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Ace tosses and turns in his bed, white sheets spilling off his mattress as he ultimately flops onto his stomach and glares at the drapes hanging over his head.
Try as he might, another night has passed where he can’t seem to get a full night’s rest without waking up - and what’s worse is that he doesn’t feel tired enough to try going back to bed, either.
He sits up, squinting as he peers around the dark room. All his roommates are fast asleep, soft snores echoing from one of them on the other side of the room. He looks over to the bed beside him, catching the messy mop of dark blue hair peeking out from under the covers.
He pouts, glaring at Deuce’s sleeping figure. Of course he can get some sleep and Ace can’t.
He grabs his water bottle from his nightstand and takes a few sips before lying back down and trying to get comfortable again. He lays on his stomach, then flips to his side. He tosses a leg off the bed, and then brings it back (still scared about something grabbing him like when he was a kid).
After five minutes he grumbles to himself and unplugs his phone, the screen glowing in his face. He turns the brightness down as much as he can before he just starts scrolling - through pictures, social media, emails. It’s always his last ditch attempt at trying to get himself to go back to sleep when it’s like this.
He doesn’t know how long he’s on his phone, the time in the corner of his screen flying by without him noticing. Honestly, it doesn’t matter to him - if he can’t sleep, he can’t sleep. That’s just that, and that’s the way it’s always been.
He ends up on a promo ad of Neige and Vil for some new movie (and one look at Vil’s face as Neige’s clinging to him tells him that despite Vil’s practiced smile, he’s dying on the inside) just as he hears rustling from the bed over. He doesn’t bother rolling over to see if Deuce will go back to bed - it’s of no concern to him right now, too entranced by dozens of comments under the ad exchanging excitement for the movie and the stars in it.
He hears Deuce get out of bed, padding down the hall to the washroom before he hears the sound of the sink running and he comes back. Once he does, he can feel Deuce’s eyes on him, just standing there between their beds and undoubtedly wondering why on earth Ace is scrolling on his phone at this hour.
“Ace?” Deuce mumbles groggily, his voice scratchy and deep. Ace doesn’t like how his cheeks flush under the fluorescent light from his phone. “Why are you on your phone at this hour? It’s-“
Deuce pauses, looking at his alarm clock. “Jeez, three in the morning…?”
Ace frowns, scrolling past another post - a sports company showing off different shoe brands. “Not tired.”
“We have school in the morning - like, in a couple hours.” Deuce says, sitting on the edge of Ace’s bed and looking over his shoulder at him. “You really shouldn’t be wasting time on your phone instead of sleeping.”
Ace’s brows furrow, squishing together under his bangs as he presses the power off button on his phone and turns over his shoulder to meet eyes with Deuce. There’s not much light in the room to help illuminate his features aside from the moon outside, but he can make him out well enough. Bright teal eyes, messy blue hair. That gaudy pink hoodie he wears to bed slightly rumpled from sleep. Actually, Ace could probably figure out what he looks like right now even without light from how often he sees him on a daily basis.
“I can’t sleep, genius.” Ace retorts, raising at eyebrow at him. “You think I just got up to scroll for fun?”
Deuce pouts, an embarrassed flush crossing his cheeks. “How was I supposed to know? And how come you can’t sleep?”
Ace rubs his face, fingers swiping past the curve of his eyes and the shape of his nose. “I don’t know man. I think I’ve got insomnia or something? I wake up in the middle of the night every single night - sometimes more than once.” Ace stares up at the dark, velvety drapes, his eyes feeling heavy. “So sometimes I just go on my phone until I get tired. That’s what Cater does, anyways.”
“I don’t know if you should be following Cater’s example.” Deuce mumbles before he catches Ace glaring at him and sputters. “M-my point is, I think you should try something else. I don’t think more light is gonna help you fall asleep.”
“Right, right. Are you a somnologist now?” Ace retorts, and he relishes in watching Deuce try to figure out what a somnologist is before he shakes his head.
“I don’t know what that is, but I do know that literally anything else will help you better.” Deuce says, crossing his arms.
“Dude, why do you care so much anyways? Just go back to bed.” Ace huffs, but he plugs his phone back in anyways and sits up to hear him out. “Have you been working on a spell that puts people to sleep? Or maybe you’ve got Epel on stand by to Sleep Kiss me?”
“No, and no!” Deuce shakes his head before looking around worriedly to make sure he didn’t wake anyone up with his volume. “Look, I…I do have an idea, but you can’t get mad at me for suggesting it! I’m just trying to help!”
Ace squints at him in the dark, watching Deuce’s reddening face. That can’t be a good sign. “And what’s that? Don’t tell me you’re gonna drop a couple cauldrons on my head to knock me out or something.”
“What? No!” Deuce hisses under his breath. “That’d wake everybody up!”
“Great, so you were thinking it.”
“Shut up!”
Deuce looks off to the side, suddenly growing fidgety. “I was gonna offer for you to…y’know…” his voice trails off, looking anywhere but at Ace. “…sleep in my bed.”
Ace feels like his face has gone as red as Riddle’s hair. His eyes widen, any previous annoyance long gone as he tries not to shout in surprise and wake everyone up (least up all Riddle - sleeping with a collar is NOT fun). “You- you’re asking me if I want to-“
Ace looks around wildly before he awkwardly chuckles, running a hand through his hair distractedly. “Uh, y’know April Fool’s Day isn’t for like, months, right Deucey?”
Deuce puffs out his cheeks a bit, his sharp eyebrows furrowing as he turns back to face his own bed in embarrassment. “Yes! I know that! I-I was only suggesting it cause I thought it might help.”
Ace grins, his mortification taking the slightest backseat as he crawls out of his comforter to sit on the edge of the bed next to Deuce. They might both have to be up for school in two hours, but he can’t let an opportunity to mess with Deuce slip by him. “You thought it’d help? To sleep in the same bed? How adorable.”
Deuce blushes harder, arms crossed tightly over his chest. From here, Ace can see him repeatedly bouncing a leg on the floor, bunny slippers Deuce has clearly had for ages smiling poorly up at him through their worn stitching. “Stop making fun of me! It’s what my mom says, okay? That sometimes when you’re in an unfamiliar place and can’t sleep, finding something you’re used to helps.”
Ace softens a bit as Deuce mumbles, readjusting the sleeve of his hoodie mindlessly. “My first week sleeping here was hard, cause I was so used to my mom being down the hall all the time, and being able to hear the other tenants in our apartment. I think she knew it would be hard for me, ‘cause she packed her favorite sweatshirt with my luggage for when I miss her.”
A period of silence follows, and Ace watches the tips of Deuce’s bunny slippers knock back and forth - one of his little habits, Ace has found. Deuce has all sorts of them, and they’re very reminiscent of the other people they know; Ace figures it’s since he’s so gung-ho about trying to emulate a model student, he even does so subconsciously.
Rubbing his eyes the way Trey does when he’s tired or thinking, rapidly tapping his pen during tests like Riddle does. The shoe knocking thing is from Epel, and he guesses the determination to help Ace and the softness of it all is a combination of him and his mom - headstrong like him, and sweet like his mother. Ace has met Deuce’s mom a couple of times, and he can confidently say it’s very reminiscent.
“You don’t have to stay in my bed, either. It was just a suggestion cause I don’t want you copying all of my notes tomorrow since you won’t be able to focus!” Deuce explains half heartedly, his legs slowing to a stop. “So, yeah. I’m gonna go back to bed now-”
Just as Deuce stands up to go crawl back into his own space, Ace heaves a quieted, dramatic sigh, following suit and standing up while he yawns. “Fine, fine, I’m coming with you - but you could’ve just asked me if you needed someone to cuddle with that badly.”
Deuce squawks, protesting even as he kicks off his slippers and pulls back the covers, waiting for Ace to settle in before pulling them back up, grumbling to himself about ‘this is what I get for trying to help…’ and ‘I should’ve just went back to sleep…’.
Ace has every intention to keep bickering with him - likely until they both fall asleep from exhaustion, their voices scratchy from mindless arguing and minds too tired to come up with any more insults. But as soon as his head hits the pillow and Deuce pulls up the covers, he realizes something that he hadn’t even thought about when he agreed to do this.
Everything smells like Deuce.
He knows that’s a really stupid thing to think (‘wow Ace, Deuce’s bed smells like him? Fork found in kitchen!’), but it’s true. The pillow sheets, comforter, drapes, bed covers, etc. - it’s like the random whiff he gets of his hair whenever he sits shoulder to shoulder with him in class except ten times stronger.
He can’t really even explain what he smells like either - it’s just him. Some mix of cheap cologne, floral body wash (likely from his mom), and just the general smell of his skin. It’s not bad. It’s nice. And it’s actually making him a little sleepy - and oddly, quite calm.
“Do you want your water bottle?” Deuce asks, and it brings Ace out of his stupor. “Huh? Nah, I’m alright…”
“Okay - but don’t ask me for mine in the middle of the night.” Deuce warns him, getting comfortable against his pillow. Deuce’s knees brush against his before they’re quickly adjusted - though it’s not easy with the minimal space they have to share.
“Right, as if. What, are you scared I have cooties or something?” Ace teases him instead, the bare skin of his legs buzzing with the sensation of the fabric against them.
“No.” Deuce sticks his tongue out at him before he huffs. “Even though you probably do.”
“Woooow. Real hospitable of ya.”
Ace can’t see it, but he’s sure Deuce is rolling his eyes in the dark. He pulls his arms up to his chest as he rolls over. “Maybe I won’t let you stay in my bed next time.”
Ace gives him a soft shove, but after that it’s silent. Ace stares at the ceiling and the drapes above Deuce’s bed, trying to fall asleep. Deuce doesn’t stir too much, his heels resting just so against his calf.
The dorm is quiet - too quiet for his liking. One of his roommates is snoring, the fan in the bathroom humming distantly. Beside him, he can hear the little breaths coming from Deuce. But none of it helps him get to sleep.
He feels a little more tired than before, but it’s not enough to get him to fall asleep again. How long has it been now? The clock says 4:24 in the morning.
Ace glances over at the dark figure of Deuce beside him, his shoulders, neck, and ruffled hair peeking out from underneath the blankets. He moves his hand, pretending it’s a motion done unintentionally, knuckles brushing against Deuce’s back. He can feel the warmth of his hoodie from his skin underneath. The rise and fall of his body as he breathes.
Ace can’t sleep. And it’s not made any easier by sleeping next to the guy he’s been developing a crush on over the school year.
He’d sworn off dating or love or anything like that after his girlfriend in middle school - cause to him, it wasn’t worth all the extra stress. But Deuce wasn’t stressful - not like that, anyways. Sure, he’s a knucklehead and doesn’t think things through, and sometimes he’s an accomplice in all the dumb shit Ace does.
But he’s also really smart with emotional stuff without trying to be, and his smile is sort of cute or whatever. The way he always tries to address their upperclassmen with the utmost respect to try and be a ‘model student’ always gets a laugh out of him, and the way he talks so fondly about his mom and all the things they do together makes him want to be a bigger part of Deuce’s life so maybe he can be lucky enough to get mentioned to her every time he calls.
Ace doesn’t do romance or any of that sappy junk - it’s just not his style. You won’t catch him dead buying someone chocolates and teddy bears for Valentine’s Day or making cheesy posts about his partner on Magicam like Cater does with Trey.
But you might catch him going to Deuce’s track meets with the Prefect and Grim, or making him eat a slice of a real good tart from his fork at an unbirthday party, or agreeing to sleep in the same bed cause he just can’t get tired enough on his own.
Ace exhales through his nose, his heart hammering. He forgot how painfully annoying a crush is to have.
“Yo, Deuce?” Ace asks quietly, gently pressing his knuckles into Deuce’s plush pink hoodie.
“Mm?” Deuce mumbles, not moving. “I said you can’t have any of my water.”
“I wasn’t gonna ask that.” Ace rolls his eyes. He pushes the back of his hand a bit more against Deuce’s hoodie, looking the other way as his voice softens. “I still can’t sleep.”
Deuce makes a confused, mumbly sound, and promptly pushes up on his palms and blearily blinks at him. Ace feels his heart skip beats at the sight, and he exhales a little harsher through his nose. He hates that this is a sight he wouldn’t mind waking up to every once in a while.
“Still?” Deuce asks, turning to face him and lay on his arm. Ace can just make out the murky teal of his eyes and messy tufts of his hair, the cute swoop of his nose and his dumb pouty lips. Deuce is so pretty without even trying to be. How is that fair at all? “Okay, well…lemme see…”
Deuce yawns, rubbing at his eyes while he thinks. “When I can’t sleep…I sit up and stretch, or flip my pillow over…” He scratches his neck, eyes closed. “Or I grab one of my stuffed animals or pillows and hold them. That usually helps.”
The idea of Deuce holding a worn teddy bear or something equally as silly sends another pang to his heart. So Ace jokes, giving a soft scoff as he goes, “You still sleep with stuffies?”
“No! Only when I can’t sleep.” Deuce frowns at him in the dark. “And I only have a couple from when I was a kid, anyways. My mom would buy them for me at yard sales, and then clean them real good and set them on my bed. My favorite is this blue dog named Spot - he’s weighted too, and can be put into the microwave to heat up-“
Deuce pauses to yawn again, thinking fondly of his stuffy back home. “-and my mom would warm him up for me before bed, and then my blankets would all smell like lavender and blueberries, cause he was scented. He smells like someone else’s house too, since before me he belonged to another kid. I used to wonder if he missed them after he was bought.” Deuce trails off, his voice soft and groggy and his face relaxed. “…Wait, what were we talking about?”
“Cuddling stuff to sleep.” Ace supplies gently, and Deuce immediately nods.
“Oh, right! Right…um…” Deuce opens his eyes to look at his alarm clock, sighing. “It’s nearly five, so that’s not good…and I don’t exactly have any stuffed animals I brought with…”
Deuce reaches an arm over Ace, hovering just above him while he waits for an answer. “Do you mind if…?”
“If you…” Ace trails off, realizing what’s going on and what Deuce is proposing. Before he can think of a better reply he just nods, and soon Deuce is closer than he thinks he’s ever been with a hand pressed onto the small of his back.
They just lay like that for a bit, stiff and rigid and definitely not helping Ace sleep any better. His hands are being pressed against his own chest from the proximity, and he can’t help but throw a joke out to diffuse the tension because it’s what he’s best at. “How’s the weather?”
“Will you shut up? I’m just trying to help!” Deuce huffs, pulling back so he can mildly glare at Ace in the dark, hissing whispers at him. “I’ve never done with before!”
“Yeah, well, me neither.” He retorts, and not one to lose, he pats Deuce’s shoulder a couple times as an indicator. “C’mon, roll over.”
“What? So now you don’t want my he-?”
“Just do it, would you?” Ace hisses, and eventually Deuce rolls his eyes and does as he’s asked. Once his back is turned, Ace scooches closer until his chest is pressed to his back, snaking an arm over his side. “Jeez Deucey, is to that hard to follow instructions…?”
He doesn’t get a snarky reply, or even a half-assed one. Deuce just quietly lays on his bed, legs half tangled into Ace’s in silence.
Ace swallows, his heart pounding in his ears. He’s fucked it up, hasn’t he? He’s definitely fucked up. He made it awkward, and now Deuce thinks he’s weird. He’s gonna tell the other first years about this when Ace isn’t there. He bets Jack will make a face, and Epel will probably fake gag. Sebek’s just gonna scream about propriety or some shit. And Ortho - sevens, he’ll probably look up a dumb statistic about cuddling. And then make fun of him.
Ace feels like his body is getting too hot and his mind is too muddled to think properly, so he starts to move away, planning to escape back to his own bed while he still can. “I-I was just kidding, you know. You really do take everything seriously…I can sleep just fine, don’t even worry about it-“
“Ace.”
Ace pauses with his arm still halfway around him, face flaming hot. Against his better judgement, he replies. “Yes?”
“Ace,” Deuce repeats, tilting his face up a little, but still not enough to actually see him. “Maybe I’m getting this all wrong, but…do you like me?”
Ace wants to curl up somewhere in the never ending rose garden and die. Maybe plant some rose bushes over himself so he can’t be dug up, either. His heart starts pounding even faster than before, and he feels like he’s going to explode. “What? O-of course I like you dude.” He laughs awkwardly, patting his chest. Deuce’s heart is going just as fast as his. “You’re like, one of the few people I can tolerate most of the time.”
“Not like that, like-“ Deuce bites his lip, the silence between them deafening. “-like how Cater and Trey like each other.”
“Oh.” Ace says, his voice cracking in the most uncool way imaginable. “You mean, like, a crush. If I have a crush on you.”
“Yeah.” Deuce says quietly, and seems to press further into his pillow as if he’s hoping it’ll swallow him up too. Maybe they can hide together, and make the earthworms send messages back and forth in their embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I don’t really know how to do this sort of thing…I’ve never, y’know…felt like this, I think?”
Ace’s eyes widen as he stares at the hot pink hoodie in front of him, the leapard print running in wrinkling stripes over the fabric. “Wait, you’ve never had a crush before? Never ever?”
“You don’t need to make fun of me for it, I know it’s weird.” Deuce huffs, crossing the one arm not trapped under his side over his chest. “Back in middle school, my gang members would always pry about it, or try to guess which one of the girls at school I liked. But I never really felt anything different towards any of them, even if I tried.” He admits.
“If I’m being honest, I think I always kind of liked boys more…? I never told anyone, cause no one else seemed like they were like me. So I just thought I was weird. I was already skipping school n’ stuff, and then I was pretty sure I liked guys over girls. It just felt like no matter what I did, there was, well. Something wrong with me.”
Before Ace can interject, Deuce continues, and pokes at Ace’s hand with his finger. It feels warm and safe, and comforting without trying to be. Ace will never get over how good Deuce is at that. “But then I came here, and I realized there were a lot of people just like me - I remember the first time Cater said Trey was his boyfriend, I thought he was joking.”
Ace thinks back to the beginning of the year when Cater had waltzed into the Heartslabyul kitchen and gave Trey a kiss on his way to get Riddle his afternoon tea, and how he had to physically shut Deuce’s jaw for him. He snickers a little with a nod. “Yeah, that’s makes more sense now. Good thing they didn’t think you were like, homophobic or something.”
“I’m not! I-” Deuce says a little too loud before he stops himself, cheeks red. “A-anyway, it just made me realize that I wasn’t weird. It didn’t make them any different than before I knew. They were still just Trey and Cater.”
Ace bites the inside of his cheek, a little smile crossing his lips before he can help it. “Is this your way of telling me that you’ve got crush on me, Deucey?”
“I really wanna wipe that grin off your face sometimes, y’know that?” Deuce grumbles, half glaring at him over his shoulder. Ace giggles and shrugs. “Sooooorry.”
Deuce sighs and moves to lay on his back, facing the ceiling. Ace stays pressed into his shoulder, because at this point he reckons he can. Deuce’s face, even in the dark, is bright red, and his chest rises and falls with rapid heart beats beneath his hoodie. Ace finds it all very, very nice. “Yes. Ever since the beginning of the school year.”
“The beginning of the-“ Ace blushes, sitting up a bit to see him better. “What?!”
“Keep it down!” Deuce hushes him, gently giving him a shove. “And it wasn’t from the very beginning, more like…a little after Riddle overblotted?” He shrugs, mindlessly messing with his sleeve to distract himself. “I just thought you were pretty cool, even if you can be really annoying sometimes-“
“Ouch.”
“-and I like spending time with you the most out of everyone I’ve gotten to know here, even if we’re just doing homework or painting the roses, and I like that your favorite food is cherry pie.” Deuce continues before he blushes. “I had to call my mom after a while and come out to her because I didn’t know who else to tell about it.”
“What did she say?” Ace asks, secretly a little nervous that Deuce’s mom might think he’s a bad influence or something and doesn’t want Deuce around him. If that’s the case, Ace starts to half wonder if he should call Ms. Spade himself and ask what would change her mind.
“That she loves me no matter what, regardless of who I like.” He mumbles bashfully, as if the memory is replaying in his mind. “She was really excited that I had my first crush too, and she immediately guessed it was you. I had to tell her to keep it down cause you were in the room over when I called her.”
Ace snorts, imaging Deuce frantically asking his mom to speak quieter so he doesn’t overhear their conversation. He takes it all as a good sign that his mom likes him. “Aw, that’s too bad. I would’ve liked to hear that.”
“You’d just make fun of me.” Deuce sticks his tongue out at him, the mood between them melting to something more comfortable. Like there’s room for Ace to breathe and finally stretch his legs a bit on Deuce’s cramped bed.
“Maybe a little bit.” Ace yawns with a lazy grin, poking Deuce in the cheek and relishing in how he scrunches up his face. He gets a little closer, comfortably snuggled up against his shoulder with an arm over his chest. “But that’s because I like you, too.”
He can hear a short gasp come from Deuce, and he thinks it’s the cutest thing he’s heard from him ever. He squirms in his arms until he’s properly facing Ace again, holding his gaze with a sort of unbreakable awe. “You do? Really?”
“Yeah, really.” Ace nods, softly adjusting the arm over him. “I mean, you just poured your whole heart and soul out. I think telling you I like you back is the least I can do.”
Deuce blinks in astonishment, like this is the most amazing thing he’s ever heard. “I can’t believe this. I’m gonna have to call mom tomorrow, a-and tell her that - wait, I can tell her, right? - and then we’ll have to tell Cater and Trey, and should we tell housewarden? There might be a rule about that, and…wait! I get to meet your family now, right? I’ve always wanted to meet your older brother, he sounds really cool-!”
“Deuce!” Ace cuts him off, putting a hand over his mouth. He gives him a fond, exasperated look, patting his cheek as he pulls his hand away. “Love the enthusiasm, but-“ he pauses to yawn again. “-there’s no need to rush things. And as much as I can’t believe it, I’m actually getting really tired.”
“Oh, jeez, sorry!” Deuce shakes his head fervently. “You should go to bed if you’re finally feeling tired - and me too.”
“You’re such a dork.” He laughs, finally melting into the covers. “But yeah, we should go to bed now. Don’t wanna get collared for sleepwalking through school.”
“Right.” Deuce nods just as Ace closes his eyes. After a bit of silence, he can feel a hand in his hair, and it makes his stomach fill with butterflies. A minute or so goes by, and the two of them finally get comfortable enough to go to sleep. Ace manages to find Deuce’s other hand under the blankets, and gives his hand a squeeze. And when Deuce loosely holds their hands together via interlaced fingers, Ace doesn’t pull back. He’s not cheesy. But also he’s not gonna just refuse to hold his hand.
“Hey Ace?” Deuce whispers, half asleep. Ace nods, another wave of soft, sleepy butterflies hitting him. “You make me really happy.”
By now, Ace swears their shared room must be a butterfly garden. “…You make me really happy too. But don’t let that go to your head.”
“Never.” Deuce replies, and Ace can hear the smile in his voice as he does.
Come morning, both of their roommates share questioning glances at seeing them tangled up in the same bed, and come first hour, Ace and Deuce are still oversleeping in their room.
Once Riddle finds out, he promptly demands an explanation while mixing honey into his tea so hard that his silver spoon sharply clinks the sides of the teacup, and Ace and Deuce can only share a sideways glance at each other, their matching blushes doing little to help their case.
Ace shrugs and tells him he couldn’t sleep, and that Deuce was just staying up to try and help. Riddle merely sips on his tea while looking between the two of them, perplexed.
“Something tells me there’s more to the story…” he mumbles with an inevitable sigh. “So it’s either you confess, or it’s off with your heads.”
Ace and Deuce look back at each other before locking eyes with Riddle and giving their answers at the same time.
“We’ll take the collars-“
“Ace and I like each other, sir!”
Ace gawks, staring at Deuce while Riddle’s face flushed redder than the roses on his suit. “Dude!”
When they finally walk away (thankfully free of collars due to Riddle’s surprised stupor), Ace clasps his hands behind his head, listening to Deuce reprimand himself for his blunder. Some things never change, he supposes.