Hey guys itâs been a while but I am back!!!
What if one day ace felt a bit left out of the heartslabyul fam and starts to seek comfort from scarabia and octavinelle?
Practice had run late again, Riddle had scolded him for being âcareless with the rules,â and Deuce had agreed (the traitor). So Ace did what any normal student would do: whine about it to whoever was nearby. Unfortunately, âwhoeverâ turned out to be Jamil and Floyd.
He didnât even notice when they exchanged that look, one that spelled *trouble.*
âYâknow,â Ace said, balancing his broom on his shoulder, âsometimes it feels like Iâm not even part of Heartslabyul. Like, I get it, rules are rules, but does Riddle ever *breathe?*â
Floyd tilted his head, smile stretching like a sharkâs. âHeeeh~ so Crabbyâs feelinâ left out? How funny~â
âIâm not *feeling left out!*â Ace snapped. âIâm just sayingâ wait, why are you smiling like that?â
Jamil hummed under his breath, calm and unreadable as ever. âNo reason.â
A few days later, Jamil âjust happenedâ to invite him to a Scarabia party. Free food and an easy excuse to ditch Heartslabyul for a night? Ace wouldâve been stupid to say no.
It was wildly fun, way more than he expected. Kalim kept dragging him into dances (âAce, dance with me! Câmon, one more song!â), and Jamilâs cooking was out of this world. Ace ate like a man possessed.
âI swear,â Ace mumbled between bites, âif you ever open a restaurant, Iâm living there.â
Jamil just smirked. âIâll consider it⊠if you can afford the price.â
Then came Octavinelle. Or rather, Floyd came to *get* him.
He didnât even ask! He just grabbed Ace by the collar and said, âWeâre going to the Lounge~ Azul wants to see you.â
âWhaâwait, what did I even *do?*â
âDunno~ youâll find out!â
It wasnât bad, though. The atmosphere was weirdly nice, the food top-tier (again), and even Azul wasnât being his usual scheming self⊠well, until Floyd yeeted Ace across the room and he crashed into Azul.
âTrappola!â Azul gasped as they both went down.
âNot my fault!â Ace wheezed.
Floydâs laughter rang through the Lounge, and when Azul finally stood, hair mussed and face red, he tackled Floyd right back. Ace recorded *everything.* Best day ever.
Azul had told him afterward, âYou may visit anytime⊠for a price.â
The âpriceâ turned out to be hanging out with them whenever they wanted. Honestly, Ace didnât mind.
Ace never noticed it but the moment he started drifting toward other dorms, *everyone else* noticed *him*.
Kalim was the first to pick up on Aceâs mood when they found him complaining after practice. Kalim wasnât the type to let someone he cared about sit around feeling invisible. So when Ace laughed at his jokes, danced with him, and genuinely smiled during the party, Kalim felt this warm little spark of pride.
*âHeâs having fun⊠good. No one deserves to feel lonelyâŠâ* he thought.
Jamil, of course, would deny having any feelings about Ace whatsoever.
But when Ace scarfed down his cooking with that bright-eyed happiness, Jamil felt oddly⊠satisfied.
*âIf he enjoys it that much, I guess he can come back. Not that it matters.â*
(His expression absolutely softened when Ace wasnât looking.)
Azul pretended to be indifferent. He really did. But even he couldnât ignore the fact that having Ace around brought a strange liveliness into the Lounge.
He told himself it was a âbusiness opportunity.â
But watching Ace banter with Floyd? Seeing him fit comfortably into their little trio?
It made Azul blink and think, *âHuh⊠he really is good company.â*
(Not that heâd ever admit that out loud.)
Jade found Ace interesting from the very beginning. Something about Ace reminded him of a younger Floyd: fiery, unpredictable, a little chaotic.
*âEndearing,â*Â Jade thought, smile small and sharp.
He fully intended to drag Ace mushroom-hunting as a âfair exchange.â
If anyone asked why he randomly decided to cheer Ace up, heâd tell them to mind their business.
But the truth was simple:
*âCrabbyâs way more fun when heâs happy.â*
And Floyd had recently been bored out of his mind. So he adopted Ace like a chaotic eel-cat adopting a stray.
Weeks passed before he realized he was spending more time in *other dorms* than his own.
Heartslabyulâs first-years noticed first. Deuce was the one who finally cracked.
âHeâs *what?!*â Riddle exclaimed when Deuce confessed that Ace had been âkidnapped by other dorms.â
Cater tried to laugh it off, Trey sighed like a tired dad, but Riddle was already storming toward Octavinelle, robe fluttering behind him.
They found him in the Lounge. Floyd had just tackled Ace again, and he was laughing, really laughing, loud and carefree, while Kalim and Jamil watched from the side. Azul and Jade were nearby, trying not to smirk as Floyd clung to Ace like a koala.
For a moment, none of Heartslabyul moved.
Riddleâs chest felt tight. Ace looked so *happy,* happier than heâd seen him in a long time. Trey and Cater exchanged a look that said everything. Deuce felt something twist in his chest; he thought heâd been Aceâs closest friend.
Kalim noticed them first and waved. âOh! Riddle! You came just in time! Ace was telling us about your last tea partyââ
But Riddle couldnât find words.
He just watched Ace, surrounded by people who werenât *his.*
None of them realized how much they took Ace for granted until they saw other dorms touching his hair, laughing with him, pulling him into their circles like he belonged there.
It hit each of them in their own way:
**Riddle** felt⊠replaced. The hurt was sharp and quiet.
**Trey**Â wondered how he missed how Ace was feeling.
**Cater** felt jealousy sting, he thought Ace trusted *them* a bit more.
**Deuce**Â had never felt so confused. Ace was supposed to be his best friend. His partner in chaos.
And all of them had the same fear:
*âWhat if he really leaves us for another dorm?â*
That fear is what sent them into full panic-mode plotting.
That night, Heartslabyul made a silent agreement: they were getting their card soldier back.
Trey started âtesting new recipesâ every day, always calling Ace first.
Cater began popping up everywhere Ace went, dragging him into random photoshoots.
Riddle added extra âhelp sessionsâ to Aceâs schedule (âSince youâre so *free* lately, youâll assist me after classes.â).
And Deuce? Deuce practically kidnapped him to every first-year hangout.
Ace didnât get it. Everyone was acting so weird.