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Bzzt, bzzt. Bzzt, bzzt.
Ace pushes pause on his movie and scowls at his vibrating phone sitting on his bedside table. After a moment's hesitation (seriously, the movie was just getting good), he reaches over and grabs it to read the name on the screen.
Incoming Call
plastic knife 🔪
Decline | Accept
Well. Not every day he gets a call from his basketball club senior. Ace flips onto his back and presses the accept button as he moves the phone towards his ear. Music immediately blares from his speakers, and he winces as he turns the volume down as low as it can go before answering. “Yo, Jamil-senpai,” Ace says. “What's up?”
“Ace.” Jamil's tone makes the first-year sit up; his calm and collected senior doesn't sound like that unless something's gone terribly wrong. “I need you to listen now, and listen well, because you will never hear this sentence from me ever again in your life.”
“O… kay? Jamil-senpai, what's going on?”
Jamil sighs, though it's barely audible over the pop music blaring in the background. “Ace, I need your help.”
Ace slowly blinks as he tries to process it. “...sorry, what?”
“You heard me.”
“Yeah, I did, but what do you need my help for?”
“There's no time to explain.” A notification pops up on Ace’s phone with a ding. “I sent you an address. Come here as soon as you can, and don't worry, I've told security to let you in.”
“Wait, security?! Whoa, wait, Jamil-senpai, what's this ab–” The line clicks, and Ace gapes at the black screen for a few seconds. Then he buries his face in his hands and groans loudly, getting on his feet and pulling the closet open.
Whatever this is, it had better be important.
The address turns out to be a fancy upscale nightclub. Ace stares awkwardly at the neon signs, and as he watches people enter with elaborate outfits, the fact that he's just wearing his NRC hoodie and sweatpants weighs on him that much more.
Still, he marches up to the front door like he’s actually meant to be there, and shows his ID card to the guy standing outside. The bouncer checks it, then nods as he opens the gate and gestures inside. “Jamil Viper’s special guest? Go ahead.” Ace steps inside, immediately greeted by flashing lights and bass booming so strong he can feel it in his chest, and the first-year taps his foot to the beat as he looks around for Jamil.
After a while, he spots the second-year standing by the bar, and Ace dodges the mass of dancers and the people passed out on the floor as he makes a beeline straight for his senior. “Jamil-senpai, you’d better have a good explanation for this,” the first-year shouts over the music, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I was watching a really good movie!”
“As it turns out, yes, I do,” Jamil replies, grabbing Ace’s wrist and dragging him closer to the bar. “In our defense, we–”
“Ace, we’re so sorry!” A pair of arms tackle the first-year from the side, and Ace barely catches Kalim without falling over. “We tried to keep an eye on him, we really did, but somehow, he just–”
“Okay, look,” Ace grumbles, gently prying Kalim off of him. “You two are really freaking me right now, so tell me what’s going on or I’m leaving.”
Jamil grimaces, then pulls Ace closer as his voice drops to a whisper. “We may or may not have gotten Riddle drunk.”
“Wh— Riddle?! Seriously?!” Ace exclaims, his eyes going wide. “You’re kidding, right? Yeah, okay, I serve Riddle six lattes one time, and this is some kinda twisted revenge. You got me! Real funny, guys.” But Jamil’s expression doesn’t change, and when Ace turns to Kalim for answers, the white-haired boy actively avoids his gaze. “Holy shit, wait, you’re not joking.”
Jamil exasperatedly throws his hands up in the air. “Why would we be joking about something like this?!”
“I don’t know! Same reason that I’m standing here in this fancy club instead of watching a movie in my dorm!”
“I’m really sorry, Ace! This is all my fault,” Kalim exclaims. “Riddle did so good on his first day interning at his law firm and then Azul had a great accomplishment with the Lounge, so I thought it’d be a great idea to go out and celebrate, because that’s what me and Jamil did all the time back at home—”
“And we really did try to keep an eye on him and make sure he stayed with the normal drinks, but somehow, he and Azul got into the alcohol. He’s already had a few shots and three strawberry margaritas.” A glass loudly clinks on the table behind him, and Jamil winces. “Alright, make that four margaritas. Probably.”
For once, Ace is speechless, and it takes nearly all his effort to actually respond. “Okay, so… you need my help with what, exactly?”
“Getting him away from the bar, taking him home, and making sure he’s alright, preferably in that order.” Jamil grabs the first-year’s shoulders and pushes him towards the bar. “I don’t care if you take him to our apartment or your dorm room, so long as he’s far, far away from any alcohol whatsoever.”
Ace crosses his arms and frowns. “And why can’t you be the one to do all that?”
“Because I’ll be busy with both a drunk Azul and Kalim, that’s why. Even though you’re Riddle’s number one caffeine enabler, I can at least trust you with your own boyfriend.”
Kalim chirps in from nearby. “And he’s been asking for you!”
The first-year suddenly can’t help but smile. “Has he really?”
Jamil very nearly rolls his eyes. “If that’s what gets you to do it… then yes, you sap. Now go and get him out of here.”
Ace eagerly nods as he approaches the bar, and true to his senior’s words, Riddle’s practically slumped over the bar table, an empty glass clutched in one hand and Azul in a similar position beside him.
He makes sure to snap a picture of the both of them before he does anything. “Hey, rosebud,” Ace calls softly, one hand shaking the redhead’s shoulder. “Can’t believe I found you in a nightclub. What are you doing here, huh?” Riddle stirs, weakly swatting in Ace’s general direction, and the first-year tries his absolute best to keep himself from laughing. “Riddle, c’mon. Jamil-senpai told me you drank too much, so you have to come home with me.”
“Not goin’ with you… ‘m waiting for m’boyfriend…”
“Riddle,” Ace says, body trembling with the effort to not burst out into laughter, “I’m your boyfriend.”
The redhead slowly opens his eyes and squints at the first-year. “A-Ace..? ‘s… that’s you?”
He can’t take it anymore; he practically cackles at how badly Riddle’s slurring his words, then kneels down to the other’s eye level. “Yeah, it’s me, rosie. Fancy seeing you.”
Riddle raises his head a bit, pauses, then beams. “Aaace, you’re here!” The redhead giggles and tosses his arms around the first-year’s shoulders, but misses and catches his waist instead. “Mm, d’you know I missed you? Is that why you came here? You read my mind like magic?”
“Yeah, sure, let’s go with that.” Ace ruffles his boyfriend’s hair and kisses the crown of his head, much to Riddle’s delight. “Alright, now c’mon, it’s time for you to go home.”
“With you?”
“Of course, with me.” Riddle grins and makes grabby hands as he reaches his arms out towards Ace. The first-year merely sighs and obliges, looping one arm under his boyfriend’s legs and picking him up in a bridal carry. The redhead immediately snuggles closer to him, and as soon as Ace catches Jamil’s eye on the way out, they share a nod of understanding.
“When he wakes up not drunk, tell him Jamil and I are really sorry,” Kalim stage-whispers. “And tell him we hope he feels better!”
“Hangovers are a bitch,” Jamil shouts from where he’s slinging Azul over his shoulder. “Good luck with Riddle! You’re going to need it.”
Ace definitely hadn’t remembered the walk back to the bus stop being quite that long, though of course, that was before he had his drunk, oddly affectionate boyfriend cradled in his arms. Yet even as he trudges to the very back of the bus with Riddle in tow, the first-year can’t find it in himself to complain.
“Whew, safe! Good thing we made it in time.” He sits Riddle down next to him, and the redhead immediately falls over. “Whoa, you’re wobbly. Are you doing okay?”
“Better, since you’re here.” He giggles and nuzzles into Ace’s shoulder. “Oh, I wanted to ask! Ace, how’d y’know where to find me?”
“Magic, duh. Power of true love and all.” Ace grins, leaning in and playfully pressing a kiss to the tip of Riddle’s nose. “And how’d those three persuade you to go to a nightclub?”
“Hm..? Oh! Didn’t tell you, but…” Riddle gestures for Ace to lean in closer, and when he does, the first-year can smell the lingering scent of strawberry liquor. “Helped with a case today. I worked really hard on it, and we won. Kalim said we should celebrate, Jamil said yes, and ‘zul… Azul said I should live a little.”
“Aw, that’s great, rosebud! Look at you, doing so well, even if your roommates kinda got you wasted. Nice seeing how much they care about you though.” Ace thinks for a while, tilting his head up to the ceiling. “Let’s see, my roommates are probably in, so there won’t be any room… looks like I’m taking you back to your apartment. You bring your keys?”
“Mhm. Always do. ‘s in my bag… maybe.”
Ace carefully reaches in and breathes a sigh of relief when his fingers close around metal. “Yep, they’re there alright. Thank Seven for that, at least.”
The redhead goes silent as he watches the streetlights through the windows, then tries to poke Ace’s arm. It ends up somewhere around his chest, and when the first-year glances down, Riddle’s looking up at him with flushed cheeks and a soft smile.
“Hey there,” Ace whispers with a grin of his own, “what you looking at me for?”
“Wanna tell you something. C’mere.” The first-year leans down, and Riddle makes a show of looking around before whispering into his ear. “Really love you. You’re the best boyfriend ever.”
Riddle can never touch alcohol again, Ace decides in his head, because his heart hasn’t stopped fluttering from how damn cute his boyfriend is, and he’d rather not die young. “I’m not the one who won a law case today, y’know? You’re amazing in your own right. And you know I love you too.”
The redhead giggles softly. “Mm, tha’s good. I was… was really sad when you started avoiding me. Thought you hated me.” His hand flops onto his chest, and a hint of melancholy creeps into his smile. “Hurt real bad… in here.”
“…Me too. I’m sorry.”
“But it’s okaaaay, ‘cause you liked me back! Happiest day of my life.” Riddle hums as he thinks, then nods. “I really liked when we were making out. Can we do that again?”
Ace has to try very hard not to choke, especially because he knows his face has turned cherry red instantly. “N-not here! And not while you’re still wasted out of your mind. Later, okay?” No response comes, and when he turns to look, he's met with the sight of Riddle peacefully sleeping against his arm. "Hah. So much for making out."
The first-year huffs softly and cards through his boyfriend’s hair as he gazes out the window at the road, and from there, time flies. They make it to the right stop within minutes, and Riddle doesn’t stir, even as Ace picks him up and fights to unlock the door without dropping him. The digital clock on the wall reads 1:19 AM, but even so, there’s no sign of any of Riddle’s roommates.
(Internally, Ace says a prayer for Jamil. Hopefully his basketball club senior will still be alive next week.)
Once he’s found the right room, the first-year carefully sets Riddle down on the bed, sliding the cardigan off his shoulders, and brushes his boyfriend’s bangs out of his face.
“Sorry I couldn’t get you into your pajamas,” Ace whispers as he climbs into bed beside the redhead. “Hope you’re at least comfy in there, yeah? Sleep well. You’re, uh… definitely gonna need it.”
Riddle wakes up the next morning to a pounding headache and one very familiar first-year in the bed curled up into his side. Sunlight filters through the blinds and onto the floor, but even that gentle light is enough to send stabbing pain through his head.
He squeezes his eyes shut with a quiet groan before rolling over and snuggling deeper into Ace’s arms, more than content to ride out… whatever this is. Probably a hangover, if any of his fuzzy memories are to be trusted, because he remembers going out last night, and sitting at the bar, and Azul ordering them both cocktails, and then—
Wait. Why is Ace in his bed in the first place?
“Ace, what are you doing in my—” The room starts spinning, and Riddle cries out as his hands fly up to the sides of his head.
“Careful! Here, just lie back down, you’ll feel better.” Two strong arms slowly guide him back down, and when everything finally stops moving, Ace’s warm crimson eyes stare right into his. “Morning, gorgeous.”
Despite the fact that he still feels sick to his stomach, Riddle can feel his face go warm. “G-good morning to you too,” he mutters. “What are you doing in my bed?”
The first-year shrugs. “Taking care of you, obviously. You have any idea how hard it was to unlock your door while carrying you?”
“Oh. So that means… were you the one who brought me back last night?”
“Yep~ and you were totally trashed! Which is weird, because normally, you’re the responsible one.” Ace grins teasingly, even as he rubs circles on his back. “But I have pictures. Do you wanna see them?”
“Absolutely not. And delete those.” The pain in his head spikes, and Riddle hisses through his teeth as he squeezes his eyes shut. “Ugh, I’m never letting Azul talk me into anything again. Everything hurts.”
“Yeah, blame that on the shots. And the margaritas. And whatever else Jamil-senpai told me you drank. He and Kalim wanted to tell me that they hope you feel better, by the way, and that they're sorry. And, uh…” He goes silent for a bit, face eerily blank as he gazes into the redhead’s eyes. “…Riddle, you know I love you, right?”
“Yes?” Riddle pauses, confusion written across his face. “Why? What’s this about?”
Ace merely smiles and kisses his forehead. “Nothing. Just wanted to make sure you knew.”
The redhead can tell there’s more to it from his first-year’s tone of voice, but he’ll let it go for now. His head still hurts, after all, and there’s no better cure for that than being in his boyfriend’s arms.