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Ace usually found pure exhilaration in the court as he basked in the test of physical prowess and quick decision making in the game. Sure, he would usually prefer to slack off when faced with most things in life, but basketball isn’t one of them. It was one of the few things that he genuinely took seriously. Furthermore, it helped that it fuelled his innate competitive spirit in a healthy manner based on what some of his peers said.
However, going up against Floyd and Jamil was a tremendous feat, and he had half a heart to give up right then and there. It wasn’t that he was incapable of beating them if he actually tried, but he couldn’t help but think about the waste of effort it would be. However if he played his cards right, maybe he could activate Floyd’s volatile moods but that would still require some herculean effort on his part. However, he was broken out of his absorption as he caught a glimpse of those scarlet strands that admittedly haunted his waking hour and his dreams. It was clear to Ace who exactly it could be. It was nobody but his housewarden, Riddle Rosehearts.
The shorter boy lingered near the exit of the gym as he stopped and watched them play with an inquisitive look on his face. Sure, some students dropping by and watching them play was a common enough sight but usually Ace never really paid them much attention but this time, it was different. Riddle being inside the gym was a rare sight, since the older boy often preferred the comforting and quiet surroundings of Heartslabyul or the library instead. They briefly locked eyes and Riddle gave him a slight nod and a hesitant wave. It also seemed that nobody else had noticed Riddle’s presence aside from him. An inappropriate jest popped into his head about his housewarden’s height and his secret dreams of playing basketball but he knew better than to tell anybody else.
The more mischievous part of his mind told him to alert Floyd of the presence of a certain Goldfish in hopes of distraction, but he knew that would backfire on him, one way or another. He kept his observations to himself as he tried to shift his focus back into the game and utilize his spatial awareness and quick decision-making skills. He swore he could feel a pair of eyes on him, so Ace was certain that the housewarden was actually paying attention to the game. Sure, it was just a casual practice game in preparation for their actual match with Royal Sword Academy in a couple of weeks.
In truth, Riddle’s presence and spectatorship was enough of a factor to change Ace’s entire mood regarding the practice match that he had seemingly given up on just a few moments ago. Ace couldn’t help that innate feeling of wanting to impress Riddle. He couldn’t entirely comprehend why he felt so inclined to dazzle a tyrant whom he had disliked greatly a few months ago, but alas here Ace was. Besides, their relationship had improved leaps and bounds since Riddle’s unfortunate overblotting as the older boy showed significant progress in mellowing out rather than consistently being a stickler for the rules. However, sometimes old habits die hard and Ace and Riddle find themselves butting heads but there hasn't been any real heat behind it. Regardless, they have both developed a new found respect for each other since then, and it has only improved since.
Furthermore, Ace had long accepted that he had held some form of infatuation for his housewarden. It took several grueling months before he had come to accept that he may have feelings beyond dislike and lingering resentment for the older boy. It was difficult not to after being privy to the fact that Riddle was quite adorable at times underneath all that stringency and bravado the shorter boy developed as a defense mechanism.
The sevens know how frequent Ace had heard hushed voices from some of his schoolmates and even at time his own dorm mates making some lewd comments about fucking the queen tyrant to put him in his place, so he knew that Riddle’s appeal was shared within the student body. Sure, overhearing these silly remarks infuriated him more than he could admit, but he decided to just see it as opportunities to hone his mischief. Honestly, it was an act of charity if you really think about it. Besides, what good of a loyal card soldier he would be if he didn’t take on those nasty rumors promptly.
It wasn’t like he was in love with Riddle. Hell, they both got too much baggage to unpack before it could even lead to that. However, Ace came into the shocking revelation that he could potentially learn to, especially after getting to know the older boy beyond his Dorm Head persona. Ironically enough, despite the tyrant moniker imposed upon him, Ace had come to realize that Riddle was never particularly unkind nor malicious in his ways. Sure, he was pretty misguided on implementing order and justice, but beyond that it was evident that Riddle just wanted the best for everybody and unfortunately, he tried to execute in the only way he knew how to. This wasn’t to say that Riddle was a perfect person, but at the end of the day, nobody was and who else but Ace to show him that it was perfectly fine to have faults and flaws. Thankfully, Riddle seemed to respond quite positively to his brutal honesty which only emboldened the younger boy with his approach. Trey and Carter even began to tease the housewarden of playing favorites when it came to his underclassmen to which Riddle vehemently denied. However, Ace couldn’t help but notice how the older boy’s attention seemed to frequently be on him compared to his year mates. He even had a jealous Deuce pestering Ace on how to earn the housewarden’s favor, to show for it.
With all that being said, Ace wasn’t even sure if he wanted to cross that line with Riddle, despite all his deep infatuation with his housewarden. They were finally in a good place, and he wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. Besides, Riddle was probably the type of person who wanted somebody to court him properly, a real uptight and bookish heir with a pedigree, and Ace was anything but.
But before he could further wallow in his woes, suddenly, a quick whistle broke him from his reverie as he watched Floyd score another point for his team while Ace was in a daze. In a perfect world, this would’ve been the opportune time for Ace to show off his skills and impress his house warden, but as usual, things never go that smoothly for the young boy. Despite all of Ace’s best efforts, Floyd seemed to be in the zone as well as he was eerily quieter than usual and played proficiently. Consequently, it had ended in a loss for Ace and his team but he managed to score a couple of points despite the deadly duo of Floyd and Jamil. They finally reconvened at the bleachers where they cooled down by catching their breaths and hydrating themselves. Some of the members also began packing their things as the end of the practice match marked the end of the practice session.
A quick glance revealed that Riddle was still in the gym, which was another surprise in itself since he had half-expected the older boy to leave before his devastating loss. However, something else immediately caught his eye before he could focus more on his housewarden.
Floyd had unceremoniously taken off his shirt, revealing his oddly impressive physique for everybody to see. It was clear that Floyd’s height was impressive, almost towering over the majority of the Night Raven College student body and even some of the faculty too. However, most people had expected the twin to be lanky but he was well built. Then again he was also the unofficial muscle of the Octavinelle trio. Sweat glistened on his body as he allowed himself to freely cool off, stretching into unusual twists with his body in the process.
Ace was in a similar state of exhaustion with his hair slicked back with sweat as his hair tie came undone mid-game. He went and wiped the sweat on his face with the hem of his jersey, only to notice Riddle staring right at them, face more flushed than usual. Without a second thought, Ace to the best of abilities took off his jersey in the most natural way possible or so he had hoped. Sure, his physique wasn’t as impressive as Floyd’s but it was nothing to scoff at as it had been toned by years of basketball practice and various physical activities.
From the corner of his eye, Ace could see Jamil giving both of them a judgmental stare of disbelief. It was a widely known fact that Floyd and Ace were usually one of the first ones out the door to get back to their respective dorms to freshen up and change, or more commonly known as a carefully manufactured excuse to get out of court cleaning responsibilities. It was rare for them to linger, much more stripping themselves half-naked as a means to cool off. He tried his best to ignore his Scarabian teammate’s gaze as he shifted his focus on finally greeting his housewarden. He had hoped that Riddle wasn’t upset that he had lost, or worse disappointed. Riddle’s notorious fury was one thing, but his disappointment was far worse in Ace’s opinion. It seemed that Riddle had also noticed that Ace was looking straight at him and he made the motions to slip out of the gym.
“Housewarden Rid-“ Ace tried to call out but he was beaten to the punch.
“Goldfishie!” A much louder voice shouted but not before a large figure rushed towards the smaller boy, leaving Ace in his dust. “Didya see how well I played?!”
“Get off me this instant, Floyd!” Riddle protested as he was enveloped by Floyd’s sweaty larger body. His stormy grey eyes were fixed into that infamous glare. “Also put your clothes back on!”
“But it’s so hot and sticky!” Floyd whined only for his grin to grow impossibly wider, showcasing all of his pointy fangs. He then gestured towards his torso, slicked with sweat. “Besides this isn’t anything you haven’t seen before.”
That familiar shade of pink made itself known on Riddle’s visage, revealing his clear mortification. “Yet you decided that the solution to your predicament was to cling to me?!”
Ace couldn’t help but notice how Riddle didn’t put much effort into breaking out of Floyd’s hold. Maybe, the older boy knew it was futile and had long accepted his fate. However, Ace would be lying if the sight of Floyd all over his housewarden didn’t incite an unusual feeling in the pit of his stomach. Usually seeing Riddle be caught off-guard and effectively crumbling that prim and proper visage was amusing, but this didn’t feel right.
“Not until Goldfishie tells me I did a good job.” Floyd easily replied with a pout, uncaring about the rest of his teammates in the gym. “Come on, you saw how I obliterated Crabby over there.”
“Hey!” Ace protested before he could think about it. Riddle could only offer him a glimpse of an apologetic look underneath all that fury before he shifted his attention back to Floyd.
“You played very nicely, Floyd.” Riddle easily shot him a heated glare yet after an exaggerated exhale, he uttered with a genuine smile. “You sure gave my card soldier a run for his money.”
It was clear to anybody that despite the feigned distaste that Riddle always seemed to reserve for the Leech brother, there was an underlying layer of fondness that he also bore for him. Pools of jealousy started to erupt in Ace’s stomach on how Floyd could easily capture Riddle’s attention with little to no effort. However, those stormy silver irises were now directed towards him, which briefly caught the younger boy off-guard.
“You played wonderfully as well, Ace. You’ll certainly bring pride to Heartslabyul.” Riddle fondly praised him paired with a wide and proud grin. “I look forward to seeing you play the match next week.”
“Th-thank you, Housewarden.” Ace managed to reply despite all his fluster and the heat in his stomach pooling. His cheeks burned hot with sheepishness at his house warden’s earnest compliments. Usually, Ace responded to praise with a cocky grin, a puff of his chest and a quick quip of nonchalance, but it was always different with Riddle. Admittedly, being on the receiving end of Riddle’s rare praises were one of Ace’s favorite things in this world and no matter how hard he tried, it always seemed to manage to disarm him.
However, he couldn’t help but notice a pair of grey irises were still directed at his figure, despite Riddle averting his gaze every time they locked eyes. “I sure hope that you will also get dressed properly before you return back to the Heartslabyul dorms.” Riddle chided him with no real heat. “Heartslabyul students do have to abide by certain rules, no matter how impressive the physique.”
Wait. Did Riddle just flirt with him? Sure, it was more of a jest than a genuine flirt, but the point still stands. Riddle just gave him another compliment. “Of course!” Ace easily replied, trying his best to conceal his glee from knowing that Riddle was checking him out. Truthfully, he could get lost in Riddle’s sincerity for hours if it wasn’t for a lanky body immediately blocking his view, effectively physically separating Ace and Riddle from each other’s periphery. He swore he even heard a quiet scoff from the tallest boy, but nobody else had made any acknowledgment of it. Silently, Ace mourned the loss of Riddle’s attention.
“Anyway, Goldfishie, I think I deserve a reward for winning.” Floyd interrupted their moment, forcing Riddle’s attention back to the Leech twin, looking far too pleased with himself. The only silver lining was the fact that he finally let Riddle go out of that vice grip embrace.
Riddle looked up at him incredulously. “You want a reward for winning a simple practice match… and from me of all people.”
“Ya, I want something only Goldfishie can give me.” Floyd purred out in a stage whisper, loud enough for people nearby to hear. “I also think I have something that I can give ya.”
Floyd’s voice dripped with innuendo and Ace had half-expected a blast of his Unique Magic to be directed at the Leech twin. Floyd who was infamous for his volatile nature often teetered the line between playfulness and plain incongruousness. Ace smirked silently as he awaited those loud infamous words to come out of Riddle’s mouth. Off With Your Head!
“Alright.” Riddle softly replied which caught Ace completely off guard. Why was Riddle suddenly so amicable and with Floyd of all people? But The Housewarden suddenly snapped into that familiar pointed tone. “However, I refuse to be seen with you in such an indecent state.”
“Okay, Goldfishie!” Floyd replied with a Cheshire grin as he easily slipped his jersey back on. He then proclaimed loud enough for it to echo throughout the gym. “I’ll just take it off later when we’re all alone.”
Ace’s jaw dropped at the unsubtleness of that statement, but what kept it open was Riddle’s unusual reaction, which was a deep flush on his face as he kept his mouth absolutely shut. He had expected a well justified outburst from the housewarden with threats of having the taller boy’s head on a platter. However, Not a single sound against the taller boy but instead an unfamiliar act of submissiveness. He could only watch as Floyd’s arm was wrapped around Riddle’s willowy waist as he guided the smaller boy to the gym’s exit, leaving everyone else forgotten in their wake. But just before they could leave, Floyd turned back and stared directly at Ace. He looked at him as if he had won in more ways than one, smugness dripping from his gaze. However, the promise of threat directed towards the poor unfortunate soul who dared to show any interest in his Goldfishie was not lost on him. But then again, Ace was never known to be exactly wise and Riddle had always regarded him as a glutton for punishment.