the coffee, I’m serious! Ugh, let’s just go, Ace.” Riddle stomps away from them, and Ace has to jog to catch up with him. “Introducing you to them was a mistake. I’m never going to live it down from them.”
“Aw, I really liked them though!” Ace puts his hands behind his head. “I didn’t know you talked about me that much. Or that you think I’m cool.”
Riddle sighs, his cheeks dusted with pink. “After what happened, I found I didn’t have a choice. Azul has been dying to meet you ever since. And well…” The redhead clears his throat. “You’re incredibly good at what you do. Why wouldn’t I think you’re cool?”
Now that shuts Ace up. Whatever snarky remark he had is wiped from his mind by Riddle’s soft voice, and he freezes as he stares at the redhead in disbelief. Riddle just keeps going, oblivious to Ace’s internal distress, but he turns around once he realizes he’s been walking alone.
“Ace? Aren’t you coming?” Before Ace can even blink, Riddle is in front of him, fear swirling through his eyes. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you? Or do you have other plans? I don’t mind if you do.”
“No, no, it’s not that!” Ace frantically shakes his head, desperately trying to find an excuse for his embarrassment. “Uh, I’m just not used to that kind of praise…”
Riddle sighs, shoulders slumping with relief. “I see. Was that all?”
“Yeah. Sorry for making you worry.” Ace’s stomach growls, and they both chuckle when they hear it. “So, about that restaurant you mentioned?”
Riddle takes Ace’s wrist and leads him down the path. “Ah, yes! It’s right around the corner. And don’t even think of trying to pay me back. It’s cheap enough that I can afford it.”
“We could always split the bill-”
“Absolutely not. I am treating you and that is final.” Riddle’s grip stays firm, and when they turn the corner, Ace’s eyes widen at the quaint mahogany building nestled between two high-rise buildings.
“You really like these hole-in-the-wall type places, don’t you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen this place.”
“Usually, it’s Cater that finds them. He recommended this one to me in particular because he knows it’s closer to my classes than the main cafeteria is. Unfortunately, now Trey says I don’t have an excuse to skip lunch since there’s something so close.”
“They sure care for you a lot, huh?”
“They do. I’m lucky to have them. Ah, but what are we doing just standing here? Come, let’s eat.”
Two lunch specials and one shared tiramisu later, Ace waves and watches as Riddle hurriedly walks to his next class. As he walks back to the bus stop, he pulls his phone out and saves the restaurant’s location into his notes.
In case he ever needs a quick meal, of course. And it’s definitely not because he wants to go there and eat lunch with Riddle again.
Technically that was your first date with him, a traitorous voice in his head whispers. Ace shakes his head, waving his hands around as if that thought was a fly he could easily chase away, but two pings from his phone do the work for him. One is a message from Riddle, which Ace opens immediately.
Messages: Riddle <3
Riddle: I enjoyed today’s outing. If you would like, I’d be open to doing it again.
Well, that did nothing to help his current state, yet he still can’t help but smile as he fires off a quick reply.
ace: ahaha really? me too! i’ll let u know when i’m free next :D
Ace swipes that popup to the side, and scrolls to the other notification. It’s an update from Night Raven’s official Magicam account, announcing that dorm signups are now available, and out of curiosity, he clicks the link in the message caption. It takes him to an application asking when he’ll move in, what dorm he’d like to be sorted into, headmaster Crowley’s warning that preferred dorm placement isn’t a guarantee…
“No wonder Riddle shits on this guy,” Ace mutters to himself. He snaps his head up at the hiss of a stopping bus, and once he’s paid for his ride and sat down, he keeps scrolling through the application. It’s simple enough, really; he’ll fill it out once he gets home.
He can’t miss out on the Heartslabyul dorm life, after all.
~-~-~-~-~
“We have arrived at the Hall of Mirrors. The doors will be opening shortly.” Ace drums his fingers on the handrail as he waits, and when they slide open, he steps out and makes his way to the staircase leading to the main campus. Ace speeds through the first half of the stairs, then internally curses the headmaster as he climbs the rest.
Once he reaches the top, he doubles over to catch his breath, the shadow in front of him going unnoticed. “Aha, you’re a freshie, aren’t you! All of ‘em are so cute whenever they climb the stairs for the first time,” the voice chirps. Ace glances up and finds a hand being offered to him. “Third-year Cater Diamond, at your service~☆”
Ace takes the hand and pulls himself to his feet. “Thanks- wait, Cater? Riddle’s cafe friend?”
“You know Riddle?” Cater’s jaw drops, and he grins as he pulls his phone out. “Oh my Seven, you’re Acey! Riddle’s told me all about you! I finally get to meet you, that’s insane! We should get a pic for this!”
“Huh? Wait, what?!”
Cater pulls his phone out and slings one arm around Ace’s shoulders with a wide grin. “Say cheese!” Ace barely has the time to hold up a peace sign before the camera shutter clicks, and once it has, Cater hums and taps his phone. “Ooh, that came out nice! You’re good at this, Acey!”
“Uh, thanks, I think.” Ace fishes his water bottle out and takes a long sip from it. “Also, what did you mean about the stairs?”
“I’ll tell you while we get to class! The professors here hate it if you’re late, and trust me, I know.” They briskly walk down the path, Cater making broad gestures with his arms. “Watching freshies climb the stairs is always the best, because none of them know you can just take the staff elevators~”
“What?!”
“Yep! And one of the staircases can turn into an escalator if you push the right brick.”
“And no one knows?”
“Crowley never said anything about it when he put it in, and you really gotta get lucky with what brick you push.”
“Ok, that’s just stupid.” Ace grumbles and crosses his arms. “I could’ve saved so much energy on the way up!”
“Mhm~ you just get used to it after a while. Oh, while we’re at it, we should share Magicam handles!” Cater takes a piece of paper and rips a strip off it, hurriedly writing on it. “This account is run by yours truly~”
Ace glances at the ‘@caykun_official’ written in bubbly handwriting, and he types it in. “Whoa, you got a lot of followers! That’s pretty cool.”
“Isn’t it? Most of ‘em are from this school, but they come from all over too!” An alarm rings, and Cater grimaces when he glances at his phone. “Whoops, time’s up~ gotta get to class before the professor notices I’m not there yet! See you around, Acey!”
“See ya!” Ace slips his phone into the pocket of his hoodie and keeps walking down the path to his general sciences class, hoping to see someone else he can talk to along the way. The courtyard is empty when he gets there- until he spots Riddle’s red hair through the leaves.
“Hey, Riddle! What are you-” The bush in front of Riddle rustle, and Ace ducks behind a tree as his voice drops to a whisper. “Shit, he’s waiting for someone.”
“Sorry I’m late, Riddle,” a familiar voice says, and Trey steps out of the bushes with a sheepish smile and a box in his hands. “Rook was going off about trying to perform another feat of science again.”
“Don’t worry about it, Trey. I just got here anyway.” Riddle glances at the box curiously. “What’s that in there?”
“We had too much batter at the family bakery yesterday, so I made some tarts for you.” Trey flips the box lid open. “There’s chocolate raspberry, apple pear, spiced peach, and of course, strawberry.”
Something inside Ace breaks when he peeks out and sees Riddle smile fondly at Trey. “You really didn’t have to,” the redhead sighs exasperatedly, shaking his head. Yet he takes the box all the same and hugs Trey in response. “Thank you. I’ll be sure to enjoy them tonight.”
Trey raises an eyebrow amusedly. “And keep Azul away from my secret recipes?”
Riddle laughs and nods. “Yes, and keep Azul away from your recipes.” They laugh again and fall into an easy conversation as they walk towards the law building together, and it’s only when they’re completely gone that Ace allows himself to slump against the base of the tree and put his head in his hands.
“Of course he has a boyfriend,” Ace mumbles to himself, his heart sinking deeper with each word he says. “Why wouldn’t he have a boyfriend already?” Somehow, saying it out loud makes it even more real.
He absolutely despises it.
Every emotion storming in his heart slowly disappears, replaced by a hollow emptiness Ace doesn’t quite know how to get rid of. He can’t face Riddle like this. He’ll probably never be able to face Riddle again without being painfully reminded of his feelings. Then if that was the case…
It’d probably be better never to see Riddle again- at least until Ace can sort himself out. It’s the least he can do, to not interfere in their happy relationship. Ace’s fingers fumble for his phone (to hell with the fact that his class started in five minutes) and he numbly scrolled through his messages until he found the one he wanted.
Messages: mr. manager (trey)
ace: hi trey can i
Ace hits backspace, deleting the entire message in one go. Then he shakes his head and grips his phone tighter. He needs to do this. He can’t keep hanging out with Riddle how he used to- not after this, not after knowing what he knows now. No doubts, no regrets. Ace takes a deep breath, types the message, and clicks send.
ace: hi trey, if it’s not too much trouble, can we change my work schedule at the cafe?