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It was one starry night. One where the deep ocean blue sky was showered in sparkles. Sparkles that glowed,,, that lit up the beautiful city a thousand… no… A BILLION kilometers below. The roaring laughter of young mages echoed left and right. Food stalls were at every single turn possible and the halls were filled with joy… It sure was a night to remember…
~~~~~
Night Raven College… The school dedicated to the most prestigious sorcerers in Twisted Wonderland (even though, somehow, all of their students do be questionable most of the time-) was back to organize one of their most important yearly events: The Starsending Ceremony
This convention was based on an old fairytale that even youngsters from these days might've heard about. The story mentioned an old toymaker who spent his time confectioning intriguing designs of… daily life objects. For example, although his small house was wall filled with alarm clocks, each and every one of them looked completely different. All the way from the sounds they make to even their whole mechanism. One day, the toymaker had decided to combine all of his well polished skills for an invention that no other living creature had invented yet, a puppet. A real life sized puppet boy- As ridiculous as it may sound, the same night he had finished touching up the little wooden doll, a wishing star had popped up right outside his bedroom window. So as he went to sleep, right under the star, the man had wished…
~~~
“What should we do now…?” The red hair questioned with his arms crossed, eyes revealing slight annoyance through his wooden textured mask.
“We only have a few minutes left to collect more wishes…” His buddy completed the sentence.
Yeah— Well… To explain a bit more, the school event consisted in nominating three students as stargazers, each of them had to walk around the school in order to collect other’s wishes. In the end, they'll be asked to perform a short dance ritual in front of the whole school in hope of sending the wishing stars into the sky. Some things have changed after a few years though. Crowley, the manager the headmage, had the brilliant idea of including a little bit more spice to the original version. Of course, the idea of collecting wishes was still a part of it, but this time, a few more students were also nominated for other particular roles: Puppets!
Followed up by some of the mages visiting the well known Playful Land, the crow masked adult was full of inspiration by taking a single glimpse at their newly made attire. So why not put them to good use instead of throwing these clothes into a corner as they dip in dust?... Plus the puppet in the fairytale turned into a star and performed on stage, no? So this was just the perfect plan! A total of three puppets were selected, each had to accompany one of the three selected stargazers… So exactly six of them were tasked to collect wishes and then perform the choreography together… Sounds pretty simple, right -? Welp… To no one's surprise, the announcement about the change wasn't really joyful news for NRC’s students. The majority of the school complained. Saying how from now on, even more people will get chosen to become a laughing stock in front of the entire building-
“How many do we have now actually? … One… Two… Three….. Four…… FIVE?! DUDE, I CAN LITERALLY COUNT THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF WISHES WE’VE COLLECTED SOLELY ON MY RIGHT HAND” The more “stern” looking one sighed loudly after his sentence.
“Is it me or is this even worse than last year's ceremony…?” Deuce, one of the nominated stargazers, questioned completely puzzled, hovering a hand in front of his mouth. “What have we been doing all day?”
Both of them went immediately quiet as they were standing in the middle of Deuce’s dorm room like clueless pigeons… The navy blue hair’s question had completely destroyed their spirits since it made them realize:
“Didn’t we just get into endless fights because people in this school don't know how to shut their mouth?” Ace, the puppet, made his own remark in discouragement. “The way they just constantly made fun of us although it's not like WE WANTED to do this.” The teenager added dryly, obviously well aware that all the “wishing” program was made up for children and that explains why highschoolers wouldn't usually co-operate.
The guy in the blue sparkly costume exhaled the moment he heard the tone inside the voice of his friend. He does slightly agree about how wishes don't just come true by whispering it to a star and how ridiculous the event may seem but… he still took the occasion really seriously… After all, that's what an honor student would do (apparently)-
“Maybe YOU didn't want to do this but in my case, I'm really honored to have been chosen for a second time.” A fist was brought to his chest conveying his pride.
“.... That's what you care about after I've said all that?” How unbelievably disbelieved he felt as soon as he heard the wholeheartedly confession.
“Ugh!? ... I'm just trying to state that if you're going to complain about the whole ritual, then no wonder the rest of the school isn't gonna take it seriously! Because they’ll think it's fine to slack off if the nominated people aren't even taking it critically themselves.” Deuce’s expression began to resemble his dorm mate’s.
The puppet felt a sharp sting, causing him to frown his brows and form his mouth into an upside down “v”. The fact that the stargazer was, for a moment there, actually in the right, made him kind of salty… Especially considering the amount of time he'd call him an idiot per day- The current case only seemed like the insults flew right back at him in a split second.
“Then do you have any other idea, Genius?”
It took a moment for the taller one to start searching for a solution when, suddenly, this last one seized the puppet’s wrist, hurriedly pulling him outside of his room- It looked like a light bulb had finally appeared in this one braincell of his-
Taken by surprise, it wasn't long before Ace began to shout as he was utterly dumbfounded of what he should do. For a moment there, hesitating whether to fling his fist away or to follow the guy without protest.
“H-HUH!? Where are you bringing us?!” The red-head yelled while, finally, deciding to let himself get dragged away.
“I was thinking!” Deuce exclaimed excitedly.
“Oh… that can't possibly be good-” He almost instantly regretted to have not freed his hand just now-
“How about we head outside of the building? We have asked many people around campus but not really the ones enjoying the festival. And who knows, maybe those students are the type that believes in the fairytale!”
At first glance, the answer didn't seem so bad. But Ace was quick to completely make up a reasoning that… could potentially be true.
“Or they're just there for the food. For example Grim… As soon as he heard about the festival, the first thing his mind went to was the food stands. Not. The. Fairytale.” The captured boy, at last, landed his free hand onto his black hat, keeping it steady since he felt it was ready to fly away considering how strong and fast Deuce was pulling him. Must be great to be on the track and field club huh-?
“Maybe… but it's worth the try!”
The more realistic one sighed for the millionth time as he heard the dumb positive reaction in response to his phrase. At this point, he didn't really bother to stop this guy anymore. Deuce's pride was tough like a freaking stupid rock and… To be quite honest,,, he… kinda… wanted to spend time at the festival- He was actually looking forward to it until he heard his name being called out to represent one of the puppets- So… That would kinda give him an opportunity to attend in some way?
~~~
The claims of being serious about his tasks weren't lies. Deuce’s mind was still a hundred percent sure that he would be able to accomplish the missions by the end of the day like he was ordered to. Fun fact, that way of thinking was pretty much the only thing his brain was capable of doing a year ago… But,,, things have changed quite a bit ever since… One thing for sure: He hadn't forgotten about the basics. Get passing grades, set a good example for other students, not cause any trouble leading to harsh punishments, complete his tasks properly… All of these things remained important to him. But the change was more like… something new had presented itself to him.
To be completely honest, it's not as if those previous goals were completely possible to reach in the first place (considering everything that had occurred to him so far)- But despite that, he wasn't ready to give up— And that would be the same case for his newly assigned task. The one he had given to himself only a few months ago: Make Ace Happy Until Graduation
Hmm… Weird how this one was always considered to be a moron by others but somehow was a master at concealing his honest feelings away from the one he liked. If one did listen to their earlier conversation, never would they have guessed that Deuce had a crush on his roommate… nonetheless, his best friend-
All started ever since he had come back from Clock Town, after the White Rabbit Fest’s Race. Even though the gift was from Grim, Yuu AND him… Something about Ace’s expression, the moment he received the souvenir, wasn't what he had expected- He could still remember how this one’s eyes had squinted as his cheek began to glow red… His open smile revealed partly his teeth and the phrases that accompanied it right after were----- Never would he have known that his friend’s smile (in particular this one) could be so precious to him. It literally engraved itself into his mind unwillingly. Meanwhile, his heart unashamedly ached every time he recalled the moment- And so the more time went on, the more he began to realize that… He was probably gravely, deeply and madly in love with him now- He'd constantly ask himself why THAT GUY out of everyone but… was there really an explanation when it comes to love? It was even to the point that he'd asked Trey to teach him how to bake cherry pies just so he could give them to Ace personally- Obviously, the lessons didn't go too smoothly-
Coming back to why Deuce had dragged Ace all the way outside,,, It was because… From the day the headmage had announced who were the chosen ones for The Starsending Ceremony, Ace would be complaining non-stop about how much it sucked to miss out on the festival. The cause of it was pretty obvious. The amount of time needed to collect stars, in addition, practice for the dance ritual was probably gonna consume most of their upcoming free time. While Grim and Yuu were making fun of them both, on the contrary, Deuce slightly felt bad for him (completely ignoring how he was also, during that time, being attacked).
So… the solution was just that simple… Bring Ace to the festival and while this one could have fun, he'd be busy collecting wishes from students. Two birds with one stone for real- He never felt so confident with a plan he'd made up before. This one was the first.
~~~
As they arrived outside the building, the moonlight shone the whole area around them. Revealing the stoned paths guiding everyone to different food stands, students with mouthfuls of snacks and… the beauty of it all… The falling stars lighting up the sky in a clear blue.
For a whole minute they stood still in awe because of the amazing landscape… It was almost impossible to describe the emotions they experienced at that moment… Until the heart card soldier had finally freed his hand from the spade's grasp and ran forward, arms spreading in the air as if he attempted to reach for the stars. No words escaped his lips but only that gesture was enough to convey… He's never seen something this amazing.
The dark haired individual was entranced not only by what was around him but also by what was right before him. Even though no smile was achieved onto his face, Deuce was able to spot sparkles in his eyes. Ace’s burning scarlet eyes stood out more than ever in this unique lighting. His lips parted slightly, expressing his conserved excitement.The long ribbons along his sleeves that complimented his hair slowly brushed into the wind, as the puppet unfolded one arm in the direction of the sky, making himself appear closer to the moon. The sight was to behold… The stargazer's chest tightened in a tick.
As time passed, when he was completely lost in thoughts while gazing at the scene, he was quickly interrupted when Ace began to approach back his way slowly as if nothing happened just now.
“What are you doing just standing there?” The one in whole black and red garments interrogated.
“I was just observing how everything looked. It's kinda amazing.” The berry blue halfly lied his way out. Which seemed to have worked-
“I totally get what you mean. It's not everyday we get to see this. Guess your idea of coming here wasn't as bad as I thought!”
“There are so many stars too! It's like we’re actually living in a fairytale.” Both of them kept finishing each other's sentences.
The sublime appearance of everything around him had brought Deuce to forget the principal task at hand. And so… he was quickly persuaded into following Ace around the entire festival before he even knew it. Although they stood out majorly because of the costumes, it wasn't enough to stop them from wandering from booth to booth, ordering more and more food.
The night was brought with endless laughter, despite the fact that, usually, they'd always be hanging out with their two other friends (otherwise they'd end up arguing). Tonight was only the both of them and somehow… It was surprisingly not as different than one would imagine. They were enjoying their time as if it was their regular group hangout.
“What does that taste like?” The red-head looked intrigued by what his comrade was holding onto. Practically leaning forward to get a good look at it. It was an awfully weird whale shaped burger, supposedly representing the whale from the fairytale.
“!?... Hm?… hmmm… Hmm” He was baffled for a second by the sudden approach but then tried to recompose himself. Sadly, the guy was unable to spit any coherent words, as his mouth was filled up by the huge bite he took just now.
“What?” The friend blinked his eyes repeatedly in bewilderment. The sounds weren't precise enough so whatever Deuce might've blurted just now… None of it made it to his head.
“.... Hmf…” The blue groaned in return… A split second later, his hand signaled a thumbs up to demonstrate what he was saying.
“Aw man… Now I regret not purchasing one too while we were over there... It looked way too sketchy with all the glowing stuff coming out of it… Who the hell decided to make it look like that?” A short sigh escaped his mouth. “I wonder if they still have some…”
Even if he was well aware that it was probably an automated action, having Ace grabbing his hand to guide him back towards the burger booth had made his heart skip a beat. It was the first time Ace was the one initiating the hand holding in spite of it not even meaning anything. Usually, the shorter one would always repulse him away as soon as he sensed him get past his boundaries… So this was quite surprising but still pleasing…
Although, in reality, he was only feeling the leather material of the glove, the warmth of it was enough to offer a sentiment as if he was actually touching Ace’s bare hand. If only he could just lean in a bit closer so he could lock his fingers with the one currently guiding him- Just the thought running in his mind made him awfully flustered- Luckily, the red-head was too focused on looking forward.
~~~
When they arrived at the booth, it was to nobody's surprise that their entire menu was sold out by now. It was also getting pretty late, so the area would be already closing down around this time. Heck- they didn't even notice the amount of hours that had passed-
While he observed Ace sighing in short disappointment after the news, Deuce’s vision laid upon what was on his paper plate. In a normal situation, he wouldn't consider this to be a solution but… The meal had only been bitten once, in addition, nothing else crossed his mind when he lifted the object towards the puppet’s way quietly. Guilt was controlling his movements more than anything else in fact… although he had nothing to feel guilty for…
It was a matter of time, this one had noticed the partly eaten food exposed in front of him. Swiftly making his head face its provenance, he noticed his friend offering him a reassuring smile and then immediately realized,,, Deuce might've seen his upset expression just now and the idea suddenly made him nervous.
The dark haired had never actually seen him upset until today. The reason for it was because… Ace had always made an effort to not show whether he felt upsettingly sad or worried. Which explains why the current situation slightly embarrassed him… because the first time was caused by a single, stupid and ugly burger-
“Do you want it?” The dark blue finally asked.
“But isn't this yours?” This one replied almost way too quickly, as he slightly panicked.
“... I'm already full so I don't mind”
“... Hmm… Are you sure about that?” He slowly became skeptical about his intentions for no valid reason.
“Yeah” Deuce announced without a single hint of hesitation.
Normally, at this moment, Ace would've probably smirked at him while proudly snatching the meal away. Right after, he'd probably tease the heck out of him just so he'd get annoyed and regret giving his food away. But, surprisingly, his gloved hand just seized the plate hesitantly while he nicely thanked the other one, their eyes meeting for a split second. It was awfully strange for an instant but Deuce didn't bother digging in for more details.
On another perspective, the puppet was having suspicions about the reason why Deuce gave him the burger. For a moment, he almost assumed that this one had signed a contract with Azul and was planning on dragging Ace down along with him- But then, he’s too dumb to even pull off that kind of tactic , the guy lied to himself just so he could be rest assured.
At last, he seized the plate, practically ready to hear “Alright, now you have to do this in exchange for…” But it never happened… The situation had developed in the most preferable way though so it’s not like he was gonna complain-
Finally able to have the real thing in his hands, the scarlet was fixedly inspecting the food before bringing it to his mouth. Not even touching it with his lips yet, he could smell the flavorful fried chicken inside, along with the sour & sweet sauce and a few more vegetables to decrease the greasiness. The odor was enough to make his stomach growl like a beast's- And so he took a bite next to the one Deuce had taken a few minutes ago… The taste almost instantly brought him to heaven, melting his tongue away in delight. Nothing was ever gonna beat cherry pies BUT THIS BURGER WAS DELICIOUS. Everything complimented each other just right. The juiciness of the tomato was a lifesaver or else that sauce would’ve probably ended the career of this meal (it was so greasy-). He still couldn’t believe Deuce gave this to him. Because if he was in his place, it would’ve been hard to even consider it.
~~~
The sky was getting slightly darker and the temperature was getting pretty breezy, although, it still wasn't enough to freeze humans alive. Some minutes had passed and both first years had already wandered a few miles away from the festival’s site in order to find a nice spot where they'd be able to sit comfortably. And so… that goal led them to the grass field near the exterior hallway of the college. It was an open landscape, meaning also perfect for sky viewing.
Deuce had laid down onto his back, casually letting the cold herb lightly poke onto his exposed back, and was already having some sort of entertainment by trailing the falling stars with his index finger. A few moments later, Ace had joined him nonchalantly. Taking up the spot right beside him after finishing the last bite of food the other one had generously given to him earlier. And so here they were now, currently facing the stars together peacefully and quietly while sharing practically the same space…
It was awfully strange how none of them released a single word by now. Or… actually it was weirder how they haven't been at each other’s throats for at least once tonight. They somehow managed to spend quality time together without screaming insults every split second. It almost felt like some heavenly rated dream– If only something similar to that could occur everyday— But guess that's asking for too much-
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It was until the unusual relaxing atmosphere had dragged out for a couple more minutes, Deuce heard the grass suddenly ruffle on his left, bringing him back immediately to his senses… He was previously in deep thoughts about multiple subjects concerning his future career and ways on how he could succeed,,, but all of those had instantly vanished as soon as he remembered,,, the red head was currently next to him. The one he liked oh so much was, presently, laying down right next to him… And they were both observing the shining sky together… Like some old cliché romance movi — No- Everything was just way too convenient… It almost seemed fake- He started to randomly shake his head multiple times on the herb surface, in an attempt to stop making up ridiculous things.
The situation followed with the freshman clenching his eyes closed, trying his utter best to calm his poor pounding heart. He took discreet deep breaths here and there to reset his system. Although he wasn't sure when it started, the fact did not matter right now…
The quiet moment grew to be more and more embarrassing but also infuriating. HE WAS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED at himself, at his feelings, at this… UNEXPLAINABLE THING CALLED LOVE… These strange feelings, for almost half a year now,,, Deuce was never able to shake them off,,, no matter how much he tried— THEY JUST… KEPT TORMENTING HIM OVER AND OVER AGAIN- It was so painful to endure all the twists and turns occuring inside his stomach… The moment he forgets this weird “pain?”, it would come back in a flash, making him nervous all over again…… Seriously?… All because of one smile?
As much as he wished he could just run away, he's very much aware that, presently, was an awfully bad time to snap. He shouldn't ruin this precious moment. It could even be an opportunity that may never come by again. So he did his best to remain calm no matter the problem… Or else he might end up regretting it in the future… Despite how much he complained and tried to get rid of his feelings for Ace, something, at that time, made him think… It might not be as bad as he thought.
“Woah… You good there?” A familiar voice appeared from above. “You’re scowling so hard that I feel like it'll leave a permanent mark on your forehead” The phrase had a playful chuckle attached to it.
By hearing the commentary, it is only normal that he'd open his eyes out of curiosity… And so, for a while, he processed what was currently happening in front of him, his face wearing a blank expression, in addition, his body being completely immobile. Just how exactly was he supposed to react? His dorm mate's figure was presently hovering above his,,, precisely giving only a few inches left in between them-
It was a matter of time, the stargazer realized the current situation that stood before him. He swore he felt like he jumped just now… but for some reason his body didn't move a single millimeter, plus, he didn't even bother to open his mouth in order to let out a scream. The only audible noise was the silenced thumping from earlier gradually making its way back to his ears, progressively turning him deaf yet again. His chest was on the verge of bursting at this point.
Slowly, as he felt the need for more air, it’s almost as if the world around him began to fade into black… He suddenly became nauseous.
.
.
.
Everything took place in just a few seconds… The speed of occurrence was so incomprehensible to the point that… None of the two students were able to make up what had just happened, needing to catch a few breaths before reminiscing about the situation.
Before they even knew it, Deuce already had his own face buried in the gap between Ace’s neck and shoulder, letting his aching breath lightly tap onto the crimson’s skin on each interval. His hands were busy keeping the other one pressed against the grassfield, giving him not a single chance to escape. And, sadly , the expression plastered onto his figure was hidden from every perspective. So nobody could tell what he was thinking even if they tried.
On the contrary, the puppet was facing the night sky, still in shock by the sudden push his classmate had committed so harshly a moment ago. His hat had literally been blown off, leaving his slightly messy hair on the grassland along with his bright red shoulder cape. His trembling hands were grabbing onto Deuce's upper limbs, struggling to free himself from his grasp, as he felt the pain on his shoulders rising more and more. Deuce's hands were unconsciously tightening around his clothed skin.
“D-Deuce… Fuck… It hurts!” Ace managed to let out despite being in absolute pain- Regardless of his plea, there was no response.
He never understood how the hell that guy was so strong. Ever since he saw him punch a stone wall and turn it into pieces, that question was always stuck in his mind-
~~~
Logically, one would think of reaching for their magic pen in this kind of scenario, and that was exactly what Ace had attempted, until he noticed that both of his pockets were empty- His weapon had probably fallen out during his fall and was now nowhere to be found- The most unlucky situation if he had to be honest—
“Hey… you! Stupid, moron..… DEUCE-!?” Ace began to struggle again, feeling his patience stash emptying itself.
“Shut up for a moment would you?” The voice cutting the other one was practically toned down. Making Ace realize this situation was more serious than he had anticipated because… Was Deuce in his weird mood switch? The one that would appear out of nowhere once in a while– EITHER WAY, what would be the reason behind it this time? It's not like he did anything to trigger him, right? The Heart, for an instant, began to reminisce his last words, checking whether he might’ve said anything offensive. But surprisingly, nothing came to mind.
“HUH?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘SHUT UP’? WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?! MY ARMS ARE LITERALLY ABOUT TO SNAP OFF!” The order from Deuce’s part did the opposite effect. In fact, it triggered the red head so much that he became even louder than before-
At last, after another long silence, the stargazer let out a loud sigh before lifting his head up from Ace’s shoulder, now making it possible to meet the scarlet eyes… The ones that would paint his cheeks the exact same color the moment he just stared at them- But for some reason, this time, those eyes had no such effects on him, quite the opposite, he looked so composed that one would think he became a completely different person.
“.... What ?” The “loud” guy irritatedly questioned. Slightly calmer since the pressure on his shoulders had finally ceased but his expression obviously still conveying he was mad triggered about what just occurred. He thought his friend had maybe lost it and was about to murder him just now-
“......” No response, just a very long awkward glare without any words.
At this point, Ace was clueless on how he should be feeling up till now. Everything was so confusing he had no idea what was happening- He was confused but angry- he was mostly confused though - Everything up until now was great. The food, the activities and heck even being around Deuce was fun tonight- But for unknown reasons, his best friend suddenly pushed him down, not only that, he suddenly switched into his bad boy mode for no reason in particular and now, he's just staring at him without explaining anything, right after giving him an order to shut up. What the fuck was happening-
“... If you're not gonna say anything, get off me. You're heavy” Ace attempted to break the weird tension again, currently trying to scoot Deuce over to the side so he could break free. However, no matter how much progress he had made, the boy who hadn't talked ever since earlier seized his arm and pulled it, causing him to collapse onto the ground for a second time.
“OW! WHAT THE HELL?! Seriously?! Are you seriously not gonna say anything and force me to witness your confusing identity crisi-” Before he could end the sentence, his whole body was met with an out of nowhere heat. Making him even more confused than he already was. Not only did nothing make sense ever since the moment they got here,,,, this… random hug… was… oddly contradicting. Ace wondered “Is this idiot actually mad or…” his thoughts paused for a second before resuming… “I don't understand shit…” His reasoning slowly derailed once more.
“Just like I thought…” Deuce had finally released (after what almost felt like hours) something from his mouth, although it wasn't completed.
“Huh?” The other teenager’s confusion increased tremendously as the event kept unfolding in the weirdest ways possible.
“Ace…” Just hearing his name being called out almost way too softly, Ace felt shivers starting to climb up his body-
After the mention of the name, Deuce had, once more, let go of his comrade and took the time to silently observe this one from above before adding:
“Why is your heart beating so fast?” The strangest question considering the current situation had been asked. Not only that,,, their eyes met at the moment, causing the witness of the puppet’s live reaction to be captured almost way too fully, making the scene atrociously more entrancing.
His eyes widened in shock and his shoulders became tense. On a normal perspective, it was obvious his expression was telling: He didn’t notice that his heartbeat increased and was slightly caught off guard by the remark. Although, he swiftly tried to prove otherwise by making up the quickest excuse he could think of. While trying to avoid suspicion, it only made it worse… Deuce might be considered dumb and to some degree he might agree as well… but he's not exactly as clueless as one may think. He is quite clever when he wants to be sometimes…
The area below his eyes vaguely tainted a rosy color, before he immediately hid them below his two wrists, his eyes now the only apparent thing in Deuce’s sight… Along with his messy hair mixing along the grassfield and partly covered his forehead. He yelled in nervosity but the volume dimmed halfway, since his mouth was blocked by his arm.
“Who’s heart wouldn’t be if someone just suddenly attacked them like this!?”
The spade was loading… For a moment, realizing what he has done but no surprise was shown onto his figure, as his attention was solely driven to Ace who was holding still, right below him. He felt the slight panic slowly making its way back to his head, the regret building up inside of him. But despite that, he didn’t move an inch. Ace’s pulse began to increase more and more, making his body gradually sweat. He maintained his frown while glaring at Deuce who seemed to be piercing a hole with just his stare. They were both awkwardly gazing at each other in what seemed to be such an uncomfortable situation- Both their pride on the line— Who was going to break contact first- The moment turned into a random competition.
“You started first!” Deuce finally broke the silence, his words sounding a bit more like himself compared to a few seconds ago. Eye’s now switching from embarrassment to what the fuck , the first year who was pinned against the floor could feel the boiling annoyance inside of him. Ain’t no way what everything just happened was because of him, he refused to believe it. “HUH?! I DID NOTHING!?” The boy retorted back, keeping both of his hands in front of him since he felt the red spread across his entire face. He was remembering how for an instant he was so nervous just now for the other one’s sake and suddenly, he’s learning it was because of him?! Yes, he was terrified by what happened which wasn’t anything new, but this was the first time he lost control of his blushing disease, which made him extremely self-conscious out of a sudden- “You’re the one who was suddenly above me when I was looking at the stars” The explanation was enough to make the red head reminisce the previous events, now realizing… that was it? The cause of all of this mess was because of…. that-? He couldn’t believe it- It was so dumb- But then, Deuce was always the type to make a big deal out of the smallest issues so was that really surprising-?
“Unbelievable… Seriously?” Ace sighed and began stating, head slightly turning to the side as he gave up on the staring contest. “Who the hell makes a fuss over something like that? All I asked was why you were frowning so much. Who would’ve predicted that me just asking you that question would’ve cause your weird mood switch to push me down and then literally break my limbs?” His pent up anger lead to more lecture. “You’re telling me that,,, me asking a sincere question deserved a harsh treatment like that? You could’ve just told me if I was too close!? My apologies if you can’t even convey what’s wrong with words instead of always using violence!” The guy finally paused for a second, letting the silence fill the tiny gap. “.... I swear… I thought you were on the verge of overblotting or something because I did something wrong… Geez take a hint when someone is asking you questions!...... I was worried….…” The last part was mumbled under his palms in order to avoid the other student from hearing it. The confession was too much so he didn’t dare to say it any louder- When out of the blue, the shock from earlier had come back as he sensed Deuce approach his way.
The stargazer heard everything. He listened to every single bit the puppet had released just now, even those who were released under his breath- To no one’s surprise, he didn’t expect the sudden lecture, in addition, the weird… confession that came along side it. For a moment, the puppet was so brutal and seemed to be pissed at him but then… for some reason, the meaning behind his cold words suddenly twisted? He could perceive the bright red color that was circulating under the puppet’s skin ever since the beginning, but he didn’t say a word. All he did was listen to his complaints and… witnessed the unexpectedly caring behavior from Ace. It was the first time he’s seen this. He never knew Ace was the type to worry about others, even less, he never knew Ace could become shy- The teenager was always so bold and straightforwardly rude with his words, he was always the one that would make him feel ashamed of himself so… never would he have known that… The scarlet could actually be caring-
The new accumulated information was a bit too much for his brain. The blueberry pallet student felt the familiar and weird butterflies make their way back into his chest for the billionth time. His overflowing system had, at last, exploded… Causing him to act on an impulse as his mind just thought about how the moment was awfully, perfectly set- The will he had desperately fought against earlier was no longer held back. And so… His hands gently seized Ace’s upper limb, not moving it to side, instead, he directly landed his lips onto the cold gloves placed in between both of their mouths, leaving a short, but big enough to reveal everything, kiss.
The atmosphere immediately turning into an oddly sweet one, Deuce moved his face away and slowly opened his eyes, revealing before him Ace who was completely left without a single warning before the… that happened. His mind was entirely fuzzled, causing him to not release a single word from his mouth as the shock was still processing in his head. Earlobes now the same shade as his cheeks and if Deuce could take a guess, Ace’s fingers were probably identical now- “Now, do you understand?” The stargazer released as he continued to observe his crush who was currently motionless and probably broken at this point- “If someone you liked approached you this suddenly, wouldn’t it be the same for you?” He continued to fill in the blanks in the conversation, trying to justify his actions. His turn, the blush began to appear on his face,,, because never would he have known he’d say something like that one day-
“.... li-... li- li-.... like-?” The poor boy suddenly became a robot who’d broken down and worded his sentence in such a weird way. “Wh- wha- What? Wh-.... What do you… mean-?” He proceeded to panickly mumble more words to himself. “W-WAIT A SECOND!?” The freshman exclaimed as his body finally lifted and tossed Deuce away, giving him the opportunity to turn away and give himself more time to reflect on what was happening. He couldn’t handle the pressure of having to look at the person who, out of nowhere, told him… That he liked him that way- “Ace?” The way too familiar voice called out to him, turning his whole body into a brick as he was too startled. Moreover,,, “HOW DARE HE? AFTER DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT, HOW DARE HE QUESTION HIM AS IF NOTHING HAD OCCURED?!” His thoughts followed exactly these words while he was still in shock. It was weird… He didn’t know how to react… He was shocked… He was confused… He was scared… But the weirdest of them all… Something told him,,, he didn’t… hate it? The kiss that is. Normally, he’d make a joke out of these things or become mad about it… Plus, usually, he wouldn’t be this flustered so… everything was pretty clear to him- Maybe he liked him back-? The realization made him feel even more strange than previously. The hands who were still in front of his face began to tremble, while he also felt pain inside of his stomach… The loud thumping provided by his chest was so evident that his head began to spin- He definitely likes Deuce back… But how come he never realized it?
“So… Wait I just… want to make sure I’m understanding this correctly. You’re confessing to me,,, right?” Ace questioned, a bit more clearly this time but he nonetheless felt awfully nervous. “Yes, I am” Deuce had replied pretty much immediately, giving an indication to the other one that he was completely serious about this and none of it was a joke. “Y-you… You want me… to be your boyfriend or something……?” This time, the puppet questioned but slightly lower as his body began to look at the one he was talking to, curious to catch a glimpse of his expression. Seeing the turn, Spade took the opportunity to answer with a nod instead of a verbal reply. He felt he’d melt if he had to talk out loud just now- And thanks to the reply, he was able to perceive Ace’s embarrassed face once more, causing his heart to loudly beat his ears up, the fear grew bigger as they both approached the climax of the event… Deuce was afraid to hear the answer, but eventually he’ll have to know. “Do you have an answer? Though, it doesn’t have to be now…” He shyly interrogated, the nosiness slowly poking him every second annoyingly. “Sorry…” The rapid apology made his eyes widden as his mind predicted the few words that may be said after. For a moment, he felt his heart was about to skip multiple beats or maybe shatter. “I don’t… I don’t know what to say… I- I don’t know how to feel… I…..” Ace felt his vocal chords suddenly go into maintenance as he tried to word the next few words of his sentence. “It’s alright. It’s pretty understandable you’d be in shock. I would probably find it weird too if my best friend suddenly confessed to me” The stargazer had stood up from the herb. “Whatever answer you might have, I can wait for it”
Ace didn’t understand why his throat just wouldn’t spit it out. The words he wanted to say, he couldn’t say them. The moment he heard the sentence after his own unfinished one, he felt shivers. He panicked, he cursed at himself repeatedly. His phrase ended in such a wrong way that he was a hundred percent sure that this idiotic of a man probably didn’t understand the real meaning behind his words unless he voiced them out himself. He cursed at himself again. Deuce was about to walk away. Ace cursed at himself yet another time. Why was it so hard to just say the truth—-
As the one standing was about to take his first step away after a small apology, the puppet could sense the situation gradually become more urgent. He knew that, as soon as Deuce was going to step away… As soon as they see each other again,,, nothing would be the same. Maybe Deuce would pretend nothing happened and maybe that was the best option after everything but… Ace knew for a fact, if Deuce left the area, never would he be able to bring the subject back up again by himself- Although his eye tattoo was in the shape of a heart, for some reason, the topic about his feelings on that matter was always hard to bring up, especially knowing how cheesy things like that could become- So this current time was his only chance, there was no other opportunity- “WAIT A GODDAMN SECOND!!!” For some reason, he shouted as loudly as he could, making the one who was a few steps away jolt in surprise, since he didn’t expect such reaction- Ace could feel the anger raging inside of him… His powerlessness for conveying his honest feelings at such a critical moment pissed him off. “Who told you I was done talking! I swear, why are people like that?! Let a man finish speaking before assuming everything by yourself!?” Despite being angry at himself, his bad temper slowly made way into the sentences that were delivered to Deuce- “E-eh? What do you mean…?” The one dressed all in blue and gold finally rotated his body back to Ace’s way, slightly confused about this one’s sudden outburst-
He could see the red head’s facial expression, he was pouting. “... I’ll give you my answer now” This one had finally declared arms crossed. Deuce was still halfway facing the crimson's way clueless, but that didn’t stop Ace from getting up onto his feet and progressively close the gap in between them. He was now retracing the exact same steps the stargazer had taken just a few seconds ago.
Now giving them only a few inches away, Deuce felt the collar of his robe being tugged at suddenly. Before he could even catch up with what was happening, the teenager was already falling forward. A split second later, that’s when he realized, Ace pulled him in… for a direct lip contact. Yet again, it was a small peck but the only difference being, this time, their lips actually touched. Deuce was his turn, shocked by the unexpected turn of events. “That’s what you call an actual kiss, dumbass” The puppet said in an annoyed tone, while letting go of his attire. “Huh?” Deuce was still confused- Ace’s expression didn’t match his actions- It confused him- “.... You really don’t get it unless we spell it out out for you, huh?” Ace was now facing him in absolute discouragement. “That’s not true! I’m just… Confused” A silence imposed itself in between them for a short moment. When, out of nowhere, a small chuckle began to replace it, causing Deuce, who was for an instant facing the ground, to look forward in order to discover where this laugh was coming from. And there, his eyes met the expression he hadn’t seen for such a long time… The one that caused everything to begin with- “Confused? That’s exactly the definition of being clueless! Are you an idiot for real!?” Although, the phrases were obviously mocking him, the spade could tell, this time, they weren’t exactly meant to be harmful. “H-hey!?” Was the only thing he could think of refuting back- Ace was still having the laugh of his life for a whole five seconds before finally seizing himself back together- The blue was still slightly confused.
Noticing Deuce’s blank expression, the red head was quick to recompose himself and looked at the one opposite of him properly. Taking a deep breath first. “I… Like you too… I think…” He finally released the sentence, feeling his cheeks flaming again, making the loudness of his voice decrease. “... You think?” Deuce couldn’t help but make the notice. “JUST IGNORE THAT LAST BIT!” The culpability he felt as soon he heard the remark. “I’m trying my best here…” The area went quiet once more, the freshman observed his crush quietly, catching the small details that he’d never notice until now… His cheeks were so red despite being nighttime and halfway hidden by the wooden mask (which was a prop made by Cater), a single leaf was stuck onto the messy red hair and his eyes were averted away due to ashamedness… “Hehe… I know. Just trying to mess with you for a bit” The stargazer confessed as he gently removed the leaf and the weirdly shaped wooden mask before cupping this one’s chin and land another kiss on the side of the puppet’s cheek. "You seriously have a weird way of confessing-"
~~~
As soon as they arrived back to their dorm, they were greeted by their AWESOME Housewarden, who’s been waiting IMPATIENTLY for their arrival. “What happened out there? Did you guys fight or something?” Riddle questioned, a brow lifting up as he saw both freshmen with dirtied costume because of everything that occurred back at the grassfield. “No we did not” Ace replied confidently. “.... So I’m guessing you’ve accumulated tons of wishes by now right?”