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“Okay, okay. Rehearse what you’re going to say to him before he gets out of class,” Ace mutters, nearly crumpling the papers in his hands. “Alright, so… ‘hey, Riddle, I accidentally won these tickets to Fleur City and was wondering if you’d come with me?’ Agh, no, how do you accidentally win tickets?! No, how about… ‘hey, Riddle, I got these tickets to Fleur City and wanted to invite you’-”
“You want to invite me to Fleur City?”
“Wah!” Ace jumps back at Riddle’s sudden presence, eyes wide. “R-Riddle! When did you get here?! I thought your class went for another ten minutes!”
“We got out early, as I’m sure you can tell.” Riddle chuckles and smiles as he goes on his tiptoes to peck Ace’s cheek. “Now, what was this about Fleur City?”
“I, uh…” Ace sheepishly rubs the back of his neck and holds the plane tickets out. “Won these from a giveaway. It’s an all-expenses paid trip, and I was gonna ask if you’d want to go with me.”
Riddle takes one of the tickets and stares at it curiously. “Hm… the dates work out, so yes, I think I could go with you.”
“Wait, seriously?!” Ace gapes at the redhead. “You’re not going to say no?”
“I’ve been reading up on it for a while now, and it seems like a nice place to visit. And…” Riddle winks at Ace with a grin. “I could always frame it to my parents as an educational field trip.”
“Seven, then what did I spend all that time drafting a whole explanation for…”
“Did you now?” Riddle raises an eyebrow with an amused smile. “Then perhaps you can tell me all about it on the walk back.”
“Nah, not worth it. You’d probably tear it apart in seconds anyway.” Ace unconsciously smiles at Riddle’s laugh, and they lace their fingers together as they walk down the hallway. “But you’ll really go with me though? Like you’ll show up to the flight all packed and everything?”
“I’ll do you one better.” Riddle squeezes his hand and smirks up at him. “I’ll get there two hours early.”
True to his word, when Ace dashes through the airport terminal half an hour before their flight, the first thing he sees is Riddle sitting on a chair, calmly reading a book. He glances up when he hears the hurried footsteps and smiles amusedly when Ace collapses into the chair beside him with a groan.
“Oh, thank the Seven I made it,” he sighs, burying his head in his hands. “There was so much traffic outside, it was crazy!”
“But at least you’re here now, yes?”
“Yeah, I guess so. I just wish I didn’t have to run for it…” Ace finally sits up and gazes at Riddle. “Did you actually get here two hours early?”
“Yes, of course. Who do you take me for?”
The first-year crosses his arms and stares at Riddle flatly. “Okay, then care to explain why the terminal is practically empty?”
“Because they announced boarding fifteen minutes ago.”
Ace splutters and shoots up from his seat, grabbing his suitcase in one hand and Riddle’s wrist in the other. “Wh- then why the hell have you just been sitting here?!”
Riddle tilts his head confusedly. “Waiting for you. I thought it was obvious.”
“Well, it wasn’t! C’mon, they’re gonna leave without us!” Riddle laughs as Ace drags him towards the gate, and thankfully, the attendant still takes their tickets and shows them inside. To Ace’s surprise, they’re taken all the way to the front, and he can’t do anything except stare in disbelief.
“Hey, rosebud, why are we all the way in first-class?” Ace whispers once they’re settled in. “Even the ticket doesn’t say first-class, it says business.”
Riddle winks and leans all the way back in his chair with a content smile. “I pulled a few strings.”
“It was because of your parents, huh? That makes sense, they’re famous.”
Riddle shakes his head. “My parents have never flown a day in their life.”
“Huh? Then… wait, don’t tell me-”
“Azul taught me a few tricks.”
Ace sighs and shakes his head too. “Yeah, I guess I should’ve known.”
~-~-~-~-~
Ten hours, two meals, and five glasses of “champagne” (which Riddle realized after he had one, was actually sparkling apple cider) later, Ace blearily opens his eyes to find his head on Riddle’s shoulder and a movie silently playing in front of him.
He traces the headphone cords all the way to the redhead’s ears, and when Riddle notices Ace’s gaze, he pauses the movie, smiles, and leans over to kiss him. “Good morning,” Riddle says, watching as Ace properly sits up and stretches. “I trust you slept well?”
“Of course! I had a great pillow,” Ace replies with a grin, and Riddle hides his laugh behind one hand. “Though I hope it wasn’t uncomfortable for you. How long was I out, anyway?”
“It was just a few hours, don’t worry. Only one arm went numb.”
“Are you serious?! You should’ve woken me up if that was the case!”
Riddle stifles a snort, but the amused smile stays on his face. “I’m just kidding, Ace. You sleeping on my shoulder wasn’t an inconvenience at all.”
“Eh, I can never tell when you’re joking… but alright, if you say so.” Ace fiddles with the screen, pressing a few buttons to cycle through the displays. “Hey, look! We’re almost there!”
Riddle blinks at the screen. “So we are. I hadn’t noticed.”
“Yeah, cause you were watching that movie while I was sleeping.” Ace grins and pokes Riddle’s cheek. “Did you like it?”
“It was rather interesting. Perhaps if I ever find it at a library, we can watch it together.”
“Sweet, date night with Riddle~” Ace traces one finger across Riddle’s jaw, but frowns when he looks up at the redhead’s eyes. “Hey wait, why are there bags under your eyes? Don’t tell me you didn’t sleep this whole time.”
“It’s nothing, Ace, don’t worry. So maybe I didn’t sleep all that much, but-”
“Oh no, you don’t! No ‘but’s, you’re taking a nap. Now.” The first-year pulls Riddle into his lap and starts gently running his hand through the other’s hair.
“Ace, what are you doing,” Riddle sighs (but whether it’s from contentment or exasperation, Ace doesn’t know). “We’re only an hour away.”
“Which means we still have an hour before we land. Take a nap and I’ll wake you up once we’re there.”
“Ace.”
“Ri~ddle.”
“Listen, I don’t-” His sentence is interrupted by a yawn, and Ace smirks as he watches Riddle slowly go red. “...ugh, fine, you win. I’ll sleep.”
“Looks like I finally won an argument against you, huh?” The redhead smacks his shoulder with a grumble, and Ace chuckles. “Alright, good night, rosebud.”
“...Good night, Ace.”
~-~-~-~-~
The first thing Riddle’s aware of when he wakes is how loud everything is around him; there’s chatter, the rolling of wheels against tile, and the telltale sound of someone making an announcement over the speakers.
Then he realizes he’s pressed up against someone, their arms keeping a firm hold on his body, and Riddle unconsciously nuzzles closer to them with a soft hum. Their gentle stride suddenly stops, and the redhead cracks one eye open to see what’s going on- only to find himself in the middle of the airport terminal, and Ace practically frozen in place.
“Uh… hey, Riddle,” Ace says, looking down with a nervous grin. “Good morning.”
“Ace… would you care to explain why we’re in the terminal and not on the plane?”
“Because… it landed?”
“And..?”
“And…” Ace groans and pouts. “And I really did try to wake you up, but you looked like you really needed the sleep!”
“So you decided the best choice of action was to carry me through the airport terminal like this?!”
“Yes!”
Riddle grumbles and buries his face in his hands. “Ace.”
Ace anxiously smiles back. “Riddle.”
“Put me down.” The first-year immediately lets Riddle down, and the redhead snatches the luggage from him without a word before walking off ahead. Ace has to run to catch up, and they’re almost at the terminal exit before Riddle turns on his heel and grabs Ace’s wrist.
“Huh?! Riddle, what are you-” Before Ace could get another word in, the redhead takes his collar, pulls him down, and gently kisses his lips, pulling back with a warm smile.
“As a thank you gift. For... for taking care of me.”
The hotel is modest and the room is tidy, but even more important than that is-
“Ace, why is there only one bed?” Riddle asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Rosebud, you say that like I control what room we get,” Ace retorts, even though he can’t help the smile on his face. “Besides, it’s not that bad.”
Riddle stays silent, then walks over to the chair and puts his bags down beside it. “Well then, you can take the bed. I’ll just sleep here.”
“You kidding?! No! If anything, you should take the bed, you need it more!”
“Absolutely not. I want you to be comfortable. Besides, I’ve fallen asleep at my desk plenty of times.”
“Okay, one, that’s not an excuse, and two, I can’t be comfortable if I know you’re sleeping on the chair!” Ace pouts and crosses his arms. “C’mon, is sharing a bed with me really that bad?”
Riddle’s facade cracks, and he gazes at the floor with a frown instead. “No…”
“Then? Nothing’s stopping you, right?”
“True, but… what if I kick you in the middle of the night?”
“Rosebud, I grew up with one stupid big brother. The one time we tried to sleep in the same bed, I woke up on the floor. I don’t think anything you can do is going to be worse than that.”
“Alright, fine, I’ll share the bed with you.”
Ace pumps his fist in the air and cheers. “Yes, I can finally cuddle you!”
Riddle sighs and shakes his head with a fond smile. “So I see that whole spiel about comfort was a jest then.”
“Wh- no, it wasn’t!” Ace desperately waves his hands around. “The cuddling is just a bonus, I swear!”
Riddle laces his fingers with Ace’s and smiles up at him. “Whatever you say, love.”
“Yeah, yeah, and I say we should start exploring the city before night comes.” Ace leans down and kisses the crown of Riddle’s head before holding the door open for him. “Well then, after you, your majesty~”
There’s colorful stalls lining the street as they walk down, and Riddle flits in between each stall with sparkling eyes. “Ace, Ace! Come look at this,” he laughs, waving him over. “They have little wood figures!”
“Yeah, I’m looking alright,” the first-year replies with a grin. “And they have houses to go with them, too.” Ace picks a house up in his palm and holds it out towards Riddle. “Hey, you think you could fit inside this? Then I could carry you around all day.”
“Ace, I am not that short!” The first-year cackles, and Riddle lightly punches his shoulder with a glare. “It’s not funny!”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” His laughter dies down, but Ace still smiles at Riddle’s indignant pout. “I do still kinda want one though…”
“As long as you don’t imply I can fit inside, because as… small as I am compared to other people- which isn’t a concern either, since males grow well into their twenties- I most certainly can’t fit in there!”
“Someone’s thought about this a lot. It’s ok, don’t let it get to you,” Ace says comfortingly. “I’ll love you no matter how tall you are.” Riddle flushes red and mumbles a thanks Ace can barely hear, but it makes him smile all the same as he turns back to the booth. “Shopkeep! I’ll take one of these then~”
~-~-~-~-~
Once Ace has paid, they go back to strolling down the streets hand in hand. And the first-year really does find it cute, but beside him, Riddle has (not so subtly) yawned for the fifth time, and Ace is starting to get concerned.
“Rosebud, if you’re tired, we can always go back to the hotel and rest up,” Ace whispers, leaning close to the redhead. “I don’t mind.”
“No, i-it’s just…” Riddle yawns again, covering it with his free hand. “Accounting for the time differences between Sage’s Island and the Shaftlands, this is usually when I head over to your coffeeshop and get something to drink, so…”
“Oh, so you’re going through caffeine withdrawal. I knew all those lattes would catch up to you one day.” Riddle shoots him a sharp glare, but Ace merely shrugs. “C’mon, you know it’s not good for you just as well as I do, but we can find somewhere to get a snack if you’d like!”
“Mm, alright.” Riddle takes the lead, pulling Ace forward as they head towards the restaurants. “No, that’s a full-on restaurant… that one too… ah, look! There’s a cafe over there!”
Ace follows Riddle’s gaze to a quaint little shop with bread and sweets stacked up in the window. “Ooh, that place looks great! Nice eye, rosebud.” The redhead beams, but when they get closer, Ace notices the shop’s name- Fleur Coffeeshop- and he stops in his tracks. “Wh- hey, if you actually wanted coffee, you should’ve just told me! I could’ve made some for you!”
“One, you just said it wasn't good for me, and while I do agree, I'd like to not pass out in the middle of the street. Two, you and what coffee machine? I doubt they’d let you go back there to make one just for me.” Riddle pats Ace’s shoulder. “Don’t be jealous. This is the one time we can both relax and enjoy the drinks.”
Ace lets go of the redhead’s hand to cross his arms. “I’m not jealous! But… fine.” He pouts as Riddle takes his hand to pull them both inside, but the first-year relaxes when the scent of freshly ground coffee beans hits him.
Riddle, for his part, is instantly drawn to the cake display. “Oh, there’s so much to try…”
“Looks like I know what you really came here for,” Ace snickers, to which the redhead immediately turns to glare at him. “But you’re right, they all do look really good, so go ahead and pick one out! It’s on me today.”
“What- Ace, no! You’re the one who brought me here, I can’t possibly expect you to pay! Besides, my parents gave me some money specifically for this ‘educational’ field trip I’m having, and it’d be a shame not to spend it. Please, let me take care of it.”
“Eh, what’s this kind of aura… okay, okay, I’ll let you take care of it.”
“Wonderful. Now then, go on, and don’t hold back on my account. Get whatever you’d like.” Riddle turns to the cashier and pulls his wallet out. “I’ll have a café liégeois, then. Ace?”
“Well…” Ace crosses his arms and smirks. “In that case, I’ll take two croissants and a café gourmand, with double sweets. Thanks.”
Riddle stares at him questioningly, but hands the thaumarks to the barista once they’re done taking the order. “That’s an interesting order. I’ve never heard of that one… though I can’t understand what you said ‘double sweets’ for. Were you trying to put more sugar in it?”
“Nope~ you’ll see, don’t worry!” The redhead frowns, but follows Ace to the window seat. “But, y’know, when you said not to hold back, I thought that went for you too.”
“Ah? I’m perfectly fine with just the coffee I got, though…”
“Mhm, sure. Once it comes, you’d better not ask for any of mine.”
“You’re sounding awfully pleased with yourself. Would you like to explain why?” Ace merely shakes his head, and Riddle sighs. “Then I suppose I’ll find out eve-”
Two coffees are set down on the table, cutting the redhead’s sentence off, and after that comes a massive tray of cakes and sweets. Ace doesn’t miss the way Riddle’s eyes go wide with sparkles (and if he took his phone out to snap a picture, Riddle doesn’t have to know).
“So. What was that about being ‘perfectly fine’ with the coffee you got?”
“I take it back.” Riddle’s hands twitch towards the cake tray, but instead of grabbing a sweet, he goes for his cup of coffee instead. “If you don’t mind, can I… have a few?”
“Of course!” Ace laces his fingers with the redhead’s and smiles at him. “Take whatever you’d like, you deserve it.”
“Ace, you really didn’t have to… but thank you, truly.”
The first-year picks his cup of coffee up and takes a sip- which turns out to be way more bitter than he likes it. In his head, Ace mentally swears to himself that he will never tell Riddle he ordered this just for the sweets he wanted to try, and he barely makes it through the second sip without coughing in the middle of his reply.
“Y’know, you really don’t have to thank me this much. You deserve to enjoy this trip just as much as I do, so just have fun. Okay?”
“If you really do say so… tha-”
“Ah ah! Don’t even try to thank me again. It’s fine, rosebud! Let loose a bit.”
Riddle closes his mouth and smiles bashfully instead. “Oh, alright. Well then, shall we dig in?”
“Hell yeah! Let’s eat~”