Chapter Text
Ace had never felt this much hatred toward someone in his entire life.
The ringmaster who had taken him in under the guise of "helping" him had never intended to save him. From the very beginning, the man had only wanted one thing.
A pet.
How ironic.
Then again... Ace did look strangely adorable. Soft golden eyes, messy hair, and features that made him appear harmless despite what he truly was. It was no surprise the ringmaster had seen him as something to own rather than someone to protect.
Ace had always hated liars.
He didn't know where he came from, who his parents were, or even what exactly he was. All he knew was that he was different. Ever since he could remember, he'd wandered from town to town, hiding the leopard ears that rested atop his head and the long spotted tail that swayed behind him whenever he let his guard down. People feared monsters, and anything they didn't understand was hunted.
So he learned to hide.
He disguised himself as an ordinary homeless teenager, sleeping in abandoned buildings, stealing scraps of food whenever he could, and surviving however fate allowed. Life wasn't kind, but at least it was freedom.
Then the ringmaster found him.
The man smiled warmly and offered him food, shelter, and work at his circus.
For someone who hadn't eaten a proper meal in days, how could he possibly refuse?
Looking back, Ace wanted to laugh at how painfully naive he'd been.
He trusted people too easily.
If he wanted to survive this miserable world, he'd have to become tougher. Stronger. Colder.
Because kindness was often just another disguise.
The circus wasn't a home.
It was a prison.
The moment the ringmaster discovered Ace could transform into a full-grown leopard, everything changed.
Instead of giving him a room, he locked him inside a steel cage.
Instead of treating him like a person, he displayed him like an attraction.
"Come see the Beast Boy!"
Crowds gathered every night, staring at him with curiosity, fear, or excitement. Children pointed while adults whispered. Some threw scraps of food at him as if he were an animal in a zoo.
The ringmaster loved every second of it.
Ace was forced to perform dangerous tricks, leap through flaming hoops, and transform whenever the audience demanded it. If he refused...
He was punished.
The beatings started small.
Then came the starvation.
Days passed without food. His stomach twisted painfully until he could barely stand. His body weakened, but the ringmaster didn't care. A hungry animal performed better, he claimed.
Eventually, Ace reached his limit.
One stormy night, when the guards grew careless, he shifted into his leopard form.
His muscles surged with strength, claws tore through the weakened cage door, and before anyone realized what had happened, he was gone.
He ran.
Faster than he'd ever run before.
Branches whipped across his face as he darted through forests, crossed rivers, and disappeared into the darkness.
Behind him echoed furious shouting.
The ringmaster had sent dozens of men after him.
But humans could never hope to outrun a leopard.
Ace slipped through the trees like a shadow, effortlessly dodging every trap laid before him. By sunrise, he'd reached a much larger town where the crowded streets made it easier to disappear.
There, he discovered a way to suppress his animal features for a while. His ears vanished, his tail disappeared, and he looked completely human.
It wasn't permanent.
Eventually, the disguise would wear off, forcing his ears and tail to return until he could hide again.
He didn't hate his leopard traits.
They were part of him.
What he hated was the fear they inspired in everyone else.
...
Ace couldn't remember exactly how long ago he'd met Creel.
Days?
Weeks?
Months?
Time had lost all meaning.
One thing he knew for certain...
Life had somehow become even worse.
He'd been starved.
Tortured.
Bruised so badly that sometimes even breathing hurt.
During one particularly violent struggle, Ace lashed out and scratched Creel across the arm.
The punishment was immediate.
Creel grabbed him by the head and nearly tore a piece of his ear clean off.
The wound eventually healed...
But the scar remained.
A permanent reminder that some injuries never truly disappeared.
Ace hated every second of it.
His pride had always been one of the few things nobody could take from him. He refused to bow his head, refused to beg, and refused to let anyone think they owned him.
But survival demanded sacrifices.
So he smiled when he wanted to snarl.
He obeyed when every instinct screamed to fight.
He swallowed every insult, every humiliation, every ounce of rage burning inside his chest.
Not because he'd given up.
Because he was waiting.
Waiting for the right moment.
And when that moment finally came...
No cage in the world would be strong enough to hold him again.