Chapter Text
If Ace closes his eyes, he can still feel Riddle’s soft lips on his. He knows it’s just a memory, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t make it a regular occurrence soon-
“Dude, Professor Trein’s glaring at you,” Deuce hisses, elbowing Ace’s arm. “He just asked you a question.”
Ace snaps out of his daydream. “Shit- really? Thanks, man.” Deuce nods and goes back to his notes, and Ace smiles sheepishly. “Sorry, teach. Can you repeat that?”
Trein raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “Get your head out of the clouds, Trappola. Who founded the elusive STYX company, and when?”
“Uhh…” Ace glances down to his notes- Riddle doodle, Lucius doodle… ah! “Jupiter Shroud, 500 years ago.”
“Hm. Passable.” Trein turns back to the chalkboard. “Now, let’s continue with the lesson. If you would all turn to…” Their professor’s voice fades out again, and Ace goes straight back to the daydream he left. He’s just about to close his eyes when-
“Ace, what is wrong with you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this spaced out,” Deuce whispers. “I mean, the class is boring, but it’s definitely not that boring.”
“You wouldn’t get it, Deuce,” Ace sighs. He’s trying to go for melancholy, but the look on Deuce’s face makes him realize it’s probably more lovesick than anything. “Look, if you have enough time to be bothering me about this kinda stuff, you have enough time to take notes.”
“Has your fight with Riddle gotten that bad?” Ace blinks and tilts his head, to which Deuce scoffs. “C’mon, man, you really thought I hadn’t noticed? You’ve been all mopey for weeks now.”
“Mopey- dude, no! Ok, we weren’t fighting, but yeah, we sorta maybe got into an argument? But that’s not the point! The point is…” Ace glances at the front, ensuring that Trein is busy with the chalkboard before leaning in close to Deuce. “Riddle kissed me.”
“Oh. Does that mean you two made up, or-” Deuce’s jaw drops when he realizes. “Wait, whoa, he kissed you?! Already?!”
“Deuce, not so loud-!”
“Spade! Trappola! What in Wonderland are you talking about this time?”
Ace and Deuce bristle, and they immediately put on their best innocent smiles. “Nothing, professor!”
“Hmph. Be sure to pay attention, you two.” With that, Trein goes back to the board, and Ace and Deuce huddle back up again.
“He seriously kissed you?” Deuce leans in closer. “He must really like you then! You kissed him back, right?”
“Uh-”
“Come on , you’re telling me you didn’t even try to kiss him back?”
“Dude, you really think I wouldn’t try? I’m not that bad!” Ace groans as his face flushes bright red. “Look, he kissed me, smiled, said he hoped it answered my question, and then left! It was too quick for me to even know what was going on! And you know how cute he is.”
“Yeah, I do. You’ve only been telling me that since you figured out you liked him.” Deuce rolls his eyes with a grin. “So, have you thought about what you’re gonna do about it?”
“Ah, no need for thinking. I already know what I want. Just gotta up my rizz and show him I can be romantic too!”
“You just left him there?!” Azul and Jamil cry in unison. Riddle nods hesitantly, and the other two stare at him in silence before their voices start spilling out.
Azul sputters, one hand flying up to his glasses. “Riddle, you can’t be serious!”
Jamil narrows his gaze. “You didn’t even wait for him to respond? Why in Wonderland would you do that?”
“I- I don’t know!” Riddle buries his face in his hands, his voice muffled when he speaks again. “When I realized I’d kissed him, I just panicked and ran…”
“Smooth, Riddle. Really smooth.” Azul sighs, then leans forward with crossed arms. “You know, I think it’d be better if you were more… romantic towards him.”
Riddle perks up, hope gleaming in his eyes. “Really?”
“Don’t give him any crazy ideas,” Jamil sighs with a shake of his head. “Just be yourself. Ace likes you for who you are, though I do think he’d like it more if you didn’t run after a kiss.”
Azul nudges Jamil’s shoulder and rolls his eyes. “They’re not crazy ideas, it’s just common sense!” He turns his attention to Riddle. “Ace likes you, you like Ace! No need to hide the romance when you’re aware of how he feels. And yes, don’t run off after a kiss either.”
Riddle presses his lips together. “I know he likes me, but…”
“No buts! You two are in love , and you should show it. Here think of it like…” Azul falls silent as he thinks, then throws his hands up in defeat. “Jamil, help me out here. Think of a law metaphor for Riddle.”
“I’m majoring in biochemistry, why are you asking me?” Jamil sighs, but crosses his arms and thinks anyway. “You’re both guilty of the same crime, so that makes you accomplices. Which means neither of you have anything to hide, and you can be yourself.”
The redhead slowly tilts his head. “Guilty of… what crime? I don’t think I’ve done anything illegal, ever.”
Azul abruptly stands, the books on his desk shaking. “Your crime is love, Riddle! Love! You both love each other, so you’re both guilty!”
“Oh.”
He plops back into his chair with a groan. “Seven’s sake, for someone so smart, you’re incredibly dense.”
Riddle pouts and glares at Azul. “It’s not like I want to be! I’ve never-”
“Dated anyone, we know. That’s why we’re helping you.” Jamil smiles lightly. “That’s what friends are for, right?”
“Friends..?” Riddle hesitates, but eventually laughs and nods. “Yes, of course. Well then, I’ll gladly take whatever advice you two have to offer.”
Azul’s eyes practically gleam . “I thought you’d never ask! Come, come! I’m sure you won’t regret this.”
Now that Azul and Jamil have given him a proper crash course on romance, Riddle thinks- no, he knows - that he finally has a good chance with Ace. Right. He’s got this! The redhead can’t help but smile at the thought of seeing Ace again, and he pushes the door open to stare into the eyes of-
Someone that isn’t Ace. Again. Instead, it’s Ace’s replacement (is what Riddle’s dubbed them in his mind). He’s sure they’re an amazing barista, but they’re certainly not Ace.
“Oh, welcome back! I haven’t seen you for a while, Riddle,” they say, nodding and waving as he walks up to the counter.
“Law is a rather demanding major. It takes up quite a lot of my time,” Riddle replies with a shrug. “Speaking of which, weren’t you here on Thursdays before? How many times has your schedule been changed?”
“Hm? Oh yeah, it switched again to Wednesday. Back on my usual day!” They laugh and shake their head. “It’s the downside of saying you’re available to work any day on your resume, this is the second time in a month! Ah, but look at me rambling. Same as usual?”
“If you would, thank you.” Riddle fishes four thaumarks out of his bag and places them on the counter. While he’s waiting for his drink, he pulls his phone out and scrolls his messages until…
Messages: Trey Clover
Riddle: Trey, what are you doing to your poor employees’ schedules?
Trey: Hm? What about it
Riddle: One of your employees just told me you switched their schedules again. Whatever for?
Riddle: Also, where’s Ace?
Trey: Seven above
Trey: What did he do this time…
Trey: Actually no, don’t tell me
Trey: You two are still fighting, aren’t you
Trey: I can’t believe him… don’t worry, I’ll talk to him
Riddle: What? No!
Riddle: Trey, you’ve got it all wrong!
Riddle: We’re not fighting anymore. And it’s not him, it’s me.
Trey: Sounds like something someone in an argument would say
Riddle: Trey, please.
Riddle: Look, if you absolutely must know…
Riddle: …
Riddle: I kissed him…
Trey: Really?
Riddle: Yes…
Trey: Damn, I owe 20 thaumarks to Cater now
Riddle: Trey??? What??
Trey: I really thought Ace would’ve kissed you first
Riddle: That’s not what I mean??
Trey: I’m kidding, I’m kidding
Trey: Well not about the thaumarks but
Trey: I’m glad you two made up, and that you can finally see how badly you two have been pining for each other
Riddle: Trey, what in Wonderland?
Riddle: You know what, no, I’m not going to ask.
Riddle: I’m assuming he’s back on his normal day then?
Trey: Yep
Trey: You can say “your” day, I don’t mind
Riddle: Trey! We’re not even dating yet!
Trey: Hmm somehow I don’t think that’ll hold for much longer
Riddle: Goodness me.
Riddle: Well, thank you for the information.
Trey: Go get him
Riddle: Not this again, please.
“Here’s your drink, Riddle!” The redhead glances up at the mention of his name, and his cup of coffee is sitting on the counter. “Sorry about the wait, the espresso machine was being a bit finicky.”
“It’s no problem. Thank you as always.” Riddle takes the drink and sips from it; it’s good, but he knows it could be so much better. “See you next time.”
“See you! Thanks for stopping by!” The bell jingles as it always does, and Riddle absently wonders if he imagined the pink flush on the other’s face.
Ah, he shouldn’t be dwelling on that now. He gets to see Ace tomorrow, and that’s a treat in and of itself.
Back in the cafe on my usual day, Ace thinks to himself as he ties the apron around himself. Then it hits him; it’s not just his day, but Riddle’s too.
It’s their day.
Ace can’t help his dopey grin as he plops down behind the counter as usual. He sits there for a while and waits for Riddle before he realizes… that Riddle won’t come for another hour and a half. Ace glares at the clock and pouts, wondering what else he can do to fill the time.
He could always clean the coffee machine again (since no one else bothers to do it, Ace thinks bitterly), but there’s only so many times he can do it while his mind is preoccupied with thoughts of Riddle.
He should be working on that essay due tomorrow for Professor Trein’s class, but Ace shakes his head and files it away for later. He does work best under pressure, after all… and if Deuce and his other roommates judge him for working on it until 2 in the morning, well, that’s their problem. So what else…
Five minutes later, he’s out in front wiping all the tables down. Ace can’t think of Riddle if he’s bustling around the shop, but even so, his leg bounces as he goes from one table to another.
Sweep the floors, wipe the tables, dry them down. Rinse and repeat. The clock keeps ticking, and before Ace knows it, he’s slipping the broom back into its place and the box of wipes below the counter. He glances out towards the front, huffing with satisfaction when he sees how it’s practically sparkling, and Ace is about to start on the espresso machine when the bell dings.
He scowls at first, wondering who the hell is walking in on the floors he just swept, but as soon as he sees Riddle’s shade of red, a feeling Ace can only describe as pure joy bubbles up in his chest. “I hadn’t realized how long it’d been since I last saw you here on our day,” Riddle remarks amusedly. “I suppose I should be saying ‘welcome back’. So welcome back, and it’s nice to see you again.”
“Ah- uh, didn’t we just see each other last week? Wait, that’s probably not what you meant, you probably meant- um, actually, I don’t even know what you meant and this is going way off topic, so-” Ace takes a deep breath, puts his hands on the counter, and gazes right into Riddle’s eyes with a wide (and hopefully not lovesick) grin. “Hi, Riddle.”
Riddle chuckles and places one hand over Ace’s. “Hello to you too, Ace. I hope you’ve been doing well.”
“Me? Yeah! Yeah, I’ve been doin’ good.” The ever since you kissed me goes unsaid. “How about you?”
“Fine, thank you. Rather uneventful, but that’s quite alright now.”
“Cool! That’s great.” Before he can think any more of it, Ace lifts Riddle’s hand to kiss his knuckles and tries his best not to blush. “So, uh, can I get you anything? It’ll be on the house today.”
“Some tea would be nice. It’s been some time since I’ve had any brewed by your hand.”
“Alright! Gimme a minute.” Ace reluctantly slides his hand out from under Riddle’s, but pauses when he feels a hand grabbing his wrist.
“A-Ace, wait! Before you go…” Riddle fidgets with his bag and looks up at Ace. “I, er, wanted to apologize for what I did last time.”
Ace blinks, then frantically shakes his head. “What? No! Riddle, you don’t have to apologize for anything! I- I liked the kiss, really, so please don’t-”
“Ace, you-” Riddle’s cheeks flush red, but he smiles anyway. “I’m glad to hear that, but… that’s not what I wanted to apologize for. I just- I wanted to say sorry for my sudden departure after the fact. I didn’t want to make it seem like I was running from you, but I went and did it anyway…”
“Eh? Hey, you don’t gotta apologize for that either!” Ace takes one of Riddle’s hands in his and cups the redhead’s face with his other hand. “Do you have any idea how excited I’ve been to see you all week? Cause you kissed me, and it was like ten of my dreams came true at once. There was just one problem with it, though.”
Riddle glances at Ace’s hand, delight quickly turning into apprehension. “P-problem? What kind?”
Ace circles the counter, Riddle’s hand still safely in his, and their faces come incredibly close. “It wasn’t anywhere near long enough.” He closes the distance in one swift motion, and whatever’s left of Ace’s inhibitions crumble the moment his lips meet Riddle’s.
Ace wraps his arms around Riddle’s waist and pulls them closer together; something hits the ground with a thump when Riddle tosses his arms around Ace’s shoulders in response. That something, Ace realizes when he pulls back for a split second, is Riddle’s bag. He nudges it aside with his foot, then dives right back in for more, more, more .
Ace shifts and cards one hand through Riddle’s hair, and he can vaguely feel Riddle grabbing fistfuls of his shirt. Riddle steps back, pulling away just far enough for his bright red flush to be visible, and stumbles when his back meets hard marble. Ace reaches out to catch him, and- oh, now he’s pinning Riddle to the counter.
He gazes into Riddle’s eyes (Seven, it should be a crime to have such beautiful eyes) and gently brushes the redhead’s bangs out of his face. “Hey, do you really want to do this?” Ace whispers. “Because if you don’t, we-”
Riddle huffs and rolls his eyes. “Is coffee made from beans? Just shut up and kiss me already.” He pushes Ace down with one hand, and before Ace can do anything, Riddle’s taking the lead. It’s slow and sweet, a huge difference from how he does it, but if this is what it feels like to get kissed by Riddle, Ace thinks he can learn to appreciate the slow and steady.
They go back and forth, from lips to nose to cheeks and back to lips. It’s far from perfect; their noses squish against each other and Riddle stiffens when Ace bites his lip- but Ace couldn't ask for a better kiss.
When they finally break apart (albeit after quite a few lingering touches), Ace falls to his knees and nearly collapses right there on the floor, pulse racing and blood roaring in his ears. Riddle does the exact same, and for a few moments, they both sit there in silence, with flushed faces and tousled hair.
“Y’know, I don’t think that’s what Trey wanted us to use the counters for,” Ace eventually says with a grin.
Riddle tilts his head back and cackles. “No, I don’t think so.” He sighs contentedly and tucks his bangs behind his ear. ”Though I must admit, it was a rather good use.”
Ace snickers. “Yeah, same here.”
“Mm. Ah, and I don’t think I’ll need that tea anymore.” Riddle smirks and nods at Ace. “I’ve got all the sweetness I could ever need right here.”
And that one sentence makes Ace’s heart sing - which gets him thinking.
He still can’t stop his heart from fluttering when he looks at Riddle. Once upon a time, he would’ve hated these feelings and wanted nothing more than to move on. But as Ace sits on the floor of the coffeeshop, he can’t do anything except take in Riddle’s beauty.
His cheeks are flushed rose-red, storm gray eyes still wide and sparkling, and his once-perfect hair messy. Far cry from the usual composure Riddle has, but it’s still Riddle- and this Riddle is his and his alone.
Ace doesn’t think he’ll ever stop feeling this way for the wonderful, wonderful boy sitting right in front of him, and he realizes… he quite likes it that way.
To hell with his reservations. Riddle’s right here in front of him, and there’s nothing stopping him from reaching out- so he does just that.
Ace takes Riddle’s hand from where he’s sitting. “Hey, Riddle. Do you have an empty calendar?”
The redhead blinks. “I… don’t think so? Why? Did you need one?”
“No, it’s just that I’d love to be the first date on there.”
Riddle groans and buries his face in his palms, but it isn’t long until his shoulders are shaking with laughter. “You are unbelievable .”
“I know.” Ace grins and brushes his thumb across Riddle’s. “So, will you go out with me?”
Riddle squeezes Ace’s hand with a smile that lights the whole room up. “I’d love nothing more.”