Chapter Text
A few days later, Ace leans against the carnival’s front gate, glancing at his phone and tapping his feet. “Riddle’s supposed to be here already, where is this guy,” he mutters to himself. “There’s no way he can show up to the coffeeshop on time every damn week but not here. It feels like it’s been ages.”
Okay, technically it had been. It just so happened that the roads were empty when Ace left campus, and he made it with plenty of time to spare. He definitely didn’t come an hour early because he was excited, and his roommates definitely hadn’t pushed him out the door because he almost chickened out.
Ace shakes his head, the carnival lights coming back into focus as he glances around the crowd. There still isn’t anyone he recognizes, and he resigns himself to scrolling aimlessly on his phone when-
“Ace!” Riddle emerges from the crowd of ticket-buyers and runs up to him. “Goodness, I’m terribly sorry for being late- Azul insisted on driving me, but our car got stuck in the traffic by the pier, and I’m fairly sure he broke more than a few laws to get me here, but…” He smiles as he gazes at Ace. “I’m here now. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Ace sighs in relief, then grins. “Waiting? Psh, what? I just got here too.”
“Ah, is that so? Thank the Seven.” Riddle turns towards all the lights with sparkling eyes. “I must admit, I’ve never been to a festival of this caliber. But, well, I suppose there’s a first time for everything.”
“Damn right! I bet you’re gonna love it here.” Ace walks forward, his hand inching towards Riddle’s. “Come on, let’s-”
“Right then, let’s get going!”
Ace pauses awkwardly, his hand drifting back to his side, before following the redhead through the crowd. “Oh- uh, sure.” He silently walks beside Riddle, taking in the sights and sounds when one of the stalls catches his eye. “Hey, carnival games! I’m a whiz at those.”
Riddle tilts his head and gazes at the baskets and bottles. “I’ve always been told those were rigged.”
“Maybe they are, maybe they’re not, but they’re easy once you figure out how they work! Just try it and you’ll see!” Ace veers off the path and approaches a stall, Riddle trailing close behind him. “Here, this one’s ring toss. You throw the ring and make sure it gets around the neck of a bottle. Easy peasy, if you ask me.”
“Is it really though… well, it couldn’t hurt.” Riddle nods and turns to the worker. “I’ll have three tries, please.” Once the rings are in his hand, he focuses on a bottle and aims, carefully testing it in his hands before tossing it, then…
It hits the bottle with a clink! and falls to the ground.
“Gh, why’d it miss?! I was sure that was perfect!” Riddle pointedly glares at the bottles with a fiery anger. “I-I’ll get it this time! Just watch!‘
Though Riddle’s pouting, it doesn’t escape Ace’s notice that the redhead is blushing too- probably from embarrassment. “Yep, I’m sure you will! C’mon, rosebud, you got this!”
Riddle’s arm freezes mid-throw, and his jaw nearly drops as he gazes af Ace. “You- what did you just call me?”
“Uh, rosebud? It’s cause you had ‘rose’ in your name, so I thought it’d be cute… should I not have?”
The pink on Riddle’s cheeks gets darker as he shakes his head. “N-no, it’s fine, I like it. Now would you please let me throw here?”
“Sorry, sorry. Go ahead.” Ace smirks and puts one hand on the redhead’s shoulder. “Rosebud.”
Riddle flushes red to the tips of his ears, and he hurriedly glances back at the bottles. “Y-yes, um… could you back up? I don’t want to hit you while I’m throwing.”
Ace bows and steps back with a grin. “I’m watching~”
Riddle huffs and aims again. “Right, this time, I’ll go for that golden one in the middle!” The ring soars through the air, and misses the bottle entirely. “Ok, I- I still have one more!”
“No pressure, Riddle! You can do it, I know you can!”
“You do realize that just makes it worse, right?!” Riddle lifts his arm to throw and sticks his tongue out as he focuses on the bottle. He tosses it with a determined hum, and Ace watches it fly through the air, but it isn’t long before the ring hits the back of the tent with a dull thump. Riddle’s face falls and he sighs in disappointment.
“I really thought I’d be able to get at least one… maybe it’s rigged after all.”
“Nah, you did great for your first try! Got really close. Promise you it isn’t rigged, though. Here, watch.” Ace turns to the man and passes him a few thaumarks. “I’ll take three, please!” He takes the rings, their weight almost comforting in his hand, and sets up the first shot.
“You’re gonna want to watch this, Riddle!” Ace glances over his shoulder and smirks. “I’ll show you how it’s really done.”
“I hope there’s some weight in those words, and they’re not just hot air.”
“What? Course not. Right then, here we go!” Ace tosses the first ring and it clatters right onto the golden neck of a glass bottle. “Boom! See? First try!”
Riddle’s jaw drops, then he grins widely and laughs in amazement. “That’s incredible! And that was the one worth the most points too. However did you do that?”
“I’m trained. And sheer luck, of course.” Ace winks at Riddle and gets ready to aim again. “Going for silver now! In three, two, one!” He tosses the ring, wondering why it seemed to have flown so fast, and then Ace realizes.
He’s thrown it harder than he’d wanted. It flies through the air and bounces off one of the bottles, and Ace can’t do anything but watch at this point. It can’t be more than a few seconds, but he can feel every heartbeat as he keeps his eyes on the ring. It comes back down, and Ace heaves a relieved sigh as it settles right on one of the bronze bottles.
Riddle chuckles and lightly nudges Ace’s shoulder. “Whatever happened to aiming for silver?”
Ace pouts and nudges him back. “Hey, at least I didn’t miss completely. I’m still on track to winning something!”
“If it’s my heart you’re after, rest assured you’ve already got what you wanted.”
Ace splutters, his cheeks flaming as he whips his head around to glare at Riddle. “Wh- hey! I thought I was supposed to be the smooth one here!”
“I can have my moments too, you know. But by all means, don’t let me distract you from your throwing.”
“This is because I called you ‘rosebud’, isn’t it? This is how you’re getting revenge on me.”
“Perhaps, or perhaps not.” Riddle smiles innocently, but Ace doesn’t miss the teasing lilt in the other’s voice. “Now didn’t you say you wanted to win that prize?”
“Okay, okay! I get it!” Ace pouts as he aims at the bottles again, and his voice drops to a grumble. “Jeez, you really are too cute for your own good…”
“What was that, Ace?”
“Nothing!” Ace grips the ring harder before tossing it towards the bottles with a flourish, and just like he predicts, it clatters right onto the neck of a silver bottle. “And that’s three for three, baby!”
“That’s a total of, what, ten points? I can’t believe you made it look so easy.”
He grins and slings one arm around Riddle’s shoulder. “Told you I was good!” Ace giggles when Riddle’s hand comes to rest on top of his (though he’ll absolutely deny it later), and nods towards the massive shelf of prizes. “Anyway, pick whatever you like! I have enough points for two, so I don’t mind.”
“Ah? Really?” Riddle glances at each one of them before bashfully turning back to Ace. “I can’t decide… they all look so cute. Besides, you’re the one who won the game, so you should pick.”
“If you say so.” Ace gazes at the wall, hoping there’s something Riddle will like. Most of them are squishy unicorn pillows in various colors, and there are a few food plushes scattered around. Through his regrets that he didn’t check the prizes before playing, Ace is about to choose a couple when a plush from the back catches his eye.
Well, it’s not really a plush; it’s a pair of them. Two hedgehogs- one red, one orange- sit together hand in hand, and both of them are holding little hearts. It’s adorable, it reminds him of Riddle, and they’re matching . It’s perfect.
“Those two in the back, please!” Before long, the hedgehogs are safely in Ace’s arms, and Ace hands them off to Riddle as they start walking again. “Here you go! Two little adorable hedgehogs for my little adorable rosebud.”
The redhead grumbles at the nickname, but from how pink his face is, it’s clear he’s more flustered than anything. “I’m not sure these can be classified as ‘little’, Ace. They’re nearly as big as my head.” Riddle shifts them in his grip, and eventually settles for hugging both of them to his chest. “And for the record, neither am I.”
“Well, those hedgehogs aren’t exactly big either.” Ace links their arms together and pulls them close, smiling as he rests his head against Riddle’s. “So I still say you’re little, plus you’re shorter than I am.”
The redhead bristles, lightly glaring at Ace. “My height has absolutely nothing to do with-” Riddle stops, head tilting curiously as he glances at a nearby bush.
Ace peeks around Riddle; he knows it’s probably the lights, but he swears two heads just disappeared behind it… “What is it? Something there?”
“Ah, no. Apologies, it was nothing.” Riddle turns away from the bush, and they keep walking through the festival. “Anyway, as I was saying, my height has absolutely nothing to do with this, and that’s final.”
“Okay, okay, whatever you say, your honor~” A rollercoaster car thunders past on the rails above them, and Ace stifles a laugh at the way Riddle jumps at the noise. “Oh man, I almost forgot they had rollercoasters here! This one’s the best one, we should totally ride it!”
“Are you sure?” Riddle glances up at the tracks and frowns. “It seems… fast. And high.”
“Riddle, pretty sure you just described every rollercoaster, like ever.” Ace grins and tugs the redhead toward the gate. “You’ll be fine! Now c’mon, the line’s over there!”
“Whew, that was awesome! Gotta love how fast that one goes,” Ace chirps, running a hand through his tousled hair as he starts bounding down the staircase. “What’d you think of it, Riddle?” When there’s no response, he looks around in confusion. “Riddle? Rosebud?”
“I- I’m over here…” Ace glances to the top of the staircase, and sure enough, Riddle’s clinging to the stair rail with both hands. “Apologies, I don’t know what happened to me. I’m just-” The redhead takes a step down and stumbles, and Ace barely manages to dash up the staircase fast enough to catch him.
He guides the both of them off to the side, and gathers Riddle into his arms. “Dizzy, I’m guessing?”
“Mhm.” Riddle buries his head into the crook of Ace’s neck. “Everything won’t stop spinning…”
“Yeah, that’s my bad for taking you on such a big one when it’s your first time. Sorry for that.” Ace scoops Riddle into his arms and carries him down the stairs. “Let’s get you on a bench or something.”
“I’d appreciate it, thank you. And please don’t worry about that, it’s fine. Despite all this, the ride was exhilarating. I’d go on it with you again, but well, I don’t think I’m exactly in the best shape for that.” The redhead chuckles, and points at a bench in the distance. “Ah, I think just over there is fine.”
Ace looks at where Riddle’s pointing, but shakes his head. “Nah, I got somewhere better in mind. Hold on!”
“A-Ace?! Wait, really, it’s alright!”
“This is a date, right? Gotta go the extra mile for my beloved. Here we go!” Ace dashes off, laughing at Riddle’s surprised squeak, and darts in between the crowds of people. It isn’t long before he reaches the food stalls, and he gently puts his boyfriend (they are boyfriends right? ) down in one of the metal chairs.
“Hup! There we go!”
“You didn’t have to carry me that far, you know. I would’ve been fine with the bench just outside the ride.”
“What can I say? I like having you that close.” Ace plops into the chair opposite the redhead, adamantly ignoring how bad his arms are aching. “Besides, I was getting kinda hungry. How ‘bout you?”
Riddle tilts his head as he mulls it over, then nods. “Food would be alright, yes. All the excitement has me in the mood for something sweet. I-if that’s alright with you, of course!”
“It’s cool! I love dessert. How about…” Ace gazes around and lights up when he sees it. “Ooh, let’s get a funnel cake!”
Riddle immediately narrows his eyes. “That does not sound healthy.”
“Rosebud, you’re at a fair. Nothing’s healthy here.”
“Touche. Alright, we can get one.” The redhead pushes his chair back and stands. “But I’m going with you to get it.”
“Never said you couldn’t come!” Ace offers his arm, and Riddle shyly takes it as they walk to the stand. “And seeing as it’s your first time having one, we’re goin’ all out with the toppings, ‘kay?”
“Fine, fine, but if I get a sugar high, it is entirely your fault.” They reach the stall, and Ace doesn’t miss the way Riddle’s eyes light up at the sight of it. “O-okay, so it does look really good…”
“Right? I swear these things are to die for. Wanna go for a classic one?”
Riddle clears his throat and turns away to hide the flush on his face. “Ah, actually, I wanted to try strawberry.”
“Alright! That’s pretty good too, even if cherry’s objectively better.”
Riddle pouts and pokes him playfully. “Take that back.”
“I’ll think about it if you kiss me.” The line moves forward, and Ace is just about to start ordering when two hands tug him down. He comes face to face with Riddle, and then Ace is getting kissed before he can ask what’s going on. It’s wonderfully reminiscent of the first time it happened, save for the strawberry-flavored lip balm Ace can taste now, and though it didn’t last more than a few seconds, Ace is sure his brain has short-circuited and his face is flaming red.
“There,” Riddle says smugly, crossing his arms. “Think about it.”
“I- yeah. Sure, I will.” The redhead grins, and Ace unconsciously smiles as he turns to the funnel cake vendor. “One strawberry funnel cake, fully loaded, please.” The price comes out to twelve thaumarks, and Ace can see Riddle reaching for his bag out of the corner of his eye. So he does what any good boyfriend would do, and has all the money out on the counter before Riddle can get his wallet out of his bag.
“I would’ve been fine paying, you know.”
“Yeah, but I have a job and money to spare.”
“Yes, but my parents are both doctors. They won’t miss a few thaumarks.”
“You… have a point.” Ace shrugs as they return to their table. “You can pay next time, then?”
“Very well.” Riddle sits down opposite Ace, and they both silently gaze at each other for a while. “So. What does a funnel cake taste like exactly?”
“Like a donut with powdered sugar.” At Riddle’s look of confusion, Ace sighs. “Right, you’ve probably never had a donut either, and we really should fix that after this. But it’s like fried dough? Something along those lines, I think, and it has powdered sugar, and some kind of sauce. Oh, and ice cream usually.”
“Ah. I see.” The awkward silence returns, and neither of them know what to do about it- at least, not until their order number is called, and Riddle gets up from his seat. “Don’t worry. I’ll get it, so you just stay here.”
“Okay. Thanks, rosebud.” The redhead flushes, but smiles as he nods and walks away. Ace taps his fingers on the table as he waits, and before long, Riddle’s placing a little paper plate on the table, whipped cream and strawberry sauce threatening to drip off the sides.
“It’s certainly a lot bigger than I thought it’d be,” he says happily, handing a spoon to Ace. “And it looks so sweet…”
“Someone’s got a massive sweet tooth. Not that it’s a bad thing, of course!” Ace grins and nods at their dessert. “Well, let’s dig in?” Riddle nods enthusiastically, and Ace can’t help but laugh at the almost-literal sparkle in the other’s eyes when they eat the first spoon together.
From there, the funnel cake is finished in a matter of minutes, and Ace once again swipes the empty plate before Riddle can do anything about it- to which the redhead pouts at Ace, an unspoken you didn’t have to , and the only thing Ace can think is that it’s absolutely adorable.
He’s about to go throw their trash away when he notices the speck of powdered sugar at the corner of Riddle’s lips, and before his brain can catch up, Ace leans forward and gently kisses him. Riddle flinches, but doesn’t move, and when Ace is finally satisfied that he’s gotten all the sugar off, he draws back with a wide smile.
And then his brain chooses that exact moment to catch up on the last few seconds.
Riddle is completely frozen in front of him, eyes wide and face completely red as his hand hovers right above the spot Ace just kissed. For his part, Ace swears up and down that one of the Seven just lit him on fire, because there’s no way his face can be this hot if he isn’t. They stare at each other silently, with Riddle’s face nearly the shade of his hair and Ace matching it, before Ace abruptly turns and practically runs away.
Maybe he should take the long way to the trashcan and back.
Ace still can’t think of any words to say even as they leave the funnel cake stand. He knows he has to say something, anything, after what just happened (even if it was amazing) but there’s nothing he can say without…
His gaze goes past the twinkling lights, past the stars, and finally lands on the ferris wheel. Perfect.
“Hey, Riddle, wanna ride the ferris wheel? Y’know, take a break,” Ace says nervously. “Chill. Enjoy the view.”
“I don’t see why not. I think it’d be nice.”
“Great! Great, okay, let’s go.” He moves to grab Riddle’s hand, but Riddle’s off and walking before he can, and Ace silently curses in his head before running to catch up with the redhead. The line, thankfully, is much shorter than Ace thought it would be, and they’re rising through the air in no time. As their car climbs higher and higher, Ace notices that Riddle is forlornly gazing out of the window, and a wave of concern washes over him.
“Hey, rosebud, you ok?” He asks softly, putting one hand on Riddle’s knee. “What’s wrong?”
Riddle glances at Ace’s hand and turns back to the window. “It’s nothing, Ace. Please don’t worry.”
“Rosebud, the last time we didn’t talk about something, we ended up fighting for a month, and I really don’t want to have a repeat of that this soon.”
The redhead cracks a smile and puts one hand on top of Ace’s. “I suppose you’re right. It’s just that…” Riddle turns to properly face him and sighs before holding both of Ace’s hands with his. “Look, I had fun today, I really did. But despite how wonderful everything was, I felt… ah, how do I say this? Lost? This was my first time at a carnival or anything of the sort, and it was all going so fast I could barely keep up.”
“Oh.” Ace’s ears burn out of shame, not embarrassment, and he frowns as he looks at the floor. “Sorry about that… I guess I was so excited to show you something cool and fun that I kinda forgot you’ve never been. And sorry for, uh, what I did earlier. At the funnel cake stand. I was just tryna be romantic.”
“I appreciate the gesture, but my dear Ace, there’s no need to be so flashy.” Riddle smiles, wide and proper this time, and leans closer to Ace. “I love you, because you’re you . You’re Ace, my amazing barista and boyfriend I’m incredibly lucky to have. You don’t have to change yourself for me.”
Ace ducks his head, hoping he can hide how flustered he is, but from Riddle’s soft chuckle, he can guess how well it’s working. “No fair, I’m supposed to be the one who says that kinda sappy stuff…”
“I think that makes the count two to one, yes? It’s nice to see even you can get this embarrassed.”
“Only when my adorable boyfriend says such moving speeches, that’s for sure. And that's two to two.” Ace smirks at Riddle’s indignant sputter, and he’s about to continue singing the redhead’s praises when a blast of color lights the night sky up. “Oh hey, there’s fireworks!”
“Ah, you’re right! There’s so many of them!” He grins as the sky explodes in flashes of pink and blue and red. “It’s beautiful…”
“But not as beautiful as you.” Ace leans in so close their foreheads are nearly touching, and a burst of light illuminates the deep red blush on both of them. “May I?”
“Always.” Their car stops at the very top, and fireworks light up the night behind them as they close the distance between them.
(When they’re finally back on the ground a few minutes later, their hands are comfortably intertwined in each other’s as they walk. Ace is about to suggest heading home, considering the late hour, but all those thoughts fly out his brain when Riddle tugs on his sleeve.
“Ace, could we… ride the carousel?” Riddle asks tentatively. “Just once? I know it might be childish, but-”
Ace places one finger on Riddle’s lips and shushes him. “You don’t even need to ask. I’d go on it a thousand times if you wanted.”
Riddle beams at him and pulls Ace towards the line. When they do get on, the music is way too loud in his ear and the lights are terribly bright, but Riddle’s laughing as he rides his brown carousel horse, and Ace decides he wouldn’t trade this for the world.)
“So,” Ace says as they stop in front of Riddle’s apartment building, their fingers still intertwined. “We’re here.”
“Yes, we are. Quite astute of you,” the redhead teases with a fond smile. “And thank you for today. I’d love to do this again sometime. Go on a date, I mean.”
“Really? Call me if you ever wanna make plans! I’ll clear my whole schedule just for you.”
Riddle chuckles and pats Ace’s shoulder. “You don’t need to do that, silly.”
“But I can, and I will!” Ace pulls Riddle into a brief hug, then steps back. “Alright, I gotta go, ok? I’ll text you when I get back to the dorm-”
“Ace, wait!” Riddle grabs his arm as he digs through his bag, and eventually pulls out one of the hedgehog plushes. “Here, for you. So we can, you know… match.”
Ace carefully takes it from Riddle’s hands and grins as he hugs it to his chest. “Heh, thanks rosebud. I’ll be sure to put this somewhere safe in my dorm room once I get back.”
“Alright. Off with you, then. I’ll talk to you later.” Riddle waves and opens the door, but looks back right before he closes it. “And thank you again, Ace.” The door swings shut, and Ace sighs happily before he turns and heads for the bus stop.
One bus and subway ride later, he flops right onto his dorm bed, ignoring all his roommates- until someone swipes the hedgehog from his arms.
“Hey!” Ace’s head shoots up and glares at whoever dared to take his matching plush, which turns out to be Deuce. “Dude, give that back!”
“Tell us how the date with Riddle went first,” Deuce quips back with a smirk. “Did you kiss him? Do anything romantic?”
“Ooh, I bet you won something for him too,” one of the others calls from their bed. “You guys matching?”
Ace groans and sits up properly, snatching the hedgehog back. “Okay, okay! It went fine, I kissed him in the ferris wheel, and yes, we’re matching, so all of you can shut up now.” Deuce and the others start gushing about how cute they are, and Ace rolls his eyes despite the smile creeping onto his face. His phone buzzes from beside him, and he picks it up to check his texts, tuning out the voices behind him.
Messages: rosebud <3
10:39 PM
rosebud <3: How are you? Back safe?
latte guy: yepp
latte guy: sorry i couldn’t get around to texting u sooner
latte guy: deuce and the others were so annoying
latte guy: all “aww that’s a cute hedgehog i bet ur matching aren’t u” and “you guys are soooo cute”
rosebud <3: Oh, believe me, Azul and Jamil were practically the same.
rosebud <3: They were both asking where I got Tangerine from, and when I told them you won it for me, they hugged each other and jumped for joy. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know.
latte guy: u named ur plush tangerine?
rosebud <3: Well, it’s orange. Would you prefer I named it Ace?
latte guy: . no
latte guy: do u want me to name mine riddle cause it's red?
rosebud <3: If you'd like.
latte guy: i would but then we wouldn't be matching so bc u named urs tangerine i’m gonna name mine rosy
rosebud <3: Jamil just read that over my shoulder. He’s celebrating with Azul again.
latte guy: what
rosebud <3: You don’t want to see what they were like earlier. When I told them we had matching hedgehogs, I think Azul actually started crying.
latte guy: were they that happy for u??
rosebud <3: I suppose so.
rosebud <3: Ah, and Jamil wants me to tell you you’re off his hitlist.
latte guy: I’M ON HIS HITLIST??
rosebud <3: Was on his hitlist. He won’t threaten you with plastic knives, or with anything anymore.
latte guy: NO NO BACK UP
latte guy: WDYM I WAS ON HIS HITLIST
rosebud <3: He mentioned something about the mutual pining being too much to bear.
latte guy: i was NOT pining ugh but at least he won't threaten me with death by plastic knife when i meet him again
rosebud <3: He says you were, and the pining was obvious to everyone except me. Which I'm not sure what that means, actually.
rosebud <3: No matter though. I’ll leave them to whatever party they’re holding now and just go to bed.
latte guy: kk
latte guy: i forgot guys like u sleep before midnight
rosebud <3: Ace, are you not sleeping before midnight?
latte guy: …i am
rosebud <3: …I’m not so sure, but I'll hold you to that.
rosebud <3: I'm off to bed now. Thank you again for today, and I hope you had as much fun today as I did.
latte guy: ofc! best first but not actually first date ever <3
rosebud <3: Wonderful. :)
rosebud <3: Well then, goodnight. I love you.
Ace starts typing it back, but his finger hesitates right as he’s about to push the send button.
He knows he loves Riddle; he has for a long time, and yet he’d always been terrified that Riddle wouldn’t love him back… until he did. They’re together, they’re dating, they’re happy, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t say it every chance he gets.
So Ace pushes the button without a second thought and drifts off to sleep with a smile at the messages he’s sent.
latte guy: i love u too😘
latte guy: see u tomorrow riddle <33